Go Around

Audrey saw Jack’s car pull up in front of Kennedy’s house and Audrey had been waiting in the living room where she had a good outside view to the street. Kennedy was curled under three blankets that she had knitted herself a few years prior and was watching Power puff Girls still because it was the only thing that was putting her in a semi-better mood.
Jack honked his horn and Audrey turned to Kennedy and Kennedy looked up at her. “Are you sure you don’t want to go?” Audrey asked, leaning over and stroking Kennedy’s hair back away from her face like she was a child.
Kennedy nodded, “I don’t think I’m up for it,” she admitted and dipped her head lower so that her mouth was under the covers.
“Okay. Just call me if you need me or Jack to come over, okay?” Audrey said, grabbing her tan purse from the ground.
“I’ll be fine,” Kennedy reassured her and then focused back in on the Power puff Girls.
Audrey nodded and walked out of the house and strutted down Kennedy’s stone walk away wearing grey skinny jeans, a black tank top with the band KISS on it (obviously borrowed from Kennedy), a pair of five and half inch tan peep toe shoes to match her tan purse with buckles all over it. Her curled blonde hair bounced in the right way that made her look like she was a runway model.
She got to Jack’s car and threw open the door. “Hey,” she said as she crawled in the passenger side and shut the door hard behind her. She looked at the window that she’d just been looking out of a few seconds ago and she wished that Kennedy would stand up for herself.
“Hello,” Jack said with a cute, goofball smile on his face as he pulled away from the curb of Kennedy’s house.
Audrey wondered why Kennedy was having such a hard time with this in particular because Kennedy had never had a problem with sticking up for herself before and she was definitely one of the most confrontational people that Audrey had ever met, but Alex just seemed to have this hold over her that made her break down whenever something didn’t go according to plan.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked, breaking her train of thought.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Audrey said and smiled widely for his benefit.
Jack smiled back at her and fixed his eyes on the road again.
“Hey, Jack?” Audrey asked.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For coming over earlier to help Kennedy. I know that it really meant a lot to her and you did more for her than I ever could,” Audrey told him, truly and genuinely grateful to him for helping Kennedy when she needed him the most.
“Please, I didn’t do anything you couldn’t have done, but you’re welcome nonetheless,” Jack said as he made a third right turn.
“You don’t get it,” Audrey said, shaking her head, “it’s different to be comforted by a guy,” Audrey told him and she herself couldn’t even really explain it because it was just… different.
Jack laughed as he pulled up in front of a cream colored house with a bunch of cars and people at it. So much for a small gathering.
The thought of Alex and his stupid brown shaggy hair that made him look like a homeless man made Audrey’s heart race with infuriation. All she wanted to do was kill him.
Audrey got out of the car and slammed the door hard again. “Do you think you could be a little nicer to the car? It has feelings,” Jack asked and she laughed. Kennedy had been right in her description of Jack to her; he was cute, funny, intelligent, but extremely immature and acted like a child but not in the annoying way.
“Sorry,” she said as he came up beside her and walked with her up to the door.
Jack opened the door for her and she walked in. There were a bunch of people there, but not nearly as many as there had been at Kyle’s the night before, but she recognized a lot more faces not. Audrey’s eyes scanned the room looking for Alex and his stupid homeless person hair but couldn’t see him.
“Thanks for the ride, Jack,” Audrey yelled at him over the loud music.
Jack laughed and nodded, “No problem. Just let me know when you want to head back,” Jack said and then walked away, already holding a little plastic red cup in his hand.
Audrey made her way to the kitchen were all the alcohol was because she needed a shot… or ten. Half of all the alcohol was already gone, but Audrey still managed to find a half way decent brand of her favorite little friend… tequila. Audrey poured herself a shot and shot it, without the lime or the salt because she figured herself just that hard core.
When Audrey looked down she saw Alex’s stupid hair bobbing in the distance over the rest of the crowd and Audrey’s face fell and she puckered her lips, ready for a fight. She took another shot of tequila – they didn’t call it liquid courage for nothing.
Audrey let out a deep breath then left the kitchen to find Alex, wherever he had gone. Audrey stalked every square inch of the hallway but didn’t see him. She glanced to her left for a fraction of a second and saw Jack which made her eyes flicker back because she saw that Jack was talking to Alex, Alex’s back facing Audrey.
Audrey got even more upset with him just by looking at his stupid outfit and she stalked over to him. She had walked over there so that she had positioned herself that she would be in front of him and he was surprised to see her. Apparently Jack hadn’t told Alex that he was going to pick her up.
