Oliver’s POV
I liked Ava. She had always been my first and closest friend. I’m Oliver Ronald, an imperceptible nerd at school. I had no friends, and I preferred living alone, studying, and residing on campus without the company of others. Nobody wanted to be a nerd’s friend anyway. I wasn’t interested in being friends with anyone either.
I was a quiet girl until Ava came into my life. I met the gorgeous Ava when I went home to visit my parents. We got along well with one another. I treated her as if she were a sister I never had. I was the only daughter of my parents, so I was ecstatic when they told me they wanted to adopt her as their second daughter. Her life had always been difficult. She had been through a lot of horrible things that no human should ever have to go through, and yet she remained a modest, humble, and well-behaved daughter to our parents. She was older than me, and I had always loved and respected Ava as my sister and friend.
I used to look at her with pitying eyes, but she despised it.
“Do not look at me with pitiful eyes, and do not even sympathize with me. I loathe it,” she would always say to me.
I wished I could avenge the horrible things they did to her on her behalf. I wished I could kill everyone who had hurt my sweet Ava, but she desired to exact her vengeance on her own. She wanted to kill them by herself.
I had always wished for the best for her because she deserved everything good. I never wanted her to have to go through what she had. I wished for her to overcome her anxieties, pains, and, most importantly, her terrifying haunting nightmares.
When she told me how she felt about the twin brothers, I was terrified. I didn’t want to see her in pain again. I didn’t want them to hurt her. Not only that, but I would protect Ava and kill anyone who would harm her.
It was dawn, and it was time to get up. I had finished showering and getting ready for school, yet she kept sleeping.
“Hey, Ava, wake up,” I whispered, wiggling her body. “It’s time to get up or we’ll be late for school.”
She didn’t listen to me and continued to snore. I drew the blanket away from her and pushed her out of bed.
“Get up now before I hit you!” I screamed at her ears, and she finally responded.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Oliver?! Can’t you just let me sleep a little more?” she yelled back at me.
“Sleep more? What are you thinking? Get your ass up or we’ll be late for school!” I snarled at her as she stormed to the restroom.
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing when I saw her reaction. She was so cute. After a while, she finally came out of the bathroom.
“I made some breakfast for us. Get dressed quickly, and let’s eat breakfast together,” I said.
***
Ethan’s POV
We drove to school. Everywhere was a little calm and quiet. We only saw a few students who had already arrived at school.
“I can’t smell her, Ethan,” Aiden said.
“I doubt she’ll be in school by now. Check your watch, and you’ll realize we’re too early for school,” I murmured. “You were the one who was in a hurry, and you even forced me to get up super early.”
He frowned. “Are you blaming me now?”
“No, I’m not. I’m just saying it’s too early to”
Before I could finish my sentence, I sniffed the air and dribbled in the alluring scent that belonged to my mate.
“Damn, Aiden!” I called my brother, but I received no response.
I called him again, but he was long gone. He was following where the scent was coming from.
“Hey, brother! Wait for me!” I shouted, but he didn’t stop, and his legs became even faster than before. “Damn you, Aiden! You’re a traitor! You promised to help me plead with her, but now you’re breaking your word by leaving me behind.”
I was still cursing my brother when I noticed Ava walking towards the car. Her friend drove right up to the parking space. Aiden had also come to a halt. He was looking at our gorgeous mate with a loving gaze. I walked up to the lost puppy.
“Why did you leave me alone? You’re being unfair, dude!” I yelled angrily at him, but he paid no attention to me and went to her car, leaving me behind once more. “Aiden! Damn you, brother!”
***
Aiden’s POV
I ignored Ethan’s ranting when I inhaled the most entrancing scent that made me drool.
“Mate! She’s finally here!” my Lycan howled happily.
When I started walking towards Ava, I had no idea Ethan was yelling and calling my name. I couldn’t bring myself to care about his ranting and cursing. All I cared about was talking to her when I finally reached where she was.
“Good morning, Ava,” I greeted her with an innocent sweet smile on my face.
“Good morning to you, too,” she replied, shock written across her flawless face.
“How was your night? Did you sleep well, and did you think about me?” I flaunted out.
Shit!
She was even more astounded. “Why must I think about you? As a friend or what? You’re not my boyfriend or even a friend, or do you think I’m just like the other girls you hang out with, flirting with them all day?”
“I’m sorry. My bad. Please forgive me. I never meant it that way, Ava,” I apologized.
“Stop. I despise that word. I despise it the most, and please, enough of your nonsense. I’m not interested in you,” she said emphatically.
