The Blue Button Necklace
It was seriously ugly. Like, really. There was a blue button tied to pink cotton wool. A few extra, smaller, pink buttons to decorate it. And two paperclips were tying this beautiful creation together behind her neck.
It was hideous, it was horrible, it was used buttons from shirts and jeans, it was leftover wool from one of her mother's knitting projects, it was- it was so Harper.
Alex couldn't help it. She really couldn't. There was a reason she always wore this piece of gut wrenching homemade jewelry. She didn't think it particularly fitted any of her shirts or dresses. She didn't really wear pink, no, and it wasn't because she thought it'd be next cool thing. Nah, it was simply because of Harper.
What? You think she enjoys being questioned about her necklace every day?
Because she did get questioned. She got questioned all the time. See, because Alex was known around school and among friends to be very fashion forward. She enjoys spending all her allowance on clothes and walking from shop to shop in her flat converse. She loves clothes and everything that comes with it.
And yet… she still wears this… this thing.
Alright, so it was because Harper made it for her. She loved Harper, that's why she probably wore it more than she should. But seriously, Harper was her girlfriend, she couldn't not wear it. How many times, throughout history, has lovesick people not worn something horrible for the person they love? Alex hated to admit it, but she was one of them. But she couldn't help it, even if people didn't understand it.
Harper was never going to win a price, neither for her creations nor for her own fashion sense in general, but Alex loved her for it. It was Harper – and Harper had caught her heart for some reason. People just didn't seem to understand that reason. Everywhere Alex went people asked and questioned the goddamned button necklace. Everyone tended to pretend to gag and Alex would try to ignore it. When Harper was with her when it happened, her round face got so confused and Alex would lead her attention elsewhere with a quick kiss.
But it wasn't really a permanent solution for this because one day Harper will know what people think and Alex will have to pretend that she likes the necklace so Harper won't know she has been lying – and that's bad. She had troubles lying to Harper before, but after they started dating… it was even more trouble for her. It was bad.
And it didn't help that even her own family couldn't understand it. The first time she wore the necklace, it was right after she got home from Harper's place where she had just received the amazing gift, her mother noticed it when she entered the apartment.
"But Alex!" Theresa exclaimed and rushed from behind the counter where she was cooking some sort of weird-looking potatoes. Her heels clicked across the floor and she had that seriously worried look across her face when she placed a hand on each cheek and kissed Alex's forehead, "What are you wearing, babygirl? Are you sick, Alex?" she locked their eyes for a second, and continued before Alex could even speak, "You must be sick, niña, if you're wearing some garbage from the street!"
She moved to pull the necklace off, and Alex felt her eyes go wide before she took a step back and got out of reach, "No! Mom, no!" she quickly said; didn't want to have to piece this horrible thing back together when her mother broke it and threw it into the trash can, "Don't touch the necklace."
Theresa looked very worried and took a small step closer, feeling her daughter's forehead again, "Are you sure you're well, Alex? Why are you wearing that?" she pointed at the necklace and made a face.
Alex touched the blue button and felt a sense of love sweep through her, even if she didn't let it slow. She looked up at her mother and pretended that everything was like normal, "Harper made it for me." She simply said and proceeded to the couch where she took a seat.
Theresa took a seat next to her, potatoes completely forgotten. Her left eyebrow was cocked in a way that only she could manage and she folded her hands in her lap, "But why are you wearing it?" she wanted to know.
Alex couldn't understand why the sentence 'Harper made it for me' wasn't explanation enough and why they couldn't just drop the subject. Why did her mother continue to question her – she really didn't want to talk about it!, "Mom!" she objected, eyes going wide, "I don't want to talk about it, just drop it please!"
Theresa seemed to try to hold herself back for a second or two, but then she attentively reached a hand out and placed it yet another time on Alex's forehead, "Are you sure you're feeling well?"
Alex pushed her mother's hand away and quickly rushed up the spiral staircase.
The next time someone questioned her necklace it was Max. Now, Alex would have thought that maybe he would find it cool. He probably wouldn't understand it, but maybe he would like it and that would be enough for her. But Max wasn't much better. Well… sort of, but… Alex really didn't like his comment.
"Wow! It's so cool!"
Alex felt a rush of hope flow through her body, she felt her face light up slightly, and she looked at her little brother (hey!, she always thought he was the coolest!) with hope, "Really? You like it, Max?"
