Ruin Everything

Alex called me at school one day, as I was sitting with Sam and Becca at lunch. Our school allowed cell phones, but only during lunch and breakfast breaks.

“Skip school,” was the first thing he said after I answered.

“Hello to you too,” I said sarcastically.

“Hey baby,” he cooed.

“Hey pumpkin,” I replied jokingly.

“Am I your pumpkin?” he purred from the other end. I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t try and butter me up, pumpkin. Why do you want me to skip school?”

Becca looked up from her dressingless salad and raised her eyebrows, mouthing “who is it?” I waved her away and turned towards the aisle, away from my friends.

“Because I miss you,” he responded.

“Aren’t you supposed to be packing?” I asked.

“You could help me, you know. You’re a much better packer than me. I could use your help.”

“You wouldn’t get much packing done if I was there.”

“My parents aren’t home. We could, I don’t know, make use of the pool.”

“Alex,” I groaned. “It’s September.”

“I don’t understand the point of pointing that out,” he said simply.

“It’s cold,” I reminded him.

“It’s a heated pool,” he chuckled. I cursed.

“I feel like you’re just trying to get me into a bikini,” I said softly.

“Only if it’s working. Is it working?”

“You’re manipulative, Alexander.”

“Will you come over?” he asked. There was a pitiful pout that could only be associated with Alex Gaskarth. I knew that tone of voice. He was about to start sniffling and fake crying.

“Fine. I’ll be over soon,” I sighed.

“Thank you! You’re the best girlfriend in the entire world. I mean, yeah, no, you really are.”

“I’m only the best girlfriend in the entire world because I’m going to take all of my clothes off and get we-” I stopped and blushed.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Alexander. I’ll be over soon.”

I hung up before he could comment any further. I stuffed my phone into my jeans and turned back towards the lunch table. Sam had a strange expression on his face, his eyebrows pulled together as he wrung his hands together, looking at me. Becca was grinning.

“So, who was that?”

“Nobody. Listen, I’m not feeling well. I’m going to sign myself out and go home.”

She smirked as I gathered my schoolbooks off of the table and headed towards the cafeteria entrance. I used the back stairwell to get to my locker. I twisted my combination in and yanked the door open. I couldn’t believe Alex was getting me to do this. I had skipped out on my classes a whole 3 times in the past 3 years. As previously mentioned, I’m a perfectionist and missing school doesn’t sit well with me. But for Alex, I’d pretty much do anything.

I packed my bag and texted Becca, asking her to get my homework for me. I knew she wouldn’t but it was worth a shot. That would involve her actually talking to our teachers, which she had sworn never to do unless absolutely necessary. My homework is not an absolute necessity, not for Becca at least.

I snuck down the stairs and out the teacher’s entrance. I sprinted towards my Aveo and slid into its driver seat. I started her up, put her into drive and peeled out of the parking lot, heading towards Alex’s house. His house was closer to the school than mine, so it didn’t take long. Alex was waiting on the front steps for me, a wide smile on his face. I shook my head, parked my car right behind his and stepped out. I left my book bag in the passenger seat, knowing that I wouldn’t get any homework done at his house. I walked up to join him and was pulled into the house. The door shut behind me and I was pushed into it, a kiss pressed into my lips. I gripped Alex’s hair and pulled him into me.

He pulled away and grinned.

“I will never get used to that,” he informed me.

“I hope you never do,” I replied. He rested his forehead against mine and sighed.

“Trust me, I’m not going anywhere.”

I grinned.

“Shall we get to packing?” I asked, even though I knew if we went into his bedroom, he’d probably find my way into his bed for a long make-out session that might get us caught. I was okay with this, sort of. I didn’t want anyone to find out because that might just ruin whatever we had, but the kissing. I was always for the kissing.

“How about we get to swimming?” he suggested, pulling on my striped hoodie. “I’m really interested in hearing what you were about say about taking all of your clothes off.”

“Packing first, and then we’ll see about taking all our clothes off,” I said, slipping out from his grasp. I headed towards his room. The only way to get Alex to do something was to bribe him with something he wants. It worked with Jack too, but you know, I didn’t bribe him with taking my clothes off. We may not be biologically related but that would be weird and god, I don’t even want to think about it.

“Why must you hurt me this way?” Alex cried dramatically as I disappeared from his view. I opened his bedroom door, stepped inside and chuckled. He’d already packed. I turned and shut the door behind me, locking it. Alex knocked and then tried the door handle. “Cassara? Cassara, did you just lock me out of my own room? Pebbles? Baby?”

