‹ Prequel: All I Ever Wanted
Status: Finished
11:11
5
“Get up!”
It’s 6:43AM according to my alarm clock. I could be wrong, though, because I only get a quick glimpse of it before my face meets the floor.
Luke hits me over the head with my pillow and I groan in pain. I have the worst headache ever.
I sit up quickly and I kind of regret it. My head feels like it will explode from any sudden movements.
“Who let you in here?” I ask, holding my head in pain.
“Roxii.”
I look up and glare at my roommate who’s sitting quietly on her bed. She just shrugs.
“He said he wouldn’t help me with math if I didn’t open the door,” she says simply, as if that is a good enough reason.
“Roxii!” I whine. I grab Luke’s ankle and attempt to pull him down to the floor, but he doesn’t even budge.
“Alexis! Listen to me for two seconds! Alex was at Blackout last night!”
“Blackout?” I question.
And then it comes back to me – everything from last night. I remember drinking in Ryder’s dorm room after we left the party… and then we went to Blackout – shit. I saw Alex.
“He was there,” Luke says again. “The band played. Read this.”
Luke throws a newspaper down to me and I read the title – New York Post.
‘Blackout – a hot spot for under age college students – suffered a minor crisis last night when a scheduled band’s lead singer passed out in the middle of their set. The band – All Time Low of Maryland – was supposedly there to impress representatives from Hopeless Records. The band refused to comment and has not returned any phone calls. Some NYU students –’
“Oh, my God. He… passed out?”
“Well, I don’t know about that part. This is the only paper that’s said that, but something happened…”
“I saw him,” I say quietly. “I saw him before we left. I didn’t realize…”
“I think that you have a phone call to make.”
Luke tosses my cell phone to me and I just stare at it.
“Alexis,” Roxii says, and she’s giving me that same look she gives me whenever I say that I don’t want to do my math homework. “Call him. You have to find out if he’s alright.”
“I know… But this call isn’t going to be just about how he is…. This will be the first contact I’ve had with him since early November… That’s over a month!”
“It’ll show that you care.”
Luke nods in agreement. Then he adds, “Oh, and I told Ryder that you went into town to pick up something from CVS. You won't see him for awhile because he went to stalk you.”
“What a fucking-”
“Alexis, leave the kid alone. He likes you, even though you make it totally impossible for him to tell if you like him or not.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I confuse the hell out of him, don’t I?”
“Yeah, you do. But anyway, just call Alex.”
I nod and click send on Alex’s name. This could be what we need… I’m making the first move towards fixing what we have left.
“Hello?” someone answer after the third ring… it’s not Alex, though.
“Oh um… is Alex there?” I ask and throw a worried look at Luke and Roxii who are looking at me from across the room.
“He’s sleeping. He just got back from the – wait, Alexis? Is this you?”
“Zack?”
“Shit… Hi… Okay. Do you want me to tell him that you called?”
Of course. I try to fix everything and it kind of falls through.
“Is Alex okay, Zack?”
“Yes, not thanks to you.”
His voice rises and I hear someone ask ‘who is it’ in the background.
“What did I do?” I ask, my voice slightly shaky.
“Alex saw you last night. You and that stupid kid Ryder.”
“Listen, Ryder’s not-”
“I just don’t get you,” Zack says, clearly not about to listen to my excuses. “You tell Alex that you need a break and that you’ll come back in November. You don’t come back, though, and we see you with your boy toy Ryder – excuse the lame expression. You’re hurting my best friend Alexis. He still thinks that you two have a chance.”
“Zack…” I trail off, because everything he just said is completely true.
“If you want to prove to Alex that you want to be with him, then I suggest something more than a fucking phone call.”
Before I can get another word in, Zack hangs up.
Did I just manage to dig myself an even bigger hole?
“Who was that?” Roxii asks. “It wasn’t Alex?”
“No… It was Zack…”
I shrug and put my phone down. Zack just told me everything that I already knew, but for some reason it’s just sinking in now.
“You tired, Lex-”
“No, Luke, I didn’t!”
I stand wand walk over to my dresser. I pull out my white skinny jeans and a pink tank top and go in search of a pair of socks. Luke and Roxii stare at me as if I have two heads.
“Alexis, I’m pretty sure-”
“What I’ve been doing is not called trying, Luke. If you love someone, you’re supposed to do whatever it takes to let them know that!”
I change right there in the room, not even bothering to wait on line for the bathroom we share with 2 other girls. It’s not like Luke’s looking or Ryder is in here, anyway.
“So, what are you doing?”
“I’m going home for a few days… I’ll be back in time for finals on Thursday.”
“Alexis, it’s Sunday!” Roxii shouts.
“What does that matter?”
“I… don’t know. Nothing, I guess, but I think you should wait for finals to be over…”
“She can’t,” Luke says. Finally, he’s on my side. “She does have to go now…”
He goes over to my laptop and sits down in the computer chair. After a few minutes of my throwing clothes into my bag and Luke typing, Roxii sighs loudly.
“You must really love him if you’re going to risk missing important classes to go see him…”
I smile at her instead of verbally answering. She nods and walks up behind Luke. She points at the screen and he turns to me.
“Okay, there’s a flight at 4:30. Do you want it?”
“Yes,” I say and reach for my wallet on my dresser. I pull out the American Express card and hand it over to Luke. My dad said to use it in case of an emergency… I’m sure he’ll understand.
