Hey guys...

I don't usually write fanfictions. But one of my BFFs (aka Leigh) asked me to write a story about her and her "future husband", Alex Gaskarth. It took me a while to come up with a good idea. I finally settled on totally taking Alex out of his realm of ATL and placing him in high school. Please don't think I see him just like the character in this story; I really hope my BFF's future man isn't that horrible. Also, don't think Leigh is such an innocent-church-girl in real life. She is far from it. But I thought it would make a better story if the main characters were on opposite ends of the spectrum. So, with that, enjoy!

Leigh's POV

I fell to the floor panting and smiling widely. I'd been smiling a lot tonight. Of course, who wouldn't be smiling when you were having a sleepover with your best friend?

Rachel stumbled across the room, dizzy from the quadruple pirouette she had just attempted. She plopped down next to me with an "oof." I laughed at her grunt, and she laughed right along with me. It was two in the morning, but we were still going strong. It might've had something to do with that 12-pack of Cherry Coke Zero we guzzled earlier….

"Good rehearsal," Rachel said in between huffs. She held up her hand for a high-five.

I completed the gesture. "Yup," I breathed.

"Again? We need to get this dance down pat before try-outs."

"Sure." I nodded.

Although Rachel wasn't trying out for cheerleading, she was generously helping me prepare to do so. We had been doing dance routines every Friday night for the past two months so I would be ready. Gosh, she was a good friend.

"Cool," Rachel agreed. She was about to hop up, but I grabbed her wrist.

"Wait."

There was something I'd been meaning to tell her. I was running out of time, and I needed to warn my best friend. The only thing I was anxious about was her reaction. Would she totally hate me for this? Rachel was known to hold ridiculously long grudges….

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Rachel's eyes widened and her voice held worry.

I chuckled inwardly. She always assumed the worst. But then again, she always knew how to handle things when they did turn out to be the worst possible. She would be a great mom one day.

"No, no, nothing's wrong. I just need to tell you something."

Rachel pulled her hand out of my grasp and turned her entire body towards me. She folded her legs criss-cross style and looked at me with expectant eyes.

I took a deep breath. Rachel won't kill me. She's my best friend. This is nothing. She won't kill me.

"I won't be in German class on Monday," I blurted.

"Okay…" Rachel said after a long pause. "So?"

"I mean I won't be in German class again. Ever."

She looked confused. "Why?"

"Frau Aden wants me to move up to German III. She's been tutoring me in the things I'll miss with the whole skipping the end of this year and most of next year thing," I explained.

It took a second for Rachel to process the news. I waited apprehensively. Finally, her face lit up with a huge grin and sparkling eyes.

"Oh my God!" she squealed, throwing her arms around my neck. "This is great! I'm so happy for you!"

"Really?" I asked. This was a way different reaction than what I'd been expecting.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. She pulled out of the hug so she could look at me. "I mean, I'll miss you in class. How am I gonna deal with all those stupid boys? But Leigh! You're gonna be, like, a Junior!"

"Only for one period," I amended.

"But still." She popped up off the floor. "So, are we gonna run the routine again, or are we gonna call it a night?"

I smiled. How did I ever think Rachel would be mad at me? She really was the best friend a girl could ask for.

"Let's keep going. I really need to get that pike-turn-wolf jump combo. But first, will you pray with me?" I asked.

Rachel's faced scrunched up. An exasperated groan escaped her throat.

"Come on," she pleaded. "Don't go all Jesus-freak on me! You know how I don't like that kind of stuff."

Indeed I did. While I was very devoted to God, Rachel was not. She was more of the bedside-Baptist type. You know, where she only really turns to God when there's no other option. I had tried to convert her many times, but she wouldn't go for it. Whenever I let my "Jesus-freak" side show, Rachel became pretty uncomfortable. At least she would tolerate my religiousness on occasion.

"Please?" I whined. "I just wanted to ask God for a good first day in my new German class."

"Fine," Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes. She dropped back to the ground, folded her hands, and bowed her head. "Okay, let's do this."

