How it Began

|27|

As soon as Marty Mantle's parents informed him they would be going out of town he decided to throw a party. It spread around the school quickly and now his house is crowded with people.

Hal watches from across the room as Alice and FP sit cuddled up on a chair. She holds a bottle of tequila up to his lips and he cringes after taking a sip. "Shit, that's bitter."

"But it's good." Alice smiles and takes a swig herself.

"Let's liven up this joint and play seven minutes in Heaven." Marty suggests.

He places a beer bottle in the middle of the floor and everybody sits around it. Marty spins first and it lands on Sierra. She pulls away from Tom Keller's side follows Marty into the closet with a sigh.

Alice leans closer to FP to whisper in his ear. "If we go in there you better be quiet because I'm gonna rock your world." She tugs at his earlobe with her teeth and his cheeks flush.

"It's not me who has the problem with being quiet." He teases before kissing her hard.

Hal watches from across the circle, wishing it was him that Alice was kissing.

Marty and Sierra come out and she instantly glues herself right back to Tom's side. "Coop! You should spin next!" Marty suggests.

"Uh... okay." He leans over and spins the bottle and he swears he feels his heart stops as it lands on Alice.

They lock eyes from across the circle and FP tightens his arm around her waist. She kisses him and whispers something in his ear. Hal doesn't know what she said but it was enough for him to loosen his arm around her.

She walks towards the closet and Hal follows behind her, the sound of people hooting and hollering filling his ears before Alice closes the door behind him. "Be easy on him there, Smith!" Marty yells through the door.

"Shut it Mantle!"

"We all know what goes down when Smithy gets sent to the closet."

She rolls her eyes and leans against the wall of the closet. "Sorry about that, just ignore them." Hal nods and she sees his eyebrow raise curiously. She knows he's wondering what the comment meant but is too nice to ask. "Lets Just day the bottle has landed on FP and I a few time and we get a little carried away." She vaguely explains.

"Well he's your boyfriend."

"Yeah but when the whole party hears you going at it in a closet, you gain a sort of reputation."

"Well I'd never bug you about it."

"Thanks, Hal." She smiles at him. "So what about you? I don't think I've ever seen you at a party before."

"Yeah this is my first, not really my scene."

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's not what I expected but it's not that bad."

"Yeah, they're not all that they're hyped up to be."

"Not at all. Anyway, you excited for school to end?"

She chuckles. "Can't wait."

"What are your plans for after school? Any hopes and dreams?"

"Doesn't matter, they won't happen anyway." She sighs and sits down on the floor, he joins her.

"How do you know? Tell me, maybe I can help."

She takes a deep breath. "I want to be a journalist, maybe own my own paper one day."

"Why do say that it won't happen? I'm sure you'd be a great journalist."

"Well thanks but I highly doubt any newspaper would hire a scummy Southside girl like me."

"You don't know that, Alice," he reaches out to hold her hand and rubs his thumb over knuckles. "Any newspaper would be lucky to have you."

"You think?" She looks up at him and he can see a gloss of tears in her beautiful blue eyes.

"I know. Stop thinking you're not worthy, because, frankly, from where I'm sitting you're pretty damn spectacular."

She stares at him, mouth gaping open, and for a second Hal think she's about to protest some more. But instead of protesting she moved closer and kisses him.

It takes a second for him to clue in that she's kissing him. He doesn't know what to do with his hands, just knows he doesn't want her to stop kissing him, even if it's wrong. So one of his hands come to her cheek and the other rests on her hip.

She pulls a way after a moment and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. "I'm sorry... you were just being so nice and-"

He cuts her off by pressing his finger to her lips. "You don't have to apologize, Alice."

She smiles at him and right as she's about to kiss him again, the door opens, indicating the seven minutes are up.

And what a great seven minutes it was.