Flashback:
That had been the way it always was with Alex.
I don't know, was it a game to her? All I knew was that she was looking at me from across the cafeteria, and I was looking right back, like every lunch period. We just stare, like the other is something we've never seen before. In truth, we've seen eachother a hundred times at least, but every time was like it was new. At least to me.
She would get her food, then sit at the same table. I would always be leaning against the south wall, overlooking everybody. I could hang out with my friends, but I find that it's much more interesting to see people new everyday.
Have Alex and I ever talked?
No.
The only reason I even knew her name was because I looked it up in the school records. She was like a new species of female, and it...intruged me.
I doubt she knows my name, but still we sit, and stare. Then the bell rings and it ends. We both get up and walk away. Why was it so hard to concentrate after? I didn't even know anything about her, and I was still taken in, like a moth to flame.
Today was different, though. When I look over to where she usually is, she isn't there. She's gone.
Maybe I got it wrong? I look over everyone, and she's not there.
"Hey." A voice to my left makes me jump. I turn, and it's...it's...her.
"H...h...hello." I squeak. She smirks, then hold her hand out.
"I'm Alex."
"I know." Wow, stalker much, Mitchie? "My name is Mitchie."
"Can I call you Mitch?"
I frown. "No."
"Alright then, Mitch. I'm tired of just looking. I want to get to know you. C'mon, let's go."
I took her outstretched hand and she led me through the cafeteria to the school doors. We walked out into the sunshine and she led me to her car.
"I'm not supposed to go on rides with strangers." I blurt.
She laughed. "I think you've stared enough holes in me to make me a little more than a stranger."
I just blush, and she opens the door for me. My cheeks get impossibly redder.
She gets in herself and starts the engine after a couple tries. Then we're off to...who knows where.
Present:
It's lunch time, but I can't find her, just like I couldn't on the first day. But this time, I know she's not going to approach me. In fact, the reason I can't see her is because she's completely ignoring me. Why? I have no idea. We went from perfectly happy to perfectly miserable. When did this happen? How? What happened to make that happen? Again, she told me nothing. All I know is that I haven't seen her in two weeks, and I'm getting desperate
I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. A quick glance at the clock confirmed my fears. The bell was going to ring in seconds, and I still hadn't seen her.
I didn't think of anything else during class. It never used to be this way...
Flashback:
Alex drove me to a coffee place, and then opened the door for me to get out, just as she had before.
"Thank you." I say.
She just smiles. "Come on."
I follow her into the place, and the person up front immediately recognizes us. "Alex! Hey!"
"Hey, Justin!" She says cheerfully. I give her a questioning look. "He's a friend." She explains.
"Who's this?" He asks.
"This is Mitch."
"Mitchie." I correct, giving Alex a look.
"Don't let Alex get on your nerves." Justin tells me, leaning across the counter as if we were sharing a secret. "She's just...Alex."
Alex laughs, nodding. "Yep, that's me. Alex Russo."
Aha, now I had a last name.
"So, what will it be for you two lovely ladies?" He gets out a notebook and looks up. He's kind of cute, in a way. I smile.
"I'll have a...um..." Alex taps her finger to her chin as if trying to decide.
Justin scribbles something down anywas. "I already know what you want, you get the same thing every time."
"How do you know I won't mix it up someday?" She challenges him.
He grins. "I just know.
They both turn to me, and I know that means I need to order. "I'll have a carmel mocha with extra whipped cream." I finally decide.
Justin takes the paper to the back where he gives it to some other guy. "Hey, Shane! We got some cuties over here, you might want to come take a look."
The guy he called Shane walks up and whistles. "Woah, where'd you find these two?"
I just stand there and blush. Alex is cracking up, but I'm completely embarrased.
"Well, you know about Alex." He waves at Alex as if she means nothing to him. "But now we've got two of them."
"What's your name?" Shane askes me.
"It's Mitch." Alex answers, cutting in before I can say anything.
"Mitchie." I was really getting tired of repeating my name, but for some reason, I didn't mind her driving me crazy.
Present:
Finally, school is over. I drive home, wondering if there will be a text from her on my phone, asking to hang out sometimes soon. We aren't even officially broken up, yet she acts like I never even existed. I wish I knew what was going on.
I walked into the house and put the keys on the table. "Hello?"
My voice seems to echo. Mom and Dad aren't home yet, then. It's very lonely sometimes; being an only child. I can't count the amount of times I want siblins.
I go to my room, and the first thing I do is check my phone. There's no new messages, or phone calls, or emails, or anything that might be from her. My heart sinks; it was stupid for me to have even got my hopes up.
Just like I always tell myself not to do, I open the camera app and look through all my pictures. Every single one is of me and her, and sometimes other people are there too. But to me, it was only her. I had them back to the day I got my first picture with her, at that coffee shop.
Flashback:
"So anyways, Mitchie..." Shane continued. "What's your last name?"
"Torres."
"Cool. Doing anything tonight?"
Alex cuts in before I can dig my grave deeper. "If she's not, then me and her are going to hang out." She puts an arm around my waist possesively.
"Woah, Alex, you didn't tell us you had a girlfriend." Shane puts his hands up in mock surrender. I step away from Alex and blush some more. I seem to be doing that a lot lately.
"She...I'm...We're..." I stutter.
"Not in a relationship, I gather." Justin saves me. "Well I haven't seen Alex bring anyone in here with her since that Harper girl, and I heard she moved away."
"Yeah, she did. I still miss her." Alex looks a little sad for a moment, then bounces back. "You know Justin, it wouldn't hurt to have a girlfriend yourself."
He just shakes his head. "I put on girl repelent every morning, or something. I don't know, but for some strange reason, I can't seem to ever get a girl to talk to me."
"Become as hot as me and you might get the chance." Shane butts in, and flexes as if showing off muscles.
Alex and I roll our eyes at the same time, and the boys start laughing. I've never had real friends before. Is this what it's like?
"Here's your coffee." Another guy (how many guys worked at one coffee place?) came to the counter and handed us our drinks. "That will be five ninety two."
Alex looked at me. "Got any cash?"
I just stared at her." What?"
"I brought you here, and now you expect me to pay for the coffee?" She set the cup down and rummaged around in her pockets. "Yep, I'm broke."
"You ordered drinks and didn't have any money?" I managed.
"I prefer to live in the moment." She shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"I don't have any money, either!" By now I was hyperventalating.
By now, Shane and Justin were practically rolling around on the floor laughing. Finally, Shane pulled some money out of his own pocket and put it in the register.
"Thanks." I told him.
"No problem. Believe it or not, Alex does this a lot."
"A picture for the occasion?" Justin held up his phone.
Alex grabbed my waist again and held me to her side before I could say anything. I held up my coffee cup and smiled at the camera.
"Say, Alex is a moocher!" Shanes says from Justin's side.
We all start laughing again, and Justin takes the picture. I gave him my number so he could send it to me, and Alex and I left.
"Those are some crazy guys." I say.
"Yes, but you've gotta love them." She elbows me in the side with the arm that's not holding the coffee.
I sip the coffee and realize that I just had one of the best afternoons in my life with three practical strangers and an empty wallet.
What next?