I pulled off my hoodie and then the tank top I’d layered underneath it. I checked Alex’s closet and found the stash of bathing suits we all kept here, just in case we wanted to take a dip randomly. Underneath the boys’ suits, right beside Rian’s girlfriend’s one piece was my turquoise halter bikini top and matching bottoms. I shimmied out of the rest of my clothes and pulled my bathing suit on. I checked myself out in the mirror on Alex’s door, during all of which Alex was whining and carrying on about being locked out of his own room, loudly and in song. That’s Alex for you.

“If you don’t stop bitching, you don’t get your present,” I called out, pulling my hair forward so it lay over my shoulders, cascading to cover most of my exposed cleavage. I smoothed down the sides and listened to him whine and whimper.

“Unless it’s you in your bra and underwear only, I don’t want it,” he said.

“You’re close,” I said.

“Are you wearing what I think you’re wearing?”

“Depends. Are you doing whining?” I asked, hand resting on the door handle.

“Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!” he blurted. I went to unlock the door and thought of one more thing. I headed for his dresser and pulled out his swimming trunks. I dangled them off of the end of my pointer finger and unlocked the door. I pulled it open and strode out. I waved the trunks in front of his face and dropped them into his hands before I headed out towards the pool. I heard the door shut quickly as he went to change. I grabbed two towels out of the bathroom and wrapped one around me for the walk to the pool. I slid open the sliding glass back door and lay Alex’s towel on the handle as I walked across the stone to his pool. He’d already turned the lights on, and I’m assuming the heat. He knew me, and he knew how to get me to do what he wants. I lay my towel on the stone and slid slowly into the warm water. I ducked under the water, wetting my entire body. I swam until I found myself in the corner beside the steps, hiding from view of the house. I came up for air and waited. I heard him chuckle and pad along the cool cement.

“Cassara!” he called and sat down a few feet from me. I edged along the wall, dipping down into the water until I was beside him. I reached out and grabbed his ankle, causing him to screech like a little girl. I giggled and quickly swam away, finally coming up for air on the other side of the pool.

“Come and get me, Gaskarth,” I taunted, watching as he tossed his towel towards mine and then walked to the stairs. I shook my head and swam backwards into the deep end. He eased his way in and I finally got a good look at him. Of course, I’d seen Alex with his shirt off before. I mean, you spend any time with that boy and he’ll take his clothes off and run around completely naked, but it was never like this. I wasn’t Alex’s girlfriend all those times. I didn’t get to kiss him and wrap myself around him, not like I could now.

He ducked under the water and then popped back up, his hair glinting wet in the sunshine. I lay my head back and leveled my body out, floating on the surface. I felt the water stirring as Alex swam towards me and finally, he pulled me from my float and into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and then my arms around his shoulders, holding myself against him. Water dripped from both of us, hitting each other’s bare skin. I couldn’t take my eyes off his, but I didn’t want to miss out on a second of kissing him.

Alex seemed to make up my mind for me, kissing me and carrying me easily to the wall, pressing me into the concrete. I moved my hands to his hair and gripped the slippery strands, letting them slide between my fingers. He chuckled and played with the ties of my bikini.

I broke the kiss and rested my forehead against his, giggling.

“What was that you were saying on the phone?” he asked.

“What?”

“About you taking off your clothes and getting we-” he started to say. I cut him off with a kiss.

“I’m already here, Lex,” I whispered.

“Yes. Yes, you are,” he grinned. I pulled myself up onto the edge of the pool and sat back as Alex kissed my legs and then my stomach. I let my eyelids flutter shut as Alex pressed delicate kisses into my skin, pulling himself up towards me.

“Do you know how long I’ve been thinking about this?” he asked, pressing his chest into mine.

“Not as long as I have,” I assured him. He smiled and finally pulled himself all the way out of the pool. He straddled my thighs, and threaded his fingers through my drying hair.

“Alex, what if someone comes home?” I asked.

“Like who?”

“Your parents? My brother? Anyone who knows that you and I shouldn’t be doing this?”

“Do you want to stop?” he asked, his expression sobering for the first time since I’d gotten there. Normally, Alex was all shits and giggles, not once stopping to be serious for anything. It was like something inside Alex changed when he was with me like this. I liked it, but then again, this wasn’t Alex, not really. Was I changing Alex Gaskarth?

God, I hope not.