If It Keeps You Around Then I'm Down

We got back from the wedding and I couldn't wait to take off my heels. Alex was caring me piggy-back style. School was beginning to pick up and I was invited to sit with Kara and all of her friends at lunch. The wedding was amazing, it was adorable. Since telling Zack that we should just be friends, I had been avoiding band practice and Jack, much to Alex's dislike. I rested my head on Alex's neck and he laughed at me.

"I feel like Luke Skywalker," Alex joked, I looked up and we saw Maria sticking her tongue down one of the groomsmen's throats, I gagged a little bit and Alex laughed, "I don't believe it"

"And that is why you fail!" I said in my best Yoda voice, Alex let out a belting laugh and bumped me up further, I tucked my face back into his neck till we met Rian and Kara in Rian's' giant SUV we'd ridden together in.

"You know you guys look like a total couple right?" Kara asked smiling while stepping up into the passenger seat. We both faked a laugh and stopped forming a serious face. Alex let me down and I stumbled on to my heels. My feet throbbed beneath me, we had danced the whole reception and eaten nothing.

"Oh, yeah Alex and I are secretly in love," I smiled.

"Leila was just a cover!" Alex said making me slide to the other side. Leila was the girl in our English class, he asked her out on Tuesday and had slept with her by Tuesday night. He had already grown bored with her and dumped her, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Sleep over?" Alex asked so that Rian and Kara couldn't hear, I nodded and smiled. Alex revealed that his parents were out of town with mine on some double date vacation to New York City. It was chilling how friendly our parents were, Aden and Abbott were at a friend's house so we both had empty houses.

"So when's your next gig?" Kara asked I couldn't tell if she was asking Alex or Rian and neither could Alex until Rian answered.

"Next weekend," Rian said.

"Ava, we should go together!" Kara said looking at me through the rearview mirror. I nodded in agreement and we made the plans. Rian noticed that we only had three weeks left in school. I sighed, it seemed like I had been here forever, I was sad for it all to end.

"Thank you!" Alex called over his shoulder, I hugged Kara and Rian before getting out and climbing on Alex's shoulders. I kissed his cheek and thanked him before he hiked up to my house.

"Your turn to bring the booze!" I said pulling off my heels and leaving them at the foot of the staircase. I ran up and put on some long plaid pants, I laughed realizing I still had Alex's pants, but I decided to keep them. I pulled a tank top over my body and came running down.

"Those are your sexy pants aren't they?" Alex laughed sarcastically.

"Clearly," I said doing a fashion turn for him. He grabbed a bottle of vodka and held it up next to him. I shrugged and took it from over my shoulder and shifted through the liquor cabinet. Both our parents had European ideals on drinking so they never really noticed or cared when alcohol went missing.

"Shit," Alex said checking his phone, there was nothing else in the cabinet so I looked up confused at him. "Do you mind if we make a little stop before the celebration commences?" He asked.

"So, we're stopping from the ten yards from my house to yours?" I asked sarcastically, he pulled me by wrapping his arm around me. I laughed leaving the bottle next to the door, incase we got pulled over I didn't want to deal with a minor in possession.

"Where are we going," I laughed still barefoot and I faded when we pulled up to Jack's house. Alex looked at me and then up at the house.

"Man-up Brody," Alex said punching him lightly. I sighed loudly and started my way up the highway, the sidewalk was cold under my feet. I smiled mentally preparing myself for two very stern stares.

Alex helped himself into the house and followed it, he waved to black haired middle aged woman with pretty bright eyes.

"Hey Mrs. B, this is Ava!" Alex said happily, I waved and got slightly embarrassed from my attire, I rubbed my arm.

"Nice to meet you," I said shyly.

"Nice to meet you too, and Jack and Zack are downstairs in the basement," She said sweetly. We both walked down the stairs and I heard two guys talking in hushed tones.

"What's up fuckers!" Alex called out, Jack hopped up and smiled at me awkwardly. They passed me and ran up the stairs, I had no idea what they were doing, but I saw Zack smiling at me. I finished walking down the stairs and plopped next to him on the couch.

"What's up Merrick?" I asked awkwardly, looking down at my pajama pants and back at him.

"Nothing much, Brody," I smiled at him, I couldn't help but feel guilty, "So I heard you gave the just friends spiel to Jack too, do you like him?" He asked bluntly. I looked up into his blue eyes and I figured I might as well tell him the truth.

"Zack, you two are friends, its not right," I started.

"Dude, we're friends! Just friends, go for it," he smiled brightly before we heard Alex and Jack coming back down the stairs.

"Well, I really hope Ava and Zack aren't on top of each other," Alex said loudly, I rolled my eyes and he looked around desperately before looking truly disappointed. "Damn!"

"Let's go Alex," I smiled walking backwards up the stairs, I looked Jack square in the eye and smiled brightly. "Bye guys."

