A Lot of Potential

I woke up at 5:30 AM, not being able to go back to sleep. I felt nervous about the day's events. I found myself laying on the sofa downstairs, flipping through the television channels. I settled for the Oxygen channel with the movie Where the Heart Is, throwing the TV remote on the coffee table. I curled up under the blanket I had and kept my eyes glued to the television. I heard a loud yawn from behind me, making me jump.

"Haley, what are you doing?" Alex's tired voice asked.

"I can't sleep." I frowned at him, watching him set down on the edge of the sofa.

"I just woke up and you were gone. I was making sure you were okay."

"Just a little nervous, that's all. Snuggle with me?" I asked, moving over to make room for him.

"Fine, fine. What are you watching?"

"Where the Heart Is." I giggled at his face of disgust.

"Ew, a chick flick." he chuckled, burrowing his face in my neck.

"Shut up! I love this movie."

"Did that old woman just apologize for fornication on the kitchen table? What the fuck? Gross!" he bit his lip.

"Jesus Christ!" I giggled.

"That's just gross! Even on the kitchen table! That's just wrong, people eat there!" he laughed cutely. "I believe sex should be held in appropriate places, not somewhere or something that everyone uses."

"Shut up and watch the movie."

We watched the movie for a good fifteen minutes before I grew tired. "Who the hell names their kid Americus?" he chattered, paying close to the TV.

"You need to watch the whole movie to understand it." I yawned.

"You tired babe?"

"Yeah." I nodded, laying my head on his side.

"You wanna go back upstairs?" he asked, pushing a stray hair behind my ear.

"No. I wanna stay right here."

"There's not enough room here for the both of us." he whined, wiggling closer to me.

"I'm too lazy to move." I said, bumping my forehead into his.

He pushed his lips into mine vigorously, cupping my face with his available hand, the other propping his head up. The kiss became hot and heavy, making my heart rate increase. He ran his hand down to my hip where he toyed the band of my underwear in between his thumb and index finger.

A few minutes later he was on top of me, kissing my neck enthusiastically, making small moans escape my mouth. I ran my hands down his bare chest, sliding my hand into his boxers. He pulled away and smirked at me, grabbing my hand and pulling it away. He grabbed the bottom of the shirt I was wearing and lifted it over my head, tossing it in the floor.

"I thought you were against fornication out of the bed." I broke away, giggling.

"You're different." he whispered, grabbing my sides where I was ticklish.

"Alex don't do that." I twitched, slapping his chest.

He smiled into my neck, kissing it again. "Sorry." he said, yanking my underwear down my thighs. He slid his off and steadied himself over me.

"Wait, don't you need protection?" I glanced up at him.

"If you're on birth control, then no."

"Oh, okay. Continue then." I giggled, keeping a eye on his facial expression. He advanced inside me, setting a constant pace. "Oh my god." I whimpered, throwing my head back.

"This is fuckin' intense as hell." he panted.

"Alexander!"

"I love that."

"Mhm." I hummed, digging my finger nails into his back.

"Ow, fuck! Baby don't injure me."

In a blink of a eye it was over. We laid side by side, gasping for air and waiting for our hearts to slow down. He grabbed the blanket from the floor and pulled it over our exposed bodies, giving us more warmth. I could barely keep my eyes open, I was exhausted. I quickly dozed off back into sleep.

________________________________________

I opened my eyes, taking in a deep breath. I laid on the black sofa, dressed back into my night clothes. I smelled the scent of bacon coming from the kitchen. I stood up and wandered into the room, seeing Alex flipping eggs and cooking bacon.

I cleared my throat, making him look over his shoulder. "Good morning love."

"What time is it?" I yawned, rubbing my tired eyes.

"It's 8:24."

"Ugh, I don't wanna do anything today." I pouted, sitting down on a bar stool.

"I know, I'm exhausted too. We can sleep on the plane though." he shrugged. "Oh yeah, thanks for giving me minor cuts."

"What?"

"The scratches on my back." he stuck his tongue out at me. "I am like covered in them. You need to clip your fucking fingernails." he said, throwing a scrambled egg on a plate.

"I'm sorry." I blushed.

"Are you hungry?" he smirked, disregarding my apology.

"Yeah." I nodded. "What time do I need to be ready by?"

"You need to be ready before 10:45 at the most. You need to talk to your sister, and we have to be at the airport a hour before our flight."

"What time is our flight?"

"Around 12:55ish." he handed me a plate, smiling lightly.

"I've never flew before." I say, stabbing the yellow food with my fork.

"Don't play with your food, eat." he commanded. "Really?"

"Okay Mom." I stuck my middle finger up at him. "I've never been out of Maryland either."

"Well if you plan to stay with me for a while, get used to traveling." he winked. "I've been to England so many times, I've lost count. I was there the other night, then I came home. You came and saved me from my depression a day later."

"Oh." I said, scarfing down the egg.

"We got a call from Tom's mom saying she found him passed out drunk and she called the ambulance. That's why I left your house that day. I needed to be there with my brother." he sighed. "We got there only to find out his liver was shutting down and they couldn't do anything for him. He passed away about three hours after we got there."

