I'm Exposed and It's No Big Suprise (Hayley Williams/Alex Turner Fanfiction)

Chapter 3

Like sand through fingers, she slyly slipped away through the Choir room door. Eagerness was his kryptonite. There goes what was going to keep him busy for a school night. He reconsidered; he’d probably bother with more than one. No doubt she was pretty. And in that crop top? My god. He immediately noted that there wouldn’t be much hair to pull as a result of the pixie cut, but her confidence would make up for it. He knew it. In his experience, bleached hair had an odd but delightful feel to it.  His tongue explored the roof of his mouth as he contemplated, only to have his daydreams interrupted by the ringing of the late bell. The damned thing was pulling some Pavlove shit on the students. They passed him with heads glued forward. He picked up the pace towards guitar along with them, but not enough to denote legitimate interest. To think, he had looked forward to this year in the U.S. for school. It was the only reason he’d put himself through the torture of relocating. That was before everything, as Alex would say plainly, went to shit.

He strode into the white walled guitar room where a spectacled teacher sat reading at his desk. Mr. Juanes was a boorish and stodgy man. Despite looking to be about 6 foot, he possesses the aura of aloofness that one only really finds in someone who genuinely does not care for the people around them. Alex would have to take note. He had to pull all the stops to give the impression of a collected punk. The appearance of familiar faces would often throw him off. However, he managed to maintain his composure when he sat next to Taylor York.

The olive skinned boy’s large hands were wrapped around the fret board of his trusty Telecaster as he tuned up. How he could see through the mess of black curls was beyond Alex. He channeled an emotionless mask as he grabbed for a guitar. Taylor looked through his eyelashes, not moving his head from tuning. The English boy placed his toothpick in the pocket of his leather jacket as slowly as possible. Call it cruel, but Alex felt his ego boost when making people wait on him.

Feet tapping. Nose crinkling. That type of waiting.

            When the tension was ripe enough he broke it. In this case with a nod Taylor’s way, “Hiya, mate.”

            “Hey man!” Taylor visibly relaxed, “You got out early today, eh? I told you, I don’t my driving you if you need me to.”

            “Yeah, don’ sweat it. My biological clock is six hours ahead as is. It’ll do me good to wake up early for the bus.” He responded. Alex then called over his shoulder as he grabbed for one of the school guitars, “Got Katy Camsey to show me ‘round. I think that torture deserves some praise.”

            Taylor shrugged, “She’s nice…If you’re nice.” The boy would have to get use to sharing a room with Alex as his host family. Of course, Alex could try and be nicer to him. Make him feel needed. The pleasant tug in his stomach kept him going on his nasty streak.

            “Tsk, tsk, Taylor. You callin’ me not nice?”

            He didn’t go for the bait, though. The curly haired boy bit his lip and turned his attention to the front of the room, “I can drive you every day. I have to stay for an hour after school on Friday’s though...to rehearse with my band. I know you won’t, but you can watch us sometime.”  

Alex felt alone again. He would have to go easy on him after all.

            “Katy, dear, if ya keep followin’ me like this people will start talkin’.”    

            “Shut your freaking gob.” She sang through a fake smile.

            The halls were abuzz with kids making their way to out of school . Scattered conversation. Some pertaining to the upcoming Hockey season (Go Bulldogs), some bitching about coursework the first day bore, and much to Alex’s delight some talk about his antics. He imagined that’s what Katy was so cross about, and his cheeky grin didn’t help.  She began, “I’m headed to the library to work on our project and I know Taylor’s expecting you…”

            “At least let me explain myself!” He smirked, “Taylor gave me the, might I say, well deserved cold shoulder during Guita’ which lead me to be bored enough to play ‘Stairway to Heaven’ whenever Mr. Juanes wasn’t looking. You can imagine how that turned out. Then, I tried chattin’ up Mrs. Portsmouth by saying mentioning that ‘er name was a literal port in England. Screwed around with paper aero planes in the few classes before lunch period... Don’t know what I’ve done wrong in U.S. History, though...”

            He remembered exactly what he’d done in U.S. History. Round 2 at getting Hayley Williams. Apparently, note passing wasn’t her form of flirting and she just passed it onto to Jeremy Davis. He wouldn’t be surprised if some of the gossip in the halls right then was about his ‘raging bisexuality’. Alex was going to steer clear of Ms. Williams. He got the message and it wasn’t like there weren’t hundreds of other girls he could go for.

            His head was swirling with these thoughts that didn’t necessarily translate into the conversation with Katy. There was an absence of talking that irritated her even more. She deadpanned, “You were a tit, probably. Point is that you’re talk of the town.”

          They turned the corner into the library. The elderly librarians, clad in patterns that looked like they belonged on carpets, smiled at Katy but gave Alex a proper frown. “News travels fast?” He remarked. Katy didn’t humour him. Alex found it interesting that the library here seemed more packed than the one at home. Not necessarily in people, but in literature. They didn’t allocate very much room for the shelving. Mahogany stands were scattered in a filing cabinet set up. It was only until Katy led him nearer to the back that there were study rooms available. They were occupied only by the lonesome study desk and plastic chairs that found themselves stacked in the furthermost corner of the room. He reached the door before Katy to keep it open for her. 

With his arm extended. He finally had a chance to check his watch.

“Oh, oh, oh! Mind if I use your laptop? Please, Katy? This is really important.”  

She eyed him, “Why?”

“Sheffield Wednesday are playing. If I start livestreaming now I can catch ‘em! Please. Please. Please. Please.-“

“Ah, figures,” she laughed, “I’m a Leeds United girl. So…” Katy held a death grip on her Macbook and shrugged when Alex looked at her.  

He plopped himself on the study chair just as the study room opened. Alex let his body go limp,“Y’know, I’m getting used to disappointment.” Had he actually turned around he would have seen Taylor York shuffle in. Alex knew that he and Katy were talking, but it just sounded like white noise. He was sick and tired of this school already. Nastiness wasn’t getting him anywhere, but he couldn’t stop it for the life of him. He was a boat left adrift in some uncharted waters. Alone, and fighting to float. He put the toothpick that was secured in his jacket’s breast pocket between his already clenched teeth and the rest of the day melted into a haze of rehearsed dialogue. An ‘Okay’, ‘Thanks’, ‘That’s cool’, and ‘Gotcha’’s scattered here and there. Every minor emotional swing at him took its toll so that by the time he and Taylor arrived at the York house all the English boy could do was shut himself in their room. The domestic sounds accompanied by his screeching guitar until he was asked almost too politely to tone it down for bedtime. They were too patient with him. He’d wish they’d just treat him like he felt already, that way he’d have a proper reason to be depressed.