The Avery Shaw Experiment

Grayson


Of all the stages of grief, so far guilt sucks the most. My date with Avery had been perfect. She looked amazing, she faced an insane party for me, and she was even having a good time! She severely dominated my best friend at a game of pool, making me the envy of every guy in the room . . . and then there was that dance.

She said she’d never felt anything like that, but what she doesn’t know is that I hadn’t either. Even with the countless girls I’d danced with, or done a whole lot more with, never in my whole life had I felt a connection like I did with Avery that night.

Forget my idiot brother. Avery was never meant to be with him. She was supposed to be with me. But, thanks to him, we didn’t kiss that night. In fact the perfect evening ended so disastrous that I was worried she’d never speak to me again.

She didn’t call Saturday or Sunday, and then at school the following week, she really distanced herself. She still sat with me at lunch and didn’t pull away when I put my arm around her or held her hand, but it was different now. It was like she wouldn’t allow herself to feel anything for me, not even friendship. I hated it.

She didn’t come to school on Friday, and then I got another weekend of radio silence. I tried to call her a couple times, but I only got voicemail. When she didn’t show up at lunch Monday, I really started to get worried.

“Maybe I should call her mom,” I said for the umpteenth time. I looked across the table, hoping for some advice from Pamela and Chloe, but they were busy looking over my shoulder with wide incredulous eyes.

Owen and I looked at each other and then turned around at the same time.

Avery’s friend Libby was standing there tapping a foot impatiently with her arms crossed. Her hair was in two buns on the top of her head that had tiny strands of hair sticking out from them in every direction. She was also wearing a giant hot pink t-shirt with a picture of a bored looking cat on it that said, “Do I look like I care about your problems?”

I’d seen this girl before at the science club meetings I was forced to attend every Monday after school, but my friends had never been exposed to the holy little terror, and they clearly didn’t know what to make of her.

When he could hold back no longer, Owen snorted and said, “Nice shirt.”

Libby’s eyes narrowed, and her hands went to her hips. “I make it work,” she said matter-of-factly. She gave her head a little jerk and said, “Heard my girl Avery stomped you so hard in a game of pool last weekend that Grayson had to take pity on you before every college freshman at UVU saw just how small your junk is.”

I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. I laughed so hard I cried, and when I got a hold of myself, I realized that everyone at the table was laughing just as hard as I was. “Damn, Grayson!” Owen laughed and had to wipe tears from his eyes. “Where did you dig this chick up? Is she for real?”

“She’s a nerd to be reckoned with, that’s for sure,” I said. “She’s Avery’s best friend. Libby, Owen. Owen, Libby. Never make the mistake of badmouthing cats in front of her. I think she used to be one in a past life.”

We started to laugh again, but then Libby cleared her throat. She sounded more than a little agitated. “Are you coming after school today?”

I stopped laughing. A wave of panic surged through me. The science geeks had promised they’d never rat me out, but who knew how loyal they were? If Libby told these guys where I spent my Monday afternoons, I’d never live it down.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Libby rolled her eyes and said, “Are you going to hang out with Avery after school today?”

At the mention of Avery’s name, I realized Libby must know what happened to her. “Why? Do you know where she is? What’s going on with her? I tried to call her this weekend, but she wouldn’t answer her phone. I was planning on going over to her house after school to check on her.”

“Relax, lover boy, she’s here. She’s doing a make up math test right now since she missed school on Friday. She’ll be around after school.”

I was relieved, but at the same time I was a little hurt. “Do you know what happened? Why she won’t answer my calls?”

Libby’s face flushed with anger. “Your jerk brother is what happened! She was feeling all crazy guilty after last weekend, so she dragged me to his debate on Thursday.”

Again, I was stung. She hadn’t said a word to me about it. “Why didn’t she ask me to come?”

“Something about not wanting to make Aiden feel bad. She doesn’t want him to think she’s replaced him with you.”

Libby rolled her eyes again as if Avery’s feelings were absurd. It actually helped to know that I had the little firecracker of a geek’s approval.

