The Party - chapter three

The Party - Chapter three

I was gloomy throughout the school day, hoping something would cheer me up. I was back in school, finally, but it was absolutely no fun now.

Alex's cheery conversation during lunch did the trick. Even Ian sat with us for a few minutes. He'd claimed he'd just "been bored". He was such a rotten liar. It was heartwarming though, him checking in on us.

No one talked to us during lunch, but the murmurs around Alex were growing stronger. She wasn't even dressed all that strange; she had a pair of loose jeans and a long baggy shirt, colored green, that had some football name written on it. From the back she really did look like a guy. But she had a heart shaped face, the minute you saw them you couldn't be mistaken. She was alright the way she was. Did everybody always make such a big deal out of it? I could swear I didn't notice before.

I sighed regretfully. "I wish everyone would just mind their own business," I grumbled.

Alex shrugged. "It's okay with me. I really don't mind." She grinned at me.

I raised both eyebrows in return. "Really?"

"Yep," Alex answered as she ate her pizza slowly. "Some things are just more important than that." She nodded to herself.

I was intrigued but didn't press the issue. Ian and Davy sat one table ahead of us. I could hear Davy's voice in the back of my head. It was like everything else was drowned out, everything but his voice. It was drilling inside my head. I closed my eyes tightly, suddenly unable to bear it any longer. I shut my ears with both my hands.

"What's wrong, Amy?" Alex asked, her voice worried.

I just shook my head. "I have no idea," I said as tears fought through my throat. "I… I guess it's…" I glanced behind my back.

Alex's big blue eyes brightened with understanding. "Oh, I see," she said quietly. "You haven't seen him before last night," she stated.

It wasn't a question, but I still nodded. "Yeah, I ran away to hide at my grandparents' place," I said through gritted teeth, fighting the tears. Oh, God, I did not want to cry here! He might even end up seeing it… I felt sick to my stomach at the thought. My heart missed a beat. To distract myself, I kept on talking. "They own a tourist shop in Rhodes. That's in Greek. I thought the beach would do me good."

Alex noticed my brilliant babbling plan. She smiled and played along nicely. Slowly, she got me to lower my hands and focus enough to take a bite of my sandwich.

Then her eyes turned to slits. "How's that boy you were telling me about?" she asked innocently. Her voice was a bit too loud for my taste.

I stared at her. "Boy?"

She nodded deeply. "Yes. Ben, was that his name?"

I noticed that Davy was no longer talking. I flashed my teeth. "Oh, Ben! He's doing great! He just called me yesterday, you know, we talk every day." Alex kicked me under the table. Her eyes implied that I continue. My audience was hooked then. I took a deep breath before continuing. "He is the best kisser ever."

Alex nearly fell off her chair, her expression looking almost painful as she tried to suppress her laughter. Probably at Davy's expression. This was actually, surprisingly fun!

"He bought me my favorite flowers and sent them over. Of course he didn't think they'd dry up so quickly –" I talked rapidly, barely having time to register what I was saying, "But it's the thought that counts. He's so thoughtful." I grinned at Alex. "But that's just my Benny."

Alex was shaking mutely now. When she regained control of her voice, she said, "What about when he declared his undying love for you?"

I shook from laughter myself. Davy was making choking sounds on the table behind me, as if he just spurted whatever he drank. "Oh, that." I tried to calm down. "It was the most romantic thing ever, and the taste of– but, I bet you don't want to hear about that." I made my voice embarrassed near the end.

Alex couldn't hold it in anymore. She started laughing so loudly the people in the tables around us turned. I heard Ian's laughter mix in with hers. I turned around, only to find Davy's brown eyes boring into mine.

My stomach turned as my heart beat accelerated. "You didn't… hear that, did you?" I asked naively. He was barely able to shake his head. My phone ringed in my pocket. I took it out. Some sort of spam. Well, I decided after a moment's consideration, may as well use all the cards I got. "Aw, Benny is the cutest!" I passed the phone to Alex. "Isn't he adorable?" I asked, batting my eyelids.

Alex nodded, unable to stop laughing. "He is so sweet," she choked out.

