Thanks for all Favs/Follows/Reviews! I just finished another chapter for this story! I'm a couple chapters ahead, so every time I finish one, I'll publish another. A chapter for a chapter. But there will definitely be one chapter published every week. Hope you enjoy! And please tell me what you thought.
Chapter Four
Avery sat on the wooden table connected to the bench Dean was sitting on. Her head was thrown back in laughter. "Seriously? She did that?"
"I thought you knew. She is your best friend?" Dean asked, leaning on his elbows and gazing up to her.
"She is." She replied. "I don't keep tabs on her boyfriends anymore. I lost that interest about eight guys ago.."
"Well, I don't know who's the victim this time. Jenny or Kyle. They're both a match for each other." He said. Avery hummed, picking up a fry from the plate Dean has gotten them. His eyes followed her movement, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Why did you come here tonight?" He questioned.
She looked up in startled. "What?"
"Tonight, you could've waited for tomorrow at school or came with Jenny."
Avery thought over her answer for a second before replying. "Guess I wanted to try something different."
"Is it working for you?" His face came closer to hers.
"I think so." She breathed. Dean got even closer, his lips almost connecting with hers. She pulled back at the last moment. Biting her lip to keep from grinning too widely. "I don't kiss on the first date."
Dean chuckled, a sound of relief and disappointment at the same time. "So this is a date?"
"I like to think that it is." Avery answered honestly. "Come on, go on with your story."
"How about-" He picked a couple of fries and threw them in his mouth. "-we talk about anything else?"
"Anything?"
"Absolutely anything." He said. Avery whistled lightly under her breath. "Let's talk about family."
"Anything else." Dean steered the topic, making Avery chuckled.
"Fine." She mock frowned. "You're so difficult. I can't find any topics. I assume you don't want to talk about shoes, hair or clothes."
"Something tells me you don't want to either." He said.
"How would you know that?" She asked.
"Because I know you hate dresses and high heels." He replied.
"Would you prefer me in those?" Avery questioned, her voice softer.
"I like you the way you are." He confessed. "In band t-shirt and combat boots."
"You like me?" She said, her brows raising in surprise.
"I thought it was obvious." Dean said, trying to shrug it off. "I understand if you don't like me back. It's-" She cut him off by kissing him .A soft, short kiss. She pulled away, a teasing smile on her face.
"You said you don't kiss on the first date." He breathed.
"I broke the rules." Avery's forehead was touching his, "Besides, it doesn't matter. This is my first date."
"Really?" He asked. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe."
"It's true." She replied. "Why do you think that?"
"Because you're beautiful." Dean said simply. He was surprised to see Avery pull back and laugh, a soft, music like sound to his ears.
"What did you read before coming here?" She asked, still smiling. "How to woo girls?"
"No." He grinned. "How to understand Avery Montgomery."
"It's not that hard." She told him.
"It's pretty challenging." Dean said. "But I don't mind."
"Smooth, bro." Avery nodded her head. "Smooth."
Dean sighed, picking up the now empty plastic container of fries and aiming to throw it towards a nearby dumpster. "It's getting late." He glanced at his watch.
"So?" She asked, "I'll sneak through the window."
"No," He got up, holding a hand to help her down from the table. "Come on, I'll walk you home." Avery took his hand gracefully landing on the ground. He didn't let go after they started walking.
Dean parked his car to the side of the road, shutting down the engine and everything.
"What are you doing?" Avery asked, casting him a strange look. They both had gotten into his car and drove away after their confrontation in the Brew. High on excitement, she didn't care about A. She wanted Dean, always have and always will.
He unbuckled his safety belt before leaning towards Avery and kissed her hard on the mouth. His fingers coming to grasp her face gently while doing so. She kissed him back eagerly, laying her hands on his shoulders.
"Okay," Dean breathed once they pulled away. "I really don't want to ruin the moment." He looked at Avery's hazel eyes, with little flecks of gold if you looked closely. "But I have to say this before we get in too deep."
"Dean." She sighed. "I know what you're going to say." She shook her head, reaching for her phone in her pocket but she couldn't find it.
"Would you rather I tell you or that I show you?" She asked, thinking she could tell him to drive back to her apartment and get the shoe box filled with A notes. A few months back, when they split up, she was determined to discover who A was so she printed all the texts, gathered the paper notes and the pictures. Everything A related. She didn't get much progress, but she picked up a few things.
