India

"So are you in?" Jack grinned at his best friend from across the table in the cafeteria.
Tired eyes looked up, and Alex sighed. "Yeah, whatever. Whos party is it?" He asked, picking at the food infront of him with his fork.
"Kid from Towson, think his names like Damon or something." Jack shrugged.
Alex seemed disinterested. In all honestly, his mind was so far away from this conversation it wasnt even funny. Over the last week, his thoughts had been consumed by India Hamilton. Everything she did intrigued him, and he was starting to accept that.
He shouldnt find her so fascinating. She was only a girl. He didnt get why he couldnt stop looking at her, the way she moved awkwardly, like she was afraid of touching anyone. He shouldnt love the way her teeth sunk into her bottom lip when she got nervous, and he definitely shouldnt like the enormous sweaters she constantly wore. She must have hundreds of them.

"Dude whats been up with you lately?" Jack asked as they walked outside at the end of the day.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, glancing at Jack. Surely it couldnt be that obvious.
"You've been acting really weird lately. Ever since you got back from the history trip, you're all strange."
Alex sighed. "Just been stressed man, im all good." He smiled a bit.
"Alright, so i'll see you later?" Jack gave him a halfhearted smile and walked off once he got a nod from his best friend. He knew there was something up, and it was starting to worry him. He'd never known Alex to be upset or stressed or anything like that, it just wasnt him.

India decided to walk home that day. She could definitely use the excersize, she wanted to try and drop another dress size by the end of winter. She had to have at least something to look forward too.
The cold air hung around her as she walked, turning her cheeks and the tip of her nose pink.
To say she had been trying to avoid Alex was an understatement. She'd gone to the effort of getting up earlier and walking to school, just so she wouldnt be home by the time he woke up. He'd offer her a ride, and she knew she wouldnt be able to say no if he offered one.
Alex Gaskarth had been in her thoughts far more than he should have. She had let him get far too close in New York, and that could not happen. He couldnt fix her. She couldnt stop thinking about how perfect that morning had been in bed, how happy she was when she woke up and he was still right by her side. She loved the way his eyes always looked slightly darker in the morning, and she loved it when he didnt shave for a few days and got that soft sprinkling of stubble around his jawline.
India sighed and picked up her pace slightly, hands retreating into her sleeves for the hundredth time that day. She needed to stop thinking about him, she would only end up hurt, exactly like last time.

Alex shut himself in his room once he got home, turning his music on quietly. He slid out of his jeans and shirt, tossing them into the laundry hamper on the other side of the room.
He didnt really want to go to the party tomorrow night. Honestly, it was because Alex knew exactly what he was expected to do do. He'd done the same think six million times before. Get wasted, throw up, drink some more, find a girl, pass out, then leave the next morning before she woke up. It was like clockwork, six easy steps that were foolproof and had gained him the reputation he was so respected for. Saturday night was going to be a repeat, and he didnt want to do it. He wanted to spend saturday with india, holding her and just listening to whatever that girl had to say.
Alex tugged on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, running a hand through his hair. His eyes glanced out the window, a sad smile on his lips when he saw the empty bedroom next door.
He knew India had been avoiding him ever since the New York, and that definitely hurt. It was something that Alex wasnt used too either, it was odd. Girls never avoided him. If anything, he had to avoid them.
His eyebrows knitted together as he saw her bed was missing all its blankets. Walking over to the window, he opened it and looked around slightly, seeing a figure sitting on the roof through the brances of the old oak tree him and Jack used to shoot their popguns at as children, much to the dismay of his neighbours at the time.
Alex opened the window, cursing under his breath at how cold it was outside.
"India?" He called out, smiling a little when she turned to look at him.
"Yeah?"
Her voice was perfect. Dainty and cute, just like her.
"Why are you on the roof?" He chuckled slightly.
"Sunset." She replied, sipping something from a cup grasped between tiny hands.
"Can i join you?" He asked, biting his lip.
India nodded her head, looking back at the view infront of her.

Alex shut his window and grinned, tossing his phone onto his bed. He grabbed his duvet and a beanie and walked down the stairs quietly, slipping out the front door as his mother made dinner.
He walked pulled the duvet around his shoulders and walked to the oak tree, finding the same spot he had climbed up as a child to throw acorns at cars that drove past. It was harder than Alex remembered, but soon enough, he was standing on the balcony with his hair slightly ruffled, looking up at India Hamilton sitting on the roof, a patterned quilt wrapped around herself.
She looked every bit as beautiful as she always did, her arms and most of her hands covered by a jersey, her legs covered by black tights. She was still holding a cup of something between her hands, and she smiled at him.
"Took you long enough."
Alex chuckled and clambered up the tree, walking along a branch before he sat down beside her, duvet around himself tightly.
"Cut me some slack, i havent climbed that tree since i was eleven." He said, looking over at her.
Indias eyes were fixed on the horizon ahead, the cup to her lips as she drank a little more.
"Coffee?"
"No, peppermint tea." She smiled a bit and coughed into her elbow, sipping a little more to soothe her throat.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, India watching the city of Baltimore and Alex watching India Hamilton.
"Why are you looking at me?" She asked, stretching her legs out infront of her.
Alex chuckled a little to himself, noticing her socks which had cats printed on them.
"You interest me. We've been over this." He replied and put his hands behind him, leaning back on the roof.
"Im not terribly interesting." She replied, placing her empty cup in the gutter.
"I think you are." Alex smiled a bit, looking out into the distance.

