Keep Me Guessing

Alex was technically having two parties today for his eighteenth birthday. One earlier in the day with his family and his closest friends and then one tonight with everybody. Zack's parents were away for the weekend on a business trip so the party would be hosted there; most of the school was expected to show up. Alex was the first one of us to turn eighteen, and needless to say he was rubbing it in. After awhile of his gloating, Rian threw a remote at him, telling him to shut up, he wouldn't be the only legal adult in just a few days time.

"Yeah, but I'm still the oldest Dawson. You're just jealous!"

"Totally Alex." Rian rolled his eyes. "Just because it's your birthday I won't stop from hurting you."

"Addie won't let you hurt me!" he looked over at me. "Will you Addie?"

"Of course not." I rolled my eyes. "I'll hurt you myself!"

"Ouch, just because you're the youngest…" he laughed as I threw a pillow at him.

The eight of us were at his house, upstairs in his room waiting for his parents to tell us Alex could come down now. His grandparents were coming over and so were his aunt and uncle and cousin, Paige, although he loves his family, he would much rather be out of the house doing something than staying in with his family. He couldn't say no though, his mother made sure of that.

"I am eighteen today and I have to be stuck at home." He whined. "Why can't I leave and come back when they get here?"

"Because knowing you, you'll show up an hour after you were told to get home." Brie said mildly.

"I would not!" he protested. "I hardly ever see my Nana or grand-pop, I'd like to see them, you know?"

"Aw," we all coed.

"Shut up guys, you're supposed to be nice to me on my birthday!"

"There's no rule that says we have to be." Zack laughed.

"Alex, you can come downstairs now." His mom said.

"Mom, why did I have to wait in my room?"

"Because I needed to wrap your presents."

"Oh."

The rest of us laughed at Alex's stupidity and followed him downstairs, where the rest of his family were waiting. He quickly hugged his grandparents, then aunt, and uncle, all of whom came down to America for Christmas, before making himself comfortable on a chair while the rest of us sat around him on the floor. Alex tapped his leg impatiently, waiting for someone to bring out cake or tell him he could open up his presents.

"Cake or presents first?" Mr. Gaskarth asked his wife.

"Cake." She sighed. "Right, Alex?"

"Duh." He said. "Cake to feed me and then presents to make me happy!"

"You are such a dork." His cousin laughed.

"Whatever Paige." He rolled his eyes.

From what I have learned, Alex despises his cousin with as much disliking as he loves Harry Potter. She was a year younger than us and thinks she is God's gift to the world; kind of like Sarah Miller. With her Hollister sweater and her two inch Jimmy Choo's she made a face at us, making it clear that she thought we were all beneath her. Alex pointedly looked away and struck up a conversation with his uncle Jim before the lights went out and his mom came out holding a cake. Everybody began to sing happy birthday to him, and when we finished, he blew out the candles of the cake.

"What did you wish for?" Jack asked him, over excitedly.

"I'm not going to tell you Jack." He laughed. "I actually want this wish to come true!"

"Aw," Paige mocked. "Still believe in birthday wishes Alex? What do you believe in Santa Claus too?"

"God, Paige," he seethed, "do you have to be such a little bitch all the time?"

"Me, a bitch?" she looked offended. "Daddy, Alex called me a bad name."

"Paige, darling, let it go, okay, it's his birthday."

She huffed but sat back and didn't open her mouth again, something we were all happy about. Mrs. Gaskarth and Mrs. Clark (Alex's aunt) came out with pieces of cake for everyone and we all dug in. Paige however, ate two bites before putting it down again, giving the rest of us all dirty looks; cake was fattening and yet we were all devouring it. Zack and I exchanged a humorous look over this as we finished the last bites.

"Okay, I'm done." Alex announced. "My presents would be where?"

"Alex, what are we going to do with you?" his mother sighed. "Go ahead and open them."

