There was nothing so blissful like sleeping in on a Saturday morning. Just laying in bed, not having to worry about getting up at six in the morning to get ready for school. That was one thing that Alex enjoyed. No school, no homework, no worries, just getting a nice sleep. If only things were so simple.
"Alex! Lexi, wake up!"
Said girl groaned. Why? Why her? She slowly opened one eye to see the two little devils who had interrupted her peaceful slumber. Looking up at her with their big brown eyes were her two little cousins, Kirk and Ross. She just groaned again then shoved her face deeper into her pillow.
"What do you two want?" she asked, her voice muffled by the pillow.
"Let's go to the park!" They proudly shouted at her.
"What does that have to do with me exactly?"
"Dad is busy at work," Ross started.
"And mom is too," Kirk finished.
"So the only one left to take us is you!" they said in unison.
"Go away."
"But Alex!" They whined. "Please!"
"The person that you are calling right now is not available for your assistance. Please leave a message after the tone," she paused, "Beeeeep."
"Alex!" Kirk whined.
Alex sighed in defeat, "If I say yes…will you two leave me alone?"
"Okay!"
"We'll leave as soon as I'm ready okay?" she sighed.
"Right!" they nodded, grinning triumphantly.
"But we're only staying for one hour, got that?"
"Roger!" they both said running out of the room. After she heard them run down the stairs, Alex groaned again. Leave it to her two little cousins to ruin her day before it could even get the chance to start. Now don't get her wrong, she loved them with all of her heart but at times like this, she really wished they would just leave her alone.
Alex swung her legs over the side of her bed and yawned. After getting dressed, Alex took Ross and Kirk to Sunset Park and plopped herself down on a bench while the two started playing in the sandbox. Alex chuckled to herself when she saw that Ross and Kirk had gotten into a sand fight and continued to throw sand at each other.
Children laughed from a few yards away at the playground. A crowd of peopler13;many of them being happy, giggling couplesr13;walked this way and that. Behind her, a tall fountain flowed harmoniously and the clear water shone under the sun's reflected light. But she didn't take much notice. Heck, she barely even paid any mind at all to the ice-cream and hotdog venders nearbyr13;one of the few times in her life that she could honestly claim to be uninterested in food. All she noticed was the time and the way it slowly became less and less.
I can't wait for this hour to be over with...
"Excuse me?" a voice questioned.
Glancing up in surprise, Alex stared at the woman standing just a few feet away from her and watched as a warm smile graced her lips. She was oddly familiar to her and for a moment, she felt as if she had met her before. Slowly, as she stared harder at her, she realized that she had.
"Oh, Mrs. Jackson. Hello," Alex greeted, anxiously darting her eyes around to see if Janet or Michael were nearby, "What brings you here today?" she asked as Katherine plopped herself down beside her on the bench.
"I just came out here to have some alone time. What about you, honey?"
"My cousins felt like waking me up and forcing me to take them to the park," Alex murmuringly said and she was puzzled to see that Katherine was laughing, in no offensive manner, of course.
"Children are so wonderful."
She glanced over at Ross and Kirk who were currently building dry sandcastles that looked more like disintegrating anthills, then turning back to Katherine, she nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, sure."
Even though they may get on my nerves sometimes...
"Michael loves children. Oh, does he love them. He lives for the children. Did you know that he works at a children's daycare?"
Alex jolted in surprise, "Really? I didn't know that."
Katherine nodded, "He just started last week. Boy, was he excited! And those children..." she paused and laughed at an amusing thought that came to mind, "...Those children tore him up! They just loved him!"
Alex smiled, not necessarily thinking about the thought of children beating him up but at the sight of Michael's beaming face once he saw the children's smiling faces. It was an admiring sight and Alex was actually looking forward to seeing it one day.
"Speaking of Michael," Katherine began with a troubled look in her eye, "do you know if anything is wrong with him?"
"Wrong? Like what?" Alex asked in puzzlement.
"He's been looking sad lately. Do you know why?"
Sad? Could it be that he broke up with Lisa? But he said he wasn't interested in her anymore, right? So why would he be sad about that?
"Well," Alex began sheepishly as she uncomfortably rubbed the back of her head, "He just broke up with his girlfriend."
Horror claimed Katherine's features, "He broke up with Alex!" she exclaimed, "Oh no. He was crazy about her."
"Yeah. It's pretty sad that he broke up with Li-" Alex's eyes flew wide open in shock, "Wait... You said that he broke up with Alex?"
"Yes. It only makes sense. He talks about that girl 24/7, all the time. Sometimes, I have to shut him up before he talks my ears off!" she laughed, "So, why did they break up? I know Michael was in love with that girl. He was crazy about her."
"About Alex Avery?" Alex asked.
Katherine proudly nodded, "I never got the chance to meet her though. But the way he describes her makes her sound like a sweet girl."
I guess Mrs. Jackson doesn't realize that we have met each other before. I suppose I'm not a very memorable person...
