Chapter 1: Ava
“Ava? Are you even listening to me?” Mia snapped at me as I looked up from my phone.
“Yes,” I lied. “I completely heard you.”
My friend narrowed her hazel eyes at me as a frown marred her face. Thick auburn hair hung in waves over one shoulder, and I envied her hair color as the sun picked up the highlights of chestnut and toffee, which shone through the natural red hues of her hair.
“Well, what did I say?”
“Um . . .” I winced at her glare. “I don’t know, I was reading the stats from this weekend’s game,” I explained hurriedly.
“Why? Was there a yard that you missed on Saturday?” Mia mocked as she rolled her eyes.
“Rushing or passing?” I teased her as she took a drink of her soda.
“Ugh, who cares?” Mia threw her hands up as she laughed at me. “As long as they move it down the field, doesanyonecarehow?”
“Yes!” I answered with a long-suffering sigh. I loved football. Even after my less than spectacular experience on Saturday morning, I was not letting that deter my passion for the game, and I still watched in the afternoon. Mia, who had been my best friend since we were four years old, knew I adored the sport. “How can you still not know this after fifteen years?”
“Because, Ava, darling, I stopped listening to you talk about football when we were about, hmmm,” she pretended to think about it, “four?”
“You’re full of shit, Mia Davis,” I laughed as I swung my bag of chips at her.
“Am not,” Mia giggled as she snatched my chips off me and stole a handful.
“I thought you were off carbs?” I smiled knowingly as I lay back on the grass, enjoying the afternoon sun.
“I am,” Mia moaned as she lay beside me. “I’m just socrackinghungry.”
I snort-laughed at her terminology. Mia refused to swear, and her alternatives always made me laugh. I closed my eyes against the bright August sunshine. “What did you read this time to tell you carbs were bad?”
“It was in the college newspaper.”
One eye popped open as I turned my head to look at her. “Serious?”
“Yes, Hayley’s health piece this week was about how carbs destroy your weight loss goals.”
I rolled onto my side as I looked at Mia. Even lying on the grass in a short jean skirt and a pale pink T-shirt, she was stunning. “Mia, what are you losing weight forthistime?” I saw her frown of annoyance at the inflection of my voice and belatedly realized she was hangry.Shit.
“Thistime, as you put it,” she shot me an annoyed glare, “I need to lose eight pounds.”
I cast my eye over Mia’s frame. She was taller than me by about two inches, and her five-eight height allowed her to have some of the best legs I’d ever seen on a female. “Where do you have to lose it from?” I teased. “You have nothingspareto lose, Mee.”
“I think I’m carrying excess water.”
“I think you’re an idiot,” I replied with a smile as I rolled onto my back again and closed my eyes.
“Whatever,” Mia muttered beside me. “Anyway, as much as Iamwonderful to talk about, I was asking howyouwere?”
“I’m good.”
“You’re full of poop.”
I grunted in amusement. “Honestly, I’m good.”
“You never talk to me,” Mia complained. I didn’t answer; Ididtalk, I just didn’t have much to say. Mia stood suddenly. “Okay, I need to go get a salad or something before I start chowing down on the grass.”
“Try eating something more substantial than a carrot,” I advised as my hand dipped into my bag of chips.
