Spring Fling Read online

  Ava watched from the vanity as Lindsey started mixing and matching various pieces. When it came to clothes, Lindsey knew her stuff. She was one of the best-dressed girls at North Ridge High.

  An hour later, Lindsey had worked her magic. Danielle was wearing a rainbow-colored one-shoulder tank top with a short, white pleated skirt. From her own wardrobe, Lindsey had chosen to wear a sleeveless, ruffled, violet silk chiffon top and skinny black jeans. Ava thought they both looked great.

  “Ethan is going to be very happy when he sees you,” Ava said.

  “It doesn’t look like I put a lot of effort into it, does it?” Danielle worriedly asked. “I don’t want him to think I got dressed up for him.”

  “You look pretty but casual,” Ava assured her.

  “What are you going to wear tonight, Ava?” Lindsey asked as she spritzed herself with some perfume.

  Ava looked down at her cutoff denim shorts and SpongeBob SquarePants T-shirt. “I’m fine with what I’ve got on.”

  Lindsey’s face fell. “No, no, no! You’ve been wearing the same clothes since this morning. They’re all wrinkly. You need to change into something new!”

  “Why?”

  Lindsey stared knowingly at Ava. “You know why. Hopefully, Ethan is going to bring some cute guys with him tonight!”

  “And?”

  “And you’ve got to put yourself back out there. It’s been over a month, Ava. Don’t you think it’s time to move on?”

  “I really don’t want to talk about this.” There was a warning tone in Ava’s voice, but Lindsey ignored it.

  “You never want to talk about it! You’re pretending like nothing has happened, when something major did happen.”

  “I’m not ready to start dating again.”

  “I bet Josh has started dating again.”

  Hearing her ex-boyfriend’s name, Ava glared at Lindsey.

  “What!” Lindsey exclaimed. “Don’t give me the evil eye. You know you’re thinking the exact same thing. Danielle, don’t you think Josh is already dating?”

  “Don’t drag me into the middle of this!” Danielle stated. “You know talking about Josh is off-limits.”

  A frustrated Lindsey threw her hands up. “How is she supposed to move on if she doesn’t talk about it! Are we never supposed to mention Josh’s name again? Pretend like he doesn’t exist?”

  Ava knew that would be impossible. Josh O’Donnell had been her boyfriend for close to a year. They’d started dating last spring after accidentally running into each other in the hallway at school. Ava had been late for her first class and hadn’t watched where she was going. She slammed into Josh, and her books went flying everywhere, including her sketchbook for art class. When he stopped to help her pick everything up, he noticed her sketches and told her how good he thought they were. A flattered Ava had blushed, collected her sketches, and then hurried off. When she slid into her seat in first period, she realized she hadn’t thanked Josh for helping her.

  After school, after asking a senior for directions, she found Josh at his locker and apologized for not thanking him that morning. Josh pretended his feelings were hurt and then told Ava she could make it up to him by going with him to the Burger Hut.

  Ava said yes.

  After that, they were joined at the hip, spending all their time together after school and on the weekends. Josh even took her as his date to the senior prom at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. Most of the girls at the prom were seniors; Ava was one of the few underclassmen. The fact that Josh had wanted to take her made her feel special.

  Over the summer, when they weren’t working at their part-time jobs, they went to the beach and amusement parks. Josh loved all the daring rides and was always able to coax Ava into riding them, no matter how hard she protested. But then, that was always the way it was with Josh. He made her push herself and try things she wouldn’t ordinarily do. Sometimes she liked it—like the time they went skydiving!—and sometimes she didn’t—like the time they ate sushi. Blech!

  Being with Josh was different from being with the other guys she had dated in the past. It could be because he was two years older and that made him more mature. More confident and self-assured. Ava really didn’t know. All she knew was that she loved spending time with him.

  Everything was perfect.

  Until Josh had to leave to start his freshman year at Cornell.

  Ava had known this day would be coming, but she hadn’t expected it to come so fast.

