Ava (A Hart Twins Novel Rx Book 1) Read online

  “Why did you ask me to watch this, then?” I demanded, all but tapping my foot with impatience. She opened her mouth to answer, but I held up a hand to silence her. “You asked me to come watch this dance for my opinion. I think it needs work. A lot of it. They only have one month—that’s four weeks, Kelsey—before they get on the stage. They don’t have to be perfect, but Ms. Keller would have flipped if she saw this performance. You know this already. You’re a great choreographer and dancer. So pull your shit together and get this group on track, especially before Keller sees it.”

  I started for the door, leaving her scoffing behind me, before glancing back to tell her, “Next time, if you don’t want my honest opinion, don’t ask me to come watch.”

  Her eyes bugging out of her head were the last things I saw before I left the room. I let out my sigh the moment I stepped outside and the bell rang. Taking only four classes my last semester would have been much easier on me, but I had to drive my sister home after school, so I thought it was best to fill my whole schedule.

  Two of my earlier courses were college level, so they weren’t a complete waste, and if I got into the college I really wanted, they would be worth it. Though, this day, I could have gone without my last two periods and even put serious thought into ditching them. Too bad I was a giant chicken who hurried my behind to class at the last minute. The only blessing was that it was Friday.

  By the end of the day, there was a crippling ache behind my right eye and my stomach was reminding me I hadn’t finished my lunch. When I got to my silver Subaru Outback, Rabia was leaning against the passenger door playing with her braid, but my sister was nowhere to be seen. Rabia gave me a sympathetic look. Mia had no right taking her sweet time getting out to the car, but she didn’t seem to care about anyone but herself lately.

  “If she isn’t here in five minutes, I’m leaving without her,” I announced, unlocking the car to get in.

  Rabia followed suit, saying, “Your day didn’t get any better,” as a fact rather than a question, but I still let out a groan of confirmation. “Cade didn’t even cheer you up?” She gave me a sheepish grin when my gaze shot to hers.

  Of course, she saw him follow me out after lunch. She knew I was head over freaking heels for him, but she never brought it up because I wasn’t going to pursue anything with him. He made it crystal clear the first time we dated how he hated my busy schedule. Now it was busier than ever before. Professing my undying love for him, then having him shoot me down, didn’t sound like a fun time.

  It wasn’t that he hadn’t cheered me up with his weird demand, but the rest of the day shoved the encounter to the back of my mind. “Um, actually he did.” My smile couldn't be helped, nor could the blood rushing over my cheeks. “He asked—wait, no—demanded I keep tomorrow night free.”

  “Demanded?”

  I nodded before leaning my aching head against the headrest, imagining his dreamy green eyes, the way his longer brown hair curled around his ears in a super sexy way. My lovesick sigh should have embarrassed me, but this was Rabia. “He didn’t say for what or if it was even to do something with him. He said I had to promise one free night with no dance stuff, no student council shit, and no homework. Those were his exact words. No joke.”

  “Well, good for him.” She nodded her approval, making my gaze jerk to hers again, a stray curl smacking me in the eye. “It’s about time someone made you take a day off. I’ve been tempted to do the same, but I’m glad he got to it first.”

  “What are you talking about?” I insisted, even though the answer was obvious.

  “You work so hard, Ava. There’s always something keeping you busy, and you never give yourself time to relax. We’re almost to the end of our senior year, and the rest of us are spending time together, wondering where our Ava is, because she should be enjoying herself too.”

  Rosy pink rushed over her dark cheeks. Any dregs of anger were shoved to the back of my mind. My best friend’s honesty was a beautiful thing. “We all love you, Ava, we just want you to lean on others so your load isn’t so heavy.” I groaned again, rubbing my hands over my face. A tentative smile was sent my way. “I’m just happy you’re taking a night off.”

