Page 41 of The Crafting Con

“Thanks.” He ducks out of sight, and I take a deep, calming breath of fresh air as I wait for him to come back. It doesn’t take long, his handsome face creased in a wide grin as he holds the shears up. “Got ’em!”

“Sweet. Thanks again for doing that. The yard looks amazing.”

“No problem.” He jogs over to his truck, pausing briefly to wave back at me. “See you in school tomorrow.”

“Byeeeee.” I wave as his truck pulls away from the curb and curves around the cul-de-sac, but my arm drops to my side when my gaze lands on Declan’s driveway. Where a silver Chevy Tahoe is parked, with one Declan Greene standing beside the open passenger door. His gaze follows Tyler’s truck, then skips back up to lock on mine. He holds it for a long moment, before turning and walking inside.

The slam of his front door closing echoes through my mind all night.

CHAPTER 16

DECLAN

Five days until OA Con

Three hours. That’s all it took for hopes to get raised and then thoroughly dashed. Honestly, it might be some kind of record. Almost makes you wanna laugh.

Except my stomach feels like lead.

After Ava left The Dragon’s Den, I tried my best to regain my jovial mood, but it just wasn’t the same without her there. Not to mention I was worried about whatever had made those little creases between her eyes. So when the minstrels finished their second song—with frolicking from all but me—Hiro took pity and offered to drive me home. I leaped at the chance, already formulating a plan to check on Ava without seeming stalkerish.

Only to discover the real reason she left—Tyler.

Tyler, who she’s allegedly not dating.

Yet.

Why? Why do I let her do this to me? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not her fault. It’s not like she said or did anything to make me think she was feeling the same butterfly-feelings I was every time our eyes met. (Hadn’t there been something, though? I could have sworn…) But I should know better. All those years of pining after my best friend, only to get ditched like an old pair of shoes. You would think I’d have crafted better shields. And yet here I am. Scanning the cafeteria for a glimpse of blonde hair.

Hopeless.

“You still planning to skip school to pick up badges and check out the convention on Friday?”

Where is she, though? I see Tyler and the lacrosse bros sitting with her friend Stasia, but no sign of Ava.

“Declan.”

Wait—there she is! And she’s looking this way. Should I wave? No, that’s stupid. But hold on, she’s raising her hand. She’s waving and walking this way. Is she coming over? Crap, I think she is. Do I have food on my face? I knew I shouldn’t have gone for the garlic fries, my breath probably smells like a dumpster. Wait, why is she stopping? Damn it, Tyler, why can’t you stay in your lane for once? Aaaand there she goes, back where she belongs. As in, not with me.

I slump over, forehead to the table.

“Dude.” Hiro’s voice finally registers, and I reluctantly roll my face so that my cheek is pressed against the laminate. His expression tells me exactly how pitiful I look. Thank God Bailey and Zeke aren’t here yet. Hiro takes the brownie from his tray and slides it onto mine. Chocolate being his go-to love language. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Nope.”

He nods. “Heard. I’m gonna talk about it anyway. You know that, right?”

“Yep.”

“Excellent. So Ava.” He clasps his hands behind his head, gaze crossing the sea of high schoolers to where she now sits beside Tyler and her other friends. “She’s great. Hanging out with her yesterday was a lot of fun, and I can tell she genuinely enjoys being around you. And yes, I realize I played a big part in making that happen. One might even say scheming was involved. Not just by me,” he hurries to add. “Stasia thought it was about time the two of you reconciled the past and all that crap too. ’Cause like I said, Ava obviously values your friendship. But…”

Ah yes. The inevitable but.

Hiro grimaces. “I’m having some schemer’s remorse.”

“Oh?” I say flatly, face still pancaked against the table. “Why’s that?”

“It’s just, I knew you had a crush on her back in elementary school, but I thought after everything that happened at the end of sixth grade… well, I honestly believed you were over it, and just, like, missing your friend.”