Bent not Broken (100 page)

“You take care of my girl.” Ava smiles and winks at him. He nods his head, trying not to get emotional like me. Wiping the tears from my face with the back of my hand, I try to compose myself.

“And you take care of my big brother,” she says, walking over and placing herself in front of me.

“I will,” I whisper.

“I’m so glad you have each other,” she says quietly, looking down at her feet. “And I’ll see you in a couple of weeks, right?”

Nodding my head, the tears continue to fall. My chin begins to quiver as my throat tightens up. She pulls me out of Gabe’s arms and into a hug; we just hold each other for a minute. Selfishly, I don’t want to let my best friend go.

“I love you, Ava.”

“Love you too,” she whispers.

“Get your ass in your car. Mom and Dad are watching us like we’re a bunch of lunatics,” I choke out, wiping more tears. Ava turns and walks to her car and Gabe pulls me back to him, wrapping his arms around me as I bury my head in his chest.

“Bye, Ava,” Gabe says in a quiet whisper.

Peeking at her, I see her throw her oversized sunglasses on, flashing us her biggest smile as she backs out of the driveway. Waving goodbye to each other, I blow Ava a kiss, while Gabe smiles at me and wipes my tears as I reach out to hug him again.

“What am I going to do with you?” he says, laughing at me.

“God, I’m going to miss her.”

“Me too.” He tightens his hug. “How about we stay in, order Chinese take-out, and watch
The Goonies.
”

I can’t help but laugh. “
The Goonies
, huh?”

“It’s my favorite.”

“It’s a date,” I say before I kiss him.

Chapter 12

Gabe

“Slow down,” I order her.

“We’re only thirty miles out,” she squeals, speeding up even more.

“You’re not going to be happy when you have a two-hundred-dollar speeding ticket.” Scoffing at me, she smiles and lets off the gas just slightly.

“I can’t wait to see her. So, you’re sure she thinks we’re coming next weekend?” she asks, tapping her hands on the steering wheel to the beat of a Train song on the radio. We decided to surprise Ava by coming up a weekend early. I dial Ava’s number from Jess’ cell, putting it on speakerphone.

“I’m a terrible liar,” she whispers as the phone is ringing.

“Hey, Jess!” Ava answers.

“Hey, you. How’s it going?”

“Good. Just headed back to the dorms after my last class. Remind me never to take a three o’clock class on Friday afternoons ever again.”

“Big plans for the weekend?” Jess inquires.

“No; just studying. Adrian was going to try to come up this weekend, but he had to cancel. Something about his aunt being sick.”

“That sucks. We can’t wait to see you next weekend.” Jess smiles, looking over at me. We pass a sign that says “
Palo Alto ten miles
.”

Jess talks to Ava for the next fifteen minutes as we weave ourselves through the sprawling campus toward Ava’s dorm. Finding a visitor spot, Jess kills the engine, gasping as she points toward a bench that sits just outside the large double doors of Ava’s dorm. Sitting on the bench, on her phone, is Ava. Hurrying out of the car, we head toward Ava, who is paying no attention to the hosts of people coming and going around her.

“Look up,” I hear Jess tell Ava.

“Oh. My. God,” Ava screams, jumping from the bench and wrapping herself around Jess. Both girls are jumping and screaming, and I’m slightly embarrassed at the outburst that’s happening right in front of me. Bending down, I pick up Ava’s phone that she’s dropped.

“I can’t believe you guys are here.”

“We decided to surprise you. Did it work?”

“Is the Pope Catholic? Of course it worked.”

As I watch these two talk, it feels like time has stood still. They fall back into old patterns of completing each other’s sentences, gossiping, and joking around with each other, all within minutes of seeing each other.

“You look good,” Jess says, reaching out to touch Ava’s hair. “The light brown makes your eyes stand out.”

“That’s what my stylist said. It’s different, but I like it.” She shrugs and runs her fingers through her hair. “Want to see my room?” Jess looks over to me as if she is looking for my approval.

“Oh, hey, Gabe.” Ava walks over and places a kiss on my cheek.

“That’s all I get? Oh, hey,” I joke with her.

“Shut up. You know I love you,” she says, picking up her bag, which is overflowing with books. “Let’s go.”

She walks to the double doors, and Jess and I follow. For the next two hours, we see Ava’s room, take a short tour of the campus, and end up having dinner at a small sushi joint just off campus.

