Level Playing Field

-eight-

~David~

"What the fuck!" I heard a familiar voice yell.

I looked down the hall and saw Alex holding his face, staring angrily at a girl who did not seem happy.

I had been looking for him all night. What a way to make an appearance.

"Ugh, I can't deal with their drama," Angelica said, rolling her eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm talking about the ongoing saga of Juliana and Alex, which you are lucky enough to be oblivious to."

I glanced back and Alex and the other girl, Juliana, who were now arguing intently.

"Fuck this," Alex said. He turned around and stormed out the back door, slamming it shut.

"Fuck you too, Alex," Juliana yelled, looking around at the crowd they had amassed with a glint of satisfaction in her eyes.

"Does this happen often?" I asked Angelica, following Alex with my eyes.

"No, but the whole school knows about them. Will they? Will they not? It's like they're living in a reality TV show."

Alex and Juliana are, together? He's never mentioned her. But then again, we barely talk outside of Biology.

So what if they are? I shouldn't care this much. But I do.

"I'm gonna...use the bathroom. I'll be right back," I say to Angelica who is sipping her drink.

"Go ahead," she replies, already heading off to another group of people.

I made my way towards the back door and glanced at Juliana.

She was deep in conversation, flailing her arms and probably rehashing the previous events to another girl who was nodding along.

Is Alex actually dating her? She seems a little high maintenance for his taste. But then again, I barely know him.

I walked outside and saw Alex sitting on the porch, holding a can of beer and staring blankly in front of him.

This is a bad idea. What am I even going to say to him, "Hey, I just saw you get bitch slapped. That's sucks."?

What a great conversation starter. But still, something in me feels obligated to talk to him. He did invite me here after all.

I approached him and stopped right before I'd be directly next to him.

"Hey," I muttered, not knowing if he heard me.

He turned around and smiled. "Hi. Here, sit down." He patted the space next to him.

I sat down on the step and glanced up at him. In the moonlight, I could see a red mark forming on the side of his face. Damn, she must have hit him pretty hard.

He must have caught me staring because he smirked and looked down at his feet. "Is it that bad?" he asked.

"No?" I lied.

"That doesn't sound very reassuring," he said with a sigh, glancing at me.

There was a moment of silence, but it wasn't as awkward as when we were in the car earlier.

"What was it, relationship issues?" I asked, breaking the silence.

He laughed dryly. "It's complicated."

So they are together.

"So you guys are together?" I asked.

He put on one of his signature smirks and looked back at me. "Why do you ask?"

Oh shit, now I'm blushing and he knows for sure I have feelings for him.

I looked down at my lap, trying to hide my face. "Uh....I,"

Alex grinned and it seemed as if he had shifted closer to me. "You're cute."

I must be delusional because there is no way I just heard the guy in front of me call me cute.

I looked up at him and his piercing eyes were already fixated on me.

His eyes, which had once appeared cool and intimidating, now had a warmness to them and gave me butterflies.

I didn't even realize I had been staring until I heard the back door open and someone walked out.

"Alex let's get going," the guy said looking mildly annoyed.

Alex immediately broke eye contact and put more distance between us.

"Sure," he said getting up.

As he walked away I wondered what had just happened. Was he thinking the same thoughts that I was? Probably not.

Before Alex went inside he turned around and glanced at me. "See you, later," he said with a weak smile.

"Yeah," I muttered, looking away from him.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed, but what did I expect to happen?

It's not like he actually felt anything for me. This wishful thinking isn't going to benefit me, it's just getting my hopes up.

Whatever "this" is, it's absolutely, undeniably, one-sided.
////////////////
Hey! I'll probably be updating more frequently now because I have a lot more free time. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and again, thanks for reading! Stay safe :)