.•° ✿ °•.
Two

°•. ✿ .•°

A wise woman once said, "There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare."

She was wrong. No amount of preparation or anticipation could have prepared April for the actual shock of seeing his all too familiar face for the first time since they broke up and it still became the worst kind of shock.

Even worse, he was just as she remembered him...except the color of his hair, that was different. Every other feature, however, had stayed the same. She trailed her line of sight down his tall, broader frame. So maybe not everything stayed the same. If this were two years ago, she would've smiled at him. Now, she couldn't even bring her lips to stretch.

"Javier?" Nathan's loud voice snapped April out of checking her ex out. "Thought I heard voices out here."

"Yeah, I just...wanted some air," Javier spoke, breaking eye contact with April for the first time that night. "Then I ran into..."

"April." Nathan gestured toward her with one hand, dismissively. "You remember her, right?"

Remember her?

Javier faced her again, giving a slow once over before responding. "Yeah, I do... It's uh...nice to see you again," he said, reaching out his hand.

That was all she got? It was nice seeing her? Just nice? What annoyed her even more than Nathan's degradation were the tears that began to itch her eyes as a result of the gut punch. She bit the inside of her cheek and forced herself to smile through it. She didn't take his hand for obvious reasons but nodded, standing with one foot on top of the other to hold all emotions in. "You too."

"Been a while, hasn't it?" He asked, smiling. It seemed their reunion was way more natural for him than it was for her. He stepped closer, prompting her brain to send a message to her feet.

She took a step backward, releasing her feet from her awkward stance. "Yeah, quite a while."

She bit the inside of her lower lip, shifting from foot to foot. She had tried to avoid this by looking for him first. If she had seen him come in, she would've had the upper hand, not him. She would've been the one smirking with her hands in her pockets, not him.

"Is it weird I feel like I should ask you to coffee?" he asked, still smiling like they were merely old friends reconnecting instead of two people who tore each other's worlds apart. To April, it meant one of two things: he had suddenly matured beyond reason or he was pretending.

Did she even know him anymore?

"I don't know, you tell me." Lucky for her, her voice came out collected, despite the earthquake in her body and mind.

"Do they even have coffee here? I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't. This place is deserted."

"That's...kind of the whole point of coming here," she said, even though she'd had the exact same thought early that morning.

"Yeah," Nathan supported, reminding them of his presence in their awkward conversation. "The team can't bond if there are luxuries at every cranny. By the way, we're all getting together in like an hour if you're up for it. Bring beers if you have them."

He nodded. "Yeah, course. I promise I won't be late a second time."

"You're actually lucky you're late, trust me," Nathan said, folding his arms. "You didn't have to witness what I did."

April rolled her eyes. He sounded like she had stripped or something.

Javier reached his hand out to her again, then retracted it when it lingered too long. "O-kay, so I'll see you at the party?"

She shrugged, wanting the complete opposite. "Yeah, maybe."

He gave a final smile then turned, walking back into the darkness, hands in his hoodie pockets as he went. It took a while for April to realise she was staring after him. Collecting herself, she looked up and scowled when she locked eyes with Nathan. "Bye."

"Wait."

Of course he wouldn't let her escape in peace.

She halted on the first step and turned around to face him, her five foot five figure looking tiny next to his over six foot. "What?"

"I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing but I beg you right now to end it."

She narrowed her eyes. "What're you talking about?" In her opinion, she'd done a good job with Javier. Sure, she had stumbled on words but it wasn't like she'd done anything. "I'm not interested in him."

Her brother grimaced. "Who cares if you are? I'm talking about that shit you pulled in front of everyone," Nathan continued, folding his arms across his chest. "You had no right to do that."

She folded her arms too. "Dad had no right to announce my business, either," she countered.

"He had every right to defend your sorry ass. Nothing should've given you the audacity to embarrass him like that."

Embarrass him? She'd embarrassed herself, if anything. "I said it was a joke."

He scoffed. "And who do you think fell for that?"

She clenched her jaw and tightened her arms around herself, darting her eyes to the side to show seriousness. "It was a joke."

"Fine, then. Let's pretend it was. But I swear on anything, April. If you so much as try to make this vacation about yourself—"

"This isn't about me, I get it!" She cut him short. "I don't care, anyway."

