Ava's Wishes (2 page)

Seeing Carly come out of the building, she twisted her body to hide behind some branches from an overhanging tree. Ava was in no mood to deal with more of her antics. Luckily, Carly didn’t appear to be looking for her anyway. She was deep in conversation with a girl Ava didn’t recognize.
Her next victim,
she thought, ignoring the tiny voice reminding her that Carly was her friend.

Ava, deciding the coast was clear, took a quick glance at her watch, grabbed her backpack, and headed toward her next class.

“Hey, wait up!” a masculine voice called out behind her.

Ugh. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the model walking toward her. She’d forgotten about him. She picked up her pace. Between Ms. Senaca and Carly, it was no wonder this guy thought Ava had the hots for him. The last time one of the models from class asked her out, it didn’t end well. She wasn’t in the mood to give it another try, especially with finals week quickly approaching. Maybe he was talking to someone else.

“Hey! You from the class! Can you slow down a little?”

She was wrong.
Damn
. She reluctantly stopped walking, allowing him to catch up to her. Now that Mark/Matt was fully dressed, she noticed his face for the first time. Really noticed it—the green eyes, sexy stubble, and full lips. In class they only sketched the nudes from the neck down. She could feel the heat rising to her face for the third time in one hour. He certainly was good looking, but she’d never admit it. Not to him at least. It was more than obvious he already knew it. His ego seemed to be as big as his ... nope, she wasn’t even going there.

“I’m going to be late,” she said, “and I wasn’t gawking, either. If you must know, I was thinking about something not at all related to you, or ... this.” Ava motioned her arm up and down his body as if he was some sort of prize in a game show.

“O ... kay,” he replied, his dark brows arching. “Actually, I was only trying to catch up with you because you left your portfolio behind. You ran out so quickly, you forgot it. Ms. Senaca spotted you still in the courtyard and asked if I could run it out to you. Everyone else was gone by the time she noticed, but I was still in the studio getting dressed. You know, trying to cover up all ... this.” He motioned his arm in the same fashion, smirking. “Anyway, she thought you might need it with finals coming up. So, here you go. See you around.”

“Oh.” Ava was too shocked to get the words
thank you
out of her mouth before whatever his name was turned around and walked away.

Chapter 3

 “Pay attention, will you?”

The silence in the room Ava had reserved at the student center to study in was deafening. She took a big gulp of her coffee, hoping the caffeine would somehow instantly infuse her brain with the power to both stay awake
and
suddenly understand Statistics … the most ridiculous class she was required to take. This was the third time she’d taken the class. The two previous times she failed, so she hired Suzanne—a graduate student recommended by her professor—to tutor her through her third attempt.

“Yes, got it,” Ava replied. “So … um … the probability is one-fifth.”

“Not even close, Ava,” Suzanne sighed. She put her head down on the table in frustration and defeat.

Ava didn’t blame her. Tutoring Ava in Statistics was no easy task. Her brain just wasn’t wired to handle all of those numbers and logic, or at least that’s what she had convinced herself. She was a creative type, and years ago she’d overheard her father say you were either a numbers person or a creative person, not both. Since her father always spoke the truth, she took that to be her gospel. It’s no wonder she was having so much trouble. Still, Wolfenson College didn’t care about any of that. In order to graduate, she needed to pass this class; it was that simple. Even if it wasn’t going to be the slightest bit simple for her.

“Let’s try again. I promise to pay attention this time. It’s just been a really long day. Besides, why do you care? You’re getting paid either way.”

Lifting her head, she looked at Ava quizzically. “My reputation is at stake. Do you really think someone else is going to want me for a tutor when my success rate is zero?”

“Well, that’s my fault, not yours. I just don’t get this stuff,” Ava pointed out. “Besides, it’s not zero yet. We’re still working, so there’s hope, right? I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding other students to tutor. I’d be happy to put in a good word for you.”

“You won’t need to,” Suzanne said. “Someone else already hired me.”

