cancer; female!malec au

chapter four

When Maggie woke up and remembered what had happened, a slight smile stretched on her features, her eyes falling upon Alex's sleeping face. She let her eyes linger, watching the image unravel before her eyes. She watched her pupils dart around her closed eyelids, the tips of her curled eyelashes twitching lightly, her black glasses on her chest.

Maggie checked the time on her phone, seeing that they had half an hour before school started. She leaned over and lightly shook Alex awake, watching the life filling her eyes again as her eyelids gently pried apart. Alex almost seemed embarrassed when she woke up, sheepishly rubbing at her eyes and asking what time it was. 

 "8:10; we have to be at school soon and I can hear your family moving around upstairs." Maggie replied with a smile, Alex immediately jumping up from her spot on the sofa when she heard the time. Maggie looked down at herself and saw that she was just wearing a t-shirt, cheeks flushing pink when realising she would have to walk back to her house practically half naked.

Maggie said, "I need to go, I'll see you around." After a brief exchange of goodbyes, Maggie was out the door, her arms crossed over her chest to try and protect her exposed skin to the cold autumn air, failing to do so as the wind whipped her ruthlessly, leaving her shivering as she speed-walked back to her house.

Luckily for Alex, her fake parents didn't have to wake up for work yet, but Jace and Isabelle were awake, storming down the stairs just as Maggie left, fully dressed for school, with a lot of questions for Alex. Alex ignored their permeating babbles, rushing up the stairs to throw off her pyjamas and try and get ready for school as quickly as she could manage, almost poking her eyes out as she quickly put in her contact lenses.

She finally answered why she slept in the living room when the three of them scrambled into Jace's beaten pick-up truck. "I sleepwalked and ended up in the middle of the street, I ended up outside Maggie's house and we hung out here and then we fell asleep. She left in the morning before you came downstairs. That was it." Alex said, fastening her seat belt. She tried to keep her features as still as possible, knowing that her siblings would smell any fear. 

Jace raised an eyebrow at her, Alex ignoring it, changing the subject quickly by exposing her idea of going somewhere after school with their friends. Jace and Isabelle both agreed, knowing that the plans would animate themselves later on in the day. Most plans in their friendship group was spontaneous, making each one seem fresh and exciting.

Alex was quickly approached by one of their friends, Simon, once she had parted ways with Jace and Isabelle after they arrived at school. "I need your advice on something important," Simon begun, Alex noticing the nervous expression painted upon his features. Alex replied, "I'll listen, but people who follow my advice usually regret it." She said with a short laugh.

Simon watched as she leaned nonchalantly against her locker, saying, "I have a problem — well, I don't know if it's really a problem — and you're — I mean, you like girls and—" Simon began to stammer and splutter, Alex getting frustrated quickly. "Spit it out, Simon. What's wrong?" She asked.

 "I wanted to ask for your advice on something involving liking someone of the same sex, okay?" Simon eventually pushed the words out, immediately going red in the face right after. Alex felt a grin grow on her face quickly, feeling honoured that Simon would ask her, knowing that it was because she was his only gay friend.

Alex wanted to ease his nerves, so she said, "This isn't as big a deal as you think it is, Simon. It's just a crush; the exact same as it would be if the person was a girl. So, what's the problem?" She tried not to seem too shocked by the idea of Simon not being straight to make him feel better, acting calm as she watched his expressions slowly cease.