"Good." He turned around and retreated into the same path Javier had done.

Feeling clapped, April huffed at a flurry of hair strands in a fruitless effort to push them off her face. It was hard to believe she was related to someone as incredibly stuck up as Nathan. She didn't know it was possible, but he had somehow inherited the very same stick Patrick sometimes had up his ass.

She would show them. Starting now.

°•. ✿ .•°

The first things April noticed at the party venue were her best friends, Amanda and Paige, both leaned over a green pool table with cue sticks in their hands.

Amanda had changed into jeans and an oversized T-shirt that hung off one shoulder but Paige was still in her shorts and peplum top. April's attire was a short maroon skirt under a white spaghetti strap top. Controversial, but she liked it.

"Hey!" She shouted, gaining not only their attention, but that of a few other party goers as well.

"April! Come here!" Paige waved her over.

"Where'd you guys get a pool table?" She asked, getting closer so she could run her fingers over the rug like fabric on the top. She had never actually played pool before. "Who's hosting?"

Amanda chuckled and used her cue to point in a direction behind April. "That guy, apparently."

She quickly spun around to see who Amanda was referring to and smiled when her eyes landed on Shawn. He sat with a group, laughing as they passed a small card around their circle with their mouths. Her smile faded when she noticed Nathan there with his arm around a girl. The card fell off his lips when it got to his turn, and the girl wasted no time in connecting their lips.

She felt a hint of pity for whatever airhead would be hanging on Nathan's arm this month before getting unceremoniously dumped on her ass. Her brother wasn't any better than she was at relationships, except she was open about her feelings while he usually wasn't.

As the game continued, Nathan's girl laughed at something Shawn said, turning her side profile to April instead of her back as she flipped her long, black hair over her shoulder. The movement seemed oddly familiar.

She turned to her friends. "Is that Malia Kingston?" They nodded. "Why didn't you tell me that thing was coming?" She whispered sharply, now watching them closely.

"Pretty sure we did and you weren't paying attention," Amanda shrugged. "Believe me, I also wish she wasn't here."

Malia had been April's version of that person you had to be around but never agreed with, back in highschool. The air felt a lot better when they were feuding than when they were peaceful. Luckily, they had graduated and gone their separate ways...until now.

"She's a hair model now...and she got into Preston University," Paige said, puckering her brows to narrow down on her targeted ball as she positioned the cue stick between her V-shaped fingers, pressed firmly on the table top.

Damn, so even barbie was in college, April thought. That left her and Paige, who was still hoping to get accepted into UCLA. The friends she kept in contact with were all leaving that fall, unlike Amanda, who had already enrolled into NYU early. It seemed Javier had joined the easier crowd.

"I would tell you Javier's here, but I feel like you already know," Amanda said as if reading her thoughts. She leaned downward and 'smack' went the numbered balls, as they all found sides to bounce on before scattering into different holes.

Paige nodded, switching places with Amanda to take her turn at the game. "From the look on your face right now, you definitely know."

April sighed. Her friends missed nothing when it came to her, and while that was a blessing most times, it could also be a curse. "Yeah, I know."

"Did you guys talk?"

As much as she hated to, she nodded.

"And?" Paige asked curiously, pausing midway through her shot to look at her.

"What do you want me to say? He's alive. I spoke to him."

"Does it hurt seeing him?" Paige asked.

She scoffed. "Of course not."

"What if he has a girlfriend? Will that bother you?" Amanda asked, nudging Paige to take her turn.

April sighed. Would it bother her? She shook her head and looked back at the circle. Javier had joined the 'suck and blow' group, sitting to the left of Emily, one of the girls on the trip and April's friend on most days. April knew there was nothing going on between them, as they had only just reconnected but she still wished he had sat anywhere else. "I don't really care what he does."

"What if he wanted you back with him...would you?" Amanda asked, switching places with Paige to take her shot.

"I don't see it happening," April replied, picking at her nails. "He's probably waiting for his Dad to give him permission to start dating again."

Paige laughed. "Good one."

Amanda smiled but shook her head as she made another perfect shot. "You cruel being."

"What's happening over there?" Paige asked, tiptoeing to look in the distance.