"Okay, let's stop eye-fucking the talent," Alex collected me up the stairs, as I slapped him lightly. I walked out into the night, which was colder than I expected for May, I was still barefoot and we walked to the silver Acura. "So what did you and Zack talk about?" He smiled, like he already knew.

"He told me to go for it," I said looking at him, reading him.

"Well, that is odd," Alex said with a weird accent, I laughed in disbelief.

"Please don't tell me you planned this?" I asked looking into his eyes, I rested my head, and closed my eyes on how he didn't even come back with anything. I noticed how we weren't moving when I heard the door open and two breathy boys jumped into the car. I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're such a-" I began before Alex finished.

"Genius?"

"Ass-face?" I finished anyways. We were blasting Blink-182 singing at the top of our lungs when we got to my house, I noticed a car was waiting outside of Alex's. Alex of course didn't notice it, but I grabbed his hand and walked over to it and saw Leila crying in the driver's seat. I almost didn't want to Alex to see her incase she was going to beg for him back.

I knocked on the window and she unlocked the door, I told Alex to wait. I sat in the passenger seat. I smiled sympathetically, she sniffed trying to muffle her sobs.

"Hey Ava," She said and I said 'hi' slightly.

"Are you okay?" I asked rubbing her arms and bringing her shaking body into my embrace. I felt her tears wetting my shoulder, I rubbed her back and she pulled out wiping her tears.

"I ne-need t-to talk to Alex," She said sobbing her, eyes were swollen and red and I nodded. I opened the door and told Alex to sit down in the back. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Jack and Zack talking on the hood of their car.

"Hey, Leila," Alex said awkwardly looking between us. I sat awkwardly and then started to get out, Leila grabbed my wrist and asked me to stay.

"Alex, I'm," She sobbed before she could finish. I rubbed her arm and tried to soothe her, I couldn't help but feel bad for her, "pre-pregnant."

"What?!" Alex and I both called out and my jaw dropped. Leila leaned into me and started crying again, I rubbed her back soothingly, while Alex stared vacantly into space. I tried to get him to look me in the eyes but it was really awkward.

"Are you sure?" Alex asked mumbling out of the corner of his mouth, he had eyes bright with panic.

"I haven't taken the test yet, but I'm late and I was ovulating when we, you know," She said breaking up in sobs. I couldn't help but wonder why an eighteen year old girl was checking her ovulation schedule, she cursed to herself, "Shit, I have to go, I told my dad that I just had to give Ava some notes, I-I'm going to the free clinic tomorrow," I nodded and hugged her tightly.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Alex asked still in disbelief, Leila nodded biting her lip. I stepped out of the car and Alex told her that she would pick her up first thing in the morning. Alex stepped out of the car with his hands in his hair. I grabbed him tightly as her dinky yellow car drove away.

"Don't worry," I whispered, he nodded still not completely in it. I told Jack and Zack to take him up to his room as I ran over to get the bottle. I made my way up the stairs and saw Alex on the bed, tears lining his eyes.

"I can't be a dad, I can't do this!" I opened the bottle and took a huge swig and passed it to Alex. Zack moved to his computer chair and I sat on the bed next to Alex, both of us leaning on the headboard.

"Alex, you don't even know if she's pregnant yet," I said trying to calm him, he seemed completely out of it and I couldn't even get him to look me in the eye. I looked at Jack who's eyebrows were elevated with worry.

"I can't do it," Alex mumbled quietly.

"Alex, even if she is, you don't know she'll keep it, and I would help you all the way through it. Alex, you're my best friend and I love you, we'll all help you through this," I said, I took another swig after we passed the bottle around. Jack and I exchanged looks at an Alex who didn't even seem to note anything that was going on. I looked at Zack who was thinking pensively.

We all sat in silence passing around the bottle, all drowning in worry. I began swaying slightly and was beginning to feel drunk, I passed Alex the bottle skipping it. I needed to keep my head. Alex grabbed onto me and hugged me tightly, Jack hugged him a little in.

"I love you too," Alex whispered. I fell asleep in Alex's arms and Alex fell asleep in Jack's. When I woke up I was in Jack's arm, Zack was sleeping on the floor with his legs up on the computer chair. Alex was no where to be found.

"Jack?" I whispered trying to snake out of his steel grip. Despite the circumstances I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Jack!" I whispered a little louder, I saw his eyes flutter and I knew he was awake. I smacked him loudly and he let out a little giggle.

"What?" Jack asked not bothering to open his eyes, he pulled me in tighter.

"Jack? Where's Alex?" I asked and Jack's mouth was on my ear, his breath tickling the hair over it. I attempted to wiggle out of it, but my attempts were futile.

"He left about an hour ago, go back to sleep," Jack whispered melodically. I didn't realize how tired I was until he mentioned it.

"But Alex-" I began.

"Will wake us up when he gets back," Jack finished, he shushed me intimately until my eyelids grew heavy. I let myself get dragged into sleep that I supposed I needed, but I don't think I could rest well with what Alex had on his plate. At least not until he knew what to do with it.