Wrong Quarterback | ✓

21 | 'hi' is the sweetest word

Lazily draping her arms over Callie's shoulders, Avery's eyes drift across the room as she sways along to the music. She can't help but to be completely aware of where Ethan is every time they're in the same room. It's ridiculous, once again letting her eyes travel over the crowd, searching his gaze to see if he's watching her too.

    She swallows back the lump of disappointment in her throat as she finds that his focus is elsewhere. Beginning to regret turning down that shot of whatever alcoholic beverage Lea pushed into her hand earlier tonight, her eyes linger on him a moment more – but he's soon tapped on the shoulder by one of his friends, disappearing out of her view as he follows them into the adjoining room.

    An exhale, sounding far too close to a sigh, escapes her lips. It's strange going from being around someone every day to no longer seeing them at all. A few weeks ago Ethan Taylor was someone she spoke to every day. Now they act like they've never been anything but strangers.

    Their exchanged 'hi's aside, they haven't said a word to each other all night long. They always seem to be on opposite sides of a room, if they aren't in opposites sides of the house. Almost as if both of them have been moving in circles to avoid running into each other again.

    Stepping back from Callie, Avery speaks over the upbeat song playing through the speakers. "I'm going to go sit with Luke for a bit."

"Okay!"

Crossing the room, her lips crack into a smile as she sinks down in a seat on the armrest of the couch Luke's sat in talking to some people from their school. He tilts his head back to look at her, smile mirroring her own. She shakes her head as he offers her his cup, leaning her elbow on his shoulder as she listens with half an ear to the conversation between the group, eyes drifting across the room again, settling on Ethan just as he reappears through a doorway.

Pressing her teeth together, she watches as he runs a hand through his hair before throwing his head back in a laugh. Chest heavy as it rises and falls with her breath, audibly blowing air out her nose in an exhale as he leans closer to the girl on the receiving end of his smile.

"Earth to Ave."

Slowly turning her head over her shoulder, she glances at Luke. "What?"

"You're drooling."

She presses her lips together with a roll of her eyes as she tries to quell the warmth flushing her skin. "Shut up."

    Luke, too, rolls his eyes with a raise of his brows and an uneasy laugh escapes her. She knows he's simply trying to get under her skin, teasing her in the same manner the two of them have their entire lives but as she slowly shakes her at him, she makes a silent vow to not look Ethan's way at all for the rest of the night.

She's barely been sat trying to actually engage in the conversation with the boys on the couch, doing her best to not let her eyes drift back to where she knows he's stood, for less than two minutes as Callie appears in front of her, grabbing her hand.

"We're going to the bathroom."

    Letting herself be pulled to her feet, she flickers her head over her shoulder and glances across the room. Ethan pauses with the bottle held to his lips, her breath caught in her throat as his gaze catches hers. Her jaw clenches as she presses her teeth together. She didn't even last five minutes.

♡♡♡

    "I want to make out with someone."

"I want to be on my couch. In my PJs."