Page 12 of Lucky Hit

"Yeah, yeah, shut up. Just give me the damn number."

"Just don't make me regret this, dude." He pulls out his phone and I copy Ava's number into my own quickly.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough girl talk. Start running," I tell him and reach over to turn the speed on his treadmill up.

???

When we make our way back into the beating sunlight, a familiar white Jeep waiting in the gym parking lot catches my eye.

"Couldn't even drive yourself here this morning, buddy?" I tease, my eyebrows raised as I watch Matt hold back his grin.

"If I did, then I wouldn't have been able to make this work," he smirks, pointing to the brown-haired girl being dragged around the front of the Jeep by a very forceful Morgan.

"Was this your idea or hers?" I turn to raise an eyebrow questioningly at him. He shrugs in response, but the smirk on his lips gives me the answer I want. He definitely did this. For someone who warned me not to date Ava, he sure is keen on getting us to spend time together.

I watch as Ava says something to Morgan. It's easy to tell that she wasn't expecting to be dragged here as she tries to plant her feet to the cement in hopes of halting her involuntary movements.

Matt is the first to speak up when they come into earshot. "About time, baby. I was worried you got lost or something."

My attention hasn't moved away from Ava as she finally brings her eyes to mine, a shy smile on her face. I offer a nervous grin of my own and shove my hands in my hoodie pocket. I'm not used to being nervous around girls, clearly. It’s nearly embarrassing.

"We would have been here sooner if it wasn't for Ms. ‘I 'm-not-leaving-the-house' over here,’" Morgan huffs and drops Ava's arm. She walks past me and over to Matt, his arm wrapping around her shoulder instantly. How can two people possibly be so comfortable together? It blows my mind every time I see them together.

"Always a pleasure, Morgan," I tell her, my voice dripping in sarcasm. "It's good to see you again, Ava," I add, my grin returning. My heart contracts when her eyes light up and she smiles reluctantly.

"You too, Jeff."

What? Who the hell is Jeff?

Matt sputters a laugh, not being able to hide his amusement as she tears down every inch of my confidence with three simple words. I'm sure my face is priceless as I continue to stare at her now, open-mouthed and confused.

"Relax, Oakley. I'm just playing," she smirks, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

The two onlookers laugh loudly at Ava's attempt to rile me, and I can't help but be impressed with her. Not to mention weirdly attracted to her surprisingly cheeky attitude.

I immediately return her mischievous smirk and shrug. "Ha-ha, very funny. You can't tell me that I look like a Jeff, can you? Jeff sounds like a football player's name. Not a hockey player's name."

"Maybe I'm into football players," she shoots back, her head tilted slightly.

My ego gets the best of me as I take a bold step towards her. "You ready to prove it, beautiful?"

Morgan detaches herself from Matt and responds before Ava can even open her mouth. "Okay, Casanova. Save it for after the game tomorrow."

"You guys are coming to the after-party then?" I ask, hopeful.

"Clearly," Morgan scoffs.

"I don't really have a choice in the matter," Ava murmurs, her eyes darting anxiously between Morgan and me.

"Say goodbye to your boyfriend, Matt. We'll be waiting in the car." With a suspicious glance in my direction, Morgan takes Ava's hand and leads her over to the waiting car.

I nod my head at Ava when she looks over her shoulder at me and Matt. She gives me one more small smile and jumps into the car with Morgan.

Matt, grinning over at me like a complete fool, pats my shoulder. "You think you can handle waiting until tomorrow, buddy?"

Chuckling, I shake my head and clap a hand on his shoulder. "I'll see you, man. Thanks for that. I guess I didn't need you to give me her number after all."

"You got that right. See ya, dude."

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