Chapter 14

Alexis:

As I walked back inside the house, my heart was doing back flips. The very thought of being around Aubrey, instantly gave me butterflies. I couldn't help but smile my entire walk back into the house.

I was met by Aubrey's mother who stood in the foyer. "Have you seen my daughter?" she questioned, her eyes piercing through me.

"I'm afraid I haven't. Sorry," was all I said. I slipped past her and strutted to the kitchen. I've more than seen your daughter, I thought to myself, smirking.

My father sat at the island, eating a turkey sandwich.

"What's up, pops?" I greeted him with a handshake.

"Hey, how was school?" he asked, wiping the mustard away that had started oozing out of the corner of his mouth.

"Eh, it was cool. Why are you eating like that?" I questioned him, scrunching my face up at his behavior. Dad was munching on his food like he'd never eaten before.

"I'm sorry, it's just that she isn't the best cook, so I try to eat what I can before dinner. I get tired of making the meals," he whined.

Before my father could see me grinning, I turned on my heels and pretended to look for something to eat. The more problems they had, the better it was for Aubrey and I. If we were going to pursue a relationship, it was better if our parents didn't get married.

"Anyways. I wanted to ask you something. Michelle somehow has this crazy idea that you and Aubrey have something going on. Something... Intimate." My father said. I could tell it took everything in him to say those words. "Dad, of course not. Aubrey's like a sister to me. I've never had a female to relate to and you know that. Me and her have the best friendship-slash-relationship. Nothing's going on like that." I tried my best to lie. I even turned back around and looked him in his eyes.

My father let out a breath. "Thank you for clearing that up." He sighed in relief. "No problem. Can you talk to her? She won't even let Aubrey see me. We're supposed to go to the nail salon tomorrow morning and then hit up the mall." I pleaded. "I don't know about that." My father shook his head. "Why?" I frowned. "Well, I wasn't supposed to say anything but Michelle flew Aubrey's boyfriend here this afternoon. He's upstairs waiting." My father informed me.

"Aw, that's so sweet." I tried my best to sound happy as I exited the kitchen, losing my appetite. I shuffled past Michelle and made my way up to my bedroom to drown my sorrows in music. I knew Aubrey and Mike had some serious history that connected them together. Could I really compete with this guy? Did I need to compete with him?

Attempting to clear my mind, I turned on Pandora and let a few love songs parade around my bedroom. I made sure the music was loud enough to drain out my thoughts and anyone who knocked on the door. Honestly, I didn't want to be bothered.

An hour or so later, I got a text from my father. He must have spoken to Michelle because she told him to invite me along with Aubrey and Mike. They were heading to a midnight movie. I didn't want Aubrey or Michelle or my father knowing how bothered I really was by this. I quickly freshened up and met them downstairs. We were taking Aubrey's car.

Once Aubrey saw me, she quickly pulled me aside before Mike noticed I was even there. "I really didn't know he was coming here. I mean, we spoke the other night about him coming here but—" I cut her off. Was she serious? "You've still been talking to him?" I asked, disappointed and a little hurt. "Not really. Alexis, I'm sorry—" I silenced her. I shrugged it off and motioned for her to introduce me to Mike.

Aubrey cleared her throat and headed over to him, not making eye contact. "Mike, this is Alexis. Alexis, this is Mike." She said slowly. Mike pulled me into a friendly hug. "It's nice to meet you." He grinned. This guy had nothing on me, besides a penis—if that. He had a bad case of face acne and wore these thick, black bifocal glasses. Mike was also very scrawny and his jeans were a bit too tight. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

On the drive to the movies, I had no choice but to listen to Mike go on and on about how much he missed Aubrey, their first dates, and what their friends had been up to back in Vermont.

We had all decided to watch Nerve.

Mike got the popcorn and drink while Aubrey and I found the seats. "I hope you aren't upset with me, Alexis." Aubrey spoke as we headed to the back rows. "I'm not." I replied, simply. She lightly grabbed my arm. "Then why won't you talk to me?" She pleaded. "Talk to Mike. That's what you do anyways." I snapped at her, yanking my arm away. "Please, don't be like this." She said. "Just leave me alone." I responded.

A few minutes later, we found seats. Aubrey sat between Mike and I.

Throughout the movie, Aubrey kept trying to hold hands but I kept them folded in my lap. If she thought she could have two people at once, she was very mistaken.

After the movie, I watched Aubrey and Mike interact. She had just come out of the restroom and he waited by the door for her. Mike pulled her to the side, leaned in, and kissed her. My heart sank. Like actually sank.

Back home after everyone was sleep, I sat at the kitchen counter with a tub of cookie dough ice cream and a cooking spoon. I didn't like this feeling I felt. Actual heartache. "Hey." I heard a familiar voice say. Looking up, it was Aubrey. I rolled my eyes and continued eating my ice cream. "I didn't know he was going to do that. You have to believe me." She said. "Oh, please. You know, this was a mistake from the beginning." I stated, scoffing.

There was a long pause. "What's that supposed to mean?" She questioned me. "I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore." I told her. "Not doing what?" She continued. "Us! You and me. It's over." I exclaimed. Aubrey said nothing. Instead, she walked away. I heard a few sniffles but tuned them out.