Wrong Quarterback | ✓

19 | miss misery

          She doesn't remember much from what she wrote in that letter to her future graduation week self but Avery does recall the greeting going somewhere along the lines of 'Ave, I hope you're feeling better than I do right now,'.

Well, it's been thirteen days since that morning in homeroom dedicated to letter-writing with Ms Vaughn and as of yet, Avery's not feeling any better. She's not feeling worse either though – at least that's something.

          Her friends' letters were all full of hope – Callie's manifesting her move to Washington D.C and Georgetown University, also adding a reminder to get herself a Golden Retriever puppy as a graduation present. Lea's a pep talk in written form, with a small parenthesis to disregard the entirety of the letter is she happens to miserably fail Math and not end up valedictorian as she's planned to. Nic's a daydream of a world far away from Acebridge, of a life bathing in skyscraper lights. Luke's simply a reminder to not let either Caia or Benjamin steal his room once he leaves home for other adventures. Avery? Well, she simply hopes that once she tears that envelope spelling her name in glitter – courtesy of Lea and her magic pencil case – in 38 weeks from now she will at least have set foot in the warm sand of the Acebridge shore line again. A hope that these days will be nothing but a memory of something long gone.

          In Acebridge, beach days aren't over because the calendar says so – usually lasting long into the fall. Usually lasting far past Labor Day. But in the very same way Avery didn't join her friends for the Labor Day town bonfire down by the water this past weekend, she hasn't set foot at the beach in the past sixteen and a half days.

Which is exactly how long it's been since she last saw Ethan.

          Next to her, lying on his back in the grass, Nic lets an excruciatingly long sigh escape his lips as he tosses an orange into the air. "Love fucking sucks."

Avery tilts her head back, glancing up at the greenery of the crown of the grand oak tree she's sat leant against. "Tell me about it."

As she flickers her eyes back to Nic he catches her gaze, pausing his pastime of juggling the orange. "I know why I'm whining but what's up with you?"

"Oh," Avery lets her gaze travel towards the back of the bleachers lining Acebridge West High's sports field where they're stood only a stone's throw away from the tree. Smoothing out the fabric of her skirt, she lifts her shoulder in half a shrug. "Nothing. I was talking about your thing – obviously."

"A piece of advice," Nic pushes up into a seat and twists around to face her as he pushes his glasses up the slope of his nose. Throwing the orange into the air again, his eyes follow it as it flies in a bow before landing in his other palm. "Don't fall for someone you can't have."

A humorless, faint snort escapes Avery and she rolls her lips together. Despite clearing her throat her voice comes off quite strangely as she speaks, "Noted."

Searching for a distraction, noticing how her mind has already begun to travel down that road she's tried to escape so far this Wednesday, she slides her phone out of her tote and glances down at the time lightning up the screen. A sigh of relief escapes her as she pushes herself off of the grass, dusting her palms against one another.

Nic groans. "No. Already?"

"The bell knows no mercy," Avery says, lips pulling up in a lopsided smile feigning consolation. Extending her hand she helps him up. "Come on."

♡♡♡

Nic continues to throw the orange into the air as they make their way past the bleachers, crossing through the wing holding the gymnasium to make their quickest way back to their classes.