Dirty little secrets

Chapter8

~Ava~

I stayed in my room as long as I could get away with it, face smashed into the pillow, scrolling t****k on silent just to have something to stare at that wasn’t Chloe’s perfect i********: life. Riley kept texting me from downstairs:

get your ass down

they’re doing shots already

your mom is asking where you are

ava i swear to God d if you make me face this alone i’ll tell everyone about the time you cried during toy story 3

Finally she barged in without knocking, yanked the blanket off me, and threw a bikini at my head. “Up. Now. You hide any longer and your mom’s gonna send a search party. And then it looks suspicious, and then Jax knows he’s winning. You want that?”

“I want to die,” I muttered into the mattress.

“Cool, die downstairs by the pool like the rest of us.”

She literally dragged me by the arm to the bathroom, waited outside the door while I changed into the safest black one-piece I owned the one that covered everything and made me look like a depressed lifeguard. I stared at myself in the mirror and felt even worse. Great. Frumpy and pissed off. Perfect combo.

When we got downstairs, everyone was already out back. Music playing low, Mom laughing at something Richard said, burgers on the grill smelling way too good for how shitty I felt.

And then there was Chloe.

Of course she was in a red string bikini that probably cost more than my phone. Tiny triangles barely holding on, body tanned and smooth and curved in ways that made me want to wrap a towel around myself forever. She was sitting on the edge of a lounge chair, legs in the water, laughing at something Jax said while he stood in the pool, water to his waist, arms resting on the side.

He was shirtless. Obviously. Board shorts hanging low, abs wet and cut, that stupid V thing disappearing under the waistband. Gray sweatpants had nothing on this view.

I hated everything.

Riley elbowed me hard. “Stop staring or drool’s gonna hit the deck.”

“Shut up.”

Mom spotted us and waved like we were late to our own party. “There you girls are! Come on, sunscreen and drinks are over here.”

Chloe turned, waved with actual enthusiasm. “Ava! Riley! You guys made it!” She hopped up, boobs somehow staying perfectly in place and jogged over, barefoot, hugging me before I could dodge. She smelled like coconut and money.

“You look so cute in that suit,” she said, pulling back, hands still on my arms. “Black is so classic on you.”

I forced a smile that probably looked like I was in pain. “Thanks. You look… yeah. Great.”

Riley snorted behind me.

Jax glanced over from the pool, eyes flicking down my body for half a second before he smirked and looked away. Asshole.

Chloe grabbed my hand like we’d been friends forever. “Come sit with me! I wanna hear everything about your college apps. Jax says you’re applying to like Ivy League stuff?”

I let her pull me toward the chairs because fighting it would’ve looked weirder. “Uh, not really Ivy. Just some reach schools.”

“That’s so impressive though!” She plopped down, patted the spot next to her. “I’m psych at UCLA, but I almost went pre-med because my parents are doctors and whatever, but then I was like nooo, I can’t do blood.” She laughed, tossed her hair. “What about you? What do you wanna do?”

Riley dropped into the chair on my other side, already sipping a seltzer she definitely stole from the adult cooler. “Ava wants to be a professional hater. She’s really good at it.”

Chloe blinked, then laughed like Riley was hilarious. “Oh my God, stop. She’s not that bad.”

I shot Riley a death glare. She grinned back.

Mom came over with a tray of drinks mocktails for us, real ones for the adults. “Here, girls. Hydrate. It’s hot out.”

Chloe took one, sipped, made a happy noise. “These are so good, Mrs. S. Thank you!”

Mom beamed like Chloe just cured cancer. “Isn’t she sweet? You girls should take her shopping tomorrow or something.”

Riley choked on her drink. “Oh yeah, totally. Ava loves shopping.”

I kicked her ankle under the chair.

Jax climbed out of the pool then, water running down his chest, and I tried so hard not to look but failed immediately. He grabbed a towel, rubbed it over his hair, then slung it around his neck and walked over.

“Hey,” he said to the group, but his eyes landed on me for a beat too long.

Chloe lit up, reached for his hand. “Babe, come sit. You’re blocking my sun.”

He dropped into the chair on her other side, let her pull him closer so she could lean against his arm. His wet skin against her dry tanned shoulder. Cute. Real cute.

“You good?” he asked me, casually, like he didn’t know exactly what he was doing.

“Fantastic,” I said, voice flat.

Riley kicked me again.

Chloe turned to me, oblivious. “Jax says you're a killer in bio. I suck at science. You should totally tutor me if I visit again.”

Visit again. Like this wasn’t already hell.

“Sure,” I lied. “Anytime.”

Richard called from the grill, “Burgers in ten! Who wants what?”

Chloe raised her hand. “Medium rare for me, please! And no onions, I’m kissing your son later.” She winked at Jax.

He laughed low, squeezed her waist. “Noted.”

I stared at my drink like it personally offended me.

Riley leaned in, whispered, “You’re gripping that cup so hard it’s gonna explode.”

“Good.”

The afternoon dragged on in slow torture. Chloe kept trying to include me asking about my favorite shows, telling me my hair looked amazing air-dried, offering to braid it later. Every nice thing she said felt like a punch.

At one point she dragged me into the pool with her and Riley for chicken fights because apparently that’s what perfect girlfriends do. Jax lifted her onto his shoulders like she weighed nothing, hands high on her thighs, her laughing and gripping his hair.

Riley climbed onto some random float and declared herself referee. “No hair pulling, no drowning, loser buys ice cream later.”

I stood in the shallow end, arms crossed, pretending I wasn’t dying inside.

“You playing or what?” Jax called to me, smirking.

“Pass.”

Chloe pouted from up on his shoulders. “Come on, Ava! Team up with Riley!”

Riley swam over, grabbed my arm. “Don’t be a baby. Get on my shoulders.”

“I’m not getting on anyone’s shoulders.”

Jax raised an eyebrow. “Scared?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “Terrified.”

Chloe giggled. “She’s funny.”

I wasn’t trying to be funny.