All Time Low and Cricket

So, Saturday, Hallelujah praise Jesus! My mother, being the coolest person ever (not), put together a “Barn Fun Day” with Zack, Alex, Jack, and Rian. The women even packed a picnic basket! So, anyway, Lanie and I had to ride horses with the boys. Not that I don’t like riding horses, it’s basically my life, but I don’t like bringing people to ride horses, cuz it’s just boring for them since they don’t know what the fuck they are doing! So, today should be fun, or not.

“Call Alex.” Lanie told me as we stood with the horses a few feet away from the boys.

“What? Uh, okay. ALEX! HEY—“ I started screaming.

“Not like that!” Lanie hissed pinching my arm. Which hurt like a mommy I might add! “On the phone!”

“Why?” I asked. What the hell is going on here? Oh well. I pulled out my phone and dialed. Not two seconds later did Alex’s phone start ringing to the song “Crush” by David Archuleta. I could have died. I was horrified! Have you ever listened to that song! It’s so, so romantic, and unfortunately, totally true. UGH! Did Alex put that on there! What the fuck! Holy crap. Then I looked at Lanie, who was smirking in this victorious sort of way. It was all her. Forget Marti Muller being evil, Lanie is evil! What was she thinking?! Then to my even greater horror, Alex answered the phone.

“Hey, babe, what are you doing right now?” he asked while looking at me. Cute, I can go with this.

“Oh, you know, just hanging out.” I said looking back at him and smiling flirtily. I might as well just go with it. “You?”

“Just hanging out with this really cool girl who’s gonna be embarrassed when I tame the wild beast that is Tego.” I laughed.

“I think maybe you should just try taming Midas!”

“What I really need is a stallion! You know a wild stallion that I can tame and then become…the Alpha Horse.” We both dissolved into laughter, and I hung up the phone and started walking over to him. “That bitch! She hung up on me!” Alex said pretending to be indignant and hurt.

“Cricket, I am not going near those nasty animals so don’t even try.” Zack said grumpily. He hated horses, something I had never been able to fathom in my entire life. How do you not like horses?

“Jeez, okay, Grumpy, but you better go apologize for calling Midas and Tego nasty.” I said crossing my arms. Nobody messes with my babies.

“I call Midas!” Jack shouted throwing his hand up in the air and jumping up and down.

“TEGO!” Alex yelled right after him.

“I guess that leaves me with Blue.” Rian said walking over to Blue and Lanie. Blue is Lanie’s horse, he’s bombproof and pretty much awesome.

“C’mon, let’s go tame the wild beast!” Alex whined. “So, why is Tego so ‘hard’ to ride?”

“Cuz Tego is a thousand pounds of pure muscle, and when he decides you’re supposed to do a rollback in single pole, well, he does a rollback. And you look like a retard.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, but if he does a rollback in Texas Rollback, then you are a rock god.” I explained. “So, yeah, when Teegsie and I kick ass, we look like you. Only hotter.” Alex laughed.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, well, we also look like you when we screw up too!” I joked.

“Hey now! Jerk!”

“I’m just kidding! You know I love you!”

“Really?” he asked seriously. Things just got serious and awkward, really fast. Yikes! I can’t even hang out with the guys without things getting weird. I hate boys! But not really…

“Cricketttt! I wanna ride Midas!” Jack wailed. I ran over eager for a distraction. Jack was hanging on Midas’ neck and talking to him. It was so, so ah-dorable! “You’re the best horse EVER! Hell yeah, you are! That’s why I’m riding you. We’re gonna show them all right?”

“Aw, Jackie, are you talkin’ to Midas?” I teased pinching his cheek.

“Maybe.” He said looking around shiftily.

“Just get on the horse!” I laughed. I love boys!

“MOM! I want to go home NOW!” Zack screamed from the car.

“Zack! You’ll be fine. Can we not have a nice family outing without throwing a fit? We never get to see you!” my mom cried trudging over to the car. I couldn’t help but laugh. Zack looked so grumpy and silly.

So, I finally got Lanie cornered later that day and gave her hell.

“Lanie! What were you thinking? That was so not even funny!” I hissed while we stood in Blue’s stall “doing our chores.”

“I know it’s not funny. But one of us has to get the balls to tell Alex how you feel.” She said simply shrugging her shoulders.

“I don’t want to tell him how I feel! He’s leaving in, like, two months. It’s just a crush! It’ll go away.” I reasoned, begging myself to believe it.

“Bullshit Cricket Merrick. You have always had a crush on Alex, and you always will. Just tell him!”

“No!”

“Do it!”

“NO!”

“DO IT!”

“Do what?” Rian asked innocently leading Blue into the stall.

“Cricket telling Alex she likes him.” Lanie said nonchalantly. Nonchalant my ass! Traitor! My mouth dropped to the floor. I can’t believe she would betray me like that!

“Dudette, go for it.” Rian said looking at me. “I think he would go for it.”

“I don’t want him to ‘go for it’, I want him to like me!” I wailed and stressing “go for it” by putting finger quotes around it. I can’t believe I was talking to Rian about my crush on Alex.

“I see your point. I’ll do some recon and get back to you.” He said patting me on the back. My shock deepened. Rian was helping me?

“What? Why?”

“Cuz, you’re the first decent girl Alex may like in a loooong time.” Rian said with a shrug of his shoulders. Then, he turned around and walked out of the barn.

“Well, that worked out!” Lanie said cheerily.

“So what?” I snapped. “I can’t believe you would betray me like that!”

“Oh, come on! Cricket, it’s not that big of a deal!” Lanie said throwing her arms up in the air in a defeated way.

“It is to me! I can’t believe you don’t get that!” I said on the verge of tears. “Look, I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

I won’t call her back.