* Please Review! *Dee: I didn't include your review because it had nothing really to do with my story, it was just to flame me. I'm sorry that you were a faithful reader and now you are mad so you won't be reading my stories anymore. I'm sorry to lose a reader but what I don't understand is why it's okay for you to say what you want about me and my stories but it's not okay for me to defend myself or my works. You have the right to be mad and say whatever you want but I also have the right to say whatever I want. Again, I'm sorry if you don't want to read my stories anymore. And no, I'm not saying this so my readers can defend me, I can defend myself. I included your first review so anyone wants to read it they can and see that I did not, in fact, twist your words.*
With one of her hands locked down tight into Van's, he pulled them up the stairs to Julie's house. He stopped along the way to greet a few guys and introduce her. To his surprised, he introduced her as his girlfriend without thinking about it, and when she didn't protest, he kept doing it. Every time he said it, he felt better and better about it. It felt right to call her that and he liked it.
Van snatched them two beers, handing her one as he continued moving through the house. He was looking for Jason and Flip so there would be at least someone else there she knew but his friends were nowhere to be seen. As he walked into a back living room of Julie's house, he realized all to quickly his mistake. Julie and two of her friends were sitting on the couch and they immediately started to take stock of Avalon.
" Hey, Julie. Nice party." Van said because he had to say something. There was no way he could just walk out of the room without it looking stupid.
" Ah yeah. I would have told you about it but I knew you and your dad were doing the film thing tonight." She said.
" Who is this?" Britney, one of the girls on the couch, asked. Van looked at Avalon as she came up from behind him to his side.
" This is Avalon. She's new." Van said. He did not want Julie and her spiteful friends to talk to his new girlfriend. In school, they had been the mean girls and he wasn't sure how Avalon would handle them if they tried to bully her.
" Clearly." Britney muttered. " I'm Britney." She said louder.
" Is your lip pierced?" Julie asked. Avalon smiled and nodded.
" Yeah, it sure is." She said.
" So we were just looking for Jason and Flip. Do you know where they are?" Van asked.
" No but I bet Shane does. He's in the kitchen. Why don't you leave Avalon, is it, here with us while you go and talk to him." Julie said.
" No, that's okay. She can come with me." Van said.
" I'll be fine." Avalon spoke up. Van looked at her then back at Julie. He hadn't really had time to tell Avalon about the other girl. " It's cool. Just go then come back and get me."
" Alright." Van said. " Five minutes." He leaned in, kissed her cheek then quickly left the room.
" So, where do you come from? " Britney asked.
" Lots of different places. My dad and I moved around a lot." Avalon said. She knew this trick. She had been around judgmental girls like this a lot. They were looking at her hair, her piercing, and her clothes, making mental notes about how she didn't fit in with them. Notes they would bring up to Van to try and embarrass her.
" You can sit down. I'm Julie, by the way." Julie said, moving over on the couch to give her room.
" Thanks." Avalon said. She walked over to Julie and sank down slowly, her beer in her hand.
" Are you dating Van?" Britney asked. Avalon bit into her bottom lip from the inside. She knew this trick too. Britney wasn't the leader, she was just the mouth piece. The leader of this group of girls was Julie. Avalon could tell by how the other girl sat beside her and stared. It was Julie's house the party was at. The leader of this group of girls was hardly ever the one who spoke up the most but the one who had the parties.
" And why would I tell that to a bunch of girls I don't know?" Avalon asked. Julie frowned while the other two smiled.
" Well, you should know..." Britney looked behind her at the other girl who had yet to introduce herself, then back at Avalon with a grin. " that he used to stick his dick inside Julie. So if you are dating him, we have the right to know." Avalon felt her heart tighten as she frowned. She knew she was starting to frown.
" Excuse me?" She asked.
" We used to date." Julie said. " For almost two years. We haven't been broken up that long." Avalon nodded slowly at the information.
" I see." She said as Van walked into the room.
" So I didn't see them. I think we're just going to cut out." He said, coming towards Avalon. He held his hand down to her and she took it, but only so the girls didn't see that they upset her. If they knew they had gotten to her, they would pounce on her like hungry lions. She stared at him as he pulled her up. Van offered her a small smile and a squeeze of her hand.
" It was nice meeting you, Avalon." Britney said as Van lead the new girl away. Giggles reached them before the couple walked out of the room.
