loverboy

chapter one.

Alec Bradshaw had never really had much going for him. He had himself to blame for that fact, mostly anyway. He had inadequate grades his whole high school career, and got himself into drinking and drugs and all those other life ruining decisions, or so as his parents call them. Having just graduated about two weeks ago barely, he seriously had no idea how he pulled that together, he'd been staying at his parent's house, still up to no good and pissing them off on a daily basis. He went out getting plastered at a different bar every night and when he wasn't in bed all day with a massive hangover he would invite his druggie friends over and get so high he couldn't see straight. It wasn't a stable cycle, he knew that, but he also knew he couldn't amount to much and being a disappointment was easier when he was so inebriated he couldn't think about it. He wasn't counting on today of all days to be the one his parents decide they're not going to put up with it any longer. The same day he'd broken up with his girlfriend, who by pure convenience had also supplied him with all the drugs he ever needed, so that was gone now too. No one had ever really liked her, I mean she had the cold and hardness that a drug dealer typically, so that made her unlikable in most eyes. Alec had never been able to really know if he actually liked her for the person she was, or just for the drugs she supplied. He didn't have to figure that out now, though since she made her choice very clear. And now, here he was standing in front of his parents, tear stained cheeks and blood shot eyes with a bottle of bourbon clutched in one hand as he wobbled back and forth of the heels of his feet as they chewed him out as best as they knew possible.

"Honestly Alec, we're sick of this! Of all of this. I mean you don't even try to clean up your act, and I don't know whether we're more disappointed or angry with you. Angry seems like the easier choice because then I can just yell and I feel like yelling in this moment." Mom said in her 'I'm about to lose my cool, but I'm trying really hard not to' voice. She uses that one a lot, but it usually escalates almost immediately.

"Fine, yell, I don't really care." I said. Her eyes practically bulged out of her head and she stuck her hip out and rested her hand against it in what I was assuming was meant to be an intimidating pose.

"See and that's exactly the problem! You don't care about anyone except yourself and were not dealing with it anymore. Since you can't even be bothered to actually listen to me now, or ever for that matter, maybe you'll hear me when I tell you this, we want you to pack up your stuff and get out of our house by tonight. There's no more chances for this Alec, you blew it." she fumed. It was now my turn to widen my eyes and u blinked rapidly a couple times trying to make sure she really said what I think she just said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You heard me, and I'm serious Alec. If we get back tonight and you're not out, then your father will physically have to throw you out and I'll have to throw all of your stuff out after you and that's such a hassle, you don't want to go there." She said eyeing me one last time before letting out a big puff of breath and turning to dad.

"Well, honey, let's get going. We're going to be late for our reservation." She said cheerfully, clapping her hands together and then grabbing her purse and coat. She threw the front door open disappeared out the door toward the car. In a rush of what I assumed to be adrenaline, no matter how desperate, I got my feet to actually move and ran to the door, throwing my head out into the fresh air and screaming at the top of my lungs, in a raspy, exasperated tone, "You can't do this to me! I have nothing, nothing! You hear me? I'm going to amount to nothing, and it's all your fault! I hope you're happy!" My dad, having still being stuck behind me in the house in my fit of rage, as awkwardly as possible then tries to scoot around my body that has now slumped to the floor and follow mom out to the car without so much as a second glance back in my direction. It was in that finite moment that realization truly washed over me. I had nothing, and really needed to learn how to get something, but the question was how? I guess the first problem to address was packing up all my stuff and finding a new place to live, not that I was given much other choice at this point. I eventually got up and sulked to my room and started throwing stuff into boxes I could then carry out to my car. It didn't take too long, as I realized my possessions consisted of about a couple handfuls of various jeans, t-shirts, underwear, and socks, a couple pairs of shoes, a stack of CDs, and my MacBook which was my one treasured item I hadn't let go to hell yet. After being too stubborn to try and make multiple trips, I stacked all these items on top of each other and carefully tried to make my way out the front door and to my car successfully without dropping anything. This proved to be extremely difficult and I just barely made it without everything toppling over and slamming to the hard concrete. After shutting the passenger door I looked back at the house before me that in a weird way seemed kind of foreign now. Everything looked as though it was unchanged, but I felt so different and not in a good way. I really could have just stopped this whole bad boy jerk vibe I've got going on that seems to piss off every single person I come into contact with, my mother being only one of the many, but it's all I know. Even now, I don't think I'm going to change. I'll still be a jerk, maybe a lovable one though. It's time for me to put this signature charm to good use and work my way into one of my friend's lives on a somewhat permanent basis. As I sat in my car with the heater on low, I scrolled through my contacts list and began dialing each number I thought I had a chance with getting somewhere. Sam, Jennifer, Alex, Lucas, Chris, name after name and in came rolling excuse after excuse. "I have a lot going on right now", "I have two kids to raise, I'm sorry", or my personal favorite "Um, who is this, again?" I knew I didn't do a good job of keeping ties with people, but seriously? No one was willing to help a guy out when he's down. I sighed to myself and was about to give up all together when my phone started buzzing and a name flashed across my screen. Blaze, how could I have forgotten? I answered it and put the phone to my ear.