"How about both?" He said. She sighed again.
"You remember Alison Dilaurentis?" Avery began, bracing herself.
"Yeah," Dean nodded, confused. "Yeah, your sister's friend. The one that went missing."
"She," She spoke, "Ali and I were close when she and Aria first became friends. I think she looked up to me for guidance, not that she would ever admit it. But she came to about boyfriend troubles, school troubles, nearly everything. I treated her like she was sister, I wasn't aware that she threatened Aria with her secrets, or that she was doing it to all the girls." She took a deep breath. "She showed me the first A text she got. The next day, I got one." Don't tell and I won't. -A "I've been jon drugs that time." it showed a video one of the guys took of all of them smoking. They were all hysterically laughing that day, and clearly it showed they were high.
"Then it didn't stop, more and more texts came, about drugs, my family, you." She couldn't read Dean's eyes. "A would hint that stuff that turned out true eventually, about my dad cheating on my mom. One text that came was to tell me to break your heart." Her throat felt like it was closing on her. "Or A would hurt you. It was after Ali went missing, I knew A was capable of hurting people. I waited a few days. And the notes kept coming. That's he/she is getting impatient. And when I finally did it." Good work. We all know you're great at breaking hearts. -A "A stopped sending me notes."
Dean's frown deepened, he spoke, his voice calm and cold. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't," Tears were running silently down her face. "I can't even-I'm taking a risk telling you now."
"I would've protected you." He said, she noticed that his hands was fisted tightly, his knuckles turning white.
"I know you would have." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "But who would've protected you?"
"Dammit, Avery!" Dean slammed his hands violently on the steering wheel, making the car's horn beep loudly. "This has been going on for years."
"I know it has, Dean." Avery said clearly. "I know." She unbuckled her seat belt, reaching for the door handle. "I can't, I'm sorry." She mumbled. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you." She got out of the car, letting the door shut behind her, she looked around her, she could walk back to her apartment, but it would be a fairly long walk.
"Avery," Dean got out of the car, going after her. "Avery, stop. Okay? I'm sorry." She didn't turn around, instead he walked until he was standing in front of her, she tried to hide her face from his view, so he wouldn't see her crying.
"Hey." He said. "It's-are you crying?" His hands wiped her tears, his touch gentle. "Shh, it's okay." He pulled her into his arms, wrapping them around her shoulder tightly. He shushed her as she kept crying, the feelings she hid all those months coming out. The only people who knew about A texts were her and Alison. And Ali was dead.
Avery rested her on his chest, her arms crossed around her chest as if to shield herself from the world and its harm. "I'm sorry." She sniffled.
"No, I'm sorry for the way I reacted." Dean's grip tightened. "I'll still protect you." He muttered, his voice muffled by her hair.
"You're not mad?" Avery pulled back slightly to see his face.
"I am mad." He said. "But not at you." He kissed the remaining of her tears away and leaned down to lay soft kisses on both her cheeks.
She breathed deeply, "Can we go to my apartment?"
Dean nodded, "Sure." He grabbed her hand and led to back to the car, opening the door for her. They sat in silence for the rest of the ride back. When they arrived, she headed straight towards her bedroom, aware that Dean was following her. She stopped in front of the bed. "Can you move it?" She asked Dean quietly. He nodded, they both pushed it until she told him to stop. She grabbed the screwdriver she kept in her nightstand and opened the vent that was previously hidden by the bed.
Avery reached and got out the shoe box and placed it silently on the bed, putting it upside down so the contents of it spilled. "This-this everything I could find on A. The notes, photos of texts and the pictures sent to me." She spread them all across the cover.
"Do you know who it is?" Dean picked up a photo, inspecting it.
"No, I had some people in mind, But they all checked out." She pointed to the list of names she had made. Melissa Hastings, Wren Kingston, Ezra Fitz, Jason Dilaurentis, even for a while she suspected Alison was the one threatening her. Dean abandoned the papers, moving to tug Avery closer to him, she tucked her head under his chin, breathing softly, she couldn't believe she actually told him.
"Who knows?" He asked her.
"Now, besides you and me," She said. "Alison knew." She kissed him once before moving back to pack the stuff back to the box and returning it to the wall.
"I can spend the night." Dean offered. "If you want."
