“Okay, we’ll be there in a few minutes. Ashley’s car is in the shop, otherwise she’d just drive her and Kyla by herself. I figured it wasn’t too far out of the way” Avery nodded in response.

As the scenery rolled by beneath a blackening sky, the stillness between us only grew more insufferable. It was as if the oxygen had been sucked from the air, and the nothingness that floated around me was now a blanket being used to suffocate me.

“Say something.” I said playfully, trying to lift a seriously damp mood by pretending that I thought all was well.

            “What do you want me to say?” She replied detachedly.

            “Say whatever you want to say” My tone was still light.

            “Well, I don’t want to say anything”

            “Come on” I could feel myself getting more serious… maybe even a little annoyed. Did I even have a right to be annoyed?

            “Come on what? We’re going to the movies – me, you, your ex, and her sister. End of story.” She said, her voice a little bit cold. I was a little taken aback by it – Avery and I had engaged in little arguments here and there, but on the whole we got along pretty flawlessly. This cold edge to her voice was unfamiliar, and so far I didn’t like it.

            “Oh, I forgot that this was a chore” I said, sarcastically hinting at her cold tone. “I mean wherever did I get the notion that going to the movies was supposed to be fun? God, silly me!”

            “Spencer, don’t be ridiculous.” She said definitively, rolling her eyes.

            “Me? I’m not the one who has been scowling for the last 15 minutes.” I said, flicking my gaze between the road and her. She exhaled loudly. I didn’t wait for her to tell me why she was acting this way – I went ahead and confronted the issue that still went unsaid.  “Is it so wrong for me to want my girlfriend and my friend to get along?” I asked, my voice small. There was a pause.

            “There’s one integral part that you’re leaving out.” She looked at me seriously. “That friend is your ex. And not just any ex, she’s the ex.” Avery said, her eyes unfaltering from the side of my head. Why didn’t she trust me? Ashley was just my friend now, despite feelings I might have had for her – or we had for each other – it didn’t matter. I was determined to maintain a platonic relationship.