Status: I originally posted this on Wattpad and decided to share it on here!
Breakout
Chapter 6
Chapter 6.
"Marie! Marie! Come back here!" yelled Mrs. Overstein. I ignored her and continued walking down the hallway. Small tears were streaming down my face but I ignored them too. Suddenly someone from behind me grabbed my arm. I stopped walking and faced the person. It was Jack. His chest was rising up and down, probably from running down the hallway to catch up with me. His black hair falling in front of his eyes a bit. His arm was gripping my arm tightly. His brown eyes read concern. His free hand came up to my face and gently wiped the tears away.
"You okay?" He asked.
"No," I answered.
"I heard you and Alex's conversation.
"Yeah and I still can't believe you're friends with that douche."
He left go of my arm and sighed.
"He's not that bad. Alex has been through a lot and if he doesn't want to share it with you. I honestly don't think it's a good time for him to tell you."
I ran a hand through my hair and let out a deep breath. "Fine. I won't bug him anymore."
"You both are going to work this out. Come by Rian's house today after school."
"Okay," I said.
"I told Mrs. Overstein if I could work with you after you ran out of the classroom. She said only for today, so let's head back to class," Jack offered me his arm. I gently smiled at him and looped my arm through his and we walked down the hallway together.
---
I took a deep breath before knocking on Rian's house door. Kathi opened the door. She instantly smiled when she saw me.
"Hey, you're back. You're Marie right?"
I nodded. "Yep, is Rian here?"
"Yeah, he's practicing down in the basement with the guys. Come in!" She opened the door wider to let me in. I walked down the same path I remembered from the last time I was here. I reached down to the basement and I saw they were just finishing up a song. I recognized someone on the couch. When the song ended, the person clapped, her black hair swinging back and forth. It was Jasey. I locked eyes with Jack and he smiled. I gave him a small wave.
"That was so good!" Jasey squealed. Alex chuckled when Jasey hugged him. I felt a sudden pang go through my chest. Was I jealous? I can't be jealous. After all, Jasey and Alex aren't dating. Jasey said so herself. When Jasey pulled away, she turned around and looked at me.
"Oh, Marie. I didn't know you were here," she said. I smiled at her.
"Yeah, Jack invited me here."
"Aww! Are you guys dating?"
My eyes widened and Jack's cheeks blushed a deep shade of red.
"No, we're not dating," I denied. "We're just friends."
I could tell Jasey didn't believe me. "Sure," she smiled. Jack cleared his throat.
"Is it okay if I talk to Alex and Marie. Alone?"
"Sure! I'll just go upstairs. Rian and Zack, do you wanna come?"
Zack silently nodded and Rian nodded also. Jasey, Zack and Rian all headed upstairs leaving me with Jack and Alex. I sat on the couch and faced the two boys. Jack put down his guitar and sat down next to me on the couch.
"You guys should talk," Jack said. Alex snorted.
"I'm not talking to her," he said.
"And I'm not talking to him," I said.
"Well too bad. Now I'm going to leave and you guys are going to work things out. See you later!" Jack said. He got up from the couch and went out the basement door and closed it. Alex was still standing there with his guitar, the strap wrapped around his body. I looked down at my fingers and eventually started playing with them.
"I'm sorry," Alex spoke. I tore my gaze off of my fingers and stared up at him.
"What?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "For making you cry. I hate seeing girls cry."
I blushed a little, looking down at my fingers again. "I'm sorry too."
"What?" Alex said, repeating what I said.
"For pushing you to talk about your personal life. It's not my business to know."
I felt the couch sink down, I turned to face Alex. His guitar was now leaning against the couch arm.
"It's okay."
"Oh."
We both sat there in silence and I still continued to play with my fingers. Suddenly, Alex untangled my fingers from each other and laced his fingers through mine. My face instantly grew red.
"W-what are you doing?" I stuttered.
"Stop playing with your fingers," he said.
"You know could've just said that and not laced my fingers through yours."
"You're right. Sorry," he blushed and let go of my fingers. I let out a small laugh. Alex smiled at me. It's so weird to think that just a few hours ago I was crying over him and now here we are being civil towards each other. It's insane.
