Hot Chocolate and You

2. Prom Night

Aaron's POV

"What did you do?!"
"She literally didn't say a word to me after she came back!"
"Fix this, Ron. Fix it and fix it quick."

Peyton's words echo in my head as I watch Ava look for a seat in the bleachers. I had barely had a chance to have a conversation with her all week and it was killing me.
With prom in a few days, it was getting tough to think of anything else but her.
How do I fix this?
What did I do?
Was I too forward? Too intimate? Did I give her the wrong idea?

Our gazes meet and before I can read her eyes, I'm distracted by the loud ringing from coach's whistle.
Time to start the game.

For the entire 30 minutes of the game, I'm in full participation but I couldn't stop myself from turning to Ava every five minutes.
I needed to make sure she was still there.
I needed to remind myself to fix whatever I did.
And I needed her to know that I hadn't forgotten, no matter how many times she ignored my greetings or how many times she walked away from me.
I'm not graduating until Ava Jeanne Simmons goes to prom with me.

The court is being flooded with jubilating students as the buzzer sounds after our big win and I see Ava heading out of the room.

Going with impulse, I rush after her, ignoring everything else.
"Ava!" I call out her name as I jog behind her, trying to meet up with her in the hallway.

"Ava!"
My sneakers squeak against the floor as I catch up with her and she tries to side step out of my way.

"Whoa, whoa."

Sighing in defeat, she crosses her arms but maintains her gaze on the floor.

"Ava....."

Nothing.
I take deep breath...

"Ava, will you at least look at me?"

No reaction.
Did I really hurt her that bad?

"Ava,.... I'm sorry. I really, really am. I don't know what I did but it must have been really shitty for you to stop talking to me. I was probably too intimate, I probably took it too far--"

"Why did you ask me to prom, Aaron?" She finally looks up at me and her eyes are filled with sadness.
Prom?

For a few seconds, I'm speechless and Ava's expression becomes even sadder.
"Why?!" She insists and I see tears flooding her eyes.

"Because...Because I enjoy your company, I think it will be a nice experience and--"

"And you read my journal?!" She insists and I'm suddenly taken aback.

"What? No, I didn't--"

"That's the only way you could have learnt all those personal things."

"Ava--"

"Why did you hold me like that? Why did you look at me like that?" She looks more hurt than I thought and I suddenly wish I never showed her that journal.
I should have just given it to Peyton like I planned.

"Because I wanted to."

"Bullshit." She says and tries to walk past me.

"But I really did." I say, gently holding her back and she yanks her hands away.

"No, you didn't. You just wanted to see if it will work. There's no way that was a coincidence!" She says and tries heading other way, but I rush to her front.

"Ava,--"

"Just leave me alone. I'm already embarrassed enough." She says tearfully.

"I will never invade your privacy like that." I persuade, unwilling to give up as I tilt her chin to look at me,
"Ever."