TRAVIS
"You what?!" Sam screamed on top of her voice, sending a plate of chips all over the place.
"Calm down!" Jonah said, brushing chips off his buzz cut.
"Did you hear her?!" Sam said, lowering her voice all the less as she pointed at Sky with apparent rage in her eyes.
"Come on I just invited him to your party," Sky said, placing her head on her hands in frustration. The table felt overly full today, some chairs taken from other tables to create room.
"Did you hear her? Did you freaking hear her?!" Sam said, her face turning the shade of a tomato. I tensed up a bit, my ears hurt. How loud could she get?
"It's just a party," Sky defended, keeping her calm.
"A party I haven't sent invites to yet!" Sam complained, pouting. Apart from Jonah and Sky's comments, Sam was practically being ignored.
The whole cafeteria was giving our table questionable glances. Wells, apart from Alex's. I looked over at his table from the corner of my eyes, wondering why I hadn't exactly noticed it throughout senior year. He was reading a book (as usual), his dark brown hair dripping over his forehead. I smiled when he blew some strands out of his eyes, that was... cute, okay? That kid from before was sitting next to him again, frantically writing down into a notebook. A last-minute assignment maybe?
"Dude, come back to us," I heard Jasper say as I got violently shaken.
"I'm here, dude stop!" I said, brushing Jasper's hand away.
"You weren't here a minute ago," Jonah commented giving me a weird look. I brushed it off, picking at the chips on my plate. It's weird enough Alex made me feel funny. I don't have to tell them.
"Anyway... Travis, tell Sky it's not fair!" Sam screeched making me look up at her. Why was she dragging me into this?
"Sam, get over it, I'll just have to keep him out of your way in the party," Sky said, rolling her eyes. I couldn't agree more, Sam was being a baby about the whole thing.
"I agree with Sky," I said making Sam make a sigh of defeat.
"Fine, just keep him away from me!" Sam said, returning to her blackberry- Typical.
The rest of the day went by fast thought the classes were boring. Half the time I wondered why I didn't have any classes with Alex. I mean, Sky had literature and Arts with him.
I was in the last period being restless and hoping that class would end. I had a history assignment I was hoping Alex could put me through. I blushed, realizing I had sort of started looking forward to our tutoring session, although most of what he does is do whatever he had to do then ignore me. I was weird, considering it was meant to be the other way around.
"You know the class is over, right?" I heard Jasper say, snapping out of my trance.
"Oh, I... You could say I wasn't paying attention," I muttered, picking up the books that were open in front of me for show. Jasper sighed, rolling his eyes.
"You'll soon start failing maths," he said, giving me a toothy grin.
"I already fail maths." I corrected getting up and throwing my backpack behind me using one sling. For a jock Jasper was really small looking, he was more than five inches shorter than me, taller than Alex but still...
"Alex?" I said in confusion as Jasper and I walked out of class. He was leaning on the wall beside the door, features twisted in complete boredom.
"Gosh, how long does it take you to leave class," Alex said, standing up straight as he gave me an irritated look.
"Err..." I trailed, looking from Alex to Jasper. Did he want to start the session right away?
"I get it, I'm leaving," Jasper said, holding out his hands in surrender as he backed off.
I looked over at Alex wondering what to say. He had on a long-sleeved blue checker shirt, his black inner shirt showing through the unbuttoned long-sleeve.
"I can't make it today," Alex said, shrugging.
"What?!" I asked, surprised. He's not really ditching me, is he?
"I can't make it for our tutoring—"
"I know that!"
"Then it's settled then, do whatever you want with your time," Alex said giving me a weak smile as he turned to leave.
"I have history assignments!" I whined running to catch up with him.
"Can't you choose another time to care about homework?" Alex groaned, walking faster.
"I can't do it by myself!" I complained, quickening my steps. Alex stopped almost making me bump right into him.
"Chris is meeting me up at the museum. I can't skip that," Alex sighed, turning to look at me with pleading eyes.
"At what time exactly?" I asked, moving myself a bit so I was face to face with him.
"Six."
"That's freaking three and a half hours from now!" I screamed in disbelief.
"It's a long walk, and I don't mind being early," Alex said in defense. I sighed, looking around. What to do, what to do.
"Is it the local Museum?" I asked sharply, getting a quick idea.
"Well, yes..."
"Great, we could have the session at my house, it's like a ten-minute walk from my place, and you'll still get there on time I promise," I said holding out my pinkie finger.
"What's that?" Alex asked looking at my finger all weird.
"A pinkie promise..."
"I know, get it away from me," Alex demanded, wrinkling his nose. I put my finger away blushing; well the girls seemed to appreciate it.