“I sincerely apologize. Can I speak with you for a moment?” I asked, giving her an apologetic look.
“What for? Look, dude. Like I said, I’m not one of those girls you flirt with. I don’t want to hear whatever you have to say,” she retorted before taking her friend’s hand in hers and walking away, leaving me and Ethan dumbfounded.
I was upset and heartbroken. I casted a dangerous glance at my brother, threatening to rip his head away from him.
“What did I do this time, Aiden? Why are you staring at me like that?” Ethan snorted. “Did I tell your mate to ignore you?”
“You started all of this, Ethan. You made her hate me!” I shouted.
“Don’t you dare say that again. I never said a word, Aiden. You said the wrong words when you asked her if she thought about you last night,” he contended. “You were never friends, and yet you keep asking her ridiculous questions.”
***
Ava’s POV
What was happening? Was I dreaming or what? He spoke to me. I was approached and talked to by one of the twins.
I’d been waiting for this for a long time. The last time they talked to me and smiled at me was when I first met them in school. I was taken aback when he greeted me.
Deep down, I was surprised but happy. My heart raced faster when he smiled at me. Oh, my! I was head over heels in love with them. I wanted to hug and kiss them.
I was happily thinking about it until he asked me a very silly question that made me feel like it was how they always asked their girlfriends, or the girls with whom they flirted all the time. I was enraged by the thought, which caused me to lose my cool with him. He wanted to talk, but I didn’t want to listen because I felt like I was just another girl to them, nothing special.
“You should have listened to whatever he wanted to say,” Oliver finally spoke out.
“Listen to whatever he has to say, Oliver? Did you not hear what he said? He asked if I’d thought of him last night! Don’t you think he got the wrong girl? Perhaps I’m not the one he intends to talk to in the first place.”
When I realized I was raving at my best friend and sister, Oliver, I apologized right away.
“I’m sorry, Oliver. Can we please stop bringing them up? I’m only getting angrier.”
“It’s alright. I’m not mad at you, Ava, and stop getting angry at them,” she said as we walked to the study room together.
After class, the bell rang for lunch. I stepped out of the classroom with Oliver, only to notice the twin brothers from a distance. They appeared to be waiting for someone. I was pretty sure it wasn’t me. Perhaps it was one of the girls they were seeing.
As Oliver and I ambled past them to the cafeteria, I diverted my attention away from them. I looked behind me a few seconds later when I sensed someone’s presence and saw them tagging along with us.
“Ava, don’t you think the twins are stalking us?” Oliver whispered to me.
“Hell, no! You know it’s impossible. Remember, it’s lunchtime, so they could be going to the cafeteria to eat as well,” I told the daydreaming Oliver.
“I hope so,” she mumbled.
We arrived at the cafeteria and took our food to our seats. We were about to sit down when the two brothers joined us at our table.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I confronted them, pissed off.
“What do you think, Ava? Of course, we want to eat,” one of them replied.
“Then, go find a seat!” I hissed, my teeth clenching.
“We can eat our meal wherever we want in the cafeteria,” they answered back.
“I don’t need unnecessary scrutiny directed at us, and I don’t want other people sharing a table with us.”
“Unnecessary scrutiny? Where and how?” they both asked, pretending as if they didn’t understand what I was talking about.
“I’m talking about those girls. I don’t want the attention of the crowd, so leave because your presence alone will entice a lot of bees and unwanted people. I want to eat in peace,” I said, trying hard not to sound jealous.
“Why? Do you think they’re our girlfriends?”
“Then, who are they?” I interrogated them.
“Friends. They’re our friends. We have nothing to do with them,” they both said simultaneously.
“Oh, my bad. I assumed they were your girlfriends.”
I finally relaxed my hostile tone and felt better at the same time.
“They are not, and we sincerely apologize for our behavior toward you during our first meeting. By the way, I’m Aiden, and this is my twin brother, Ethan,” Aiden introduced.
“My name is Ava, and this is my only best friend, Oliver,” I introduced Oliver as they both waved at her.
“Ava, can we be friends with you? I mean, can you be our friend?” Aiden asked, almost causing me to choke on my meal.
“W-What? Friends with me?” I repeated, clearing my throat.
Is this for real?
“I can only accept to be your friend if you promise to be friends with Oliver as well,” I added as a condition.
“Of course. That is fine with us. We can all be friends,” Ethan agreed. “What do you think, brother?”
“Yes, I’m okay with everything. We can be friends with Oliver, too,” he said happily.