" Were they okay? Sometimes they can be bitches." Van said. He pulled her closer to him so he could talk to her over the music and to make sure no one bumped into her.
" They were fine." Avalon said. She looked around the darken house, taking the couples making out in the corners, the guys smoking pot and laughing. Again, just another party, another place she didn't belong. Another guy who wanted to use her. Avalon felt sick to her stomach. Was it wrong that she had been hoping this time, that this guy, would be different than the others?
" Are you okay?" Van asked once they stepped outside. " You're really quiet." Avalon took her hand from his and rounded around to face him.
" Were you going to tell me she was your ex?" She asked, making Van frowned.
" Who?" He asked.
" Julie." She answered. " That Britney said that you used to 'stick your dick inside her.' And that's a direct quote." Van sighed and shook his head.
" It was a long time ago." He said. Avalon crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.
" Really? Because I was told you haven't been broken up that long." She found herself snapping. She had no right to be mad but she knew this trick too and she had hoped Van was above pulling tricks. She waited but he didn't say anything and she knew she had her answer. " I see. I know what this is."
" What what is?" Van asked.
" This. This trick. I know it. I have been through this a thousand times." She said.
" Been through what?" Van asked in confusion.
" This. It's always the same thing. I move to town, some guy and his girl break up and then I get used as a way to make her jealous." She bit out. Bitterness laced through her voice and hurt pumped through her veins. Maybe her dad was right. Maybe it was better if she kept to herself.
" I'm not doing that." Van defended.
" Yes, you are. I'm new, I'm mysterious and that makes girls jealous but guess what? I'm not that mysterious. There is nothing mysterious about me. I live my life like an open book. Yeah, my hair looks different then those girls. Yeah, I have two piercings that they don't but I'm not mysterious and I'm not into these games."
The was coldness in her voice and she knew it but she was so hurt. She really liked Van. She felt connected to him through their experiences with their mothers and not to mention the fact that he seemed like he felt just as lost in the world as she did. They could talk to each other like she had never been able to talk to anyone before and she wanted him to be different than the other guys she had been around. She wanted him above all the bullshit. She wanted him to want her for her, not because she was the shiny new toy in town. She didn't want him to be using her to make the others jealous.
" I'm not playing a game." Van said. Avalon felt more hurt move through her and hoped it didn't show on her face as she shook her head. She would be strong. The first few times this had happen to her, she had cried in front of the guy but she was tougher than she used to be. No one saw her cry anymore.
" Go have fun with your friends. I'm going home." Avalon said while she started to walk backwards.
" Avalon..."
" Don't, Van. Just don't. This was fun and you're a really awesome guy, and I really like you but this isn't for me." She said. " This game is not one I want to be apart of anymore. Having fun sticking your dick inside her." Avalon said the phrase with a roll of her eyes. She spun on her heel and started jogging away, ignoring how Van called out to her. Tears started to burn in her eyes as her steps increased. It was all the same, everywhere she went. She was stupid to think she could have fit in. Stupid.
" Fucking shit!" Van yelled as Avalon disappeared into the night.
He turned and took off into the house. He ignored how his old friends called out and even reached for him. He ignored it when they asked where Avalon was. He ignored them all. This wasn't his crowd anymore. These were people that he didn't need anymore. He didn't understand them and they didn't understand him, not anymore. Van was pissed.
Why would the girls tell her that? Why did they have to ruin this for him? Wasn't it bad enough that they rubbed it in his face that they were living their life while he was stuck in his? Wasn't it bad enough that they all looked down on him because Van would never leave the lake town? Van picked up his pace until he was running through the house, reaching the back quickly. His body was humming with his anger. His heart was pushing the emotion through his blood. Luckly for him, he found the girls were right where he had left them. Giggling together on Julie's couches.
" Oh hey, Van. Where's your girlfriend?" Britney asked with a smile.
" Can talk to you a minute?" Van snapped at Julie as he made his way towards her, ignoring Britney.
" Not right now." Julie said, barely looking up at him.
" Yes, now!" Van yelled. He leaned down and took a hold of her arm, intending to pull her up. " In private!" Julie yanked her arm away from him, raising up on her own.
" Don't touch me!" She snapped.
" Oh I see how it is!" Van yelled. " I can ' put my dick inside you' and now I can't touch your shoulder!" Britney started to laugh harder. Julie actually frowned at her friend.
" Shut up, Britney." She said before looking back at Van. " It's not my fault your girlfriend couldn't handle the truth, Van."