  The hardest thing Ava ever had to do was say good-bye to Josh when he left at the end of August. She’d wanted to cry but she didn’t. Well, at least not in front of him. She knew how excited he was to be going off to college and she didn’t want to spoil the experience for him. She didn’t want him to think his girlfriend was falling to pieces. So she kept her tears bottled up and let them out in front of Danielle and Lindsey once Josh and his parents drove away.

  Things only got harder when classes resumed at North Ridge High in September. Everywhere Ava looked, she had a memory of Josh. In the hallways. In the cafeteria. Outside the school. There were so many reminders of him! It only made her miss him that much more.

  At first, Ava and Josh kept in touch by phone. As much as Ava wanted to call every day, she didn’t. She knew college was different from high school and she didn’t want to bother Josh.

  In the beginning, Ava heard from Josh at least two or three times a week. He admitted to being homesick and feeling overwhelmed by his classes. But little by little, he started to get into the swing of things and began making new friends. Now when Ava talked to him, he told her how much fun he was having, how great his classes were, and about all the cool people he was meeting. When Ava heard this, she was happy for Josh. Everything was finally falling into place for him.

  But then she started hearing from him less and less.

  At first she made excuses. After all, Josh was in the premed program and had a heavy class load. Some of his classes were also at night, so when he wasn’t in class, she was. So she didn’t call him as often as she used to. Instead, she sent him texts and e-mails.

  But they went unanswered.

  The few times they did get to talk, though, Ava noticed that Josh didn’t mention how much he missed her. She still told him that she missed him, but he never said the words back. At least not as often as he used to.

  It made Ava worry.

  She didn’t think Josh was cheating on her, but she did feel he was drifting further and further away from her.

  She felt he wasn’t making a place for her in his new world.

  When Josh came home for Thanksgiving, they spent the entire weekend together, and it was like he had never gone away. They picked up right where they left off and had a great time, going to the movies, snuggling before the fire, baking cookies, and getting a head start on their Christmas shopping. The same thing happened over the Christmas holiday.

  But when classes resumed in January, Ava stopped hearing from Josh again. And again, she made excuses for him because she knew he had finals coming up that month.

  Valentine’s Day was what pushed her over the edge. All week, five couples at North Ridge High had been competing in the Most Romantic Couple contest. Seeing them together made Ava realize that she didn’t have a boyfriend who cared about her. If she did, he wouldn’t be so out of touch. He would let her know that he cared about her and was thinking about her, even if he only sent her a one-word text. Ava’s heart always pounded with excitement when her phone buzzed and she saw Josh’s name pop up on the screen.

  It wasn’t just the Most Romantic Couple contest. Josh didn’t send her a card for Valentine’s Day. And he didn’t even call to thank her for the card she’d sent him! When she called Josh the day after Valentine’s Day, trying not to sound like a hysterical girlfriend, he apologized for forgetting and claimed he’d been too busy with his new class schedule. But Ava was finished with excuses. Josh knew how to make time for himself but not for her or their relationship.
So she didn’t say anything and decided it would be better to discuss their relationship with him when he came home for spring break.

  That never happened.

  And spring break was what ended things.

  Originally, they were supposed to spend spring break together at home. They had discussed it at Christmas. But then Josh’s fraternity brothers planned a trip to Cancun, and Josh decided to go with them. He didn’t even ask Ava if it was okay! He just called a week after Valentine’s Day and told her he was going, breaking their plans without even thinking of her feelings. Deciding to tell Josh what she was feeling, Ava told him that she felt their relationship was in trouble. That they were drifting apart from each other and they needed to spend time together to see if they could get things back on track.

  “There’s nothing wrong with our relationship,” Josh had said. “Stop being so melodramatic.”

  “I’m not being melodramatic,” Ava had calmly pointed out. “We made plans to spend spring break together and now we’re not.”

  “Plans change,” Josh shot back.

  “But you didn’t even ask me if it was okay!”

  “Why should I?”

  Ava couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Because I’m your girlfriend!”

