Sit Back, Gotta Catch My Breath

So, it's New Year's Eve. Alex and his parents returned to England for the New Year's to spend time with family. This means that I'm alone until he returns next week. And then I have two more days with him all to myself, and then school starts, again.
I sighed and I laid down on my bed, staring at my picture of Alex. He's only been gone for three days, and I already miss him like hell. We Skyped for a little bit yesterday, but it's just not the same as talking to him in person. I can't hold him in my arms, I can't smell his cologne, and I can't kiss his soft lips.
I sighed again, returning the picture to the top drawer of my bed-side table. I twiddled my thumbs for a few moments before I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen.

1 NEW MESSAGE

I clicked 'open' and read the message.

From: Rian Dawson
Hey, bro. At Zack's. Wanna come hang out with us?

To: Rian Dawson
Yeah. Sure. I'll be there in a few.

I shoved my phone back into my jean pocket and got out of bed. I shuffled over to my dresser and took a black t-shirt with BONER written on it in red letters and put it on. I grabbed some socks and pulled them onto my feet, followed by my red Dunks. I went to my bathroom and brushed my teeth. Once I was done with that, I pulled Alex's black beanie over my head.
I ran upstairs and grabbed my leather jacket as I trotted out the door front door. I pulled on my jacket as I hurried to my car, careful not to slip on any ice.
I slid into the driver's side and closed the door before shoving the key into the ignition and turned on the car. I instantly pushed the button for the heater and waited for it to heat up before I pulled out of the driveway and began driving down the road.
About fifteen to twenty minutes later, I pulled into Zack's driveway. I turned off my car and stepped out, only to slip on some ice and fall on my ass. I cursed under my breath as I stood back up, using the hood of my car for support. I inched my way up the driveway and to Zack's door, where I saw Rian standing on the other side of the screen door, laughing his ass off. He opened the door for me and I hurried inside, eager to get out of the cold. I turned to face Rian, again, as he closed the door. He was still laughing.
"It's not that funny," I scolded him as I hung my jacket up on the coat rack.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "It was pretty funny from his angle, Twinkle Toes."
I rolled my eyes as he placed his hand on my shoulder and led me to the living room, where everyone (Zack, Cassadee, and even Juliet) was circled around the fireplace, drinking something out of mugs.
I kicked off my dunks before plopping down on the couch. I got a couple 'hey's from Cassadee and Zack and a shy smile from Juliet. I smiled back at her, causing her to visibly tighten her grip on her mug and turn back to the fire.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Rian finally spoke up. "Hey, Zack, did you invite Flyzik?"
Zack tore his gaze from the fire and over to Rian. "Uh, yeah. He said he'll try to join us later. His mom is giving him shit for apparently picking his friends over his family, or whatever." He shrugged.
Rian nodded and wrapped his arm around Cassadee and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. I sighed and rested my head on my hand. I really missed Alex. I missed him so much, my heart hurt. I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. It was 7:30, which meant it was 1:30 where Alex was. I couldn't help but wonder if he was awake.

To: Alex Gaskarth
Lex, you awake?

About a cup and a half of hot chocolate later, my phone vibrated.

From: Alex Gaskarth
Yeah. Sorry it took so long. Family stuff. I'm in bed now. What's up? :)

To: Alex Gaskarth
Just at Zack's. I miss you. :(

From: Alex Gaskarth
I miss you too, Jacky. But I'll be home before you know it. :)

To: Alex Gaskarth
I'll be counting down the days. Can't wait to see you again.

From: Alex Gaskarth
Same here. I'm gonna go to sleep. Time will pass by quicker that way. Goodnight, Jacky. And Happy New Year.

To: Alex Gaskarth
Goodnight, Lex. Sleep tight. Happy New Year.

I returned my phone to its rightful pocket. I quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped my eye. To no prevail, another tear slipped down my cheek. And then another one. And then another.
Damn. I missed that boy.
I felt an arm wrap around me. I must have been sobbing louder than I thought. I turned to see Cassadee giving me a worried, but understanding, look. She pulled me into a hug and began to run her hand up and down my upper back comfortingly.
"It's okay," she whispered into my ear, "He'll be back, and things will be back to normal."
A squeak escaped my throat as I buried my face into her petite shoulder and continued to sob. God, I was so embarrassed, but I just couldn't hold back the tears anymore. And there was something about Cassadee that reminded me of my mother, which was comforting.
About ten minutes later, my sobs turned into sniffles, and I pulled away from Cassadee. She smiled at me, and I smiled back as she returned to Rian's side once again. The spot next to me was quickly taken by Juliet. I turned to face her as she started to speak.
"So..." she said, biting her lip, "... You and Alex are, like, a couple?"
I nodded, and she nodded back.
"I see," she continued, "Well, I think you guys are really cute together."
I half-smiled at her. "Thanks."

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"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!" we all exclaimed as we clinked our glasses of wine and champagne together. I downed my fourth glass of wine. I kind of digged the the buzz it gave me. Before tonight, I never drank a drop of alcohol because I saw how it effected my dad. But tonight was a night of celebration, damn it, and I was going to enjoy it.
I ended up passing out on Zack's couch at about three after drinking somewhere between two and five more glasses of wine. I knew I was going to regret it in the morning.

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I woke up to a light tapping on my shoulder, quickly followed by the pang of a pounding headache.
Damn. So this is a hangover.
I opened my eyes to see Rian holding a bowl out to me. "Cassadee made Mac and Cheese. Do you want any?"
I closed my eyes again and shook my head slowly. My stomach already felt awful. I didn't want to risk anything by adding food to the mix.
"Hangover?" Rian asked.
I nodded.
He hummed. "I see. And sleeping as much as you did probably didn't help the headache at all."
"What time is it?" I finally mumbled.
"About five. You slept the whole day away, dude," I heard Zack's voice say.
I opened one eye to see the muscular boy entering the room. He walked over to me and held out some pills (probably pain killers) and a glass of water. I opened my other eye to look, or squint, at him properly. I slowly sat up and took the pills with a couple drinks of water.
"Thanks, man," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the couch to sit up properly, and gave room to anyone else who wanted to sit on the couch.
That was when I realized that I was wearing nothing but my boxers.
I blushed and hid my face in my hand. "What the hell happened?"
Zack shrugged as Rian handed me my jeans. "Nothing bad. You complained about how hot it was in the house for about ten minutes before taking your clothes off and laying down and falling asleep."
"You sure made Juliet blush," Rian chimed in, handing me the rest of my clothes.
I sighed as I got dressed. "Great. She's never going to look at me the same way again."
"Sure, she will," Rian said, "She'll always look at you like the guy she'll never have."
I finished getting dressed and looked at Rian with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, what?"
"She liked you, dude," Zack said, "But you're with Alex."
I nodded and walked across the room and pulled on my dunks. "Oh."
Rian stood up and and retrieved my jacket and handed it to me. "Yeah. So, you want me to drive you home?"
I put on my jacket and adjusted my beanie. "That would be great. Thanks."
He nodded and we went outside together, him helping me across the ice and into the car before he got in himself.
And he drove me home.

Notes

Okay, so, I haven't had internet lately, but I'm going to make it up to you guys.
While I was internet-less, I hand-wrote ten chapters. This is the first of the ten.
Consider it a Christmas present from me.
It's the least I could do.
Merry Christmas!

-Ryan