Ghost Hunting 101

☆Fourteen☆

T/W:

***

As soon as Avery arrives home, she dumps her stuff in the house, jumps into her car and drives over to Everly's place. Nolan had wanted to stay and talk with her, but Avery insisted that she go speak with her best friend first.

Nolan agreed, saying that he'd stop by later on and Avery was secretly relieved.

She realizes on the drive over, that she still hasn't had a chance to ask Nolan if Everly could possibly accompany them on a few jobs, but that will have to wait until later. Right now, the most important thing is making up with Everly.

Avery makes it to Everly's apartment in ten minutes, flat. That's the quickest trip she's ever made. Avery parks, climbing out of her car, phone in hand as she makes her way up to the front entrance to Everly's apartment building.

As soon as Avery's inside the lobby, she dials up Everly's number.

"This better be you calling to tell me that Nolan agreed to let me join you," Everly snaps.

"Sadly, no," Avery replies. "This is me calling to say I'm at your apartment building and heading up to your floor."

"In that case," Everly's tone takes on a haughty sound. "I'm not letting you in."

"Oh for Pete's sake!" Avery marches over to the elevator, pushing the button with much more force than necessary and waiting impatiently for it to arrive.

As soon as it does, Avery gets on, pushing the button for the fifth floor and rides up.

"I'm already on your floor," Avery tells Everly, who apparently has decided to let Avery inside her apartment. Avery squeezes past her best friend, wrinkling her nose. It's plain that Everly hasn't showered in a while.

"If you're here to gloat," Everly says in the same haughty tone. "You can just go."

"I came so we could talk shit out," Avery says, surveying the mess in Everly's living room. There are empty pizza boxes, several empty tissue boxes and a couple of empty boxes of donuts, along with some Styrofoam cups, which clearly held once hot coffee.

"Who died?" Avery asks, wrinkling her nose again.

"I was mourning our dearly departed friendship," Everly retorts, returning to her nest on the couch, flopping down and turning wounded eyes on Avery.

"You're being ridiculous," Avery says impatiently. "I told you, we're still friends."

"Could have fooled me," Everly says glumly. Avery carefully picks her way through the mountain of trash on the floor, pushing aside some boxes and gingerly sitting down.

"Perhaps it's slipped your cluttered mind," Avery says crisply. "But it was your idea for me to get involved with this paranormal crap."

"I wanted you to interview them, maybe tag along on one or two jobs. Not start screwing the boss and practically living with him!" Everly sounds like she's going to start crying.

"Since when should you care if Nolan and I want to date?" Avery asks irritably. "I'm not dating him because he's a paranormal expert. That's not part of the agreement, for crying out loud."

Everly sighs loudly, reaching for some tissues to wipe her nose with.

"I guess I'm just feeling kinda..jealous. Here you are, going on all these adventures, having fun, while I'm stuck here, alone with nothing to do."

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. I am. I wasn't trying to push you out. I never even dreamed that this would become so important to me."

"It has, though." Everly's gaze is now accusatory. "You spend all your free time, going on ghost hunts instead of doing shit with me."