 “That’s great, Suzanne. More money in your pocket, and just in time for the holidays! I sure do hope you’re planning on getting me something nice.” Ava giggled, but suddenly stopped, noticing Suzanne was not laughing; not that she usually laughed at Ava’s attempts at humor. Suzanne was generally all business. Ava wondered if she was like this all the time or if she had a softer side when she wasn’t tutoring. She was hard to read and never answered any of the personal questions Ava tried to squeeze in amidst the math problems. In any event, Suzanne’s serious look seemed even more serious than usual.

“You’re not understanding, Ava. What I mean is that someone hired me to tutor them
in place
of you. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m firing you.”

“You can’t fire me,” Ava stated matter-of-factly. “I’m the one who hired you! If anyone is going to be firing anyone, it’s me firing you!”

“Fine,” Suzanne replied flatly. “Then fire me already. I clearly have failed to teach you anything.”

“But, I can’t fire you, Suzanne. I need you! If you leave, I’ll fail again!”

 “I hate to break it to you, Ava,” Suzanne stated, “but you’re going to fail this class with or without me. You might as well save your money at this point and cut your losses. I honestly don’t know what else to do for you. We can’t even get past the basics, and the final is a week away.”

“So you’re saying I’m a lost cause? Please! You have to give me another chance. I’ll pay you double. I’ll even sit in with your other student. Just
please
. If I don’t pass, I’ll have to take it again, and my advisor already warned me they aren’t going to be offering this class in the spring, because so many people move on to Statistics II.” Ava shuddered just thinking about it. Luckily, that wasn’t a required class for her. Just the thought of it made her break out in a cold sweat. She took a deep breath and continued, saying the words she hoped would not become a reality, “If I fail, I won’t be able to graduate on time.” Her tears began to flow freely. The thought of missing graduation and having to take Statistics for the fourth time, over the summer no less, was too much for Ava to handle.

“Oh, all right,” Suzanne agreed hesitantly. “You can turn off the waterworks. You know you would have done much better as a drama major, don’t you?”

Ava used everything within herself to control her eyes from rolling. The important thing was that Suzanne was going to continue to tutor her.

“Honestly, Ava, I don’t know if I can even help you at this point. Are you at least willing to take it seriously this time?”

She wiped her eyes and nodded.

“You’re running out of chances, you know,” Suzanne stated, packing up her books. “Meet me in the library on Saturday at one o’clock and don’t be late.”

“Thank you,” Ava replied meekly. She waited for Suzanne to leave the room, then regretfully pulled out her cell phone and called the gallery to let them know she would be missing work on Saturday.

Just as she hung up, her phone rang again.
Finally.
Ava clicked the talk button, and the voice started before she even had a chance to say anything.

“Sorry I couldn’t call you right away. We were reviewing for finals, and I’m already so lost in this class. Twentieth Century Literature, ugh! I don’t know how you creative types can stand this stuff. I’ve got Calculus IV next. Now there’s a subject that makes sense. There’s a right answer and a wrong answer, and a logical way to figure it out. Logic, Ava, simple logic. All that other stuff is just hokey bullshit if you ask me.”

Ava laughed. Some days it was hard to believe her and Holly were actually related.

“Tell you what, Hol. I’ll take your Literature exam for you, if you take my Statistics exam for me,” Ava offered.

“I wish. Told you to transfer here last year when I started as a freshman, didn’t I? At the very least we could have tutored each other. How’s that going anyway?” Holly asked.

“Not good, but it’s not the tutor, it’s the subject. I think I might fail … again.”

“Is that why you sounded so down in your text?”

“No.” Ava filled Holly in on art class and Carly’s attempts at being … funny? Come to think of it, Ava wasn’t sure what Carly’s intentions were, but they most definitely were not funny.

“Aw, hon, I’m sorry. Carly was being an ass. She was probably just jealous you were the one getting the attention. I mean, honestly, can you blame her? After all, everyone knows you are the hottest Haines sister.”

“Uh huh. Didn’t you say you had to get to Geometry or something?”

“Actually it was Calculus IV, and yes, I do have to go. Feel better, sweets?
”
Holly asked.

“A little. You sure you don’t want to switch places for exams?” Ava asked.

“Look, you’re the one who wanted to go to a small school, Ava,” Holly reminded her sister. “You could totally sit in on my Literature exam here and no one would notice … you’d just be a number in my class of eighty. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure your professor would notice that his beautiful, tall, auburn-haired student was suddenly replaced by a short, chubby blonde.”

