5.
Mark didn't stay until Sunday. In fact, Avery wasn't even sure if he has spent the entire Friday night with her. By the time she rolled out of bed at noon on Saturday, he was gone.
The night had been...interesting. She took a shower in her bathroom while he'd used the guest bathroom in the hall. Avery found an old robe that belonged to her dad for Mark to wear while she tossed their closed into the laundry. And then they'd shared her bed. He was uncomfortable at first, maybe because of her father. But once he relaxed, they spent a few hours just talking. About random things. Keeping both of their minds off of everything from the day before.
Eventually Avery had snuggled up against him and had fallen asleep, listening to the slow thump of his heart against her ear. And then she woke up alone. He had left the robe but his clothes were gone. And he hadn't bothered to wake her or leave a note or...
Avery made herself stop before the tears she felt building behind her eyes could even begin to fall. It wasn't like he had promised her anything. And it wasn't like she had forced him into an exclusive relationship. She blamed herself for what had happened. He'd given her plenty of chances to say no, but had she listened? Nope. She'd let him take her virginity in the front seat of his car, mindless of how it would feel so empty the next day.
Empty and sore as hell. Everything below the waist was hurting. So Avery took a hot shower and spent a few minutes stretching until most of the ache was gone. Every time she heard a car outside, she looked for him. The phone rang twice but it wasn't him. She should call him but she didn't want to risk talking to Rob. Knowing how Mark felt about him still sent a shiver down her back.
So she waited and worried. And waited more. All of her excitement from the day before had faded. By the time night started to fall, Avery had to admit it to herself. He wasn't going to come back. Wasn't even going to call her to explain what was going on.
She curled up on her bed, hugging her extra pillow to her, still feeling him around her. Inside her. It was starting to feel dreamlike. Maybe eventually she could convince herself. And yes, she did cry a little. Because what she felt for him and moved beyond a simple crush into dangerous territory. Dangerous and uncharted territory for her.
She knew she had to snap out of it. Her parents would be back the next day and her mother would take one look at her and see exactly what had happened. Which gave Avery something brand new to worry about. She slept fitfully through the night, and when she finally rose Sunday morning she was exhausted. And a bit angry. She grabbed her key and the money her father had left and headed out, walking toward the diner in town, She was going to treat herself to breakfast. And yes, she would be walking right past Mark's house.
And Avery was disappointed again. His car was not there. The house was tiny compared to her own. She had no clue how three people had fit into it. It didn't look like anyone was currently at home. She sighed and kept walking.
She ordered bacon, eggs, toast and juice. And didn't taste any of it. She made herself eat it all because she couldn't remember eating the day before. And her anger had built up. She could check around the usual hangouts, besides the diner there was the arcade, the small shopping center across town, the big lake. But how desperate did she really want to look? Chasing after him like a puppy? Like she needed to add that to her already stellar reputation as queen squeaky clean.
So she walked home. Once again passing Mark's house. This time a truck was in the driveway. His stepfather was home. He was actually sitting on the porch, beer in his hand even though it was barely 9 in the morning. He stared at her the entire time it took to walk past the house, not acknowledging her. Avery was aware that he knew she tutored Mark, and that he thought it was a waste of time and Mark's money.
She resolutely kept her head down and walked on, until she reached her own house. She had a few hours before her parents would be back. So she put on her workout gear and headed to the basement. Her dad had a home gym in one corner. The rest was open space where she'd hung mirrors. Her own private dance room. Her mother only came down to do laundry, and never failed to role her eyes a the makeshift practice studio.
Avery didn't care. She had moved her stereo down here months ago. She hunted through her collection of music until she found the right song that suited her mood. She went through her usual warm-up routine of stretching, feeling the last of the kinks fade away. So lost in the process, she didn't hear footsteps on the stairs behind her.
"Avery!" Her brother's voice was raised in a shout over the music. Avery jumped and whirled around, putting her hand to her chest.
"Oh my god, you maniac. You scared me." She was breathing heavily and leaned over, bracing her hands on her legs to try to catch her breath.
"I've been yellin' forever." Joe grinned impishly. Her kid brother had just turned 12. Unlike Avery, Joe leaned more toward the athletic side of things. And no matter what their mother thought, he did have natural talent. Especially when it came to baseball. The kid was obsessed. He ran to the stereo and turned the volume low. "Mom wants you to turn the racket off." He smirked when he said it. They both knew the basement was the most soundproof room in the house. More evidence of Mom being Mom. "And she went shopping with Aunt Janelle and they bought you a dress for graduation." The smirk widened into a grin at the noise that Avery made.
"Great." A single word could not hold more sarcasm. Knowing her mother, it would be something pink and frilly and hideous and more suited to a 5 year old. "I'll be up in a few. Got to cool down."
