Darling, I Just Can't Go On

Humming lightly under my breath, I sifted through the clothes hanging in my closet, stopping once I found a red tank top with small white polka dots in the material and a floral lace across the shoulders. Pulling it off the hanger, I slipped it on over my bra and moved over to my dresser to pull out a simple pair of black skinny jeans.

It was only Thanksgiving dinner so I wasn't going to try and go too fancy with a skirt, but I felt like jeans and a nice shirt would be good enough.

As a last thought before I headed out of my room and down to meet my father, I grabbed the grey hoodie I had stolen from Alex, pulling it on over my arms and zipping it up half way.

Jogging down the steps I found my father waiting, not saying a word to me as he opened the door and ushered me out, closing it behind us. I walked down the few stairs and onto the lawn just as a car pulled up outside of the Dawson house, two lanky boys climbing out over one another before falling out onto the small patch of grass.

I rolled my eyes and continued on, not noticing how dad had stopped and was watching me approach the two.

"ANDI!" Jack cried happily, shoving Alex down as he stood up, throwing his thin body at my own.

I laughed lightly and wrapped my arms around him, letting out a small scream when he picked me up and twirled me around.

"That wasn't funny," I whined as I shoved his arm playfully away from me, him laughing as he ran away and through the open front door of the house, Rian standing back looking confused as he past.

"It was kinda funny," Alex said, now straightened up and on his feet, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and the other around my waist.

"Shut up," I while again, but hugged him back none the less, a small laugh escaping when he picked me up and spun me around again. "Nooo!"

He just laughed some more and returned my feet to the ground.

"I like that jacket," He commented, pulling at the white strings hanging from the front of it.

"Whoever picked it out has very good taste."

I just tolled my eyes again, pushing him away and heading for the door, only for him to jog up and toss an arm lightly around my shoulders once more.

Looking around, I found my dad talking to Rian's step-dad as well as another man I didn't recognize. I just shrugged it off lightly, letting Alex lead me over to where the rest of the band members, as well as other people I also didn't know, were.

Jack was bouncing off the walls, almost literally, as he moved around the room quickly, giggling like he had one mad in the head.

"FOOOOD!" He screached happily just before he was grabbed and put into a head lock by the second man who was talking to my dad. "Release me old man!"

I felt Alex's body rumble lightly with laughter as I leaned against him, just watching silently as all of the others interacted with one another.

It wasn't until Rian's mother announced that it was time to eat, much to Jack's delight, that we all finally gethered together at a big table in the dining room. I quickly found a seat, Alex sitting on one side of me and Zack taking the seat on the other side.

"Hi Zack," I said quietly, offering him a smile which he returned.

"Hey Andi."

Things went smoothly through the night, nothing ever being boring with Jack in such a good mood. At one point during the dinner he had taken his dinner roll and made it talk, as well as sing Blink-182 songs.

At another point while we were eating, Alex and I had somehow gotten into a foot battle, me ending it with a swift kick and a smirk as he let out a mock whimper.

"Stop abusing me!" He pouted, tossing a steamed carrot from his plate at me, to which I threw a green bean at him in return.

"Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't start a food fight." Rian groaned when he took notice to what Alex and I were doing. "We don't need to give Jack any ideas."

Everyone got a laugh at of that, making Jack look up from where he had been talking to his younger sister.

"Who said my name?" He asked, looking around confused, making everyone laugh just a bit more.

I smiled lightly to myself as I nibbled at the end of another one of my green beans, just watching and listening once more as everyone joked and conversed. It wasn't until I felt a nudge against my left arm that I looked away from the sceen in front of me.

"You're quiet tonight," Alex commented making me give a small shrug.

"There's a lot of people here," I returned giving him a knowing look to which he only nodded, smiling as he nudged me again.

I simply nudged him back, looking forward once more with a smile on my face.

~~

"Lets go for a walk," Alex said, standing up and grabbing my hand.

We had been sitting around a small fire in the backyard of Rian's house, the other band members and Jack's siblings looking up when we were both standing. But they said nothing as we walked around the side of the house, Alex's hand still wrapped lightly around mine.

"They were all looking at us," I informed him as out shoes tapped loudly against the cement of the sidewalk lining the street.

"Do you have a problem with that?" He asked me, looking down at my face and scanning over it with his deep brown eyes.

"They might think we're dating," I replied tapping my shoulder into his, making him tumble over to the side dramatically, but he didn't say anything after that.

We continued down the street as a gust of wind blew, making a deep shill run up my spine.

"I can't believe I forgot the jacket back at the house," I said running my free hand over my exposed arm.

"Here, take mine," Alex said, pulling his black hoodie off over his head, handing it over to me. "And this one I do need back."

I stuck my tongue out at him as I pulled it on over my tank top, the material still warm from his body heat. After it was on, he grabbed my hand again, the long sleeve hanging down to just above my finger tips.

"You have short arms," He commented with a laugh.

"No, you just have freakishly long arms." I sighed, leaning into his side and resting my head on his shoulder.

"Do you want to head back?" He asked when my body trembled with another small shiver.

"Yeah, it's getting even colder."

At the corner, we turned around, heading back down the way we had come. It wasn't long before we were outside of the house again, and judging by the darkness and the people filing out the front door to leave, I figured it had gotten late.

"Come on Alex, we have to go," A tall, thick man said, an accent barely in his voice.

"Alright dad," he replied, discretely dropping my hand as I moved my head away from his shoulder.

"Here," I said, pulling off the hoodie and handing it back to him. "You did say you needed it back."

I could see him give a small eyeroll at my slightly sarcastic tone before going over to the car that his parents had just gotten into.

Rubbing my arms again, I headed into the house and grabbed the grey jacket that was still resting on the seat I had been sitting on during dinner.

"Oh hello Andi," Rian's mom said when she saw me, her standing at the sink rinsing dishes from earlier.

"Hello," I replied nicely. "Would you like any help with that?"

"That would be lovely dear," the blonde woman answered.

Setting the jacket down once again, I moved over to stand next to her. Grabbing a dish, I ran the warm water over it before handing it to her so that she could place it in the dishwasher.

"I'm so glad that you and your dad could join us tonight," She said making light conversation.

"I am too," I said in return. "It was an amazing dinner by the way. Everything was delicious."

"Oh thank you," She laughed. "It must have been the things the other families brought. I'm not the greatest cook in the world."

"I thought it was all wonderful," I said, giving a small laugh of my own as I moved onto the glasses.

It wasn't long before the two of us had finished, and my dad entered the kitchen trying to find me.

"We better be heading home Andi," He said, nodding his head back towards the door.

"Alright dad," I said before turning back to Rian's mom. "Thank you again for inviting us."

"It's nothing really," She replied. "With you being over here everyday after school, it would be rude not to have invited you."

I just smiled in response before moving to grab my jacket, following dad out the front door and back over to our own house.