Chapter 180 Finally Aveline

Chapter 180 Finally Aveline
Aveline's POV

The driveway at Milo’s house was completely blocked by trucks and cars by the time we arrived. Daphne walked beside me, her graduation gown slung over her arm as her heels sank into the loose stones.

"If Milo breaks the living room banister again like last winter, his dad is locking him out until August," Daphne said, heading up the porch stairs.

"I'm worried about the kitchen counter," I replied, pulling the door open. "He told the defensemen he’d try to grill inside if the wind picked up on the lawn."
We stepped into the foyer, and the bass from the stereo hit us immediately. The house was packed with people from the senior class and the varsity hockey line.

Milo left the group of forwards by the television, carrying two cups of soda and ice. He had his cap hanging from his back pocket and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"Look who finally showed up," Milo shouted over the music, handing us the drinks. "Welcome to the real after-party. No speeches allowed."

Daphne took the cup, looking around the living room. "I'm surprised, Milo. No kegs on the dining table? No freshmen trying to jump off the roof into the pool? Are you getting soft now that you have a diploma?"

Milo laughed, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe. "I just need a moment with my friends, Daphne. We spent months handling a lot. I’m not aiming to have my name on a precinct log on graduation night.

We moved into the crowded living room as the next track started playing. Landon and Reed pulled us into the center of the floor, and within minutes, the whole group was dancing under the ceiling lights. The floor was sticky, someone spilled a drink near the hallway, and Milo was attempting a goalie slide on the hardwood that nearly took out a floor lamp.

Kieran found me in the crowd, pulling me against him while the boys argued loudly over who had the best slap shot during the regular season. We took graduation pictures with Milo's Polaroid camera, passing the glossy prints around while Daphne and Reed made fun of the music blasting from the speakers. We were just a bunch of seniors ready to get out of this town.

The heat inside the room grew too thick after a few songs, and I walked down the narrow hallway toward the back bedrooms to find a bathroom.
I turned the knob on the guest bedroom door, expecting it to be empty. Instead, the door swung open, and I froze.

Katty was pressed against the wardrobe, making out with a sophomore junior from the varsity line, a quiet boy she would have sworn never to be seen with in public.

I stopped, my hand still on the doorknob. I almost laughed, but I caught myself as I began to pull the door back toward the latch. "Sorry. Wrong room."

"Wait! Aveline, stop!" Katty scrambled forward, her face turning bright red as she grabbed the sophomore's arm. "Get out, Toby. Just go down the hall."

The boy kept his head down, squeezed past me in the doorway, and vanished down the corridor.
Katty turned around to face me, her hands smoothing down her skirt as she stepped into the center of the rug.

"Please don't tell anyone," she whispered, taking a sharp step toward the door. "Seriously. If Milo or the rest of the girls find out I'm seeing Toby, I’ll never hear the end of it until college starts. Please. I know I was awful to you."

I looked at her. "I won't."

She blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"Even after everything I've done to you?"

I shrugged, turning back toward the hallway. "I'm not you, Katty."

I left her there and walked back to the kitchen. Kieran was standing near the central island with Landon, a small plastic ball cupped in his hand as they played a game of pinpop across the counter. He looked up when I walked in, tossing the ball to Landon, and walked over to my side, his hand finding mine instantly.

The party stretched through the night, the house only beginning to clear out as the early morning light started to break through the windows. Most people had finally headed to their cars, leaving only our core group sitting on the benches around the fire pit in Milo’s backyard. The scent of smoke and wet grass filled the air as the stars began to fade above the roof.”

"So, what's the official move for August?" Milo asked, leaning his head back against the wall as he watched the embers. "Landon’s heading out to New York on the twelfth, and my dad wants me packed for Detroit by the first week."

"I'm staying back for a bit," Daphne said, her hand resting on Reed's knee. "We have the summer sessions until the main registration opens. What about Minnesota, Ave? Didn't their scout reach out before the audit?"

"I'm not thinking about college tonight," I said, looking away from her. I sat up straighter, looking across the fire pit. "I'm deferring college. I'm taking a gap year."

The group went quiet.

"You're actually doing it?" Milo asked, stopping his cup mid-air.

"I'm actually doing it."

"That's insane," Milo muttered.

"You're insane," Daphne corrected, nudging his shoulder. "She survived this school. Let her breathe."

"I'm just saying," Milo grinned, leaning forward. "Most people take a gap year to travel. You're taking one because you nearly destroyed an entire criminal investigation."

I laughed. "When you put it like that, it sounds terrible."

Kieran was quiet beside me. I knew Michigan had been part of the future he pictured for us, and now I was telling him I wouldn't be there.”

“I'm not going to pretend I like it,” he finally said, his fingers tightening inside mine. “But if this is what you need, I'll support you.”

"We're going to check in constantly," Daphne insisted, looking around the circle. "I don't care if we're a thousand miles away or stuck in different time zones. We're always going to check on ourselves and make sure we meet up at the harbor every winter."

"Every winter," Reed agreed.

We raised our cups under the sky. Sitting between Kieran and Daphne, I watched the embers slowly fade into grey ash until the backyard grew quiet.

The sun was just coming up when Kieran dropped me off at home. The streets were quiet, with morning fog hanging low over the grass. I walked up the steps alone, my keys jingling as I unlocked the front door.

The house was empty; my mother was already at the early clinic shift. I walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and stopped near the edge of the counter.

An official, white envelope was sitting on the board. I reached for the paper, tearing the top edge open and pulling out the crisp sheet of official university letterhead.

I read the words at the top:
University of Minnesota
Full Athletic Scholarship
Aveline Carter

I stood there alone in the kitchen, holding the letter against my chest. Tears filled my eyes as I read my name again
I had won my future as Aveline.