INVISIBLE STRING, jack hughes ⋆ ★

twenty-eight

.ೃ࿐ AND IT TOOK YOU FIVE WHOLE MINUTES
TO PACK US UP AND LEAVE ME WITH IT
bon iver, taylor swift

Aven could already feel her nerve building as the chatter could be heard from outside the house, Lily turning to look at the blonde with a small smile before knocking.

"Yo!" Duker answered the door, blinking his red eyes as he nodded at the girls, moving to the side to let them in.

Aven sniffled at the strong scent of booze, glancing around at the older boys house as they stepped into the living room.

"Party's here!" Lily cheered, earning a scolding look from the ginger sitting on the couch as Ethan tossed her a high noon. "Majority of you guys know Aven, right?"

The few from the other night nodded. Some staring at her with puzzled looks. "This is our roommate, Aven. She's here from Jersey. She's the bomb."

"Thanks, Lily." Aven chuckled, feeling the girls arms wrap around her waist. "Nice to meet you guys."

"Aven?" A voice said from behind a few of the guys, narrowing his light eyes as his curly hair was swept from his forehead by a hat.

Aven could feel her heart sink into her ass as she stared at his broad frame. "Luke, hey. Long time no see."

Luke grinned, nodding at her. "Hey, I'm sorry about my brother. He can be a real..."

"It's fine." Aven interrupted him quickly, his lips snapping shut. "Can you pass me that twisted tea behind you, please?"

Luke furrowed his brows before hesitantly grabbing the alcohol, placing it in her hand.

"Anyways, who's ready for Christmas?" Duker asked, attempting to change the subject as the guys began to laugh at him.

"This kid." Mark shook his head, walking towards the kitchen as he knocked into Avens shoulder, the drink splashing on her slightly. "Oh, fuck. I'm sorry."

Aven brought her hand up in an attempt to wipe off the drink, feeling it stick to her sweatshirt already. "It's alright."

"No, no." Mark shook his head. "Come here."

Aven followed, placing her back against the counter as Mark wet a paper towel at the sink. "Here."

He squeezed it out into the sink, staring at the thick material then down to his sweatshirt. "Do you just wanna wear mine?"

"I, uh, no, it's fine." Aven chuckled as he attempted to rub the stain. "Seriously, Mark, it'll dry."

"You sure?" Mark asked, running his eyes over her top half. Aven nodded, holding her breath as he leaned closer. "Sorry, you just have some on your neck."

Mark brought a hand to the side of her neck, tilting her jaw up as brought the damp towel to her skin. "All good?"

"Yes." Aven hummed, feeling flustered as he smiled softly, throwing the paper towel out.  "I'll save you another can. It's on me."

Aven followed his backside as he walked through the doorway, slipping beside Luke as Luke cocked a brow at the blonde.

"What?" She crossed her arms, kicking her foot so they were crossed. "What's that face for?"

"Oh, nothing." Luke shook his head with a chuckle, coming to stand in front of her. "How are you?"

Aven shrugged with pursued lips. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"Amazing." Luke widened his eyes, his tone sarcastic. "Look, I don't want things between us to be awkward. I know you probably hate Jack but he was, like, in love with you."

"I don't hate Jack." Aven furrowed her brows. "We didn't break up because we lost feelings it was because we weren't allowed to be together."

Luke nodded. "No, yeah. Just for your knowledge, I like you better than her." Luke nudged her before walking away.

Aven stared at the ground in confusion. Thoughts and questions racing her mind as she blew air from her mouth, stepping into the backyard of the home.

She sat on the steps, ignoring the way her body shook from the bitterness of the weather, she cocked her head up at the sound of the sliding doors opening.

"Hi." Duker smiled, sitting beside her as he rubbed his legs. "It's cold. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Aven chuckled, waving him off. She turned to face him, seeing the look on his face. "Okay, Luke just sent me for a loop."

Dylan rubbed her chin. "What does that mean? Does it have something to do with Jack?"

"I think." Aven nodded, leaning against the door.

"Can I asked what happened?" Dylan asked, staring at her face for her reaction.

She sighed lowly before nodding. "Long story short, my dad set this rule in place that I wasn't allowed to have anything romantic with any of them. Jack and I got really close and we just started hanging out every day. He told me he liked me and I obviously felt the same way. We started dating and we were sick of hiding it so we went to my dad."

"Guessing that didn't go over well?" Duker cocked a brow as she breathed deeply.

"No. He threatened to trade Jack and he was bummed. So, I left. Jack broke up with me and he put hockey first. I'm not mad about that, his sport should come first but we went out without a fight, you know?" Aven shook her head, staring at her hands.

Duker hummed, tapping her knee in a comforting manner. "You're really cool, Aven. That sucks but you're better than that. I've known Jack for a while and he pushes people away. What did Luke say?"

"That I'm better than her." Aven chuckled, facing him. "Like, what does that even mean?"

His face paled. "You don't know? Do you not have social media?"

"I do." Aven swallowed. "I don't know what, Duker?"

Dylan reached in his pocket, pulling out his phone. Seconds later, he turned the screen, the bright light shining off her face.

Avens lips parted as she couldn't tear her eyes from the photo. A brunette sat on top of Jacks lap, his arms wrapped around her tightly as he was kissing the side of her head, the large smile on the girls face made her nauseous.

"Aven." Duker said with pity, placing his phone back in his pocket. "Hey, let's forget this. Come on. Let's party."

The last thing Aven wanted to do was think about Jack. In that moment, she hated his guts. She followed Dylan back inside the house as she watched him searched the cupboards, making a noise as he pulled out the half full bottle of vodka. "Let's forget tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah."

i want duker as my bff
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