I glanced up at him, seeing a tear slide down his cheek. "Alex, I'm sorry." I said, rushing over to him.

"I guess it was his time. There's nothing we could do. Go get dressed babe." he inhaled dramatically and kissed me quickly.

"Okay." I nodded. I turned around and walked out of the kitchen, finding the stairs and running up them. I was anxious to see my sister, who I haven't seen in about a week. She avoided me at school, keeping a close distance away from me.

I fired up my straightener, setting down in the floor in front of his mirror and waiting. A beep gave me a idea that it was done warming and I started to straighten out the curls in my hair. Once that was finished, I did my eye makeup. Applying light grey eye shadow and my black eyeliner carefully and put on a little mascara. I threw my straightener and makeup in my bag, and rummaged through it, looking for something to wear. I settled for a yellow slouchy tank-top with a white cardigan and grey skinny jeans, adding my black Uggs.

I heard Alex sneeze behind me, making me turn around in shock. "What?" he laughed, walking in my direction.

"You scared me."

"I'm sorry, I was just coming up to see if you were almost ready." he said, pulling me into his chest.

"Yeah, I was fixing to go downstairs."

"Okay. You seem nervous." he murmured, rubbing our cheeks together.

"Ow, you're scratchy. I am." I pulled our faces away, looking up at him.

"Sorry, I think I need to shave." he chuckled, bumping our foreheads together. "Why?"

"Because I've never flew before. I'm afraid of heights. I don't know what to expect when I see my sister, or when we get to England."

"Don't worry about it babe." he whispered. rubbing my back consolingly.

"I just don't want my sister angry with my father and never come back." I sighed.

"She'll be upset at first, but she'll get over it. Or you just don't have to tell her."

"How the hell am I going to dodge me way around that when I tell her I've been staying with you for the past few days? Hmm? Why I'm heading off to London with you during fall break?"

"Love, calm down. You can tell her the truth about going to London. I can't think anything up for the first part." he bit his lip.

"Alex, I'm not going to lie to her. Plus I'm bad at lying." I shook my head, looking down at my feet.

"Then tell her the truth." he whispered, pushing his lips into mine to shut me up.

"I hope it's the right thing to do."

"It always is." he sighed. "Ready to go? It's about 10:45."

"Yeah." I nodded, dropping my hands from his chest to my side. I walked over to my bag and picked it up from the floor.

He smirked and walked over to me, taking my bag from my hand. "I got this baby."

"Thanks." I smiled, standing up on my tippy toes to reach his lips that were higher than my head. "God dammit, you're so tall."

"I know." he said, grabbing his bag with his other free hand. "Out the door, now."

"Someone's commanding."

"Always." he chuckled, walking down the hallway with me.

"Last time I checked, I was the female of the relationship and I'm the only one allowed to be commanding." I giggled, taking a step down the first step of the stairs.

"I can be too if I want."

"Um, no."

"Oh yes. Do me a favor and get my keys from my pocket." he smirked, looking down at his tight skinny jeans.

"You're funny Alexander." I shook my head.

"But I'm being completely serious. I need to lock the house from the outside. Don't ask me why, my dad just tells me to."

"Whatever you say." I say, sticking my skinny hand in his pocket. I moved my fingers around in it, only to find his cellphone. "Where are your keys you idiot?"

"Check the other pocket."

I reached in his other pocket, finding his car keys and pulling them out. "There."

"Now put the silver key in the lock and turn it left."

"Okay, check." I say after finishing the simple task.

"Is it locked?" he smiled seductively.

"Yep." I turned the doorknob, showing him. "See?"

"Yes. Now pop the trunk of my car."

"Jesus Christ Gaskarth!" I giggled, walking towards his car. I pushed the button on the remote on his set of keys, hearing a popping noise indicating it was open. "There."

He threw our bags into the back of his car, then took a step back and sighed. "Well, lets do it." he said, slamming the trunk closed.

"Okay." I reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly for comfort. "I love you."

"I love you too." he smiled, pulling me into a quick kiss. "Get in the car."

"Alright." I nodded, walking to the side of the vehicle. I pulled the door open and hopped up into the seat. He got in and started the engine, buckling his seat belt and sighed.

"Now on to your sister." he pursed his lips, putting the car in reverse. He eased out of his driveway and progressed up the road to a stop sign.

"I'm scared Alex." I whimpered, reaching across the console and grabbing his hand.

"I know baby. I know. I'm scared just as well."

"How far of a drive is it from here to there?" I asked, rubbing my forehead.

"From where to where?" he laughed.

"Here to Cat's?"

"It's a good ten minutes at the most. I remember going to a party there last summer. It was great."

"I went and got hit on by a thousand perverts." I shook my head and laughed.

"I would of kicked their asses if I was there with you." he laughed along with me.

"I know you would of." I smiled. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Is there anybody certain i'll be meeting when we get to London?"

"Well, you'll be meeting Tom's mom Lilly. Her husband David and their daughter Paige. Most likely my two half-sisters Sommer and Nessa, then my dad's friend Sam." he said in deep thought. "I believe that's all."

