‹ Prequel: All I Ever Wanted
Status: Finished
11:11
3
“Damn, Alexis! You look so different!”
“Um, yeah Brian-”
“Did – did you do something…to your hair?”
“Yes,” I say, stepping around a very drunk Brian O’Conner.
“Oh. Well, whatever it is, you- you look good.”
I smile and nod in thanks before walking away. Brian’s dorm room is packed with people – mostly freshman and sophomores. I finally spot Ryder across the room. He’s talking to Luke who just looks bored.
“Hey guys!” I say when I reach them.
Luke stands up straight and looks more alert while Ryder grins like an idiot.
“Hey Lex…I was just talking to Luke about our trip home.”
“Max is going to pick us up,” Luke informs me.
“Oh. Well that’s nice of him. Anyway, do you want to get out of here? Blackout is open until 3 tonight.”
I hope to God that one of them will say yes and stop talking about our trip home. I don’t even want to think about it. It’s 2 weeks away.
“Alexis…no, not tonight,” Luke says.
Ryder nods. “Sorry, I don’t really feel up to it.”
“Fine,” I say and turn around to look for someone else to drag along with me. I see Codi by the keg and I’m about to go over to her until somebody steps in front of me.
“Damnit, Brian!” I yell when he stumbles and steps on my foot. I wince from the pain and take a few seconds to compose myself.
“Alexis, I –I’m sorry,” He apologizes his words slurred together so bad that I can barely understand them. “I actually have a question.”
“What?”
“Can you give this to Eric while I take a piss?”
I close my eyes and feel completely disgusted by the fact that he just said ‘take a piss’. Boys are so gross.
He hands me a CD and when I look down to read the name, I feel my heart jump into my throat.
“Where did you get this?” I demand, opening the CD case. Alex’s face stares up at me and I feel like I might throw up. I also feel someone – my guess is Ryder – put their hand on my shoulder.
“My dad…” Brian answers.
“What?”
“He’s – he works at this record company and he s-sends me stuff-”
“So this is like, a legit thing?”
Brian stares at me. His gaze is on me for about 15 seconds before his eyes narrow and he takes a step toward the door.
“I gotta pee,” He announces, and then he’s gone.
I look at the CD until Luke grabs it from me. I do my best to get it back, but he’s taller than me. For some reason, looking at that CD made me feel better.
“Umbrella…” Luke reads off the cover. “That’s not even an original.”
“Can… I have that back?”
“No,” Ryder says, throwing a look at Luke. “Let’s go to Blackout, like you wanted.”
“Right,” I say as he takes my hand. It’s reassuring, in a weird way, to know that I still have Ryder even when Alex so obviously doesn’t need me.
**
“Alexis, I think you need to slow down…”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“I’m not… I’m just looking out for you. Maybe…”
“Ryder, seriously, you are not my boyfriend!”
Ryder stops reaching out for me, his hand only a few inches away from my arm. He looks like I just slapped him across the face, which I guess I might as well have.
“Alexis… I want to be.”
“That’s really unfortunate for you, then, isn’t it?”
“Alexis,” Luke says, grabbing my arm. “You don’t even know what you’re saying right now. Let’s go back.”
“Okay. Fine. This band sucks anyway.”
Luke looks up to the stage where the first band has just gone on. “Yeah, come on let’s get out of here. Now. Come on Ryder, help me get her back.”
“I’d actually rather not have him touching me.”
“Alexis, shut the fuck up.”
I stare at Luke. He’s never been that… mean to me before. “Fine.”
“Ry, you help her, I’ll lead the way.”
“Okay,” Ryder says. He puts his arm around my waist and I have to hold myself back from punching him in the face. I probably wouldn’t be able to anyway – I’ve had too much to drink.
He pulls me close to him and I put most of my weight on him, just because I can. He asked for it.
“Alexis, please don’t pass out on me,” he says, pulling me closer to him.
“You would love that, wouldn’t you?”
“Um. No I-”
“Ryder, ignore her. She’s trashed,” Luke tells him, throwing a glare in my direction. Why is he being such a bitch to me? I didn’t do anything; Ryder’s the one who’s trying to get me to be his girlfriend and is way too close for my liking.
When we get to the exit of Blackout my eyes land on a guy standing near the side of the room. Before Ryder pulls me out the door, I can’t help but notice that he looks like Alex.
