Maybe Just One More

Chapter 25. Vengeful

Avery's POV

"You better sit down," I murmured.

She sighed and sat down beside me.

I rose to my feet and walked over to the dresser. My fingers trailed the crevices of the old oak. My hands shook slightly. I had a feeling that Stormie would take things the wrong way, mostly because Stormie tended to take things the wrong way.

"It was a few years ago, right before Ava died. Actually, it was the reason that Ava and I were fighting when she died. I think it was maybe five days before the accident," I explained. "I came home from football tryouts. I ran upstairs to tell Ava that I made the team. I was a second-string quarterback by eighth grade. I didn't knock as I usually didn't," I said. It was hard to talk about Ava, and I hated remembering her this way now. I wasn't angry about it, but it wasn't how you would want to remember your sister.

"What?" Stormie asked. 

I bit down hard on my lip and gripped the edge of the dresser. I pushed the images out of my head.

"Tell me, Avery," Stormie snapped.

"Ava and Mason were having sex," I said through my teeth. 

Stormie gasped. "What?!" 

The tendons in my neck and forehead stuck out. I rubbed my forehead to push away the thoughts. I waited for Stormie to wrap her head around what I said.

"So..." Stormie trailed off and swallowed hard. "Oh my god, wait," she stopped. Her blue eyes pierced mine. "Oh my god," she repeated. "No."

"Stormie, it's not like that. I swear," I said.

"It's not?" Stormie scoffed. She stood to her feet. "Wow, well, I can see why Mason was so pissed off." She turned and headed for the door.

"You can't seriously fucking believe that I would do that, Storm," I growled. My hand wrapped around her arm.

"You would do that!" Stormie shouted. Tears fell from her eyes. "You're exactly the type, Avery. You can't stand the idea of someone getting the best of you. What they did hurt you like hell. You were angry at Mason too. You didn't talk to him for months after she died. You're the vengeful type, and you don't know how to lose a fight!"

"Yeah, fine! It did hurt!" I boomed. "It hurt like a mother fucker, and yeah, there were times I wanted to get even with Mason, but hurting you never crossed my mind. It took me a while to get over it. I'm not even sure when I got over it, but I did."

"After you slept with me?" she challenged. She turned and walked out the door. The door slammed close behind her. 

My head bowed in defeat. I walked over to the bed and belly-flopped onto it. I screamed into the pillow in frustration. 

***

In the days that followed, I did everything I could think of to get Stormie to talk to me, but she wouldn't. She slept in the bedroom, and I slept out on the couch. Her parents wanted to know what was going on between us, but neither of us would say. 

There was one thing that Stormie and I had in common, if nothing else, we didn't like people knowing our business. We liked our privacy and wanted to deal with our problems on our own terms. 

"Won't you tell me?" Mom asked worriedly for the tenth time. 

We walked along the bank of the lake through the snow. It was our last day at the cabin, so she and I decided to come to the lake. This lake held so many memories for both of us. I don't think it was easy for either of us.