Page 98 of The Backup Plan
“May I ask how much the collection went for?”
“A semester’s tuition.” Avery lifted her chin. “I think the collector was over-generous and maybe felt sorry for me since all the student shows are for tuition, but maybe?—”
“Don’t do that. Don’t talk down your talent any more than you talk down your intellect. Bubblegum blonde girl is a valuable person and a skilled artist who has accomplished a lot. That is a huge sale, and you shouldn’t belittle it.”
“Thank you, Mindy. That means a lot to me. I don’t talk about my art much with anyone. I’m sorry if I’m rambling.”
“You’re not rambling. Have you made any friends in the program? Besides Cam, I mean.”
Avery grinned. “I’ll talk art with him. Cotton candy colors and rocks. We accept our stereotypes as dumb blonde and Neanderthal jock, and we have fun teaching each other.”
The moment she said it, a flush crept up her cheeks and scorched her face like a sunburn. She wanted to draw him and draw all over him, tracing her fingertips on his body while he raked his hands through her hair and down her back. The week since he first took her in his arms had been an exercise in clock management, stealing time to savor each other whenever his schedule allowed. It was enough because it had to be, but she craved him. She’d draw rock candy in his tattoo for how solid and sweet and mouth-watering he was.
“But other than that,” Avery continued, “not really. I hoped my roommate could be a good friend, and she’s nice, but she’s not really it. I thought Isaac and were going to be great friends, and that got way out of hand. I… well, my counselor pointed out that I have a history of short friendships I get really excited about and then that person kind of burns out on me. And she said I’m not to blame for people’s burnout and I shouldn’t be less than who I am, but it’s a lot to think about. It makes me nervous about Cam, like… enjoy it while you can.”
Her chin quivered.
“Avery. That’s a hard mindset to break, but I hope you know you should break it. Please make that one of your goals. You don’t deserve to limit yourself by thinking everyone will leave you. I hope that’s something you tackle soon.”
Mindy handed her a tissue, and Avery swiped fiercely at her red eyes before any tears welled. “I will. I’m going to. I’m going to sit down with Isaac and break down what went wrong, and I’m going to fix it if I can. For me and him, anyway. The rest is… well.”
She searched Mindy’s eyes as Justin’s name hung in the air. Avery wasn’t certain if Mindy had already written him off. After all, they had only been dating for a few weeks before the bonfire, and Justin was so tight-lipped about the entire thing, Avery had no clue whether he thought she was someone special who could be in his life long-term, or if they were both just having fun.
The loss of her role as Justin’s confidant stung. She wondered who he talked to about what happened. Cam said he apologized, but didn’t give details, and she respected his need to draw some lines around his friendship and his girlfriend. Justin had to talk to Isaac at practice, but more than a week had passed since the bonfire, and she hadn’t heard a word from her brother. Coupled with his silence before that awful night, they hadn’t really talked in almost a month.
Maybe she showed up to school, blew up his life, and fizzled out. A sparkler, or a sugar rush.
Mindy cleared her throat. “I know you’re seeing a counselor, but if you want, you can tell me how that goes.”
Avery nodded, whispered her thanks, and turned to leave.
“Cameron strikes me as a good balance to your energy,” Mindy said. “Maybe that’s something to think about when you consider friendships that survive or fade. Maybe you’re too much to double, but you’re not too much on your own.”
“That’s something to think about.”
“Avery. Remember that. You are not too much on your own.”
Avery
Can we meet for dinner tomorrow? Maybe not the cafeteria. We could go out and get a decent burger.
Isaac
I am always hungry for a decent burger. And maybe a popsicle.
Avery
The place we went before is closed for the season.
Isaac
We’ll buy a box at the store. I love popsicles.
Avery
So do I.
One down, one to go. She took a deep breath. It couldn’t hurt, and might help. Cameron said he was optimistic about Justin tackling some issues, and that was as far as he went explaining the conversation. It was enough.