  Before I could reply, something thudded against the back door, jostling the entire car. I spun around to be met by my twin sister’s backside pressed against the back window. Her boyfriend, Kenny, was attached to her face like a freaking leech, his hands groping her ass, which her jeans were practically painted onto. I laid on the horn. Rabia burst out laughing when they jerked apart. Kenny smacked my sister’s behind then flipped me off before walking away. The guy was a stupid, polo-wearing dickwad, whom I would have gladly ran over.

  She slid into the back seat and pulled out her phone, no doubt already texting her face-sucking boyfriend.

  “About flipping time, Mia,” I yelled.

  “You didn’t have to be so rude, Ava!” she snapped back, not even giving me the courtesy of making eye contact.

  “Next time, don’t make out against my car.” I smiled sweetly, batting my eyelashes while Rabia snickered. Mumbling, “You really can pick ’em, you know that?” I started the car.

  “Oh, like you know anything about men?” she retorted, combing her fingers through her long, fake-blonde locks.

  “You consider that a man?” I demanded with a snort, and Rabia continued to shake with laughter.

  Mia glared at me through the rearview mirror. “At least I have a life and am enjoying it. Maybe if you opened your legs once in a while, it would help you loosen up a bit.”

  I wanted to snap at her, to tell her to shut the eff up, but she had hit a soft spot. Not only did everyone think I didn’t have a life, but she was dead-on about the other part. My dating life had been nil since the few dates with Cade. There simply hadn’t been any time for me to see anyone since then.

  My “V” card was still intact, but Mia had made up for it. Even though we were in the same class, we travelled in very different circles, our paths rarely crossing, but I did know she had already made her way through most of the guys in our class. Graduation was so close, and she was getting with every guy she could and hadn’t even chosen a college yet. I didn’t know what her deal was, but she was spiraling out of control, adding even more weight to my plate.

  She snorted, snapping me from my train of thought, as if my silence confirmed her point.

  Rabia went into defensive mode. “That was uncalled for, Mia!”

  “Don’t bother, Rabia.” I shook my head, concentrating on driving down the still-wet road.

  I pulled up to Rabia’s two-story, gray house that sat on a hill. The lawn was manicured with green trees scattered throughout. Her parents could afford the beautiful home because her mom was a gynecologist and her dad owned a more-than-successful local bookstore. The great jobs and enormous house were a necessity when supporting a family of seven. Rabia was in the middle, with a brother and sister already moved out and a younger brother and sister at home.

  “I’ll see you Monday,” I told her.

  “Let me know how tomorrow goes.” She smiled before getting out of the car.

  Mia took Rabia’s place in the front seat, but there was a palpable tension between us the whole way home. The friendship and closeness we used to have made moments like this sting even more. Being twins, we were attached at the hip up until high school. Whatever had changed between us, she was still my sister.

  “You know you can talk to me, Mia,” I said in the gentlest tone I could muster. She only scoffed in response, and it took everything I had to hold in my frustration. “I’m serious. I may be busy, but I am always here for you. You know that.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about, Ava.” She kept her eyes trained out the window. “I’m great—never been better. I just feel bad you seem to think you don’t need a social life. We’re graduating in less than three months, and you’ve basically never had a boyfriend. It’s pretty pathetic, if you ask me.”

  “Well
, I didn’t ask,” I snapped, my temper getting the best of me. “I don’t care about your opinion. I have great friends, and I’m doing things I love. You don’t have to be such a bitch when someone reaches out to you, but if you say you’re great, then I won’t bother you anymore.”

  “Great,” she huffed.

  I parked in front of our blue, two-story house in our neighborhood in the upper end of town where all houses appeared to sit on top of each other. We got out of the car, slamming our doors, before stomping up the brick steps to the front entrance.

  I followed Mia inside, ignoring her attempt to shut the door before I could get in. Her attitude had my head pounding and my shoulders about touching my ears, but being inside our warm house soothed my soul. The scents of vanilla and spicy cinnamon hung in the air. Mom had the walls plastered with pictures of us kids, family portraits, and artsy photos she took herself.

