Nova

Ｐｒｏｌｏｇｕｅ

This had to be the absolute last place that Ava wanted to be. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Tony had been the love of her life and it had been a serious case of "right person, wrong time". Ava had been so busy after college that when she had finally realized the hook ups they'd had in college had actually meant more than just sex to her, it was too late. Tony had moved onto his newest love, a girl nicknamed Pepper. And while that relationship hadn't worked out either in the long term, by the time it did end, Ava had lost those romantic feelings for Tony and so they remained friends... until Tony met his untimely death and it left Ava unraveled, reeling from the thought that maybe she had been wrong about not loving him.

Standing there in her black long-sleeve, lace-covered dress, curls spiraling down her back out of her oversized black hat, and her black Stilettos sinking into the soft, wet dirt, Ava watched as they lowered the casket into the ground. Her two best friends, Wanda and Kate, stood next to her, crying softly. The overcast in Colorado Springs felt appropriate for today's events.

"It should have been me..." she whispered to herself, tears slowly falling down her face. In their friend group, rock climbing and hiking had been a mutual interest shared amongst them and the main reason they had all met each other. In Tony's last solo adventure, he'd climbed out to the side of El Capitan but when he'd tried to grab his next hold, the rock gave out and Tony had fallen. She should have been there. 

Suddenly, she felt big hands on her shoulders. Thor had walked up, noticing her bowed head, and rubbed her back gently. Thor, whose real name was Theodore but resembled that of a Norse god, was one part of the 7 member friend group. He had been a defensive lineman for their university's football team, but when he'd been seen scaling the side of the rock climbing wall in the athletic complex one moment, and then seated by Ava in class the next, she'd dared to start a conversation and soon, Thor was one of them, rock climbing, hiking, and camping.

As he continued to rub her back, Ava felt the tears rush to her face faster. Thor had known the most about Ava's feelings for Tony back when she had realized how badly she had fucked up. He'd spent many nights in Ava, Wanda, and Kate's college apartment listening to Ava anguish over her hook ups with Tony, and then her monologues when she'd realized her deeper feelings for him all those years later.

She put her sunglasses on to conceal the mascara that was running down her face. Her body began to shake softly and Thor brought her in closer. They stood there silently as dirt began to cover the casket and slowly the girls and Thor watched as their friend disappeared from view. Ava looked up to see Sam and Steve on the other side of the grave. Sam had tears streaming down his face, and Ava cried at the sight of Sam upset.

Sam had been one of the nicest people she'd ever met, and when Wanda had brought him along on a hiking day trip, Ava had laughed all the way home with Sam in the back. He was a great friend, and his love for his family had become very apparent as they grew closer over the years. A family that had extended to their friend group, and now had a gaping hole in the middle. Ava could barely look at Sam as the burial ended.

Thor led Ava back toward the cars in the parking lot. She had driven her black Range Rover here, but she wasn't sure she should drive home at this point.

As if he were reading her mind, Thor mumbled, "Ava, I don't think you should drive home alone."

She nodded, wiping some tears, and looked up slightly at him.

"Why don't I have you ride with Steve and I'll drive your car back to our place for tonight?"

She scoffed. "The last thing I want to do, Thor, is be with Steve."

"Well... would you rather he drive your car?"

A little too quickly, Ava responded, "No."

"Then you're riding with him. Because you're not driving home," Thor stated calmly.