Rumored Nights

When Monday dawned Alice woke up with a smile, after of course she rolled out of bed and hit the icy wooden floor.

But with a sore arm she walked to school, the cold seeping through her jacket merely energizing her than leaving her teeth chattering like her friends.

They were huddled up but happy to see her so happy.

"S-so I t-take it y-y-your weekend went w-well?" Skye asked in Max's arms, looking just as frozen.

Alice laughed at their pale expressions. "Trying to ask about Mike?"

Skye nodded profusely while Melanie grinned.

"I already heard about it from Mike." She gloated, causing Skye's jaw to drop, greatly risking it shattering in this cold.

Grinning Alice spoke up. "So you already heard about our hot sex at his place?"

Jesse was quick to move, pressing Sisky and Liz's heads together with a hand over each their ears while Melanie's jaw dropped.

"There are children present!" He exclaimed, in a clear mothering manner as he pressed their heads to his chest, oblivious of their struggles.

Liz finally managed to break free, kicking him in his shin.

"I've heard you say worse. What was that about Sarah? She was the best fuck you'd ever-"

She was cut off by Jesse hand now over her mouth.

Alice enjoyed watching her friends antics, knowing in a few month's time she'd be graduating and they would never be in a moment like this again.

The bell rang, stopping her from her bittersweet musings as everyone stampeded inside for warmth, never wanting to be inside the school walls more.

Alice spent the day in daydreams.

For so long she had spent her time stressed and unhappy, constant worries tying her in knots on the inside.

Now in the course of a weekend that had all changed.

With the meeting of Mike her life had made a three sixty turn, the falling domino.

Being with him, thinking of him, helped her replace thoughts of William with happier feelings, laying a good mental foundation.

Teachers were used to a despondent, jaded Alice, the kind she had been since the beginning of the year.

To see her smiling and daydreaming left them stunned, a mix of curiosity and surprise.

That was how Alice spent her day, enjoying every second of her blissful mood.

When lunch came around Alice, Melanie, and Jesse went off campus, sneaking their lowerclassmen friends Skye, Liz, and Sisky with them, leaving Max to make-up a test.

They ended up at the Mexican restaurant down the street, laughing over a shared table of chips, queso, and quesadillas.

"It wasn't me! Gavin was the one throwing pistachios at people from the car!" Sisky defended, dipping a chip in the queso. "I blame Melanie for taking us to see them Friday."

Melanie scoffed, making a grab for the quesadilla Jesse was attempting to eat. "You're just mad they bungee corded you to the trunk door."

Sisky attempted to defend his argument but it was in vain, be outranked in both age and weight.

Eventually though, their lunch hour was up and they walked back to school, Alice getting a piggyback ride from Jesse and racing the others back.

For the last two periods after that Alice replayed those moments in her memory, where the sun shining high in the clear blue sky took off the bitter edge of the cold.

How it's light turned everything bright, each strand of her long hair standing out golden as it whipped out in front of her in the breeze.

As the afternoon passed by Alice sank into future plans, her thoughts heading into next week where she'd see her brother and Caroline, spending the most time together as a family then they'd had in a long time.

When the bell finally rang and they were freed from their classes and let loose upon the wary streets, Alice was happy to see Melanie and Max waiting for her by the door, grinning and waving like idiots even when they were three feet apart.

"Darling, we have come as your escorts." Max exclaimed with a flourish, both of them outstretching their arms to her, linking elbows before she replied.

As they left through the main doors Alice was a fit of giggles, her untraceable laughter mingled infectiously with her two companions still connected by the arms.

From there they rejoined their usual group of friends, loitering in the front courtyard as if they had nothing better to do than while away time laughing with their friends.

And for a while they did just that, joking and laughing with each other.

Alice was even more overjoyed when she heard Melanie squeal, looking toward the street parking.

Silhouetted against the falling sun was Mike's figure walking toward them.

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked, shielding her eyes with her hand.

Mike shrugged, grinning. "Thought I'd check up on you, since you never called back after I dropped you off."

"Things are great." She smiled. "Kind of thanks to you."

Mike blushed, though that could've been because of Melanie throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

His comforting words from that Friday night came back, how he could empathize with her inability to tell William anything, how he was in the same situation.

It became clearer just by looking at their more than friends hug.

When they finally pulled apart only Mike could see Alice's wondering expression, her glance between them both in an unspoken question.

Blush deepening, Mike quickly looked away, causing Alice to let out a short laugh of surprise.

Mike liked Melanie.

He shook his head with a panicked expression, hoping and praying she wouldn't give him away.

Mike was a man of action, and seeing her surprise written point blank on her face he did the only thing he could do to take away his risk, by throwing her over his shoulder.

"Mike! Nooo! Melanie! Skye! Someone!" Alice cried, though as he spun her it all kind of melted into one loud squeal.

Eventually they turned into giggles and Alice outstretched her arms, feeling the wind flowing around her.

With her eyes open everything spun by in a blur, people's faces blending into one color.

All except one.

Either from the impact he'd had on her emotionally, or simply because she focused on his face among others like a ballerina twirling, Alice saw William.

Despite the blonde blur on his arm, William's total focus was on Alice, or more importantly Alice with Mike.

Once Mike finally stopped spinning he set her down, both of them wobbling slightly on their feet, though Alice made no attempt to hide her blatant stare toward Bill.

He didn't either, though shared his gaze between both Alice and Mike, confused more on the latter.

Mike seemed equally puzzled, though his surprise won out as he made the connection between Alice and William.

"Alice that's... he's not... don't tell me that William is your idiot William?"

Confusion was infectious between the trio as Bill left Avery's side to walk over to the other two, the first time in almost a month that he had acknowleged Alice's presence.

Almost.

"Mike... what are you doing here?" He asked, ignoring Alice.

Defensively, or protectively, he put his arm around Alice's shoulder, looking William dead in the eye.

"I came to see Alice. I wanted to make sure she was okay after I dropped her off Saturday."
William nodded, looking off in thought.

"Yeah I heard about that... you, uh, both went back to Mike's place... in the middle of the night." He muttered, his gaze nervous.

Alice however, forgot everything they had going on at his reply.

"How do you know that?" She asked in more of a demand.

Shrugging, William replied. "Small town on a Friday night, walking around with the member of a local band... rumors spread in case you haven't noticed."

Alice hadn't noticed, spending the whole of the entire day wrapped in her own happy bubble.

Feeling the rose colored glasses fall from her eyes, Alice could see the looks the still lingering students sent her and Mike, like suburban housewives with wagging tongues.

Her realization fueled on her confidence, no longer shirking back in her emotions but standing for herself.

"You're one to talk about rumored nights William. Maybe you didn't think I'd heard about yours," She replied shortly, nodding behind him. "With her."

For a moment William saw past her guarded expression, saw the pain, the hurt, and the anger all directed toward him.

He backed off, glancing away.

The feelings that she had been drowning in since this all started formed words that felt like both a relief and a knife, but needed to be said regardless.

"You're an asshole William."