Don't Make This Easy, I Want You to Mean It.
Seventeen.
Walking into the girls’ locker room scared me for the first time ever that day. I knew just about every girl in there wanted to be with Alex in one way or another, and their reaction to the news of he and I being together was not going to be pretty. I had to be prepared for muttering and shouting of abuse until the hype died down; and that was going to be a while. These girls were obsessed with him. I hated the thought that my next lesson would be spent with a group of bitter, jealous girls armed with various pieces of sports equipment easily turned into weapons. I had already received threats and warning in the few instances I had been away from Alex throughout the day. Now I was going to be locked in a room with all of them for 10 minutes without Alex. The thought alone was enough, never mind the reality. Making my way over to where Marissa and I usually changed, I was met with more than enough glares from too many different girls, and every step I took came with another person muttering behind their hands to a friend. It was crazy; this was all over one guy.
"Every girl in this room hates me except you," I told Marissa.
"I'm glad you got with Alex when you did, it over shadows me getting with Jack," she laughed.
"You mean you're officially with him?! This is huge! Why didn't you tell me?!"
"It never came up in conversation," she shrugged.
"See, this is why you're not getting threatened! Nobody knows! I'm tempted to shout it out to the entire locker room."
"Dude, no." I sucked in my breath as though to start shouting and she launched herself at me. Half in her gym kit, half in her normal clothes. "Don't you dare."
"You're such a sucker. Get off me." She got off me and I pushed myself up off the floor, receiving glares galore. "Jeez, get a life bitches." I groaned. They still glared as they turned away from me. How pathetic did they want to be?
"So, how long until you hurt poor Alex?" Jodie asked as I was pulling my top over my head.
"I don't know what you mean," I told her, adjusting my shirt and moving to put my shoes on.
"You know exactly what I mean. You're going to use him and lie to him. You're just going to end up hurting him!"
"Sweetie, I didn't try and lie about being his one-night stand girl."
"I heard you did."
"That wasn't a lie," I shrugged, putting on my left Adio and turning to Marissa. "Ready?" She nodded and the two of us walked out of the locker room, through to the sports hall where Jack and Alex were already waiting by the badminton net, racquet and shuttlecock in hand. Each boy had two racquets, one each for Marissa and me. We had started playing doubles since Alex and Jack had joined us, Alex and me on one team, Jack and Marissa on the other. We had already made the comment that we were like those married couples who played tennis together in their free time. Marissa and I both took a racquet from our boyfriends, taking our places besides them on opposite sides of the court. Our lesson always started with us doing the activity, and ten minutes later growing bored and sitting on the sidelines. It had been like this for a grand total of three Gym lessons. Some tradition, huh?
"Alex, the fucking shuttlecock!" I screamed, as it went almost straight into his face, batting it away just before it got too close. I knew it wouldn't hurt him, but he'd be bitching about it forever if I didn't say something.
"Relax, Holly, I had it." I rolled my eyes and reached for the shuttlecock with my racquet, missing it by mere centimetres. "Jasey, the fucking shuttlecock!" He mocked as I went to collect it. I picked it up and turned back to where my friends were waiting.
"Jasey's handling the cock!" Jack called out loudly, making us all laugh. That boy was so immature.
"Ah, I remember those days. She does that well, doesn't she Alex?" A boy called as I finally reached my spot beside Alex.
"How would you know, Frank?" Alex spat. Frank Gel, my last boyfriend before Alex, and my last before my partying got 'out of control'. He was the one that made me this way.
"Hasn't she told you? We were together for three months." I held on to Alex, I could feel his muscles tighten under my grip. He could tell there were going to be a lot of remarks made sooner or later. "Man, she was the best. A bit naive, but who isn't when they're a virgin?" He was starting to shake. "I took that from her, Gaskarth. Remember that. When the little slut comes on to you, remember that I got there first. I took her innocence."
"Alex, leave it. Please," I begged. I knew what Frank could do and I didn't need to know that I was the reason it had happened to Alex.
"Are you saying you want me to let it go?" He seethed. "That you want me to stand by and let him mock you?"
"Yes, Alex, that's exactly what I want. Please do that for me. I've seen him beat up guys twice your size, I won't be the reason you get hurt."
"You can't seriously expect me to stand by and let him say this!"
"I can and I am. Please, just do this for me." The boy had me terrified for his safety. He just didn't seem to know when to let it go. He shot Frank another look before he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the gym, still holding onto the racquet as tightly as he could. The sky was clear but the wind took away any hope of warmth I could have imagined the dim sunlight would bring. Alex and I were both still in our shorts and t-shirt ensemble, so needless to say we were cold within a couple of minutes. If that.
"We just attract drama, don't we?" Alex sighed, finally starting to calm down after what felt like an eternity of silence.
"I'd rather it was us than Jack and Marissa."
"I suppo- Wait, what?"
"Bitch didn't tell you either?"
"Tell me what?"
"They're together. As of yesterday. Marissa told me in the locker room."
"I'm gonna slap that bitch. He's been hiding things from me again," Alex joked.
"Not without me you're not. That boy always used to tell me about his girl problems."
"Seriously?"
"Mm-hm. He needs advice, he turns to me. I'm like his own personal agony aunt or something." The silence settled once again and all I could do was watch Alex spin his racquet around in his hands. It was near enough silent our here, with only the occasional blowing of a whistle from the field further out. There was actually no one around to bother us for the first time in days. I liked it. There was something about Alex that made me happy to be absolutely anywhere, just as long as he was next to me to hold my hand. I didn't care what was going on around me as long as Alex and I were okay and still together. I'd known him a week and he already had my head spinning and my heart pounding when he was near. No guy had ever given me butterflies when we kissed, and he did it just by looking at me. I felt like a 13-year-old with a crush on her brother's best friend, but I just couldn't bring myself to care. He made me feel like nothing could go wrong. It had been a week, and I was terrified about how fast I was falling. About how easily he'd be able to break me. But there was nothing I could do. I could only sit back and hope to God he didn't do what was well within his power to do. All I could do was hope he didn't break me.
