Third Generation

Chapter Four

I'm sorry that I haven't updated sooner. School is hectic and family is dramatic. And I am really sorry that it's so short.. I promise to do better next chapter!! :D

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My head throbbed as I opened my eyes. I looked around and noticed I was home--in my room. What had happened last night? I sat up in my bed, and held my head in my hands. Had I seriously gotten drunk last night? No. I couldn't have. I drank water and lemonade. You couldn't get drunk off lemonade, right?

I looked around and Nicole was texting next to me. I looked at her and she must've sensed me looking at her, because she looked up at me and smiled. "Hi."

"Hi? I have a migraine the size of Alaska, and that's all you have to say?" I snapped.

Why was I being mean?

"Sorry. You got seriously drunk last night. We were lucky that your parents didn't notice. They thought you just had a lot of fun last night. You're a happy drunk," she laughed at me.

I shook my head. "I didn't get drunk."

"Really?" she tilted her head. "What did you do last night?"

I was at loss for words. I couldn't remember much. I pondered that, while I felt Nicole's smile come on. She thought she was right. I knew she was wrong. I didn't have any alcohol last night. So, I just told her what I remembered.

"I met this guy named Clex, had some water, and then drank, like, two or three lemonades. How could I get drunk when I had no beer?" I looked at her.

"There was alcohol in that lemonade, Lexi," she explained. "Chase told you that, but you denied it."

I exhaled. "My head hurts."

"It's called a hangover," she laughed.

"I don't like hangovers," I said.

"Welcome to the life of partying," she said.

"So... What else did I do last night?" I looked at her.

She sat up. "When I realized you were wasted, I practically followed you--made sure you were okay. Clex mostly hung around you. There's something weird about him. To me, at least. Anyway, you danced weirdly, laughed at everything, and denied being drunk. And when Ben saw you... That was some funny shit," Nicole started laughing.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Ben saw you, looked at me, and was like, 'Is she--?' and I was like, 'Yep.' And he looked at Clex--because he had his arm around you, and was kissing your neck. And Ben said that he got a bad vibe from Clex, like, Clex was gonna take advantage of you or somethimg. So, Ben said something to Anais in French and told Clex, 'Stop touching her.' Well, that got Clex mad and he said, 'I'm not doing anything, boy.' So Ben knocked out Clex and told me to take you home before you got hurt." Nicole said.

I let that sink in. Ben stood up for me. He actually made sure I was safe. He hurt someone else, so I wouldn't get hurt. I smiled to myself. Ben protected me. Out of all the years he rarely talked to me, he helped me when I didn't even know about it.

"You're blushing!" Nicole yipped.

"Am not!" I laughed.

Nicole just smiled. "You still like Ben, huh?"

I sighed and fiddled with my fingers. "I don't know. I find it really sweet he'd protect me like this. He never talked to me and now... I don't know. He hasn't changed. He's still sweet, funny, kind... Maybe a little."

"We'll make him like you," Nicole smiled.

I shook my head. "That wouldn't be right. He's happy."

"And you should be happy, too. You're sixteen and never even been kissed. We're gonna get you a guy," Nicole winked.

"Sure," I said sarcastically.

The rest of the day was lazy. Nicole ended up going home and I mostly laid in bed. Sundays were always slow days. Nicole constantly texted me about Ben. Turns out her and Chase became an item at the party. That was good for them. I was glad she was happy. But if Chase hurt her, I was going to hurt him.

"Alexis?" Mom knocked on my door.

I looked at her and smiled. "Hey, Mom."

"So," she sat on the bed with me. "How was the party?"

"Fun," I nodded.

"You seemed extremely happy when you came home," she hinted.

I shrugged. "You know I get delerious when I'm over tired."

"It was only ten fifteen," she said.

"Really?" I asked, thinking about the time Nicole brought me home.

"Alexis... I know when someone's drunk. And so does your father. But your dad didn't want to interrogate you about it, because he was tired. I, on the other hand, wanted to know why you'd gotten drunk," she said.

Busted. "I didn't know there was alcohol in some lemonade. I had, like, two of those and apparently got 'wasted.' I had no clue."

"You don't have to lie to me, Alexis," she said.

I sighed. "I know."

That wasn't what I wanted to say. I wanted to say: Really? Because you two micromanage my whole life! I want my own secrets--my own friends. I want to be in a relationship. One where the guy won't have to run off, or leave me, because you and Dad scared him away with the constant questioning. It makes me feel like you don't trust me. I want to live my own life.

Mom stood and walked out the room. I laid down and breathed. I was so tired. So I turned on the TV and Switched at Birth was on. (It was a rerun, but there was a new one tomorrow). I watched as Daphne signed to Bay and kept the signs in my mind. Sign language looked fun. Pretty. I then decided I was going to learn ASL.

I took a shower, caught up on some homework, and went online to watc some ASL. I learned tons! My phone buzzed and it said "Grammy would like to FaceTime. Slide to accept." I accepted it and it said "connecting" and made a fun little noise as Grammy's face appeared on my phone.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you happy birthday yesterday!" she immediately said. "Did you at least get my gift I sent you?"

"No," I said and signed at the same time.

"You should've gotten it by now," she said.

I shrugged. "It's Sunday. The mail doesn't run on Sundays." (I couldn't sign that).

"True," she nodded. "So how was your birthday?"

"Fun," I said. "We went bowling all night."

"That's good," she smiled.

"Yep," I said/signed.

"I thought you were taking French," she said.

"No," I said/signed. "I'm done with foreign languages."

"How do you know sign language?" she asked.

"Looked up some stuff online," I said/signed.

"That's cool," she smiled.

"Yeah. Hey, I'm tired, so I'll talk to you later," I said/signed.

"Okay. Goodnight," she said.

I just waved by and ended the FaceTime. I got in my bed and closed my eyes. I love to sleep. It was a place where I could dream of a life with more freedom and a guy who loved me for me. And then when it was time to wake up, I'd silently remember that my dream was only a dream.