Lost To Me

Hayly’s POV
Waking up wasn’t as slow a process as it normally was. The moment I opened my eyes I felt alert, and I didn’t have a clue why. The only time I’d ever woken up like this before was when Jack finally came around to being my best friend, after acting like he hated me for a year. I was glad those times were over, they sucked.

Speaking of Jack, did he leave last night? I felt the blankets under me, and I could’ve sworn I fell asleep sitting on Jack… I sighed and rolled over, resigned to waking up without Jack yet again. That sounded rather weird… When I rolled over I came face to face with.. Jack?

His face wore that infamous grin and he said, “Took you long enough to wake up, sleepy-head. I thought I was going to have to have Alex wake you up. And that’s just plain mean.” I almost didn’t catch what he was saying, he was talking so fast.

My head spun and I knew my sleep deprivation was catching up with me. “One, Jack, slow down. And two, yes that would be very cruel. You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

“I don’t know. You can be pretty mean too,” he smirked. I opened my mouth to protest that I was never mean to him before he laughed and covered my mouth with his hand so I couldn’t talk. I settled with glaring at him while he burst into unrestrained giggles.

That is, before I licked his hand. I was almost scared to; I didn’t want to know where Jack’s hand had been before. “Ewww! Alex! Your sister licked me!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, making me wince in pain before he ran downstairs yelling about how gross I was.

I laughed quietly to myself before getting up and changing into a pair of dark blue skinnies and a Blink-182 t-shirt that Alex had given me for my birthday. I headed downstairs toward the buzz of voices coming from the kitchen.

I grabbed a pop tart from the cupboard while I listened to Jack whine to Alex about something or another. He was always rambling on about something, it wasn’t really anything new.

“Hey, Hayly, did you really lick Jack’s hand or was he trying to get attention like usual? And, uh, why?” Alex asked me suddenly, cutting off Jack’s torrent of words.

I giggled and nodded. “Yeah. But only because he wouldn’t let me talk! He told me I was mean and I was trying to tell him that I wasn’t to him.” Words always have a way of rushing out of my mouth whenever it’s just the guys and me. Especially if they’ve given me sugar at any point during the day.

Alex just sighed and shook his head at the two of us before making himself a bowl of cereal. “Those two are so weird.. How does she not see it..” I heard him muttering to himself and decided to ignore whatever he was saying. My sanity tended to stay more intact that way. I perched myself happily on the counter watching Jack ramble on to himself about something in Alex’s ear while my brother in question was trying to move him away, telling him to shut up and go bother me.

In the midst of this white noise, I heard Jack yell – very loudly – “Let’s go to the park!” The only response he got out of my brother and I was blank staring. “Are you two deaf? Let’s go to the park! Obviously you are related you both give me the same response every time I suggest something,” he complained, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Darling, maybe if you didn’t say it randomly every single time you’d get a different answer,” I told him, joking around when it came to the pet name.

“M’dear, you should know by now that that is just the way I roll,” he said right back, although the use of m’dear sent a pang through my heart. I pushed it away and laughed.

“It’s up to Alex. He’s the one with the car. I’m just the annoying little sister.”

“You got that right,” Alex muttered, and I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. Although Jack grinning then jumping on my back sure did distract me. Because it sent Jack and I both toppling to the floor.

I groaned in pain, but wasn’t able to move from my position on my back, seeing as Jack was still sitting on me. “Jack, move your fat ass off me.” I ordered him, not bothering to open my eyes to look at him.

“Nah, I think I like this position.” I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. I opened my eyes to find he was currently straddling my waist, smirking at me, as I had guessed. I groaned again, and laid my head against the tile floor with my eyes closed.

“As much as you find that funny Jack, that is my sister. So if you don’t get up, I will punch you with her permission. Or not.” Wow, I’ve never seen Alex so weirdly protective of me.. At least around Jack. Other guys were a completely different story.

“Jeez Lexy, didn’t know Jack was someone to go all overprotective brother on,” I told him, still not opening my eyes. I decided it would be easier to deal with them that way.

“Yeah, that’s wh-” Alex started to say, before he was cut off. Then I realized Jack was no longer sitting on me. I got to my feet then opened my eyes to be greeted by the sight of his huge brown eyes literally three inches from my face.

“Park?” he said childishly, staring at me adorably.

“Park,” I sighed. He yelled happily and I covered my ears. “Good God Jack, be glad my parents aren’t home. They would’ve kicked you out or something,” I muttered before turning to look at Alex. Copying Jack’s puppy dog eyes I asked in the same childish voice, “Park?”

“Ugh, fine. I swear, you two do this just to annoy me. Let me grab my keys.” I laughed at his reaction; it was true, we did this all the time. Even though it wasn’t just to annoy him. We just got our way easier this way.

“Thankees Lexy!” I yelled at him before grabbing Jack’s wrist and pulling him to the car. “You are sitting in the back with me,” I demanded, and then pulled him in before he had time to protest. He laughed at me but nodded his agreement anyway.

“Alex is going to be all alone now.”

“Well screw Alex, he can be alone.”

He laughed at me again. “I’m glad you’re not my sister, you’re mean Hayles.” I pouted and didn’t justify him with a response. After a few minutes of silence while I was wondering where the hell Alex was, Jack asked, “Hayly? C-can I t-try something?”

I turned to look at him hesitantly and nodded, noting the obvious stutter in his voice. He gave me a nervous smile and whispered, “Don’t move, okay?” Before I could say anything, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.