"Wow that's a lot." I gulped.

"If you get along with me, you'll get along with my sisters. We're all pretty alike."

"A Gaskarth thing?" I laughed.

"Yes." he grinned. "Look were almost here."

"Finally. I wanna see her so badly."

"You'll get a chance, just we can't stay too long."

I frowned, and pursed my lips. "How long?"

"About twenty minutes." he said, making a face. "Sorry love."

"It's fine I guess." I say, fighting back tears.

"Babe, don't cry please." he pleaded, touching my face with his hand.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I just don't want you to cry. It kills me." he frowned, turning the steering wheel left. I kept silent, waiting for my view of their familiar house to appear. A comforting feeling fell through me seeing my sister's silver car in the driveway. He pulled along the curve and brought the car to a stop. "Don't be too long."

"Come with me please." I whispered, hoping for a yes.

"Alright, lets go." he nodded and killed the engine.

We both got out at the same time, joining our hands together as we walked up the sidewalk. I walked to the white front door and tapped on it. The door swung open with a tall busty blonde behind it. Jenna's mom, Aubrey, stood there smiling at us.

"Haley dear!" she pulled me into a hug. "How have you been? It's so good to see you."

"I'm fine, how are you?" I nodded. "I'd love to talk, but I need to see my sister. It's urgent."

"I'm good, and she's upstairs in Cat's room." she waved us in. We passed through the living room to see Jenna and Lucas setting closely together on the sofa.

"Hey Haley." they chimed in harmony.

"Hi." I say, progressing on. Alex's grip on my hand was deadly. I knew he wanted to rip Lucas' face off by the way he looked at me.

"Prick." he muttered, following me up the stairs.

"Not now babe, please." I whined, knocking on Cat's bedroom door.

"Come in!" she shouted. I pushed the door open to see them laying on the floor, most likely gossiping.

"Haley?" Bella pushed herself up and attacked me into a hug. "Haley I've missed you so much! How are things at home?"

I pulled away from her and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Not so great."

"What do you mean?"

"Things aren't okay." I said, keeping a close eye on her confused face.

"Wha? Haley what's wrong?"

"You left, I've been alone. We moved." I sighed. "I've been staying with Alex for the last couple of days."

"Why?"

"Because Bella, dad hit me." I choked out, unsure on what to say next.

"He did what?!" she hissed, pulling me into another hug. "Haley, I'm so sorry I left."

"It's okay. Ella left too. He was drunk and he hit me."

"He's lucky he's still alive." Alex softly said from behind me.

"And Alex almost went to extreme levels and hurt him." I laughed lightly.

"I would of been right by his side! That's not right! Where'd he hit you at?" she began examining my appearance.

"He backhanded me and I fell. Then I got kicked in the ribs a couple times."

"Haley, don't go home. Stay away from him for a while." she told me, patting my arm.

"I don't plan on it until Alex gets sick of me." I giggled to myself, looking at him. He shook his head and smiled, making my heart beat fast.

"Good. When I come home, you'll come back with me okay?"

"Okay. When is that?"

"Soon." she answered, looking at me.

"I'm heading to England soon."

"When?" she asked, nervously.

"Today."

"For how long and why?"

"I'm not sure how long and one of Alex's family members passed away. I'm going with him. I have to go now so we don't miss our flight." I said, pulling her into another hug.

"Be safe please." she whispered in my ear. "I love you."

"Love you too, I will." I nodded, giving her my promise.

"Alex please take care of her."

"I will." he smiled at her. "I always do."

"Stay that way please."

"Be good kiddo." Cat said, throwing her arms around me.

"Never." I laughed, hugging her back.

"Y'all better get going."

"Yes, we do. Come on Haley." he said, grabbing my hand.

"Bye guys. I love you." I waved before walking through the door. We went down the stairs and passed the living room where Jenna and Lucas still sat. Alex exhaled angrily as we got outside.

"God dammit, I hate him so much."

"I know babe. Lets go."

"I just wanna rip his face off." he shook his head, putting the key in the engine.

"Maybe later." I sighed, looking out the window.

_________________________________________

After fifteen minutes of ridiculous traffic conditions, we made it to the airport. He parked his car in the long-term parking area and we both got out, grabbing our bags. We walked through large sliding doors to see the crowded lobby.

"Lets see here. Where's the ticket check in?" he said, talking to himself.

"I don't know. I've never flew before." I shrugged, following along side of him.

"Oh how I've heard!" he laughed, wrapping one hand around my waist.

"Shut up." I giggled as we walked to the check in desk.

"Hello." the lady working behind the counter said politely.

"Hi, I have two tickets to London I need to pick up." he smiled charmingly at her.

"Last name please."

"Gaskarth."

"Okay, I have two tickets here for a Gaskarth and a Maddox?" she said, looking at me and smiling.

"That would be us." he smiled.

"Well here you go!" she smiled back, handing him our tickets. "I'll take your bags here."

He put his bag down on the platform along with mine, watching it move back through a window. "Ready babe?"

"Yeah." I nodded nervously.

"Lets go." he smiled, grabbing my hand.