"Do you play electric guitar?" he asked, picking up his guitar and placing it on his lap.
"No, only acoustic."
"Do you want me to teach you? It's the same as an acoustic but it has more strings."
I scooted closer to Alex on the couch. So close that our knees were touching. Alex placed his electric guitar on both our laps.
"Do you know the G cord?" he asked.
I nodded and placed my fingers on the G cord. Alex strummed the guitar.
"Sounds awesome!"
I laughed. For the next few minutes, Alex has been teaching the different cords on the guitar. I smiled to myself. Alex and I are actually being civil towards each other. Alex noticed my smile. He gently smiled at me.
"You know, you would look so much prettier without your glasses," he whispered. I swear my heart stopped for a minute.
"Did you just call me pretty?" I asked. Alex took the guitar from our laps and placed it on the ground next to us.
"I did."
"Well, thanks."
He just smiled at me. "How about we start over?"
"What do you mean?"
"Pretend nothing happened to us before."
I thought about it for a minute. Did I really want to give Alex another chance? After all, Jack said he wasn't a douche bag once you got to know him. I smiled a bit.
"Sure, I would love to start over."
"Hi, I'm Alex Gaskarth and I sing and play guitar in the band, All Time Low. I was born on December 14 and I moved here from England. Jack Barakat, is my best friend, as well as Zack Merrik and Rian Dawson. My favorite band is Blink-182 and I would love to work with Mark Hoppus one day. My band released an EP in 2004 and our first album in 2005. Our new EP, Put Up or Shut Up, is getting released soon and we're signed to Hopeless Records."
I laughed.
"Hi, I'm Marie Chambers and I'm known as the nerd, as Jack likes to call me. I'm not that interesting of a person. My birthday is December 15, which is a day after yours. I moved here from Florida, The Sunshine State, as people like to call it. My best friend is Samantha Henderson and basically my only friend. And I would say my favorite band is All Time Low."
Alex smiled. "I might know that band. I hear they're pretty good."
I giggled. "They are."
Alex stretched his arm out to me. "It was nice to meet you, Marie Chambers."
I took his hand and gently shook it. "You too, Alex Gaskarth."
"Marie! Marie! Come back here!" yelled Mrs. Overstein. I ignored her and continued walking down the hallway. Small tears were streaming down my face but I ignored them too. Suddenly someone from behind me grabbed my arm. I stopped walking and faced the person. It was Jack. His chest was rising up and down, probably from running down the hallway to catch up with me. His black hair falling in front of his eyes a bit. His arm was gripping my arm tightly. His brown eyes read concern. His free hand came up to my face and gently wiped the tears away.
"You okay?" He asked.
"No," I answered.
"I heard you and Alex's conversation.
"Yeah and I still can't believe you're friends with that douche."
He left go of my arm and sighed.
"He's not that bad. Alex has been through a lot and if he doesn't want to share it with you. I honestly don't think it's a good time for him to tell you."
I ran a hand through my hair and let out a deep breath. "Fine. I won't bug him anymore."
"You both are going to work this out. Come by Rian's house today after school."
"Okay," I said.
"I told Mrs. Overstein if I could work with you after you ran out of the classroom. She said only for today, so let's head back to class," Jack offered me his arm. I gently smiled at him and looped my arm through his and we walked down the hallway together.
---
I took a deep breath before knocking on Rian's house door. Kathi opened the door. She instantly smiled when she saw me.
"Hey, you're back. You're Marie right?"
I nodded. "Yep, is Rian here?"
"Yeah, he's practicing down in the basement with the guys. Come in!" She opened the door wider to let me in. I walked down the same path I remembered from the last time I was here. I reached down to the basement and I saw they were just finishing up a song. I recognized someone on the couch. When the song ended, the person clapped, her black hair swinging back and forth. It was Jasey. I locked eyes with Jack and he smiled. I gave him a small wave.
"That was so good!" Jasey squealed. Alex chuckled when Jasey hugged him. I felt a sudden pang go through my chest. Was I jealous? I can't be jealous. After all, Jasey and Alex aren't dating. Jasey said so herself. When Jasey pulled away, she turned around and looked at me.
