Lost But Found | ✔️ - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Unplanned Encounters
Weekends were supposed to be a break.
For most people, Saturday meant sleeping in, hanging out, maybe pretending to care about homework.
For Jaxon Reed, it meant training.
He'd been up since sunrise, running drills with his trainer at the field, lifting in his garage, doing everything he could to stay ahead. Football wasn't just a sport to him—it was his future. His ticket out.
By noon, he was starving.
So he did what he always did after a long morning—grabbed his keys and headed to Miller's Diner, the best (and only) mom-and-pop burger joint in town.
What he didn't expect was to walk in and find Ava Carter sitting alone in the corner booth.
She had a book open in front of her, a half-finished milkshake sitting on the table, and she was completely oblivious to everything around her.
Jaxon didn't hesitate.
Sliding into the seat across from her, he grinned. "Didn't peg you for the type to spend all your Saturdays reading in diners, Carter."
Ava jolted slightly, eyes snapping up to meet his. "Are you serious?"
Jaxon leaned back, stretching his arms across the back of the booth. "Deadly."
She sighed, snapping her book shut. "Do you just pop up everywhere I go?"
"Not my fault you've got great taste in burger joints."
She muttered something under her breath before eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you even doing here?"
"Eating. Existing. Talking to you—it's a multi-purpose trip."
Ava rolled her eyes, but she didn't immediately tell him to leave, which he took as a win.
A waitress walked by, raising a brow at Jaxon. "You want your usual, Reed?"
"Yeah, thanks, Diane."
As she walked off, Ava leaned on her elbow. "You have a usual?"
Jaxon smirked. "What, you think I just wander in and order something different every time? Nah. I'm a bacon cheeseburger, fries, extra ranch kind of guy. It's tradition."
Ava tilted her head, studying him. "Huh."
Jaxon raised a brow. "What?"
"Nothing," she said, a small smirk playing at her lips. "You're just... consistent."
Jaxon wasn't sure why, but that felt like the best compliment he'd gotten in a while.
He tapped his fingers against the table, watching her carefully. "And you? Let me guess—something boring. Like a salad."
Ava scoffed. "Please. I'd take a burger over a salad any day."
Jaxon grinned. "Now that is something I respect."
Ava shook her head, sipping her milkshake. "You're impossible."
"Yeah," he said easily. "But you're still talking to me."
She exhaled like she was reconsidering every life choice that had led her here. But still, she didn't leave.
Jaxon leaned forward slightly, drumming his fingers on the table. "So, Carter. What's the deal?"
She frowned. "With what?"
"With you," he said. "You're this mystery wrapped in a cheer uniform. You read in diners, you disappear when you're not at school, and you apparently know how to throw a mean punch."
Ava stared at him for a long moment.
Then she leaned in, mirroring his posture. "Maybe I just like keeping people guessing."
Jaxon smirked. "Or maybe you just don't want anyone to know the real you."
Ava's expression didn't change, but something flickered in her eyes—something careful.
Jaxon had hit a nerve.
Before she could say anything, Diane returned with his food, setting his plate down in front of him.
"You two want anything else?" she asked.
Ava sat back, shaking her head. "I'm good."
Jaxon grinned. "Just an answer, but I don't think I'm getting that anytime soon."
Ava smirked, standing up and grabbing her book. "You're finally catching on."
Jaxon watched as she walked toward the door, his curiosity only growing.
She was a mystery, sure. But more than that—she was a challenge.
And Jaxon Reed never walked away from a challenge.