She's My Kinda Girl
someday, somehow.
Alex jumped on Monday morning, a couple of days later, when Jack surprised him at his locker. “Hey, bro, what’s up?”
Jack shrugged.
“What’s wrong?”
“Adele knows something’s wrong,” he told him.
Alex frowned. “What do you mean?”
“With you and Devan.”
He rolled his eyes. “Nothing is wrong with me and Devan. Adele just doesn’t like that I’m friends with her.”
Jack sighed. “No, bro, she knows something else is going on,” he told him, raising his eyebrows and sending him a look.
Alex’s eyebrows furrowed, clearly puzzles. “What—“
“You dipshit,” Jack whispered. “You know that thing I’m never supposed to mention?”
Alex frowned. “We don’t talk about that, Jack.”
“Well, Adele knows something is going on. It’s only a matter of time before she figures it out. Just like it’s a matter of time until Devan figures it out,” Jack told him.
“I’m going to tell her,” he snapped. “God, I have Rian on my ass and now you’re on my ass—“
“Where else would I be?” Jack joked.
Alex shook his head. “Jack, how the hell am I going to tell her that this is all my fault?” he asked quietly, eyes darting around to make sure no one was paying attention.
Jack sighed. “I really don’t know, Alex. That’s something you’re going to have to figure out on your own.”
+
One week into her physical therapy and Devan was legitimately starting to feel…back to normal. She was progressing a lot quicker than she thought she would have, and her doctor even said that she could start using her crutches. Devan shouldn’t have been so excited about that, but she was.
Not to mention the fact that she only had one week before her graduation. And she would actually be able to walk across the stage to receive her diploma. That was what she was looking forward to the most.
Monday morning, she was excited to pack her book bag and have her father drop her off at school. Because she wouldn’t be relying on everyone else (ie: Alex) to help her do everything. She hadn’t told Alex yet, or anyone really, but she was anxious. After her father dropped her off, she hobbled into school, still unsure of her balance on the crutches, and she stopped outside her locker.
“Well, well, look what we have here.”
Devan smiled and turned to face Alex. “Ta-da!”
Alex laughed, leaning in to give her a hug. “You’re taller than I remembered,” he said quietly.
Devan shrugged. “Maybe I grew.”
“I think the wheelchair stunted your growth,” Alex told her.
Devan still smiled. She couldn’t explain it, but being out of her wheelchair made her feel like…a person again. She didn’t feel so small (and not just physically), she felt like she was actually on the same level as everyone else. But part of her couldn’t help but wonder if she and Alex would still be close.
“Can I carry your bag for you?” he asked, his dark eyes wide.
“Do you…want to carry my bag?” she asked hesitantly.
Alex smiled. “I’d be honored.”
“You jerk, don’t lie,” she told him, hitting him on the shoulder (but not hard at all).
“Don’t be jealous. You know you adore me,” he told her before grabbing her bag and starting to walk down the hallway.
Devan watched him for a minute and yeah, okay, he wasn’t wrong. She really was starting to adore the kid.
+
“What final do you have first?” Alex asked.
“Just math,” she told him.
“Just math today?”
“Just math.”
Alex paused. “You aced all your other classes?”
She nodded. “I could’ve gotten out of this final if I hadn’t missed so many days to the stupid accident,” she grumbled. “Stupid B+…”
“I’d kill for a B+ in math,” Alex muttered.
“I’m not used to a B, so I really hope that I rock this exam,” she told him. “Math has never been my strong suit.”
“Math is no one’s strong point,” Alex countered.
“Accountants.”
Alex paused. “Who the fuck wants to be an accountant? It’s not like that’s something an eight year old decides he wants to be, you know?”
Devan laughed.
“I’m serious! It’s something that people just…end up doing. It’s not what they really want.”
“And what do you really want, Alex? With your life?” Devan asked him.
Alex smiled. “We’ll talk after school. What are you doing after your exam?”
Devan shrugged. “Probably chilling in the library until my dad can come pick me up.”
“I can take you home,” Alex told her in an almost sing-song voice. “Just let me know.”
“I will.”
Alex nodded as he walked into her classroom, setting her bag by a random desk.
“That’s not my desk,” she told him.
Alex shrugged. “It is now. I’ll find you after class, okay?”
She nodded.
Alex smiled, pressing a kiss to her temple, before walking out of the room.
Devan felt her cheeks flush and she tried to ignore it. She knew some of the students in her class were staring at her, but she couldn’t find it in herself to actually…care. She sat down at her desk, pulling out a pencil, before waiting for the exam.