I giggled at my friend's reluctance. She was so funny sometimes. I closed my eyes and clasped my hands together.

"Dear God," I said. "Please look out for me on Monday when I go to my new German class. I've worked so hard to move up a class, so please protect me. Help me to study hard and stay focused. Help me to get good grades so all my dream colleges will accept me. And most of all, God, please look out for Rachel." I heard her chuckle. "She'll be stuck with all those idiotic people back in German II. Thank you and amen."

I opened my eyes to see an amused Rachel. She cocked her head, staring at me for a second, then bounced back onto her feet. I followed suit.

"So, you need help on that pike-turn-wolf jump combo?" she asked.

I nodded. We then proceeded to dance until the sun peeked over the horizon.

--

You can do this, Leigh. You can do this.

I shifted my binders and new German textbook to my left arm so I could have a free hand to fuss with my skirt. I stood just a few feet outside my new German classroom. Frau Aden only taught the freshman and sophomore classes, so I had a whole new group of students complete with a brand new teacher. His name was Herr Schmidt, and he was a pretty gnarly guy from what I'd heard. I took two deep breaths to steady myself.

You can do this. You can do this.

I clutched my books in front of my chest. The door to room 211 was open, and a few desks were visible from my view point. I saw one girl that used to tutor me in English, and that settled my nerves a little bit. At least I would know somebody. At a huge school like mine, it was quite possible to not even know all the people in your grade. I scanned the other desks I could see, trying to find someone else I recognized.

I stopped breathing.

There's someone I recognize.

It was Alex Gaskarth – the Alex Gaskarth – in all of his bad-boy glory. He sat next to his best friend Jack Barakat. I definitely knew who they were. According to Lowry, the President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Alex and his friends were walking hotbeds of sin. Still, I couldn't help but ogle Alex. I mean, he was Alex Gaskarth. What girl wouldn't melt at his perfect, dark brown hair and suggestive smile? I just disregarded his – ahem – whorishness when I admired his looks. Jeez, he was gorgeous.

A tall, muscled guy pushed past me and into the classroom, sending me flying several feet to the side. That brought me back to the present. I glanced up at the clock mounted in the hallway. It was less than five minutes until school started. I had to get into that room sooner or later. I repeated my newfound mantra in my head.

You can do this. You can do this.

I lifted my foot to take a step, but I froze in mid-air. I just couldn't make myself put my foot down. I wanted to. I really did. But something was preventing me from doing so. I cringed as I realized what it was. I was nervous. Because of Alex Gaskarth. I didn't want to look like a dork in front of him.

Come on, Leigh. You can do this.

I moved my books to one arm and pushed my knee down with my free hand.

There. I took one step. Hooray, I thought dryly.

I stood there just staring at the door, dumbfounded. Why was this so hard? All I had to do was walk a few feet and sit down. I could definitely do that. So why was it that I was still standing just beyond the threshold of room 211?

Because of Alex Gaskarth, I answered my own question.

I didn't even know why he was getting me so flustered. Why should I care what he thinks? He drank, he did drugs, and he slept with every girl he laid eyes on. He was not the kind of boy I should be getting nervous over. So why was I getting nervous?

God, please just get me through this door. Just get me inside this dang classroom. Amen.

And, with the power of God, I strode through the door.

Alex's POV

"Dude, tell me it isn't true," Jack said as I sat down in the desk next to him. He was trying hard not to laugh, but he wasn't exactly what I'd call successful.

It was Monday morning, German class was first, and what Jack was asking about was indeed true. Shit, I wasn't in the mood for any of this.

I just shot a death glare in my friend's direction and went back to furiously picking at my fingernails. Damn this nervous habit, I thought. I wouldn't have any nail left if I kept at this pace. With some effort I put my hands flat on my desk. There. At least your fingers won't bleed today.

"Shit, you are such a girl," Jack told me.

I turned to him and frowned.

"What? You are." He pointed to my hands. "Seriously, man? Picking your nails?"