“Anyway, we went to his debate because she felt bad that she hadn’t talked to him in weeks. She was going on and on about how he’d said they were still friends and that she hadn’t been supportive enough since he got a girlfriend. She was determined to be nice to Mindy and prove that she could be friends with them both.” She snorted. “Please. As if anyone could be friends with that witch.”

“So what happened?”

“What happened?” Libby laughed, but there was no humor in it. “We get there and the first break the team gets, Aiden comes over, and instead of saying hello, he asks what we’re doing there.”

I pulled in a long breath through my nose.

Libby nodded in agreement with my anger. “Avery almost cried right then and there,” she said. “But instead she was all, ‘You said this was important to you, so I just came to support you.’ And then Aiden said, ‘Aw, that’s real sweet, Aves, but you shouldn’t have come. I think it’s upsetting Mindy, and you’re kind of distracting the whole team.’ The douche actually asked us to leave! Avery had a massive meltdown on the way home. She was so upset her mom called her out of school on Friday. They went to Vegas for the weekend just to get away.”

“I’ll kill him!”

“Please do,” Libby said. “And put a foot up his ass for me while you’re at it.”

Next to me, Owen laughed again, but I couldn’t appreciate Libby’s colorful personality at the moment. I was way too pissed off. I was also worried about Avery. I couldn’t imagine what that must have done to her.

“No wonder she didn’t return my calls this weekend. I can’t blame her if she never speaks to anyone in my family ever again.”

I earned another eye roll from Libby, this one laced with a don’t-be-an-idiot undertone. “Oh, please! Avery’s not answering your calls because she thinks having you around right now will make her feel worse, but that girl has never known what she needs.”

“What does she need?”

Libby looked like she was going to smack me upside the head. “She needs you, moron! She needs you and all your glorious manly perfection to come and make her forget that that loser ever existed. She’ll be in the science lab after school today, so come and get her and do not let her shut you out no matter what she says.”

“Okay, but—”

“No buts! She needs you. You go. End of story. I will not let another Kennedy brother let her down.”

By now I was trying to hide my smile, but I wasn’t succeeding very well. “I got it boss,” I said, giving Libby a mock salute. “Science lab. After school. Bring my glorious manly perfection.”

Libby’s posture finally relaxed a little. “Good.”

“Definitely a cat in a past life,” Owen muttered next to me. “But, like, a big scary one that ate people.”

Libby eyed Owen critically for a moment with a raised eyebrow. “And I’m guessing you were probably Adonis . . . or a golden delicious apple because you are positively yummy.”

Owen’s jaw dropped to his lap while everyone else at the table fell apart from laughter.

Libby, in her all-business attitude said, “Call me if you need a date to the prom. Grayson can get my number from Avery.” Then she spun on her heel and left the cafeteria.

Once she was gone Owen—with pink cheeks—turned back around and scowled. “That girl is a menace,” he grumbled as he shoved his sandwich in his face.

It was true, but we all laughed at him again anyway. I even offered to lend him the keys to the condo in Park City for prom night. I almost got punched.

For the rest of the day all I could think about was getting to science club. I know, I know. I deserve to be shoved in a locker or given a swirly for that comment, but it was true. I needed to see Avery.

I was the first one there. Mr. Walden gave me a curious look when I bounded in the door and started pacing the length of the room, but he didn’t ask.

After a minute Avery walked in with Libby and I froze. I’d never been afraid of a girl before, but I honestly had no clue what Avery was thinking, and I had no idea what to say to her.

I wasn’t sure if I should approach her, but then I saw the what-are-you-waiting-for look on Libby’s face, so I crossed the room, scooped her up into my arms and said, “I can’t believe you and Kaitlin went to Vegas and didn’t invite me. Not cool, Aves. I love Vegas!”

Avery let out this strangled laugh and finally threw her arms around my neck. When I set her down, there were tears in her eyes. I dried them for her and then dragged her over to a lab table and pulled out my project journal.

Avery cracked a small smile. “You’re awfully excited for science today.”

I shook my head. “Just anxious to get to the next stage of the experiment. Please tell me we’ve finally reached anger. Libby told me what happened at lunch, and I am so ready for you to slap my brother around.”

