CHAPTER 7 - Because the Night

ALEX'S POV

'What the hell just happened? Why did she leave? I know she wanted to kiss me, I could feel it. She kissed me back...Her lips are so soft. God, she must think I'm some poor stupid girl just looking for something to make me feel better after what happened at my mom's. I mean yes she did make me feel safer, and that kiss did help me forget that it even happened for a while...But that isn't why I kissed her. I don't know how she could miss the fact that I have been sending little hints of flirting her way for over 2 weeks now. Ugh, I'm so stupid, I even thought I had noticed her flirting back once and a while...But she was probably just being nice. I probably just ruined everything, Great Alex, Just like everything and everyone else you will lose her friendship too. That means Marco will probably never talk to me again either. But that kiss, it was amazing. That shock I felt go through me when our lips touched…I know she felt it too, she had to of felt that.'

I lie down on her bed and cover myself with her cardigan, bringing it close to my face.

'It smells like her...it all smells like her...'

I take a deep breath and breathe in her scent.

'It's that Victoria secret's pure seduction body mist that Marco bought her for her...She was so happy that day...Her birthday...I can't believe she didn't realize something about my feelings for her changing around her when had bought her that locket.' She had pointed it out in the window of a store we had past when we were headed to The Dot with Marco after a student council meeting.

Paige and I weren't even friends at the time; I had just gone with them because Marco wanted to talk a little more about what went on at the meeting. But, I remembered the look on her face when she saw the locket. And she looked so surprised and touched when she opened it.

I had told her later on that even though she believed I did, and I wasn't really nice to her...or anyone for that matter...that I never hated her. I had always admired her for never letting anything get in the way of what she wanted. I explained to her my reasoning for getting her the locket, and the fact that I remembered her admiring it.

That night, her birthday, Is the night I started thinking differently about her. It was so hard to accept the fact that I was falling for a girl. And now, Now I am lying in her bed after kissing her and having her rush out of the room when all I wanted her to do was stay here…Stay here and hold me.

'She makes me feel so much safer...More than I have in a long time. And she took care of me. She was so careful not to hurt me. If she tells anyone what a baby I had been tonight...Who Am I kidding? I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. God…WHY, WHY DO I HAVE TO FEEL THIS WAY? AND ABOUT A GIRL!? Does she feel the same way? I mean why would she kiss me back if she didn't? Ugh. Come on Alex get a grip...You are Alex Nunez...Not some sappy puppy in love...' I pull her pillow from under my head and shove it over my face.

"hmpf..arhh" I let out a frustrated, muffled groan into the pillow.

'Like tonight hasn't already been a long enough night...I have this feeling I am not going to be getting to sleep anytime soon.'

PAIGE'S POV

The Morning after

'Ok. Go in there, get your clothes. And try not to wake her. That's easy.' I tiptoe into my room, in a towel and another towel wrapped around my hair. I quietly go over to my closet grabbing a blouse and some jeans; I walk over to my desk and grab my bag from the chair tiptoeing out again

'Good girl, you did it.'

I let out a sigh realizing that for the millionth time I was having a conversation with myself in my head. Shaking my head I walk down the hall and back into the bathroom to get dressed. After dressing, I walk back up the stairs and stand at my door.

'You can do this. Just go in there, wake her up. And we can head off to school. Ugh...We are gonna be late. I hate being late.'

I open the door to my room and walk in. She is sleeping on my bed facing away from me. I can't help but notice my room now smells like a mixture of my lotion and a hint that cucumber stuff that she uses. I close my eyes for a second and breathe in the faint trace of her scent.

'She smells so good...no, Paige stop it!'

I walk over to the window and open up the curtains to let in the light from outside, Hoping that this would wake her so that I wouldn't have to myself. Being that close to her right now, would only make things more confusing. I turn around and frantically start to clean up my room just to keep busy as she wakes from her slumber.

"Who's the evil genius that made morning so freakin' bright?" She says as she rubs the sleep from her eyes with her palm.

"Probably the same evil genius that decided there should be school days after crazy movie premieres." I continue to clean my already spotless room to avoid looking at her.

"Crazy? Is that the verb you're going to use to describe last night?" She says still laying down in my bed. I turn and look at her for a second to correct her.

"Adjective." I say walking over to my closet and continue.

"And considering I voluntarily slept on the downstairs couch? Crazy seems about right." She sits up and smiles up at me.

"You didn't have to sleep on the couch. You would have been safe in the room with me."

'Oh God.' I turn and walk over to my dresser.

"Were gonna be late. And I hate being late. So you should uh...you should get ready." I start rummaging through my dresser, looking for...

'What the hell are you looking for Paige...Bus pass! Right!'

"Now if I could just find my bus pass...that would be absolutely brilliant!"

"Paige..." I ignore her and continue searching my drawer."You know...The bus people should really just-just give a-a-a…an implant…or a…or a tattoo…and I could save..."

'I'm babbling again, great.'

"Paige!" I stop when I hear her shout my name this time.

"Hey." She waves her hand to get my attention in the mirror. "I'm Alex…Your friend." I take a deep breath, steadying myself on the dresser and turn toward her."Can you just talk to me?" She asks casually.

I roll my eyes.

'Oh yea that's easy...just talk…Hello…my friend…kissed me last night.'

"I can't even begin to process what happened last night. Not with our little...sister act slut dance…or…the drama with your moms boyfriend." She looks down at her elbow and grazes her fingers over the wound.

'I still can't believe she got hurt...'

"You call that drama? I call that reality T.V." She jokes.

'Typical Alex.'

"It's not funny. This is not funny. There is a girl in my bed, Alex! You! It's like I woke up in some weird movie with subtitles. The kind of movie that I hate! And I cant deal with it ok?" I turn away from her again not being able to say this to her face. "I can't deal with you."

'Ouch, ok that was stupid. That had to sting...say something...'

She shakes her head and I can tell she is upset. She stands from my bed taking my cardigan off of her legs and places it where she was laying.

"Alright, I'm just gonna go rub some toothpaste on my teeth...and then you can walk twenty paces ahead of me all the way to the bus stop." She leaves the room slamming the door behind her.

'Paige you are so stupid…You could have handled that better. She looked so amazing too...ugh…This is gonna be a long week…'