Rolling my eyes, I brought my attention back to resisting the urge to ruin my fingers.

"Your guitar playing will get shit-faced if you keep doing that, you know," Jack continued. "You need to take care of your hands. I mean, if you still care about the band and all."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Okay, okay, I'm not one to talk. Trying out that homemade flame-thrower wasn't the smartest idea." He stroked the scar on his left index finger absentmindedly. "But seriously, dude. Tell me. Did it really happen? 'Cause you know I can't trust Phoebe to tell the truth."

I smirked a little bit at that. Jack's girlfriend did have a knack for exaggerating the truth…and then totally mutilating it.

"Please?" he whined.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I lied, grumbling.

"Finally, a response!" Jack cried and looked up to the heavens. He then shifted his gaze back to me. "So did you do it? Did you fuck her?"

At that moment, my resolve crumbled. I had planned to lie my way through this (something I'd practiced a lot and become quite good at, if I do say so myself), but my scheme fell to pieces in an instant. Even with all the fucking practice in the world, I could never lie to Jack. He was my best friend, and I couldn't live with myself if I told him a fib. God, I was such a girl.

"Yes," I groaned, sliding down in my seat. I let my eyes close in shame and defeat.

"Holy shit! I can't believe you! I thought you had higher standards."

"What can I say?" I snapped back. "I was drunk and horny. She was female and available. Very available."

"I'll say," he chuckled.

I hit him in the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Don't be such a pussy," I growled. "Anyway, she was drunk too, so I doubt she even fucking remembers it."

"Fuck yeah, she does," Jack informed me. "She was in the hallway telling everything with a heartbeat about her night with the Alex Gaskarth." His pitch went up two octaves in a poor imitation of a girl's voice.

"Seriously? Fuck my life." I pounded my head with my fists.

"All I know is that you must have been pretty drunk to even consider getting in bed with her. What all did you have, anyway?"

I massaged my temples. "Jose Cuervo. A shitload of Jose Cuervo."

"Ah," Jack muttered. "That explains a lot."

"Yeah," I agreed. Tequila could really make your clothes fall off.

"Remind me to stay away from the Cuervo in the future," Jack laughed.

"Likewise."

"So tell me what happened!" he urged.

"What are you, a fucking eighth grade girl?" I wondered.

"So what if I am? Now tell me."

I sighed. "It was a party. I was drunk. You've had enough party hook-ups to know what happened."

"So you ran like hell as soon as she fell asleep?" Jack asked.

I nodded.

"Good job, my brotha!" he approved as he gave me a fist pound.

"Yeah, whatever," I mumbled.

Jack then left me to my own devices as he hurried to finish homework he never did. I chuckled silently. Jack was the goody-two-shoes of our group; no one else even attempted homework. Granted, he wasn't much of a goody-two-shoes, but that just gives good perspective on the rest of our clique.

I guess you could've called us the bad-asses of the school. Of course, we weren't really that bad-ass considering we were just teenagers in eleventh grade. But our favorite pastimes included sex, getting high, getting drunk, cursing, and the ever-popular committing vandalism. The guys made up the band in which I acted as the lead singer and guitarist. We all had those swoopy, musician hairstyles that most of the girls at school drooled over. Jack said they made us look like fags. Hey, whatever gets us more gigs, right?

All of us, including the girls, had at least one tattoo. It was the ultimate way to rebel against authority and feel totally in control. We all craved that. Plus, that just heightened our level of fucking bad-assness. The other kids quivered when they caught a glimpse of the gothic angel wings on the inside of my wrist. If only they could see the rest of my art, then they would really quiver.

A part of me didn't enjoy the life I was leading. I was always feared, always talked about. And everything was no-strings-attached – there was nothing in my whole life that was concrete. Of course, this part of me was beyond microscopic and never given the chance to speak. When this part made itself known on rare occasions, my fucking bad-ass side took it out back and gave it a beating, Brooklyn style.

