Avery Turner, a perfectionist with a double life, and Kyran Drake, a charismatic boy with secrets, find their fates intertwined when their secrets threaten to unravel their dreams-will they overcome their differences to protect their futures, or wil...
"Do you realize how dissimilar you two are?" Max asks, his grin wide enough to make me suspect he's up to something. It's been a few hours since I decided to ask Avery to forgive me for being a jerk. Asking Max to help me with it is a good idea but an over-caffeinated Max isn't being very helpful right now.
"And?" I ask, waiting for an elaboration. If Max decides I have no hope, then I might as well give up.
"No, no. Opposites attract," he says with a shrug.
"Max, you're not helping."
He takes a bite of his burger and mumbles, "Have you ever wondered why you can't stay away from her?"
I lean back in my chair, staring at Max as he casually eats while I'm battling a storm in my head.
"Max," I say, "I'm trying to fix things here, not analyze them to death."
After a moment, he swallows, "I'm serious, though. I'm just saying—there's something about her that gets under your skin, and also makes you think about her an unhealthy amount."
"Yeah, well, maybe she's just got a magnetic field."
Max shakes his head, and I know he's about to drop some sage wisdom. "I think she'd actually appreciate it if you said that to her."
"What? That I think she's got a strong magnetic field? You think that's a pick-up line that works on Avery Turner?"
"Funny. I'm talking about talking to her about how you feel. You don't go after people who don't matter to you. You wouldn't care so much if she wasn't important. So, tell her that."
I hesitate. "Okay, maybe that's just dramatic. I like her, but I'm not obsessed with her."
I'm lying. I just hope he can't tell.
"When you talk to her or about her, you're literally aglow. Look at your face right now."
"I just got out of the shower, Max," I deadpan.
I wonder why there's a part of me that can't deal properly with Avery not being in my life. Maybe, it's an attachment issue. Or, it could be more complicated than that. It isn't something I can explain. It's like an addiction—one that's hard to get rid of even after knowing it's not good for you. I'm not saying Avery hasn't helped me. She has, and that makes this so much worse.
How many times did I mess this up by now? Three times? More?
"Okay, here's what I think. I think Avery needs help. And, you two are never going to be happy while her mother's in the picture," Max says.