It’s 6:43AM according to my alarm clock. I could be wrong, though, because I only get a quick glimpse of it before my face meets the floor.
Luke hits me over the head with my pillow and I groan in pain. I have the worst headache ever.
I sit up quickly and I kind of regret it. My head feels like it will explode from any sudden movements.
“Who let you in here?” I ask, holding my head in pain.
“Roxii.”
I look up and glare at my roommate who’s sitting quietly on her bed. She just shrugs.
“He said he wouldn’t help me with math if I didn’t open the door,” she says simply, as if that is a good enough reason.
“Roxii!” I whine. I grab Luke’s ankle and attempt to pull him down to the floor, but he doesn’t even budge.
“Alexis! Listen to me for two seconds! Alex was at Blackout last night!”
“Blackout?” I question.
And then it comes back to me – everything from last night. I remember drinking in Ryder’s dorm room after we left the party… and then we went to Blackout – shit. I saw Alex.
“He was there,” Luke says again. “The band played. Read this.”
Luke throws a newspaper down to me and I read the title – New York Post.
‘Blackout – a hot spot for under age college students – suffered a minor crisis last night when a scheduled band’s lead singer passed out in the middle of their set. The band – All Time Low of Maryland – was supposedly there to impress representatives from Hopeless Records. The band refused to comment and has not returned any phone calls. Some NYU students –’
“Oh, my God. He… passed out?”
“Well, I don’t know about that part. This is the only paper that’s said that, but something happened…”
“I saw him,” I say quietly. “I saw him before we left. I didn’t realize…”
“I think that you have a phone call to make.”
Luke tosses my cell phone to me and I just stare at it.
“Alexis,” Roxii says, and she’s giving me that same look she gives me whenever I say that I don’t want to do my math homework. “Call him. You have to find out if he’s alright.”
“I know… But this call isn’t going to be just about how he is…. This will be the first contact I’ve had with him since early November… That’s over a month!”
“It’ll show that you care.”
Luke nods in agreement. Then he adds, “Oh, and I told Ryder that you went into town to pick up something from CVS. You won't see him for awhile because he went to stalk you.”
“What a fucking-”
“Alexis, leave the kid alone. He likes you, even though you make it totally impossible for him to tell if you like him or not.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I confuse the hell out of him, don’t I?”
“Yeah, you do. But anyway, just call Alex.”
I nod and click send on Alex’s name. This could be what we need… I’m making the first move towards fixing what we have left.
“Hello?” someone answer after the third ring… it’s not Alex, though.
“Oh um… is Alex there?” I ask and throw a worried look at Luke and Roxii who are looking at me from across the room.
“He’s sleeping. He just got back from the – wait, Alexis? Is this you?”
“Zack?”
“Shit… Hi… Okay. Do you want me to tell him that you called?”
Of course. I try to fix everything and it kind of falls through.
“Is Alex okay, Zack?”
“Yes, not thanks to you.”
His voice rises and I hear someone ask ‘who is it’ in the background.
“What did I do?” I ask, my voice slightly shaky.
“Alex saw you last night. You and that stupid kid Ryder.”
“Listen, Ryder’s not-”
“I just don’t get you,” Zack says, clearly not about to listen to my excuses. “You tell Alex that you need a break and that you’ll come back in November. You don’t come back, though, and we see you with your boy toy Ryder – excuse the lame expression. You’re hurting my best friend Alexis. He still thinks that you two have a chance.”
“Zack…” I trail off, because everything he just said is completely true.
“If you want to prove to Alex that you want to be with him, then I suggest something more than a fucking phone call.”
Before I can get another word in, Zack hangs up.
Did I just manage to dig myself an even bigger hole?
“Who was that?” Roxii asks. “It wasn’t Alex?”
“No… It was Zack…”
I shrug and put my phone down. Zack just told me everything that I already knew, but for some reason it’s just sinking in now.
“You tired, Lex-”
“No, Luke, I didn’t!”
I stand wand walk over to my dresser. I pull out my white skinny jeans and a pink tank top and go in search of a pair of socks. Luke and Roxii stare at me as if I have two heads.
“Alexis, I’m pretty sure-”
“What I’ve been doing is not called trying, Luke. If you love someone, you’re supposed to do whatever it takes to let them know that!”
I change right there in the room, not even bothering to wait on line for the bathroom we share with 2 other girls. It’s not like Luke’s looking or Ryder is in here, anyway.
“So, what are you doing?”
“I’m going home for a few days… I’ll be back in time for finals on Thursday.”
“Alexis, it’s Sunday!” Roxii shouts.
“What does that matter?”
“I… don’t know. Nothing, I guess, but I think you should wait for finals to be over…”
“She can’t,” Luke says. Finally, he’s on my side. “She does have to go now…”
He goes over to my laptop and sits down in the computer chair. After a few minutes of my throwing clothes into my bag and Luke typing, Roxii sighs loudly.
“You must really love him if you’re going to risk missing important classes to go see him…”
I smile at her instead of verbally answering. She nods and walks up behind Luke. She points at the screen and he turns to me.
“Okay, there’s a flight at 4:30. Do you want it?”
“Yes,” I say and reach for my wallet on my dresser. I pull out the American Express card and hand it over to Luke. My dad said to use it in case of an emergency… I’m sure he’ll understand.
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