She moved the stack of presents so they were by him and his grin was enough to light up the darkest of nights. As his birthday was so close to Christmas, he didn't get a lot of presents; whatever else he wanted would have to wait for Christmas. He started off with his grandparents presents, thrilled with them, he hugged them each; a new pair of jeans, a shirt, and the Blink-182 CD he had lost. After theirs, he opened the one from his aunt and uncle; new strings and picks for his guitar. Alex made to open the ones from his parents, but his dad stopped him, telling him to open up the ones from us first. Obligingly, he took the one from Rian, a new hat; the one from Kara, bracelets, fake tattoos, and money; the one from Brie, a pack of milanos and new headphones; the one from Zack, more money and a batman watch; the one from Jack, new underwear (I question him sometimes) and a pair of booty shorts; then the one from me, an autographed, Blink 182 Enemea of the State CD.

"Holy hell, how did you get this Addie?" he gaped out.

"eBay is an extraordinary thing Alex." I lied easily. What I had given him was mine, I had gotten it so many years ago and had my parents ship it to me. As much as I loved Blink, Alex loved them more.

"Damn Addie," he said. "It must have cost a lot."

Not really, I thought, just a scar on my arm for getting the last autograph from the band that night. "It's fine Alex."

"Now, I don't know how our present could ever top that!" Mrs. Gaskarth joked.

"Oh yeah!" Alex said, temporarily forgetting about the CD. He unwrapped the one and only present from his parents and his mind went into overload. He just sat there, staring at the light blue guitar. "Whoa."

"Do you like it?" his dad asked, beaming.

"I love it!" He shouted.

Soon enough, Alex was allowed to leave the house to go out with us, as long as we brought Paige. She however, said that she didn’t want to go out with us, so they let us go without her. In two cars, we got to the party to set up, the guys' friend Matt, just happened to have some booze to supply us with. We had already told everyone that we lived with that we wouldn't be back tonight, we were just going to crash at someone else's house. Not long after we got there, more people showed up, with more alcohol, someone had put out a BYOB notice apparently, and the music started blaring.

Zack and I got separated somehow and while trying to find him, I found Alex, in a sticky situation. Since she had found out that Alex and Cheyenne had broke up, Logan had been all over Alex, and he was less than thrilled. His eyes connected with mine and he widened them, telling me to come rescue him.

"Hey, Alex," I said, sliding up next to him. "I've been looking everywhere for you. If you don't mind Logan, it's kind of personal."

"Oh, so you two are fucking behind Merrick's back?" she grinned maliciously. "Let's find out how he's going to take it shall we?"

"Logan, you know full and well that the love Alex and I have for each other are strictly platonic. If I wanted him I would have been over him when I first came here, not Zack."

"Feelings change sweetie."

She got up to leave, in attempts to find Zack most likely. "Come on," Alex said. "We have to find Zack before she does."

"She was right about one thing." I muttered to myself. "Feelings do change."

"What?" Alex stopped to look at me strangely.

"Nothing, I was just commenting on how she was right about feelings changing."

"What are you saying?" he looked confused, scared, awed.

"Just how my feelings changed from James so quickly, you know?"

"That's different though, Addie. James hurt you, it was only natural for your feelings to die away."

"Yeah, but for awhile I liked someone else." I said sounding distant. "No big deal."

"Who was it?" he asked.

"No one." I laughed. "Maybe I'll tell you another time, after we find Zack of course."

"No, tell me now." He said.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes. "It was you."

"You liked me?"

"Excuse me?" Zack was standing right behind us, with Logan.

"It was almost six months ago Zack. I liked you too, and much more than I had ever liked Alex." I said hesitantly. "He's just my buddy."

"That's okay." Zack said. "I still love you."

If I had looked a little closer, not only would I have seen Logan's annoyed face, I would have seen Alex looking crushed. That was one look that I would have to wait to see again; a look Alex didn't necessarily give off often. I kissed Alex's cheek and walked to where everyone was dancing with Zack, unaware of what I had just done to him. If I hadn't said a word, then Alex might not have been hurt.