So my life never really took on a solid pattern. Sure, I might be doing the same things every day, but always in a different way. We'd never play the same songs at band practice (one of the reasons we couldn't get a fucking record deal already. We were too "inconsistent." Psh.), or eat at the same restaurant, or even talk to the same people. I sure as hell didn't fuck the same girls every day. Some days I'd listen to my parents, others I would totally blow them off. The latter was more common. But the problem was – doing new things each day – I was running out of things to do. There was only so much I could entertain myself with in such a suburban town.

And that's when she walked in.

She glided through the classroom door. No one really took any notice of her, as the bell hadn't rung yet. She could've just been wanting to talk to the teacher or something. But I watched as her eyes swept the room, quickly studying each person. Her eyes landed on an empty desk. She paused, flipped her brown hair over her shoulder, and quietly took the seat in the front of the room.

There's something I haven't done.

I had never seen her before. That didn't say much, judging by the gargantuan size of the school and my obliviousness to everything except the band. But I suddenly had the urge to want to…know her. Like it was bothering me that I had no idea who she was. What was her name? Why was she coming into my German class halfway through the third quarter? Why wasn't she wearing a jacket when it was so fucking cold outside?

I leaned over and tapped Jack on the elbow. He looked up from his unfinished assignment, a little irritated.

"What?" he hissed.

"That." I pointed to the girl who had just walked in.

Jack looked towards where I was pointing and stiffened up when he laid eyes on her. He set down his pencil and looked at me. He seemed indifferent.

"I think that 'that' is a 'she,'" he said. "And I told you not to point out girls to me. I'm dating Phoebe now, man! She'll punch me in the balls if she sees me even looking at another girl."

"You're fucking whipped, man," I chuckled before becoming serious. "But honestly, what do you think?"

Jack studied her for a few seconds. He cocked his eyebrow and then turned back to me.

"Not worth your time."

What?

"Why not?" I asked.

"Look at what she's wearing." Jack gestured toward her vaguely. "Crew-neck sweater. Floral skirt."

"Did you just say floral?" I snickered, interrupting him.

"What's wrong with saying floral? Anyway, she's definitely innocent and against exposure. And way inexperienced."

I rubbed my hands together. "I have no problem with that."

"Fuck, man, you just don't get it, do you?" he wondered. "She's not the type you go after. You like the booty shorts and fishnets, remember?"

"No, that's what you like. I just went along for the ride."

"Tell me booty shorts and fishnets don't turn you on," Jack said indignantly.

I hesitated. "Okay, fine, I like girls like that. But maybe I could like the innocent girls, too?"

He shook his head and let out and exasperated breath. I was becoming annoyed. Who was he to say that I couldn't try to get her? That just encouraged me more.

"Let it go, dude." He turned back to his work.

I turned back to her.

Her skin wasn't dark, but it wasn't pale either. I couldn't quite describe the color. Her light brown hair hung down her back in thick layers, and side-swept bangs rested on her forehead. From where I was sitting, that was all I could tell about her, besides her profile. She didn't have a Roman nose, at least. I silently cursed my seating choice.

Why do I always have to sit in the very fucking back of the room?

She pushed the curtain of her hair behind her shoulder, revealing her ear and neck to me. I noticed that whatever earrings she was wearing were diamonds or something like that – the light caught on the stone and made her earlobe sparkle. Her neck was bare of any jewelry, but there was an inviting freckle placed halfway between her jaw and her shoulder. Oh, fuck, I wanted to touch that freckle.

Shit, I really need to get her now.

She ran her hand through her hair then, effectively hiding that damn sexy freckle from me. Restlessly, she fingered the tips of the brown strands. Her eyes darted to the door and back several times.

She's nervous.

I felt somebody whack my arm. It stung a little, but I didn't want to give whoever it was the satisfaction. I turned to see Jack looking at me with a fucking smirk on his face. What the hell?

"What?" I snapped.

"Let it go, man," he tsked and shook his head.

"I like a challenge." I put my focus back on the mystery that sat in the front row.