"Yeah," She said. "I'd like that."
"Alright, we got pizzas, burgers, fries." Avery said. looking at all the food laid out on her coffee table. "A lot of soda. What else?"
"Junk food." Dean to the living room, carrying bags and packets of junk food in his arms. Cheese puffs, Doritos, Reese's, M&M's, chips, a can of whipped cream. "You got the movies?" He asked her. She answered by holding up the Harry Potter's DVD.
He chuckled, "Just like old times." He sat down on the ground, his back leaning against one of the many pillows he and Avery have gathered. They had surrounded themselves with blankets and pillows and pushed the coffee table to the side so they can lay on the ground.
When Avery came to sit down next to him, he tugged her to drop on his lap, making way so she was seated between his legs. He pressed Start before she can protest. She relaxed, resting her head on his chest, sighing when his arms came to wrap around her waist, bringing her impossibly closer to him. She chuckled before remembering the food, without getting off Dean, she leaned and picked up the large pizza box and the nearest burger that had fries in the same container. She took a piece of pineapple pizza and bit into it, groaning at the taste. She sipped on a can of soda while eating.
"Hey," Avery said after a while of watching Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. "I want some of that." She turned her body completely in Dean's lap to face him. She reached into his bag of Doritos and took a couple.
He chuckled, looking at her face. "What?" She asked, smiling a bit.
"Nothing." He said.
"No, tell me." Avery said, before tilting her head to the side and made a mocking expression "Don't I look sexy?"
"You look incredibly sexy." Dean replied, his hand coming to wipe the crumbs on the corner of her mouth, kissing her after.
"I got a question." She said after they pulled away. "Aren't you getting payed to stay by Spencer's side at all times?"
"Yeah." He agreed, his eyes distracted as he played with a strand of her dark hair. At her raised eyebrow, his eyes widened before he glanced at the clock she hung on the wall.
"I'll sneak back in the morning." He said since it was late. "I bet Spencer already went out."
"Go easy on her, will you?" Avery said, adjusting her position to grab another soda and the last piece of pizza. "Think of us when we were in her age."
"That's the exact reason why I'm not." Dean said. "When we were teenagers, we got off drug by ourselves, without anyone else's help. And we got through it."
"Yeah, God, I don't what I would've done if you weren't there to help me." She said.
"We helped each other. Remember the food we used to make, we jogged as many miles as we could in the morning and managed school in the same time?" He spoke.
"You're co-dependent. It's not right." Ella told her daughter. "Every time you're away from each other, you relapse."
"Mom," Avery followed her mother to the kitchen. "It's not like that. I love him, and he loves me."
"Maybe that's the problem, Avery." Her mom said. "It's like you can't survive without one another. You should have your own life outside him."
"Doing what?" Avery was getting frustrated. "Going to school and getting decent grades? Have friends? A job? I already have all of that. You just don't see that. My life is perfectly fine. I'm happy."
"You're addicted to drugs!" Ella lost her temper. "You're both addicts."
"I'm sober. When are you going to believe that?" Avery said.
"When you stop hanging out with the same people you took drugs with." Ella told her.
"Well, I'm not going to do that." Her phone rang, making her jump in surprise and her mother to narrow her eyes in disapproval.
"That's him." Ella stated as a fact. Avery nodded, shutting the phone down and turning away from the kitchen and leaving for the front door where Dean was waiting. She opened the door to see him standing with two smoothies in his hands.
"Thank God." She took one and took a sip without asking what was in it.
"Hey," He kissed her on the cheek. "Is everything okay? I heard arguing."
"It's fine." She shrugged, though it hurt her to know her own mother didn't believe in her. "Mom's getting on my case lately."
"Is it because of me?" Dean asked lowly.
Avery nodded, unable to lie to him after so much together. "And she doesn't trust me when I tell her I'm sober."
"Avery, if I'm separating you from your family-"
"No, you're not." She said. "Okay? I'm not letting you. You're the only thing holding me together. Mom will understand eventually." Dean nodded, clearly not convinced with guilt evident in his expression.
"So guess what?" They were now walking along the road, waiting to finish their smoothies to start jogging, one of the rituals that kept their minds off the edge of withdrawal.
"What?" Avery bumped her shoulder playfully with his.
"I got a job." Dean told her.