“Um, yeah Brian-”
“Did – did you do something…to your hair?”
“Yes,” I say, stepping around a very drunk Brian O’Conner.
“Oh. Well, whatever it is, you- you look good.”
I smile and nod in thanks before walking away. Brian’s dorm room is packed with people – mostly freshman and sophomores. I finally spot Ryder across the room. He’s talking to Luke who just looks bored.
“Hey guys!” I say when I reach them.
Luke stands up straight and looks more alert while Ryder grins like an idiot.
“Hey Lex…I was just talking to Luke about our trip home.”
“Max is going to pick us up,” Luke informs me.
“Oh. Well that’s nice of him. Anyway, do you want to get out of here? Blackout is open until 3 tonight.”
I hope to God that one of them will say yes and stop talking about our trip home. I don’t even want to think about it. It’s 2 weeks away.
“Alexis…no, not tonight,” Luke says.
Ryder nods. “Sorry, I don’t really feel up to it.”
“Fine,” I say and turn around to look for someone else to drag along with me. I see Codi by the keg and I’m about to go over to her until somebody steps in front of me.
“Damnit, Brian!” I yell when he stumbles and steps on my foot. I wince from the pain and take a few seconds to compose myself.
“Alexis, I –I’m sorry,” He apologizes his words slurred together so bad that I can barely understand them. “I actually have a question.”
“What?”
“Can you give this to Eric while I take a piss?”
I close my eyes and feel completely disgusted by the fact that he just said ‘take a piss’. Boys are so gross.
He hands me a CD and when I look down to read the name, I feel my heart jump into my throat.
“Where did you get this?” I demand, opening the CD case. Alex’s face stares up at me and I feel like I might throw up. I also feel someone – my guess is Ryder – put their hand on my shoulder.
“My dad…” Brian answers.
“What?”
“He’s – he works at this record company and he s-sends me stuff-”
“So this is like, a legit thing?”
Brian stares at me. His gaze is on me for about 15 seconds before his eyes narrow and he takes a step toward the door.
“I gotta pee,” He announces, and then he’s gone.
I look at the CD until Luke grabs it from me. I do my best to get it back, but he’s taller than me. For some reason, looking at that CD made me feel better.
“Umbrella…” Luke reads off the cover. “That’s not even an original.”
“Can… I have that back?”
“No,” Ryder says, throwing a look at Luke. “Let’s go to Blackout, like you wanted.”
“Right,” I say as he takes my hand. It’s reassuring, in a weird way, to know that I still have Ryder even when Alex so obviously doesn’t need me.
**
“Alexis, I think you need to slow down…”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“I’m not… I’m just looking out for you. Maybe…”
“Ryder, seriously, you are not my boyfriend!”
Ryder stops reaching out for me, his hand only a few inches away from my arm. He looks like I just slapped him across the face, which I guess I might as well have.
“Alexis… I want to be.”
“That’s really unfortunate for you, then, isn’t it?”
“Alexis,” Luke says, grabbing my arm. “You don’t even know what you’re saying right now. Let’s go back.”
“Okay. Fine. This band sucks anyway.”
Luke looks up to the stage where the first band has just gone on. “Yeah, come on let’s get out of here. Now. Come on Ryder, help me get her back.”
“I’d actually rather not have him touching me.”
“Alexis, shut the fuck up.”
I stare at Luke. He’s never been that… mean to me before. “Fine.”
“Ry, you help her, I’ll lead the way.”
“Okay,” Ryder says. He puts his arm around my waist and I have to hold myself back from punching him in the face. I probably wouldn’t be able to anyway – I’ve had too much to drink.
He pulls me close to him and I put most of my weight on him, just because I can. He asked for it.
“Alexis, please don’t pass out on me,” he says, pulling me closer to him.
“You would love that, wouldn’t you?”
“Um. No I-”
“Ryder, ignore her. She’s trashed,” Luke tells him, throwing a glare in my direction. Why is he being such a bitch to me? I didn’t do anything; Ryder’s the one who’s trying to get me to be his girlfriend and is way too close for my liking.
When we get to the exit of Blackout my eyes land on a guy standing near the side of the room. Before Ryder pulls me out the door, I can’t help but notice that he looks like Alex.