Jack sighed, most likely at my senseless captivation with the girl, but I didn't care. He had no fucking idea what he was talking about. I could totally make her mine. I was fucking Alex Gaskarth for God's sake! No girl refused me. I was the one who did all the refusing. Jack was wrong. Completely wrong. And I was going to prove it.

Just then, Herr Schmidt clomped into the classroom. He brought with him the scent of bad coffee and cigarette smoke. I covered my nose knowingly; smoking was the one bad habit that I couldn't stand. It was disgusting. As Herr Schmidt (or Raymond, as I liked to refer to him as) passed the girl, she shrunk back from the smell. I smiled.

Hey, we have something in common.

Raymond dropped his crap on his rickety desk and then stood in front of the classroom. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the class. It didn't work, as always. He cleared his throat again. I thought about that quote about how stupidity is doing the same things but expecting different results. I laughed out loud. That quote was totally right. Raymond was the poster child for stupidity.

"Would you like to share with the class what's so funny, Mr. Gaskarth?" Raymond croaked. His smoker's voice made him hard to understand sometimes.

The room had fallen silent. I glanced at the girl before I answered him. She was completely turned around in her chair, watching and waiting for my reply. I decided not to be an all-out douche right now; I still needed to get her to like me.

"Nah, Raymond, I think I'll pass on this one."

Raymond's mouth turned into a thin line. His eyes bulged out of his head as red crept up his neck and onto his face.

"I…am…your…teacher. You…will…call…me…Herr…Schmidt," he stammered angrily.

Jack and I disguised our laughter as coughing. Raymond's little rants were so fucking hilarious!

Raymond took deep breaths until the red disappeared from his features. Effectively calmed down now, he moved on to other business.

"Maybe all of you have noticed, but I'll announce it anyway. We have a new student in our class." He gestured to the girl. "Please stand up and give us your name."

She looked absolutely mortified. Her eyes bugged out in surprise for the slightest instant, then returned to normal. She reluctantly stood up.

"Uh, I'm Leigh."

"And why are you joining our class so late in the year, Leigh?"

"I – uh, Frau Aden said that I was too advanced for the sophomore class."

Oh, so she was a year younger than me. And apparently smart, at least in German. Very interesting.

"Well, I'm glad that you have decided to join us," Raymond said. He turned to the rest of the class. "And I'm sure all of you will make Leigh feel at home."

Yes. She'll feel right at home.

With that, Leigh sat back down and Raymond began his lecture. I tuned out the bastard because I never listened anyway. And why would I ever need to know how to talk about fucking pieces of furniture in German? It wasn't like I was about to go shopping at IKEA of Berlin or something. I watched as Leigh pulled a pad of paper from her bag and started taking notes. I smiled at that.

You won't be taking notes when I'm done with you.

"Dude! Are you seriously smiling at her?" Jack whispered, whacking me again. All this whacking was seriously getting old.

"None of your business, you son of a bitch," I mumbled back.

Yet again, he whacked me. "I'm telling you man, don't try it. You'll just get in a bad place."

"Thanks for the advice, Mom. You should probably go check on those cookies. I think I smell them burning."

Jack rolled his eyes and went back to doodling in his notebook.

I kept watching Leigh. Leigh. What an uncommon name. At least, I had never met a girl named that. She seemed different than the girls I usually went for.

Duh, asshole! She's smart and not outwardly begging for a good fuck.

But I still wanted to go after her. It'd be fun to participate in the chase. I'd never really had to chase a girl. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Plus, I wanted to prove my fucking bastard of a best friend wrong. I was going to try it. And I was going to do it.

Leigh, look out. I'm coming for you.

What did y'all think??

I don't know how many people read fanfics about ATL and Alex Gaskarth, but I'd really appreciate some reviews. So please, please, please review!!! I'd be much obliged. And it would encourage me to get updates out faster! *wink wink*

This chapter is over 4,000 words long. I'm hoping that all chapters will be at least this long, and maybe even longer. Give me your thoughts. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Much Love, xeoa