April turned too. The circle had gotten up and they were crowding around the DJ's turntable. "Maybe they're starting another game?"

"Let's go join," Paige suggested. "Amanda sucks at pool anyway."

Amanda paused. "I what?"

"You're the worst person I've ever played with. You won't stop cheating."

Amanda playfully swung the cue stick in Paige's direction and missed. Paige retaliated, striking Amanda's shoulder. April couldn't help but laugh as Amanda bolted after Paige to get revenge. It was nice seeing her anything but serious, even if it meant she was chasing to murder Paige.

"You finally got here," Paige remarked as April caught up with them a few minutes later. She still had her head on so April assumed she had worked things with Amanda.

The gathering was watching a white haired girl expertly move her body to the song that blasted from the speakers. April's mood lightened as she watched, though she felt the girl was a bit too heavy on feeling herself up.

"Is it just me or are we at a strip club?" Paige said, earning herself a smack from Amanda and the corresponding 'ow!'

April's eyes were still on the dancing girl when she spoke. "She's not wrong though."

Though she would probably carry things out differently, April couldn't help but envy the dancer. It was clear she danced on a daily basis. It could've been her if her family wasn't so hung up on what they wanted for her.

"You wanna try? It's been a while since I've watched you and I'm tired of whatever this is." Paige said as the dancer fell to the ground, dramatically whirling her hair around.

April chuckled. "Yeah, I'll pass."

"April, your Dad isn't here," Amanda said, not making eye contact with anyone as she spoke.

Abashed at the number of heads that turned in their direction after that, April slapped on a smile. "I know, and I am not afraid of my dad."

"Plus, it's best not to embarrass yourself." Javier's voice came from behind them. He said no other words, but the smug look in his eye made her eyes narrow into slits.

April couldn't remember exactly how she started, but it had only taken a matter of seconds for loud cheers to fill her ears. When the beat dropped, she pushed the nerves and let go, allowing her body to take the lead as the new song started.

She caught Javier's look of shock from the corner of her eyes but turned in another direction, not caring what he had to say. She kept to the beat until she could feel every part of her moving in time with the music. It was then that she mentally let go, allowing the feeling of wholeness to engulf her.

Dancing had always been April's language. What had started as a hobby had soon become therapy for her. From there, it had become a full time passion...if only they would suck it up and let her turn it into a career, it would be perfect.

When the song ended, April could barely hear a thing. Sweat broke from her scalp through her hair and she let it drip down her temples, breathing hard through her wide grin. She stood aright and looked straight ahead at Amanda and Paige, who were both clapping and cheering for her.

She paused when she locked eyes with Javier, who, she remembered, had also been watching her. They held eye contact as she walked backwards, away from the open space. His expression was blank for the first few moments, then a small smile broke out and he began clapping, joining the applause.

She exhaled in relief, cursing herself at how much his approval meant to her. She had thought she didn't care about his opinion until she realised she'd needed to see that more than she did anyone else's opinions.

She was toast.

"Another round?" Someone yelled into the air, earning hoots of approval.

April wasn't about to start another dance to be evaluated on. If she was dancing again, she would rather have a group to cover her.
She grabbed Paige and Amanda, tugging them simultaneously into the dance floor. Paige went easily while Amanda planted her feet to the ground, refusing to move.

"Come on, just dance," April prodded, not letting go.

She shook her head in protest. "No, I really don't think-"

"You encouraged me, just take your own advice for once." April tugged her arm again, successfully pulling in her best friend.

She could see the glare directed her way from Amanda but she ignored it, making sure she stepped on every spot on the makeshift dance floor. Amanda's thick curls flew all directions as she playfully jerked her round.

"April, stop!"

"No, just loosen up."

She suddenly let go of Amanda's hands as hers were grabbed by someone else.

"While you're a great dancer, not so good an instructor," Shawn commented, positioning his hands on her sides.

She playfully rolled her eyes. "Says who?"

He reached out a hand. "Dance with me?"

On impulse, she darted her head to the side, catching sight of Javier in her peripheral vision. He smirked at her, gave a two finger wave and turned back to his conversation as if her being in someone else's arms hadn't affected him in any way.

It should've been a good sign for her, letting her know it was truly over, instead it sent a cold feeling through her, another one she hated.

The feeling of rejection.