These Scars

Chapter Seventeen

"You're not sitting there and reading that book when I'm in here." Alexander says beside me.

"I'll do what I want." I retort, flipping the page.

"No. You've read too far ahead and now I can't read over your shoulder. It's not fair." He pouts. I turn my head to look at him, his lip poking out like a child who didn't get their way.

"Poor you." I say with a smile.

"Yeah, really." He says, rising to his feet. Without my consent, he picks me up off the bed. I smack his chest and yell at him to put me down. My book falls open-paged to the bed.

He sets me on my feet and I grimace at the weight I have to put on my foot. It's gotten better since yesterday and I was able to walk around without the crutches. It still hurts though.

"Get dressed and meet me in the lobby." He tells me.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Because I said so." He smirks before walking out of my door.

I groan and rummage through my drawers, pulling out a pair of jeans. I keep the same tee on and just change out of the sweatpants. I make my hair a little neater before limping down to meet Alexander in the lobby.

He stands against the main counter and grins when he sees me. I cross my arms as I approach him. "What do you want?"

"We're going to that good pizza place around the block. Come on." He tells me.

"I'm not even hungry." I say.

"That's too bad." He says with a smirk. "You're not going to make me get pizza by myself, are you?"

I sigh and glare at him. He straightens up and moves closer, returning the glare at me. All of a sudden, he tickles my side. I let out a childlike giggle and push his hand away. I guess I don't have a choice on whether or not I go to the pizza place with him.

We walk out the lobby, my foot making our pace slow. The place is just around the block but it's going to take forever with my pace.

Alexander groans and stops walking. He bends over slightly as if he's looking at something on the ground except there's nothing there. I raise my eyebrow at him and he turns his head slightly.

He huffs out air as if I was supposed to understand. "You're limping too slow. Get on."

"What?" I ask.

"Ever heard of a piggyback ride?" He asks with a smirk.

"Alexander, there are people around. No." I say.

"So what? Come on or we're going back." He threatens.

"That's fine with me." I say. "I didn't want pizza anyways."

"Get on my back now." He says.

"No."

"Now!" He nearly yells. His grin is so big that it almost seems fake. People are starting to look at us like we're crazy or something.

"Fine." I snap at him. I walk behind him, hooking my arms around his neck. He hoists me up by holding on to the backs of my knees.

So he walks like that all the way to the pizza place. We get weird looks the whole way. Since Asheville isn't very big, there are no fans screaming our names or chasing after us. Even if there are fans around, they aren't causing attention. I don't blame them. Alexander might force them to accept his piggyback ride too.

He sets me down in front of the restaurant and we both walk in. Alexander goes up to the counter to order while I sit at a table by the window. Alexander then comes back with our order ticket.