15. The Quinceañero

[Avni: It's been two weeks of avoiding EJ and pretending that I'm happy to have Nini back, but the good news is, I finally have a plan. I have decided to get over EJ. Which is every bit as dumb and difficult as it sounds, so Gina's been helping out. She keeps EJ and his over-the-top apologies away from me, and I get Ricky to keep a safe distance from her. It's been working. Sort of.]

"Don't tell me there's another one," Gina laughed as she walked up to Avni, who was standing at her locker holding a single yellow flower- a tulip this time.

Avni discreetly tucked away his note when she saw Gina, and sighed, "I wish he'd stop." She thrust the flower into a corner of her locker, where at least a dozen more flowers lay in a pile.

Gina grinned, "I can't believe you keep them all."

Avni gave her a look. "Only because I love flowers and I hate throwing them away," she paused. "Maybe I should make them into a bouquet and give them to Carlos on Saturday, just to be petty."

"Yes, of course, there's nothing a guy who's waited for a Quinceañero his whole life loves more than used apology flowers."

"I wasn't going to actually do it," Avni grumbled.

"Weren't you?"

Avni looked up at her, "He wouldn't be able to tell."

"Its Carlos. Of course, he would."

Avni didn't reply, just fidgeted with the stuff in her locker. She didn't even need anything, she just wanted to see if EJ had sent her a note and a flower again.

"This is a lot," Gina said, still eyeing the pile of flowers.

Avni shrugged, "He's a people pleaser."

"Right."

Gina's tone caused Avni to look up at her quizzically.

"I'm just saying, he's trying too hard. I feel kinda bad for him." Avni frowned at that. "Just talk to him," Gina continued.

"You aren't talking to Ricky."

Gina sighed, "Look, this guard thing isn't working. EJ keeps finding ways to get to you, and I'm forced to spend time with Ricky and Nini anyways. The next time Ricky says something un-friend-like, I'll call him out. Only if you agree to talk to EJ."

"I'm not ready to forgive him yet."

"I'm not saying you have to. Just tell him to give you some space."

"Can I be Team Avni on this?" Ricky came up suddenly.

"How much of that did you hear?" Avni asked.

"Just the last bit," he said. "Avni talking to EJ is a terrible idea," he said, mostly to Gina. "Her anger is like chicken-pox. It hits you once, makes you feel like the worst person on the planet, and then never hits you again. At least not for the same thing."

"Terrible example," Avni said. "But he's right. I hold on to every emotion other than anger. And once I yell, it goes away."

"Mostly overnight."

"Holding on to anger makes me feel like a burden to other people," Avni said, and the other two stared at her. "It's not healthy," she nodded.

"But it is true. If she talks to EJ, she'll just end up forgiving him, even when she doesn't want to. And he does not deserve it."

"You don't even know what he did," Gina said.

"I don't need to."

"At least he's trying. A lot harder than you ever did, actually."

She's right. Maybe I'm holding a double standard.

"That was unwarranted," Ricky said.

"It's the truth."

"Okay, you guys, stop," Avni said, before it too heated. "Stop acting like I'm some helpless child who can't think for themselves." And with that, she closed her locker and walked away.

"Co-parenting's hard," she heard Ricky sigh. She was too far away to hear Gina's response, but she was already catching up to Avni, so obviously it was short.

"You didn't call him out," Avni said when Gina fell in step beside her.

"We didn't actually agree on anything."

Avni sighed, "I'll think about what to say. If I come up with something passable, I'll tell him. Deal's off, though. You can stop guarding me."

Gina nodded, and they parted for class.

"Calculus homework was too much last night. I don't understand why Ms. Rider thinks calculus is the only subject her students study for. I think you're the only one who gets Integration By Parts anyways.

PS. I'm sorry."

Avni read the note for the nth time, and she felt like sobbing.

Every day was the same. She'd be secretly glad to find something from him in her locker, she'd act annoyed about the flowers, but hide the note. Then she'd come home to read it, and be thrown into a whirlwind of feelings.

The notes started off as explanations and I'm sorry-s, then evolved to childhood memories (the one he'd brought up about the first time they met was her favourite), and were now just random one liners with apologies in the post- scripts. But he'd kept it up for two weeks now- even the weekends.

She was trying to get over him, she knew. But how to even begin?

He'd never, ever, been this sweet to her. It was like he was trying to do this on purpose.

She thought about her conversation with Gina before class.

Maybe she did need a little space.

Avni was helping Ashlyn put finishing touches to everything at Seb's barn for the party, when Gina came up to her.

"I did it," she said. "I told him off."

She looked crushed.

Avni stepped away from Ashlyn and the tables, "You don't look too happy," she said to Gina once they were out of earshot.

"It was hard, but I think he got the message." Avni nodded. "It's your turn now," Gina added.

Avni sighed. "Do I have to?"

"You agreed to it, so yeah, you do. Did you think about what to say?"

An awkward look crossed Avni's face, "I'll tell him to back off."

"I don't think you're going to be able to convince him if you're not convinced."

"I just- I don't think that's what I want."

"What do you want?"

"I think you know," she paused. "But this is healthier, I suppose, so-"

"You have no idea about what's healthy and what's not. Tell him you like him then."

Avni paused.

"I guess I have nothing to lose. We'll just be exactly the way we are right now. Just that- he'll know," she cringed. "I don't know about this."

"Trust me, you'll feel great after."

"Did you?"

Gina didn't say anything.

"You should be the last person to tell me to confess my feelings."

A dark look came onto Gina's face.

Avni scrunched up her eyebrows in concern, "What is it?"

"I'm leaving Salt Lake."

Avni paused, taking in her words. "Is your mom making you?"

Gina shook her head, "I want to go. This whole Ricky thing is too painful. But I promised I would help you get through this, so I wanted to see it through."

"Gina-"

"I'm just used to packing up and taking off. I don't ever get the opportunity to settle and confess- and I guess there's a flip side to all of that. But I still have the option to leave, so I am."

"You're giving up?"

"I'm sorry."

"There's so much to stay back for."

"I've made up my mind."

"Is there anything I can say to make you change it?"

Gina shook her head.

Avni nodded slowly, "I'll support you in whatever you decide. Just don't forget about me, okay?"

"Never."

A/n

It's so cuteeeeeee :)

Look at my girl's character growth- she's being supportive even when it's inconvenient im so proud

Also the chicken pox thing is something a friend of mine has actually said to me in live, physical conversation and it was so wild that I had to include it here lol

It's weird how we have to specify that conversations are physical now