The other students didn’t need to know what was going on between her and Alex. Hell, she didn’t even know what was going on between them.
+
“She’s out of the wheelchair, dude,” Alex told Rian when he found him in their first class.
Rian nodded. “That’s awesome, dude.”
“I’m so relieved, man. I guess I felt like she’d be in the wheelchair forever, you know?”
“She wouldn’t have been in the wheelchair in the first place if the accident never happened,” Rian said.
Alex frowned. “Really? You have to ruin my good mood?”
“Just making a general statement, Alex.”
He sighed.
“Does that mean you’re going to tell her soon?” Rian asked.
“Rian, please leave it alone,” Alex said. “I told you that I would tell her, and I will. In my own time. When I can figure out how to fucking do it, okay?”
“Alex—“
Alex sighed. “Rian, stop,” he told him quietly.
Rian paused, taken aback by the tone in Alex’s voice.
“How am I supposed to fucking tell Devan that it’s my fault? Hmm? Once you have a really great idea, you can let me know, and maybe I’ll speed the process along. But until you do, you have got to get out of my asshole about this. I’m going to tell her, but what do you want me to do? Roll up and apologize for almost killing her? Just whip that fact out during random conversation so she can hate me forever? And what about her father, hmm? What if he sues? Then you can say goodbye to our EP and our tour, say goodbye to all of our hopes and dreams as rock stars. Is that what you want?”
Rian sighed. “I know why you don’t want to tell her, Alex, I really do. I get it. But that’s not fair to her.”
“I know it’s not fair—“
“Then you have to fix it.”
“Life isn’t fair, Rian. I seriously doubt that my telling her will make her feel better in any way. This isn’t about me, Rian—“
“Keep telling yourself that, Alex, but I can assure you it is. It’s just as much about your future as it is about making her feel better,” Rian told him. “So don’t act like this is some selfless act of sacrifice, okay? It’s purely personal.”
Alex sighed. “Why does the right thing have to always hurt someone? I’m happy, she’s happy—why fuck this up with the truth?”
“Why keep her in the dark? Because it’s cruel. She deserves to know the truth about what happened—now rather than later,” Rian told him.
“I know,” Alex said, running his hands over his face. “I just don’t know how to tell Devan that it was me.”
“What the fuck did you just say, Gaskarth?”
Alex froze.
Oh fuck.
Jack shrugged.
“What’s wrong?”
“Adele knows something’s wrong,” he told him.
Alex frowned. “What do you mean?”
“With you and Devan.”
He rolled his eyes. “Nothing is wrong with me and Devan. Adele just doesn’t like that I’m friends with her.”
Jack sighed. “No, bro, she knows something else is going on,” he told him, raising his eyebrows and sending him a look.
Alex’s eyebrows furrowed, clearly puzzles. “What—“
“You dipshit,” Jack whispered. “You know that thing I’m never supposed to mention?”
Alex frowned. “We don’t talk about that, Jack.”
“Well, Adele knows something is going on. It’s only a matter of time before she figures it out. Just like it’s a matter of time until Devan figures it out,” Jack told him.
“I’m going to tell her,” he snapped. “God, I have Rian on my ass and now you’re on my ass—“
“Where else would I be?” Jack joked.
Alex shook his head. “Jack, how the hell am I going to tell her that this is all my fault?” he asked quietly, eyes darting around to make sure no one was paying attention.
Jack sighed. “I really don’t know, Alex. That’s something you’re going to have to figure out on your own.”
+
One week into her physical therapy and Devan was legitimately starting to feel…back to normal. She was progressing a lot quicker than she thought she would have, and her doctor even said that she could start using her crutches. Devan shouldn’t have been so excited about that, but she was.
Not to mention the fact that she only had one week before her graduation. And she would actually be able to walk across the stage to receive her diploma. That was what she was looking forward to the most.
Monday morning, she was excited to pack her book bag and have her father drop her off at school. Because she wouldn’t be relying on everyone else (ie: Alex) to help her do everything. She hadn’t told Alex yet, or anyone really, but she was anxious. After her father dropped her off, she hobbled into school, still unsure of her balance on the crutches, and she stopped outside her locker.
“Well, well, look what we have here.”
Devan smiled and turned to face Alex. “Ta-da!”
Alex laughed, leaning in to give her a hug. “You’re taller than I remembered,” he said quietly.
Devan shrugged. “Maybe I grew.”
“I think the wheelchair stunted your growth,” Alex told her.