“Sorry.” Avery sighed. “I’m definitely still in guilt.”

“Well, I don’t like the guilt stage. Seeing as how I’m the stupid source of your guilt, the result is very dissatisfying for me. There is way too much of you ignoring me going on. A whole weekend of absolute silence, Aves? Unacceptable. I’ve grown way too attached for you to ditch me for four days straight without so much as a text.”

Avery sighed again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I hope you at least had some fun on your weekend off from the Avery Shaw Experiment.”

“No, as a matter of fact, I did not. But you know what does sound fun? Punching Aiden in the face. Or better, watching you punch Aiden in the face. So let’s dump the guilt and bring on the anger. I’ve been waiting for this stage since the day he ditched you.”

“Grayson, stop. I’m not going to punch him.”

“I figure good old confrontation is the best way to trigger it. The debate team meets just across the building. We could all go together. We’ll make it a science club field trip. We could have the geek squad film it for our final presentation at the fair.”

“I resent your use of the term geek squad,” Science Nerd Brandon said, throwing his bulky book bag down on the table across from Aves and me.

Science Nerd Levi plopped down next to him and said, “And I resent the fact that just because we’re smart, you automatically assume we would know how to film your experiments. Not every geek is born with audio-visual knowledge.”

Avery’s science club friends all freaked me out and cracked me up at the same time. Seriously. I’m not sure how Avery and Aiden turned out seminormal when these are the kids they’ve been hanging out with for years.

“Brandon, your shirt is tucked into your pants. You are a geek,” I pointed out. “It’s cool, though. Everyone has their thing. I’m an athlete. You’re a nerd. The world needs both to maintain balance. And Levi, there is absolutely no way you do not have extensive AV knowledge, am I right?”

Levi frowned but then sighed. “You are correct. I do know my way around video equipment, Mr. Dimwitted-jock-who-gets-tons-of-hot-girls-but-is-failing-high-school-science.”

I laughed. “Touché on the stereotyping.”

“Actually, I have my camera in my bag because Brandon and I are going to film the mixing of our next chemical compound for our experiment. I would be happy to capture on video the punching in the face of Aiden Kennedy if for nothing else than to show my posterity.”

“Levi!” Avery gasped. “How can you say that? Aiden is your friend.”

Brandon responded before Levi could. “He didn’t just abandon you, Avery.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as if it made him look tougher somehow. “He quit on us all. I personally would love to see him get punched.”

See? Science geeks aren’t all bad. I gave my nod of approval and then grinned at Libby. “Well, I know my girl Lib is in.”

I held out a fist in Libby’s direction. She frowned down at it. “My intelligence is evolved far beyond fist bumps. However, as the action would involve getting to touch your godliness for however brief a moment, I will allow it.”

I had no idea how to respond to this, so I just said “sweet” and knocked my knuckles against hers.

When I looked back, Avery was watching us with a smile.

“Well, that just leaves Tara,” I said, turning to the last geek of the group.

Tara was a freshman and somehow impossibly shier than Avery. She didn’t seem to panic the way Avery does, but I guess a good-looking, popular senior such as myself was too much for her to handle.

Sweet girl, as far as I can tell, but she’s never managed to say more than three words to me. The first time I spoke to her directly, she turned scary-red and almost fainted. She’s gotten a little better over the last two weeks, but not much.

“You down to crash a debate club meeting and witness a little science in action?”

Tara couldn’t get any words out this time, but she managed to nod her head, so I turned back to Avery. “The nerd herd has spoken, Aves. We’re all here for you. Time to find your inner Rocky.”

“You guys, no one is going to punch Aiden in the face, okay?” Avery rubbed at her temples like her head was starting to pound. “I’m not mad at Aiden. Hurt, yes; confused, very; but I’m not angry. Just because he hurt me, doesn’t make it okay for me to hurt him back. He had every right to want a little space from me. I can also understand the need to pull away for his girlfriend’s sake. If I was in her position and my new boyfriend had some girl that he’d been best friends with since birth, I’d be more than intimidated by her.”

