"Good morning Mitchie!" Alex said with a small smile as Alex walked the little way from her locker to Mitchie's. Mitchie looked at Alex briefly before closing her locker and walking away without a word.
"Really?" Alex yelled after Mitchie, but it fell on deaf ears as Mitchie put her earphones in and turned her music up. Alex rolled her eyes and walked the opposite way to her first class for the day. She was thankful that she didn't have science today, so she didn't have to deal with Mitchie's attitude. Mitchie found herself in the library in her free period and looked up as she heard a whispered commotion going on near her. Mitchie was surprised when she saw Miley shove Alex into the bookshelf and leave with a fit of rage. Before she could change her mind, she quietly walked over the Alex who had since slid down the book shelf and was sitting on the ground with her knees to her chest, silent tears spilling over and rolling down her face. Alex looked up at the figure who had approached her, praying it wasn't Miley. As she looked up and recognised Mitchie, she wiped her eyes dry and fiddled with her shoe laces awkwardly. Mitchie sat down next to Alex, observing her quietly.
"Are you okay?" Mitchie asked quietly. Alex ignored her and kept playing with her shoe laces but this didn't not discourage Mitchie.
"Why do you let her treat you like that? You don't deserve that." Mitchie said with such absolution. Alex finally looked up and glared at Mitchie.
"Are we friends now? You know, your moods are really giving me whiplash." Alex said, her eyes softening by the end of her sentence. Mitchie smiled for a second and stood up, extending a hand to Alex to help her up.
"What can I say? I'm just full of surprises." Mitchie said with a smirk, waiting for Alex to accept her gesture. Alex contemplated what to do for a second before taking Mitchie's hand.
"Thank you." She said somewhat politely, and somewhat sarcastically.
"Let's get out of here." Mitchie suggested with a raised eyebrow, as if she was daring Alex to be game.
"And go where? We have classes." Alex replied skeptically. She didn't know why Mitchie was suddenly being nice to her. Little did she know, however little consolation it would be anyway, neither did Mitchie. Mitchie was just drawn to Alex, she didn't know why.
"I guess my sources were wrong about little miss bad girl Russo then." Mitchie challenged, not breaking eye contact.
"Your sources?" Alex asked surprised.
"I've heard things." Mitchie replied nonchalantly. Alex raised an eyebrow questioningly, but knowing that's all that she was going to get out Mitchie, she grabbed Mitchie's hand instead and headed for the parking lot. As Mitchie was been dragged through the hallways to what she assumed was the parking lot, she couldn't take her eyes of her's and Alex's interwined hands. Alex's voice broke Mitchie out of her thoughts and Mitchie realised they weren't moving anymore. Alex followed Mitchie's gaze and saw that they were still holding hands.
"Sorry." Alex said awkwardly as she retracted her hand. Mitchie was confused as she remembered the volt of electricity that went through her as Alex's hand touched hers, and she was further confused by the feeling of sorrow that overcome her when Alex took her hands back.
"Hello! Earth the zombie girl, which car is yours?" Alex said as she clicked her finger's infront of Mitchie's face, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"This one." Mitchie said as she stepped towards her car, digging for her keys. When both girls where seated in the car, Alex looked at Mitchie expectantly.
"What?" Mitchie asked somewhat nicely.
"Where do you want to go?" Alex pointed out the obvious.
"I know a place." Mitchie answered vaguely as she started the car. A few minutes later, they arrived at a nearby diner and headed inside to eat. They chose a table in the far corner and both reached for a menu. When the waitress came and went with their order, Alex stared at Mitchie.
"What?" Mitchie asked, feeling Alex's stare on her. She looked up and met Alex's gaze.
"I don't get you. At all." Alex stated bluntly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mitchie asked defensively.
"You are so hot and cold with me. I'd take it personally but I haven't seen you utter a single word to anyone." Alex asked accusingly, slightly frustrated. Her features softened when she saw tears prick Mitchie's eyes, and her frustration was replaced with guilt. Alex was about to open her mouth to apologise when Mitchie beat her to it.
