Complications of Being a Teenage Triple Threat

14 -Marriage Complications-

Landon stepped even closer to me, his chest coming into contact with my shoulder. He grabbed something then stepped back. It took all of two seconds but my cheeks felt hot like I had just ran for half an hour. He put a plate out in front of me and I looked behind me. Apparently we had made it to the food and I wasn’t paying attention.

“Oh,” I grabbed the plate and gave him a smile as a thanks.

“So Lexi…” he said casually said as we both grabbed spoons and reached for the vegetables.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Anything new going on?”

How was I supposed to answer this?

There were a number of ways actually. One, I could tell him about school and all that basic shady stuff. Two, I could tell him about my forever dramatic family problems, that was always fun. Or three, I could tell him about Jacob and all the… fun we had recently had. Based off research and recent tests, I think option one would be the best. Right as I opened my mouth, he beat me with a follow up question.

“I can narrow it down for you. How are your parents?”

Crap. Well at least it wasn’t the dreaded “so have any new guys in your life?” question that made me want to stab myself with a fork.

“My mom is fine. My dad’s fine too. Kenneth is a pain in the ass. Same old, same old,” I shrugged.

I didn’t know about his family but he knew about mine. I feel like back at camp, we had a pretty sexist relationship.

“I don’t get how you deal with that,” He muttered almost like he didn’t want me to hear that.

“You mean my never ending family problems? I’m used to it,” I shrugged.

“One tough cookie,” He said.

I turned my head up and looked at the side of his head.

“Me?”

“Yeah. I’m a wimp, I couldn’t do that,” He turned his head and his eyes fell to mine.

Intense. His stare was intense. Not hard and cold like it used to be, but soft and warm and… attractive. See there’s never been a time when Landon wasn’t attractive, he was like a god. But now, at seventeen years old he was… perfect. Completely inhuman.

“Well at least you don’t have to,” I sighed.

“Yeah, I guess not,” The way those words came out of his mouth, didn’t seem right.

It was like they were out of tune with his silky smooth voice.

“You guess not?” it slipped out before I could process the idea in my head.

We were nearing the end of the line and he let a small sigh.

“I mean my parents got divorced-.”

“Like mine,” I interrupted him.

His lazy gaze on the food fell to mine with a curious look.

“Like yours. And I’m not exactly in the situation you’re in, but my dad is getting remarried,” Oh. Remarried?

“Remarried?” I said it out loud, just to make sure I had heard him correctly.

“Crazy huh?” he shrugged.

“Ridiculous,” I muttered.

Marriage was something that I believe was sacred. After seeing so many different sides of it with my own family, I vowed to myself I would never let that happen to me. Marriage is when you find that one person, your soul mate, who you want to spend the rest of your life with till death do you part. That’s what I’m going after.

But divorces were just going against everything the two soul mates previously stood for. They were young, stupid kids who rushed into it without thinking. That’s the lame excuse my mom always gave me for other people. Don’t marry someone unless you know you’re willing to sacrifice and make it work.

Oh, and make sure you actually love the person, that’s important too. My parents divorce wasn’t a case of “we don’t get along anymore” or “he/she had an affair” or the worst of them all “the love just isn’t here anymore”. So I don’t hate them for that. But then it came to the last thing a person could do: remarry. So I know my mom did this, but she was forced too. FORCED. Everyone knows that if she would’ve had the choice, she’d still be with my dad right now.

But most couples aren’t in the situation my parents are in. After swearing that you’re going to spend the rest of your life and love on someone, you shouldn’t have the right to do that again. I just despised that idea. Especially if you have kids! Ugh, sometimes, growing up sounds horrible.

And besides, didn’t Landon kind of get a little OC when his parents it divorced? I know he’s older now, but how is he gonna take his dad getting remarried?

“Do you like her?” We were walking back to the table and he turned his head to me.

I could feel his eyes stare hitting against my cheek but I didn’t look at him.

“My dad’s girlfriend? Um… she’s okay. She’s not my mom but, you get over it right?” he shrugged. I

t probably wasn’t smart and it was probably a rhetorical question but I answered anyway.

“No, you never do,” Why the hell Lexi?

“Never?” I hope I didn’t scare him.

“You know what, I’m sorry. Don’t listen to me. Just because I haven’t gotten over my parents doesn’t mean no one else can. It’ll be weird at first but then it can only get better,” Even I could tell I was lying when I said that last sentence.

I told myself that’s how it was going to go with Kenneth, but it only got worse, and it could only get worse. “You think so?” I couldn’t speak so I just swiftly nodded my head and gave him a tight smile.

Everyone else was already at the table and they all looked at us as we came back to our seats. I sat down and Bailey didn’t take her eyes off of me.

“Can I help you?” I hissed at her under my breath.

“You and Landon just had a legit conversation. How- what were you talking about?” her eyes looked like they were about to fall out of her head.

I gave her a sideways glance and rolled my eyes.

“He asked me about my parents and we talked about them. No big deal,” I muttered.

“That’s a very big deal,” She leaned back into her chair and I picked up my fork.

“There’s also something else you aren’t telling us about. But don’t worry about it, we’ll get it out of you when we get back upstairs,” Tessa’s grin was burning into the side of my face, I wasn’t even looking at her but I could feel it.

I scooped up some mashed potatoes and shoved the fork into my mouth, keeping my gaze on my plate. Landon had already started something without even doing anything.

A/N

LANDON AND LEXI ARE SO CUTE ARE U SCREAMIN LIKE IM SCREAMIN? I loved this chapter, writing scenes between the two of them are just so much fun because they're so different, but alike in some ways too. and lexi's friends bothering her is super fun to write too haha. so i hope y'all liked it because prepare yourself for the next few chapters bc CRYING (in a good way lol)