4-to-1

Nine - Overslept

Lexi

"Lexi?" The masculine voice mixed with the loud knocking at my door woke me up. "Lex?"

That was Declan. He was the only one who ever called me 'Lex' when we were little, choosing the mimic me shortening his own to 'Dex.' Asher, like a good older brother, naturally began to tease us about how our rhyming nicknames meant we would end up together.

God, I had hated Asher for joking like that. I had such a big crush on him at the time.

Conversely, Declan had always seemed unfazed by it.

"Yeah, Declan, I'm up now," I yawned, and threw off my covers.

"K, cool....wait. Did you just get up? Lexi it's already 7:15!"

"Wait...WHAT?!" I reached for my phone and saw it was completely dead. I threw my covers up, rushed to the door, and yanked it open. At the last moment I remembered my shirt didn't fully cover my bruises, and hid my arm behind the door, hoping Dex hadn't glimpsed it.

"Phone," I demanded, then realized he was already holding it towards me, showing me the time.

"Shit! I overslept. My phone is dead, so I missed my alarm."

"You didn't plug it in when you went to bed?"

"I thought I had, but I must have been too tired at that point to make sure."

"Damn. Okay, I'll let the guys know, but you need to get ready quick."

"Yeah. I'll get ready and head down in 5 minutes, 10 at the most. Asher has a charger in the car, right?"

"Yup, he has one in each row."

Figures. He may be the most prepared teenager I know.

I was thankful for that right now, of course.

"Okay, great. I be down soon," I said as I shut the door and bolted for the bathroom.

I didn't have time to shower, but allowed myself a quick wash at the sink.

Luckily, I didn't need to wash my hair just yet, so simply gathered it into a messy bun, finished whatever else I needed to do, then rushed to my closet. I didn't have time to be overly picky, so I put on clean underwear and the first pair of shorts I could find. I did a quick scan of my shirts and found a red and white floral one with loose sleeves that fell just below my elbows.

I grabbed a pair of shoes and socks to put on in the car, tucked my phone in my pocket, and rushed down the stairs to grab my bag out of the family room.

Maybe I can swing by the kitchen for a water on my wait out; I'll have to try to find something to eat at break.

Asher was waiting by the door with an expression that conveyed understanding, but that he was more than ready to go.

I decided the water could wait and made my way out the door, mumbling a "sorry" as I passed. Once in the car, I plugged my phone into the nearest charger, then looked up to see Declan holding a breakfast sandwich in one hand and a to-go cup in the other. Both were being held in my direction.

"For me?"

"Yup."

I grinned at him, thrilled by the offering. "Thank you so much. These are really good, and exactly what I was needing."

He smiled back at me. "You should thank Asher. He's the one who makes the sandwiches. I merely prepared the drink as told."

"Really?" I asked, my eyes shifting to the rear view mirror and finding Asher's eyes looking back. "Thank you."

He nodded his head. "You're welcome. Now eat up, and finish getting ready." There was a bit of humor in his last words.
I blushed and looked down at my bare feet.

"Oh right. I'll put those on in a moment." I chuckled, then bit into my sandwich. I practically moaned as the flavor filled my mouth.

Declan

I was a little surprised by how calm Asher was right now. He very much prefers to be at school about 15 minutes, or more, before the first bell rang, and we were barely going to get there before the second bell.

When I told him what was taking Lexi so long, he huffed out a "Fine," then went straight into the kitchen to make her a breakfast sandwich. The rest of us had already eaten of course, but Lexi wasn't going to have time, unless it was in the car on the way.....or at break. That was a couple hours away, and despite everything that had transpired between us all, Asher wasn't okay with Lexi skip breakfast.

Not when he could easily make her something in the time it would take her to get ready.

Seeing the satisfied look on Lexi's face as she ate the sandwich, I was equally grateful to him for making it for her.

Unlike the others, I had been covertly keeping an eye on Lexi over the years, despite the abyss of negativity that had developed between her and us. It was something my mom had instilled in me, to always look out for those connected to me or my family, regardless of my own personal feelings.

I wasn't really the one who had a grudge against her anyway. It had hurt when she walked away from the friendship between us all, but I realized when I got a little older that there was more going on than I was aware of.

So I continued to try to reach out to her when I could, and I kept an eye on her when I couldn't. That's why I knew there was more going on with her than any of us realized, though I was struggling to figure out just what that more was. What I did know, however, was that Lexi, who used to always have a smile in place, never seemed to wear one anymore.

That meant something, or someone, had coaxed her into those smiles yesterday.

I suspect Asher was responsible in some way. The show of teeth had begun after he gave her a ride to school.

It also meant I knew how meaningful the smile she bestowed on both him and I this morning had been.

She caught me watching her, and mumbled out "Sorry, did I miss something you said?" It was adorably followed by a soft infusion of pink on her cheeks, as though she was embarrassed.

I grinned at her but shook my head. "Nah, I was just amused by how much you seem to enjoy the food."

The blush intensified before she looked away.

"It's safe to say I've eaten better each day I've ridden with you guys than I have been lately. I usually just grab a banana or muffin on my way to the bus stop, when there's time."

I smiled at the soft humor in her voice, but was concerned by her words. Before I could comment, both our heads popped up at the sound from the driver's seat.

Did Asher just growl?

I knew he wasn't fond of her these days, so Asher's reaction to her claim was a bit surprising. Evidently, he was equally bothered by the fact Lexi might not be eating breakfast each morning while staying with us.

Or, not enough food in general. She has told us several nights this week that she had already eaten dinner in her room.

I continued to look towards the front, while watching Lexi from the corner of my eye. I didn't want to make her feel more uncomfortable by making her feel like I was staring, but wanted to make sure she finished the sandwich.

When she put the last bite in her mouth, she quickly slipped her shoes on as the car pulled into the parking lot. Once we were parked, I helped Lexi out of the suv and we hustled our butts to our respective classes. She and I didn't have the same classes, but my first one was not far from hers, so I went ahead and walked alongside her.

'Walk' is an understatement, as we are practically running.

I paused in front of her class as she hesitated to enter the room. Her mood had also deflated, so I glanced in, expecting there to be no seats left or something. I saw there was one spot open in the back, right in front of Gloria, so I shrugged, and continued to my class. I got to there just before the final bell rang.

Not sure what caused her reluctance there, but I'm sure she'll be fine.