All Chapters of Kiss her on thin Ice: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"I didn't cut you off." The words come out faster than I mean them to, urgent because she has it completely wrong, and I need her to hear it properly. "I gave you space. I would never cut you off. Don't ever thnk that way, please'"She blinks at me, clearly not expecting that. "It felt that way from where I was standing.""I didn't know. I'm sorry." I pull her a few steps further from the crowd, away from curious ears, lowering my voice even though most people have already lost interest and drifted back into their own conversations. "Everyone's been watching me like I'm contagious since the breakup. I didn't want that spreading to you and the rest of the squad. You guys didn't do anything wrong. You were only ever getting back at Rita for me, and I wasn't about to let you pay for that.""So you just disappeared to protect us." Ashley's voice cracks a little. "That's so stupid, Ava.""Probably.""You could've just told me that.""I know. I'm telling you now."She lets out a shaky laugh,

"I'm not doing this with you." I turn to walk away, done arguing with a crowd that's already made up its mind, done defending myself to people who never intended to actually listen.I don't get more than two steps before I feel it. Cold water hits the side of my face and drips down my neck, soaking into the collar of my dress, and I whip around to find Rita standing there with an empty cup and the worst fake-innocent expression I've ever seen."Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," she says, not sorry at all, glee flickering behind her wide eyes. "It slipped. My hand must have slipped."Something in me just snaps.I don't think. I just move, closing the distance between us in two steps and slapping her across the face hard enough that the sound cracks through the yard like a gunshot, silencing every conversation within twenty feet of us.Rita's hand flies to her cheek, stunned silence lasting exactly as long as it takes Maddox to register what just happened."Hey!" He closes the distance between

The station smells like burnt coffee and industrial cleaner, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead bright enough to make my eyes ache after a night with barely two hours of sleep. They walk me through booking with the kind of detached efficiency that makes it clear this isn't their first rodeo with a rich kid crying innocence, fingerprints, a photo I refuse to smile for, my personal belongings sealed into a plastic bag like evidence of a crime I didn't commit.Then they put me in a room with a table bolted to the floor and two chairs that look like they've absorbed decades of other people's worst days.I sit there alone for what feels like an hour before the door finally opens and a detective walks in, mid-forties, tired eyes, a manila folder tucked under one arm like he already knows exactly how this conversation is going to go and finds it boring in advance."Miss Prescott." He drops into the chair across from me, flipping the folder open without ceremony. "Detective Marsh. I'm sure y

Chapter Eighteen - The VisitWalking back into school the next morning feels like walking into a room full of people who already saw a video of your worst day. Everyone knows about the arrest. Everyone knows I got let go too, but knowing something happened and knowing why are two very different things, and right now the whole school seems stuck on the first part.I keep my head up anyway. I've gotten good at that lately."Ava!" Ashley spots me the second I walk through the main doors and runs over, pulling me into a hug so tight I almost lose my balance. "Oh my god, I was so worried. Are you okay? ""What happened?""Just asked me some questions. I answered, and then they let me go." I shrugged like it was nothing, hugging her back. "I'll tell you everything later. I'm fine. Really."Across the hallway, I catch sight of Rita standing near her locker, and the moment she sees me, she actually flinches, springing up straighter like she wasn't expecting me to walk through that door lookin

I tell my parents I'm tired and heading up early. They don't question it. My mom kisses my forehead, my dad tells me to sleep in if I want, and I climb the stairs feeling lighter than I have in days, even with everything still hanging over my head.I sit on my bed and text Zane again.Ava: we need to talkNothing.Ava: zane... (eye roll emoji)Still nothing. I stare at the little delivered tag under my message for way longer than I should. He was answering fine then. Now it's like he fell off the planet.Ava: Are you seriously ignoring me right nowI put the phone face down on my nightstand and try to sleep. It does not work. I pick it up again ten minutes later, no new messages, and put it back down. I do this about six more times over the next hour, which is embarrassing to admit even to myself.By midnight I've convinced myself he's mad about something. By one, I've decided I don't even care if he's mad. By two, I'm replaying the texts, every single thing I said in the car, on the