“So what do you want to do while you’re here?” Ava asks, dropping a spicy tuna roll on the table since she can’t figure out how to use chopsticks. I’m actually hesitant to tell them, but there is something I’d really like to do.

“So, uh…tomorrow, I was wondering if maybe we could catch the football game?” I know that neither of the girls are big football fans, but this would mean a lot to me, so I ask anyway. Jess and Ava seem to communicate through their eyes. No one says anything, and Jess sets her chopsticks down.

“You miss it, don’t you?” she asks.

Nodding my head, I inhale a deep breath. “I do. Since Arizona is playing here this weekend, it kind of makes me miss it more,” I answer truthfully. “I’ve played in this stadium twice, so I would like to catch the game if you are both interested, but I completely understand if you aren’t.”

Jess reaches out her hand and grabs mine, giving it a squeeze, while Ava studies me.

“What?” I ask her.

“Do you regret not going back for your senior year?”

“No, I don’t regret it. I just miss it sometimes.” Ava and Jess continue their non-verbal communication with each other until Ava finally ends my misery.

“Let’s plan on it.” She smiles, picking up another tuna roll, this time with her fingers. “But you owe me.” She raises her eyebrows and shoves the roll in her mouth.

“Thanks.” A small wave of excitement washes over me. “By the way, you’re so gross. Use a fork.” I shake my head and laugh at my sister.

“Fuck off. They don’t have forks, and these little pieces of wood don’t work for shit.” She tosses her chopsticks at me, causing Jess to laugh uncontrollably.

“Some things never change,” I say, shaking my head.

It’s nice to see Ava and Jess both happy and laughing, and I’m excited and a little anxious to see the football game tomorrow. Leaving U of A was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made, but I know it was the right decision. Pulling out my cell phone, I send a quick text message to Coach, letting him know I’m in town and would like to say “hello.”

I notice Jess yawning, and realize that it’s after eleven. We’ve been sitting here for hours, talking and catching up. Leaning toward her, I wrap her hand in mine and whisper, “Ready to call it a night?”

She nods, and I notice how tired she looks. “So what time should we pick you up tomorrow?” I ask my sister, who’s playing on her phone, probably texting Adrian. Without even looking up, she answers.

“Ten thirty. We have to get tickets and the game starts at noon. Don’t be late or you won’t be seeing shit tomorrow,” she says so eloquently. God, I miss my snarky sister.

“You two ready?” I ask, knowing damn well Jess is going to fall asleep if we don’t leave now.

Walking to the car, the girls are whispering to each other and giggling. I swear it’s like they’ve reverted back to being twelve years old. I can’t help but smile as I watch those two. The car ride to Ava’s dorm is quiet as Ava is still playing on her phone and Jess is trying to stay awake. We pull up to the large brick dormitory and Ava hops out. “Thanks for dinner,” she says, sticking her back in the car before shutting the door. “Remember, ten thirty. Don’t be late.”

I pull into a parking spot at the hotel and kill the engine. Jess fell asleep just minutes after we dropped Ava off. Her head hangs slightly to the side against the headrest. I love watching her sleep. Leaning in, I press a light kiss to her soft lips, which wakes her.

“We’re here baby,” I whisper against her lips.

“Mmm,” she hums against my lips, kissing me back.

“Let’s get you to bed. We have a big day tomorrow.” I say, unbuckling her seat belt. She rubs her eyes and reaches for her purse before opening the door. I meet her in front of my truck and take her hand to lead her inside. She curls herself into my side as the late fall air is cool and damp and we walk briskly to the entrance of the hotel.

Settling into our room, Jess heads immediately for the bed. She kicks off her shoes before throwing herself on top of the comforter. I unpack our overnight bags and finally settle into the bed, wrapping myself around her. I feel her wiggle out of my arms as I notice the sun peeking through the curtains.

“What time is it?” I ask with a groggy voice.

“Eight thirty. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m going to take a quick shower, go back to sleep for a bit.” She disappears into the bathroom, juggling her clothes and toiletries in her arms. A small wave of anxiety rolls through me when I think about watching my old teammates hit the football field today, and I can say I’m slightly jealous that I’m not on that field.

Reaching for my phone on the nightstand, I turn it on and numerous e-mails and text messages fill my screen. Clearing most of them, I hear Jess finishing up in the shower in which I was hoping to join her. I knock on the bathroom door and wait for her to answer.

