Haphephobia

Chapter 15

It had been a few days since I got a concussion. Seven, to be exact- one week since I found the ability to touch Ava. I knew it was only her; I hadn't even bothered to try the same with anyone else. Especially since that would be kinda awkward, like, 'hey, you, we only just met but can I randomly poke you?'

Yeah. Weird.

Anyway, I'd made a full recovery, and after a very long and intense scolding from Aaron, I got to to back to my regular school schedule. Ava had already helped me get caught up on homework, so today I was prepared to finally walk back into Mr. Taplin's history class. I'm sure by now you could make a guess as to how excited I was about that. Here's a clue: not at all.

I got an excellent taste of that dreadful feeling the very second I walked through the classes' heavy wooden door.

"Benjamin Richards, how nice of you to return to our company, alive and well. Please, have a seat. Ava informed me you finished all missing assignments, yes?" He inquired, his face bright and cheery but his eyes steely as he glared at me. Why did the man hate me so much? He acted as though the concussion severely disadvantaged him over the week.

"Yes, sir. Here you go, they're organized by individual due dates and my name's on all of them." I said, though I immediately regretted it. He looked at me like a scientist studying some particularly unpleasant contents of a petri dish.

"How nice to know you're capable of the most basic organizational skills. Please- have a seat," he spoke in a low tone. This guy didn't have to tell me twice; I practically scampered away. Relief poured over me when Mr. Taplin's gaze eased off of me and regarded the whole class.

"So as I was saying..." He glanced in the direction of my desk, "can anyone tell me who led the French to the Russia, ultimately causing a vast portion of their deaths based on lack of food supply?" Taplin asked, in that teacher-y way that said 'nobody's going to answer this correctly but I'm going to stare every student down until the answer comes up.'

"Napoleon Dynamite?" Some joker spoke up, and Taplin looked about ready to blow a gasket.

Overall, that was the most interesting thing that happened in school all day. I spent a week recovering from a concussion and the only thanks I ever got for completing all homework was from my math teacher, who looked relieved that anybody even tried. Other than that, I was just background noise in a group of howler monkies. Did I say howler monkies? I mean 'students.'

At the end of the day, though, I was relieved to fall back into a regular and predictable schedule. In fact, I was stoke that a place so... above-average had the capability to make me feel normal. Bored, even. For once, I was glad that school was a soul-sucking abyss meant for nothing other than learning your everyday basics. 

"So Ben, Now that you're back on track this school year, Aaron's gonna let us go back to training together. He made it very clear- and by very I mean crystal- that you can't let yourself shift without meaning to again. Results can be disastrous, as he put it. So basically, quit being an emotional egghead for the rest of forever and we'll be good to go!" Ava said cheerily, as we sat on our favorite green couch in the hero room. 

"Sounds simple enough. Any idea what's on the agenda today?" I asked. For a joke, I laid my body down over the whole couch, putting my legs in Ava's lap. I felt almost proud of myself. Last week, even the thought of me doing this would have driven me to insanity or simething.

"Get your disgusting feet away from me, Benjamin. God, you need a shower. Ooh- here's an idea: today, try using soap!" She suggested sarcastically. I lifted up my arm to smell my pits: word of advice, when a girl tells you that you smell, she really means it. I almost puked. 

"Huh. Maybe I do need a shower. Might as well do that now while I've got time." I said. Ava crossed her arms and beamed at me triumphantly, as though she'd won some long-term argument that'd been causing her grief for centuries.

"Way to overexaggerate, Evangeline," I mocked, and she widened her eyes. I started laughing, until she stood up- and I ran. Just as I suspected, she pursued me with the speed and violent intensity as some kind of cheetah woman. I screeched louder than any guy should ever yell, making a beeline to the bathroom door. I reached it just in time to run inside and lock the door behind me, when Ava started pounding on the hard wood and yelling at me.

"Benjamin Richards, if you ever call me that name again I swear I will-" Feeling myself in a state of safety and heightened position, I haughtily cut her off,

"You'll what, turn me into an 'emotional egghead?' Have fun with that, little girl!" I shouted back. Only then did I realize my mistake. I saw the lock click back, the tumbler inside making a sharp rattling noise- and the door opened, before I could even do anything.

Noticing my position, my face fell and my arms were up in surrender. Ava, a mad gleam in her deranged eyes, was having none of it. She'd used her mind powers to open the lock, and now she was going to use them to kill me. Dear God, in case I die, give all my belongings to a random hobo on the streets.

"Woah there, Ava, let's just... calm down now... no need to work your brain up into a flurry..." I squeaked, though I knew now that she was worked up she was not going to listen to me. She cackled like a crazy woman, finally making a move and pouncing on me. I got knocked backwards, almost hitting my head against the cold tile floor. 

And just as I made terms with good old Mr. Death, my sentence arrived. Ava began tickling me. I writhed and twisted around nonstop, my breath coming out in jagged rasps as I laughed. 

"Serves- you- right- for- calling- me- that- name!" Ava said, also short of breath as she laughed along with me, her fingers wiggling around on my torso. 

"Gak!- please- mercy!" I begged, though I was still laughing. Ava seemed satisfied with this as though I'd just begged to keep my life, and she sat back, now resting on my thighs. I felt the immediate temptation to pull her hair and run away, though I knew that would be sure to spell bad news.

Once the last of the laughs wore off, I became acutely aware of the fact that Ava was still sitting on me. She must have thought the same thing, or else read my mind, because her cheeks immediately turned a deeper shade of scarlet than I'd ever seen before on such a pale person. It was legitimately adorable.

Ava cleared her throat and made like she was going to get up, but I stopped her, grabbing her hand as it hung limply by her side. I tried to sit up to meet her eye level, but with her sitting on my legs, her head rested a couple inches above mine. I looked up at her, meeting her eyes.

For a moment, everything around me went blurry. My heart was racing and my thoughts were blank- I saw only her, as she just sat there on my legs. Somewhere in the back of my mind, cheesy music played, like it would if this were a movie. I leaned forward, still looking her in the eyes. I could have sworn she did the same, and in a second- we were about to kiss. My heart kept speeding forward in my chest like it was ready to blow up. Three, two, one-

-but unfortunately, things do not happen in real life like they do in the movies.

Ava turned her head away, messed with her hair awkwardly, and stood up. She cleared her throat loudly and contorted her face back to that jolly old 'I'm hilarious and fun, don't cross me' expression, and she spoke up.

"Nice try, Benedict! Now take a shower, will you?" She laughed, but it was easily the most forced joke I'd ever heard her make. Her cheeks were still traced with a lade shade of rosy pink as she stormed out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and leaving me to sit speechless and stunned in her wake.

Crap. 

What did I just do?

***