"Lexi," Avian said in a low warning tone, causing Lexi to look at him, a pout tugging on her bottom lip.

"But it's true," Lexi said, folding her arms against her chest. She looked at me to back her up.

"Of course it is," I said with a smile as I placed a spoon of baked beans in my mouth. Lexi smiled in victory and stuck her tongue out at Avian, before turning her attention back to the sausages on her plate.

Avian smiled warmly at me and went back to his food, his eyes not leaving mine.

I stared uncomfortably at my food and s.h.i.+fted in my chair.

"Can we go to the park Avian?" Lexi said, her request m.u.f.fled because of the food she had just shoved into her mouth.

"Not today" Avian said, glancing at his little sister wearily. Lexi's face fell so much, you could have sworn that her favorite cartoon character had just been killed.

"Why not? Mom and dad aren't home and you're supposed to take care of me" she whined, glancing sadly at the now-forgotten sausages on her plate.

I raised my brow at Avian, wondering why she couldn't go to the park.

"We have to go to school Lexi. Besides, you have school too" Avian said, laughing slightly at his sister's lovability.

Then don't go to school," Lexi whined, frowning at Avian "go to the park. With me"

"Shay doesn't ditch school! She's a good girl" Avian said, smirking at me with raised brows. I took in a deep breath and glared at Avian, before dragging my attention back to Lexi.

"I'll do it," I said, jutting out my chin. Avian looked at me with an impressed expression.

What was I doing?

But it was too late to take back my decision because Lexi was squealing happily and looking at me with s.h.i.+ning eyes.

How could I say no to a pair of ma.s.sive brown eyes?

"Yeah I don't mind," I said louder, clearing my throat. Lexi clapped wildly as she happily shoved more sausages into her mouth.

Avian rolled his eyes and glanced at me with a tiny smile, before focusing his attention back on his food.

*****

"She's too adorable," I said as Avian and I sat down on one of the benches across the playground. The wind carried stray litter that had been thrown carelessly onto the floor, as well as dead leaves that had fallen from the trees as if giving up on the lives they had had through the summer and the spring.

"Yeah she is," Avian glanced over to where Lexi sat in the sand, along with another little boy she had just met, building sandcastles.

"She doesn't look like you," I said, smiling as Lexi waved when she spotted Avian and I sitting "who does she take after?"

Avian took in a deep breath and I turned my head to look at him; he looked uncomfortable.

Was it something I said?

"Lexi's adopted" Avian said, turning his head to look at me. I glanced at him, my eyes widening slightly, and turned back to gaze at Lexi, who had now moved on to the slides. My cheeks flushed and I stared at my feet nervously.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry" I said quietly, turning my gaze towards Avian. He smiled at me for a moment, before glancing back at Lexi.

"It's okay, she knows," Avian said, leaning back in his chair. I did the same.

"She was three when mom adopted her, so she's aware that my mom isn't her mom" Avian said, before looking at me once more. "So skipping school? You're becoming quite a rebel."

I rolled my eyes and shoved him playfully.

"Shut up"

He laughed and glanced at Lexi for a second, before looking back at me "why did you skip anyway? Running from someone?"

"No," I said sincerely, shrugging my shoulders "Angel and Rain cornered me, and we talked."

Avian nodded and glanced at me, waiting for me to go on.

"I mean, we didn't talk about everything, but I don't avoid them anymore," I sighed and ran my hands through my hair "I just want everything go back to the way it used to be."

Avian looked at me, confused and I realized that he had no idea what had happened this summer.

I was glad about that.

"What do you mean?" Avian asked, looking at me.

I avoided eye contact.

"Let's just say my friends and I are okay now."

We were silent for some time, just watching Lexi playing tag.

"You always evade conversations when we are talking about you" Avian said quietly, turning his gaze to me. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair again.

"I can't," I swallowed and focused my attention on Lexi.

What was I meant to reply to that?

He was right because anytime he had asked questions that were a little too private, I always dodged them.

I turned to glance at him and I realized that ever since that night, he was the only one that I had held a conversation with and had spent time with for longer than five minutes.

The only one apart from Lolita.

I swallowed.

"I can't talk about it," I said, looking away from him "At least not yet"

He didn't respond and we both turned back to watch Lexi.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" He said quietly, turning his gaze to me.

I looked at him.

Did I?

"No"

He nodded but didn't say anything, before looking away

There was silence for a moment.

"You'll be okay Shay," he said quietly, and I turned to look at him.

He was not looking at me with pity, or as though he was just saying it to make me feel better.

He looked like he meant every word.

"It gets better," he said with a small smile.

And it was.

Getting better, I mean.

I looked at him with a smile in time to see something flash through his eyes, but it was so fast that I thought I must have imagined it.

I nodded and tore my gaze from him.

Lexi was running towards us with a full smile.

"Can we go get ice-cream?" she batted her eyelashes and stuck out her bottom lip.

I laughed as Avian rolled his eyes, clearly aware of her persuasion methods, and nodded. She squeaked then and pulled Avian off the chair.

"Come on, the cart is this way" She tugged his arm and I followed in silence, smiling at the adorable five-year-old.

If she ate any more ice-cream, did that mean she would get even more restless?

I didn't think I could handle any more of her enthusiasm

I glanced up at the sky, and it was a clear blue color, with streaks of yellow and light pastel orange draped across it. There was no sign of dark clouds and no sound of thunder nor view of lightning.

The weather was perfect and this made me ecstatic.

My eyes widened as Avian reached down and grabbed my hand, wrapping his hands around them. He looked at me with a small smile and then continued walking behind Lexi.

I didn't know what to do. The last time I had felt the chills running up my hand and throughout my body all because of a touch was with Alex on my seventeenth birthday.

I glanced down at his hands, intertwined with mine.

With the b.u.t.terflies that had seemingly gone crazy in the pit of my stomach and the constant chills running up and down the arm he was currently tugging, I concluded that I liked Avian Carter.

I didn't know when it had happened, and I didn't even know him that well, but I had slept in his house twice and after he had rescued me last night, I felt nothing but pure happiness towards the boy walking in front of me.

The feeling of holding someone's hand, the hand of someone you have clear feelings for, was electrifying.

I smiled as we slowed down, nearing the ice-cream cart, but he did not let go of my hand. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to.

As I glanced at Lexi, who could not seem to make up her mind on the flavor of ice-cream she wanted, I realized that I was able to handle a lot more excitement.

As I glanced between the hyper five-year-old bouncing up and down and the reluctant seventeen year old pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, it dawned on me that Avian was right.

It would get better.

Because truthfully, it could not get worse