He Loves Me Not *Under Editing*

Just go.

I stood there tapping my foot with my arms crossed.  How was I going to present this?  I took in a lot of air and began, "Okay, what is the deal with you two?"

They started talking at the same time.  I heard, "He doesn't care that I love you and everyone else doesn't think it'll work since the ninth grade but I was too scared to fuck around."

"Okay, one at a time, I just got a ton of jumbled phrases out of this.  Alex, why are you mad at Jake?"

"He thinks he loves you, and he doesn't.  Ever since he saw you at lunch, he's been trying to get with you and that pisses me off.  I love you and I am not letting anything take you away from me."

"Okay, Jake, your turn."

"I haven't been trying to get with you since that day at lunch.  It has been since the ninth grade.  At least I had the common courtesy to ask you how you were feeling instead of dumping you with your friend and forcing you to participate in something you had no desire to do.  I do love you Cydney."

"Okay, you had three years to ask me out, just saying."

"I tried."

"When?"

"Sophmore year, I left a note in your locker."

"Well, it didn't have a name."  He looked down in defeat and Alex had the look of triumph on his face.

"Not so fast jackass.  He was right, you never did ask me if I was okay.  You only care about me when it's convenient for you.  Then, right after it happened, you force me into a field and try to get me to put crosses in their name, who does that?"

"Can we talk about this later?"

"This is what I mean. But fine."  Jake looked up and muttered something that made my boyfriend (I think) grow beet red and jump up.  He bumped into me and I lost my balance.  I stayed on the ground while he grabbed Jake by the shirt and lifted him off the bed.

"Take it back."

"What are you going to do?  Hurt her more than she already has been around you?"

I heard a sickening crunch come from Jake's nose.  He didn't hit back, but instead, just let Alex pummel him.  I'd had enough of this.  I sat up to tell them to stop when my head hit the desk and I groaned.  Jake shoved him roughly away and knelt by me.  He examined my head for any cuts before she saw the trickle down the side of my face.  He threw off his shirt and pressed it to my head.  I never knew that he was so muscular.  Damn, he was stronger than Alex, so why didn't he hit him?  

I replaced his hand with mine and stood up.  He acted like my crutch until I wasn't wobbling.  I looked at his face and saw blood oozing from his nose.  I could feel that the bleeding on my head had stopped so I removed his shirt and pressed it under his nose.  He gave me a smirk that was sort of hot and took the shirt from me.

Alex had now gotten up from Jake shoving him and made his way over to me.  His eyes widened at the sight of his enemy shirtless.  I think he realized that he let him pummel Jake.  I could feel the blood dripping down my face again and took my shirt off without thinking.  I pressed it back to my head like Jake did as Alex shoved my chest against his.  I still had my bra on for christ's sake.  I pushed Alex back and walked out of the room.

I was heading out the door as Laurie came back downstairs.  "Next time, don't let him in."

"What happened, and why are you shirtless?"

"Alex happened."

"Honestly, I never thought he was so protective."  I rolled my eyes and threw open the door.

His truck was parked in the driveway but the door was locked.  I leaned against the passenger door and waited for him to come out.  Neighbors gave me disapproving looks at the fact I was shirtless in public.  A few minutes later, Alex came out and unlocked the car.  I got in, nearly sitting on the boxes in the seat.  It smelled heavenly, but I wasn't in the mood.

I moved the boxes between my feet when he got in the car.  "I thought we could've had dinner tonight, so I got chicken alfredo from Dino's."

"Just take me home."

"Cyd, I know you're mad at me, but please hear me out."

"Do I have another choice?"

"No, but Cyd, I know how you feel-"

"Oh you do Alex?  You had your children die inside of you?  You had a boyfriend force you to remember that it was your body that killed them by drugging you then driving you to a field?  You had a boyfriend not even ask if you needed to talk at the least then beat up the only person other than her best friend that cared?"

"Well, no but-"

"No, you didn't.  There is no but.  Food isn't going to make up for this.  I'm done Alex.  Just take me home.  You have no idea how I feel.  You have NO idea."

"Cyd..."

"Shut up."  He started the car and drove me home.  

"Cyd, we shouldn't leave things like this."

"And murderers shouldn't kill people, but shit happens."  I got out and stomped into the house still half dressed. 

As usual, my parents were in the den watching TV, but they knew it was me.  "How are your three babies doing?"

"Two of them are dead."  I kept walking until I got to the liquor cabinet.  There was a bottle of tequila that only had a few ounces missing.  I grabbed it and went to my room.  Getting shit-faced was the best idea anyone had all day.  Before I could break into the bottle, my mom came in.

"Do you want to talk?"

"No, I just want to get drunk right now."

"Okay, just don't leave the house, I'm here if you need to talk."  She shut the door and left.  Probably the only mother in the world that wouldn't fight me over having a drink or ten.

I spun open the top and lifted the heavy bottle to my lips.  It was cool as the nectar tasting liquid rushed down my throat and made my body warm.  This was way better than beer.  I sat there swallowing the tequila until I needed air.  I could feel myself grow dizzy and took a break until I sobered up to the point where I could see the room without it spinning.  As I had another makeout session with the bottle, I suddenly grew the brown bottle courage to text Alex.

You are such an asshole because Dora doesn't speak a lot of Spanish.  Don't talk to me until you grow a pair of vaginas dickwad!

I felt an immense satisfaction as it sent.  I continued to drink half the bottle before I fell asleep.