Kiss Me Again

I pulled up in my driveway and went inside my house.
Barbara luckily isn't here when I get back from school, she works. I honestly don't know how she has a job, she's completely insane and irresponsible...oh, and drunk. She probably blows her boss every weekend or something.
The whole kitchen area reeked of alcohol. There was a spilled bottle on the counter. I sighed and went to go clean it up. I was sure to spray some air freshener too.
Afterwards, I went up to my room and changed into sweats and a plain white tee. I tied my hair up, and started on my algebra homework, which only made me think of Alex.
His hair, his smile, his chestnut colored eyes..
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing. It was Jenna. I picked up.
"Hey, Jenna!"
"Hey, Tay! How was your first day at Dulaney?"
"Oh, it was alright. I actually made some friends, and managed not to freak out in the middle of class." Jenna knew about my anxiety. She's my best friend, she knows EVERYTHING about me.
"Really? That's great! Any cute guys?" I could just picture her smiling and raising her eyebrows up and down.
"No, Jenna...you know I'm not looking for any relationship. I'm done with dating, I'm tired of getting my heartbroken.."
"Y-you aren't depressed over Oli or anything, right?" she asked, concern in her voice.
"No..not really..I just- I think it would be better if I just quit on love altogether. I mean, why set myself up for disaster? Maybe I'm just not cut out for love?" I sighed.
"No, don't think like that, Tay. I'm sorry you feel that way. You'll find Mr. Right someday, I'm sure. I gotta get started on my homework, I just wanted to check on you. TTYL!"
"Thanks, Jenna. Bye." I hung up. Jenna was a good friend. She's always there for me and tries to cheer me up. She was my only true friend at my old school, really.

I was done with my math homework, and I decided to look over the other notes I took today, in case of a pop quiz or something. I wanted to start off right at my new school.
I soon decided to pack my work up, and go to bed. I lied down, ready to close my eyes, when I noticed my phone flash in front of my face. I checked it to see a text flash across my screen:
Alex- Good night, Tay. Sweet dreams :)

*************
The next morning was just like any other; I got up, showered, and got ready for the day, settling on a Blink-182 tee and black skinnies.
When I walked downstairs, I saw Barbara passed out at the kitchen table, a bottle still in her grasp. I debated on eating some cereal, but thought against it.
She'd tell you it's a bad idea if she were awake.
I left the house, and drove to school.

I walked down the corridor to place my stuff in my new locker. I closed the locker door shut, to see a smiling Alex leaning against the locker next to mine.
"Morning, Jardine."
"I'm pretty sure I know how to get to homeroom.." I smirked.
He laughed a bit.
"Did ya have a good sleep?"
"Yeah, I dreamed about ways to get rid of pretty boys who stalk me at school."
"Aww, so you think I'm pretty?" he joked, with a big goofy grin on his face.
I laughed at him, then started walking down the hall towards my class. He followed beside me, greeting people with a hello and a friendly smile on his face as he walked by.
We noticed the guys at their usual spot at Jack's locker, goofing around. I'm not exactly a morning person, as Alex and the rest of the guys obviously were.
"Uhm..I'm just gonna head on to class, I'm really tired." I stated, with an exhausted look on my face.
"Oh, uh..I can just walk you to class and come back if you want-"
"No, it's alright, your boys need their daily dose of Alex." I joked.
"Ha, well have you gotten your dosage?"
"I think I'm overdosing." we laughed for a moment, then parted ways.
In homeroom, Hayley came running in a tad bit late, but Mr. Gilbert was turned around and didn't notice. That man doesn't really notice anything..
She sat down in her seat next to me, then stared at me intently.
I was starting to get a little creeped out.
"Uhh, hey?"
"SO-" she started, not acknowledging my greeting.
"I had to leave early yesterday, but I heard from someone in my music that you could sing. That you SANG for the class! Is that true?"
I just nodded my head. She squealed in return.
"OH MY GOSH! That's awesome! I sing too!!"
"Really? That's really awesome, I hope I get to hear you sing someday."
"Likewise. We'll probably get to during our free days. We do this thing called free live sessions, where we all just take turns volunteering to perform for the class. It's super cool."
"Really? That sounds super cool."
"Yeah, it is. SO- there's a certain boy in that class. He's got dreamy brunette hair, he sings, and he's like one of the most popular guys in school. If you can name him, then I'll know the rumors are true." she grinned at me.
I thought for a second. What rumors? Is she talking about Alex? I don't really know the names of the other guys in my music class, so I assumed that's whom she was talking about.
"A-Alex, you mean?"
"YES!! YES, ALEX!! So it IS true!" she beamed, almost jumping out of her seat.
"Wait, is what true?"
She looked around as if to see if anyone were listening. Surprisingly, they weren't. I guess everyone was just used to her hyper outbursts by now.
"Word around the school is, that you've been getting ex-tra close to Alex Gaskarth." she winked.
"Wait- you mean like..dating?? We aren't dating, no no no, absolutely not." I assured her.
Ugh, seriously? I really enjoy the guy's company..(a LOT) but I don't need a relationship right now. Especially not with "one of the most popular guys in school!"
Hayley's big smile turned into a pout.
"Awwwhh..why nooottttt?"
I thought about it for a second. I barely know Hayley, she doesn't need to know everything about me.
"Because..Alex doesn't like me, and I don't like him."
That wasn't exactly a lie..was it?

The day dragged on; I paid close attention in all my classes, even algebra. Alex sat in the seat next to me, a bit of a puzzled look on his face. I know he was expecting me to talk to him. I tried to make it look like I was just too focused in my work, but to be honest, I just didn't want people thinking that we were dating or anything. I guess those rumors Hayley was talking about really got to me. Maybe Alex thought I was flirting with him or something. I don't want to give him the wrong idea, or string him along or anything. So, I was keeping my distance. Suddenly, a little note landed on my desk.
You okay?
It was from Alex.
I simply crumbled the paper into a ball, stuck it into my desk, and continued working. I hope I didn't seem to harsh. I felt Alex's eyes burning into the side of my face. I heard him shift uncomfortably in his seat and let out a little grunt. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye to see him arms crossed, staring at the front of the room. Now he's mad. Great.
I couldn't really tell him WHY I was being so distant, so I just tried to avoid him at all costs so he wouldn't try to talk to me about it. I found Hayley at lunch and sat with her, proving that I wasn't "dating" Alex Gaskarth. I worked with her in music class, too.
I managed to get through the whole day without talking to Alex. And quite frankly, it made me kinda sad.

Notes

Hey, guys. I'm moving soon and I've been packing and stuff so I may not be able to update as often as I'd like. But, I'll try to update as much as I can because I have lots of awesome ideas! On that note, I'm gonna be doing a few small time lapses in the next chapters maybe. I'm so eager to get to the dramaaaa ;)
So yeah, sorry for this crappy chapter.
Anyways, please comment, rate, and subscribe! I seriously love the comments, they make me REALLY happy :)))

Thanks! :)

Title cred: Rumor Mill- We Are The In Crowd