"What does he say about m..." she paused as she restrained herself from saying 'me', "I mean, what does he say about Alex?"
"Oh honey, the question is, what doesn't he say about her?" They both laughed, "He's always talking about how pretty she is. He even went as far as calling her beautiful."
Alex blushed, Oh gosh.
"Everyday he gets home, the first thing he says is, "I miss her already, mother". It's so sweet. That boy can talk about her. He talks about how smart she is, how pretty she is, how much he loves her, you name it. He loves that girl."
Katherine smiled warmly once she noticed how hard Alex was blushing.
"I'm sorry, baby. I got a motormouth today."
"It's okay. It's really..." she pondered for the right selection of words, "... sweet how he thinks about her."
Too sweet. So sweet that it can't be true!
Alex felt awed that Michael felt so "strongly" about her but she also felt slightly worried that he actually cared about her. It was too much to think about at the moment. There was no way he could care for her so deeply, miss her so longingly, love her so authentically. After all of the pain and misery he had put her through, there was no way he could actually end up loving her. No matter how many times she would hear him say it, she was positive to never be able to believe him.
Oh god... If he's in love with me... No. He can't be. But Mrs. Jackson said so. She could be lying... No. She wouldn't lie. But there's no other explanation. Unless...
"He loves me..." she murmured to herself and Katherine glanced up at her in shock.
"Alex?" Katherine questioned in surprise.
Alex jolted out of her reverie and forcing a tiny smile, she said, "It was nice seeing you again but I'm afraid I have to leave now."
"Alex-?!"
"Goodbye, Mrs. Jackson."
Alex shot up to her feet and rushed towards the sandbox and grabbed both Kirk and Ross by their forearm, dragging them out of the sandbox and off of the park's property, simply ignoring the violent protests and incessant whining of her younger cousins. Their actions and voices were only mere noises in the back of her mind. All she could hear were the forbidden words that Katherine had said.
'He loves that girl.'
And Alex was dismayed to know that "that girl" was her.
Suddenly, Alex felt her head bump into another's chest and glancing up to face the owner she had assaulted, she gasped in shock to realize who it was.
There stood the boy who "loved" her, the boy who missed her once she was out of sight, the boy who was crazy about her, the boy who had been her bully for as long as she could remember. He stood there in front of her with Janet alongside him, her lips quirked in a tiny, cunning smile as she flirtatiously batted her long eyelashes at Ross who in return, smiled timidly and bashfully lowered his eyes. Kirk just stood there, puzzled to why the two couples before him were staring so longingly at each other, as if they were admiring the other.
Kirk's eyes darted back and forth at the two couples in a way that could only be described as sheer confusion and curiosity.
Janet was the first to speak, "Hey, Ross," she greeted, her voice barely audible.
"Hey, Janet," Ross timidly greeted back.
Silence.
"Do you want some ice-cream?" Ross sputtered.
Janet beamed, "Sure!"
Ross glanced up at Alex expectantly, a strange glint in his eye. Sighing in defeat, Alex fished her hand in her pocket and retrieved several wrinkled bills and presented it to Ross who elatedly snatched it out of her hand, grasped Janet's hand and escorted her towards the ice-cream truck pulled up on the curb.
"Buy your brother one too!" Alex called after them and Ross responded with a vague wave of his hand.
Alex turned with a sigh and jolted in surprise once she saw that Michael was standing closer to her than she remembered. Smiling wearily, she sat herself down on a nearby bench and sighed once more.
"It's a nice occasion to be able to see you out of school," Michael said as he took a seat beside her.
"You too..." Alex murmured.
And it's also nice to know how hopelessly in love you are with me.
"So, what brings you here on a Saturday?" Alex asked stealing a glimpse at him.
"Just bringing Janet to the park. You?"
"My cousins dragged me here."
Michael chuckled, "Guess you weren't as enthusiastic as I was to get out of bed either." They both laughed.
Silence fell over them as their laughter died down.
Michael heaved a wistful sigh and glanced up at the clear blue sky, a pleasant smile quirking on his lips, "Isn't this just lovely weather?"
The younger youth turned to look at Michael's smiling face. He smiled back with just as much ease; no one would guess his heart fluttered for a brief instant beforehand.
"Yeah," Alex nodded, looking up with a hand over her forehead to shield her eyes from the bright sun. She tilted her head towards him once more, "Yeah, it is."
Michael smiled gently, his features softening and seeming to beam when his eyes bore into her own. Alex awkwardly smiled back, anxiously glancing over to the side to avoid eye contact with him. She heaved a shaky sigh and turned away from him as she drummed the tips of her fingers against her knees in an impatient manner. Unbeknownst to her, Michael frowned in dismay, upset that he wasn't able to hold her gaze for long.
"What's taking those kids so long?" Alex grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the other children playing in the park.