The sky began to grow slightly darker, the sun touching the clouds near the horizon. It got colder, a wind shifting through the quiet street which made both of them shiver a little.
"You know, it would be warmer if we shared." Alex said quietly, playing with the edge of his duvet.
"Im not cold." India replied, trying to stop her teeth chattering,
Alex sighed and moved closer to her, pulling his blanket around her shoulders.
A small chuckle passed her lips, and she pulled his duvet around her too. "Thank you." She said, letting hers wrap around them.
Alex smiled contently, liking the warmth that he felt on his side as a result ofher body on his. It felt nice.
"Why do you like winter so much?" Alex asked, looking straight ahead as the clouds began to churn together and turn into a soft shades of pink and orange.
"Its beautiful. I love how the rain sounds, and i love how the snow feels when you walk on it for the first time. I love Chistmas and the smell of pine trees and gingerbread. Its just magical." She said, allowing her head to lean on his shoulder.
Alex leaned his head on hers, wanting this to last forever. He could listen to her talk for hours and never get bored of her.
"And you dont like summer?" He asked, not focusing much on the sunset anymore. How could anyone when you have India Hamilton tucked under your arm, her cheeks pink from the cold and her hands hidden in her sleeves.
"Not as much. I dont like being too hot. I hate sleeping at night with not as many blankets, and i dont like how bright the sun is at six in the morning." She said. There were so many more reasons why she hated summer, but none of them were going to be shared with Alex Gaskarth. Not tonight.
Alex smiled a little at her response, his arm sliding from her shoulders to her waist. He pulled her closer to him slightly, frowning to himself at just how skinny she was. He swore she had been a tiny bit bigger just a week ago when he held her like this. He couldnt help but notice that he could fit his whole arm around her, and still touch his own waist again. She was tiny.
India sucked in a sharp breath when she felt his arm around her waist. The only though running through her head was how disgusting he probably thought she was.
Alex didnt need to ask her anything to confirm his suspicions. She was constantly getting smaller. Always had a sore throat. Never ate. If didnt take a genius to figure it out.
"When's the last time you ate?"
The question caught India off guard, coughing a littlr on her tea.
"About an hour ago when I got home, why?" She lied smoothly, looking up at him.
One look from Alex let her know that he didnt believe her.
"Whens the last time you ate? Truthfully." He asked again, fingertips tracing over her hipbone through her tights.
India winced a little, shifting so his hand wasnt in such a sensitive spot.
"Tuesday night." She mumbled.
Alex felt sick to his stomach. Today was friday.
"Why do you do this to yourself?"
She looked out at the sunset, clutching the tea in her hands.
"Long story."
"Luckily for you, I have all night."
India sighed. They sat in silence for almost a full five minutes before she spoke.
"It started a year ago. We moved to Chicago in the fall. I was reasonably happy then, a little damaged from my dad and everything, but i was normal." She said.
Alex draped the blankets around her more, sensing this could be a long night.
"I was at my new school for around two weeks until i met Levi. He was the most popular guy in school. Football captain and everything. I became friends with some of the popular girls, and they introduced me to Levi. For the first month, he was amazing, treated me so well. I was happy. Things started going downhill after a while. He got really possesive and controlling. He'd get angry at me for having friends and a life. I dont really know how it all started, to be honest. It built up over a few months, until we just got into the routine of me messing up and him getting angry, then taking his anger out on me." She said quietly, her jaw a little tense.
Alex wanted to throw up, knowing that some sick, twisted person had laid hands on her in such a way.
"I stayed because I loved him. He really was a good guy, things just didnt work out. He started to control what I ate, saying he couldnt have a fat girlfriend. The popular girls joined in with him, telling me every day how worthless i am. I guess i just got used to it. I found out a month before i came here that he'd been cheating on me with a cheerleader. She and her friends made it their mission to torture me. They made hate pages on the internet and turned the entire school against me, spreading rumours that i screwed the whole football team while i was with Levi. Safe to say, I was a pretty hated girl." She chuckled, wiping her eyes as tears started to spill over.
Alex could do nothing but hold her tighter, arms scooping her up until she was sitting on his lap.
"People are stupid, India. This world is so messed up, people need to be more caring and kind to one another. Im really sorry you had to go through all of that, its not fair at all. Just please know that nothing that happened was your fault. That guy is scum for laying hands on you like that and making you so unhappy. Even though you dont seem to believe it, just please know that you're worth so much. You make me so happy, just being around you like this makes my day so much better. You really are beautiful, i mean that. And you are most definitely not fat. You're absolutely tiny." He said, his lips brushing against her hair softly.
"Thank you." She whispered, pulling the blankets up around them a little more.
"You're welcome." He said quietly, figuring she didnt want to talk about it any more.
Alex laid back on the roof and brought her with him, pulling the blankets around the both of them to keep warm on the cold november night in Baltimore. So many different things were running through his mind right now. How he was supposed to go to Rians house tonight and play XBox. How he would have missed dinner. He thought about how perfect India felt wrapped in his arms like this. How he felt like it was his job to keep her safe and protect her. He thought about how her ridiculously long eyelashes tickled the skin of his neck every time she blinked, and how she smelt faintly of peppermint tea and raspberries. He focused on her breathing, noticing how shallow they were at times. How it sounded like she had a terrible cough and her throat was sore from coughing all the time.
Nothing mattered at this moment more than India. Alex didnt care what his friends would think. He wanted to break down her walls and he wanted to fix her.
Alex Gaskarth wanted to fall head over heels in love with India Hamilton.