She's My Kinda Girl

By the end of the first day, Devan was exhausted. Even though she was, well, unable to actually walk or really do anything at all, she felt drained of all energy. Even with Alex helping her get to all of her classes.

In the back of her mind, she was weary. After all, she and Alex barely knew each other. Granted, he did bring her the schoolwork she missed while she was out. And, okay, maybe they actually did have some intelligent conversation (which actually surprised her), she still didn’t know why.

She didn’t know why he came to see her in the hospital. She didn’t know why he brought her the schoolwork she missed. She didn’t know why he was there. They weren’t friends before the accident. And for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what had changed. She couldn’t figure out what Alex wanted from her.

Because, really, who ever did anything without an agenda?

Even though she appreciated Alex helping as much as he was, she kind of felt like she was suffocating. She managed to get out of class before Alex could come get her, though she was now starting to realize that, okay, maybe she did need his help. She stared at the books on the top shelf in her locker with a frown.

No way. She was not going to ask for help. She could figure it out… Couldn’t she? She reached up as far as she could, her fingertips not even close to brushing the shelf and she tried to bite back a curse, once again feeling overwhelmed with anger for the whole situation.

“Stupid fucking wheelchair. Stupid fucking locker,” she muttered, wishing her legs were strong enough for her to kick something. She settled for punching the inside of her locker with her good arm. “What the fuck? Devan, you fucking idiot,” she whispered, bringing her knuckles to her mouth.

“Need some help?”

Devan looked to her left, meeting the eyes of Rian, Alex’s friend. She sighed. “I would love to say that I don’t, but…”

“But you kind of do?” Rian offered, walking over to her locker. “What books do you need?”

She sighed and shrugged. “All of them, please,” she said quietly.

Rian grabbed her books from the top shelf, moving to the back of her wheelchair so he could put them in her bookbag. “You good?”

She nodded.

“Where’s Alex? He’s been by your side all day,” he commented.

“I’m not sure. Is it weird?” she asked.

“Is it weird that you’re not sure?”

“No, that…that he’s been by my side all day when we never spoke before…the accident?” she corrected herself.

Rian looked away. Jack and Alex might be able to lie to her face, but he wasn’t able to. “I’m not sure.”

“You know something,” Devan declared. “What do you know?”

“How to play every single Blink song on the drums?” he suggested.

Devan frowned. “Don’t play me for a fool, please,” she said quietly. “What aren’t you telling me? Or, well, what isn’t Alex telling me?”

“Alex isn’t not telling you anything,” Alex said, walking over to them with a smile on his face. “How was your last class?”

“It was fine,” Devan told him.

“So what were you guys talking about?” Alex asked.

Rian sent him a look. “Oh, you know…the usual.”

“The usual? Interesting.”

Devan bit her lip. “I have to go outside. My dad should be here anytime,” she said. “Excuse me.”

“No, no, I got this,” Alex told her, turning towards Rian and sending him a sickly sweet smile. “We good, Ri?”

“No, we’re not,” Rian said, returning the smile before walking away.

Devan watched Rian walk away awkwardly. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Nothing to worry your pretty little head about,” Alex declared before starting to push her towards the front of the school.

“As flattering as that is, I don’t buy it for one second,” Devan told him.

Alex pushed his hair out of his eyes as he hit the handicapped button by the door, causing them to open automatically. He pushed Devan through them slowly, parking her by the flagpole. “What time is your dad supposed to get here?”

Devan shrugged. “In a few minutes, probably. What time is it?”

Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Quarter to three. What’s your number?”

Devan just looked at him.

“You know…like your cell phone? So I can…text you or something?” Alex added, holding up his own phone.

“I know what a cell phone is, Alex,” she said. “But I don’t have one.”

Alex’s mouth dropped open involuntarily. “You don’t have a cell phone? What kind of a teenager doesn’t have a cell phone?”

“A poor one?” Devan offered. “Or maybe the kind of teenager who was in a hit-and-run and her phone got broken in the process?”

Alex felt his stomach twist and he shoved his phone in his pocket, quickly avoiding her eyes. “Right. Good excuse.”

Devan’s eyes narrowed. “That’s the second time someone has gotten awkward around me when the accident has been brought up,” she muttered.

“Well, people in this school can be kind of awkward,” he said, clearing his throat.

“No one else has brought it up but you and Rian.”

“Rian brought it up?” Alex asked.

Devan nodded.

“What did he say? Did he tell you anything? Did he mention anything? Why did he bring it up?” Alex asked her quickly.

“What the heck is going on—“ Devan asked.

“Is that your dad’s car?” he interrupted, pointing towards the car pulling up to the curb.

Devan looked over her shoulder. “Yeah, that’s my—“

“Let’s get you over there, then,” Alex said, pushing her over towards her car. “Hi, Mr. Saylor.”

Devan’s father smiled, tight-lipped, and he looked down at his daughter. “How are you feeling?”

“Awkward,” Devan said, sending Alex a look.

Alex laughed softly. “Well, I gotta get going. Rian’s waiting and, if I’m late, he’ll leave me here,” he told them. “I’ll see you in the morning, Dev.”

“Thank you for helping my daughter around today,” Mr. Saylor said quietly. “I appreciate it.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Alex said with a shrug.

Mr. Saylor’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

Alex paused, noticing how similar the two of them were. “Um, meaning that…I’m a good person. And it’s the least a good person could do,” he said, amending his statement.

Mr. Saylor nodded.

“Okay, well, later guys,” Alex said with a wave before turning and walking towards Rian.

“Bye,” Devan said quietly.

“That boy is very, very odd,” her father said, removing her bookbag from the back of her wheelchair and setting it in the back seat. “What the heck do you have in there, Dev? The entire library?”

“So funny I forgot to laugh,” Devan said with a smile. “And no, just my books to help catch up on some stuff.”

Leonard nodded, opening the passenger’s side door. “Let’s get you home.”

+

Rian watched as Alex practically ran over to his car. “What happened to you?”

Alex shook his head. “Nothing. Can you take me home, please?”

“We have practice,” Rian told him. “Did you forget?”

Alex sighed. “Yeah, I must’ve.”

“I can see how, what with all the lying you’re doing and all,” Rian muttered.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Can you not give me a speech right now, Rian?”

“You know how I feel about this, Alex. And talking to Devan only made me realize just how much I hate this whole thing. And I’m not even involved—“

“I’m—“

“No, wait, I am involved,” Rian interrupted. “When are you going to tell her?”

“I’m gonna do it, I promise,” Alex said.

“That’s not what I asked.”

Alex sighed. “I don’t know when.”

“Before we graduate?”

“I don’t know.”

“Before we die?”

“I don’t know, Rian! Goddammit,” Alex exclaimed, climbing into the passenger’s seat of his car and slamming the door.

Rian sighed before climbing behind the wheel. “I’m not lecturing you because it’s fun, Lex. I know you feel bad. But that’s all the more reason to tell her sooner rather than later. She’ll be more angry the longer you wait.”

“I know,” Alex said quietly. “Trust me, I know.” And Alex did know. He could tell, sense it or…something. And maybe he had been wrong; maybe hanging around Devan wasn’t for the best. Instead of suspecting nothing, she definitely suspected…something.

If he were being honest, he really didn’t know how much longer he could lie to her.