The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

shot. Just as she called it and pulled back her cue, I maybe, sort of, accidently-on-purpose let my hand slide down her back and over the curve of her butt. At my gentle squeeze, Avery let out a shriek and botched the shot so bad the cue ball jumped the table.
    The entire room gasped, and then there was a mixture of laughs and angry shouts.
    Avery stood there, face brighter red than I’d ever seen it, gaping at me in utter disbelief. “I just lost,” she finally said. “You just made me lose.”
    “I know,” I admitted, trying to look more repentant than I felt.
    “By grabbing my butt!”
    She was pissed. But was she mad that I’d copped a feel, or mad that I’d made her lose? I was hoping it was the latter.
    “Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry. But seriously, Aves, you working that table had to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, and I simply couldn’t let you win because I really, really, really want the chance to dance with you now.”
    Owen clasped a hand on my shoulder and laughed. “Well, I’m not going to argue. My dignity thanks you.” He turned to Avery and put a hand on her shoulder too. “Try to go easy on the guy. It really was very sexy. I’ve never seen anyone play like that. You were amazing.”
    Aves blushed again and muttered, “It’s a science club thing.”
    “Well, I’ll be damned.” Owen laughed again and squeezed Avery in a quick hug. “Now throw this pathetic loser a bone and go dance with him.”

Avery
    Dance. Grayson expected me to dance. And this wasn’t middle-school dancing where you put your arms on your partner’s shoulders and turn in a circle. This was fast, fluid, and sexy. I was doomed.
    Though it could have been worse. At first, Grayson tried to pull me into the crowd, but Pamela and Chloe came to my rescue.
    “No way! I won this dance fair and square. You guys go find your own partners!”
    Pamela crossed her arms and gave Grayson a stern look. “You cheated! As your punishment, Avery will be fulfilling the terms of her bet with Chloe and me. You said she had to dance. You didn’t say who got to teach her.”
    “Yeah, she’s ours now.” Chloe tucked me behind her and pointed to the empty sofa. “You can go park it over there, Mr. Grabby McGrabbhands, and think about what you’ve done.”
    Grayson eyed the couch and then frowned. “You guys are putting me in time out?”
    “Yes!” Pamela very much liked that idea. “You, Grayson Kennedy, have earned a time out. Now go on. Shoo.”
    Grayson looked worried for me, so Pamela eased up on him. “Avery is in excellent hands. Go find a drink or something and give us fifteen minutes to ease her into it.”
    Grayson wasn’t happy, but eventually he looked at me and sighed. “You’re right. It’ll probably be easier for her to relax if it’s just you girls.” He smiled at me. “Remember it’s supposed to be fun.” He pointed to the couch that Chloe had just banished him to. “I’ll be right over there doing exactly as I’ve been told and thinking very hard about what I did.” He grinned then, so wickedly that I feared his next statement. “Remembering every glorious detail.”
    I know he got smacked on the arm, but I wasn’t sure who’d done it, because I had to look away from him. The next thing I knew, I was being escorted into the middle of a crowd of people. Pamela whirled around to face me and grabbed onto my hands. “First, I just want you to relax. This isn’t as hard as you think.”
    “Yeah,” Chloe chimed in. “You’ll be fine. It’s a lot easier to dance by yourself than with a guy.”
    I looked at them with gratitude and a sense of awe. I’d always assumed that the most popular girls in school would be the catty mean girls you read about. Those girls definitely existed, Pam and Chloe had even warned me of the worst ones, but so far I’d discovered that Grayson didn’t put up with jerks, so the people at the top of the food chain with him were all really nice.
    “You guys