Habits Of My Heart

Part 5

Wrong Side Of Myself

Alex's smile seems to bring me much joy as I meet his grin with my own. I continue to ignore the stares from everyone in the room, except Alex's.

I feel like I've known him for so much longer than a few hours.

I hold out my hand as I reach Alex and he accepts my gesture. We leave the house and run across the yard, our drunken laughs intertwining.

"Jesus that was so fucking cool." Alex compliments. His eyes are wide with glee and his smile still hasn't left his face.

"When I say this I mean it in the most sincere, complimentary way possible, that was fucking hot. Like the way you just owned that creep, he didn't even get one punch in on you."

I giggle as Alex gushes over my 'hot' performance. Wait, he said I was hot? Or what I did was hot. Does that mean he thinks I'm hot?

I like to know that Alex enjoys my 'badass' side and doesn't think I'm a bitch, which is quite the opposite from my so-called friends.

"My apartment isn't a long walk, do you think you can make it?"

Alex probably thinks I'm still drunk but my blood is rushing and my heart is racing like crazy. It's been a long time since I've actually had a fight with someone or showed someone that I'm not a fucking coward. You try and cross me you'll feel the fucking repercussions.

Hopefully if Alex does turn out to be a creep he knows what I'm capable of, even whilst I'm stoned and drunk.

"I think after that adrenaline rush I'm all sobered up and ready to walk miles."

We both laugh yet again. My hand is burning, it hasn't left his since the house and I'm hoping he doesn't drop it.

It seems that he's noticed and caught onto my thoughts as he looks down at our embraced hands.

"You're okay with that, right?"

I smile at him and nod,

"I don't mind."

He returns my smile and looks forward. I feel so different at the moment. I hate to sound like every chick who starts to fall for a guy and every time she says he's different, but he is. Literally there's something about him that makes me want to not act like a cunt and actually have fun instead of being a bummer all the time.

After a few minutes of silence, I decide to break it and ask him a question.

"So what's your story?"

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't seen you around here before, you're new right?"

"Oh yeah, I'm new. I just moved here and I recently joined West End High School."

"You're in high school too? What are you doing at a college party?" I ask, somewhat hypocritically.

"Aren't you a high school student too?"

I grin and look at him.

"Touché."

"You said earlier that you had an apartment, is it just yours?"

"I live with my dad, Mark Slate. He's working a night shift tonight and tomorrow morning so it should be empty for a while. "

My mind clicks and I stop walking to stare at Alex, our hands still gently swinging.

"Holy shit. Wait, so when you say Mark Slate, you mean the new sheriff?"

"Yeah. That doesn't piss you off right?"
He looks quite nervous, his questions confusing me again.

"Why would that piss me off?"

I keep walking and he follows.

"Because of the drinking and the drugs."

"No of course not."

We keep our conversation going until Alex stumbles and falls over the pathway onto someone's front garden. I try and pull him back before he goes down but instead he takes me with him. I hold my laugh until Alex looks at me and chuckles and I join him.

"Are you okay?" I ask inbetween snickers as he sits up.

He seems to be laughing too much so just nods his head. One of his hands travel to his stomach as we both continue to loudly laugh and giggle.

He manages to catch his breath and ask me the same question. I nod aswell to tell him I'm fine as I'm also fucking pissing myself. How is falling over so funny. My cheeks are aching so bad.

I try and stop but Alex laughs so hard that he burps and it echoes down the rest of the street, which inevitably  sends me into another fit of laughter.

Some old hag turns on her light and leans out her bedroom window.

"Will you two sh? It's three in the goddamn morning."

I flip off the bitch as Alex snickers and pushes my hand down. The lady sighs and turns back around.

I look back to Alex and try my best to hold my laugh and catch my breath. Alex stands and grabs my hand to pull me up with him. Whilst doing so, he pulls me in closer and wraps his arm around me then laces his fingers between mine, my chest fluttering at his touch.

We continue to walk until I say a stupid comment that comes to my mind.

"Isn't it funny that both our dad's are on complete opposite sides of the law, your dads a cop and mine-"

My mind manages to catch up with my tongue and I cut myself off before finishing the sentence.

Alex turns to look at me and tries to stop walking but I don't. Desperately, I try to find something to steer this conversation in the opposite direction. To my luck, I see a small park towards the end of the street. Alex goes to speak but I interrupt him.

"Holy shit is that a park? Can we go in?"

I turn back towards Alex, a few moments of silence pass until he replies, I'm pretty sure he realises that I don't want to continue what I idiotically blurted earlier.

He pulls me back towards him and lightly squeezes my hand, seemingly like he's trying to silently signal that he's here. His gesture makes my heart feel warm, something that hasn't happened in a long time.

"Fuck it, let's go."