Audrey took her 5’4” frame against Alex’s 6’2” one and pushed his shoulders so that he stumbled back a little bit, “What the fuck is your problem?” she asked and she thought that she was only creating a mild scene compared to other stuff she had done in New York clubs, but apparently that was enough to get everybody in the room’s attention.
“How do you mean?” Alex asked, wiping his hand on his jeans from spilling his drink.
“I think you know what I mean. What was it? Oh yeah, she’s a slut and that’s the only way she knows how to dress. Is that ringing any fucking bells?” Audrey yelled at the top of her lungs. Everybody in the room had previously been trying to be discreet about watching, but now all of them were blatantly staring at them, watching the scene that would be the gossip of the school tomorrow afternoon.
Alex’s face had been confused at first, when Audrey had pushed him, but his face slowly formed from confusion to a brightened realization. “Where did you hear that?” he asked quietly, glancing out of his peripheral vision on both sides, obviously not enjoying everybody watching them. Audrey couldn’t care less.
“Well, actually, I didn’t hear it… Kennedy did,” Audrey said, pursing her lips and sticking her hands on her hips.
“What? When?” he asked and he looked concerned. Audrey was surprised because he had been the one who had said it so why did he look concerned about Kennedy.
“When do you think moron? Last night when you were with your fucking girlfriend,” Audrey told him, now crossing her arms across her chest.
Alex leaned in and grabbed Audrey’s forearm, “Can we talk about this in private? I need to explain,” Alex whispered. Under most circumstances Audrey would have said no and that they could have their conversation right then and there, but something about Alex’s tone made her think that it would be better if they talked in private.
“Sure,” Audrey said, but tore her arm out of Alex’s grasp.
Alex led her up the stairs and down the hallway and opened a door. There was a boy and two girls on the bed and the two girls were kneeling in front of the boy and making out with each other. “Get out,” Alex instructed, pointing at the door.
“Dude, we’re in the middle of something,” the guy said, obviously unwilling to give up his spot in front of the two hot girls wearing nothing but bras and panties.
“Dude, this is my bedroom,” Alex said and pointed at the door again, “Get out,” he repeated and the three people gathered up their clothes and hustled out of the bedroom that was now deemed Alex’s.
“I’m waiting,” Audrey said, impatiently. She was disgusted at the mere sight of Alex’s bed. God only knows how many different girls had been on it.
“Look, I didn’t mean what I said about Kennedy last night,” Alex started, sitting on his bed, “Lisa has been getting on my ass for the past few weeks telling me that she thinks that I still love Kennedy and that Lisa means nothing to me and a whole bunch of other stuff because she feels insecure about our relationship so last night when she asked me what I thought of Kennedy I thought the rudest thing I could think of about Kara and how she was dressed and just put Kennedy’s name under it because it would get Lisa off my back for a little while at least,” Alex explained.
Part of Audrey wanted to believe Alex because she knew how much Kennedy loved him, but on the other hand she didn’t believe him one single bit because he was Alex Gaskarth. He was a womanizing ass hole and even if Kennedy hadn’t of told her that Audrey still would have picked up on it the minute she met him – they were always the easiest to pick out of a crowd.
Alex looked up at her, waiting for her response. “I can’t say that I believe you one hundred percent, but if you really mean what you’re saying then I suggest you go to see Kennedy as soon as possible and explain it to her,” Audrey responded.
“Should I go see her now?” Alex asked, jumping up and grabbing his wallet and keys off of his dresser.
“She probably won’t be pleased to see you right now because one, she looks like shit, and two, because she thinks you’re an ass hole, but I think you should go,” Audrey said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“I feel awful about it. I love her so much and she’s… the love of my life,” Alex tried to explain how deep his feelings for Kennedy were, but there were weren’t words to describe it.
“Can I ask you a question?” Audrey asked.
“Sure,”
“You claim that you’re in love with Kennedy, but if you’re so in love with her then why are you dating Lisa?” Audrey asked.
Alex had no answer at first, “I’ve offered to break up with Lisa… to be with Kennedy, but Kennedy keeps telling me to stay with her,” Alex told her with a shrug of his shoulders. Even though he had offered to break up with Lisa, he felt more comfortable dating her while he was with Kennedy because if Kennedy just up and decided to leave again, he would have Lisa to fall back on. He knew that it was horrible, but that was the truth.
“She never told me that,” Audrey said more to herself than to him. After a minute of silence Audrey looked up, “You should probably go,” she told him, nodding her head to the door and Alex smiled.
“Thanks for coming to me. If you hadn’t I probably wouldn’t have known for a long time,” he told her, but he didn’t wait for a response. He walked out of his door and down the stairs.
Usually Audrey would have left, too, but she didn’t want to be there when they talked so she decided to go back downstairs, get drunk, and then find someone new to have sex with.