Induction

Chapter 9: We Have Chemistry...Or Not.

Note:  In this chapter, you will see that Ava’s insecurities concerning how others view her, steer her misguided opinions of Gabe.  She doesn’t think that anyone is truly interested in her the way that every girl dreams about their “perfect” guy. It doesn’t stop her from crushing on Gabe, but she definitely does not let her guard down. Also, is Gabe genuine, or is he just acting out what his manhood wants? He is attracted to her, but he’s also very hesitant to reach into unknown territory as well.

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What the hell just happened back there? That moment of blind lust between Gabe and Ava really threw her for a loop.  She knew that he was not the type of guy she needed to be around. He was the type to sweet-talk a poor innocent girl like Ava, then leave her the minute he got what he wanted. A guy as full of testosterone as he was wanted only one thing, and that was not something Ava would be ready for in a long time. Her brain had rationalized that Gabe was a player the moment they met this morning in English class, but her body betrayed her.  It seemed that she could not control the way her body automatically reacted to his charms…and boy was he charming.

The last thing he told her at lunch made it clear that he was trouble. He seemed caring, but dangerous at the same time the way he demanded her to come to him for issues she didn’t want anyone to be involved with.  Truthfully, Ava was quite capable of self defense, but purposefully internalized her anger and sadness to avoid conflict.  It took a lot of self-control to do so in order to focus on grades. Every time she felt tempted to fight back, she thought about her parents and their ultimate disappointment if she lost it. Then Gabe had to go and make her feel helpless and vulnerable. She wanted so bad for someone to finally stand up for her when she had to show so much restraint.  But Ava felt overwhelmed, and she needed to get out of there fast before she was tempted to give in to him. She almost let him take that control, if just for a second.  She wanted to feel what it was like to have an alpha male like Gabe, stand his ground for his unguarded female.  His? No, she was not his or anyone else’s.

As hard as she tried to distract herself in the next few classes, her mind kept replaying the way he touched her lips. She swore, if he touched her again, it would burn her up with the heat that radiated from just that one thumb. She wanted so bad to lick the side of her mouth where that thumb lingered just to see his reaction, but the fear of what it could lead to stopped her immediately, and she just remained frozen and entranced as he stared into her eyes. She was fooling herself if she thought she saw a longing in his eyes, but he was so damned convincing. She had to admit, his game was strong, and he was well-experienced. Ava was admittedly a naïve little girl, but her instincts that screamed “stay away” was her saving grace that time. If she let her guard down long enough, Gabe would surely go in for the kill, and she was not going to let that happen.

After barely surviving Claire’s bitch-antics and Gabe’s demands at lunch, she successfully avoided Gabe and the awkward tension between them the rest of the day. It was finally Ava’s last class of the day: Advanced Chemistry II.  Thankfully, she was able to find a table in the back and sat by herself.  As the rest of the class filed in, no one sat by her, which was fine and expected since she sat by herself all last year as well.  Hopefully, most of the experiments wouldn’t require a lab partner. She seemed to complete her assignments much faster and more accurate without the distraction of a lab partner. Even when working by herself, she managed to make the highest grades and complete her lab work fairly quickly.

“Good afternoon class! I am pleasantly shocked that you all are still awake at the end of the day.  This course is going to be challenging, but I know that all of you are very capable of doing well in this class, otherwise you would not have met the placement criteria. I expect nothing but your best and to do your reading assignments to stay current with the lecture material.” As Mrs. Mize started reviewing the course syllabus, there was a knock on the door that interrupted her introduction.  “Class, excuse me for a second.”