Level Playing Field

-ten-

~David~

My heart was beating out of my chest as I walked up Alex's unnecessarily long driveway. In fact, his whole house was huge, and from what I could tell it was even bigger on the inside.

I didn't realize he was rich rich, he doesn't flaunt it as much as other people do, other than his BMW. If I'd known I wouldn't have acted like a total idiot in front of him.

But at this point, it doesn't matter because I'm basically at his doorstep, and turning around and running away probably wouldn't be the best look.

As I stepped up to his porch, I could hear loud music blaring from inside. Did he already have someone over?

He wouldn't invite someone over when we were supposed to work on our project, right? Is it, Juliana?

A thousand thoughts were running through my head and in all honesty, ditching doesn't seem like such a bad option at the moment.

But, I decided to get over myself and ring the doorbell, instantly regretting it when I hear a girl's laughter come from inside.

Shit, it's Juliana, isn't it. I knew I should have made a run for it when I had the chance.

I squeeze my backpack strap as I hear heavy footsteps coming to the door. I definitely am not prepared for this.

After a moment, the door finally opens revealing Alex with a mildly pissed off look on his face, although he does usually have an RBF.

I took a peek inside and just as I suspected, the inside of his house in equally as huge as the outside, if not more so. I suddenly felt uncomfortable in my t-shirt and tattered old jeans.

Finally, my eyes meet his.

"Hey," he grinned, his expression lifting slightly.

"Uh, hi," I muttered cautiously. I wanted to be ready to sprint out of there just in case Juliana popped up.

Alex frowned, noticing my hesitation. "My sister has a friend over," he started, motioning behind him. "Sorry about the noise, I already told them to turn it down but obviously they didn't fucking listen."

A wave of relief washed over me. Thank God I don't have to deal with Juliana and her insanity today.

I didn't even know he had a sister, he seemed like the only child loner type. But then again, I barely know him.

I smiled and shook my head. "No no, it's fine. I don't mind really."

Ok maybe I did mind a little bit but I don't feel like overstepping boundaries and getting thrown out of someone's house today.

"Great," he said with a grin. "Here, come inside," he motioned for me to follow him.

He led me through the kitchen and up a winding staircase, passing two girls who I assumed were his sister and her friend.

They eyed me cautiously, almost like they were examining me. What a way to make me feel comfortable in this oh so welcoming environment.

Alex shot her a quick glare and she responded by just rolling her eyes.

After what felt like a mile-long walk we finally got to Alex's bedroom. He opened the door and let me in before closing it behind us.

His room was large, but seemed impersonal and not lived in. The walls were a light gray and were practically bare except for a few football trophies and awards. His bed was large, probably twice the size of mine and he also had an attached bathroom. It felt like a hotel room rather than a teenager's bedroom.

Alex picked up his backpack from a corner and sat down on his bed, taking out some papers.

"Ok so, the history of biology, where should we start?" he asked, looking up at me.

"Uh, I don't know, actually. There're so many options." I thought as I made my way over to him.

Alex moved over, encouraging me to sit down. "Well yeah, we could talk about Mendel and his work. We have to talk about Darwin. Hell, we could go all the way back to Aristotle and talk about some of his biological writings," he went on, obviously lost in thought.

I grinned, so I wasn't the only one with an over-sharing problem. Honestly, it's kind of cute. I push the thought out of my head quickly. This not what should be on my mind right now.

"I take it you like biology?" I question. He glances back at me and blushes.

Alex Miller blushed. At something I said. Am I in the Twilight Zone? I have to be dreaming right now.

He nodded and looks down at his lap. "Yeah, I've always really liked it. My mom's a doctor so, I guess I was kind of bound to find it interesting."

I guess he's really in the sharing mood today. Never in a million years would I think I'd be sitting on Alex Miller's bed while he tells me about his personal life.

"Well, that's not necessarily true. My dad's a tax lawyer and I can say with certainty that I find it to be one of the most boring things to ever exist. He's always tried to get me into it with internships and stuff but I literally can't stand it. I mean, it's not my fault I don't want a boring office job where I do paperwork all day. I want to do something with more variety than that and to be honest, I think he hates it too," I rambled, yet again.

And there I was, embarrassing myself. It was bound to happen.

I blushed as I glanced up at Alex and his smile had only grown wider and there was a hint of something else that I couldn't place. Admiration?

His smile slowly turned into a smirk as he tilted his head. "I think you'd be a great lawyer," he stated, shifting closer to me.

"Really?" I asked incredulously. "Why is that?"

He stared at me intently, looking like he was deciding what to say.

He opened his mouth to say something, leaning towards me.

Then, the door slammed open, almost falling off its hinges, revealing Juliana in a fit of rage.

"You're an asshole, Alex!"

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Hi! Thank you so so much for your patience I know it's been literally forever since I last posted but here it is! I've had a lot of stuff with school but I will try to post more often from now on. Thank you again for reading, as always, and I hope you liked the chapter! <3