Secrets Look Different in the Light

Chapter 30

Theo's POV

Avery has been lost in the crowd since the dancing started.  If she weren't screaming the lyrics to every familiar song, I'd be worried. I still don't know what happened with her and Jayden today. It's not like I thought she'd call me afterward, but I also didn't expect her to throw a party.  

"I feel a lot for you Teddy"  

Was that good or bad? 

"Theo, water!" Avery shouts, emerging from the crowd.I stand from the cooler I was sitting on, grab a bottle, and toss it to her. She fumbles with the cap and spills a bit but doesn't seem to notice.

"What do you think? Better than Lockwell's?" she asks, flushed from the chaos.

"Wouldn't know. Never made it inside," I respond.

Her grin falters. We go quiet.

"I broke up with Jayden," she says. "We broke up. Officially."

I wait. Nothing more.

"How are you fe-" 

"Wanna go dance?" she interrupts, smiling again. I glance at her glassy eyes. 

How many drinks did it take to tell me that?

She takes my silence as a yes and grabs my hand. She pulls me into the center of the crowd. I instinctively hold her close, shielding her from wandering hands. But even though she led me here to dance, she doesn't move. She just stays close.

"You didn't have to tell me about Jayden," I lean in to say.

"Sure I didn't," she replies, grabbing my hands and placing them on her hips. She sways, just slightly.

"Whatever happens, do you think we're gonna be okay?" she asks.

"I know I want us to be," I tell her. I don't know what happens next.

In a perfect world, she'd tell me she loves me. She'd say Jayden was never right for her and she's been scared to admit what she really wants. She'd say that she's wanted to be with me as long as I've wanted to be with her.

But things are rarely ever perfect in this world.

"I'm a bit drunk." She confesses, and a laugh escapes me.

"Wanna ditch the crowd? Get some fresh air?" I offer.

She nods, grabbing my hand once more, this time following me. 

Dylan's POV

I take Haley out to the boat house, unlocking the combination lock.  There's a loft in the here that I tend to camp out in during the week of Christmas. Last year when My cousin came in from UTA, I caught him up here smoking a joint and he promised to share if I didn't go inform his parents on what he's up to at college. Not that I would've ratted on him anyways, his parents are as bad as mine, but I did take him up on the joint. 

"What's with all the furniture in here? Planning a garage sale?" Haley asks, ducking under a lamp.

I lead our way to the stairs at the back of the boathouse. "We moved a bunch of stuff in here earlier to keep from breaking. Too many people there to leave everything in its place and hope for the best." 

We reach the top, taking a seat on the far end, next to a small window.  She retrieves a lighter from her back pocket, and hands the joint to me after taking the first puff.

"So you're an Academic maniac, used to be it girl, who also runs with the stoner pack?" I  observe aloud. 

She laughs. "If you wanna sum it up in one sentence, sure."