“Come on, Avery!” Libby groaned. “You are not actually condoning the way he treated you Thursday night, are you?”

“Lib. They wanted to win. If I really was causing contention and distracting their team, then I can understand them wanting me to leave. He was really polite about it, at least. I don’t think he was angry that I showed up. I just feel bad that I messed them up. I heard they lost the debate.”

“They lost the debate because they suck!” Libby said. “And Aiden sucks for having no regard for your feelings whatsoever! He’s a jerk, Avery! How can you not be mad at him?”

“I’m just not, okay? Can we please drop it? I’m done working on the experiment for the day. We’re supposed to be helping Grayson with his physics too, and he’s got a make up quiz tomorrow on Newton’s Laws.”

This seemed to stop everyone. I wasn’t sure why they were suddenly all staring at me until Brandon said, “Did you really fail a quiz on Newton’s Laws?”

Okay. So they were staring at me because they all thought I was a moron. “What?” I asked a little defensively. “Like it’s easy? ‘Don’t steal’ I get. ‘Red means stop’ makes perfect sense. That Newton guy was smoking some serious crack when he made up his laws. When the hell will I ever use that stuff anyway?”

Avery patted my hand, but the rest of the nerds gaped at me and then shot each other a bunch of looks full of hidden meanings.

“This is not good,” Levi said gravely. “Our president is dating a simpleton. Imagine if the guys over at Payson High find this out?”

“We’d lose all our street cred,” Brandon agreed. “It’s going to be bad enough having to take him to the science fair.”

“Geeks have street cred?” I asked, only slightly offended. “And what will be so bad about having me at the science fair?”

“You’re a popular. A beautiful people. A jock. No offense, but that’s very bad for our reputation. Why do you think we were so happy to keep your presence in our club secret?”

I laughed in astonishment. Who knew?

“I happen to appreciate your beauty,” Libby announced. “As well as your willingness to sink to our level of nerdiness for Avery’s sake, even if you won’t own up to it to your friends. Your devotion makes up for your less-fortunate qualities, but I’m sorry, we simply cannot have a member of our science club not understand the basic laws of motion. This is a science club emergency.” Libby looked around the group. “It’s time Grayson gets his first lesson in applied physics.”

I was scared when the geeks dragged me out to the parking lot, but as it turned out “applied physics” was just some nerdy version of bowling. Actually, as far as punishment for failing a class goes, I could have done a lot worse than having to attend science club.

Once we were at the bowling alley, I caught Avery watching me as I laced up my bowling shoes. She did that every now and then during science club as if she still expected to see Aiden’s face instead of mine. It always made me a little sad when I noticed her missing my brother, so I did my best to put a smile on her face every time it happened.

“What? No pool hall?”

Her answering smile was small, but it was real.

Libby snorted. “Not if you want a chance at winning.”

Brandon puffed out his white-dress-shirt-clad chest and threw an arm around Avery’s shoulders. “Avery is a master pool player.”

“So I noticed.”

The knowing look I shot Avery made her blush. It hadn’t been her pool skills I noticed that night so much as the way she looked every time she leaned over the table to take a shot. I’d most likely have the same problem bowling today. Too bad she wasn’t still wearing that dress.

I changed the subject before I started drooling. “So which one of you is the genius nerd bowling prodigy?”

“Actually, none of us are very good bowlers,” Levi said. “It’s just one of the more simplified ways to explain Newton’s Laws of Motion. Athletes tend to be kinesthetic learners, so hands-on demonstrations usually work much better than lectures.”

Kinesthetic learner? Was I supposed to know what that was?

Levi sighed, reading the confusion on my face. “Kinesthetic learners are people who learn by physically carrying out an activity rather than just watching a demonstration or listening to a lecture. Judging by the way you cannot ever sit still for more than five minutes, I am going to assume that you are either a kinesthetic learner or you suffer from ADHD.”

He seemed to want an answer to this. “Uh . . . I’m not ADHD.”

“Good. Then this should work.”

“What should work?” I was starting to get scared again. If it weren’t for the amused look on Avery’s face, I might have bolted from the building.

