“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Alex muttered to himself as he paced around his room. “Why do you keep on making promises you can’t keep?”

“Alexander?” Mrs. Gaskarth called from behind his bedroom door, cracking it open. “Are you talking to yourself again?”

“Not now!” He pointed to the middle-aged woman who put her hands up in defense and closed the door. Alex continued his pacing, mumbling, “Maybe I really can create this band. Maybe it will happen.”

He stopped in his tracks. “But if it doesn’t, she’ll probably not like me. And she’s the only friend I got right now.” He hit his forehead. “Fuck, I’m so screwed.”

---

Victoria needed to find a way to hang out with Alex before the end of summer. There had to be a way. She couldn’t just spend the week she had left doing nothing while a cute boy lived next door. Plus, who knew how long he would take to create a band? Who knew if the band would even happen anyway? The band was the only way she could hang out with him without seeming desperate.

Screw it. She was desperate.

“Hey, dad,” she called out as she hopped down her stairs and caught her dad on the couch, “can I ask you a question?”

“Depends on the question.” His eyes slid to hers, and she rolled her own.

“What did a girl do when she tried to get your attention before mom?”

Now Victoria knew times were changing and it was ridiculous to ask her parents what they did in high school, but she was―like I said―desperate.

Her father sighed. “Well, she would usually wear a shirt that captured my attention. Like a Led Zeppelin shirt or even an Aerosmith shirt. And if they walked by my house, it caught my―”

“Okay, thanks, dad!” She exclaimed, running back upstairs.

She threw on a nice pair of shorts and went searching for her old shirt from the Incubus concert. He’d notice her in that. She just hoped it still fit her, seeing as she went to the concert when she was 14. She finally found it and threw it on, finding it a bit snug. She looked at herself in the mirror, feeling a bit self-conscious but decided to man up and wear it.

She ran out the door with a grin spread about her face. She ran across the street and started to walk down it. He wasn’t outside nor was his parents. She huffed and made a loop around the block, seeing that they still weren’t there a second time around. On the third circle she made―which she could guarantee now she lost some weight from this―she decided to give up and go back to her house with a sigh.

She almost ran into her mom as she walked sluggishly through the door. “Why do you look so sweaty?” Her mother asked with a look of concern.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” She scoffed and walked back to her room.

After changing back into a pair of basketball shorts and an old concert tee, Victoria decided to go back to her daily routine of sketching the Ray’s―now the Gaskarth’s―house. The sky was turning a bright pink and orange as Victoria finally finished the full detail of the sketch―from the stains in the wood to the cat scratches on the paint. She sat on her window’s ledge, staring out at the lovely sky. It was so beautiful out.

“Hamilton!”

She looked around at the call of her name and stared below. Alex.

Just my last name? She thought. It’s a start.

He looked up at her on the ledge, his chocolate eyes absorbing the sunlight. He was practically wearing the same basketball shorts as her, which made her laugh. He smiled his beautiful smile at her and chuckled as she almost fell off the ledge at the surprise of seeing him.

“Um―hey,” she laughed softly while regaining her balance.

“Don’t fall, okay?” He put his hands out. “I’m coming up.”

In one quick motion, he grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up onto it, planting himself next to her. Spying the sketchbook in her lap, he snatched it despite her protests. “Is this my house?” He laughed.

“Technically it is now, but I started it while it belonged to the other neighbors.” She pulled the book away. “So shut up before you call me a stalker.”

“I didn’t say anything, did I?”

“What’d you even come up her for anyways? To catch me in the act?” She lofted a brow.

“Well since you’re my only friend so far, I figured you’re the only person I could tell of my plan to earn some major street cred.”

“And that is?”

“Alright, so I was walking this afternoon downtown and met a guy who goes to our school. I guess he thought I was cool and invited me to his party tomorrow!” He made his famous lopsided grin. “Finally earning some cred in this shit town.”

“Who exactly invited you?”

“Bara-something?”

“Barakat?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Jesus Christ,” she chuckled softly, remembering the wacky boy he was talking about. “Jack throws some pretty wild parties, as I’ve heard. He likes really good music too, like Green Day, Blink―”

“Ugh, I hate Blink.” He scoffed. “But I won’t judge the guy for his music.”

Victoria didn’t even hear the last part because she was in such shock. He hated Blink-182? How?! Why?! It was official: Alex Gaskarth was definitely a fucked up kid.

She kept quiet to herself though, only muttering, “Well, I hope you have a good time at the party―”

“Ah, ah, ah! You didn’t let me finish, Hamilton!” He said, grabbing her wrist before she could climb back inside her window. “These last summer days are some we should appreciate, and seeing as you’re my main squeeze at the moment, will you accompany me to this Mr. Barakat’s party extravaganza?”

Victoria looked from where Alex held her hand to his face, loving the warmth that his hands gave. “And how long did it take you to come up with that whole thing?”

“Only about an hour,” he laughed and shrugged. “Soooooo?”

She had never really been to a lot of high school parties. She wasn’t really into them and didn’t understand how they could be so fun. Despite her protests inside of her, she couldn’t help but not ignore the pleading look in his eyes.

She sighed. “Okay, I’ll go.”

Notes

I never mentioned it, but I came up with Victoria and Alex's ship name months ago and it's Hamiltarth xD
Rock on \m/ :D