Tangled

Unshift 279

Unshift 279

279 Ava: Best Friends Together Again

Kellan nods reluctantly, trudging off the porch with slow steps. I shake my head, still smiling, and step inside.

“Lisa?” I call out. "It's safe to come out now. I've banished the big bad wolf."

A muffled curse comes from the direction of my bedroom, followed by the sound of shuffling feet. Lisa appears in the doorway, wrapped in'a towel, her wet hair dripping onto the shoulders.

"Is he really gone?" she asks, peering around me suspiciously.

I nod. "He's outside. I told him to give you some space."

Lisa's shoulders relax, and she pads over to the couch, sinking into it with a heavy sigh. "Thank God. I thought he was going to break down the bathroom door. I had to kick him out because he kept peeking in to make sure I was okay. While showering"

"Yes, I'm not surprised." I toss a few things at her to wear. Shirt, pants, underwear. "These aren't fancy, but none of us got to bring our wardrobe."

"I never realized what a luxury clothes are," Lisa agrees, unperturbed by the mismatched and style-less choices, hopping into the bathroom to get dressed. "Do you happen to have a hair dryer?" "Nope."

"Damn. Oh, well."

Lisa emerges from the bathroom, striking an exaggerated pose in the oversized clothes I've given her. The baggy fabric hangs off her frame, accentuating how thin she's become.

"How do I look?" she asks, her voice playful but strained.

My heart clenches painfully in my chest. "Fabulous as always," I manage, forcing a smile. "You could make a potato sack look good."

shoulders touching. For a moment, we

replaced by a weariness that makes her look years older. "I don't want to think about it right now, if that's okay." She reaches for my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Can we just focus on the fact that I'm here? With you? God, Ava, I missed you so much." Guilt

Lisa interrupts, her voice gentle. "Don't do that

words keep spilling out, raw and painful. "There was no way to get to you. We didn't know where you were, and then we did, but we were powerless to save you immediately,

11:30

<

Best Friends

to... I had to be there. I felt like I was

tighten around mine, her face somber. "Ava, stop. You don't need to explain. I get it, okay? I hate that our... our selfishness brought all this tragedy to Westwood. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I was with you every step of the way, whining and complaining. I'm the one that pushed you

form words. We lapse into silence. There's so much I want to say, so many questions I

sit, hands clasped, lost in our own

Lisa says, "So, do you

to let

flashes across her face.

"Still, he orders it."

remembers that I

"And olives."

and adds extra

"Sounds like you aren't too unhappy with how things have

was just standing there, and then this giant wolf comes out of nowhere growling and ready to tear us apart. All the other wolves don't even fight him, and then-ugh. Anyway, when he shifts I finally realize it's

to hiss, "He kissed me, Ava. Not a peck. Not a

on my hand. "Was it

She avoids my eyes. "Okay, yes. It was mind-blowing. Like sex, but with only mouths. But everyone was watching. And then he picked

I saw that." Trying desperately to hide my amusement, I

beat me within an inch of my life if I was ever kidnapped again. Oh, and then he threatened to cut off all my hair and turn