Totally Not Average

After we finished watching Alex’s pathetic excuse of a T.V. show, his mother called us all for dinner. We walked over to the table and I saw that Alex’s dad was already there. He was pretty tall, and I knew Alex was going to be just as tall.

He had graying hair, but you could see the remains of his brown hair. His eyes settled on me and I almost gasped; they had the same exact eyes. It was like staring into a replica of Alex and it scared me.

“You’re Amanda, right?” He asked, his voice firm and loud.

I nodded and smiled, “Nice to meet you.” I wondered if they noticed how my voice was shaking in anxiety.

“She’s much prettier than we thought, isn’t she?” His Mom commented, setting the table.

“Much prettier,” His Dad nodded.

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Gaskarth.” I blushed deeply.

“She’s so much politer than that Jasey girl.” Mrs. Gaskarth told us.

Alex next to me stiffened and I could tell that this wasn’t a welcome subject. A million questions ran through my mind: who was Jasey? Why didn’t his parents like her? Why was Alex acting strange?

“Yeah, that girl never learned her manners.” Mr. Gaskarth grumbled.

“Matt never liked her from the start.” His mother pointed a finger at Alex, and I was beyond confused. “Looks can be deceiving; she had us all fooled.”

“Except for Matt, he could always tell.” Alex whispered.

I looked between Alex and the rest of his family; all of them had looks of sadness plastered on their faces. Just seeing all the sadness made my heart squeeze, and knowing I couldn’t do anything just made it worse.

“Matt was—“ Mrs. Gaskarth started, but Alex cut her off, “Not now Ma.” He shook his head.

“So, Amanda, you’re a senior right?” His Mom was changing the subject, and for that I was grateful.

I nodded, “Yeah, senior year.”

“Are you in any extra curricular activities?” I knew she meant well, but I felt like this was an interrogation.

“I’m the Student Body President, I run the Decorations Committee and I’m on the Debate team.” I told her, sitting down on the chair next to where Alex was sitting.

“Ah, she’s a smart one.” Mr. Gaskarth complimented.

I smiled, “Thank you.”

“Oh, anytime dear.” He said back, and I felt something warm stirring up in my stomach.

Looking at this table, I could tell this was a real family; one that cared about each other. They ate dinners together, spent time together, and probably even watched T.V. together. It was so different from my house where I haven’t eaten one dinner with Dad in about a year, or how I haven’t spent time with my Dad in three years.

Things change so drastically, but I can tell that this family sticks together through everything.

---

After we finished our dinner, Alex went to help his Dad with something outside while I was helping his Mother with the dishes.

I was washing the plates while Mrs. Gaskarth was putting them away. I turned on the faucet and ran the soapy plate under the running water, washing all the food away with a sponge.

“You are welcome here anytime, honey.” Mrs. Gaskarth told me.

“Oh, thank you.” I smiled, “I love it here, it has that real ‘home sweet home’ feeling.”

She laughed, “Yeah, it’s always nice to have that one place where you can be yourself.”

I nodded, “I completely agree.” I set the dish on the towel and leaned against the counter, shaking my hands to get rid of the water on them.

Alex and his Dad were in the living room, discussing about something to do with their T.V. I could see them talking and laughing, acting like a real family should.

“He cares about you, sweetie. More than he lets on.” She told me, stopping what she was doing to look at me in the eyes.

“Alex?” I furrowed my eyebrows, “No, he doesn’t.”

She smiled, “He hasn’t looked at a girl the way he looks at you in a long time. I haven’t seen him this happy since Jasey and Matt.”

I looked back at Alex; my mind swimming with memories of us together, having the time of our lives. Did he really think about me that way? Was his Mom right?

Our eyes met and he smiled at me; that real smile of his that made my heart squeeze and butterflies stir in my stomach. I smiled back at him, and I knew she was right.

Alex and I had a connection.