Sinful (WICKED #2) | ✓

13

ELLA WASN'T QUITE SURE what to say, Levi's expression mortified. Ava and Alex seperated at that moment, but they kept staring at each other, a mixture of emotions in their eyes which she couldn't decipher. After a moment of silence Ava turned and walked away, leaving him behind without another word. She picked up her pace more and more as the distance increased until she was running, Ella following behind immediately. She caught up to her friend quite easily, Mia already out of breath several miles behind, and grabbed Ava's arm before she could run any further. It was weird to see her this agitated, a frown creasing her face and alcohol staining her cheeks red.

Mia had caught up by the time Ava spoke, her voice starting soft amidst the loud shouts of the crowd around them, before growing almost angry as she shook her head.

"Fuck," she said. She ran a stressed hand over her face, as if wiping her blush away. "I'm so angry at myself."

"Ava," Ella began, voice careful.

"No," she said, though it sounded like she was still talking to herself," because I'm not ready to go down this rabbithole again. I know how this will end, what it will do to us."

"Why are you blaming yourself so much?" Mia asked gently.

"Because I should know better," Ava answered, a hint of heartbreak lingering in her voice," I have to be the responsible one with Alex, because otherwise we're both only getting hurt, more and more." She sighed, closing her eyes. "I can't afford to be selfish."

Consoling people really wasn't Ella's forte, but Mia intervened before she could even think of what to say. The girl pulled them in a group hug, softly, so Ava could tell her to stop at any moment. When Ava stepped away a moment later, she had collected herself, none of the vulnerability from before visible.

"Thank you," she said, her confident smile back on her face," excuse me now while I go get some water, I can't go back to him still tipsy."

"We'll go with you," Ella said.

Ava shook her head, waving them off with a hand.

"It's fine, really. I'll be right there, so go and congratulate Will for me." She turned around to leave, but Ella and Mia just followed, causing her to blink at them. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're not leaving you alone that quickly," Ella said, hooking her arm through Ava's," I will let you know that I am a pro at sobering people up."

"You can always rely on us, Av," Mia smiled.

Ava rolled her eyes, but it was easy to see that it was good-natured, her lips having curled up warmly. They crossed the field towards the small cabin that stood beside it. After downing three glasses of water from the bar inside and touching up her lipstick, they headed to the location Levi had texted her. Ella noticed Will immediately, everyone having crowded around him as he beamed and answered whatever they asked. Around him most of the St Joseph students were passing around liquor and downing shots in the parking, loud music thumping from the box one of them carried.

The school bus was gone, three party buses in it's place now, Ella not even having noticed when they had swapped. Alex sat behind the driver's seat, looking absolutely wasted, Levi on the floor beside him, leaning against the side of his chair and stopping Alex from drinking any more every time he tried to grab the bottle of vodka on the dashboard. Ella was ready to help him when someone bumped into Ava.

He seemed to not even notice, ready to move on, when she grabbed his wrist, eyebrow raised.

"Not even a sorry?" she asked.

He turned around, his dark hair falling in front of his eyes and his skin a warm shade of brown. A frown had creased his forehead, his eyes narrowing, but before Ella could even step in between to tell him to calm down, he spoke.