" You know what, you're a real piece of work! A real fucking bitch! Stay away from me and stay away from Avalon!" Van yelled.
His anger reached it's boiling point. He pushed and shoved people out of his way as he ran back through the house. He swept his arm across a kitchen counter, sending empty and full beers to the floor. He grabbed one of the guys in his way, only to shove him back again. He yelled at them to shut the fuck up. He hit the night air and started to run. He was done with them. Done with their parties, done with their stories, just done.
Avalon walked into her house, closed the door then leaned her back against it with her eyes shut. She slipped down to the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and lowered her head down. Why did this always happen to her? Why couldn't she just have real friends, a real boyfriend? Why did always turn out like this?
" Avalon?" At the sound of her dad's voice, Avalon raised her head up. She forced a smile and started to wipe at her cheeks. " What happen, Baby?" Her dad's voice soften as he started down the stairs towards her. She shook her head and pushed herself up. She didn't want Gideon to know she was upset, didn't want to hear him say, I told you so. Time and time again, Gideon proved that he was right about strangers and time and time again, Avalon tried to prove him wrong. The world just couldn't be as bad as he made it out to be, right?
" Nothing." She said.
Gideon sighed but nodded. The look on his face told her that he knew. He understood. He had been through this with her before, had dried her tears when the other kids had hurt her. He had rubbed her back when she didn't understand why they just couldn't accept her like she accepted them. He had promised to make things better for her, had promised that in the next town, things would be better for her. They were emtpy words and they both knew it. They both had known that when they did make it to the next town, Avalon would reach out and Gideon would try and pull her back. He would always remind her of the hurt she had experienced in the past.
" Come on, Sweetheart. Let's have some hot chocolate." He said, reaching his hand out to her. Avalon nodded and started to take his hand when she stopped.
" Dad, did you cut yourself? Is that blood on your hand?" She asked with a frown. Gideon looked down at the reddness that dotted his skin then back at her with a smile, lowing his hand down.
" No. I was painting. The mood hit and off I went. Come on. I'll wash up then make us some hot chocolate with the little marshmallows, like you like." He said. Avalon smiled and stood up. Together the father and daughter started up the stairs together.
" What are you painting?" She asked.
Van burst into his house and went straight to his room. He went over to the window and glared out and across the lake. Her room was dark so he grabbed his telescope and used it to search her house. The main living section of the house was lit up but Van couldn't see her or her dad. He swore and pulled back. He grabbed at the back of his tank top and thrust it over his head. He went to his bed and collapsed down on it, on his back. He blinked at his ceiling with a frown.
Fucking Julie. He wasn't using Avalon to make Julie jealous. He could care less if Julie was jealous or not. He didn't want her. Not any more. He wanted Avalon for her, not to make anyone jealous. He liked her. They had a lot in common and that floored him. He never really made much in common with Julie and at the time, it had never really bothered him. He liked to swim, she only wanted to lay out. He liked to have fun and mess around. She wanted to look and act perfect. She wanted to shop and hated his music.
Avalon, on the other hand, loved to swim. She had no problem jumping on the back of the bike with him and speeding off into the night. She was down for whatever was fun. She had jumped onto their rope swing and let Van swing her out onto the lake without bitching or complaining. She watched the band he liked and hadn't seem annoyed. She would run through the woods with him, Jason and Flip and laugh at their stories. She understood his feelings when it came to his mother. Yeah, Avalon was the type of girl he wanted and need.
" Van!" He groaned and covered his face with his hands. Not tonight. He just didn't want to deal with his dad tonight. " Van!"
" I'm coming!" Van yelled.
He pushed himself up and began to get ready for bed. He slipped off his shoes, took off his pants and grabbed his shorts. As he moved through his room, he stepped into one leg and then the other. He yanked them up his legs then hurried to his dad's room. Tomorrow he would go to Avalon and convince her that he wasn't using her. He wasn't sure how but he would.
* Now what happen to Avalon and the girls, is something I experienced myself when I was a new girl once. And it hurt and it sucked. So I'm getting a lot of questions about Gideon and yeah, lol, he is a call out to Gideon from Criminal Minds because he is my favorite character there. I love that you guys are getting that because most of you know that I will throw in characters from other shows or movies I like and with some readers, it has actually become a game between us. Although, the Gideon in this story only shares CM's Gideon's name*