Another Love | C.C

•Ch.8•

Friday had come around pretty quickly, and Ava found herself in Colby's car with Sam and Kat in the back, on their way to the KnJ house. Tara and Jake and Corey were travelling in Jakes car behind them. She felt pretty excited for the barbecue and bonfire, it was another time she was hanging out with a large group of people again in a long time and she was buzzing for it. Yeah she felt a little anxious about what the rest of the group would be like with her, but she wasn't bothered because she had her own friends there also.

They soon pulled up outside the large house and let themselves inside. They walked through the house and to the kitchen where Corey, Kian, JC and Bobby all were.

"Hey!!" Bobby cheered excitedly.

"What it do baby!!" Corey also cheered, opening his arms wide to greet them all. Ava was last to hug him and when she did so he double checked she was okay before she also greeted Kian and JC.

"Where's Crawford?" She asked them quietly, her friends still stood around her.

"He's out in the backyard with the others" Corey told her, pointing in the direction of the back yard as he said so. She thanked him and headed outside, Colby on her trails whilst the others stayed back to talk with the 4 in the kitchen.

Ava stepped outside and froze immediately at the first person she saw.

Emily.

She was over with Dom, David and Nezza at the barbecue which was cooking burgers, laughing with them throughout the conversation.

Colby noticed her also and nudged Ava to catch her attention.

"Don't let her get to you. Ignore her and show her she's nothing to you, okay?" He warned her, not wanting to see his best friend upset tonight. Ava nodded and diverted her eyes to the ground as Colby stood in front of her.

"Hey, there you are!" Crawfords voice chimed as he approached them both.

"I'll leave you both to it" Colby smirked, patting Crawford on the back before heading off to greet some people.

"Yo what's up?" Crawford asked, noticing something was wrong with the girl stood in front of him.

"It's nothing-" she shrugged and shook her head, trying her best to avoid eye contact with him.

"No, no, what is it?" He asked, lifting her chin up with his finger tips before placing his hands on her waist so she would look at him.

She felt the butterflies form in her stomach again at this gesture but tried her hardest to ignore them as she responded to him.

"I guess I didn't think Emily would be here..." she trailed off. Crawford glanced over at Emily who was already staring at them both, clearly confused with why they were stood so close to each other and why his arms were on her waist.

"She's still friends with the others. But hey, listen to me, she's nothing to me. I like you, not her. So just ignore her for the evening, that's what I'm doing" he told her quietly, trying his best to reassure her.

She nodded.

"Promise?"

He chuckled lightly and nodded.

"I promise, come say hey to everyone" he told her, using his arms that were resting on her waist to guide her through the garden.

"Look who's here" Crawford said, finally taking his arms off of her as they stopped in front of Franny, Chelsea, Christian Seavey and Ricky.

"Ava! It's so so good to see you again, how are you?!" Chelsea squealed, pulling the girl in for a hug in which Ava happily accepted.

"I'm good, how are you?" She smiled.

"Yeah I'm not bad"

"Girl, gimme a hug" Ricky sassed at her, pulling her in and squeezing her tightly. Ava laughed and hugged him back before hugging franny also.

"Hi, I'm Christian, it's nice to meet you" the tall guy told her, welcoming her with a hug.

"I'm Ava"

"So you're the girl this loser doesn't shut up about" he joked, pointing at Crawford who in response, simply glared at him.

There were only a few people here who Ava didn't know and Christian was one of them, everyone else she had met at least once in the past or used to be really close with them.

"Have you said hey to Dom yet? I know he was super excited to see you again" Franny asked the girl.

"Uhh no I haven't...but I think I might let him come to me" Ava chuckled nervously, noticing he was still stood with Emily by the barbecue. Franny noticed also and nodded understandingly.

"Got ya" she winked.

"Later we're gonna have a very much needed girls chat, okay?" Chelsea grinned widely, franny nodding eagerly beside her.

"I'm in" Ava laughed.

"I'm gay, can I join?" Ricky joined.

"Nah bro, remember it's the time the girls talk shit about us" Crawford teased, earning an elbow in the ribs from Ava, causing him to fall into laughter.

"I'm joking!" He laughed.

"Hmm okay" she teased back.

"What it do baby! What's the tea sis" Corey Shiites, appearing beside crawford and putting his arm around his best friend.

"What it do baby!" Crawford laughed beside him.

"I forgot how annoying you both were together" Ava told them before winking at the girls, Ricky and Christian and heading away to go find one of her friends. 

"You okay?" Kat asked the girl as she joined her and Sam.

"Yeah, for now" Ava joked.

"Ava! HUG ME!" A familiar voice chirped behind her, she turned around and saw Dom stood grinning widely with his arms wide open, awaiting for her to hug him.

Ava laughed and didn't hesitate to hug him. Dom was someone she was super close with and they never even fell out after her and Crawford broke up, they just lost contact after things got awkward with her and the group.

"How have you been?" He asked her, keeping that smile on his face as he let her go.

"I've been good, and you?"

"Yeah not bad at all, not bad at all"

"Yo babe, you want me to get you a burger?" Crawford asked, approaching the four of them and waiting beside Ava.

"Uh, yes please" she smiled up at him. He nodded and started to walk away.

"Oh and E-"

"Extra cheese! I know!" He winked at her before continuing to head away to the barbecue and await for David to cook her a burger up.

"Babe? Are you two-"

Ava quickly cut Dom off, causing Sam and Kat to laugh.

"We're not together...we're just seeing how things go" she told him calmly.

"Then why'd he call you babe?" Dom laughed. She shrugged.

"He used to do that all the time, it was probably just natural instinct" she shrugged, glancing over at the boy stood by the barbecue and smiling slightly to herself.

"You're both WHIPPED on each other bro. So CUTE" Dom squealed like a girl before running off to annoy someone else.

"I don't get how one person has so much energy" Ava laughed, causing Sam and Katrina to nod in agreement.