Devan still smiled. She couldn’t explain it, but being out of her wheelchair made her feel like…a person again. She didn’t feel so small (and not just physically), she felt like she was actually on the same level as everyone else. But part of her couldn’t help but wonder if she and Alex would still be close.
“Can I carry your bag for you?” he asked, his dark eyes wide.
“Do you…want to carry my bag?” she asked hesitantly.
Alex smiled. “I’d be honored.”
“You jerk, don’t lie,” she told him, hitting him on the shoulder (but not hard at all).
“Don’t be jealous. You know you adore me,” he told her before grabbing her bag and starting to walk down the hallway.
Devan watched him for a minute and yeah, okay, he wasn’t wrong. She really was starting to adore the kid.
+
“What final do you have first?” Alex asked.
“Just math,” she told him.
“Just math today?”
“Just math.”
Alex paused. “You aced all your other classes?”
She nodded. “I could’ve gotten out of this final if I hadn’t missed so many days to the stupid accident,” she grumbled. “Stupid B+…”
“I’d kill for a B+ in math,” Alex muttered.
“I’m not used to a B, so I really hope that I rock this exam,” she told him. “Math has never been my strong suit.”
“Math is no one’s strong point,” Alex countered.
“Accountants.”
Alex paused. “Who the fuck wants to be an accountant? It’s not like that’s something an eight year old decides he wants to be, you know?”
Devan laughed.
“I’m serious! It’s something that people just…end up doing. It’s not what they really want.”
“And what do you really want, Alex? With your life?” Devan asked him.
Alex smiled. “We’ll talk after school. What are you doing after your exam?”
Devan shrugged. “Probably chilling in the library until my dad can come pick me up.”
“I can take you home,” Alex told her in an almost sing-song voice. “Just let me know.”
“I will.”
Alex nodded as he walked into her classroom, setting her bag by a random desk.
“That’s not my desk,” she told him.
Alex shrugged. “It is now. I’ll find you after class, okay?”
She nodded.
Alex smiled, pressing a kiss to her temple, before walking out of the room.
Devan felt her cheeks flush and she tried to ignore it. She knew some of the students in her class were staring at her, but she couldn’t find it in herself to actually…care. She sat down at her desk, pulling out a pencil, before waiting for the exam.
The other students didn’t need to know what was going on between her and Alex. Hell, she didn’t even know what was going on between them.
+
“She’s out of the wheelchair, dude,” Alex told Rian when he found him in their first class.
Rian nodded. “That’s awesome, dude.”
“I’m so relieved, man. I guess I felt like she’d be in the wheelchair forever, you know?”
“She wouldn’t have been in the wheelchair in the first place if the accident never happened,” Rian said.
Alex frowned. “Really? You have to ruin my good mood?”
“Just making a general statement, Alex.”
He sighed.
“Does that mean you’re going to tell her soon?” Rian asked.
“Rian, please leave it alone,” Alex said. “I told you that I would tell her, and I will. In my own time. When I can figure out how to fucking do it, okay?”
“Alex—“
Alex sighed. “Rian, stop,” he told him quietly.
Rian paused, taken aback by the tone in Alex’s voice.
“How am I supposed to fucking tell Devan that it’s my fault? Hmm? Once you have a really great idea, you can let me know, and maybe I’ll speed the process along. But until you do, you have got to get out of my asshole about this. I’m going to tell her, but what do you want me to do? Roll up and apologize for almost killing her? Just whip that fact out during random conversation so she can hate me forever? And what about her father, hmm? What if he sues? Then you can say goodbye to our EP and our tour, say goodbye to all of our hopes and dreams as rock stars. Is that what you want?”
Rian sighed. “I know why you don’t want to tell her, Alex, I really do. I get it. But that’s not fair to her.”
“I know it’s not fair—“
“Then you have to fix it.”
“Life isn’t fair, Rian. I seriously doubt that my telling her will make her feel better in any way. This isn’t about me, Rian—“
“Keep telling yourself that, Alex, but I can assure you it is. It’s just as much about your future as it is about making her feel better,” Rian told him. “So don’t act like this is some selfless act of sacrifice, okay? It’s purely personal.”
Alex sighed. “Why does the right thing have to always hurt someone? I’m happy, she’s happy—why fuck this up with the truth?”
“Why keep her in the dark? Because it’s cruel. She deserves to know the truth about what happened—now rather than later,” Rian told him.
“I know,” Alex said, running his hands over his face. “I just don’t know how to tell Devan that it was me.”
“What the fuck did you just say, Gaskarth?”
Alex froze.
Oh fuck.