Mirror, Mirror | ✓

•Day 58• Ted

When Thea and I were little, we had a pet cat named Ginger. She wasn't ours, technically, but we liked to believe so. She was a stray that visited our backyard every evening, hoping for a bowl of milk. It became a routine for me and Thea to take turns placing the bowl of milk for Ginger every day. Eventually, we grew more attached. We let her inside, cuddled with her while we watched T.V., and sometimes even let her spend the night at the foot of one of our beds. 

One evening, Ginger didn't show up.

Mom told us that she went to go visit her family in the country. For a week or so, Thea and I believed her. Yet, we still dutifully kept the bowl of milk outside, in case she decided to show up. She didn't.

One night, Thea and I planned to go out look and for her. We packed a picnic basket filled with cat food, a jug of milk and Ginger's favourite play toys. We called out her name until our voices grew hoarse, and waved her toys in the air until our arms hurt. That wasn't the end of it, though. Every day after that, it became a tradition for Thea and I to sit at our patio with a jug of milk, at first just to look for our missing cat, and eventually, just because it gave us an excuse to catch up. 

"So what's on your mind, Baby Brother?" Thea asked, taking a swig from her glass. I poured myself some more milk from the jug, avoiding eye contact.

"You really have to stop calling me your baby brother," I said between sips. "Twenty minutes doesn't count for anything."

"Whatever you say, Baby Brother," she shrugged, staring intently into the bushes, as if she really were looking for Ginger, after all these years.

"What's up with your life?" I asked her, curious about her situation with Will. I'd remembered her having a date a few nights ago with some boy in the debate club, but she'd turned him down the second that I'd called and said Will needed a ride home from the restaurant, after being stood up by Brynn. 

I knew it was my fault that I'd made her let go of her shot at moving on, just to be face to face with the boy who'd broken her heart far too many times to keep count. I wasn't being a good brother. When I should've been looking out for her, I was looking out for Will instead.

"Look, I'm sorry about making you pick up Will the other night. I-"

"It's okay." She brushed me off. 

"No, it's not, and-"

"It's fine, Ted," she said, a hardness to her tone.

"Did something happen?" I asked gently. 

"If something did, why would I tell you?" she whispered, her eyes glazing over.

"Because I'm your brother!" I edged closer to her.

"Why are you helping him with this?" she asked, her voice cracking. I waited for her to explain further. When she didn't, I looked up to follow her gaze. 

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" Will asked, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"No, no, don't worry about it," Thea muttered, getting up and shutting the patio door behind her.

"Is she alright?" Will asked hesitantly.

"She's fine," I said, colder than I'd intended to. It was hard, navigating the shores of Will and Thea drama. As much as I wanted to stay neutral, I couldn't, because they both used me as their punching bags when they were emotionally distraught. I knew all sides to the story, but I didn't know how to write the ending. 

"Your mom let me in. I didn't know that you guys were busy-"

"My mom's home?" I asked, ignoring his attempt at an apology.

"Yeah, so's Mr. Mills," Will said, his expression growing downcast.

The mention of Mr. Mills made me instinctively think of Ava, and the events of the night before. 

"How's she? Is something wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"She left this morning. She moved in with her dad."

I shot up from my chair. "SHE WHAT?"

Will nodded grimly. "Her mom's done with her. She's not even trying to convince her to come home. The school year's over, anyway."

"What about us? Are we done trying?" I asked, aggravated at how calmly he was taking all this. 

"Will, think about it..." He started, and I shook my head. 

"No time, let's go," I said, urging him to move. 

"She didn't even bother to tell us," he said, his shoulders slumping. It was only then that I realized how tired he looked. It wasn't just me who was affected by this. After all, Will and Ava had been best friends for far longer than I'd been dating her.

"Maybe she had a reason," I said meekly. 

"What reason, Ted? Her carrier pigeon got injured so she was unable to send us a letter  informing us of her departure?" He asked, raising his voice. "Not even a goodbye. Clearly she doesn't want to be found, so why are we looking out for her?"

I let his words slowly sink in. I sat back down in my chair and heaved a sigh. "She was always talking about packing up and starting over."

"You just didn't think she'd go through with it, did you?" Will muttered.

"She needed it, though."

"Hm?"

"She needed an escape. She got the perfect chance, so she took it," I said quietly, unable to blame her for what she'd chosen to do. If I'd known that she'd had this option, I would've let her go earlier, to save her the pain, if not to save myself. 

"But we all want a way out, Ted. I thought we could find it together."

"Surely you don't expect me to believe that. You have too much at stake here. You love this place and the people. You and I both know that we'd never leave, given the choice."

He didn't respond to this. Instead, he just stared off into the bushes, reminding me of Ginger all over again.

She was someone I loved, and one day, she ran away.

Just like how I put milk outside for Ginger every evening in case she turned up, I was going to keep my arms open and my heart ready if Ava ever decided to come back.

But I wasn't going to make the mistake of running after someone who didn't want to be found.

. . .

A/N Im so sorry for the incredibly slow updates!