Lines We Blur

Chapter 9

The next morning as the sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room as Alex awoke to the sound of Alexa's exuberant voice echoing down the stairs.

“Oh my God! Ooooh my God!” she shrieked, sounding like she's skipping down the stairs like the use to do as  kids on Christmas morning.

Curious, Alex threw off the covers and joined her, a smile creeping onto his face despite the sleepy haze still lingering in his mind. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Alexa turned to him, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “Okay, someone woke up in a good mood!” he teased, grinning.

In the kitchen, their mom was busy dishing up breakfast—scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and toast. She glanced over her shoulder at the two of them, raising an eyebrow. “What’s got you so excited?”

“Mom, you won’t believe it! My post is trending on Instagram!” Alexa exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight.

“What does trending mean again?” their mom asked, her voice laced with genuine curiosity.

"It means more people have seen my video than not," Alexa replied, grinning. "And to think, I only hit record because I thought it'd be something embarrassing I could use as blackmail when I needed a favor from you." She said pointing at Alex

“You recorded me?” Alex asked, shocked.

“Yeah, you think I was going to miss out like I did the last time you trended?” Alexa shot back, rolling her eyes playfully at Alex. “It’s only been a couple of hours, but I’m already at 370k views and 200k likes!”

“What? I trended before? When? And what was I doing?” Alex asked, surprised and a bit confused.

“Yes, you did, silly! That day when you fell on your face!” she laughed, the memory clearly tickling her.

“What? How come I don’t know about this?” Alex replied, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“I don’t know, but there were all kinds of edits—it was hilarious!” she said, her laughter echoing around the kitchen.

“Mom, Alexa is being mean!” he protested, playfully glaring at his sister.

“Alexa, stop it and eat so you guys can hurry and get to school on time,” their mom interrupted, her tone gentle yet firm.

As they finished breakfast, the excitement hung in the air like a live wire. Once they arrived at school, however, Alex quickly realized that he was the center of attention. Students bombarded him with questions, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of curiosity and gossip. Even Lily and Mark acted like bodyguards, shielding him from the relentless barrage of inquiries, which he found amusing in the chaotic moment.

“Hey, how’s Miles?” someone called out, while another asked if he’d heard about the latest rumors.

But amidst the chatter, a familiar figure approached their lunch table. Alex’s heart raced when he recognized her—Lana, the tall girl with auburn hair who had shown up as he went skating with Miles weeks back. She seemed determined, pushing through the throng of students, despite Miles’ other friends trying to block her path.

“Is it true?” Lana asked as she reached their table, her expression a mix of curiosity and challenge.

Alex must have looked lost, blinking at her in confusion. “What?” he managed to stammer.

“Everyone’s saying on the internet that you and Miles are dating!” she stated, her voice ringing with conviction.

Shocked, Alex felt his cheeks flush. “What? Who said we were dating?” he asked, trying to process the sudden turn of conversation.

Lana crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. “Well, it’s either that or you have a big crush on him. I mean, no one notices such intimate details about a buddy. So, which one is it? Are you dating or not?”

The question hung in the air, and Alex felt a whirlwind of thoughts racing through his mind. Should he tell the truth? But saying no could sound stalkerish according to what Lana just said. And if he lied, what would happen when Miles woke up? The pressure was suffocating.

“Why are you being so silent?” Lana pressed, a hint of annoyance creeping into her tone. “Do you not know the answer?”

Just then, relief washed over Alex as Lily jumped in. “Or maybe he doesn’t want to tell you because it’s none of your business. It’s wrong to try and out people like that,” she said, her voice steady and protective.

Lana blinked, taken aback by Lily’s defense. After a moment of hesitation, she seemed to realize the weight of her words and turned away, leaving them alone at the table.

As soon as Lana walked off, Alex felt like the walls were closing in on him. The cafeteria buzzed with conversations, but it felt like too much noise, too much pressure. He needed air—fresh air. Without a word, he bolted from the cafeteria, his heart racing as he made his way outside.

Once outside, he took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside him. The crisp air hit his face, grounding him as he leaned against the wall, trying to collect his thoughts. The world felt overwhelming, and for a moment, he closed his eyes, wishing for nothing more than to disappear.

Lily and Mark were the first to find Alex, giving him supportive hugs and tell him not to overthink this. After a few moments, Alexa joined them, looking remorseful. She shifted uncomfortably before speaking.

“Alex, I’m really sorry about the video. I wasn’t thinking when I posted it on my social media. I…I’ll take it down,” she offered, her voice quiet.

Alex shook his head. “How will that help? You said it already had tons of views this morning. I’m sure people have saved it or shared it by now.”

Alexa hesitated, biting her lip before responding. “Yeah, it… it’s actually doing really well,” she admitted. “Almost at a million views…” She tried to force a small smile, attempting to make light of the situation.

But Alex didn’t smile back. He gave a small sigh and looked down, clearly disheartened. “So there’s no point.” He paused, glancing around at his friends. “I just… need some time alone.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, his footsteps heavy as he disappeared down the hallway.