Page 54 of Heartache Duet

Rhys says, “Hey, the team’s going to the diner to celebrate. You’re coming, right?” at the same time a message comes through from Ava.

Ava: Mom’s already asleep. I can probably come outside for a little bit if you want to tell me all about it…

I look up at Rhys, the way his eyes shift from my phone to me. He sighs. “Do your thing, Ledger. But at some point, you’re going to have to act like you’re a part of the team, too. It’s a two-way street, and I can only hold the guys off for so long.”

I slam my locker shut, thank Rhys, and text Ava on my way out.

Connor: I’m leaving now.

* * *

Ava rushes down her porch steps, her arms outstretched as she pounces on me. I catch her just in time, falling back a step while she laughs quietly in my ear. “Superstar!” she whispers. There’s something to be said about being able to literally sweep a girl off her feet. I spin her around, refusing to let her go. She doesn’t seem to want that, either, because even when her feet are planted on the ground, she’s still holding on, her arms around my neck. On her toes, she looks up at me, her eyes lit up by the streetlamp. “Tell me everything,” she says, her smile contagious. “From the second you walked out until the final buzzer. And don’t skimp on the details. I want a play-by-play so I can feel like I was there.”

I laugh at her rambling, then say, “It was… was…” I pause, trying to remember the way I felt less than an hour ago, but the details are blurred, the moments insignificant. Because this… being with her and seeing her like this, seeing the pride in her eyes, the excitement in her voice—it outweighs everything else. And knowing that all of her, right now, is all for me... I pull her closer. “It was just a game, Ava.” And as the words slip from my lips, I feel the heaviness of their truth dig deeper inside me.

“It wasn’t just a game. It’s, like, you’re coming out, you know? Your world’s about to change, Connor. I hope you’re ready for it.” She pulls away from me, releasing me completely. Then she smiles, but it’s not the same smile she greeted me with. “Don’t forget the little people who got you here,” she says, only half in jest. “And by that, I mean me. Promise you won’t forget me?”

With a heavy sigh, I take a step forward, ridding us of the space she so strongly believes she needs. “It’s kind of hard for me to forget the one person I can’t stop thinking about.”

Her eyes lock on mine, her lips parted, and I wonder if she can hear the magic beating wildly inside me. She sucks in a breath, then seems to refocus. A smile plays on her lips as she looks down at her phone and mumbles, “I wonder if they have any game video yet.”

She’s tapping away at her phone, and I’m tapping away at my mind, my bravado. “Ava?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

And it’s killing me.

* * *

Connor: You asked me yesterday if it would be enough; meeting you and getting to know you, and I cracked a stupid joke when I should have told you the truth. And the truth is this: yes. In the simplest of terms and the most complicated of circumstances, yes. You are enough. I wake up every single morning looking forward to the couple of hours I get to spend with you, to the few minutes I get to see you smile and hear your voice and feel you next to me. Even on the days when our time is limited, just knowing you’re there and you exist is worth it. And even if I have to spend the rest of my life wondering what it would be like to kiss you just once… these moments with you… they’re worth everything. YOU are worth everything.

TWENTY-FIVE

connor

The entire school is abuzz, hallways are filled with orange and black streamers, and everywhere I go, I get swarmed. Pats on the back from the boys, flirtatious compliments from the girls. Even the teachers are pulling me aside to talk about the game. Or more specifically, my performance. Coach has already had me in his office, along with the school paper’s sports reporter. The headline for the next issue: “Ledger: The Powerhouse Import.” Even the principal wants to meet so we can set up a media schedule for all the local papers wanting to do a story on me. And then there’s the team. It’s as if I had to prove beyond all our practices that I was actually good enough to garner their respect. Which I get, but at the same time, fuck you.

“You have to eat lunch in the cafeteria today,” Rhys says, catching me in between classes.

“What? No. I have lunch with—”

“Ava, I know. But it’s kind of a tradition the day after a game. Win, lose or draw we have to show that we’re a team. Coach’s orders.”

“But—”

“It’s five minutes, Connor; it’s not going to kill you. Besides, the cheerleaders do a thing for new players.”

“What thing?”

He shrugs. “I’ll catch you at lunch, okay? Don’t be late!”

* * *

I don’t think I’ve ever cringed as hard as I am right now, watching the cheerleaders chant my name only a few feet in front of me. Next to me, Mitch keeps backhanding my shoulder, his eyebrows raised, like “How good is this?” And maybe to other guys this is a wet dream come true, but to me… I just want to be with Ava. And Rhys—fuck Rhys—because the five minutes he said it would take has turned into twenty, and I need to go. As soon as the cheerleaders have finished their routine, I thank them and start to leave. Rhys pulls me down by my arm. “Stay.”

“Did you like it?” Karen asks, shooing Mitch out of his seat so she can sit next to me.

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