Olive and an Arrow

I wasn’t asleep.

I had been awake for the past hour and a half but my body refused to drag itself out of bed and start the day. I was itching for a cup of coffee but I was just to darn lazy to go get it myself.

The sun glared through my window across the room and a stream of its light shone on my face. I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned as the throbbing in my head worsened. With each movement I made the dull pain behind my eyes begged for my attention.

I turned on my side and comfort washed over me like an ocean tide. The bright light that had once been on my face went completely black as if a figure had intercepted it. I brushed it off and tried to focus on sleep but I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that I was being watched.

I popped one eye open and screamed when the face of Alex Gaskarth came into view. Alex jumped and his eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected me to react the way I did. I groaned and pulled my floral comforter up over my shoulders.

“Leave me alone, Gaskarth.” I muttered into my pillow. I felt the bed sink from his weight and he pulled the covers off of my small frame.

“I’m hurt.” He stated bluntly. I peered at him beneath my hair and studied his presence. He looked fine to me.

“How so?” I really wasn’t in the mood for a pointless conversation with Alex that was most likely going get us no where.

“Why didn’t you tell me you and John were dating?”

My eyes shot open and I sat upright in my bed. “I am not dating John!”

“That’s not what Jack told me.” His eyes danced with amusement as I cringed just at the sound of Jacks name.

“And you believe Jack, why?”

Alex seemed to have been pondering over this question until I threw my pillow at his face. He caught the pillow before it hit him and tossed it onto my floor easily. The look on his face told me that he didn’t quite believe me.

“I am not dating John.” I swung my legs over the side of my bed and walked over to my closet.

“Then why did Jack tell me different?” Alex watched me as I slipped off my pajama shorts and t-shirt.

“I don’t know, maybe because it’s Jack and he hates me?” I pulled on a pair of indie shorts and a So Save Me band t-shirt.

“I wouldn’t say he hates you.” Alex picked up the glass dolphin that was lying on my night stand. After a few seconds of rolling it around in his hands realization washed over him and he glanced up at me as I was buttoning my shorts.

“Jack gave you this for your birthday.” It was more of a statement than a question. Alex sighed and set the trinket on my unmade bed.

“I’m not even going to say anything in fear it will open an almost healed wound.” He walked up to me and folded me in his arms. I breathed in his scent and sighed heavily. His comforting touch almost made me forget that I was mad at him for ignoring me at dinner the previous night.

Alex pulled me off of him so we were arm length apart. His hands were placed firmly on my shoulders and he stared into my eyes intently. It was almost as if he were searching for something, something he couldn’t seem to find.

“You are over Jack right?” His voice came out soft, almost inaudible but I still heard him loud and clear.

“Yes, gosh yes. Why would you even ask me that?”

Alex shook his head as if to dismiss the topic and he pulled me back into his tight embrace. “Never mind, I just want the best for you Ar.”

I was over Jack. Wasn’t I?

I mentally slapped myself in the face for even questioning myself. Of course I was over Jack, he broke my heart! More than once, actually.

I felt Alex’s phone vibrate in his front pocket. The music to Poppin’ Champagne was slightly muffled but was still audible for me and Alex both to hear.
‘You’ve got me poppin’ champagne, I’m at it again. Caught up in the moment but not in the right way..’

I smirked and glanced up at his reddening face. “You have your own song as your ring tone?”

“It’s catchy.” His voice resembled that of when he was twelve, guilty and defensive. The pink tint in his cheeks only deepened as I continued to stare at him in pure disbelief.

Actually, I could believe it. Alex was quite conceited so of course, out of all the songs in the world, he would choose one of his own as a ring tone.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

Alex glanced at the name written across the screen on his Envy and with an annoyed look, flipped open his phone. "What do you want Rian?"

“Yes, I’m with Aria.” His face was curious but his voice still held the annoyed tone.

“What, now?”

A few beats later, “Fine, I’ll be over there in a minute.”

Alex flipped his phone shut and shoved it in his pocket. His eyes met mine and he sighed. “I was planning on spending the day with you but I’m needed for practice, are you alright with that?”

I smiled and nodded. “You do have other priorities other than me.”

“Though I wish sometimes I didn’t.” His voice was distant, almost like there was a hidden meaning to that statement. He shook his head and smiled down at me. “Do you want to come and watch us practice? I mean I know you will be at our show Saturday night but I don’t want you here all by your lonesome self.”

I rolled my eyes and I mentally slapped myself in the face. I needed to break that habit.

“Wait, Saturday night as in tomorrow?”

“Yeah, don’t tell me you forgot.” Alex’s face crumpled and I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

I had forgotten about their concert. With everything with Jack that happened I blocked everything off from my brain that involved him, including All Time Low.

“I’m sorry Al, I’ll be there tomorrow I promise.” That was a promise I was willing to keep, hopefully.

“And tonight?”

My mind went back to John and the night I kicked him out of my house. I felt pretty darn disgusted with myself for the reason I did it. Stupid Jack always seemed to know how to irk me. And sad to say, I always seemed to fall into his trap.

“I actually have to take care of something, but I will try to stop by and say hey to the boys.”

I waited for Alex’s reaction but he only nodded and smiled gently. “Alright, see you later love.”

He kissed the top of my head and headed towards my bedroom door.

“Oh,” He stopped and turned to me with a mischievous grin on his face. “Tell John I said hey.”

__________________

As I stood in front of apartment 3A I began to reconsider if my decision of talking to John was a good or not. I replayed the previous night over and over again in my head weighing my options. I could one, face John and risk him rejecting me completely or two, I could run full speed in the other direction without looking back.

I was leaning more towards the latter but before I could make a beeline out of the apartment complex the door to 3A opened and before me stood John O’Callaghan.

His face was dark from his stubble and he looked as if he had just gotten out of bed. My eyes met his for only an instant then I averted them to the hem of my navy cardigan.

“You have some explaining to do, Aria."