The Avery Shaw Experiment

Grayson


Where does one even begin when talking about Avery Shaw? I’ve known her, her whole life, and yet I’ve never really gotten to know her.

She and her mom have been unofficial members of my family since our moms threw up on each other in a prenatal yoga class when I was fourteen months old. They only got closer after Avery’s dad skipped town when Avery was four. My family sort of adopted them, and my father took his place as the only male role model in Avery’s life.

I always looked at her as sort of pesky little sister, but that all changed the day my brother dumped her. Why, you ask? Let me put it this way: When a girl lets you be the one to hold her as her entire world falls apart, even though you’re ass naked, it changes the way you see her.

The soaking-wet, see-through t-shirt didn’t hurt, either.

It took me a while to get out of the shower after Avery finally left. I had to let the water run cold first because, well, because I had to. Plus, I needed some time to process. Avery Shaw had suddenly barged into so much more than just my shower. She’d also crashed into my head in a way I never thought possible and maybe even wormed her way into my heart a little bit. I had no freaking clue how to handle that, much less what to do about it. But I had to do something. Avery was destroyed and completely incapable of fixing herself.

That was the moment the Avery Shaw Experiment started for me. It wasn’t defined yet, and I had no idea I’d be earning extra credit for it—that was an added bonus—but that was the first time I realized Avery Shaw had the potential to be so much more than what she was. All she needed was a little help from someone normal and cool who could introduce her to life the way it’s supposed to be lived.

I decided, as I cooled off in the shower that day, that I was going to fix Avery Shaw. I was going to help her get over her dependency on my brother and turn her into a normal, socially-competent person by showing her how the world really worked.

I was going to start by making her celebrate New Year’s Eve the right way—at a real party, on a real date, with a real kiss at midnight. I was excited about it too. No joke, when I got dressed that night, I looked in the mirror and was like, “Watch out, Avery Shaw. Grayson Kennedy is about to change your life.”

Well somebody had to.

No surprise, I found her in bed buried deep beneath the covers. I sat down near the head-shaped end of the lump under the quilt, and her croaky all-cried-out voice said, “Please, just go away, Mom. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

I don’t know why, but that made me smile. “Good, because listening really isn’t one of my strong points.”

I could practically feel the horror radiating out of her when she realized it was me. “Go away, Grayson!” she shrieked. “Haven’t I already seen enough of you for one night?”

I’ve always teased her about the boy/girl stuff because it’s too easy to make Little Miss Prude blush. But had the girl always been so hilariously cute?

“You had your eyes closed the entire time,” I teased. “You didn’t see anything interesting.”

“Well, I definitely felt it!”

I laughed again. I knew I should probably drop it, but I couldn’t help myself. “I’m well aware of what you felt, Aves. I was feeling plenty right then too. Obviously. So, was it as good for you as it was for me?”

“Ugh! You really are made of hormones! Just go away and let me die!”

I backed off before she had a stroke. “No can do, girlie. There’s a wild New Year’s Eve party over at the resort with our names on it.”

I knew she wouldn’t say anything, but I paused and gave her the chance anyway before I said, “Unless you’d rather spend the evening with the rents and my idiot little brother, drowning in awkward silences and avoiding all eye contact, because you know there is no way our moms will let you hide out in this room all night. I heard them discussing removal strategies not two minutes ago.”

I actually hadn’t, but I was sure that’s what they were doing.

Avery knew it was true too, because she threw the covers off her face and glared at me.

“Come on, Aves. Let’s go before they make us do the dishes.”

Slowly her glare faded into a wary look. “I don’t really have anything to wear to a party.”

I’d seen Avery in everything from jeans to pajamas to dresses to swimsuits, but as I let my eyes slide over her then, it was as if I was seeing her for the first time.

Avery’s never going to win the award for hottest girl in school, but she’s definitely cute. She seems tiny compared to my hulking six-foot-four, hundred-and-eighty-five-pound self, but I think standing next to each other, we have the same effect that a big old golden retriever and a kitten would. Somehow it just works.

She has decent hair—light brown and straight. It goes nicely with her pale skin and light smattering of freckles. She also has a cute little button nose, but her most attractive feature, aside from the amazing rack I’d just discovered, was definitely her big, expressive eyes. They were a vibrant blue very similar to my own, but she never guarded them. You could always see right into her soul. That was the one thing I had always noticed about her before. She was always so honest. All you had to do was look closely and her eyes would tell you everything you wanted to know. That’s a rare thing in girls. At least it is in all the ones I’ve ever dated.

“Just put on whatever you have that’s warm,” I said.

I started to leave the room, but she stopped me at the door. “Grayson?” Her tone tugged at something inside me. “You really want to take me with you tonight?”

