Sick Little Games

Alex Gaskarth always stood up for himself, even until it got out of hand completely. It wasn’t that he was insecure, or even that he cared what people thought about the things he did. It was the lies that got to him, and when people didn’t believe what he was saying.

So naturally, his band should have known better not to lecture him about Katherine. In a nicer way, they were saying he was a manwhore; completely unable to not use girls. They were saying Katherine was the same as every other one. And quite frankly, it pissed Alex off.

“Where are you going?” Rian questioned as Alex grabbed his keys off the counter, walking towards the door of Jack’s house.

“I don’t fucking know,” Alex seethed, and slammed the door behind him.

Deep breath in
Deep breath out
Deep breath in
Deep breath out

A stream of curse words made their way out of Alex’s mouth as he walked towards his car, pulling its door open. He got frustrated easily. He hated it, but he couldn’t help it, and he knew he had to go somewhere to cool off before he said something he’d regret.

Alex drove aimlessly until he found himself at the old, beat-up park. He wasn’t sure why his feet decided to take him there, but that’s where he ended up. Getting out of the car, he allowed himself to breathe in the cool summer air as he walked over to the nearest bench. There was a girl sitting there, holding onto the bench for dear life. As Alex neared her, he noticed she was crying.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-n-nothing,” the girl stuttered.

He knew that voice.

“Wait, Katherine?”

She turned towards him, finally acknowledging his presence. But just as fast as she looked, she looked away, obviously embarrassed of being caught in a state of weakness. Alex didn’t want her to be. Alex went with his first instinct, and reached out to hug her.

She didn’t hug back. She just let her tears sink into his blue and black plaid shirt. He didn’t mind.

It stayed like that for a minute or two, until she finally calmed down. Alex was calm from the moment he saw her.

“What’s the problem, darlin’?” Alex half smiled at the girl who fit perfectly in his arms.

“You,” she muttered under her breath, but Alex could hear her loud and clear.

“Funny, Jack said you were my problem, too,” he smirked.

“Shit, you weren’t supposed to hear that,” she replied, pulling herself out of his arms.

Alex just laughed it off, hoping he was her problem in the same way that she was his. The cocky side of him filled his bones to cover up the fact that he just didn’t understand this girl; her emotions fluctuated too fast for him to handle.

“Wipe that smirk off your face, Gaskarth,” Katherine ordered, smiling when he abruptly did what he was told. “What’re you doing here, anyway?”

“Honestly?” he asked. She nodded slowly. “The band was pissing me off about how I’m using you,” he shook his head, making his hands into quotation marks when he said, “using you”.

“Well, are you?” she asked softly.

“You too?” Alex groaned, and Katherine chuckled at his outburst. “No, I’m not using you.” He shook his head, forcing his mop of hair to brush out of his eyes so he could look at the girl next to him intently. “I like you, okay?”

“Alex…”

“No! I have genuine feeling for you and I won’t stop chasing after you until you feel half of what I do.” You could feel the unasked question screaming through his eyes, Do you have feelings for me, too?

“It’s complicated," was the only thing she could muster.

“What’s so complicated?” Alex asked with frustration, unsatisfied with her answer. “Why can’t I know what your best friend knows?”

Katherine stayed silent.

“Don’t you trust me?” Alex asked, his tone softer.

“No.” His face fell. “Why should I?” she continued as she glanced at him.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Alex was attacking it. Forced and desperate, he pressed his lips hardly onto hers, closed his eyes, and hoped for the best. It wasn’t smooth, slow, or even romantic. It was the complete opposite; it was as if they needed each other. And to be completely honest, Alex felt as if he did. She kept him sane. She kept him humble. She kept him from being the cocky bastard he knew he could be. He didn’t know what Katherine was feeling, but he smiled as she kissed him back.

“Proof enough?” he grinned as their lips departed, both of them feeling breathless.

“No,” she repeated, frowning a little to cover up the smile that was urging to come out.

“What, why? Alex asked frantically and in all seriousness, “It works in all the movies!”

Katherine couldn’t hide the laugh that was itching to be let out of her throat. She pursed her lips together, trying as hard as she could not to, but it slipped out anyway. “Alex!” she whined, “this is supposed to be a seriously moment!”

“We don’t operate like everyone else, babe,” he smiled.

“I’ve noticed.”

His voice was hot against her ear. “I like it that way.”

Katherine shrugged, standing up off the bench and wiping off the back of her jeans. “Let me walk you back,” Alex half smiled, “It’s pitch black out. You could get eaten.”

“I’m alright, really.”

“Then I want a goodnight kiss.”

“Well, you’re not getting one.”

Alex groaned. “Why are you such a tease!?”

“Me? Look at yourself!”

“I’m willing to make this work,” he said seriously.

“You’re willing to make it work with hundreds of girls, Gaskarth, aren’t you forgetting?”

“Why do you assume you know me when we just met?”

“Why do you assume we just met?”