Starbird

Chapter 18

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“And so then Carson pounced on James - like full on pounced - and started demanding Ava if she said yes and then James flung him off his back and oh my gosh guys, it was just so funny,” I was laughing all over again as Becca and Riley listened over Skype a few days later, joining in on my giggles. 

“And? She did say yes right?” Becs asked, leaning on her elbows, face taking up most of the screen.

“Beca, stop hogging the camera,” Riley said, pushing her out.

“I’m not hogging it.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“No, I’m -”

“Guys?” I asked, watching them push each other back and forth.

“Sorry,” they both replied, still shifting so they had equal camera.

“She did say yes, but now she’s freaking out about it. And then she called me a hopeless romantic -”

“Which you are,” Becca said.

“- And then told me the next step is for me to land a date with Liam.”

“Well that’s obviously the goal,” Riley said, nudging Becca.

“Guys, I’m not kidding, this isn’t good. James knows I’m interested in him -”

“By ‘interested in’ you mean ‘in love with’ right?” Becca said, cocking an eyebrow. 

I rolled my eyes and continued, “Ava thinks that I’m in love with him and it just seems like it’s all going to explode one day and Liam will freak out and I mean, I already asked him out, so no backing out now, I guess.” 

Silence. Riley and Becca stared at me, mouths agape, eyes wide.

“Wait, what?” Riley screeched.

“What?”

“You asked Liam out?” Becca’s eyes were wide, hands planted on either side of her face.

“Did I not mention that before?”

“No!” Both of them yelled at the screen, hurting my ears. I took a deep breath as I relayed the entire story all over again, this time not forgetting to include that bit and explaining that it was just a joke and I knew nothing would come of it. Becca and Riley looked like they were about to die, not being able to believe that this had all happened with the Liam Hawthorne. 

“Anyway, now that that is all explained, I gotta go ladies. I gots school in the mornin’ and I still have to finish my essay on Shakespeare’s tragedies and the effects they had on modern society,” I stuck my tongue out, pretending to be disgusted by the work that lay ahead. Ok, no pretending. Homework was gross. Becs and Riley blew kisses as I hung up, turning to my work hoping to get it completed within the next hour.

Yeah, that didn’t happen. 

Instead I spent the next hour writing my name on the top of the page, scrolling aimlessly through Pinterest and Tumblr, then feeling my eyes droop at the lateness of the hour, scrambled to write a half decent essay under the influence of coffee when I finally collapsed on my bed in exhaustion. 

The week passed uneventfully for the most part. I went for tea at Rowan’s house and her grandma was the most adorable thing in the world as she continued to bring us tea and cookies (sorry, biscuits) every time we ran out. I now know where Rowan gets her excited nature; her grandma was a little ball of energy and smiles. By the end of the afternoon though, Rowan was calmer than her usual self, all James-related questions vanished and we ended up having a wonderful time and I made sure that she would come over sometime soon.