How to Date Alexis Brighten

The next morning at school, I didn’t see Fletcher when I arrived. His motorcycle was nowhere to be seen in the parking lot. I locked the Jeep before walking into school, where Daniel was quick to meet me.

“Can I just ask you one question?” He said, walking beside me with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“You just did. You lose,” I replied with a bored expression.

“What?” Daniel asked, confused.

“There goes another one,” I said, turning the combination on my locker and cracking it open.

“Very funny,” he said sarcastically.

“What is it?” I asked him, overly irritated for no particular reason.

“Have you still got my sweatshirt?” He asked with a smirk, holding up the note that I’d dropped into his locker a few days before. I’d completely forgotten about it, but when I turned back to my locker, there it was, hanging up inside. I pulled it off the hanger and thrusted it at Daniel’s chest. He caught it easily and raised his eyebrows at me before slipping it on in one fluid motion.

“They got the guy, by the way,” Daniel said as an after-thought.

“What?” I asked, my blood running cold.

“That guy that was after you. The police caught up with him,” Daniel said, leaning back against the line of lockers. My eyebrows knitted together into a frown as I thought about what he’d said.

“You know you bite your lip when you’re thinking,” Daniel said with a smirk. I stopped biting my lip immediately and clamped my mouth shut. Daniel laughed and pushed off from the lockers.

“You’re just gonna tell me something like that and then leave?” I said in disbelief.

“What more do you want me to say?” Daniel said.

“How did they catch him?”

“He was still unconscious. Apparently somebody already called the police. They were on their way before I found you,” Daniel said, leaning back against the lockers.

So Fletcher had been telling the truth. I didn’t know if this was a first for him or not, and that scared me. How did I know if I could trust him or not? I knew what Daniel’s opinion would be on the matter. Definitely not.

“So, you’re saying that I would’ve been all right if you hadn’t shown up?”

“Probably. You’re pretty feisty,” Daniel said with a wink. I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest.

“What’s he been charged with?” I asked him.

“Apparently he was real messed up. Had all this other shit going on that the police picked up on. I already made a statement, I guess they’ll be calling you today for one,” Daniel said with a shrug.

“How did you find out about all of this?”

“My Dad’s a cop,” Daniel said casually.

“Oh,” I said, looking down at my feet.

“Hey, are you okay?” Daniel asked me, placing his hand on my shoulder. I looked up into his brilliant turquoise eyes and shook my head.

“Fletcher came to my house last night,” I told him. Anger flashed across his face.

“I’ll kill him,” he growled, looking away.

“Why do you care so much?” I asked him, confused. I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and stepped back from him.

“No one gets to annoy you but me,” he said with a small smile, his eyes sparkling.

“You don’t annoy me,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You don’t affect me at all.”

“Sure I do, and you love it,” he said with a smirk, ruffling my hair before walking off. I stared after him in disbelief.

______

I was proud of the fact that I’d managed to avoid Fletcher for the entire day. I hadn’t seen him at all, and if he’d seen me, I’d been quick to disappear. But I couldn’t avoid him forever. Especially when he was in one of my classes.

I walked into the aquatic centre and trudged towards the benches, settling in for a long hour of watching the class swim without me. My lame excuse was still good for another few days. After that, I had no idea what I’d do.

“I must commend your efforts.” The voice came from behind me, playful and joking. I could just imagine the goofy smile spreading across the familiar face. I turned and saw Fletcher standing at the top of the set of bleachers. His smile stretched across his face and he bounded down the stairs to me, settling down uncomfortably close to me on the bench. I avoided eye contact and squirmed away from him.

“What are you talking about?” I asked in an annoyed tone. I just wanted him to leave me alone.

“The note. Legit excuse, but a horrid execution,” Fletcher said with a laugh.

“What?”

“ ‘I can’t participate in swimming because I have female issues’. I almost bought it, until I saw the pathetic attempt of forgery at the bottom,” Fletcher said.

“How did you get that note?” I asked him, narrowing my eyes.

“I broke into the coach’s office to check out my file,” he explained. “When I saw yours, I couldn’t resist.”

“Why am I not surprised?” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Hey, there’s no need to be like that.”

“Like what?”

“You know...bitchy,” Fletcher said with a shrug.

I stared into his light brown eyes before slapping him across the face. Hard. Fletcher reacted immediately by bringing his hand to his face.

“Ow!” He hollered. “What the hell was that for?”

“You cannot be seriously asking me that question,” I said, staring at him in disbelief.

“Yes I am! What the hell is your problem? All I want is to be friends! I’ve been nice to you and all you do is push me away. You do it to everybody!”

“I do not. Maybe you just aren’t worth my time,” I retorted.

“Then who is? Lacey? Amelia? Melody? You’re not like them, Alexis, I know it. It’s like you just don’t care. You’ll only make time for them and ignore everyone else. You can’t tell me that you actually enjoy their company.”

Fletcher’s tone was sharp and it felt as though every word that came out of his mouth was piercing through my skin. Something about what he’d said had struck a chord inside of me. I’d heard it somewhere before.

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to me.

The list.

Cons list, number eight:

8. Only makes time for her friends and ignores everyone else.

“What did you just say?” I stuttered, not believing the connection I was making in my mind.

“You’re like the Ice Queen, Alexis. Pretty to look at, but there’s nothing inside of you. You’re cold,” Fletcher said, staring straight at me.

“You destroy everything you touch,” he spat.

I had nothing to say. Fletcher had rendered me speechless. Was he right? I wanted so badly to believe that he wasn’t. But ever since I’d found the stupid list, I couldn’t stop doubting myself. It seemed like the logical conclusion now. Fletcher had written the list. But why? What could he possibly get out of degrading me on a piece of paper? A few laughs with his friends? What the hell was going on with this kid?

I felt the angry tears forming and furiously blinked them back, folding my arms across my chest. Fletcher got up and left, but I refused to look at him. He came back ten or so minutes later with the rest of the class, who were all going through the routine stretching exercises before entering the pool.

Daniel was at the front of the group, taking the lead and talking the others through the exercises. I couldn’t even dislike him for a second for being so cocky. For showing off to the others. I was so deeply immersed in my own thoughts, which felt as though they were slowly eating away at me.

You destroy everything you touch.

Fletcher’s words echoed inside my head, repeating over and over. My head spun and I began to feel dizzy. I rested my elbows on my knees and held my head in my hands.

“You okay, Brighten?” I looked up and was met by a dazzling pair of turquoise eyes.

“I’m fine,” I said, but the quiver in my voice gave me away.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Daniel said with a smirk. “Talk later?”

“If we have to,” I said, rolling my eyes. Daniel laughed and pushed me lightly on the shoulder before jogging back to the group.

I thought that I’d made it clear to Daniel that I didn’t want to talk. That I didn’t want to be even slightly friendly with him. That I loathed him. No matter how much I pushed him away, he never gave up. He always came back.

He was nothing like Fletcher.

Fletcher re-entered my mind immediately, his words crashing down on me with force.

You’re like the Ice Queen, Alexis. Pretty to look at, but there’s nothing inside of you. You’re cold.