(2) Overnight Sensation: An All Time Low Fanfiction Romance

Chapter 18: Skipping

        For the first time in my entire existence as a student in grade school, I had skipped class. I had taken off and gone somewhere else. And on top of it all? I was out -- for the first time on a date -- with Adam.

        I'm not sure how we found our way to a burger joint, my mind was still wrapped around my argument with Alex, that confidence in his smile, that look in his eyes. It was like the first weeks of school were back and he was more than willing to be a total asshole to me once again.

        "So, what exactly happened in lunch?" Adam asked cautiously while putting a fry in his mouth. I was holding my burger in my hands, and shrugged while sighing deeply.

        "Alex and I disagree way more than we agree," I put it vaguely while taking a bite out of my cheeseburger. I was happy we stopped to eat; I didn't get to eat most of my lunch because I left.

        The restaurant we were sitting in was called Skips. It sat on the outskirts of Baltimore, but it did pretty well for itself. There were a lot of older couples in here, ordering lunch with their spouses. And then there was Adam and myself, sitting in a corner booth and talking quietly.

        Adam was nice to talk to, he was sweet; something that I would never have expected. He didn't play any instruments, but he liked to skate. He liked to go out with friends, and have a good time. He was a lot like Alex in the way he likes to have fun. He liked to drink, to go parties, play video games, drive around, and goof off.

        Why was I comparing him to Alex, of all people?

        "Sonds more complicated than I would understand," he chuckled while glancing at me. I shrugged and let out a deep breath. i took a sip of my chocolate shake and slumped into my seat.

        Forget aboutthem, what about you? Who do you hang out with?"

        "I really don't hang out with anyone from this school," he shrugged. "Mostly Towson kids, I get along with them better over there."

        "Oh, Zack goes there."

        "Zack Merrick?"

        "Yeah, he's in the guys' band, I see him almost every day."

        "Well, that would explain where he had disappeared to," Adam smiled widely while taking a sip of his Coke. I liked the way that his gauges looked on him; it gave him an edge that I hadn't seen before. "Ever since he joined that band he never really comes around. But it makes sense, he's sick on the bass."

        I grinned at him, unable to understand how some way we had got to talking about my friends again. I didn't want to talk about them, and I sure as hell didn't want it to be the only thing that I talked to Adam about. What would they ay about this date? The only thing I am capale of talking about relates to Alex?

        "What's your story?" I smiled at him while taking a few fries from his plate. He didn't seem to mind as he returned the same gesture happily.

        "My story?" He laughed softly, while stealing my shake. I nodded as closed mouth smile on my lips.

        "Everybody has a story," I quoted Alex, instantly cursing myself out in my head. Why the hell was I thinking about him? It had to be because he was making me so mad today. When I get mad, it's all I think about. It makes sense.

        "Mine is pretty boring," he beamed, teeth an overbearing white. "I've lived in Baltimore my whole life, my mom never leaves home, and my dad is never there for dinner. My sister is in college so I'm the only one that is around anymore.

        "Well I think that it's interesting," I said softly while looking up at him. "What does your dad do for work?"

        He instantly rolled his eyes and sighed before speaking, "Some business junk were he is all high and mighty and sits behind a desk all day. It is really boring to hear about. Trust me, when he is actually home for dinner I want to leave."

        "What is your sister going to school for?"

        "Education, special needs. We have a cousin who is Autistic, and he was born when we were younger. And they only live a few minutes away from us. But John, he is the sweetest kid in the world. And my sister loves him like her own kid. She wanted to help kids like him in school."

        "Your sister sounds really nice," I offered him a smile. The way he talked about his sister was so animated and bright. It was obvious how much he cared for his family.

        "She's awesome. Probably the best friend you could ever ask for," He smiled back, and leaned back in the cushioned booth. Our eyes made contact for a long moment, and we were just staring at one another. It wasn't an awkward stare; it was just looking at each other. We were trying to figure out each other's next move, and I could tell he didn't know if I wanted him to make the first move or not.

        I fiddled with my rings on my fingers. I wore four at all times, one on my ring finger and pinky finger on each hand. Whenever I was nervous I found myself doing that, staring at the sapphire ring on my left ring finger intently.

        A pair of soft hands wrapped around mine, holding up my rings and looking at each of them. "Why do you wear these four rings?"

        "They were gifts from dead relatives," I muttered softly, not really wanting to talk about them. It always hurt to think about the grandparents that I didn't have, that stopped talking to me once my mother left. The last word I received was that tey passed away through a letter that I was sure my mother wrote to my father.

        He looked into my eyes, and seemed to understand that I didn't want to talk about it. He smiled wearily at me, and I returned the same look. He looked back down at the rings, fingers running over the top of each of the gems.

        "They are all really nice," he spoke sweetly. I let out a deep breath, and a small smile. The corner of my mouth tugged up on one side. I looked up into his green eyes and he gave me another sympathetic grin.

        Slowly his fingers laced through mine, soft and inviting. He took a moment for me to register what he had just done, but I felt a grin fall on my mouth, and I looked up at him and nodded my head.

        "I think I like this," I whispered softly, cheeks feeling rosy. He chuckled while lifting our hands to his lips and pressing his mouth to my hand gently. I bit the inside of my cheek while blushing like an idiot.

        "Good, because I love it."