This Is What Happens When Love Meets Destruction

"Vinnie, wait up." A familiar voice called after me.

Rolling my eyes, I slowed my pace ever so slightly and glanced over my shoulder to see Alex hurrying after me.

"What do you want, Alex?" I muttered as he approached me.

Moving his strap up higher onto his shoulder, he frowned a little, looking at me like he was a wounded puppy. "Why have you been so mean to me?" He asked. "Like, this entire week you've done nothing but snap at me."

"Well, the entire week you've been completely ignoring me and running off with that bitch." I said meanly.

Alex stared at me blankly before he shook his head and then let out a soft sigh. "Amy's not as bad as you say she is, Vinnie." He said quietly. "Seriously, she's really nice."

"Alex, I grew up with her. She's only nice to you as long as you have something she wants. As soon as she gets it, she turns into the evil bitch that she really is." I said. "If you don't believe me, just wait until she gets what she wants out of you. When that time comes, I'm seriously just going to laugh in your face and say I told you so."

With that, I quicked my footsteps, trying to hurry to my car before Alex caught up to me. However, I was a girl suffering from cramps, and Alex was a boy who could outrun me any day. He was able to catch up to me within a matter of seconds.

"Well, what are you doing tonight?" He asked, keeping up with me with ease.

"I'm going home to eat some brownies, and then go to sleep." I mumbled.

Alex shot me his quirky smile. "Are you going home to eat away your feelings?"

"No, I'm going home to pig out on chocolate, because it's the only thing that will help me cope with PMS."

Alex made a face and shook his head a little, muttering a few incoherent words under his breath. "Well, how about you come over to my house instead?" He asked. "I can bake you some brownies, and plus, I finished writing the words to that song Jack and I played for you the other day, so you can finally hear it. How does that sound?"

"You don't have tampons at your house." I pointed out. "I have to go home."

"Vinnie," Alex sighed. He stopped in his tracks and grabbed a hold of my hand, forcing me to stop as well. "You haven't hung out with me all week. I was hoping that since you didn't have volleyball practice today we could hang out and do something."

"You make it sound like it's my fault we haven't gotten to hang out." I mumbled. "But you and I both know that you're the one who's been ditching me to go and hang out with that bitch of a cousin of mine."

"I haven't 'ditched' you, Vinnie." Alex frowned.

"Oh, yeah, you're right." I said, nodding my head. "Is 'stood me up' more along the lines of what you were thinking?"

"Victoria, stop it." Alex said, his eyes flashing with a strange mixture of anger and sadness. His eyes narrowed at me for a split second, before his expression softened, and soon the anger faded away altogether so that it was just hurt left in his eyes. "Seriously, I want to hang out with you." He said softly. "And plus, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. Just ... can I come over or something?" He asked. "And, I really will bake you some brownies if you want me to."

"Alex," I sighed. Staring into his eyes, I felt myself falling under their stupid spell, making me suddenly want to forgive him for everything he had done this past entire week. "You and I both know that you can't cook for shit."

The upper corner of his lip rose slightly, giving me his quirky smile once more. "I know." He confessed. "I was actually just going to stop by Safeway and buy you those little bite size brownies that were already baked."

I did my best to suppress a little smile and then sighed to myself. Alex's smile faded away and he squeezed my hand tightly.

"So can I come over?" He asked quietly.

I thought to myself for a few seconds before I replied, "promise me you'll bring me brownies?"

"Of course." He grinned.

"Well, alright, you can come over." I said. "I'm gonna take a shower when I get home, so I'll leave the front door unlocked for you."

"Okay," he said, "I'll see you in a little while." He gave my hand one last squeeze before he released it. Flashing me one last smile, he turned around and headed across the parking lot to where he had parked, leaving me to walk to my car.

This past week has been somewhat hectic for me. What with the start of the new school year, volleyball practice being as intense as ever, I still had to juggle Alex's ever confusion actions on top of everything.

First off, the thing that started it all: the kiss we had shared after dinner, which was only to be followed the next day by him running off with the one person in the entire school I didn't get along with. Then, about ten minutes after I learned he had run off with her, his best friend drops the bomb on me and tells me that even though he was off with some other girl at the moment, Alex actually really did like me.

Confusing as hell, it only gets worse.

After Jack told me that Alex liked me, I couldn't help but get my hopes up that any day now he would come clean and admit it out loud to me himself. That day hasn't come yet; instead he's been out running around with Amy any chance he got. Sure, we'd make plans to do something, but those plans always got cancelled when Alex would call me and say that he 'couldn't make it'.

Lauren saw him with Amy one day after school, and relayed the information to me, so I knew that he was lying to me about where he went, and who he was with.

But that was Alex for you, and as much as he pissed me off from time to time, I still couldn't help but forgive him for whatever it was that he had done. Even if it was something as bad as ditching me to hang out with my horrible cousin.

The drive back to my house was short, and I soon as I got home I went upstairs to take a nice, long hot shower. By the time I got out, I heard that Alex was already there, and in my room listening to some music. Quickly, I did my stuff, got dressed, dried my hair, and pulled it up into a messy bun before I went back to my room.

I found Alex to be lying on my bed staring up at the ceiling, a plastic container filled with bite sized brownies and an unopened Mountain Dew sitting on top of one of my pillows.

"Go ahead and make yourself right at home." I laughed softly.

Alex moved his eyes from the ceiling and looked over at me, giving me a soft smile. "Come cuddle with me." He said.

I raised an eyebrow as I slowly started toward my bed. "Since when does Alex Gaskarth voluntarily cuddle?"

"Since one of his best friends who likes to cuddle when she's having cramps, started having cramps." He said simply. He made a weird face, and laughed quietly and then patted the spot next to him. "Come on."