"Every girl in this room hates me except you," I told Marissa.
"I'm glad you got with Alex when you did, it over shadows me getting with Jack," she laughed.
"You mean you're officially with him?! This is huge! Why didn't you tell me?!"
"It never came up in conversation," she shrugged.
"See, this is why you're not getting threatened! Nobody knows! I'm tempted to shout it out to the entire locker room."
"Dude, no." I sucked in my breath as though to start shouting and she launched herself at me. Half in her gym kit, half in her normal clothes. "Don't you dare."
"You're such a sucker. Get off me." She got off me and I pushed myself up off the floor, receiving glares galore. "Jeez, get a life bitches." I groaned. They still glared as they turned away from me. How pathetic did they want to be?
"So, how long until you hurt poor Alex?" Jodie asked as I was pulling my top over my head.
"I don't know what you mean," I told her, adjusting my shirt and moving to put my shoes on.
"You know exactly what I mean. You're going to use him and lie to him. You're just going to end up hurting him!"
"Sweetie, I didn't try and lie about being his one-night stand girl."
"I heard you did."
"That wasn't a lie," I shrugged, putting on my left Adio and turning to Marissa. "Ready?" She nodded and the two of us walked out of the locker room, through to the sports hall where Jack and Alex were already waiting by the badminton net, racquet and shuttlecock in hand. Each boy had two racquets, one each for Marissa and me. We had started playing doubles since Alex and Jack had joined us, Alex and me on one team, Jack and Marissa on the other. We had already made the comment that we were like those married couples who played tennis together in their free time. Marissa and I both took a racquet from our boyfriends, taking our places besides them on opposite sides of the court. Our lesson always started with us doing the activity, and ten minutes later growing bored and sitting on the sidelines. It had been like this for a grand total of three Gym lessons. Some tradition, huh?
"Alex, the fucking shuttlecock!" I screamed, as it went almost straight into his face, batting it away just before it got too close. I knew it wouldn't hurt him, but he'd be bitching about it forever if I didn't say something.
"Relax, Holly, I had it." I rolled my eyes and reached for the shuttlecock with my racquet, missing it by mere centimetres. "Jasey, the fucking shuttlecock!" He mocked as I went to collect it. I picked it up and turned back to where my friends were waiting.
"Jasey's handling the cock!" Jack called out loudly, making us all laugh. That boy was so immature.
"Ah, I remember those days. She does that well, doesn't she Alex?" A boy called as I finally reached my spot beside Alex.
"How would you know, Frank?" Alex spat. Frank Gel, my last boyfriend before Alex, and my last before my partying got 'out of control'. He was the one that made me this way.
"Hasn't she told you? We were together for three months." I held on to Alex, I could feel his muscles tighten under my grip. He could tell there were going to be a lot of remarks made sooner or later. "Man, she was the best. A bit naive, but who isn't when they're a virgin?" He was starting to shake. "I took that from her, Gaskarth. Remember that. When the little slut comes on to you, remember that I got there first. I took her innocence."
"Alex, leave it. Please," I begged. I knew what Frank could do and I didn't need to know that I was the reason it had happened to Alex.
"Are you saying you want me to let it go?" He seethed. "That you want me to stand by and let him mock you?"
"Yes, Alex, that's exactly what I want. Please do that for me. I've seen him beat up guys twice your size, I won't be the reason you get hurt."
"You can't seriously expect me to stand by and let him say this!"
"I can and I am. Please, just do this for me." The boy had me terrified for his safety. He just didn't seem to know when to let it go. He shot Frank another look before he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the gym, still holding onto the racquet as tightly as he could. The sky was clear but the wind took away any hope of warmth I could have imagined the dim sunlight would bring. Alex and I were both still in our shorts and t-shirt ensemble, so needless to say we were cold within a couple of minutes. If that.
"We just attract drama, don't we?" Alex sighed, finally starting to calm down after what felt like an eternity of silence.
"I'd rather it was us than Jack and Marissa."
"I suppo- Wait, what?"
"Bitch didn't tell you either?"
"Tell me what?"
"They're together. As of yesterday. Marissa told me in the locker room."
"I'm gonna slap that bitch. He's been hiding things from me again," Alex joked.
"Not without me you're not. That boy always used to tell me about his girl problems."
"Seriously?"
"Mm-hm. He needs advice, he turns to me. I'm like his own personal agony aunt or something." The silence settled once again and all I could do was watch Alex spin his racquet around in his hands. It was near enough silent our here, with only the occasional blowing of a whistle from the field further out. There was actually no one around to bother us for the first time in days. I liked it. There was something about Alex that made me happy to be absolutely anywhere, just as long as he was next to me to hold my hand. I didn't care what was going on around me as long as Alex and I were okay and still together. I'd known him a week and he already had my head spinning and my heart pounding when he was near. No guy had ever given me butterflies when we kissed, and he did it just by looking at me. I felt like a 13-year-old with a crush on her brother's best friend, but I just couldn't bring myself to care. He made me feel like nothing could go wrong. It had been a week, and I was terrified about how fast I was falling. About how easily he'd be able to break me. But there was nothing I could do. I could only sit back and hope to God he didn't do what was well within his power to do. All I could do was hope he didn't break me.