The music was far too loud and just plain bad, really. Alex regretted agreeing to this already.
It was the weekend and Matt had convinced him to come to this party along with Jamie and Nick as well as a few other friends of theirs. Alex only gave in when Miles told him he was planning on going as well.
Matt's idea had been to blow off some steam, especially considering how stressed Alex had been about their upcoming gig.
It wasn't that Alex never went out or didn't enjoy it at all, in the end he was just a teenager who got drunk with his friends every now and again, but these days he wasn't feeling quite himself.
Obviously, that was the exact reason for Matt's suggestion and Alex knew he meant well, he always did, but he still declined at first. He didn't know what he felt like doing lately, but he knew it wasn't being at a social event with too many people he knew but didn't like.
So, there he was standing in a corner, watching his friends having a good time. Miles was dancing with some girl he knew from school but had never really talked to.
Alex had had his eyes on the pair for quite a while now, having debated whether he should go outside for a bit of fresh air all this time. He brought the bottle he was holding to his mouth one more time before finally making up his mind.
Something was upsetting him about this whole situation. Funnily enough, it wasn't what he'd initially thought it would be though. He wasn't exactly enjoying the thing itself but he felt as though he'd been doing alright until he saw Miles chatting up that bird. She was pretty. He wasn't even sure what her name was.
Outside, there were a few other lads who seemed to be getting bored. They were smoking and offered Alex a cigarette, he politely declined as he didn't feel like smoking right now.
He just wanted to stand there, leant against a wall perhaps, staring into the dark and thinking about nothing.
While he did so, Miles had accompanied the girl he had only just enthusiastically spun across the dancefloor with to the bathroom twice. He hadn't actually gone in as there were queues of girls waiting outside already who were annoyed at every person that cut the line covering their mouth hoping to get to the toilet in time.
After making sure she was going to be okay, Miles dove back into the crowd to look for the others, primarily Alex.
He hadn't really talked to him all night and was starting to wonder what he was up to.
He thought about asking Matt, Jamie or Nick if they'd seen him but they looked too occupied and happily so, awkwardly dancing or having seemingly meaningful drunken conversations and he didn't want to kill the mood.
He got the idea that he might find the person he was looking for outside rather quickly, knowing that Alex often enjoyed a little time apart from all the chaos before being able to join back in.
"There you are!" Miles called as he saw Alex outside just like he'd hoped. He looked as if he was cold, only wearing a t-shirt.
It had been rather hot inside the club and it was summer but given the fact that the boy had probably been out here for some time, Miles felt rather worried at the look of him.
Just when Alex turned around to face him, three other lads dropped what was left of their cigarettes to the floor and made their way back inside, leaving Miles and Alex the only ones there.
"Oh, are you free again?" Alex asked.
Miles wasn't sure what he was referring to.
"That bird, I mean. Is she not around anymore?" Alex further explained.
There was an undertone to his voice that was usually not to be found in it and Miles thought it rather strange.
Had Alex seen him with her? He hadn't even noticed.
"No, she is, she's just not so well at the moment."
Alex gave a nod signalling he understood what Miles had tried to tell him without getting too detailed.
"Aren't you cold?" Miles asked, already feeling chilly himself.
Alex shook his head. "I'm good."
Miles was pretty sure he wasn't, he still looked as if he was freezing but decided not to comment any further on it.
Alex seemed off, annoyed almost. Miles started to wonder whether he'd done something wrong because this kind of attitude was rare.
YOU ARE READING
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Fanfiction"Perhaps it was the night, he thought, and that beautifully strange silence about it. Perhaps it was the air. There was something about the air. Or in it." (Milex Highschool AU) Alex and Miles have been friends for almost a year now, ever since Mi...
