Chapter 18: Mutual Defenses (Leo in Ava’s Body)

Chapter 18: Mutual Defenses (Leo in Ava’s Body)

I’m trudging across the quad, Ava’s backpack heavy on her bad shoulder, her ponytail swinging as I try to keep my head down. The late afternoon sun is low, casting long shadows, and I’m still rattled from Jade’s latest interrogation at volleyball practice. She’s convinced Ava’s hiding something big, and I’m running out of lies. My phone, her phone, buzzes with a text from Ava: Rehearsal was intense. Blackwave’s pushing for Echo. Noah’s asking too many questions. You okay? I’m about to reply when I hear my name, Ava’s name, called out, sharp and mocking.
“Hey, Lin!” It’s Derek, a cocky guy from Ava’s kinesiology class, leaning against a tree with two other guys, their smirks wide. “What’s with you lately? You’re playing like crap, and now you’re mooning over that wannabe rockstar Martinez?”
I freeze, Ava’s heart pounding in her chest. “What?” I say, her voice sharper than I mean, but I’m already bristling. Derek’s the kind of guy who thinks he’s hot stuff because he’s on the men’s volleyball team, and I’ve seen him give Ava grief before. But this feels personal.
He steps closer, his buddies chuckling. “Come on, everyone’s talking about it. You’re obsessed with Leo and that ‘Echo’ stunt. What, you think you’re gonna be his groupie or something? Stick to spiking balls, not chasing losers.”
My hands, her hands, clench into fists. I want to snap back, but I’m in Ava’s body, small and aching, and I know she’d stay quiet, take the hit. But I’m not Ava. I’m Leo, and nobody talks about her like that. “Back off, Derek,” I say, her voice low, steady. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughs, loud and mean. “Oh, please. You’re a nobody, Lin. Always have been. Hiding behind your serves, pretending you’re all that. Now you’re embarrassing yourself with this Leo crap.”
I step forward, ignoring the twinge in her shoulder. “Say that again,” I challenge, her voice shaking with rage I can’t hold back. “Go on.”
Before he can answer, a shadow looms behind him, and I look up to see myself, Ava in my body, all six feet of me, striding across the quad. Her eyes, my eyes, are blazing, and she’s got my guitar case slung over one shoulder like a weapon. Derek turns, and his smirk falters.
“Problem here?” Ava says, my voice deep and dangerous. She steps between me and Derek, my body towering over him. “Because it sounds like you’re talking trash about my friend.”
Derek stumbles back, his buddies going quiet. “Whoa, Martinez, chill. Just messing around.”
“Doesn’t sound like messing around,” Ava snaps, my arms crossing over my chest. “Sounds like you’re picking on someone who could wipe the court with you. Ava’s twice the athlete you’ll ever be, and she’s got more guts than all three of you combined. So apologize. Now.”
I stare, Ava’s heart racing. She’s defending me, her, with a fire I’ve never seen. Derek mumbles something, barely audible, and Ava leans in, my face inches from his. “Louder.”
“Sorry,” Derek mutters, red-faced, and he and his buddies slink off, tails between their legs.
Ava turns to me, my face softening. “You okay?” she asks, my voice low, and I nod, her ponytail bobbing.
“Yeah,” I say, her voice quiet. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”
She shrugs, my shoulders easy despite the guitar case. “Nobody talks about you like that. Not on my watch.” She pauses, then adds, “I was on my way to Dr. Mercer’s office. You should come.”
I frown, rubbing her shoulder. “Why? What’s up?”
Her eyes, my eyes, narrow. “Your heart. I’m done letting you ignore it. Let’s go.”
We’re in Dr. Mercer’s office, a sterile room that smells like antiseptic and bad news. Ava’s sitting across from the doctor, in my body, her posture all business as she grips my phone, showing him the voicemails I’ve been dodging. I’m next to her, in Ava’s body, feeling small and out of place, her shoulder aching from the quad showdown.
“Leo,” Dr. Mercer says, looking at Ava in my body, his glasses slipping down his nose. “You’ve missed three appointments. Your arrhythmia’s worsening. The stress of performing isn’t helping. If you don’t start the new medication and cut back on high-intensity activity, you’re risking cardiac arrest.”
Ava’s jaw, my jaw, tightens. “Then give him the treatment. All of it. New meds, whatever tests he needs. I’m not letting this slide anymore.”
I blink, her heart pounding. “Ava, chill,” I say, her voice sharp. “I can handle it.”
She turns to me, my eyes fierce. “No, you can’t. I felt your heart skip during rehearsal today. It’s not a game, Leo. You’re not dying on my watch.” She looks back at Dr. Mercer. “What does he need to do? Lay it out.”
Dr. Mercer sighs, scribbling on a pad. “New beta-blockers, twice daily. Weekly monitoring. No performing until we stabilize your heart rate. That means no Battle of the Bands unless I clear you.”
Ava’s hand, my hand, clenches. “No way. Battle’s in ten days. It’s his shot with Blackwave Records. There’s gotta be a way to make it work.”
I lean forward, her ponytail brushing my neck. “Ava, stop. You’re pushing too hard. I’ll figure it out.”
She ignores me, staring down Dr. Mercer. “What if he takes the meds, follows every rule, and we keep his stress low? Can he perform then?”
The doctor hesitates, then nods. “Possibly. But only if he complies fully. And you, ” he looks at me, in Ava’s body, “, you’re Ava Lin, right? You’re listed as his emergency contact. Keep an eye on him.”
I freeze, her heart skipping. Emergency contact? Since when? Ava glances at me, my face guilty, and I realize I must’ve added her name months ago, back when I was dodging my parents. “Yeah, I’ll watch him,” I say, her voice steady, covering my shock.
Dr. Mercer hands Ava a prescription, and we leave, the weight of his words hanging between us. Outside, the campus is quiet, the evening air cold. Ava stops, turning to me, my body tall and protective.
“Why didn’t you tell me I was your emergency contact?” I ask, her voice soft but sharp.
She shrugs, my shoulders hunching. “Didn’t think it’d come up. You’re the only one who… gets it. Gets me.” She pauses, my eyes meeting hers. “And you didn’t have to take on Derek like that. You could’ve gotten hurt.”
I laugh, her laugh shaky. “Says the girl ready to fistfight a doctor for me. You were terrifying in there.”
She grins, my grin, and steps closer. “Someone’s gotta look out for you, Martinez. You’re a mess without me.”
I step closer too, her body small but strong. “And you’re a mess without me, Lin. Who else is gonna scare off idiots like Derek?”
We laugh, the sound mingling in the quiet quad, and for a moment, it’s just us, protecting each other in the wrong bodies. Her phone, my phone, buzzes, and I glance at it. A text from Jade: Saw you with Leo. What’s going on, Ava? You’re freaking me out. I show it to Ava, and her face, my face, tenses.
“She’s not letting up,” Ava says, my voice low. “We need to be careful. If she figures out we’re… not us…”
“I know,” I say, rubbing her shoulder. “And Noah’s still asking about Echo. Blackwave’s coming to rehearsal tomorrow. We gotta keep it together.”
She nods, my hand resting on her arm, my arm. “Then we train harder. You nail my serves, I nail your songs. And we both keep each other alive.”
I smile, her smile soft. “Deal. Music building, midnight?”
“Midnight,” she says, and we part ways, her to my apartment, me to her dorm. But as I walk, her shoulder aching, I feel something new. Not just fear or pressure, but a promise. We’re in this together, fighting for each other, even if the world doesn’t know.