More Than Friends?

~Chapter Four: Hanging Out With Alex~

I wake up one morning to my cat pawing and hissing at me. "Stop, Andrew." I mumble, and surprisingly he does then my dad starts yelling at me. "ALICE THERES A BOY HERE, SAYS HE KNOWS YOU!" I get out of bed and walk down the hall. "Who is he?" I say, as I continue walking down the hall. I reach the end of the hall and my dad makes a head motion towards the door. I peer around my dad to see. Alex! He's the most popular guy in school. So, I don't know why he wants to hang out with me but, then again, we were best friends in second grade. "Okay, give me a minute." I say as I start making my way towards my room. I quickly get dressed and do my makeup. (( http://www.polyvore.com/m/set?.embedder=13677775&.svc=copypaste&id=150662543 )) Then I start walking back towards my dad and Alex. I reach the front door and walk out. "What do you plan on doing with her?" My dad says irritably. "I was just going to hang out with her sir." Alex responds. "Okay, whatever. Keep her for all I care." My dad says. He then shuts the door and bolts it. "Well, looks like I'm getting in thought the window tonight." I say. Alex turns around. "He's a prick." He says clearly annoyed with my father. "Agreed." I say as we start heading towards his truck. I climb in the passenger side as he gets in the driver's seat. He pulls away and starts driving. "So why are you hanging out with me?" I ask quizzically. "Because, you're my best friend, and you have been since second grade. In fact, I was going to call you the other day." Alex says. "Okie,
so where are we going?" I ask. "Hottopic." He says cheerfully. "Okie~!" I reply. "Alex looks over to me for a second then looks back to the road. "Do you have the song MNSTR by Cr-" I cut him off. "Crown The Empire! Hell yeah I do!" I say as I put the song off. "Damn, calm down chippy." Alex says. We both start singing along to the song. After several Crown The Empire songs pass, we arrive at the mall. We hop out of the car and practically dash into the mall to get to Hottopic. We buy almost every piece of band merch we see then leave. We head towards the food court and we set the bags down at a table. I sit down and Alex looks to me. "Do you want anything to eat?" I look down. "No thanks." I mumble. Alex sits down beside me. "Come on Alice, are you sure you don't want anything." He says questionably. "I'm sure Alex. I don't want to eat." I mumble. "Alice, why won't you eat? Do ever eat?" He asks worriedly. "I just, I don't want food. And yes, I eat. Sometimes.." I mumble back in response. "What do you mean sometimes?" Alex says as he looks down. "I eat about 3 cheese sticks every month. That's what I mean." I say as I look up to Alex. "God damn Alice, you have to eat." Alex says as his eyes meet mine. With that he gets up and goes to Charlie's Grilled Subs. He shortly returns with a kids meal and a cup of water. "Could you please eat this?" he says as he sits down beside me again. "I don't know.." I mumble. "Please Alice, I'll split it with you, and I won't eat until you do." With his threat on the line I grab a chicken finger and nibble on it. "Thank you..." He says as he picks up a chicken finger and eats it. Suddenly Stacy and the rest of her gang walk past us but, as they do Stacy whispers to the rest of them. "Is Alex actually sitting with that fat little emo whore?!" Hearing her remark I get up and run to the restroom. I lock myself in a stall -or I think I think I lock it- and I take the razor in my pocket out. I begin making cuts across my arm and I cut deeper and deeper each time. I even begin counting them. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. That's when I hear a chair rub against the ground and Alex begins yelling at Stacy. "You bitch! She's my best friend! How fucking dare you!" He comes running into the ladies restroom and begins yelling, "Alice! Alice!" He bangs his head against the door to the stall I'm in and it opens. I quickly put my razor away, and I push my sleeve down. "Alice what're you doing?!" Alex screams in terror as the blood from my cuts seeps through my sweater. "Nothing." I mumble. He grabs my arm and pushes my sleeve up. I face the other way and try to hide my face. Alex stands there staring at my cuts. Then he does something unexpected. He kisses them then quotes Pierce The Veil. "I still think you're beautiful, and I don't ever want to lose my best friend." He takes my razor and rolls up my sleeve. On his arm there are already millions of scars and some newer looking cuts. "This is what it does to you Alice. This is what it does. I don't won't you to end up looking like me." He says as he grabs my hand. We walk out of the mall and get in his truck. Alex drives me home but like last night, I am abused once more.