for Ari or on the fact that he visited me nearly every night when the rest of the floor was asleep. I liked Emily but I knew if I gave her gossip like that, she would spread it like wildfire.
It was a Wednesday night. I had been sitting at my desk for hours reading for literature class. I jumped in my seat and nearly spilled my coffee when someone pounded on my door right before it flew open.
“AVA!” Emily yelled laughingly. She had been sitting in the commons with Viola, Sam from the tenth floor, Sophie and Ari. I could see them all crowding behind her.
“Um, hi, can I help you guys with something?” I glanced at the clock on my computer. The clock said nine...nine at night and I was sure Em had been drinking for a while.
“Yes! Ava, we are going to this little bar off campus to check out a band. It’s like Rory’s brother’s friend’s band or something. Wanna come? You only have to be eighteen to get in...”
“Oh, um… thanks, but no thanks. I’m a bit younger than you and I’m not eighteen yet. Sorry.”
“Oh, well, no problem there – Ari can be your date. You can get her in, can’t you, Ari?”
I shot Emily a warning look that didn’t even faze her. Ari caught my expression and rubbed the stubble on his cheeks.
“Yeah, sure,” he nodded.
“Emily! Look at me! I’m not even dressed to go out. Go on without me! I’ll come out some other night.”
“Whatever, Ava. Your hair looks perfect as usual. Your makeup is flawless. All you have to do is change.” Emily walked the rest of the way in to my room and threw open my closet door. The rest of her entourage piled in and took up residence in my tiny space. Ari took his usual seat on my bed. Making himself at home, he played around with my open MacBook and changed the song I had playing to one of my favorite Indie rock songs.
We locked eyes and my cheeks turned pink; whenever I was with Ari, whether for fifteen minutes or three hours at two in the morning, everything seemed better. Our late nights together were a regular thing. Nightmare or not Ari would be there at my door to check on me and talk for a bit. I had fallen for him hard . I don’t have any clue what his feelings for me were. He rarely talks about himself and has perfected the art of answering my questions without really giving me an answer.
“Honestly, Ava, you have the best wardrobe,” Sophie called from the closet. “There are things in here that aren’t even on the racks yet.”
Emily brought me back down to earth by yanking down a flirty dress and pulling out a pair of shoes I hadn’t even worn yet. She tossed them in my direction with the command, “Get dressed!” The smile faded from my face.
I gaped at her and the rest of the group incredulously. “Alright… I guess I’ll just go and change in the bathroom,” I said, looking around accusingly at the crowd in my room. I took my dress and shoes and retreated to the bathroom to get ready. I looked in the mirror. Ok, my hair is okay, I guess . I touched up my makeup, put on some lip-gloss, put on the dress and the shoes and walked back in to my room.
Emily whistled at me, linked her arm in mine, and led me out of my room. The contact was too close; I was instantly uncomfortable. I took my arm out of hers and took a few steps away. We went down to the lobby and out to the parking lot.
“Ava, you don’t drink, do you?”
“No.”
“Good, then you don’t mind driving us, right? Your car is big enough to fit us all and we need a sober driver. Ari would drive but his car is full of surfboards or something,” she said, rolling her eyes at him.
Unbelievable! They had actually dragged me out of my nice little cocoon just to take advantage of my sobriety and car space. “Fine,” I said, fishing my keys out of my little bag.
Hitting the button on my key fob, my lights blinked, my doors unlocked and everyone clambered in. Emily sat up front and I looked at her.
“Ok, Em, where to?”
“Oh, I have no idea
It was a Wednesday night. I had been sitting at my desk for hours reading for literature class. I jumped in my seat and nearly spilled my coffee when someone pounded on my door right before it flew open.
“AVA!” Emily yelled laughingly. She had been sitting in the commons with Viola, Sam from the tenth floor, Sophie and Ari. I could see them all crowding behind her.
“Um, hi, can I help you guys with something?” I glanced at the clock on my computer. The clock said nine...nine at night and I was sure Em had been drinking for a while.
“Yes! Ava, we are going to this little bar off campus to check out a band. It’s like Rory’s brother’s friend’s band or something. Wanna come? You only have to be eighteen to get in...”
“Oh, um… thanks, but no thanks. I’m a bit younger than you and I’m not eighteen yet. Sorry.”
“Oh, well, no problem there – Ari can be your date. You can get her in, can’t you, Ari?”
I shot Emily a warning look that didn’t even faze her. Ari caught my expression and rubbed the stubble on his cheeks.
“Yeah, sure,” he nodded.
“Emily! Look at me! I’m not even dressed to go out. Go on without me! I’ll come out some other night.”
“Whatever, Ava. Your hair looks perfect as usual. Your makeup is flawless. All you have to do is change.” Emily walked the rest of the way in to my room and threw open my closet door. The rest of her entourage piled in and took up residence in my tiny space. Ari took his usual seat on my bed. Making himself at home, he played around with my open MacBook and changed the song I had playing to one of my favorite Indie rock songs.
We locked eyes and my cheeks turned pink; whenever I was with Ari, whether for fifteen minutes or three hours at two in the morning, everything seemed better. Our late nights together were a regular thing. Nightmare or not Ari would be there at my door to check on me and talk for a bit. I had fallen for him hard . I don’t have any clue what his feelings for me were. He rarely talks about himself and has perfected the art of answering my questions without really giving me an answer.
“Honestly, Ava, you have the best wardrobe,” Sophie called from the closet. “There are things in here that aren’t even on the racks yet.”
Emily brought me back down to earth by yanking down a flirty dress and pulling out a pair of shoes I hadn’t even worn yet. She tossed them in my direction with the command, “Get dressed!” The smile faded from my face.
I gaped at her and the rest of the group incredulously. “Alright… I guess I’ll just go and change in the bathroom,” I said, looking around accusingly at the crowd in my room. I took my dress and shoes and retreated to the bathroom to get ready. I looked in the mirror. Ok, my hair is okay, I guess . I touched up my makeup, put on some lip-gloss, put on the dress and the shoes and walked back in to my room.
Emily whistled at me, linked her arm in mine, and led me out of my room. The contact was too close; I was instantly uncomfortable. I took my arm out of hers and took a few steps away. We went down to the lobby and out to the parking lot.
“Ava, you don’t drink, do you?”
“No.”
“Good, then you don’t mind driving us, right? Your car is big enough to fit us all and we need a sober driver. Ari would drive but his car is full of surfboards or something,” she said, rolling her eyes at him.
Unbelievable! They had actually dragged me out of my nice little cocoon just to take advantage of my sobriety and car space. “Fine,” I said, fishing my keys out of my little bag.
Hitting the button on my key fob, my lights blinked, my doors unlocked and everyone clambered in. Emily sat up front and I looked at her.
“Ok, Em, where to?”
“Oh, I have no idea
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