Brushstrokes 011

Friday, January 22th

—

Sophie let out a deep breath before responding, "Ava, I'm not mad at you. I'm just worried about you. You seemed really hurt by all of this, and I don't want to see you get hurt again."

Ava's eyes welled up with tears, "I don't know what to do. I thought I had feelings for Jack, but now I'm not so sure."

Sophie put her arm around Ava and pulled her into a hug, "It's okay to not know what you want, Ava. Just take your time and figure it out."

Ava smiled weakly, grateful for Sophie's understanding

Ava looked at Sophie with pleading eyes. "How can I fix things with Max and everyone else? I don't want to lose my friends," she asked.

Sophie hugged her again, "You won't lose us, Ava. But you have to understand that people need time to process things, especially when they involve emotions. Just be patient and give them space."

Ava nodded, understanding what Sophie was saying. "But what about Jack? Things are so confusing between us now. I don't even know where we stand."

Sophie gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm sure Jack is just as confused as you are. You two just need to talk and figure things out. But remember, be careful with each other's feelings."

Ava nodded, grateful for Sophie's advice. They spent the rest of the class talking about how Ava could make things right and move forward.

After class, Ava felt a little better. She had a plan to talk to Max and apologize for not being honest with him, and she knew she had to have an honest conversation with Jack about their feelings.

As she walked through the hallway, she noticed Jack leaning against a locker, looking at her. Their eyes met, but Ava quickly looked away, feeling nervous and confused.

She wasn't sure if she was ready to have the conversation with Jack, but she knew she couldn't keep avoiding him forever.

Jack approached Ava with a tentative smile on his face, and Ava felt her heart rate quicken in response. "Hey," he said softly, his eyes searching hers for a reaction. "Can we just forget the last few days and go back to how it was before?"

Ava considered his request for a moment. On one hand, she was relieved that Jack seemed to want to put their recent awkwardness behind them. On the other hand, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more that Jack wasn't telling her. But for the time being, Ava decided to go along with it. She was tired of feeling lonely and disconnected from everyone around her.

"Yeah," she said, returning his smile. "Let's just forget about it."

Jack visibly relaxed, and Ava felt a pang of guilt for not pushing him to talk about whatever was bothering him. But she reminded herself that she couldn't force Jack to confide in her if he wasn't ready. For now, she would try to enjoy their renewed friendship and not worry about what may or may not happen in the future.

Ava turns to Jack and asks, "How do we fix things with Max? He's so angry with me."

Jack looks down and fiddles with his hands, "I don't know, Ava. I don't think there's anything we can do to fix things with him."

Ava's heart sinks. She doesn't want to lose Max as a friend, but she knows she messed up. She's not sure how to make things right.

"I'm sorry, Ava," Jack says, sensing her disappointment. "I'll talk to him and try to smooth things over."

"Thanks, Jack," Ava replies, grateful for his help.

As they part ways, Ava can't help but wonder how things got so complicated. She thought that things would be easy with Jack, but now everything feels like it's falling apart. She hopes that Jack can make things right with Max, but she's not sure if things will ever be the same between them again.

Later that evening, as Ava sat in her room, her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the screen and saw that it was Max calling. She hesitated before answering, still unsure of how to approach the conversation.

"Hey," she said, answering the call.

"Hey, Ava," Max said. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted the other day. I was a little taken aback by the news and didn't handle it well."

"It's okay," Ava said, relieved to hear that Max was willing to talk.

"I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I was really disappointed," Max continued. "But I understand that you didn't do anything wrong, and I don't want to ruin our friendship over it."

Ava felt a weight lifted off her shoulders as Max spoke. She was glad that they could talk things out and remain friends.

"I'm really glad we can still be friends," she said.

"Me too," Max said. "So, what have you been up to?"

Ava smiled, feeling the tension between them dissipate. She launched into a description of her day, telling Max about her conversation with Sophie and the plans they had made to hang out over the weekend. As they talked, Ava felt herself relax, grateful for Max's understanding and support.

As their conversation comes to a close, Max tells Ava that she can finally focus on the art scholarship again. Ava's heart sinks as she realizes that she had completely forgotten about it. She thanks Max for reminding her and vows to focus on it.

After hanging up, Ava heads to her room and takes out her sketchbook. She flips through the pages and sees the half-finished sketches of the abandoned factory. She remembers the eerie feeling she had when she discovered the chalk hearts and wonders if there's a connection to Emily and Mia's death.

Ava sets her mind to finishing the sketches and creating a masterpiece for the Bayview Academy scholarship. She spends the night sketching and painting, letting her thoughts flow onto the canvas. As she works, she realizes that art has always been her escape, her way of processing her emotions and finding peace.

By the time Ava finishes, it's already early morning. She looks at the painting and feels a sense of accomplishment. For the first time in days, she feels like she's made progress and is one step closer to achieving her dreams. With a sense of determination, Ava sets her alarm for school the next day, ready to take on whatever challenges come her way.