"Dean," She stopped walking and threw her arms around him. "That's amazing."
"Yeah," He hugged her back, mindless of the drinks in their hands. "It is."
"What is it?" She asked, still smiling.
"I'm training to become a drug and alcohol counselor." He said, a little afraid of her reaction.
"That's-" Avery searched for the word. "Good."
"You really think so?" He asked.
"You're going to help people who are struggling with their addiction. It's great. You're a good teacher." She said. Dean's face broke into a wide smile, he threw his empty cup to the ground and picked her up, kissing her fiercely.
"Could you be any less perfect?" He said rhetorically. He kissed her one more time before setting her down.
"I can't because I'm not." Avery said.
"You are in my eyes." He said, not surprised when she laughed.
"I thought we were over the cliche phase." She smiled.
"If it makes you smile." Dean shrugged, putting his arms around her shoulder. "I'll do anything."
"Okay. Stop." Avery laughed, trying to jokingly pull away from him.
"You're the light in the end of my tunnel." He said. "The moon in-"
"Stop!" She was full blown laughing.
"Avery Grace Montgomery." Dean said, a glint of happiness in his eyes as he watched her laugh. "I love you. And that's not a line or a pickup phrase to get lucky."
"Well then, Dean Stavros." Avery said. "You are lucky because I love you too."
"Yeah, I remember." She told Dean softly, shifting herself so she was straddling him with her legs and facing him. She kissed him hard on the lips, making him drop whatever he was carrying and wrap his arms around her waist before gently easing her off of him so he can get up. He helped her stand before crashing his lips back to hers, he laid her on the couch, straddled her and continued kissing her until they were out of breath, he turned his attention to her neck, brushing his lips softly against her skin, making her shiver. His hands trailed down until they reached her shoulder, right where he scar stood out.
Dean abruptly pulled back. "Dean." She said in a pleading tone.
"You didn't tell me last time." His eyes were serious.
"Because it's not a big deal." She tried to shrug.
"I know it's a big deal." He said. "If it wasn't, you would've told me already."
Avery stood up from his lap, her posture straight and stiff. "If I tell you, will you shut up?" He mimicked closing zipper on his lips.
"Yeah, I'm on my way." Avery told her mom on the phone. "I'm literally in front of the building-Don't worry, I'll be fine." She had recently got her apartment, and a week later, her mother still wasn't feeling like her daughter was safe.
"I'll call you tomorrow." Without giving her mom a chance to respond, she hung up and stuffed the phone back in her purse and shuffled for her keys. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed something moving.
Avery froze, her whole body rigid as her stomach dropped. All the walk back to her apartment, she felt like she was being watched, she shrugged it off as paranoia from the move. A texts were still rolling every other day, but she had stayed completely off drugs and trouble, A literally didn't have anything to threaten her with. But someone was following her, she was sure.
She cleared her throat. You're acting too paranoid. She told herself. She jumped when she heard rustling coming from the alley besides the building. It's probably just some kids playing a prank.
"It's not funny." Avery snapped into thin air. "Seriously, go find someone else to bother." When no one answered her, she stepped into the alley, only to have a hand come from behind her to cover her mouth. Her breathing quickened and she tried to struggle but she felt the person holding moving closer to her, their mouth brushing against her ear.
"Shh." The figure mockingly soothed. She suddenly felt something cold press on her skin. A pocket knife was glistering in the poor light the street provided. She fought even more, feeling hysterical and panicky. The pressure of the knife became firmer.
Avery-in her frenzied state- ripped herself from the person's hold, He/she wasn't prepared for her outburst and loosened their grip a little. The knife swiped against her shoulder as she turned, ignoring the shot of pain, she faced the person-only to be knocked into the wall fiercely. She took a few minutes to clear her head from the dizziness and the fuzziness, she eventually got up, well aware than whoever was there was long gone.
She winced as she stood on her feet, her head stung from the hit and her shoulder was flaring up every time she moved. She forced herself to walk out of the alley and onto the street and the public. Her purse was on the ground where it fell when she first entered. She picked it up, debating calling the police or not. What would she even say? She wasn't mugged, the person didn't even try to demand for her bag or money. It-
Her thoughts were cut off by her phone buzzing, dread filled her core as she furiously searched her purse for it. When she finally found it, her head felt dizzy again.
Next time, it won't be just a scratch.
-A