I'd Hate to See You Cry

One minute Cayla and I were laughing about me knocking over the rack, and the next Alex, Rian , Zack , Jack , and Matt were walking threw the dinner's doors. My breath caught in my chest as he made eye contact with me again. Cayla gave me a confused look, and followed my eyes to behind her. Zack gave her a small smile and he waved. She got out of the booth, and gave him a friendly hug. I figured that Zack was her date for tonight. She failed to mention that part.

“You look good, Zack.” She smiled.

Zack laughed.

“You look...amazing.” He replied. “As always.”

I just knew that she was blushing.

Zack always had that effect on her.

“Who is your friend?” Jack asked.

I guess that they didn't recognize me. I have changed a lot since I saw them last.

“Don't tell me that you've already forgotten me, Jack Attack.” I forced myself to laugh. I called Jack his old nickname, because that was all I ever called him.

Jack's eyes got wide as he moved closer to me.

“Whoa! Katelyn, you look different.”

I laughed.

“I know, Jack. Should I take that as a compliment?”

Jack nodded.

“Girl, watcha doing sitting down?!” Jack pulled me out of the booth. “Don't I get a hug?” He pouted.

“Sure, Jack” I smiled, and I hugged the lanky boy's body.

“You're a redhead.” He chuckled.

“Yeah.” I replied. “So different from being blonde.”

A few more minutes went by, and everyone sat down.

“What were you ladies laughing about?” Rian asked from across the table. He was sitting beside Cayla in the booth. On the other side of Cayla, near the window, sat Zack. On my side, Matt sat next to the window, then me, followed by Alex. After a short argument, or lovers argument as Rian had put it, Jack agreed to sit on Alex's lap.

“About how Katelyn ran right into a CD rack at Best Buy.” Cayla answered for me before I could.

“You were in Best Buy today?” Zack asked me. It was obvious that Alex didn't mention me.

Time for payback.

If Alex could be a asshole, then so could I.

“Yeah.” I smiled. “Didn't Alex tell you guys? I fell, and he helped me clean up my mess. Then we talked for a few minutes.”

“You could have mentioned you ran into Katelyn, Alex.” Rian looked at Alex with a scowl.

“Yeah, Alex. Katelyn isn't just some random girl,” Jack got up off of his lap. He walked over, and sat down on Rian's lap.

“Wow, Alex.” I shook my head. “I knew that you were pissed at me for some reason, but I didn't know that you were that big of an asshole.” I shook my head. I looked to my left at him. He didn't say anything back. He just looked down at his hands.

I rolled my eyes.

“Typical.”

Awkward silence filled our booth.

“Hey, babe. Sorry that it took so long.” Adam apologized as he reached our booth. He had been on the phone with his boss.

“It's fine.” I tried to smile.

Alex got up without a word, and walked out of the dinner. That was the second time today.

“Why doe he keep doing that?” Adam asked.

“I don't know.” I pondered out loud.

“He can't leave without us...” Jack started.

I got what he was saying.

“I'll be right back.” I slid out of the booth, and I walked past Adam. I walked out of the dinner, and toward Alex's Audi.

I knew it was his. He got it his Senior year. I reached the handle, and I opened the door. After I slid into the passenger seat, I shut the door. Alex never looked up. He was sitting with his head in his hands.

“I don't want to talk, Jack.”

“Too bad. I'm not Jack, so we are talking about it.”

Alex's head lifted up his head, and looked at me.

“Katelyn, what are you doing?”

“I came to talk to you, Alex.” I replied. “I want to know why you're acting like a complete douche to Adam.”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“Fine. Freeze me out, Alex.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

Alex sighed.

“You know that it's not like that.”

“But isn't it, Alex?”

“No, it's not.” He denied.

“You're lying.” I stated the obvious. Much like me not being able to tell a lie to Alex, he couldn't tell a lie to me.

“I just don't like Adam,”

“I didn't like Lisa either, but that didn't stop me from being nice and civil.”

“I don't want to talk about this now.”

“No, of course not. You never want to talk about it, Alex. This is exactly why I don't talk to you anymore.”

I reached for the door handle, and I made my exit. I got to the door when Rian, Jack, and Matt walked out of the dinner. They all took turns hugging me.

“Any luck?” Rian asked me.

“No.” I shrugged it off.

“We'll see you later.” Matt replied, pulling Rian with him. Jack stayed behind for a minute.

“You look so hurt,” He commented barely above a whisper.

“He completely froze me out, Jack.” My voice cracked. “He hates me still.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Jack stepped forward, and whipped my tears. He engulfed me in one of his hugs. “Alex doesn't hate you. He could never, okay?” I just nodded. “I'll talk to him.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

“No problem, Katelyn.” He smiled, and then he made his way over to Alex's car.

Jack left me outside of the dinner, crying over Alex.

Alex hurt me, because he was my very best friend. He hurt me, because I thought of all people, he wouldn't walk away from me.

But it hurt most of all, because I was uncontrollably falling in love all over again.

It hurt because no matter how hard I tried to stop it, I was in love with Alexander William Gaskarth.