She sounded so small and unsure of herself. It was how she always sounded at school and around strangers but never when she was at home with us. I think my brother had really broken her. I was seriously going to have to beat him sometime.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I know I really freaked out on you earlier, but I promise I’ll be fine. Aiden’s right.” She swallowed back a lump in her throat. “I’ll manage without him somehow.”

“Aiden’s a tool. You can learn how to manage tomorrow. Tonight’s New Year’s Eve, and for once in your life, you’re going to spend it without Aiden or The Discovery Channel.”

I knew I was making progress when she cracked a smile and asked, “What about Whootylicious in 7B?”

I thought of the luscious booty I’d originally planned on seeing tonight and sighed. “That will be an unfortunate loss, but, like you, I will just have to deal.”

I winked and then decided I’d give her ten minutes before I came back and physically dragged her out of bed.

She didn’t make me wait that long. She emerged after only five minutes dressed in a pretty dark-blue sweater dress, skinny jeans, and knee-high black boots. The belt she wore over the sweater showed off her tiny waist and called just the right amount of attention to that glorious chest of hers. Seriously, how had I never noticed that before?

“You look really nice,” I blurted, unable to hide my surprise.

The compliment startled her. She blushed and looked at her feet as she mumbled, “I need to blow my hair dry.”

I grinned. “Don’t want to have to explain to anyone how it got wet, eh?”

She turned even brighter red but then glared at me. “I just don’t want my hair to freeze.”

I laughed as I threw my hands up in surrender and then laughed even harder when she stalked past me into the bathroom.

I leaned against the door and watched, curiously, as she dried her hair. There was something oddly fascinating about watching Little Avery Shaw primp. She’d never seemed like such a real girl to me before. She wasn’t so little anymore, either.

She caught me staring at her in the mirror, so I quickly said, “I thought dorks were supposed to have bad hair and horrible, frumpy fashion senses.”

“Just because I enjoy learning doesn’t mean I’m a dork,” she said, insulted.

“Two words for you Aves: science club.”

Avery sucked in a breath, and I realized that the science club might not be the best topic of discussion tonight.

“Words that are no longer allowed to be repeated for the rest of the night,” I said quickly. I prayed she wouldn’t start crying again.

Avery slowly let the air out of her lungs and then put down the hair drier. As she brushed her hair into place, I had a strong urge to touch it. Then she coated her lips with a light layer of shiny pink gloss that smelled delicious, and I was the one sucking in a breath. My mouth had suddenly gone dry.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

She turned and looked up at me as if wondering what my problem was. Hell if I knew. We shared one small moment of intimacy, and suddenly the girl had my insides turning to mush. She had no idea how close I was to kissing her right then.

“Uh, Grayson?”

“Hmm?”

I pulled my head out of my butt just in time to watch Avery’s cheeks get all pink again. Man she was cute like that. “Right. Sorry. Okay. So prepare yourself. Everyone’s downstairs, and it’s going to be awkward as hell until we can get out the door. Think you can make it?”

She hesitated but then nodded. The action was quick and jerky like a little bit of the panic she felt earlier was creeping back in.

I forced her to keep her eyes focused on me. “Hey. I’m right here. If you need to, just keep your head down and let me do all the talking.”

I took her hand when it became apparent that her feet wouldn’t start walking on their own. Her fingers automatically curled around mine. She was starting to tremble, so I hurried her downstairs before she had any more time to work herself into another panic attack. I dragged her straight over to the front door, grabbed her coat off the hook, and held it out for her to slip her arms into.

“Where are you guys off to?” my dad asked, being the first one to notice us.

Heads turned our direction and the air in the room turned thick and heavy. I felt the stares every bit as much as Avery did, but I didn’t pause in my efforts to bundle her up. I zipped her coat, then reached for her hat and scarf.

“We’re just going to go walk around town for a bit, grab some hot cocoa, and maybe head over to the resort in time to catch the fireworks.”

Scarf now securely in place, I plopped Avery’s hat on her head. Our eyes met and I whispered, “We’re almost free. You’re doing great.” I was shocked when I received a small smile from her.

Avery put on her gloves, while I grabbed my own coat. As I quickly shoved my hat on my head, Aiden finally opened his big, stupid mouth. “You’re taking out Avery?”

My jaw clenched. I knew it was too much to hope to just get out of there without anyone saying anything. The fact that it was Aiden bringing it up, along with the incredulity in his voice that made it sound as if Avery wasn’t good enough to be my date for the evening, pissed me off way more than I’d expected it would.

I felt insanely protective of Avery all a sudden. Instead of just walking out the door like I probably should have, I turned around and gave my brother a defiant look. “Is that a problem?”

Aiden’s eyes narrowed on me. “It’s just out of character. He flicked his gaze to Avery. “For both of you.”

As if he could talk about acting out of character. My hands clenched into fists, matching the tension in my jaw. “You’re the one who told her she needed to start hanging out with other people, and since when is it out of character for me to want to spend the evening with a beautiful girl?”