Eyeing him, I climbed up on the bed and waited for him to move the brownies and mountain dew before I lay down next to him. Setting the brownies and mountain dew on the other side of me, Alex slowly wrapped his arms around my, holding me close to him.

Being this close to him made my heart jump into my throat and made my stomach dance nervously inside of me. I barely dared to breathe because I knew each and every breath would be shaky and weak, ratting me out as to how nervous I was.

Alex shifted slightly, his eyes never once meeting my own as he brought a hand up, brushing his fingertips over my cheek. Biting his lip slightly, he let his touch linger on the minute scar on my jaw before he directed his stare to mine.

"We need to talk about the other night." He whispered.

Knowing exactly what he was talking about, I nodded my head in agreement. "Yes," I said softly, "we do."

Alex run his fingers through my hair, brushing it out of my face before he took a deep breath and let it out in a soft sigh. "I like you, Vinnie." He whispered. "A lot." He added. "And, I was going to tell you the other night, but I just chickened out."

I held my tongue slightly before I replied. "Jack told me the other day that you did, but, it was just like after that you certainly weren't acting like you did."

"I know," he muttered, "I'm sorry. I've just been so confused and, I needed time away from you just to think, because whenever I'm around you I just can't seem to focus." He confessed.

I frowned slightly. "What did you need to think about?" I asked. "I mean, if you're wondering whether or not I feel the same way about you," I paused momentarily before I whispered, "I do."

A small smile crossed Alex's lips before he reached up, cupping my chin in the palm of his hand. Without a moments hesitation, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me shyly at first, and then with passion and longing. If you asked me to describe the sorts of thoughts and feelings going through my mind just then, I wouldn't be able to. I had liked Alex for so long, and finally, it seemed that all at once my fantasies were coming true.

Every second that passed burned into my mind, making me feel as if I would never forget any of it. The way his fingers slipped slowly underneath my shirt to rub my side gently. The way his lips seemed to fit so perfectly with mine. The way he held me in his arms, protecting me from the world around us.

After many minutes had passed, Alex slowly broke the kiss. I looked up at him and was surprised to find his brown eyes filled with sadness and confusion.

"Vinnie, I wish I could ask you to be my girlfriend, but I can't." He whispered, his voice shaking as if he were trying his hardest to keep his emotions from getting the best of him.

"What ... what do you mean?" I asked slowly, the panic and heartache rising in my own voice.

"Because you're you, Vinnie." He said quietly. "You're sweet, you're smart, you're funny, you're pretty, you're perfect. And look at me, I'm nothing compared to you. I don't even know how I managed to get you as one of my best friends. You deserve someone a hell of a lot better than me; I could never possibly give you all the things you deserve."

I shook my head as a small tear managed to leak from my eye. "There's no way to know unless you give it a try." I whispered.

"Vinnie, I can't." Alex's voice broke slightly. "I'm with Amy."

"What?" I asked, the anger boiling inside of me. "What?"

"We just started dating this afternoon." He whispered. "I - "

"Alex get away from me," I growled, pushing him away from me.

"Victoria, please." Alex pled with me, reaching across the bed to grab a hold of my arms before I slipped away. "Just hear me out."

"Make it fast, Alex, before I grab the heaviest thing in my room and beat you with it." I snapped as the tears of anger and emotional pain fell carelessly down either side of my face.

Gently, Alex pulled me back onto the bed and made me turn around to face him. "Remember I told you I had to take some time to think?"

Reluctantly, I nodded my head.

"Well, I had already decided before that I was going to let you go. I had to think of a way to get over you." He whispered. "And, Amy's that girl who's going to help me get over you."

"That's fucking ridiculous, Alex." I mumbled. "You know how much I hate her. And how could you choose her? After all the things I've told you, after all the stories you've heard."

Alex didn't reply, but rather sat there giving me a sorry look. Shaking my head in disgust, I pushed his hands away from me and folded my arms in front of my chest.

"You say that you need a girl to get over me, well, I'm fine with that." I muttered. "But of all the girls in the school, Alex, why does it have to be her? She's just going to chew you up and spit you out. She's going to hurt you, she's going to humiliate you, and you're not going to be able to trust any one with your heart for a long time after she does."

"No one said I was going to give my heart to her, Vinnie." Alex said quietly.

"Give it time, Alex, that bitch will have you wrapped around her ugly little finger."

"Vinnie, please." Alex mumbled. "I'm already with her, just let me deal with whatever happens from here on in okay?"

"Fine, Alex." I said. "But, I want you to know that from now on, you won't hang out with me, talk to me, or even see me as long as she's tagging along with you. I won't stand to see her clinging onto you or anything. The only way I'll hang out with you is if she's nowhere to be found." I insisted.

"Vinnie - "

"That's the only way Alex." I said sternly.

Alex stared at me, his eyes filled with an unreadable expression. His jaw tightened slightly before he nodded his head. "Fine." He whispered.

"Fine." I mocked.

Alex continued to stare at me for a few more seconds before he suddenly looked away. Although he tried to hide it, I saw the unmistakable glint of the tears that were falling from his eyes.

"I have to go." He mumbled thickly. "I have to help my mom move some things in the garage."

Before I had a chance to reply, he leaned over, pressing his lips to mine once more and then got up, disappearing from my room and into the hallway. I stared at the doorway, hoping that somehow he would suddenly appear inside of it to tell me that he lied, that he really wasn't with Amy, and that he really did want me to be his girlfriend.

But fuck, who was I kidding?

Alex wasn't going to come back for me. He had a girlfriend now, and as much I hated to say it, she wasn't me.