"If you let people in, you just get hurt." Mitchie stated as she refused to make eye contact with Alex. Alex slid closer to Mitchie and took Mitchie's hand in hers. Mitchie finally looked at Alex and decided whether or not to tell her why she was so cold. Alex just sat there, not wanting to pressure Mitchie. Mitchie would tell her when she was ready. This didn't go unnoticed by Mitchie and she smiled at Alex, she could feel her guard been let down. They ate in silence and it wasn't until the waitress came and took their plates away that someone spoke.
"My ex-boyfriend cheated on me...with my friend." Mitchie stated more emotion in her voice then Alex had ever heard. Alex frowned in response, feeling angry at people that she'd never met before.
"What hurt the most was the fact that he wasn't just my boyfriend...he was my bestfriend. I gave my virginity to him, and I trusted him. With everything. He knew all my secrets and knew me better then anybody else." Mitchie blurted out. Alex put her arms around Mitchie's neck, holding her close.
"It's okay Mitch, you can cry." Alex said, trying to comfort the girl next to her. Mitchie smiled for a second at the new nickname. Nobody had ever called her that before.
"I can't cry." Mitchie stated simply. Alex pulled away and looked at a vulnerable Mitchie.
"You mean you don't want to cry?" Alex asked, trying to understand.
"No, I mean I can't cry. I haven't cried since it happened over six months ago. I try...I nearly get there...then nothing. It just doesn't happen." Mitchie explained as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Alex looked at her shocked.
"Wow." Is all she managed the get out.
"Yep." Mitchie nodded.
"Have you tried really sad movies?" Alex asked curiously. Mitchie giggled and nodded her head.
"I tried and failed my friend." Mitchie said. Alex smiled a real big smile, and Mitchie noticed.
"What are you smiling at?" Mitchie asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"So we are friends now?" Alex asked with a not so subtle wink.
"Yes dork!" Mitchie giggled! She felt better not that she'd let Alex in. She smiled her first real smile in months without putting her wall back up immediately after.
"I won't hurt you, I promise." Alex said with such sincerity that is made Mitchie feel something other then the cold numbness that she'd become accustomed to. Mitchie nudged Alex playfully with her elbow before becoming serious again.
"So what's the deal with you and that Miley girl?" Mitchie asked out of nowhere. Alex flinched at Miley's name and suddenly became very uncomfortable. Mitchie noticed Alex's reaction and frowned.
"I saw what she did in the library, and it's wrong. You don't deserve that, nobody does...but especially you." Mitchie said quietly as she cupped Alex's cheek in an attempt to initiate eye contact. Alex flinched at the touch without warning before finally looking Mitchie in the eyes.
"Thank you, but yes I do." Alex said sadly. Mitchie frowned and sensed that Alex didn't want to talk about it anymore. She decided to give Alex the same respect that Alex had given her and decided that Alex would talk when she was ready. Mitchie grabbed a napkin and a pen from her pocket and scribbled her number on it, before passing it to Alex.
"Friends should have other friends numbers." Mitchie said answering Alex's questiongly look. Alex smiled and put the napkin in her pocket.
"Thank you." Alex replied.
"No problem, anyways, I should get you home. School has just finished." Mitchie said as she checked the time on her phone. Alex nodded and slid out of the booth, followed closely by Mitchie.
"Bye Alex." Mitchie said as she dropped Alex off at home.
"Bye Mitchie." Alex waved with a small smile before Mitchie drove off. Mitchie thought a lot about today's events as she drove home. She felt like a weight at been lifted off her shoulder's when she finally let someone in. It was like she realised she didn't have to deal with it on her own now. She became edgy at the thought of actually speaking to other people at school. She didn't like that thought at all. Alex was more then good enough, and all the company she wanted. Alex was all the company that she could handle. She turned off the engine and walked inside.
"Hey mum!" Mitchie said brightly as she walked past her mum in the loungeroom. She bounced up the stairs but froze on the spot at the sound of her mother's voice.
"Michelle Torres!" Connie yelled out. Mitchie retreated backwards and looked at her mother questioningly. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and saw that it was a message from Alex. She smiled and returned her attention to her mother.
"What's got you so happy? I haven't seen you smile or talk in months and you walk in...and say hello...with an actual smile..." Her mother said bewildered. Mitchie smiled at her mother.
"It's nothing!" Mitchie said as she bounced up the stairs to her room. Connie smiled to herself, satisfied at the feeling that things were finally going to get better.