Dreaming Big

Chapter 7: Three Words

Authors Note: JUST A WARNING THERE IS SWEARING IN THIS CHAPTER. 

Continue :)

Ava's P.O.V.

"C'mon Carson, MOVE," I shouted. He turned to look at me. "You're in front of me. How am I supposed to move any faster?"  I give him my signature glare, "Just shut up Blondie."  Now it's his turn to look offended, "Blondie.  Where did that come from?"  Boys can be so stupid sometimes. "Would you prefer I call you Goldilocks?"  His mouth gaped open like a fish, "I.... You..... Ugggggh!"  I face forward a skip away, "I win."

"Ow!!" I heard a snap and a curse. "Carson, did you get hit by a tree again?"  I hear him muttering behind me, "Maybe.  Can we set up camp now?"  I hide my sigh of relief, "Sure."  It was the perfect place to stop.  There was a river about thirty paces out, and the canopy of trees could easily hide us.  Carson turns to look at me, "I'll put up the tent, and you grab any supplies that you can."  Trusty pocket knife in hand, I walk towards the river.  

I reach into my bag in order to find my water bottle.  "Hey Carson, do you think drinking the river water will be ok?"  I knew the answer but I had to ask anyway. "Heck no do you want to get sick? And by sick I mean throwing up everything in your stomach."  "Well what do you suppose I do?"  I knew the answer to this too.  I'm just doing my job as best friend, driving him crazy.  "Ava,"  I turn to face him.  Don't get lost in his eyes.  Don't get lost in his eyes Ava!  "See if you can find a fresh water stream."  "Kay."

it gets darker as I walk, and I soon get lost in my thoughts.  Believe it or not, Carson and I weren't as close as we are now about a year ago.  It all started when we were both in this academic competition in school.  Don't judge, I'm smarter than I act.  Then, Lottie was on the same softball team as his sister.  So, we hung out most of the summer too.  I remember one of the games he brought this girl with him.  She was gonna spend the night with them or something, because she was his "friend" that he met at some type of festival.  He promised he'd still hang out with me.  But he didn't.  He completely ignored me the entire first game.  I tried not to let it get to me.  I knew he didn't like me like that.  He was one of those popular sons of a bitch, and I was one of the "weird" girls.  Believe me when I say I wouldn't have it any other way.  Just because I'm smart, and I'm in the band, and I'm not a slutty cheerleader like all the girls who fall after him, I was only good for when no one else was around.  I was the backup bitch.

That's what I hated.  Feeling like I wasn't good enough for him.  Feeling like that slut would get what she wanted, and I'd have to sit back and take it like all the other times he had a new girlfriend.  I never told him this though.  How could I tell him that he broke my heart?  So many times.  After that day at baseball, he told me something that made me oh so happy.  He told that girl how he felt about me, how he liked me.  In the beginning of the summer he told me he wanted to go out with me, but wanted to give his ex a month to get over him.  The same thing happened with this girl.  He wanted to give her a month to get over him.  Even though she doesn't even live in the same district as us.  I can't tell you how happy I was.  Then another month went by, and summer was almost over.  He answered my texts less, basically ended up ignoring me for the last month of summer.  I pushed it aside.  He wouldn't do this to me, right?

When school came, I was overjoyed to find out we had most of our classes together.  But he was different.  He was a jerk with his friends.  He made fun of me to my face, even if it was in a supposedly friendly matter.  And he would hang out with this girl who obviously liked him, wait never mind it was two.  He forgot about me again.  On the third day of school, he told me I looked pretty.  That was the first time I had gotten a compliment from a boy.  One that I actually liked anyways.  The next day he came back, with a girlfriend.  Who wasn't me.  That was the second time my heart broke, but I didn't let anyone know.  Then one day in the computer lab, he asked me if I'd go to the formal with him.  Of course I said yes, but I knew it'd be as a friend.  That's all I could hope for.  From that point on, I vowed to let no one see how I felt, not even Carson.  From that point on, I'd just be a good friend.  Maybe best if I was lucky.  Then, I left for the military school.  It gave me the distance I needed.