My Mistake, So Predictable

“What are the rest of the guys going to do?” I ask Alex, breaking the loud silence about ten minutes later. We had driven without saying a word and even though it’s not awkward with him, it still makes it seem weird between us.

“What?” He asks, taking a right turn and I grasp tightly onto the ‘oh shit handle’. Yep, that’s right. ‘The oh shit handle’. It’s something Max always says because Tabitha’s a god awful driver and whenever she makes you reach for the handle from her risky turns, you yell “oh shit” and then hold on for dear life. Okay, maybe it’s funnier when it’s the three of us.

But anyway, I stare at a confused Alex who’s trying hard to figure out what I had meant by my last words, “Whoever you went to the beach with, are you going to make them walk home?” I clarify slowly.

“Actually they’d deserve it.” He chuckles, taking a right turn after a pause at a stop sign, “But I talked to Jack and Zack when you went into the bathroom and they said they’d ride home with Max, and he said that was fine.”

“Oh.”

“Hails.” He sighs, letting his eyes drift off the road and over to me, “What did I do?”

I look out the side, anything to get away from those searching eyes, “If you don’t know then I’m not going to tell you.” I say childishly and then I lurch forward as he slams on the breaks and pulls over to the side of the road; waving apologetically to the car laying on his horn behind us.

“That isn’t fair, Hailey.” He tells me, reaching for my face so he can turn it towards him. I stubbornly pull away and continue looking out the side as he un-clicks his seatbelt and walks over to where I’m sitting. He un-clicks my seatbelt and picks me up, putting me over his shoulder again.

“I’m not a sack of potatoes, Alex fucking Gaskarth!” I shout, slamming my hand against his back. He pretends to wince and I hit him harder once more just for good measure. Ass face.
When he puts me down in the sand I see that he’s smirking at me. “What?” I ask, frustrated with him.

“I never told you my last name.” Alex says happily, plopping down next to me in the warm sand.

“Yeahh?” I ask, scooping the sand through my fingers and trying hard not to look at him. He’s still shirtless and even though I’m so pissed at him, a tiny bit of me still wants to look. I can tell he’s noticed because he’s smirking again.

“So, that means you must have looked our band up and found out my full name.” He grins gleefully and ruffles my hair.

“Stop it!” I say annoyed as I fix my hair, “Maybe I did, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook though.” Alex huffs and lies back into the sand, tucking his arms under his head and he doesn’t speak for a few minutes. I don’t expect him to talk until-

“I didn’t tell you because you’re not like any other girl I’ve ever met.” He admits quietly, and I freeze with shock at his words.

“You’re one of the only girls I’ve met in a long time who didn’t know that I was famous, and then when you found out who I really am, you still didn’t care.” He chuckles and runs his fingers through his hair, “You still yelled at me, called me names, and threatened to bite my ass.”

I look away into the water; Alex had taken us to a small secluded beach. “I felt like you were mocking me.” I whisper, half afraid that he heard me, but also afraid that he didn’t.

He shoots up from the sand and kneels in front of me, pushing my hair out of my eyes. “Never, Hailey.” Alex says finding my eyes. “I could never mock you.” He chuckles lightly, “Make fun of you, yes, but never mock you. I wouldn’t do that behind your back.”

I allow myself to give him a half smile and then I throw my arms around his neck, warm from the burning sun. “I missed you,” He whispers into my hair and now I really smile.

“I missed you too.”