  Metal and glass clanked together in the kitchen, the signs of Mom being home. We dropped our stuff on the entryway table before moving down the hallway into the kitchen. She bustled around in cute denim capris and a soft, button-up blouse. Mia and I inherited her long dancer’s legs, dark-brown hair, and pale skin, but where I had Mom’s calm, gray eyes, Mia had Dad’s electric blue ones. She hummed a tune to herself while getting pots from the cabinets before finally noticing us.

  “Hey, girls.” She smiled, her eyes crinkling as she came around the island to give us both hugs and smacking kisses on our cheeks. “I didn’t hear you come in. Did you both have a good day?”

  “Mine was good,” Mia supplied. “But I have a lot of homework to do, so I’m gonna go up to my room.”

  “Okay.” Mom nodded, her smile only faltering slightly. “Dinner will be ready in two hours. You better change your pants before Dad gets home or he might burn them.”

  Mia waved her off while she took the stairs three at a time. Mom watched her go with pursed lips. “Or I might burn them myself,” she muttered under her breath after Mia disappeared into her room. I chuckled and went to get a bottle of water from the fridge, but she stopped me with a hand on each of my shoulders, turning me to face her. “You look like you had a rough day, honey.”

  “It wasn’t the best day.” I shrugged, holding back my grimace. “Just some prom stuff I have to work out.”

  While she went about making a fresh pot of tea, I sat at the island to tell her about my conversation with Betsy. There were no interruptions, except for her laughter when I explained what I told Betsy. “You are so much like your dad.” She shook her head with a chuckle while pouring the hot water over tea bags. “He sure did teach you to argue well.”

  “Well, it wasn’t so much arguing,” I pointed out when she handed me my mug after stirring in some honey. The sweet scents of mint and nectar overwhelmed my senses before I took a sip. The warm liquid relaxed my muscles, clearing my mind. She gave me a satisfied smile before I went on. “I just couldn’t believe they would do business that way. She thought she could get away with it because she was under the impression she was dealing with some nitwitted teenager.”

  Considering me over her own mug of tea, Mom pressed her lips together before saying, “Then you showed her. It’s probably for the best you have to change locations. You need a place that cares about the prom you’re trying to organize.”

  “That’s exactly what I said! The funny thing is, I didn’t even want to do it at the stupid Hilton in the first place.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I wanted to do something at one of the old western museums and make it a western theme. I presented the idea at the beginning of the year, but I was outvoted for the Mardi Gras theme at a lame hotel.” I shrugged, as if it was no big deal and took another drink.

  Moving around the kitchen again, she got a few things from the fridge. “Then here’s your chance to make your idea a reality.” She gave me a pointed look over her shoulder while filling a pot with water.

  “It isn’t that easy. We’ll have to put it to another vote, and the council will want me to find another hotel rather than changing the entire theme. I’m just going to find the new hotel right away, so I don’t have to deal with the politics of it.”

  “Ava.” With raised eyebrows, she tilted her head. “I have never known you to take ‘no’ for an answer. Why would you be okay with it now?” To avoid her piercing gaze, I gulped my tea, letting it scald my throat. “You need to present your idea again, maybe even make arrangements with a museum, so they can see the beauty in your idea.”

  “You’re right.” I hopped off my chair, walking around the counter to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to check out a few museums, talk to some people, see what I can work out.”

  “That’s my girl.” She patted my cheek. “But before you go, I have something for you.”

  After sauntering around the island, she grabbed a big, white envelope off the counter by the fridge I hadn’t noticed. My heart pounded in my chest. University of Portland and Northern Arizona University had already sent me similar envelopes, but there was one I was still anxiously awaiting, since I had waited until the last minute to apply to them. She held it out to me, beaming from ear to ear.

  “It’s from Tennessee,” she sounded about as giddy as I felt.

  “Did you open it?” I eyed the envelope, hesitant to inspect the contents.

