If It Keeps You Around Then I'm Down

I groaned, I really didn't want to wake up. I didn't know what day it was or really care for that matter. I rubbed my eyes and propped myself up and I yawned deeply. Before I realized I really had to pee, I adjusted my boxers which were now sideways on my body and ran to the bathroom. After I washed my hands and my face and brushed my teeth I walked back into my room to see a boy on my computer playing tetris.

"Jesus Christ!" I said grabbing my chest, the boy swung around and I realized it was Alex. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I said running my hand through my hair and walking back on to the bed.

"I thought we could do something to renew our vows," Alex smirked and I yawned nodding.

"Now, you can answer, how you got in my room with both of my parents home?" I asked raising my eyebrow and Alex shrugged returning to his game. I laughed at his nonchalant attitude towards being at my room while I'm still sleeping.

"You're dad seems to love me now that you're dating Zack and he invited me to wake you up for pancakes," Alex said matter-of-factly. I groaned and fell back on to the bed. It took my dad like thirty seconds to hate Zack and thirty seconds to like Alex again.

"How long have you been here?" I asked holding my hands over my face sleepily, they muffled my voice to make it seem deeper. I pulled my face randomly hoping it would wake me up a little.

"Like thirty minutes or so, by the way you are a totally disgusting sleeper," he smirked turning back to me. "Your clothes like fall off you every which way." I got up and slapped him on the side of his head, I really hoped he was joking because I didn't Alex seeing my body, I shooed him out so I could get dressed.

"Besides who looks good when they sleep?" I asked rhetorically.

"That's why I don't do any sleeping with the ladies," He smiled before I shut the door on him. I decided on a pair of shorts and long sleeved grey thermal t-shirt that hugged my curves. It was a chillier day today, and I still wanted to wear shorts. I opened the door so Alex could come back in.

"So speaking of not sleeping, how did last night with Maria go?" I asked starting to put on makeup. He looked up at me surprised, "we live next door, and you leave your blinds open, dumb dumb." I said condescendingly.

"So you were watching me?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"I closed my blinds after I realized what you two were doing!" I said raising my arms up trying to make this a little less awkward.

"This is just going to break Zack's little heart," Alex pouted while I coated mascara. I knew he was bluffing because he would never jeopardize the relationship we're having.

"Anyways, how'd it go?" I asked fluffing my hair to make it a little more volumous, I knew it never actually did anything that stuck, but it was more out of habit from watching my mother and my aunts doing it every time they passed a mirror.

"Eh, I think I want to break up with her," Alex shrugged, I swung around to see him very confused. He seemed inhumane and rather detached to her, which was weird after seeing them last night. I shook the image out of my head.

"Why?" I asked, Alex was becoming increasingly harder to read and I was getting sick of his teenage horniness, he just couldn't control. I pulled on my sneakers and hopped out of the room.

"I'm just not that into her, I mean you heard her, she asked to double date, I don't want a girl who double dates, I want a girl who rides a harley and thinks its sexy to watch Sponge Bob in pajamas eating cereal at 8 in the morning," Alex said like he was imagining this girl in his head. I scoffed.

"But you slept with her anyways?" I asked and he gave me a 'duh' noise and I rolled my eyes, "I actually think its romantic how you know what kind of girl you want, what's not romantic is boning everything that moves, Alex," I said as we walked into the main hallway. Alex looked panicked that someone might hear, but I knew our mothers were gossiping and when they were doing that they were pretty much deaf to the outside world.

"You know anyone like that?" Alex asked hopefully, returning to my side as our mothers looked at us, holding their fingers up like picture frames looking at both of us. I stopped in my tracks forgetting everything that had just happened in utter confusion.

"You're right, they would photograph well for Prom, you know what. Alex has to go to his cousin's wedding this coming weekend, maybe Ava can be his date. It could be our test run," Mrs. Gaskarth gushed and my mother nodded like she was saying the most brilliant thing she'd ever heard.

"Oh my gosh, Sophie, yes. Ava would love to go to Alex and we'll have to make sure they get correlating outfits," My mother added to Mrs. Gaskarth's excitement.

"Yes, I want something that indicates their a couple, but nothing too matchy-matchy," Mrs. Gaskarth nodded.

"Wouldn't they have the cutest babies?" My mother said and Mrs. Gaskarth nodded wildly and they began listing features of ours that would make the perfect grandchildren. My jaw was dropped as I looked at Alex who had completely forgotten about his perfect girl.

"Mom!" We both called out embarrassed, they looked at us and shooed us away, not before I scored some money from my mom.

"Let's go," Alex said pulling my hand, I laughed excitedly as we made our way to a coffee shop.

"It's glad to know that I'll have a fall-back plan incase college fails, you can be my sugar daddy, and I'll be your trophy wife, we'll have perfect little children with big brown eyes and long brown hair," I laughed emulating my mother.

"Oh yes, Ava has the perfect bosom for child production, she's probably very fertile, I think Alex might have a low sperm count, but I'm sure that will just give their children character!" Alex said perfectly articulating his mother's English accent. I laughed and cried as we pulled up to the shop.

"Why are our mothers so obsessed with us?" I asked brushing my hair out of my face. Alex shrugged and chuckled.

"Our moms used to be best friends when they lived together in England, maybe they think if we get married then they won't lose each other again," Alex guessed, I never knew that they had been close.

