Theo's POV
We watch her nervously waiting to see how this will go. I'm honestly surprised that she called him. She's just trying to prove something to me, not actually resolve their issue. I shouldn't have pushed.
"You win. Where do you wanna do this?" She asks into the phone, seemingly calm.
"My parents are home, we're not meeting there." She states. Jackie and I exchange a few looks during her conversation, but neither of us dare to speak.
"Okay, I'll be waiting on the bleachers." She says and abruptly hangs up.
"He's wrapping up football practice, so I'm going to meet him up at the school." She tells us as she stands from her seat.
"Don't you need a ride?" I ask.
"Uber exists Theo, I don't need you for everything." She remarks.
"Call me if you need me Avery." Jackie says, a little worried about her walking into this so unclear. She nods and then heads back to the front of the restaurant. Two minutes later I have a Venmo alert from her
"For the salad" it reads. I hope she knows what she wants from this.
"What happened between you and Avery." I know it sounds like a question, but there's a statement somewhere in there. She's Avery's best friend. She knows when somethings up with her, unfortunately I'm the something this time.
"We kissed." I respond, almost like a reflex. Like a breath I've been holding in all day. She chokes in response, whether on air, or just pure shock, I have no idea.
"Theo you didn't..." She says sympathetically.
"Why is it a bad thing?" I ask, getting defensive.
"It's not, it's just... I don't want you to get hurt." She tells me, but I just scoff.
"How did it happen?" she questions.
"I came back in the middle of the night. I hadn't slept, all I kept thinking was 'this is it'. This fight between Avery and Jayden was the fight that was gonna make them or break them. It was my last opportunity to show her that she isn't limited to Jayden. I swear I had the best intentions, I just wanted her to realize she deserved better. I didn't imply with me or anyone else, I just wanted her to see Jayden for what he is." I take a long pause, I can almost see the moment swirling around replaying in front of me.
"But then she acknowledged it. The unspoken song and dance we've been doing for ages. She said she couldn't be the one to cross the line. So I did. Her acknowledgment was enough to convince me that she feels for me like I do for her. And I kissed her. I've been fighting with her all day because she wasn't talking to Jayden. And the longer she ignored him, the less sure I was that she wanted to be with me." I explain to her, stopping only when the waitress brings our check.
"This is messy Theo. You know that right?" She asks me and I nod.
"I know you have feelings for her, and I know part of her feels something for you, but the wires are crossed. Avery is terrible at change, she always has been. And right now she's having to decide how things change with Jayden, her first everything was with him. That's a lot to think about, to talk about, to feel. And now that y'all have kissed, and the cats out of the bag? I know Avery well enough to know that she's not going to handle any of this in a good way. She's already rushing into this conversation with Jayden, and there's no telling how it's going to go." We start walking back to my car, a slow steady pace.
"Am I good for her?" I ask as we drive down the highway.
"Better than Jayden." She answers.
"But am I good for her?" I ask again. She turns to me and nods.
"Yes. I just don't think she's any good for you." She states.
Avery's POV
The Bleachers are cold and they hurt my ass as we sit, facing each other, but saying nothing. What do you say after such a fight?
YOU ARE READING
The Speech
Romance#Wattys2024 Two love stories, one friend group. A new school year has started and changes are well on their way. Avery has been in the public eye for as long as she can remember. Being popular in school due to her stunning looks, and being the daug...