We walked to the parking lot in silence. Finding my car I took out my remote control keys and opened it from afar. Alex got there before, already inside the car with a book in hand. I got in looking at him from the side of my eye I started the engine.
We were halfway through the drive when I started getting edgy. Maybe because I had Alex in my car, so it was a little weird. I don't know I just felt weird.
"You'll break the steering wheel," Alex commented, making me loosen the grip I didn't even know I had on the steering.
I pulled up in my house's driveway pulling the gear on break. My house was nothing fantastic; it was identical to every other house in the estate, with its pale yellow color and dark brown edges.
"We have about two hours now," Alex muttered as we got out of the car. Jane, the nanny was there to meet us at the door.
"How's Catherine?" I asked as I walked in.
"Still awake," she answered, yawning. Catherine was my hyper nine-month baby sister. She was a chubby little thing that spent most of her time babbling in gibberish or at the TV.
"Who's Catherine?" Alex asked suddenly interested.
"That's Catherine," I said as a small toddler ran in after a mechanical mouse. It was funny to watch. Her diaper wobbled with her movement as she ran towards us. She squealed and sat right in front of Alex when he stopped her mouse with his feet.
"Go away Catherine," I said, looking down at her. I was a little worried that Alex might get irritated, but surprisingly he released the mouse, making it run towards the wall. Catherine squealed again, clapping her hands as the mouse hit the wall. I always knew there was something evil about her.
"Oh! Let me take her away she must be bothering you!" A worried Jane said, running over to us.
"Actually she's not," Alexander said, squatting and beckoning for her to come. She half walked half stumbled into his arms laughing. I frowned at him as he got up.
Does he like babies? I asked myself as I watched him coo at Catherine, making her green eyes widen with delight.
"Err, the lesson..." I trailed scratching the back of my head, a little bit confused by the sight of Alex playing with my baby sister.
"I-I'm right behind you," Alex said as my baby sister took his bottom lip between her tiny fingers. I frowned. I practically have dibs guys. Wait, that didn't come out right. I shook my head before informing Alex I'd be at the dining table. I was into my work when Alex sat across me, my sister still in his hands.
"Won't she distract us?" I asked, pointing my pen at the blonde bundle of annoyance on Alex's lap.
"Don't be ridiculous," Alex said, ruffling her hair. Funny enough she wasn't. We still went through the lesson, only this time Alex wasn't reading a book he was playing with my sister.
"It's time for her feeding," Jane said, walking in with a bowl of baby food, a napkin, and a bin.
"I'll do it," Alex said as Jane dropped the items on the table with a little thank you and left. I don't really know what to say about the image of Alex feeding my baby sister, it was weird, sort of cute (Don't you dare judge me!) The way his eyes glittered whenever she turned her face away, or whenever she puffed her cheeks in a forgery of having food in it.
"Are you done?" Alex asked, making me snap out of my trance. My cheeks reddened with the realization that I had been staring.
"I, err—"
"Just finish it," Alex said, dabbing Catherine's mouth with the napkin. How could he be doing something so ridiculous and yet be so cocky? I swear it's mentally draining! I frowned, watching my baby sister getting burped. And deep down I admitted the truth to myself. Yes, I was jealous of my kid sister.
"Thirty minutes, not bad. I can actually make it," Alex said looking at his watch as he got up from the dining table. We'd finished the session, Catherine still in his arms. I walked him to the door, a little annoyed at the baby still babbling and shaking in Alex's hands.
"Are you really coming for Sam's party?" I asked purely out of curiosity. I'd never seen Alex in a party, and Sam didn't really want him there. He didn't give me a direct answer he just shrugged. He suddenly smiled, making me gasp.
"Bye," Alex said nuzzling his nose with Catherine's. I coughed trying to cover up my gasp, which he didn't seem to notice.
"Here," he said, handing me Catherine. I noted the care in the way he did it as well.
"Bye then," he said. As I closed the door Catherine immediately started to cry and wiggle. See why I hate babies?
"Jane!" I screamed desperately, looking from the stairs to the kitchen.
"Oh, shut up!" I said, irritated at her crying.
"Goodness Travis, don't say that to your sister!" Jane said taking the crying baby from my arms. Catherine started panting giving me accusing stares with her little green beady eyes.
"He left already?" Jane said, rocking the baby back and forth. I nodded, running my hand through my hair.
"Tell him he should consider babysitting," Jane said patting Catherine's head. I rolled my eyes walking to the stairs and up my room. Reaching my room I sighed. Why did I still have this jelly feeling towards Catherine... Oh yeah, she hung out with Alex all day as he totally ignored me.
So much for not letting him get to you. I thought, sighing as I closed my room door behind me.
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