010 - NOVA ISN'T MY FRIEND ANYMORE

010

NOVA ISN'T MY FRIEND ANYMORE

JAYDEN

I don't need to tell Noah twice. He rounds the hood of my truck and throws himself into the passenger seat.

We have to go find Nova. Or Ava. Or any one of those girls we find first. It's still a win. I can bet a million dollars that Ava would know where Nova is.

"The library," Noah points at the building I've just paused in front of.

"Are you sure?" I glance at him.

"Ava spends her free periods there doing whatever the hell she does."

Fine. Works for me. We storm through the front doors of the school library, ignoring the looks of students. We don't care about detention at this point. We don't care about anything right now except getting answers.

Heads start turning as we enter the library. Whispers follow us. Students pointing and making hushed noises.

It takes me less than thirty seconds to spot her. Ava is sitting at a corner table, laptop open in front of her. I'm sure she's pretending to read. Because I can see her eyes move toward us before she quickly looks back down.

Coward.

I march over, with Noah right on my heels. I don't care that the librarian is watching. I grab the back of Ava's chair and yank it outward.

"Get up," I say.

Ava doesn't flinch. She slowly looks up from her laptop, her eyes scanning me from head to toe before landing on Noah.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the disgraced golden boy and his loyal little lapdog. Come to sign an autograph before the draft stock drops to zero?"

What the fuck did she she just say? How normal can this girl be? I'm about to see red. If she doesn't shut the fuck up and tell us what we need to know, I don't think we'll be doing much talking.

"Where is Nova?" Noah asks her calmly.

She shrugs. "Right, because Nova's spelt largely on my forehead."

Noah and I exchange glances. I don't say anything. It's his way to play safe. I'm just here, watching him work his politeness because I know I'm far from being the nice guy.

"Ava..."

"I don't know."

"You always know where she is. You're lying."

"I'm not."

Noah sighs. "Ava. Please. It's important that we know. If you know where Nova is..."

"I don't and I can't tell you something I don't know."

I grab the edge of her chair now. It's time to do this thing my fucking way. "Get up." I tell her.

Bitch doesn't move and it's starting to irritate the fucking hell out of me.

"I said get up." I tell her again, yanking the chair backwards.

"And if I don't?" Ava asks, crossing her legs and leaning back. "What are you going to do? Record me without my permission? Oh, wait, that's more of your family's style, isn't it?"

I don't waste another second. I reach down, grab her upper arm, and pull her out of the chair. She lets out a gasp, her laptop bag sliding off the table as I drag her toward the emergency exit hallway at the back of the library. Noah pushes the heavy doors open, and I shove her into the secluded concrete corridor, letting go of her arm as the doors shut behind us.

Ava stumbles back, adjusting her jacket. She looks at her arm, then looks up at us.

"I'm not surprised. If you can say all that what makes it any different from manhandling a girl?"

I ignore her jarring comment. "Where is she, Ava?" I demand, stepping into her space. "Where the fuck is Nova?"

Ava rolls her eyes. "Oh, so now you care where she is? That's rich. Why don't you check your own house, Noah? Or did your mom finally realize what a toxic environment you two create and take her away?"

Noah steps between us, his face red, his chest heaving. "What the hell is your fucking problem with us, Ava? Huh? What did we ever do to you? You took my sister's phone, you stole a private recording, and you ruined our lives! Why?"

Ava steps up to Noah, pointing a finger at his chest.

"You want to know what my problem is? You two have Nova so choked up that she couldn't even do the right thing!"

Noah and I both pause. I blink, looking at Noah, then back at Ava. The anger in my chest falters and it's replaced by confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I ask. "The right thing? She spied on us! She recorded a private conversation!"

"She recorded a conversation of you two planning to cover up a scandal!" Ava yells back. "She had the proof right there on her phone. She knew what you guys did was wrong. But she was so terrified of you, Noah... so worried about protecting her precious big brother and his superstar best friend... that she was just going to sit on it. She was going to let it go!"

Ava turns her gaze to me, and the disgust in her eyes is visible.

"You know, Enzo, I actually used to have so much respect for you. Everyone did. We thought you were this honorable leader who cared about the school, cared about the team, cared about doing what was right. But now?" She scoffs, shaking her head. "Now I see you're just another arrogant athlete who thinks the rules don't apply to him."

The fuck does she know about me?

Hearing her judge me, hearing her talk about my character after she just single-handedly dismantled my entire future, makes me completely see red.

"You don't know a damn thing about me!" I roar.

I lunge forward, grabbing her by the collar of her jacket, slamming her back against the wall. The force of it rattles the fire extinguisher next to her head. "You seem to have no idea what the fuck you did today! You ruined my life! Tell me where she is before I make sure you pay for every single dollar you just cost me!"

"Enzo! Stop! Let her go!"

Before I can push her any further, Noah’s hands grip my shoulders. He yanks me back with everything he has, tearing my grip away from Ava’s jacket. I stumble backward, panting, my fists still clenched as I glare at her.

"Get off me, Noah!"

"Enzo, back off!" Noah shouts, standing between me and Ava. He looks at me with wide eyes. "Look at yourself! You've already gotten yourself into enough trouble! If someone walks through that door right now and sees you putting your hands on her, it's over. Do you hear me? It's completely over. The lawyers won't be able to save you from a police report."

I take a deep breath. Noah is right. My father's statement already paints me as a victim; if I get caught assaulting the girl who leaked the audio, I validate every single negative thing people are saying about me.

I step back, rubbing my face, trying to force the rage down.

Noah turns back to Ava, who is leaning against the wall, breathing heavily but still glaring at us with that same hateful expression.

"Just tell us where she is, Ava," I say. "Where did Nova go?"

Ava adjusts her collar as she looks at the two of us.

"I don't know," she says.

"Don't lie to us," Noah says. "You're her best friend."

"Not anymore," Ava replies. "She hates me for leaking it. She called me a traitor, threw a fit, and I'm sure she'd blocked my number before she disappeared. So if you're looking for Nova, don't look at me. Nova isn't my friend anymore."