I got up, taking my tray with me. "Have a good afternoon," I said in Ian and Davy's direction. Alex was right beside me.

"Hey, let's go somewhere after school," she said with her eyes almost sparkling. It must be the angle of the light, I decided. "We didn't get much homework today," Alex continued enthusiastically.

"Like a party?" I asked, a laugh building in my throat.

"Exactly like a party," Alex reassured with a grin.

***

Alex's battered car was waiting in the parking space. I couldn't tell which type it was, but the grey color was pealing and it had lots of bumps I assumed were not supposed to be there.

Alex opened the door for me. "Chivalrous," I said wryly.

She grinned. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

Adrenalin was still pumping through my veins. I nodded feverishly. "Like me. You know," I hesitated. Only now did the thought cross my mind. Davy was probably wishing he was buried alive. Ian was most likely howling his rear end off laughing. These thoughts made me start shaking again. Maybe I hadn't thought this through? My face paled again. "I wasn't too mean in there, was I?" I asked in a little voice.

Alex turned the engine on. She looked straight at the road, both hands on the wheel, but I could tell she was fighting a smile. "You weren't that bad," she reassured me. Then she frowned. "Anyhow, they had it coming."

I looked out of the side window. The trees and houses all flew by. "Yeah," I muttered, feeling the familiar sadness well up inside me. "I know, they had it coming."

Alex pulled up next to a cheap looking bar. The neon sign was bright pink, and it was flashing. At least none of the letters were burned. Wow, talk about low-priced.

"I can't drink," I notified her offhandedly. "Also, what kind of ride is this?" I slammed the door shut.

Alex grinned. "No idea. I hate dealing with cars."

This threw me off balance. A laugh was building in my throat from the surprise. She didn't look like she hated cars at all; she really had that image of a machine junky. I bet all the school thought she worked as a mechanic part time. Don't judge a book by its cover, I thought as we proceeded to the shop.

"And yeah," she continued to say, "I know we can't drink 'cause we're not eighteen yet, but it's cool." For a minute I thought she meant the place would sell it illegally. My heart started beating faster. Oh, damn it, what was that thought about the book again? I got mixed up in the wrong place. I felt a nervous drop of sweat slide down the back of my neck.

Alex saw the distress over my face and started laughing out loud. She laughed so hard that she bent down and put her hands on her knees to steady herself. "This, place," she gasped through her giggles, "Has sodas! Its, what, I always drink!"

Relief washed over me as I realized my own stupidity. Of course Alex wasn't like that – why was I so suspicious all the time? I started laughing along, my laughter bouncy, booming through the darkened street.

It's not like I wasn't betrayed before, but this was different. Alex was a friend. I grinned at her. "Let's get inside." I motioned with my head at the door.

Alex and I picked a seat next to the bar, cheerfully laughing and sipping from glass bottles. Thankfully enough, the place wasn't packed, and the music wasn't all that loud either. God liked me today. I couldn't sit still, jumping up and down in my seat.

There were a few girls dancing on the dance floors, but it wasn't anything that bugged me. The bartender was a girl too. Coming to think of it, there were no guys at all. A hidden smile stretched my lips. I ducked my head down towards my grape-juice bottle so that Alex wouldn't see. This was so like her.

"I like this place, I come here often," Alex told me, noticing where my eyes were.

I nodded in response. "This is… that kind of bar, isn't it?" I asked hesitantly after a few minutes of glancing.

"Girls only?" she giggled. "Yeah. It's cool here." Alex paused. She bit her lower lip, her hands fiddling with each other. "Was it wrong to bring you here? I mean, I know you're not like that, but it's just a cool place to hang out… and…"

I was glad it was just the two of us; that way I could really be myself. I put my head on her shoulder. "It's A-okay," I said confidently. "It's a really cool place."

"Seriously?" Her voice sounded relieved. She took an enthusiastic swig from her orange juice.

I glanced around, shaking my head to the faded beat of the music. "It's a great place," I admitted at last. And it was. I glanced at the bottle in her hands and giggled for about the hundredth time that evening. "So you don't drink?" I clarified with a raised eyebrow.

