Brushstrokes 010

Thursday, January 21th

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Ava's heart was beating rapidly as she walked towards the exit of the abandoned factory. She had to admit, she was a bit scared after seeing those chalk hearts on the walls. As she stepped out into the daylight, she was shocked to see Jack standing there, looking worried and agitated.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Ava asked, her voice shaking a little.

"I was looking for you," Jack said, his voice equally shaky.

Ava couldn't help but notice how different Jack looked. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept in days. His eyes were red and puffy, and his hair was messy.

"Are you okay?" Ava asked, taking a step towards him.

"I'm fine," Jack said quickly, taking a step back. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Ava could tell that something was off. Jack was acting weird, and she couldn't figure out why. She decided to confront him.

"Jack, what's going on? You're acting really strange," Ava said, crossing her arms.

Jack hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"I'm sorry about what happened between us," Jack said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to kiss you like that."

Ava was taken aback. She hadn't expected Jack to bring up their kiss, especially not in this situation.

"It's okay," Ava said, trying to ease the tension. "I understand that you were going through a tough time."

Jack nodded, but his expression remained guarded.

"Is that all?" Ava asked, trying to get him to open up.

"No," Jack said, shaking his head. "There's something else. Something I need to tell you."

As Ava looks at Jack, she can see the fear and anxiety in his eyes. She takes a step closer to him and asks him again, "Jack, is there something else you want to tell me?"

Jack hesitates for a long moment, the tension in the air palpable. Finally, he takes a deep breath and says, "Ava, I meant what I said about the kiss. But there's something else, something I need to tell you."

Ava feels a sense of relief that Jack is finally going to open up to her. But before she can say anything, Jack takes a sudden step forward and pulls her into a kiss. Ava is caught off guard, but she can feel the panic and desperation in Jack's kiss.

As Jack pulls away, Ava can see that he is shaking. "Jack, what's going on?" she asks, worriedly.

Jack struggles to get another word out. He is suffering, overwhelmed by the situation. After a few seconds of not answering, Jack turns around and runs away as fast as he can. Ava is left alone in front of the factory. She is shaken and confused by the experience and it takes her a few minutes to collect herself after Jack's breakdown.

Ava walks home alone, feeling more alone than ever. Her mind is swirling with confusion and questions about what just happened with Jack. She can't shake the feeling that there is something else he wanted to tell her, but he was too scared to say it.

As she walks, Ava can't help but think about the chalk hearts she saw on the wall of the factory. They fill her with a sense of dread and she wonders if they could be connected to Emily and Mia's deaths. The thought scares her and she picks up her pace, eager to get home.

When she arrives, Ava goes straight to her room and collapses onto her bed. She feels like she has lost all of her new friends already - Sophie is angry with her, Max is hurt and confused, and now Jack is acting strange.

Ava knows that she needs to focus on the scholarship application, but she can't bring herself to work on it. Her mind is consumed with thoughts of Jack and the strange encounter they just had.

As the night wears on, Ava feels more and more alone. She misses her old friends and the familiar surroundings of her old life. She wonders if coming to this new school was a mistake, but deep down she knows that she needs to give it a chance.

Eventually, exhaustion overtakes her and Ava falls asleep, her mind still racing with questions and confusion.

The next day, Ava walked into her first period English class, her heart pounding with anxiety. She nervously scanned the room, searching for Sophie's piercing gaze, but to her relief, Sophie wasn't there yet.

As Ava took her seat, she couldn't help but feel like everyone in the room was staring at her, like they all knew about the kiss with Jack. She tried to shake off the feeling, reminding herself that she didn't owe anyone an explanation for her personal life.

Sophie arrived a few minutes later, shooting Ava a quick glance before settling into her seat. Ava tried to catch her eye, but Sophie avoided looking at her.

The class began, but Ava found it hard to concentrate on the lesson. Her mind kept drifting back to the kiss with Jack and the strange encounter at the abandoned factory. She wondered what Jack had wanted to tell her, but he had run away before he could say anything.

Ava was lost in her thoughts when the teacher called on her to read a passage from the book they were studying. She stumbled over the words, her mind still elsewhere.

After class, Ava gathered her things and quickly left the room, hoping to avoid Sophie. But as she made her way down the hall, Sophie suddenly appeared beside her.

"Ava, we need to talk," Sophie said, her tone serious.

Ava's heart sank. She had been dreading this conversation.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ava asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"You know what I want to talk about. I heard about you and Jack. How could you do that to Max? He really liked you, Ava," Sophie said, her tone accusatory.

Ava felt her cheeks grow hot with anger. "I didn't do anything to Max," she retorted. "I never led him on, and I never promised him anything."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "You know that's not true, Ava. You knew how he felt about you, and you still went and kissed Jack. That's not fair to Max."

Ava felt her frustration growing. "I don't owe anyone anything, Sophie. I can kiss whoever I want. And for your information, Jack kissed me."

Sophie looked surprised for a moment before quickly regaining her composure. "That's even worse, Ava. You know Jack is going through a tough time with his parents' divorce. You shouldn't have taken advantage of him like that."

Ava felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She hadn't considered Jack's feelings in the moment. She had been so caught up in her own emotions that she hadn't thought about the consequences.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone," Ava said softly. "I just got caught up in the moment."

Ava nervously asked Sophie, "Are we going to be okay?"