“Since you are most likely a kinesthetic learner, for this study session we will have you physically put Newton’s laws into motion.”

“Uh . . . okay . . .” Sometimes their geekspeak was too much. Why couldn’t he just say, “I think you’re a moron, so I’m going to dumb it up for you with something I think you can relate too like this dense inanimate object.”

I wanted to be pissed off, but Avery was still sitting across the lane from me with this adorable grin on her face, so I couldn’t find it in me to be offended by her smart friends.

“So, beefcakes,” Libby said, startling me from my Avery staring. “How’s about you pick up your ball, and let’s get this party started. I happen to be a visual learner, so I am quite excited to have some eye candy to enhance my learning experience for a change.”

That finally did it. I smiled. “You frighten me, Libby. You really do.”

“She frightens us all,” Brandon said, and then looked at me. “So, Grayson, my physics-ly challenged friend.” He snorted. “Newton’s first law of motion. What is it?”

I sighed, recognizing the beginnings of actual studying. I had hoped “applied physics” was really just code for “bowling,” but I guess not.

Everyone was waiting for me to answer, so I tried to remember what I knew of Newton’s Laws. “What goes up, must come down?”

When the entire group groaned, Avery took pity on me. “That’s a rough translation of the law of gravity.”

“Well, can we start with that one? Because that’s the one I sort of understand. Gravity I get.”

I got another round of groans for this, and Avery giggled as she explained why that was wrong.

“Gravity isn’t one of the three laws of motion, but those are just as simple. Here . . .” At my look of doubt, she got up and handed me my bowling ball. “Is this ball going to throw itself down the lane?”

Was she messing with me? “Is this a trick question?”

Behind me, Tara giggled. I couldn’t blame her. Even I knew I looked like an idiot now.

Avery gave me a sympathetic smile. “No. It’s not a trick question.”

“Um, okay. Then . . . no? It won’t roll itself down the lane?”

“Exactly.” She stepped aside. “So throw the ball.”

I gave her another confused look but decided to trust her and chucked the ball toward the pins.

“Is the ball going to stop?” she asked.

“Not until it hits the back wall.”

“Right.”

At that moment the ball went crashing into the pins, knocking down all but two of them. It did in fact stop when it slammed into the back of the lane.

“There you go,” Avery said as if that explained everything. “Newton’s first law of motion. You understand it perfectly.”

Everyone laughed at this except me. It was possible that I was more confused than I had been in class.

Avery picked up another bowling ball. “An object at rest . . .” she said and held up the ball,“will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. Such as you throwing it. An object in motion . . .” She threw the ball down the lane toward the remaining two pins. “Continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted on by an unbalanced force, such as hitting the back wall or the pins, or the friction of it rolling down the lane. If there were nothing to stop the ball, it wouldn’t stop.”

“You mean like how asteroids in space will just go forever until they crash into something?”

“Exactly!” Tara squeaked.

“So in other words, an object won’t move unless something gives it a push, and it won’t stop unless something makes it.”

The whole group of nerds clapped because I got it, but I felt myself frown. “What, you mean that’s it? That’s the whole law?” It couldn’t be that simple.

“Yes. That’s all there is to it.” Avery laughed. Actually, everyone laughed.

“Well, why didn’t Mr. Walden just say that in the first place?”

They all laughed again. So glad I could entertain them all.

Avery tried to stop laughing for my sake but couldn’t quite manage it. She was so cute that it was worth looking like an idiot. “Come on, Einstein,” she teased. “Pick up your ball. Laws two and three are just as easy. Once you have them down, we’ll see if you’re any better at bowling than you are at pool, and while we’re at it, we can explain a few things like mass, momentum, velocity, force, inertia . . .”

I felt myself cringe. I kind of thought I’d find the smart-girl talk hot, but mostly it just freaked me out when she used words like velocity and inertia.

“Well, the bowling part sounds fun anyway.” I grinned. “You up for a little friendly wager?”

Man, I loved watching her blush.

“No!” she said. “Definitely not. I’ve had my fill of friendly wagers, and certain people cannot be trusted to be gracious losers.”

I laughed. The girl had a point.