Coffeshop Soundtrack

A week had passed and Alex and Emily were still avoiding each other. Emily had been spending a lot more time with Jack and he was trying to help her decide what she should say to Alex when she did finally confront him. Jack tried to get Emily to talk to Alex during that week but was having no such luck. ‘Damn stubborn,’ he thought as he again pestered her to go talk to him.

It wasn’t that Emily didn’t want to talk to Alex—she did—she just felt foolish for her behavior and was nervous to actually talk to Alex about the whole situation. I mean confessing you love your best friend wasn’t an everyday kind of thing.

“Emily just talk to him. Look at him, he looks pathetic,” Jack pointed out as they looked over at Alex sitting at the table with Rian and Rebecca and a few others. He was picking at his food and not joining in the conversation the others were having. He looked up and caught Emily’s stare, giving her a sorrowful look. Emily felt guilty and quickly turned away and back at Jack.

“Thanks for sitting over here with me Jack,” Emily told him. They had moved to a table that was a couple down from their usually table.

“No problem Emi,” Jack replied. “But really, the boy feels like shit for everything.”

“Then why doesn’t he try talking to me himself?” Emily responded.

“He has, duh,” Jack chuckled. “You’re absolutely stubborn baby girl.”

Emily chuckled and then sighed. “It’s just nerve-racking, you know? I’m so afraid of rejection from that boy,” she laughed, “He makes me so damn nervous.”

“Go talk to himmmmmmmmm,” Jack whined. “I can’t stand there being no ‘Alex and Emily,’ ‘Jack and Emily’ just doesn’t work as well,” he laughed.

Emily laughed, “You’re so strange Barakat.”

Jack grinned and got up and held his hand out to Emily. “C’mon, do it!”

Emily stood up and shook her head, “Fine, okay. Thanks Jack,” she thanked him and gave him a hug.

“No problem Emmaline,” he said hugging her back.

“Emmaline?” Emily quirked an eyebrow at him.

Jack just shrugged and then pushed her towards the table Alex was at.

She slowly walked over, alone, and stopped in front of Alex. “Alex,” she said quietly, “Can we talk?”

Alex looked up at her with a cold stare, surprising Emily. “You finally want to talk?” he spat.

Emily wanted to smack him but held it in and nodded, gesturing towards the hallway. Alex got up and threw his tray away and followed Emily out into the deserted hallway.

“Alex—“

“So are you fucking Jack now?” Alex asked bitterly with his hands in stuffed in his pockets.

Emily looked at him horrified and then smacked him—hard.

Alex’s hand flew up to his cheek holding the spot that was throbbing in pain.

“How dare you!” Emily hissed. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing Alex Gaskarth,” she repeated. “You’re such an asshole I don’t even know why I liked you for so long,” she muttered and started to walk away. “Oh and for your information, Jack has been trying to get me to talk to you all week; he’s been pro-Alex the whole time you dick,” she spat and walked quickly down the hallway and out of his sight.

Alex watched her leave and mentally cursed himself for the five thousandth time that week. ‘She liked him for a long time?’ he thought with a half smile on his face. He walked back into the commons area and taped Jack on the shoulder. He turned around from his spot in Alex’s previous seat and looked at Alex. “What’s up brah? And what happened to your cheek?”

“Emily,” Alex mumbled. “Can we talk?”

Jack nodded and followed Alex out in the hallway. “I fucked up again,” Alex replied to Jack’s questioning stare.

Jack sighed and asked, “What’d you do this time?”

“I asked her if she was fucking you,” Alex muttered smacking himself.

“YOU WHAT?!” Jack shrieked. “Why the fuck would you do that, Alex?”

“I don’t know!” Alex yelled. “You two have just been inseparable the whole week and I don’t know what came over me. I just got jealous every time she would laugh or hug or smile around you, and I don’t know, it just came out!”

Jack smacked Alex upside the head. “How in the world do you get girls dude?” Jack joked.

Alex sighed, “She just makes me nervous and I don’t know I always say the wrong thing around her anymore. And now I doubt she’ll ever talk to me again,” he replied putting his head in his hands.

Jack sighed. “You’re going to have to think of something bro. I can’t keep doing this for you guys. You’re big kids now; get out of the fucking diapers.”

“You make the strangest analogies Jack,” Alex replied.

Jack shrugged. “C’mon Alex, I know you can think of something to win the girl over.”

Alex stood there thinking for a few minutes. His eyes lingered on a random spot on the wall and thought. “I’ve got it!” he yelled with a smile on his face. “But I’m going to need some help,” he turned back to Jack.

“Okay, what is it?” Jack asked with a curious expression.

Alex explained and left Jack with a wide grin on his face and replied, “Perfect.”