Schooled

Chapter 25

Thanksgiving had come before we knew it.

Since the start of college I'd always gone to Ava's for the break. Her family wasn't perfect, but they were tight. Her mom, Christine, and dad, Paul, had always been amazing to me. Had been welcoming since the first time I came for an impromptu sleepover in grade school.

Unlike my mom, they seemed to take everything in stride. Including Ava's early forays into fashion. Like the time she'd nabbed our second-grade teacher's scissors and done some impromptu styling on Ashley Cook's corduroy jumper at recess. It had ended up sleeveless with a serrated edge. (Ashley had loved it. Her mom and Mrs. Darby, not so much.)

It was only a thirty-minute drive from our place to theirs. Even though we had a perfectly good washing machine Ava insisted on taking laundry home at least every couple of months.

"Mom misses me. This is one of the ways she copes," Ava insisted, dropping the world's largest hamper into the trunk of my car before sliding into shotgun. I passed her the tin of molasses cookies I'd made that morning for safekeeping on the ride.

"Somehow I doubt your mom's waiting with bated breath on your dirty sheets and tights."

My fight with Dylan was still top of mind. We hadn't made up and it was eating at me. Though I knew he was going home for Thanksgiving, we'd had only a brief exchange in the week since and it'd been by text. Basically he'd said he would see me at home but had a killer assignment due.

It was the "I'm not avoiding you, I'm studying" excuse. I wrote that excuse. And the fact that he was using it with me drove me crazy.

"Should we pick Dylan up?" I asked casually. "I mean, if he's going?"

"I think his girlfriend's dropping him off. Marcy, or Marcia or something." Ava leaned forward and clicked on the satellite radio.

I hit the brakes. Literally.

"Lex, what the hell?"

Ava looked shocked and someone behind me honked. Fortunately we were on a side street and the limit was thirty. But reason had vanished from my brain and something else entirely took over.

"Sorry, thought I saw something. A dog."

Was he actually seeing someone else? Or had he just given the excuse because he couldn't avoid the scrutiny any longer?

Forgiving the minor stroke I'd just had, Ava continued. "Kate can't make it home this year—something about good first impressions and no vacation the first year of ... whatever you call it. Pharmacisting? Drug selling? I dunno. But Ethan's home for the weekend. I haven't seen him in forever."

I'd had a bit of a crush on Ethan when we were in high school. In that innocent, seeing-glorious-pecs-for-the-first-time kind of way. I could remember seeing him in board shorts by the pool. Funny, the image didn't do anything for me anymore.

I tried to push the Dylan news out of my mind as we neared the Cameron house. Even if I'd had an hour to think it over I probably would have only succeeded in getting myself more and more worked up rather than actually landing on anything helpful.

We pulled up to hugs. Ava had come by her good hugging skills honestly.

"Lex, honey, you look terrific." Christine was short and shared the same coloring that Ethan and Kate had—sandy brown hair and blue eyes. Dylan and Ava took after their father. "Glad to see you bounce back." The last time I'd visited had been shortly after Jake had dumped me, just before heading to New York. I'd seen better days.

Christine wrapped one slender arm around my shoulders, took the cookies from me with the other.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Ava called from behind me.