"Really?" I asked after ordering a plain coffee with fake sugars in it.

"Yeah, my mom showed me like ten photo albums of us in England and you're in like every picture before you moved away," Alex grabbed his fatty mocha frappachino and I laughed at the fact that he should probably be morbidly obese, not a tooth pick.

"Huh, I wonder why I just remember me loving your from afar and our wonderful wedding?" I asked as we made our way to a corner. Alex laughed and shook his head.

"I don't really remember most of it either, but I love the fact that your mom demanded to move next door to mine," Alex smiled.

"Well, then I think its a good thing we don't date, because my father would kill you and I think your mother might not forgive him," I joked and Alex laughed.

"Speaking of dating, how was the end of the night with Zack," he asked wiggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes and smiled slightly, "that good, huh?" Alex said intuitively.

"Well, my dad ran him off, but then I snuck out right after to give him a kiss goodnight and I went to bed, " I spoke into my coffee, my cheeks growing rosy.

"Floating on a cloud into la la land?" Alex said in a falsetto, making fun of me. I smacked him and feigned injury.

"Shut up, slut," I laughed and Alex looked taken back. "Oh, like you've never heard it before," I laughed and he shrugged.

"Not from you I haven't," He said finishing his frappachino quickly I laughed as he held his forehead and squinted his eyes calling out brain freeze. I rubbed his head for him and he pretended to cry, like a child.

"You're such a spaz!" I laughed finishing my coffee as we got up to leave and go on through our day.

"Yeah, but you love it," Alex smiled cockily before getting into his car. I nodded and bit my lip, asking myself why I did. I got into the car.

"Let's visit your boyfriend," Alex said making kissy noises after, I smacked him and then corrected him,

"He's not my boyfriend, we went on one date and let's not bother him if he's working," I asked crossing the seatbelt over my body.

"Whatever you say," Alex said driving away, we pulled up into the parking lot of Best Buy and Alex basically ran me to the main floor where we looked for through the aisles. Alex was ranting and raving about Blink-182 and I was telling him about how I liked chill music a little bit better. He seemed truly offended like I called his mother a fat whore or something.

"Alex? What the fuck are you doing here?" I heard a voice ask, before I looked up and saw Zack in khaki pants and a blue polo, I nearly choked on my spit.

"Nothing, I just came to warn you I'm stealing your girlfriend," Alex joked and Zack punched him lightly. Zack waved at me awkwardly and I bit my lip swaying slightly. He passed Alex and hugged me, he returned to his former position.

"We only went on one date," Zack said shyly avoiding my gaze.

"See," I said, Alex rolled his eyes.

"Cynics," he muttered under his breath.

"Man-whore," I seethed and he smacked me lightly. I heard someone yelling like a battle call or something before Zack went down and I saw a certain striped haired boy on top of him.

"Hey Alex, hey Ava," Jack smiled brightly.

"Well, you are more alive than I thought you'd be after last night," I smiled and he widened his grin.

"I'm a stallion, baby!" Jack called out after getting off of Zack and helping him up.

"Alright Stallion, get back to work," A supervisor called laughing.

"You guys look very interesting in khaki and polos," I smiled they both seemed embarrassed by their attire. I bit my lip and looked Jack in the eyes, "it's cute, don't worry!"

"Thanks," they both said looking around.

"Did I freaking stutter?" The supervisor said now with a stern look pointing to an impatient looking customer.

"Au Revoir, mon amour!" Jack said calling over his shoulder, Zack held me close again.

"So do you want to go out again tonight?" He asked, my eyes followed Jack to an pissed off old man who was soon laughing and I chuckled along. I looked up at Zack and smiled,

"Why not?"

"Sweet, I gotta go," He said before kissing me on the cheek and running over to help an elderly woman who pointed to me and Zack ruffled his hair embarrassed and shook his head. I saw her mouth move in something like, 'why not?' and I turned to Alex who was getting a number from some blonde employee, I rolled my eyes and grabbed him.

"Come on baby, your mother expected us fifteen minutes ago," I said grabbing on to his elbow and dragging him with me. The blonde's jaw dropped angrily and took the number from his hands and ripped it up.

"Oh you are an asshole," He said soon walking with me, I smiled.

"Please, she was like twelve," I laughed and he seemed apathetic towards the situation, simply using it to joke around with.

"Ava, I told you about my perfect girl right?" I nodded, "She liked Sponge Bob and cereal!" He said overly enthusiastic.

"Yeah, because she was twelve!" I reiterated making him laugh, he hugged me lightly as we walked and he told me he would help me get ready for my date with Zack tonight. I wondered why Alex was so set on us getting together and why I was thinking about Jack. Even after spending an entire evening with him, I felt it was the tip of the iceberg. Then I thought about the Titanic, and how his name was also Jack, but then he died and I thought that the Jack I knew probably wouldn't appreciate the reference past getting it on in a car.

"So, Maria wants to double," Alex sighed hanging up his phone. I was so deep in thought that I didn't even notice. I smiled and he rolled his eyes at me as we backed out. He groaned and bitched the entire ride back and I finally smacked him.

"One double date, will not kill you, go get ready and then meet at my house," I instructed. I laughed as I climbed out his car and we went our separate ways into our houses.