  “No,” she told me, but she appeared to be on the precipice of bursting from the angst of waiting. “But you have to know what this is. If they weren’t going to accept you, it would only be a small letter.”

  The envelope was daunting. My hands shook as I reached for it. After ripping it open, I scanned the letter, but it was impossible to ignore the bold “Congratulations!” in the header. Both weeping and doing a happy dance seemed like viable reactions. Mom bounced next to me with a huge smile making her eyes crinkle.

  “I knew it! I knew it!” She threw her arms around my neck, crushing me in her enthusiasm.

  My gaze remained on the acceptance letter while I patted her arm. The reason I had applied to Vanderbilt was mostly to see if I could get in, but I hadn’t thought it was possible. I wanted to get excited, really, but the gusto just wasn’t there.

  Her mom vibes kicking in, she pulled back to study me. “Why aren’t you ecstatic?”

  “Mom, I can’t go there.”

  Hands fisted on her hips, she demanded, “And why is that? You were accepted. There’s no reason you can’t go.”

  “It is way too expensive. It’s far away, so far away from you all.” The package was held at arm’s length as if it were a bomb about to go off. “And I already got accepted to U of P, who has a great engineering program—there’s no reason to go somewhere so far away.”

  “I don’t want to hear about it being expensive.” The look no one would dare argue with had me cringing. “We’ll figure something out, and there are tons of scholarships out there. About the distance, of course we would miss you, but it’s not like you would be going away forever. Your brother is on the other side of the world, and we’re still close to him. If this is what you want, if this is the best option, you are going to do it.”

  “Okay.” My shoulders sagged after a long pause, a smile crept over my lips. This was terrifying, but exhilarating, and I couldn’t stop myself from bouncing a little with Mom. She gave me a tight hug, then kissed my forehead.

  Her eyes glistened with tears as she told me, “I’m so proud of you. Okay, you need to get going. Be back in time for dinner. We’ll have a little celebration tonight. Your dad is going to be ridiculously happy.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I’ll be back for dinner,” I told her, then gave her one more hug before rushing for the door.

  Chapter Three

  Cade

  The bell rang five minutes after I got to the parking lot. Mr. Costner was nice enough to let me out of economics early on the days I had to work, so I could beat the crowd out. It always surprised me how sympathetic people were around here because it was on
ly my mom and me. In Seattle, everyone in our neighborhood and at school treated me like trash because I didn’t have a dad around, even though said dad was a douche.

  The bell was still ringing when I reached my black BMW, so I rushed to get it started and get out of my parking spot before teens crowded it. It would have made my day to stick around and see Ava again, but I had to grab some things for my mom before heading to work.

  When I pulled from the lot, I spotted her walking to her car with a grumpy look in place. Glancing at her car, I noticed only Rabia standing against it, which told me she was pissed her sister wasn’t already there and waiting. The way her face scrunched up and her lips pursed when she was in a bad mood had me chuckling. As I peeled out of the parking lot onto the slightly damp road, I turned the Arctic Monkeys up to an earsplitting volume.

  Throwing her off the way I had was the highlight of my day. It had been almost two years of trying to find someone else who would be as fun, as sexy, as awesome as she was, but there was no other for me. I thought it had been smart when I told her nothing would work out between us because she was always so freaking busy, though it had turned out to be a huge mistake. All it did was force us to become great friends, in turn making me come to terms with how badly I wanted her.

  We were closing in on the end of high school. If I didn’t do something to reconcile my mistake, I would regret it for the rest of my life. It was common knowledge she hadn’t dated anyone else since we went out those few times, but there could be someone I didn’t know about, or she could be mad at me for blowing her off the first time. It wasn’t as if I had been a saint since then, which could be another thing to keep her from wanting to be with me. Whatever the case, I had to try.

  When I was done grabbing what my mom needed from the store, I sped home. The sight of my mom’s car in the driveway when I pulled up to our yellow, cottage-like house was worrying since she was usually never home at this time.