Disaster • Arctic Monkeys Fanfiction

[fifty one]

Indi's POV

By the time we made it back to my party, I was already done with everything.

I was done with this night, with this party, and especially done with Alex.

He'd only been back in my life for less than twenty minutes, and he'd already messed the whole night up. And now all my friends were on their way to police station with him instead of partying with me.

Okay maybe he couldn't helped that he was mugged, but still.

"Can we ditch?" I said to Jude right before we made it to the doors. "I'm not really in the mood anymore."

"It's your party," he laughed. "And it's still your birthday for another twenty minutes. So we can do anything you want."

"Let's just go home," I said. "But we have to pick up Taco Bell on the way."

He smiled at me. "Sure."

We headed down the block where he'd parked his car, neither of us saying anything. My mind was spinning from everything that had happened, and I was completely spaced out. So spaced out that I missed half of something Jude had said.

"Huh?" I asked him, just as we reached his car.

He unlocked it and opened the door for me. "Oh, I was just asking you about Alex Turner."

Great. Just what I needed.

"I didn't know that you knew him," he said as I climbed in. "When Matt and Rose talk about him, you never say anything, so I guess I assumed that you're like the rest of us and haven't met him."

"I barely know him," I lied.

"It seemed like the two of you were well acquainted."

I sighed, frustrated. "We've hung out a few times around Matt and Rose. But, if I'm honest, I don't really like him."

"So then the media is right about him?" he asked.

"What?"

"Well I was reading this thing the other day that said he's an asshole to his fans," he said. "They also said he's a player, and that he's super pretentious now that they've blown up. I saw some pictures of him from the band's younger years, and he's changed a lot. He kind of looks like a douche now."

Subtle anger burned within me, sitting there listening to someone who didn't know Alex at all tell me about him. As if Jude of all people could tell me Alex was an asshole.

"It's not like that," I said, unable to help myself. "Alex isn't... I mean, sometimes he's an asshole. But he's good to his fans. He isn't even pretentious. He's quite shy, sometimes, really. He doesn't think very highly of himself at points."

Jude stared at me, and all at once I felt like a complete fucking idiot. Why was I defending somebody like him?

"But they're right about him being a player," I said, settling back into my seat. "So enjoy the novelty that is Alex Turner while you can, because I can guarantee you he'll be gone by tomorrow."

Jude only shrugged and shut my door. We took off, and I spent the rest of the ride perplexed at just how fast everything could change, and wondering what the hell was going to happen next.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Everyone was already at the apartment by the time Jude and I got home. We would have gotten there sooner, but I made him take the long way home.

I told him I just wanted time to eat my Taco Bell, but the truth was that I was putting off going home because I knew sooner or later they would be there.

He would be there.

And I wasn't ready for that.

I could hear their voices from the hall as we approached my door. I took a deep breath, ready to open it, but Jude stopped me right before I could.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on my arm. "Wait a second."

"What's up?"

He turned me so that I was facing him. "I never got to finish what I was telling you in the club."

"Oh." Crap.

"Indi," he said, smiling a little nervously. "We've been friends for a long time now..."

"And?"

"Well," he continued. "Ever since I broke up with Rachel, I dunno, I guess I don't really see you as a friend anymore."

"Then what do you see me as?" I asked him, trying to play it off. "A brother?"

He laughed, rolling his eyes. "No, Indi..."

Then before I knew what was happening he put his hands on my shoulder and pulled me toward him slowly. And I, in all my naiveness, thought he was just pulling me in for a hug.

It wasn't until his lips were millimeters from mine that I realized what was happening.

It was so fast that I didn't even have time to tell him no.

I mean, I liked Jude, but he was Jude. There couldn't be anything between us even if I wanted there to be.

But before his lips could touch mine, the door opened. I jumped back, my head jerking toward the door.

It was Alex.

Of course it was Alex.

His eyes flicked back and forth between Jude and I, his expression a mixture of shock and amusement.

"Am I interrupting something?" he mused.

I said "no" at the same time that Jude said "yes".

"Well," Alex said, his eyebrows drawing together. "You should go talk to Rose, disaster girl."

Jude looked at me strangely. "Did he just call you-"

"It's a long story," I shot out, accidentally directing my anger for Alex at Jude.

Jude held his hands up in surrender and I crossed my arms defiantly at Alex. "Why do I need to talk to Rose?"

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly at this. "Because you probably don't want to hear the news from me."