She bit into her toast. “This is pretty good,” she said. “I’m impressed you can cook.”
“Well, I know you said you were going to make me work for it, so I hope this counts.”
“Taking care of me does. Flirting with cheerleaders, I’m not sure.”
“I wasn’t flirting, Avery.” I sighed. “I could have taken you to the house and gone back there if I wanted to party with those girls. But I didn’t want them. That should count for something.”
But it didn’t. I was never going to be good enough.
When she finished eating, I drove her home, depositing her safely on the doorstep. “I guess I’ll talk to you later,” I said. Maybe it was all for the best that things had worked out this way. I didn’t need the drama of something so deep clouding up my head.
“Yeah, I hope so.” The look she gave me told me she was close to giving up on me, and it scared me so badly that I couldn’t let it end that way.
Instead of going back to the Jeep, I put my hand on her shoulder, and when she turned from the door, I kissed her again, knowing I couldn’t let her walk away without doing it.
Things were so mixed up in my head, but that was the one certainty, that I needed her kiss at that moment.
Avery was worth it.
Chapter 11 Avery
The goodbye kiss made me think about all I wanted with Seth. But it also had me confused. I couldn’t stop thinking about the party and how it could have gone.
Not only might I have punched that stupid cheerleader in the face, but I might have gotten in serious trouble if I had hurt her, and since I was a rough rugby player and she was half my size, it was a possibility.
And that was only half the problem. I not only would have pissed off the entire squad, but I was sure the Omegas wouldn’t want me around stomping on their sex toys. As it was, I’d probably never be welcome there again, and there was Abi to consider.
My behavior had been so bad that I was sure to have embarrassed her too. I needed to apologize.
I dialed her number as soon as I got settled back home. The phone rang twice before she answered with a sly tone. “Hello, lover girl. How was that hottie who rescued you?”
“I wouldn’t know. Nothing happened with us.”
“Nothing? You mean he took you home and dropped you off? How lame.”
“No, actually, he brought me to his house and undressed me.” I knew how it sounded, and she reacted with a shriek.
“Are you serious? How sweet. So, just heavy making out or what? You little devil, you were hiding things.”
“No, it wasn’t like that. I got sick in his Jeep on the way home, and he had to wash my clothes.”
“Wait, Seth Mills, Mr. Rugby stud himself, washed your clothes for you? That’s a big deal.”
“You might think so, but I’m so confused right now. I mean, he brought me home, washed my clothes, and made me breakfast.”
Abi swooned. “Wow, that’s impressive.”
“More like tense and a little uncomfortable. He’s hard to read. I mean, just when I think I know what he’s feeling, he does something to confuse me.”
“What did he do?” She sounded concerned all of a sudden.
“He kissed me goodbye.” I knew it was going to sound as if things were going better than they were.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t see a problem with that unless he forced you. I think you two both need to get over whatever roadblock you’ve put up and get together. Like officially.”
“I’m not even sure if he wants something official or if he’s just playing games with me. You saw him at the party. He was having a good time with Britany and Lizzy, and I could tell he was surprised to see me. He said he was concerned when he noticed me gone from the game, but come on. Everyone knows he would have ended up sleeping with Britany if I wasn’t around. They have a past apparently. But who doesn’t the male slut of Providence have a past with?”
“I don’t think he would have. And if you’re judging him by the actions of those girls, you might want to rethink that because they can be manipulative. Lizzy has been known to cause trouble in the past and tries to worm her way in to cause trouble.”
“I don’t need it. I need to focus on my grades, play rugby, and graduate. I just don’t know how to do that and not want Seth so badly.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
I hoped so.
* * *
On Monday, I still hadn’t figured anything out. My mind and heart were in a much worse state, and I had just about resolved to let Seth go and take myself out of the social scenes of my school altogether. Sure, it was a Clara move, but this was for many different reasons.
I had gone the entire weekend without so much as a text from Seth, and while I didn’t want to be the kind of girl to expect him to live and breathe me, it would have been nice if he had at least cared enough to want to know how I was feeling.
Instead, I nursed my hangover and my feelings all weekend alone.
So when I saw him at practice standing outside near the field talking to a girl I didn’t recognize, I decided I was wasting time with him. He wasn’t ever going to change.
I tried not to spy on him as he and the girl laughed and talked as she dug in her bag and handed him a slip of paper.
I didn’t have to wonder what that was. Of course, he had asked for her phone number. Why wouldn’t he? She was cute and perky in her little Pro-U cardigan and short skirt.
I went through the motions of practice just to
