Under the Disguise

chapter four | football is not for the faint hearted

Alex is nothing if not someone who keeps his word. He showed up at my door at the crack of dawn – which is basically 9 in the morning, banging on the door while screaming my name. He wouldn't leave until I had finally gotten out of my bed and opened the door after five minutes of hearing him screaming my name. The minute I opened the door he stepped back with his hands formed in a fist raised midair and gave me his trademark smirk while I wiped my bleary eyes and ran a hand through the wig I had put on in a rush.

I just stared at him with an ever-growing scowl on my face.

"Who do you think you are," I stated

"Well I'm-"

"You know what don't answer that" I interrupted. I knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Anyway," he started suddenly seeming sheepish as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and traced the gravel beneath his feet while looking down. His mess of brown curls lay atop his forehead and I finally registered after the haze of sleep had disappeared from around my eyes that he was wearing a Manchester United football jersey and shorts along with cleats making my irritation further intensify.

"You did not just wake me up for a stupid football game" I all but shouted

"Oh, c'mon Bella, you will have so much fun and my mom made her world-famous pancakes for you" He pleaded.

My stomach seemed to really like the idea and the nod I gave him made him send me a smug smirk in return. He seemed to have found my weakness: cooking, and I know this boy will milk it for as long as he can.

"Come inside, while I get ready and then we can just go to your house from the beachside" I said while turning to enter the house and go up to my room.

The sound of the tv greeted me with Alex sprawled all over the couch as I descended downstairs after a quick shower and dressed up in a white summer dress. The minute he heard me, he got up and started to walk towards the back porch but abruptly stopped and turned around to look at me.

"Where are your parents," he asked

I was expecting that to be asked sooner or later but it still felt like I had been kicked in the gut and all the air had left me. I stared at my finger twisting my ring around it as I was finally able to steel myself and say, "They're not here."  I couldn't lie about them.

"Oh ok, if it ever gets lonely when they are not around, you can always come to my house, my mom loves you" he offered with a genuine smile across his face, his dimples coming out.

"Thank you, Alex."

"It's no problem Bella" He replied, and then thrust his hand into the air and ran to his back porch while shouting, "Now, it's time to crush my father"

All his father did in reply was pass the football to him which he tried to grab but fell in the sand from my backyard porch steps which lead the three of us to burst into laughter at the sight of him standing up to go get the ball that had rolled a few feet away from him.

Mrs. Rivers wasn't lying when she said the both of them were truly terrible at the sport but what they lacked in skills they made up for in enthusiasm which was mostly them flapping around in the sand, getting up and doing it all over again. My grimace seemed to convey all of my thoughts as Mrs. Rivers just gave me a knowing smile and stacked yet another pancake onto my growing pile of them as I drenched them with maple syrup, whipped cream, peanut butter, chocolate syrup and strawberries.

"You know this will go on for hours if we don't stop them or we could take a video of them and send it to all the tabloids we know of to become instant millionaires, what do you think, I can already see the headlines 'ALEX RIVERS HOLLYWOODS PROCLAIMED BAD BOY A FOOTBALL NOOB? MAYBE HE'S NOT PERFECT ANYMORE.' Or something else along those lines." She held up a hand over her mouth as if we were both sharing a secret but she said it so loud I knew it was meant to be heard by the boys but the conspirational grin and tone of her voice made my smile widen as I replied.

"Would my phone do or should we use a camera"

"Phone will do"

But before I could start recording Alex suddenly appeared with a none too pleased expression on his face as he regarded us carefully and snatched my phone out of my hand, "None of that is happening." He tried to sound stern but the twitch of his mouth was too evident and we knew he found the tactic we had used to stop them playing funny.

Mr. Rivers in the back threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, "I win, you left the game, I told you I was the better one out of the two of us"

A small laugh bubbled out of me at the sight of Alex's expression, "Oh shut it, old man, you know I'm better but it's already 11 am and I promised Bella I would take her to some of the spots in the town"

"You did?" I questioned

"Yeah I did, now let me go get ready really quick, wait here," as soon as he finished his statement he was inside running to get ready while Mr.Rivers walked leisurely towards his wife and gave her a quick kiss.

"That kid will never learn will he"

All Mrs. River's replied with was a smile as if they were sharing some inside joke, resting her head on top of her husbands shoulder while his hand reached up to pull her in further into his side.

I knew they were that couple, the one everyone despised because they were so happy with each other, but the thought settled something inside me. Love was all around and it was still there, Logan was nothing to me now, I just had to find the right person and with that thought I knew coming to Springsburg was my best idea yet because otherwise I would never have met these two amazing people and they are already becoming two of the most important people to me.

Alex's shout of my name made me turn my head towards him as he stood beckoning me towards him with his right hand while the other twirled the car keys around his finger. The silver rings he wore catching the rays of the sun on them.

I stood up with excitement bubbling inside of me and quickly walked towards Alex who was already heading towards the door. "Have fun kids," the couple shouted from their perch before the oakwood door shut with a bang.

The sleek vintage car with it's top down seemed like an anomaly in the bright day with the expensive rustic beachfront houses surrounding it. It was a sight to see and I knew this car was something that Alex loved.

The sun was beating down on us and the wind blew our hair back. My head was tipped up, no thoughts taking up my mind as I squinted up at the trees, the birds and houses that seemed to pass us in a rush. The music was blaring from the radio as Alex let out a low laugh staring momentarily at me. The blinding smile I wore seeming to daze him for a second before he concentrated on the empty road again.

Closing my eyes I savored this feeling that was so new to me. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore. The humid air which carried the smell of sea-salt which was inescapable out here. The sound of the carefree laugh I let out mixed with the latest pop songs. My hands held out and my head tipped back. My smile not leaving my face anytime soon and the feel of Alex's eyes on me when he looked over every few seconds.

All too soon the car stopped to a halt and we stepped out. I was staring at a small ice cream parlor. The sliding doors opened to reveal lilac walls covered with pictures of couples standing next to an old women with different ice cream cones held in their hands as they beamed at the camera. The old women had an expression of extreme content and fondness in each of them her grey hair fluffed to her shoulders and her eyes crinkled with the years of smiling and happiness catching up to her. Each frame had a torn piece of paper with a date written on it placed on the bottom right corner. There were circular tables placed around the room with couches surrounding it and not a single soul was visible until I caught sight of the same old lady giving us a huge smile and a look on her face that seemed to say she knew everything about us and could see right through us.

"Welcome to Mama J's"