The Silence Between Names

Chapter Eight: Boys are Cheats and Liars

"Ava, it's not what it looks like." He slurred, falling against the doorframe. 

Lily cowered behind him, her face hiding behind his shirt.

Heartbroken, I backed up, not even saying a word. Annie grabbed my shoulder, stepped in front of me, and shoved Jack back into the bathroom where we heard him tumble down. I stormed off, leaving Annie to try and chase after me. I turned back to her.

"Just go away." I muttered coldly.

Annie only nodded, going back to the bathroom, where I heard her voice boom, yelling at Jack and Lily. I could feel my eyes begin to well up, and hot tears streamed down my cheeks. I angrily walked back up the steps, and headed over to Shawn, who's face dropped at the sight of my expression. After asking what was wrong, Shawn apologized after I didn't reply. I grabbed a handle from behind him, and clutched it in my small hands, walking away from him and onto the balcony. Opening the sliding glass door, I was met with the cool breeze that stuck to my tear-stained cheeks. My head dropped down as I stared over the glass railing, and leaned forward drunkenly. Everything was starting to spin. My feet began to trip over each other, and I felt a pair of arms pick me up. Shawn looked down at me, and picked me up, hoisting me into his arms like a newborn baby. 

"I'm fine Shawn." I slurred. 

He shook his head, and took me upstairs to the upper floor. Everyone watched as I pathetically began to flail my arms in the air.

God I hope they don't think I am going to sleep with him. 

Shawn used his foot to push open the door, and he set me on the bed in one of the guest rooms. 

"Don't move." He ordered, and pulled back the covers for me. 

He set out some blankets, then closed the door. I tossed and turned in the bed, restless from what I'd seen. How was it so easy for him to do this? And with Lily? Did he even care about me in the first place? My mind raced to about a thousand places before I eventually came back to the present time and place. I could still hear the booming of music from downstairs and hoisted myself up from the bed. I looked down at myself, smoothing out my dress before tip toeing barefoot out the door and down the dark hallway. I traced the walls with my fingers as I walked down the cold tile. I stopped when I heard the sound of a voice a few feet in front of me. Sliding behind the nearest wall, I peeked out to the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. 

A tall boy walked into the light, his dark hair falling above his brow. A girl followed behind him, her hand intwined with his. His voice was low and gentle, and she quickly followed his steps as they moved past me, not noticing. I watched the girl brush past him, as let her into the bedroom down the hall from mine. The girl was dressed in a white sequin dress, and high heels, and her blonde hair was teased up in curls. She looked up at the boy who practically towered over her. His figure was large and his shoulders broad. Taking his hand, she led him into the bedroom and with a laugh he closed the door behind him. Was Shawn okay with someone just taking one of his rooms like that? I scoffed and passed the door, heading back to bed. I watched the ceiling spin while I lie on my back. My eyelids got heavy and slowly closed to the sound of music beating from above me.

I rolled out of bed the next morning with a terrible headache, and walked over to the dresser in the guest room. Pulling out a t shirt and boxers, I slipped out of my dress and tossed it onto the bed. I folded my clothes neatly and set them all on the bed, before walking out the door and down the hallway. The door to the bedroom the boy had been in was cracked open. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him and the girl lying in bed together, their voices filling the room. I padded down the stairs to the middle floor, kicking an empty beer can out of the way. 

"Morning." I said to Shawn, who looked like a complete mess. 

"Good morning, princess." He muttered, pouring himself a cup of coffee. 

We walked out onto the balcony together, sitting at the table outside that looked over the pool. 

"Jesus." He whispered under his breath, looking at the debris tossed into the pool-water and cross the yard. 

Patting him on the shoulder, I stood up and walked back inside, getting ready to walk. 

"You're not seriously considering walking home, are you?" He asked, cocking his brow.

Shrugging, I headed down the stairs before he stopped me. 

"Let's go." He smiled at me.

Shawn's convertible sat in the driveway, the blue paint shining in the sun. I slid into the passenger's side before the engine roared, and we drove off together. 

"I'm sorry about Jack, Ava. I really think it was for the best though." Shawn commented, after a long period of silence.  

"And why is that?" I asked, skeptically.

Shawn and Jack were best friends, so why would it be that he didn't approve of us together?

"I just think that you deserved better. Jack's a good guy, but he didn't really value you." 

His voice turned soft as he looked over at me from the driver's side. I awkwardly slid to the other side of the room, trying not to pay attention. Jack and I weren't even officially broken up, and he was already trying to tell me how he felt about me. 

As we drove I replayed in my head over and over again what I'd seen. I replayed the shocking moment where I walked in on Jack and saw the look on his face when he realized he'd been caught. I wondered if all of these years we'd spent together were going to come to an end. Then I remembered we'd been through hard times like this before..