My Gems in the Rough.

"Jack Gem!"

I turn to see Alice smiling at me.

"Hey Al, What's the matter?" I can't help but smile back. Alice is one of those people, who never stops smiling, and it is so fucking contagious.

"Can you do me a favor Jackie?" She gives me "the look". Only "I" get the look. The one where her eyebrows raise a bit higher with a smile, cocking her head to the left a little. A smile, playing on her lips, making the mole right above them, less noticeable.
Then again, I notice everything about her.

"For you, anything" And i mean it. I would do anything that Alice asks. She sighs in relief,

"I know I always ask for you to do this, but Beth. She is a bit iffy lately, can you find out what's wrong? She won't talk to me about it, but she always tells you. She tells you everything... I think it's something about Jeremy... as usual..." Alice pouts.

I guess I feel guilty about it, I mean Jer has no idea. He has no idea that his true love, loves someone else. I'm not even a "someone else". I'm no stranger to their relationship. I was there for everything. When he first confessed that he thought Beth was cute... when he first kissed her... when he first bought her a rose... I was there with him through it all. Whenever he got into a fight with Beth (which was hardly, mind that) I would talk her back into forgiving him... It took me a while to realize she just forgave him 'cause "I" asked her. And why did I talk her into forgiving my brother? Cause, Alice asked me to talk to Beth.

The more I think about this, the more confusing it gets.

I think I was six, the first time I met the O'Conners. They had just moved into the neighborhood, and Beth was the first to come running out of the house, playing hopscotch on her driveway with pink and blue chalk. I was shy then, I watched my brothers go up to talk to the new "strangers". Then I saw her, Alice O'Conner. She was cute, even at seven years old. Her long hair in two plaits, I used to tease her and pull them all the time. She was taller though, always poking me in the forehead after. Alice pulled me out of my shyness. Maybe it was because she is so nice to talk to... Or maybe just because I needed reasons to play with her, and to play with her I needed to talk to her.

She's graduating this year, she's turning eighteen. And you know what?

She's still cute.

I love it when her pretty pink lips, curve into a smile. The way her hair always smells like shampoo, strawberry and banana. That one crooked tooth that goes in, on the right side of her mouth. She is so self-conscious about it, but never around me. Maybe it's cause she thinks of me like a brother... or because she just likes being around me. Hopefully it's option number two.

I used to do anything that I could. Giving myself reasons, to go over to the O'Conners. I think it gave Beth the wrong impression.

Now in the corner of my eye, I always see her looking at me. Glancing to see if I am looking back. For five years I've noticed. Okay, I know how it seems like guys are always clueless about things... It's not true. We just act like it. You girls are so much cuter when you think we don't know. Especially the way you all blush when we expose your "secret".

*Sigh. The way Alice blushes is the cutest thing. ever on the planet. The blush just reaches up to her eyes, and then she hides her face squealing in embarrassment. It's cute.

"Hey Jack, it's okay if you can't..." she interrupts my thoughts, before I get light-headed from thinking about her too much. You should see me in class, I could get an all-day hard-on just from thinking about kissing her.

"Turn that frown upside down" I laugh, "I'll do it."
I don't want to.
But I will. For Alice, I'd reach for the stars for her.