"Yeah, yeah." Joe headed for the stairs. Avery watched him go and glanced at the clock. She had been in the basement for nearly four hours. She was hot, tired, sweaty. But she felt good for the first time in days. She grabbed the small towel she'd brought downstairs with her and clicked the stereo off. Mentally bracing herself, she wiped the sweat from her face and headed up the stairs.
The kitchen table was covered with bags. Avery shared a look with her dad as she eyed the bags from various clothing outlets. "So you guys were busy." Avery observed as she went to the sink for a glass of water.
"The credit cards were." Her dad quipped. But softly, so her mother wouldn't hear. Suzanne brought in more money than Ted, and spent it as she saw fit. Ted was more conservative with money, trying to save. It was, oddly enough, their only real point of contention in an otherwise happy marriage.
"Some of it is for you, Avery." Suzanne swept into the room. She eyed Avery's workout gear with a slight frown of distaste. "Although I do wish you would clean up before you traipse through the house after a workout."
"Then maybe install a sink in the basement and I'd never have to come upstairs. Like a troll, living under a bridge." Avery deadpanned. The corner of Suzanne's lip twitched. She had almost smiled. Sometimes Avery could catch her and surprise her into a smile or even a laugh. Her mother was a snob, and she could cut her children down to size with a word or two, but somewhere inside was a flawed human just like everyone else. A person had to know her to see through the cracks in her armor.
"Did you enjoy your weekend alone? I suppose it was almost a preview of what college life will be like unless you get accepted somewhere nearby and live at home." Suzanne went to the table and began sorting things, unpacking bags.
Avery snorted. If that was a preview of college life...
"It was fine. Quiet. I slept way too much."
"That's fine. Finals all done, right?"
Avery glanced at her Dad. Her mother had taken that in stride. No odd backtalk? No underhanded compliment for not burning the house down?
"Finished the last one yesterday."
"Good. Here." Suzanne held out two bags. Avery took them gingerly. "Clean up and try on the dress please. I need to see the fit so I have time to make adjustments."
Avery again looked to her dad. Ted shrugged one shoulder. He didn't know why Suzanne was being so nice, either. "Sure. Give me a few minutes." She took the bags and headed for the stairs, thinking maybe her mother had been hit on the head during the trip. She took a quite shower and wrapped a towel around her, then hunted through the bags. The dress was surprisingly not pink or frilly. She held is up and raised an eyebrow. It was black, with a single shoulder strap. Form fitting. She eyed it distrustfully. It was not the sort of dress her mother would pick for her. Avery pulled it on and looked at her reflection. Of course with her wet hair, it looked odd but the dress was nice, made of some soft stretchy material that hugged her and made it look like she had more curves.
There was a knock on her door and Suzanne poked her head in. She looked over Avery's dress and a slight smile curled the corners of her mouth. "I had to guess at the size but it's just about perfect. Just need the right shoes..." She was pretty much talking to herself.
"This isn't really a 'Mom picked' dress." Avery pointed out. She slicked her wet hair back from her face and eyed the mirror again.
"Well, it is more suited to someone a little older. But your graduating early." Suzanne sighed and closed the bedroom door behind her, then stood in front of Avery and fiddled with the dress strap. "I may not show it, but I am proud of you. Graduation is the first big step toward womanhood."
Avery raised an eyebrow. She was pretty sure she'd already gotten that step out of the way the other night. But she refrained from pointing it out. And her mother was actually being nice.
"We heard about the Williams family. Horrible." Suzanne had moved on to Avery's wet hair and was finger combing it into waves. "Have you heard from your...friend?" The pause, although short, was there and easily picked up. Avery shook her head.
"Not since last week." It wasn't a lie. The new week started on Sunday after all.
"Mother passed away. Horrible." Suzanne repeated. Avery raised her eyebrow again. Was that what the sudden foray into being nice was about? She was feeling her mortality because someone her own age had died suddenly? "Pass on our condolences when you see him at school." Avery could only nod. It might have been the nicest that Suzanne had ever been regarding her sort of friendship with Mark. "And hang the dress. It will look beautiful with the red gown."
"Sure." Avery watched her mother leave the room, that puzzled frown not quite leaving her face. Weird. The whole weekend had been weird. But her mother had given her an idea.
Tomorrow was Monday and they still technically had a week of school left. Mark was bound to be there. Or not. She shook her head thoughtfully. School would be the last place she would want to be if someone in her family died. She still felt hurt by his leaving without a word; everything still felt so unfinished.
With a sigh she slipped the dress off her body and hung it carefully in her closet. The other clothes were more her usual style – jeans, t-shirts, a couple of new skirts. Yes, her mother did show her love in roundabout ways, but Avery never doubted that the love was there. She just wasn't the affectionate type. She shook her head and got dressed, trying to put the entire weekend out of her mind. It was too confusing, the feelings that she had for Mark, and the feeling she had about his leaving.