"Oh, Marie. I didn't know you were here," she said. I smiled at her.
"Yeah, Jack invited me here."
"Aww! Are you guys dating?"
My eyes widened and Jack's cheeks blushed a deep shade of red.
"No, we're not dating," I denied. "We're just friends."
I could tell Jasey didn't believe me. "Sure," she smiled. Jack cleared his throat.
"Is it okay if I talk to Alex and Marie. Alone?"
"Sure! I'll just go upstairs. Rian and Zack, do you wanna come?"
Zack silently nodded and Rian nodded also. Jasey, Zack and Rian all headed upstairs leaving me with Jack and Alex. I sat on the couch and faced the two boys. Jack put down his guitar and sat down next to me on the couch.
"You guys should talk," Jack said. Alex snorted.
"I'm not talking to her," he said.
"And I'm not talking to him," I said.
"Well too bad. Now I'm going to leave and you guys are going to work things out. See you later!" Jack said. He got up from the couch and went out the basement door and closed it. Alex was still standing there with his guitar, the strap wrapped around his body. I looked down at my fingers and eventually started playing with them.
"I'm sorry," Alex spoke. I tore my gaze off of my fingers and stared up at him.
"What?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "For making you cry. I hate seeing girls cry."
I blushed a little, looking down at my fingers again. "I'm sorry too."
"What?" Alex said, repeating what I said.
"For pushing you to talk about your personal life. It's not my business to know."
I felt the couch sink down, I turned to face Alex. His guitar was now leaning against the couch arm.
"It's okay."
"Oh."
We both sat there in silence and I still continued to play with my fingers. Suddenly, Alex untangled my fingers from each other and laced his fingers through mine. My face instantly grew red.
"W-what are you doing?" I stuttered.
"Stop playing with your fingers," he said.
"You know could've just said that and not laced my fingers through yours."
"You're right. Sorry," he blushed and let go of my fingers. I let out a small laugh. Alex smiled at me. It's so weird to think that just a few hours ago I was crying over him and now here we are being civil towards each other. It's insane.
"Do you play electric guitar?" he asked, picking up his guitar and placing it on his lap.
"No, only acoustic."
"Do you want me to teach you? It's the same as an acoustic but it has more strings."
I scooted closer to Alex on the couch. So close that our knees were touching. Alex placed his electric guitar on both our laps.
"Do you know the G cord?" he asked.
I nodded and placed my fingers on the G cord. Alex strummed the guitar.
"Sounds awesome!"
I laughed. For the next few minutes, Alex has been teaching the different cords on the guitar. I smiled to myself. Alex and I are actually being civil towards each other. Alex noticed my smile. He gently smiled at me.
"You know, you would look so much prettier without your glasses," he whispered. I swear my heart stopped for a minute.
"Did you just call me pretty?" I asked. Alex took the guitar from our laps and placed it on the ground next to us.
"I did."
"Well, thanks."
He just smiled at me. "How about we start over?"
"What do you mean?"
"Pretend nothing happened to us before."
I thought about it for a minute. Did I really want to give Alex another chance? After all, Jack said he wasn't a douche bag once you got to know him. I smiled a bit.
"Sure, I would love to start over."
"Hi, I'm Alex Gaskarth and I sing and play guitar in the band, All Time Low. I was born on December 14 and I moved here from England. Jack Barakat, is my best friend, as well as Zack Merrik and Rian Dawson. My favorite band is Blink-182 and I would love to work with Mark Hoppus one day. My band released an EP in 2004 and our first album in 2005. Our new EP, Put Up or Shut Up, is getting released soon and we're signed to Hopeless Records."
I laughed.
"Hi, I'm Marie Chambers and I'm known as the nerd, as Jack likes to call me. I'm not that interesting of a person. My birthday is December 15, which is a day after yours. I moved here from Florida, The Sunshine State, as people like to call it. My best friend is Samantha Henderson and basically my only friend. And I would say my favorite band is All Time Low."
Alex smiled. "I might know that band. I hear they're pretty good."
I giggled. "They are."
Alex stretched his arm out to me. "It was nice to meet you, Marie Chambers."
I took his hand and gently shook it. "You too, Alex Gaskarth."