High Tide

Chapter 11 [Rumor Mill]

Chapter 11

Rumor Mill

Avery sat up straight in bed, her heart hammering against her ribcage.

She blinked, trying to grasp at the bits and pieces of a dream that was already too far and too hazy to make any sense of. Not that she would've been able to make sense of it anyway... God, she was so glad no one could read her mind, or else they'd send her to a therapist or something.

What the hell kind of dream was that anyway?

She ran her fingers through her hair, still not completely dry from showering just a few hours earlier. She pulled at the back of her tank top, separating the fabric from her hot and clammy skin.

One glance at the clock on her phone told her it was only half past midnight; she'd only been in bed for an hour and a half. Silently making her way out of bed, she padded across her room and through the hall, making a straight line to the bathroom.

She splashed water on her face and looked in the bathroom mirror. She almost cringed at the girl looking back at her, all awkwardly tall with boring hair and no curves whatsoever. No wonder she was in the friend zone. He'd rather be with Sienna and her dark skin, perfect hair and curves in all of the right places.

Images from her dream flashed momentarily in her mind, Asher Daley right there at the center of it all. Despite the fact that she was alone with her thoughts, she blushed furiously. Since when did she have dreams like that about boys?

"Oh screw you," she mumbled to the mirror.

She opened the door and started making her way back to her bedroom, noticing that the office light was still on and the door ajar. Figuring Lydia was still awake, Avery tip-toed over, pushing open the door slightly and opening her mouth to speak, only to close it shut again when Charlie looked up at her from his desk chair.

The atmosphere under the Tanner roof leading up to the first day of school was a little weird and Avery had to admit, part – or most – of it was entirely her fault.

So she'd tried to stay out of the house as much as possible, using the guys and surfing as a valid excuse to do so. It worked; she only had to make eye contact with Charlie once or twice all week, and she barely said two words to him at dinner time thanks to Marissa being incapable of shutting up for more than five seconds at a time.

Now she was screwed.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"Weird dream," Avery admitted a little awkwardly, trying really hard to keep herself from blushing again. She glanced at his computer screen and saw that he was uploading a video to YouTube, titled 'Charlie Tanner - Diamond Rings and Old Barstools Cover'.

"You make covers?" she asked.

"Mostly originals, but I do covers, yeah," he shrugged, breaking out into a grin at the look on her face. "Don't look so surprised," Charlie chuckled.

"Well I've heard you play already," she shrugged, glancing at the guitar in the corner of the room. "I've just never heard you sing before," Avery said apologetically.

"Yeah well, I ain't ever heard you do neither," he told her with raised brows, humor in his blue eyes. "You better be givin' my old guitar some love, it doesn't like stayin' cooped up in a case for too long."

"I've been playing... just... y'know... not when there's anyone in the house to hear how much I suck," Avery told him quickly. "Can I hear one of your songs?" she asked enthusiastically, glancing at the earbuds hooked into the computer.