“You’re not chubby, and you’re not short,” Ava corrected. “You’re gorgeous.”

 “Okay, gorgeous? I don’t know about that. I’ll rescind chubby, but I’m sticking with height challenged … especially when standing next to you. Plus, there’s the dramatic difference in our hair color,” Holly said. “My point is, I’m pretty sure your teacher would notice.”

Ava sighed.

“Don’t stress, Ava. I have faith in you. Beauty and brains … you can do it. Anyway, this love fest needs to wrap up, I really do have to run.”

“Thanks, Holly. You’ll do great also. Throw the logic out the window, and write from your heart. It works, trust me. Love you.”

Chapter 4

“Look, I said I was sorry, Ava, how long are you planning on staying mad at me?” Carly asked.

 Ava sat in the student center dining hall, pushing around the salad on her plate. She wished she no longer had to even eat meals in the dining hall. Wasn’t that one of the perks of being a senior? Getting the apartment, living off campus, eating normal food again? Unfortunately for her, she didn’t have time on most days to get back to her apartment in between classes to eat lunch, and by the time she thought of packing her own lunch, she was usually running late. A gourmet-less meal at the student center dining hall was generally the only option left. Salad was typically a safe choice.

She took a sip of her iced tea. Almost two days had gone by, and she had yet to speak to her friend. “Oh, I don't know, Carly, maybe forever?”

 “Well, at least you're being reasonable,” Carly responded, taking a bite of her own lunch. It appeared to be a sandwich of some unidentifiable meat.

  Ava continued to make a swirling mixture of lettuce, chopped carrots, and salad dressing on her plate as her agitation grew. The more she twirled, the more she thought it looked like a modern art painting she remembered studying in Professor Morey’s Art History class last semester. Is this how the greats came up with their ideas? she wondered. Using food as a model churned with emotion?

She had planned on having a quick bite to eat alone today before heading off to the studio to work on her project, when Carly sat down unexpectedly with her tray. Well, not really unexpectedly. They ate lunch together almost every Friday. Ava had hoped the cold shoulder treatment would have been enough of a hint to let Carly know she wasn’t ready to talk yet.

“You went too far you know,” she said, continuing the melodic movements with her fork.

“Will you at least admit he's cute?” Carly raised her eyebrows, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

 Ava looked at her friend. Of course he was cute. His hair was brown with just the right amount of natural red highlights. Highlights Ava paid good money to have put into her hair twice a year, hoping to achieve the same effect, only to be disappointed in both the outcome and resulting dent to her wallet. As if that wasn’t enough, the brown flecks in his incredible green eyes matched his perfect hair … well, perfectly. She had tried not to look directly into his eyes, but it was nearly impossible. They drew her in with unspoken words—words she worked hard to ignore. But, it wasn’t just the hair or the eyes, it was the lips. Ava had always had a thing for lips. Maybe it was because she liked to imagine herself kissing … no, she wasn’t going there with this guy. She didn’t care if he was cute. Right now she needed to stay focused. Besides, cute didn’t erase arrogance.

 “I see you smiling. I knew it!” Carly sat back in her chair looking smug.

“Knew what? I haven't admitted anything, and I wasn't smiling. I was smirking. There's a difference.”

“Oh really? Care to enlighten me?” Carly asked.

“I'd love to, but I have to run.” Ava collected her barely eaten yet artistic plate of salad and placed it back on her cafeteria tray.

“Wait! Do you want to hang out later?” she asked as Ava stood to leave.

“I don’t think so,” Ava answered curtly.

“You're still mad at me, really? I was just trying to be funny, Ava. Honest. I didn’t mean anything by it. I swear on my favorite paintbrush and oils I won’t do it again. Forgive me?” Batting her eyelashes, she smiled.

Ava sighed. While she knew she should still be mad at her friend, she didn’t see the point. As much as she hated to admit it, Carly was just being Carly. It wasn’t the first time she had acted this way, and it wouldn’t be the last. “No, Carly, I have to work on my project for my Printmaking class, study for Statistics, finish my sketches, and then head over to the gallery for work tonight. Don't you have finals coming up?”