CHAPTER 21

TW: douche behavior, slight mention of forcefully grabbing Avery, wandering hands

Back at the dance…

With dinner out of the way, the group made their way to the dance floor once more. The DJ was playing a steady stream of upbeat songs to keep everyone in a dancing mood. Beth seemed to have forgotten her earlier mood and went back to having fun. But wherever she went, Josh followed closely behind her. And yet again, when her back was turned, his hands were "bumping into" Avery's waist. He tried to make it look like an accident so as not to draw suspicion. Avery on the other hand tried her best to keep a level head and move out of the way whenever this happened.

Beth had suddenly mentioned her need to use the restroom and darted off before either could say something. Josh had taken this opportunity to sidle up to Avery. He put his hands around her waist and pulled her close. Avery's instinct was to push away and break his hold. But she couldn't get far enough away from him because the dance floor was crowded and she kept getting bumped back into his person. He knew he had her trapped. He starts saying how she was so much more intriguing than Beth.

"You really do look beautiful in that dress." His hands began to wander her body. Starting at her shoulders, then moving down her arms, to her waist. Just out of the corner of his eye, he saw Beth returning. He had a devious look in his eyes and pulled Avery close. Others would see that he was hugging her, but he knew Beth would see something else.

"Josh, stop it, let me go!" Avery said just loud enough for him to hear but she was frozen. She couldn't move, all she could do was weakly put her hands on his chest in an attempt to block him. She was still trying to maintain some sort of calm, not wanting to draw any more attention to herself tonight.

What's wrong with me! Why can't I move?

And at last, saved by an angel, she spotted Beth coming back from the bathroom. She felt relieved as she was finally able to break free of Josh's hold. But her angel was anything but.

Beth had just finished in the restroom, reapplied her makeup, and was making her way back to the dance floor. Her eyes traveled through the crowd to find her boyfriend and roommate. She spotted them but stopped short at what she saw. Avery was letting her boyfriend's hands wander over her. She watched as they appeared to be getting closer.

The nerve of that little bi-

Immediately her eyes and impaired sense of judgment flaired with anger. She marched right up to the wannabe couple.

"What are you doing with my boyfriend?! I leave for a minute and you're already on him? Seriously you criticize me for having too much fun but then I find that you're clinging on to him?" She unleashes her inner beast. She forcefully separates the two of them. Standing in front of Josh, hands on her hips, glaring at Avery.

"No Beth! You have it all wrong! He's the one making advances towards me! I was trying to get away from him!"

"God that's such a pathetic excuse even for you! I tried to get away from him but yet my hands are all over him!" Her voice had picked up a high pitched tone when she attempted to mock Avery.

Their loud voices were drawing a large crowd. Avery glanced around and saw that conversations and dancing had stopped to listen to them. Who could she blame, this was free entertainment to the masses.

"Beth please, let's go somewhere quiet. We're causing a scene. Let's just go talk outside." Her voice was pleading.

"No, I don't care! How dare you try to shush me! You're the one who's trying to steal my boyfriend!"

"Beth, babe, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you. I was just letting her down easy. She actually came onto me. I was the one trying to push her away."

He was trying to drive a wedge between the girls. It was working.

"Beth, please listen," Avery pleaded. "I am not trying to steal him, he's trying to steal me! He's the one who put his hands over my body, he's the one who-"

"STOP! I don't care about your excuses Avery! From what it looks like, it looks like you're stealing my boyfriend! What, you pretended to hate him and waited for your chance to jump on him? I can't believe I trusted you not to make a move on him! Clearly you just want me out of the picture. I don't want you in the picture either! Get out of my face Avery, I don't think I want to see your face again tonight or the next few days. And-and I don't think you should come home with me over the winter break. I can't stand to be around you right now. Let's go dance babe…away from her." And with that tension left hanging in the air, she grabbed Josh's hand and led him out onto the dance floor.

Avery stood there stunned. Here she was, the center of attention but not in a good way. She felt embarrassed as she looked around the room, and mortified when she realized some students were filming it. This was not how she had pictured the night to go. In more ways than one, she felt like she had lost her best friend again. But she didn't picture this having a happy ending anytime soon. Now she was practically banished from her best friend's house, her own personal refuge. She shuddered to think of having to spend it with her aunt.

Still reeling from losing her best friend, Avery ran to the table grabbing her small purse and jacket and ran out the main door. Immediately she was met with the frigid night air. It seemed to snap her out of her stupor. Her mind was still trying to process what had just happened. There was no way she was getting back in that limo with everyone after the dance ended. Beth's temper and Josh's presence were too much to bear. She tried to take steady breaths and figure out her next move.

Avery got her phone out to call the only person up at this hour and hoped he would pick up. Of course she got his voicemail instead.

"Hey Larry, it's Avery, I'm at my school's semi-formal and things have… gotten out of hand. I…I know it's a lot to ask of you right now but would you mind picking me up?" She tried speaking clearly but her voice cracked in some places as tears sprang to her eyes.

"I'm gonna text you the address. I hope you get this." Just as soon as she ended the call, she sent off a quick text to Larry and hoped he was able to see it. Things seemed to get worse as she realized that her phone was dangerously low and she hadn't brought her charger.

Perfect, of course this is how my night goes!

There was nothing else she could do but wait in the cold. She pulled her coat a little tighter around her body. She could have just gone back into the venue and waited in the lobby but she felt like she didn't deserve that comfort.

This is all my fault. God I never should have come here. How did it go from bad to worse?

And with that, her tears finally fell. She curled into herself and sobbed.

AN: I love causing drama for my characters