  “Not if you keep acting like this.”

  For Ava, that had been the last straw. She wouldn’t allow Josh to talk to her like that. Maybe she should have given herself a day or two to cool off, but she had been angry. And she had wanted to show Josh that he couldn’t take her for granted. So she instantly told him that if he went to Cancun, it was over between them.

  “Then I guess it’s over,” Josh had said. “I’ll send you a postcard from Cancun.”

  And then he had hung up on her.

  At first, Ava had been in shock. She couldn’t believe that her relationship with Josh had ended in less than five minutes. Then she had gotten angry. How could he just hang up on her? Hadn’t the last ten months meant anything to him?

  Instantly, Ava had called Danielle and Lindsey, asking them to come over to her house. She didn’t tell them why, but they heard the urgency in her voice and raced right over. When they arrived, she lost it and turned into a blubbering mess, telling them that it was over between her and Josh. Both had been speechless when they heard the story and asked what they could do to help. Just listening was enough, Ava told them.

  Then, when the chance to go to Miami for spring break came up a couple of days after her breakup with Josh, Ava jumped at it. The last place she wanted to be during spring break was in North Ridge. That was because she and Josh were supposed to have spent the week together at home, and she didn’t want to be reminded of that.

  “She hasn’t even told anyone at school!” Lindsey exclaimed, cutting into Ava’s thoughts. “Everyone thinks she and Josh are still a couple.”

  “Ava’s breakup with Josh is her business,” Danielle sternly said. “If she doesn’t want to talk about it, then she doesn’t have to.”

  Ava wasn’t ready to discuss Josh with anyone else. It was still too fresh. Eventually, she’d have to tell her other friends at school, but for now, she was keeping quiet.

  “All I’m saying is that sometimes talking about things helps.” Lindsey went over to Ava and gave her a hug. “I know you’re hurting. I just want to help take away the hurt.”

  When Lindsey said things like that, there was no way Ava could stay mad at her.

  “I know you’re only trying to help,” Ava said. “I don’t mean to be so crabby. I guess I’m still processing things. Trying to figure it all out. Josh was the first guy I was really serious about. Even though we never said the L word, I thought about it. That never happened to me before.”

  “Really?” Lindsey gasped, giving Ava another hug. “You never told me that!”

  “It’s going to take some time,” Danielle said. “And you can take all the time you need. Right, Lindsey?”

  “Absolutely. But won’t you please, please, please change into another outfit? I want us to all look fabulous tonight, and I know you packed that cute denim skirt and yellow halter top that you bought on sale at American Eagle last week.”

  Ava threw up her hands. “I surrender.”

  “Go hurry up because Ethan—and his friends, I hope!—are going to be here soon!”

  The doorbell rang as soon as the words were out of Lindsey’s mouth.

  “He’s here!” Danielle squealed.

  “Calm down,” Lindsey said. “You’re getting all flushed in the face.”

  “I can’t help it,” Danielle confessed. “I’m nervous.”

  “He’s the one who should be nervous,” Lindsey said. “He has to impress you, not the other way around.”

  “Don’t be nervous,” Ava said. “Just go with the flow. You don’t have to fall in love with this guy. Have some fun. You can be anyone you want this week.”

  “That’s right,” Lindsey agreed. “Forget about being Danielle. This week you’re Daring Dani!”

  Daring Dani. Danielle mulled it over. She liked it!

  Lindsey took Ava by one hand and Danielle by the other, pulling them out into the hallway. “Come on! Let’s go get this party started!” Then Lindsey stopped in her tracks and pushed Ava in the direction of their bedroom. “But only after you change your outfit!”

  Chapter Seven

  “Which one are you interested in?” Cooper asked Ethan as they walked into the backyard, where the barbecue was taking place. They’d been let in by Crystal, who had gone off into the kitchen to get some sodas.

  “Danielle,” Ethan said.

  “What’s she look like?”

  “She’s a blonde.”

