All Time Low and Cricket

“Alex! You bought me!” I giggled.

“Yeah I did!” he hooted throwing an arm around my shoulder. “You really don’t think I was gonna let that crazy ass dude buy you?” he asked pointing to Crazy Canadian Kid who was mumbling to himself angrily.

“On the other hand, maybe I should have, he’s flippin’ shit!”

“Um, yeah, no. If you had got me stuck with Crazy Canadian Kid, I would have had to kill you!”

“Cricket, off the floor! NOW!” Mrs. Davis whisper-shouted at me.

“Oops!” I laughed and shrugged my shoulders and walked off to sit with all the seniors.

That Friday, Alex picked me up from school, even though my car was back and I was driving myself. Very strange, but being me, I didn’t think to question it and just jumped in his car grinning like an idiot. When am I going to learn to be cool?

“Hey best friend!” I greeted happily.

“Hey! You ready to go on our date?” he asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Hell yeah! Where are we going?”

“New York.” He said all nonchalantly.

“NEW YORK! Seriously! OMG! Alex, you are crazy, but the best!” I squealed in a voice so shrill I’m pretty sure only dogs could hear me.

He laughed and pulled out of the school and headed to the train station.

“Wait! What about clothes?”

“I went and packed some before I came and got you.” He smirked at his cleverness.

“Oh God, I’m going to be dressed like a hooker all weekend!” I wailed, but laughed afterwards.

“Is that a problem?” Alex laughed. I rolled my eyes but laughed as we sped towards the train station.

“Two tickets to Grand Central.” Alex asked the grumpy ticket lady. I grabbed his arm, jumped up and down and squealed next to him. “Don’t be lame, Cricket.” He chided playfully.

“Shut up! New York is my city!” I squealed. “Oh gosh! We have, have to go to Magnolia Bakery!”

“Okay, okay. Anything you want. It’s your weekend.” He said leading me onto the train, we took a seat near the back, I bounced up and down excitedly in my seat—I was going to New York! With Alex! The whole train ride we quoted stupid Youtube videos (“Ouch Charlie!”), made fun of Marti Muller (“Dumb bitch can’t even do a Herkie without looking like a retard!”), and talked about the band.

“Hey! You have not been a very good Number One Fan!” Alex accused. “You didn’t even say anything when ‘Poppin’ Champagne’ came out.”

“Yes I did!” I said defensively.

“Hey now, ‘Bahahaha, Rian kissed a ferret!’ does not count!”

“Sure it does! I watched it; we actually had a watch party at your house! Lanie was there, I was there, your mom and dad, and everyone else’s mom and dad were there too!”

“Okay, okay! You win/” he pouted and then pointed out the window ( I got the window seat, Alex is a gentleman!). “Look! We’re here!”

“Eeeeep!” I squealed “Ehmawgawd,I’mlikesooooexcited!”

“I’m pretty sure only dogs could understand that, Crick!” Alex said before cracking up.

“Shutup!I’mexcited!”

“Cricket! English please!”

Then the train came to a complete stop, I jumped up and pulled Alex with me and exited the train at a near sprint.

“Okay, where to first?” I asked.

“How about Barney’s?” I sweat to God, I swooned, almost a full out faint. I looooove Barney’s, almost as much as Tiffany’s (I’m just crazy about Tiffany’s!), and Alex was offering to take me there! Almost unheard of, except in gay men, and I don’t mean that offensively!

“Well, what are we waiting for!” I yelled.

The inside of Barney’s is marvelous. It is simple, yet elegant. The salesladies don’t harass you, but they are always there when you need help. Perfect.

I was browsing through all the designer dresses I couldn’t afford even if I sold my house in a daze, when Alex tapped me on the shoulder.

“Try this one on. I like it.” He looked so damn cute and innocent and the dress was pretty. Not even slutty. It was a silk, teal Diane von Furstenburg cocktail dress and fell just above my knees, and it was strapless with a large silk flower across the neckline, and way prettier than it sounds. It was perfect. I twirled happily around the dressing room and admired myself in the three way mirror. I heard Alex cleared his throat behind me.

“What do you think?” I asked and did a spin and model pose just for him.

“I think you look beautiful.” He said in a choked voice and blushed. I made Alex Gaskarth blush! Ehmawgawd! “I’m going to buy it for you.”

“Alex!” I gasped. “It’s, like, a million dollars! You can’t buy this for me!”

“Cricket,” he laughed. “It’s not a million dollars, and I’m buying it for dinner tonight at Le Bernadin.” Okay, so, Le Bernadin is basically the nicest restaurant on the Upper East Side. I gasped again.

“C’mon, let’s go.” He said and rolled his eyes at how starry-eyed I was getting.

We stepped inside Le Bernadin, and a snooty Maître d’ led us to a secluded corner of the restaurant which was cast in a warm glow from the candles that provided the only light in the restaurant. It was trés romantic. I had butterflies in my stomach. Alex looked exceptionally handsome in his suit (yes, this place was that fancy!), it was so different from his usual attire that I hardly recognized him. When the waiter came with the wine list and Alex ordered the most expensive wine on the list. This was like a real date and I was uber nervous! What if I did something totally embarrassing and stupid and blow my chance with the guy of my dreams?

But things weren’t awkward at all, they were perfect actually. And we made our way back to the Plaza snuggled in the back of the cab. Things were really happening with Alex. When we got to our room I changed into the shorts and t-shirt I did a belly flop on the bed next to Alex who was flipping through the channels.

“If you think I’m sleeping on the couch, then you are sorely mistaken.” I informed him.

“Well, why don’t we share?” he said and rolled on top of me and was just being obnoxious in general.

“Get off!” I shrieked with laughter.

“Never!” he shouted and started tickling me. “Say ‘Alex Gaskarth is the shit and I’m madly in love with him!’”

“No!” I gasped for air I was laughing so hard.

“Say it!”

“Okay! Alex Gaskarth is the shit and I’m madly in love with him!”

“Good answer.” And then he kissed me. A slow, deep, flawless kiss. It was really something. And then we kept kissing and I felt like this is where I was supposed to be for my whole life: wrapped in Alex Gaskarth’s arms. Then, he pulled away from me, I thought he was going to tell me he loved me, but I was so wrong.

“We can’t, I can’t, do this Cricket. I’m sorry.”

“What? But you took me out, and we flirted, and…” I trailed off my eyes filling with tears. How could he do this?

“I’m sorry Cricket, but…it’s complicated.”

“How is it complicated!” I yelled. “Either you like or you don’t! So which is it?” He looked at me and I could see the hurt in his eyes, but I didn’t care, my heart was breaking.

“I don’t like you.”

“GET OUT!” I screamed. “LEAVE! RIGHT NOW!” I chunked a pillow at his retreating back. He dared to look back at me as tears streamed down my face.

“Cricket,” he began, but I cut him off.

“I hate you.”