She took another sip of her orange juice. "Yep," she answered quite seriously. She put her elbows on the bar, resting her head on top of her arms. "I don't smoke, either."

"Me too," I confessed with a grin. "I'll let you in on a little secret: I've never even been drunk before."

A

lex laughed. "Look at you, you're already drunk from happiness."

I laughed along. She had a good point.

Then her blue eyes scanned me. She took my hand again. Her hands were always cold. I smiled in response. "What's on your mind?" I asked as she played with my fingers.

Alex opened her mouth, then closed it again. "Why do you… not drink or smoke?" she said at last.

I shrugged. "It's bad for you. That's as clear as crystal. Why be an idiot if you don't have to?"

Alex nodded intensely. It was funny how the carefully styled spikes in her hair stayed exactly how they were before.

"How about you?" I asked as I took another sip from my own grape-juice filled bottle.

Alex laid her head back on the table. "I just think there are cooler ways to kill yourself," she muttered into her arms.

I stayed quiet, drinking the grape juice even though I wasn’t really thirsty anymore. It seemed like she didn't want to talk further.

After a few minutes of silence, Alex laughed. "Some party, huh? Sorry."

I nearly choked on a mouth full of juice. "No, not at – ugh – all," I said as I coughed. "I had such a great time!"

She tapped the counter with her fingers for a few minutes, lost in thought. "It's my little sister," she said at last.

I looked up questioningly. "Your little sister?" I asked blankly.

Alex hesitated, her hand running through the cropped blond hair. "She's… sick. I cut my hair so I can be a little like her." Her blue eyes turned somber. "It makes her feel better."

That explained so much, like why she didn't mind the teasing, why she decided to look like this in the first place. She didn't look like she enjoyed it. I nodded softly. "Do you mind if I ask?" My voice was almost inaudible.

Alex shook her head. "Not at all. Let's get this over with." Her thin lips turned down in a grimace.

I took in a big breath. "What does she have?"

Her palms wrapped around the glass bottle. "Cancer. On her leg or something, I'm not so sure. I let my Mom deal with it." She bit her lower lip, eyebrows pulled down, creasing her forehead with worry.

I nodded. "When did you… find out?" I whispered.

Alex shrugged, closing her big eyes. "About one year ago. I don't remember the exact date." She took another sip from her bottle, opening her eyes to look at me. "Go on." She smiled encouragingly. "I know you're curious."

I smiled mildly back. I looked for a question that won't offend her. "What's her name?"

Alex grinned. "Faye. It means fairy." She put the bottle to her lips again. "She's like one," she said at last. "A fairy, I mean."

I swallowed nervously. "Alex, you like girls right?"

She kept her eyes straight ahead at the bar, where some alcoholic drinks were standing still. "I'm not so sure," she said slowly. "Honest. I dress the way I like, and when I meet a cool person, it won’t matter to me what they are."

"But…" I hesitated. "You've dated girls before?"

Alex laughed. "Not really. I fell in love with a girl before." A hard edge crept into her voice. "She was really cool. But, yeah, I guess we weren't really… well, meant to be." She laughed again.

I was relieved to hear her voice lightened up. "What do your parents think?" I asked, taking a mouthful of grape-juice.

A

lex's grin was so bright it was blinding. "You're so nosy, Amy," she complained while rolling her eyes, but she continued speaking. It looked like she was relieved to finally say it all. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. "Mom's cool about it. She says she wants grandchildren either way." I laughed along with her this time. "And… Dad took off when I was four or something." Her face toughened. "Haven't heard from the bastard since."

I winced in surprise. "Oh, that's new," I muttered.

"Not really," Alex chuckled at my expression. "I just don't talk about it. Any of it." She took in a deep breath. "You can call this a first."

I immediately felt guilty, though I hadn't done anything. I didn't mean to pressure her into talking… "You didn't have to tell me," I said nervously. "I mean, I'm glad you did, but you know, if you weren't ready – I didn't mean to force you to-"

Alex smiled confidently at me. "No, it's okay. It's good that I can finally talk about it."

I grinned at her. "Well, I'm here to listen."