Loving The Jerk Who Might Have Feelings

Alexander D. Winters

Alex yawns for the billionth time but can’t fall asleep. Even though he’s currently lying down on the floor of Hot Topic, completely comfortable.Sighing, he rests his head on the palm of his hand. He look through the glass of the counter, past the candy, to the customers.

“We’re not going to Victoria’s Secret”

Alex’s eyes flash to the entrance. Athena and Nate are here. What joy. She’s wearing a very short black skirt and a pink halter top. He looks like a dumbass.

“What would there be at Victoria’s Secret for you? Wait, maybe I can find a great costume there, they do have lingerie that I could just pair up with bunny ears and—“ Athena says.

Nate flicks her ear, “Don’t start. I am not letting you prance around half naked”

She laughs and follows him to where Henry set up the costumes. They’re actually pretty rad, he thinks, I bought one last week.

“What about this one?” she says holding up a French maid’s costume. Alex suppresses a laugh. Nate rolls his eyes at her and throws it on the floor. Then Alex grimaces; I have to pick that up. Probably.

“God, why does it even matter?” Athena says as she looks through the other costumes, “I thought you were against school functions”

Nate shrugs, “Well, um, I wanna dance”

Athena snorts, “Since when do you dance?”

Nate sticks his tongue out at her, “Bite me”

They stay quiet and Alex starts to drift off, then Athena suddenly spins around at Nate and grabs his shoulders roughly, “You have a girlfriend”

At that Alex laughs, but they can’t hear him.

Nate shrugs her away, “No, I just wanna look nice”

“For a girl” she teases, “Oooh, is it Lilith? I thought she was going with some other guy. She’s been blabbing about it all week..”

Nate looks uncomfortable. “It’s not Lilith.”

“So there is a girl! Tell me her name! Do I know her? Is she pretty? On a scale from one to me, how pretty is she?”

Alex snorts.

“I’m not gonna tell you, ‘Thena, you'll make fun of me. So whatever.”

Then Alex’s eyebrows furrow. Wait, he does like Athena! Ha, I knew it! What a loser!
Smiling, he starts to dose off again, I mean it’s not like he can get her. She’s pretty and smart. He’s just stupid.

Why would she ever like him? Besides the fact that they hang out together... and that she cares about him, psh, that doesn’t mean...

Alex’s eyes widen and he groans. Apparently, it’s very possible. He watches as Athena squeals something and hugs Nate very tightly.

____________________________

Athena V-L Night

Nate rolls his eyes at me as I hug him, but I can’t help him. My brother is going on a date! Finally! I mean, I may not know who it is, but she can't be THAT hideous... Hopefully?

Somebody clears their throat. Nate and I step away from each other and I fix my shirt as I spot Alex Winters at the register. He wasn’t here when we came in?

“Well, isn’t that cute,” he taunts. I roll my eyes at him, but he doesn’t see, because he’s apparently ignoring me and focusing his gaze on Nate.

“Let’s go” I tell my brother, grabbing his arm and tolling him towards the entrance.

“Do you always do what she says?” Alex teases, “Has she got an invisible leash around your neck or something?”

Nate halts and I groan, “Don’t listen to him”

“Good boy, listen to your master” Alex laughs.

Nate’s hands turn into fists, but I manage to haul him out of the damn store before he can murder Alex.

Once we are out of sight of that stupid jerk, Nate breaks my hold on his arm, “Stop bossing me around,” and he walks off to some other part of the mall.

My jaw pops open. Alex teases him; I kept him from doing something that would’ve gotten him in trouble. Yeah, be mad at me.