"It's so cool." Max said and reached a finger out to touch the blue button, "I could seriously use this in school, it'll make a perfect trap for my teacher Mr. Guerra."
Alex felt her mouth fall open and she slapped his hand away, before she turned around with a sweep of her hair and left Max too.
"Does that mean I can't have it!?" Max hollered after her.
Alex sighed.
Oh, and when her dear father saw the necklace, Alex actually first thought that finally someone understood her; understood why she humiliated herself publicly with this necklace. The smile on his face was huge when he touched the necklace.
"What a wonderful necklace you have there, Alex." Jerry said, and locked his eyes to the blue button for a few seconds, before he let the necklace fall to her chest again.
Alex smiled warmly, "Really? You like it, Daddy?"
Jerry nodded, "Aha, it's so cute, Alex. Just something I'd like my little girl to wear instead of all those sculls and bones." He made a face before he put a gentle arm around her, "It's nice to see you agree with me! I'm glad that you're not growing up at all and have started to make your own jewelry."
Alex quickly pushed her father off and stared at her shoes – they were covered in white sculls, before she looked up at Jerry again and put her hands in her sides like her mother always did; she wouldn't want his support if he thought that she was his little girl again because she definitely wasn't!, "Dad, I didn't make this. Harper did." She firmly said.
It took a second for him to let the information sink in, but when it had, Jerry's smile quickly faded, "Oh. Harper…" he trailed off, thinking, "Your girlfriend!" there was a pause and Alex knew that her information had done what she wanted it to; he wasn't cool with her being old enough to date and therefore he, naturally, wouldn't like the necklace, "That's it Alex, I really don't like it. Take it off."
Alex shook her head, tip-toed up, placed a light kiss on her father's cheek, "Daddy, you're not completely normal, are you?" she lovingly said, before she turned around and hurried out of the room.
So when Justin decided to finally comment on it, Alex had hoped that maybe him, being Justin, would actually like it so at least she'd have a bit of support around the family. Of course it wouldn't really be cool, since what Justin thinks is cool is really not cool, but that bit of support would really be helpful when trying to keep her dignity and still wear Harper's creation.
"Alex, that is one unusual necklace you're wearing." He said when he took a seat across from her at the dinner table, "I couldn't help but notice it."
Alex looked up from her mashed potatoes and smiled at him; he was her last hope, "You really like it, Justin?"
Justin placed his glass on the table and glanced at it again, "Yes, I do. In fact, it reminds me of the thing Mr. Green created in biology to state the age of rocks. Alex, I would really like to show it to him, I think he'll find it quite fascinating."
Alex felt her eyes go wide and she quickly pushed her chair back and fled the scene and left her entire family. Maybe something Justin thought was cool wasn't really cool but could be lived with for the sole purpose of support, but when it had something to do with rocks, anything that was an uncool-could be seen as cool-kind of thing really wasn't… cool.
Alex pushed her head into the wall in her room and groaned – why was she wearing this again? Why?
Oh yeah. That's right. Because of Harper. Because when Harper comes up to her with that smile on her face, everything makes much more sense.
"Alex!" Harper cheered and quickly skipped across the floor and sat next to her on the bench in front of their classroom. She kissed her cheek lightly and smiled.
"Hi Harper." Alex said and stared warmly at her girlfriend; completely mesmerized by the amazingness that filled the air around the auburn haired girl.
Harper reached a hand out and grabbed the necklace as so many others had done before her, "Alex! Aw, you're wearing this again. I'm so glad you like it. Really." She sighed dreamily, "You're really the most awesome girlfriend. We couldn't fit each other more – we both like my homemade jewelry."
Alex completely forget to make a face at Harper's comment but just stared at her instead in a dreamlike state, "Well, I do like to wear it." She whispered and reached for Harper's hand, lifted it to her mouth and pressed her lips against it.
And there, Alex thought, as she kissed Harper's hand and felt her heart swell to almost double size, that's why I'm wearing this. If they saw her face, they wouldn't question me at all.
Thank you, everyone, for tuning in. I couldn't resist to type this when I got the idea, so I really hope you liked it. I re-saw that episode with all Harper's jewelry and couldn't help myself.
Please drop off a comment, I'd like to hear you opinions?
Btw, I wrote this a while ago, completely forgot about it, and first now I remembered to post it, when I told myself I needed to work on the next chapter for Lingerer (I still need to do that - badly).
Disclaimer; I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place.