  Cooper’s eyes traveled around the backyard and stopped when they came to a blonde in denim shorts lighting the barbecue. He whistled. “Foxy!”

  “That’s not her,” Ethan said.

  At the sound of Cooper’s whistle, the girl at the barbecue turned around and gave them a smile. “Hi!” she said, walking over. “I’m Jade. You must be the guys that Ava and my sister invited.” She waved to the picnic table, where there were bowls of pretzels, potato chips, and other munchies. “Make yourselves at home. We’ve got plenty of food.”

  “Thanks,” Cooper said, reaching for a handful of potato chips.

  At that moment, Steve and Howie arrived, and Jade went off to greet them. Ethan watched as Damian’s brother instantly turned on the charm, making Jade laugh at something he said. Unlike Ethan, Steve always knew what to say to girls.

  Ethan could feel his palms getting sweaty and wiped them on the sides of his shorts. He wanted to sniff his underarms to make sure his deodorant was working but thought that would be too gross. He was so nervous! He’d changed his clothes four times before deciding on a pair of khaki shorts and a white linen short-sleeve shirt with a pair of yellow Crocs.

  “Calm down,” Cooper said. “She’s not going to bite you. Just be yourself.”

  “I’m not myself, remember?” Ethan said, bringing up their bet. “I’m you!”

  “At least you’ll be able to impress her.”

  “Yeah, but only for a week,” Ethan shot back. “What happens when we get back home and I’m myself again? She lives in our town!”

  “You’re thinking beyond this week?”

  “Yes. No. I don’t know!” a flustered Ethan tried to explain.

  Starting tomorrow, he was going to have a fancy car and money to spend, but that wasn’t his life back home in North Ridge. How was he going to explain that to Danielle if he kept seeing her? Unless he didn’t spend Cooper’s money! Yes! Why hadn’t he thought of that sooner! As for the car, he’d try to come up with some sort of logical explanation. Instantly, Ethan felt like a huge load had been lifted off him.

  “Why are you thinking beyond the moment?” Damian declared, sticking his head between Ethan and Cooper and wrapping his arms around their shoulders. “For all you know, the two of you aren’t going to click! Enjoy the perks!”

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nbsp; “He’s right,” Cooper agreed. “You worry too much.”

  “That’s because I don’t want to mess things up with her!”

  “So which one is she?” Damian asked.

  Ethan looked across the backyard and saw Danielle carrying a tray of hot dogs and hamburgers, with Ava and Lindsey by her side.

  “There she is,” Ethan pointed out. “The one in the middle.”

  “Wow!” Damian exclaimed. “She’s hot.”

  “She’s off-limits,” Ethan reminded him. “Eyes back in your head, Wolfie. And stop drooling!”

  “You want the brunette or redhead?” Damian asked Cooper.

  “They’re both cute, but I want to talk to the redhead,” Cooper said.

  “That’s Ava,” Ethan said. “Lindsey is the brunette.”

  “Hey, Ethan!” Danielle called out. “Want to help me barbecue?”

  Ethan’s entire face lit up with a smile as he abandoned Cooper and Damian and raced over to Danielle’s side.

  “We’re staying for an hour and then we’re out of here!” Wanda declared as they walked into the backyard. “I didn’t come all the way down to Miami to hang out with girls from North Ridge High,” she huffed. “Why did we even come tonight?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Danielle and her friends aren’t exactly high on the social ladder at school. This barbecue is probably going to be a dud.”

  “Jade said college guys would be here,” Mindy reminded her.

  College guys who you’re planning to cheat on Rick with!

  “I’m not holding my breath,” Wanda said. “Jade wasn’t exactly Miss Popularity when she was at North Ridge High.”

  Actually, she had been, but Mindy wasn’t about to correct Wanda.

  “I’m sure this place is going to be packed with losers and they’re going to be hanging all over us because we’re so hot.”

  Jade and Crystal were pretty hot, too, maybe even hotter, but Mindy decided not to mention that, either.

  “Who’s the freak wearing the Crocs?” Wanda sneered.