“Come in.”

“You’re done already? I was hoping to join you,” I say, opening the bathroom door and entering the small bathroom. She is wrapped in a towel that just barely covers her tall frame, with another towel wrapped around her wet hair.

“I would have liked that,” she says with a smile, pulling the towel off her head and letting her long hair fall against her shoulders. She leans in, pressing a kiss to my lips. Her shoulders are still beaded with water, and I brush my hands over them to wipe away the small beads.

“So, Coach just texted me. He wants me to stop by the stadium early to see the guys. Are you cool with that?”

“Really? That’s great. Of course I’m fine with that. I’ll just hang with Ava until you’re done.”

I pull her into my arms and kiss her cheek and neck. A little mewl sounds from her throat and she places her hands on my chest, giving me a slight push, breaking my contact with her neck.

“Hey, what was that for? I didn’t get you last night.”

“And you’re not getting me this morning either. We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up and shower, and I do not want to piss off your sister by being late.”

I don’t disagree with her, but I want to take advantage of that short towel and her naked little body underneath it.

“Tonight. You’re all mine,” I whisper into her ear.

“Tonight, we’re going to a party with your sister.” She laughs and grabs her clothes off the bathroom counter and walks out into the hotel room to change, closing the bathroom door behind her.

“After the party, you’re mine,” I yell through the door.

The bathroom door inches open slightly, and she pokes her head through. “I’m always yours, I’m not going anywhere. Let’s just enjoy this weekend with Ava. When we get home, you can have me anytime you want.”

She’s right. This weekend isn’t about Jess and me; it’s about visiting Ava and spending time with her.

“Fine, but when we get home…”

“I know, I know…” she interrupts me.

****

Standing outside the football stadium, my stomach flutters with excitement like it used to on game day. It’s a cool, sunny, fall day; perfect football weather. There are crowds of people already tailgating, and I’m waiting for Jess and Ava by the main entrance.

Catching up with Coach and the guys for the last hour made my weekend. I definitely miss football, but I have no regrets about my decision to move home and pursue my career as a firefighter. I twist the red UA t-shirt that Coach gave me for Jess in my hands, when I happen to see her and Ava heading in my direction. They are walking arm in arm, each carrying a large Starbucks coffee.

“How was it?” she asks, pulling out of Ava’s arm and planting a kiss on my cheek.

“It was great. So good to see the guys and just catch up in person for a little bit.”

“I’m really glad you got to see them.” She smiles at me and laces her fingers through mine.

“Should we go watch some football or do you two want to stand here chit-chatting all day?” Ava asks sarcastically.

The rest of Saturday was spent watching football, with Arizona taking home the win, and stopping by several parties with Ava. I will say that I do not miss the days of drunken house parties. Waking up Sunday morning, I reach for Jess and find that she’s not in the bed. Sitting up, I see her sitting in the bedside chair, reading on her iPad.

“Morning beautiful.” She smiles and sets the iPad down on her lap.

“Morning, sleepyhead. I wasn’t sure you were ever going to wake up.”

“What time is it?”

“Nine. We have to bring coffee to Ava; she’s not feeling well after the party last night and she has a huge exam she has to study for.”

“Okay. We should probably get on the road anyway. We have a long drive.”

Standing up, she starts pulling clothes out of the dresser. “Go shower and I’ll get us packed up,” she says. True to her word, she has everything packed by the time I’m done showering. We haul our bags to the truck and stop at the Starbucks just off campus. Jess juggles the coffees as I pull the truck into the visitor parking in front of the dorm. Ava exits the main entrance just as we pull up, carrying a large book bag on her shoulder.

“There you are,” she sighs, reaching for the large cup of coffee Jess is holding out to her. “I owe you,” she says, sipping the hot coffee with caution.

“You always owe me,” I joke with her. Ava continues sipping her coffee and we stand in silence for a few seconds before Jess finally speaks.

“I suppose we should get going,” she says quietly.

“Yeah, you have a long drive. Please drive carefully.” Ava’s voice cracks. “You know I hate goodbyes, so I’m just going to go, okay?” She reaches out and pulls Jess into a tight hug. “I’ll see you guys in just a few weeks for Christmas break.” I see Jess wiping a few small tears from her eyes as she nods at Ava.