Be My Valentine? - (Riley McDonough)

Chapter 9 - Box of Pain

~Avery~

"So... You're not going to tell your parents?" Blake asked as we walked side by side on the way home.

"I really don't know." I sighed. "They might freak out.. worse than you did."

"Oh c'mon!  I wasn't so bad."

"Uh yeah, you were."

He rolled his eyes. "I know for a fact that if I say 'No I wasn't', we'll end up in an endless bicker. I'm just going to shut up."

"Okay..." I said with a raise of an eyebrow. "Anyway, how's Leah?"

He stiffened at the mention of his girlfriend's name. "She's okay."

I stared at him skeptically. "Uh huh and I'm a mermaid. The truth, Blake." I guess he hasn't been updating me either.

"Okay so maybe we kind of.. sort of... broke up?" It was like a question.

My eyes widened. "What?! When? Why? How come you never told me?!"

He scratched the back of his head as a flash of sadness flickered in his eyes.. "Well... It's kind of a depressing topic and I was trying to avoid it.."

Whatever Leah did, she better prepare for some serious injuries. The only ever time that Blake wanted to avoid a topic was when he was seriously hurt that recalling the memory itself was painful.

"What did she do?"

"Don't freak out. I'm not going to be an emotional wreck because of her. I just never got the chance to tell you because it happened just two days ago." he said as he put on a small smile.

"But you said you were trying to avoid it.." I said.

He sighed. "Well, it annoys the hell out of me when I recall it, but I'll tell you everything." He smiled. "We had a  big fight one night and I never had the chance to say sorry. We completely ignored each other for two days. One day, I went to her house to apologize. When she opened her door, she just frowned at me, demanding that I'd leave her alone. I told her I was sorry about what happened and that I really don't want her to be mad at me anymore. She went ballistic after that. When she started crying and I wasn't talking, she slammed the door in my face yelling 'IT'S OVER!'. I thought she was kidding. I mean, after two months of being together?"

I nodded in agreement.

"That's when I took a peek in their window and saw a guy in her house.. You can guess what happened next."

"Whoa, whoa, wait... She cheated?"  I almost yelled.

"Yeah.."

"Why I--"

"No Avery. Leave her be." he cut me off. "She was annoying anyway."

"Still."

He gave me a look.

"Okay, okay! But when I see her, I'll yell at her." I sighed.

"Avery."

"Either that or I beat her up."

He rolled his eyes.

"Avery."

I gave him a look.

"Oh fine. Be nice though."

Ha! Like that will ever happen.

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"Dang it!" I yelled. I've been trying to practice the move dad showed me--the one with the arrow coming out of my palm. I've done it once, but I can't seem to do it again.