Aiden’s face flashed with pure rage, but I stared him down. If he tried to argue that statement in any way, I was going to lay him out.

I must have been pretty obvious because the adults all chose that exact moment to intervene.

“Be back by twelve thirty.”

“You haven’t had dinner yet!”

“Take your cell phones!”

I sputtered as I tried to figure out what everyone just said. “We’ll get some dinner while we’re out, Kaitlin. And Dad, come on. It’s New Year’s Eve. One o’clock.”

My dad rolled his eyes. “One,” he agreed grudgingly. “But only because it’s Avery, and I trust her to keep you out of trouble.”

Normally I would argue that, but I just wanted to get poor Avery out of there. I grabbed her hand and whirled around toward the door. “Thanks, Dad!”

We’d almost escaped and then my mom said, “Grayson you come over here and give your mother a kiss goodbye before you go.”

Suppressing a sigh, I grinned at my mom. “Last time I did that, you said it was bad manners.”

The look she gave me said she wasn’t in the mood, so I obeyed with no more arguments. “Thank you,” she whispered as she brushed her lips on my cheek.

I pulled back and Kaitlin was right there, waiting for her turn to hug me. This was not a standard practice every time I left the house by any stretch. This was our moms, the worry twins, inwardly gushing over my rescuing Avery, so I wrapped my arms around Avery’s mom and gave her an exaggerated bear hug. “Happy New Year, Kaitlin!”

She laughed when I gave her a big kiss on the cheek. “Always such a charmer, Grayson Kennedy.”

I grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Just make sure you don’t try to use that charm on my daughter tonight.”

“Ms. Shaw!” I pretended to be scandalized. “I would never!”

Except apparently I would. I almost did upstairs not five minutes ago.

Kaitlin sobered up and lowered her voice so that only I could hear. “I mean it, Grayson. You be careful with her tonight. I’m sure she’s really vulnerable right now.”

Talk about a mood killer. I tried to sound sincere when I said, “She’s practically a sister to me, Kaitlin. I’ll behave myself.”

This afternoon that statement would have been true. Now I just hoped I could get through the night without breaking my promise, because Kaitlin was right. Taking advantage of Avery right now would make me a bigger jerk than Aiden.

“You’d better,” Kaitlin said, but there was teasing in her tone now.

“I will.”

It was now or never. I grabbed Avery’s hand again and made another break for the door. I even got it open this time, but Aiden just couldn’t let us go. “Aves, are you really going to go out with Grayson?”

And I was back to being pissed off. I tried to keep walking, but Avery stopped. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

Balls! If he said yes, she would stay for him. Even after how much he hurt her today. And he would ask, the selfish punk. He’s always gotten his way with her, ever since they were kids. He says jump, and she happily asks how high? It’s not that he doesn’t care about her. He just has the more dominant personality of the two, and apparently her feelings run a lot deeper than his, so she gives in to his every whim.

“Aves, of course I want you to stay. It’s New Year’s Eve, and we came here to spend it together.”

Avery frowned. “But earlier you said—”

“I didn’t mean I never wanted to see you again. You’re still my best friend. You don’t have to go out with him just to avoid me.”

What the hell! I don’t know what I ever did to him that he thinks hanging out with me would be so awful. I’m an awesome big brother. “Maybe she wants to.”

Aiden glared at me and then stomped over to us. “Do you, Avery? Do you actually want to go on a date with Grayson? Or are you doing this because of me?”

“I—” Avery’s eyes darted frantically between Aiden and me and then they filled with tears.

“Aves,” Aiden said in a voice that he had no right using on her. “Obviously I hurt your feelings earlier. I’m sorry. I was nervous, and I guess I didn’t explain things right. Why don’t you stay home tonight and we’ll talk.”

He reached up to wipe the tears from her face, and I almost decked him. I really wanted to, but I didn’t have any claim to her. This was between the two of them as much as I didn’t like it.

“Maybe that’s a good idea,” Kaitlin interrupted. “I think the two of you need to try and work this out.”

I cringed. To have to go through all this with our freaking parents eating up every word like a trashy novel? I would hate to be Avery right then. I wanted to kill Aiden for putting her in this position!

Avery’s grip on my hand loosened, but she didn’t let go. She glanced around the room and then set those big, honest eyes on Aiden. “Do you love me?” she asked.

I choked on some spit.

“Aves, you’re my best friend. You’re practically my twin sister. Of course I love you.”

He was clueless. The friggin’ moron was completely clueless.

Avery’s face paled and her hand started shaking in mine. I gave her a gentle squeeze just to let her know I was still there, and suddenly she clamped down on my hand so hard I almost cursed.

Her voice trembled as she whispered, “I love you too, Aiden.” Then, still crushing the bones in my hand, she looked up at me. Her desperation was obvious. “You ready?”

I didn’t miss a beat. “Hell yeah.”

I dragged her out of there without letting her look back.