Forgetting Austin

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sean

The phone rings twice and then she picks up. "Hi Seany, I see you finally came to your senses and want to reconcile." "Look I'm not playing games with you Tinashe, and I don't want to get back together with you. What happened with you and Ava yesterday?" All of the flirtatiousness suddenly dropped from her voice and was replaced with annoyance. "Ugh are you really still on this? I already told you, when I came out of the bathroom I saw Ava leaving out for lunch I guess and I took it upon myself to tell her how sorry I was about her loss and she totally went berzerk on me and started beating me up. I don't know why, I guess she was just high strung from stress or something." "Where we're Kendra and Alexis?" "Kendra and Alexis? They weren't with me, they had went to go heat up their lunches while I went to the bathroom." "You're such a liar." "Excuse me?! How dare you call me a-" "I know those two airheads follow you around everywhere, especially to the bathroom! Girls always go to the bathroom in packs, and you make sure to uphold that truth. I'm not stupid Tinashe, Ava wouldn't just beat you up for no reason, you had to have really set her off because this is the first time I've even heard of her fighting. Now tell me what really happened." Tinashe laughed "You're not as dumb as I thought you were Sean, why don't you go and ask that boyfriend stealer." "Tinashe don't make me-" I'm cut off by the sound of her line dropping. "Fuck, I am such an ass! I gotta apologize to Ava."

Fifteen minutes later I'm pounding on her front door, she wouldn't answer any of my calls or text. When her dad opens the door I'm actually taken aback considering the fact that he's almost never there. He looks at me sternly. "Uh, good evening sir, I uh came to see Ava." He gives me a look telling me I'm gonna need more than that for him to let me in. "Look sir I really need to tell her something important. I need to apologize to her." "Oh so you're the reason that I came home to a crying teenage daughter who seems like every time I see her she's upset about something? Well in that case, HELL no." He slammed the door in my face. What am I supposed to do now? The tree!

I ran around to the side of the house and up to the big oak tree that's been next to Ava's window since before she moved in. Saying a short prayer, I start to climb up the tree. When I finally get up to her window, my shirt is ripped from a stupid jagged branch and I probably have a splinter or two but I need to see her. Her lavender curtain is opened slightly and I can see her curls poking out from the top of her cover. I try to keep my balance as I tap on the window lightly with my right hand. She doesn't even move, and then I remember that she's a heavy sleeping so i start to knock on the window. I feel my foot slip so my knocking becomes more urgent and she finally looks at the window groggy and annoyed. She sees me and her eyes bulge out of her head, she rushes to let me in. I don't realize how cold it is outside until I land haphazardly on her soft bed and I'm greeted by the warmth of her space heater. "What the hell were you thinking? Wait what are you even doing here Sean?!" She sounds angry but I don't say anything I just get up and hug her. She tries to push me off but I don't let her and then she finally gives in to my embrace. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Tinashe, I should've known that you wouldn't go as far as almost sending someone to the morgue for no reason." She pushes her face away from my chest and says "I can't believe you didn't believe me, why didn't you believe me?" "I-I don't know, I think I just didn't want to believe that I actually dated someone so cruel. I'm so sorry Ava please forgive me." She stares at me for a long second and then puts her head back on my chest, "I forgive you, just don't let it happen again because I can't say I'll be as forgiving." I hug her tighter and then I realize something, she's not wearing pants.

Ava

Why is it so cold? Oh shit! I push away from Sean and grab the pair of grey sweatpants from off of the floor. He quickly covers his eyes as I swiftly pull on my pants in one motion. "Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting anyone to come in here." We look at each other and burst out laughing, it's been awhile since I've laughed like this. "Ava are you okay up there?" My dad shouts silencing our laughter "I'm fine dad!" We crack up again and try not to attract anymore attention.

Sean sits back down on my bed and tells me everything that's happened since we saw each other yesterday up until I opened my window to let him in. He also makes a point to apologize again during his story. "Thanks for caring about me enough to risk your life climbing up a tree to my bedroom." "Girl please don't act surprised, you already know I'd do anything for you" I smile shyly and sit down next to him on my bed. "And I'd do anything for you." We stare at each other and for split second I didn't even remember who Austin was because Sean, the guy who climbed into my bedroom window, been my best friend for years, broke my heart in middle school, and helped me to the office when I got hurt was closing his eyes and leaning into me. And I did the same.