She didn't feel comfortable sitting next to a boy who, after all of the pain and suffering he had put her through, fell in love with her in the end. She had no feelings for him whatsoever, at least, feelings that wouldn't be to his liking. He had caused her the pain and the effects that had taken over afterwards slimmed his chances of winning her love down to zero. She believed in forgiving people for their wrongdoings but how would she be able to forget all of the things he had put her through? How was she to forget every punch, every kick, every pinch, every insult, every slap in the face? How was she to forget the times that whenever she saw his face, her hatred towards him only intensified? How was she to forget all of those lonesome nights in her bedroom that was filled with nothing but suicidal thoughts and sobbing? How was she to forget the first day when her own personal Hell had begun?
How was one person ever to forget any of that? Certainly not Alex. Those were painful memories that were never to be forgotten but only remembered.
A brief flash of pain flickered in her eyes, melting with the lurking sorrow and blending in with all of the misery she had been put through, the hatred, the despair, the constant grief.
Michael gently placed a hand on her arm, jerking Alex out of her inner thoughts. A light blush adorned her cheeks as she met Michael's worried gaze which was only inches away from her own face.
"You okay?" he asked and if it had not been for the shakiness in his voice, she could have sworn that he was angry.
Alex blushed harder, "Yeah, I'm fine," she sputtered, turning back around to search for her cousins.
Alex groaned, "Where are they?!"
"What's the rush?" Alex turned, looking both quizzical and curious, "I mean, we're already here. We might as well have a little fun while we're at it, right?"
"Well, uh-?!"
"Come on," Michael said grabbing hold of the girl's hand and pulling her lightly towards the ice-cream truck. Alex had a light blush on her cheeks by the time they arrived. Michael, although loving the feel of touching Alex's warm skin, reluctantly released Alex's hand from his grasp.
"What kind of ice cream do you want?" Michael asked Alex as he stood in front of the small trolley. A kind old woman stood there, smiling at them as she waited for their order.
"Um…" Alex frowned in thought, "I don't know." She looked up and smiled, "What are you going to have?"
Michael frowned this time, "I dunno…" He hadn't really thought of that; he was just going to have what Alex was having.
"I'll have what you're going to have," Alex said.
Michael stared at her, blinking. "Wait!" he protested suddenly, "Y-you can't have what I'm having 'c-cause… well, I don't know what I'm going to have."
"So pick something," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Michael shook his head fervently, "Nu-huh. You."
"Nor13;you." Alex poked him.
"I asked you first!"
"So?"
Michael sighed, shoulders slumped, "What's your favorite color?"
"Strawberry!"
"That's not ar13;Oh well," he turned to the woman, "Two strawberry ice cream cones."
Nodding, the old woman went to work.
"If you wanted strawberry, you could have said so earlier," Michael remarked.
"I like all of the flavors. There's too many choices in order to decide on just one."
Michael stared at her for a brief moment before chuckling, "You think too much."
Alex blushed. Soon enough, the woman handed them their cones and Michael offered her the needed amount of money, allowing her to keep the change and earning himself a smile of gratitude.
"Have fun you two," she said smiling wider.
Both exchanging soft smiles, Michael and Alex went off, strolling around the outskirts of the playground and licking their individual ice-cream.
"Thanks for the ice-cream," Alex said shyly in between licks of her creamy dessert.
"Anytime."
He glanced over at her to see if she was blushing only to find a speck of pink on the tip of her nose. He chuckled once he realized that she had gotten some ice-cream on her nose. Gently, with care, he retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and brushed off the pink substance from her nose. Alex blushed.
"Thank you."
Mumbled under his breath was a tiny "You're welcome" and he blushed too all the while, his curly bangs hiding his eyes under the fringe.
They walked together once more.
"So," Michael said, breaking the silence they had found themselves in for the past ten minutes. "What do you want to do?" he drawled out in an uncaring tone. He glanced over at Alex through his peripherals.
She turned and smiled at him, stopping. Lifting her hand, she pointed at the swing set.
"Let's go on the swings!" She ran forward, tugging him along with her. Michael stared in shock at their intertwined hands as a scarlet blush rose in his cheeks.
"Sure," he mumbled, barely audible over her contagious laughter as she made her way towards the metal contraption.
Alex sat on the swing and pumped her legs in the air in an attempt to make herself swing with her own will. Michael playfully rolled his eyes.
"Here. Let me push you," he offered.
He stood behind her and started off with a gentle push, sending her a few inches away from his hands and gradually applying more pressure and strength to make her go further into the sky.
Hearing her laugh so wholeheartedly, seeing her enjoying the simple sensation of flying, occasionally feeling her back against his hands, it was all he ever wanted, to enjoy the delightful feeling of just being in her presence with her actually enjoying his own. She was almost like a child. It was then that Michael realized that he had been abusing her, the child, just like his father had abused him when he was a child.
His face fell and he stepped aside, a message to Alex that he was done pushing her.
The wind caressed her, casting away her worries and fears. Looking down, the sun reflected on Michael's bright white shirt and looking down at him was like looking down at a knight clad in shining armor, a knight who was once before against her but was now fighting alongside her, protecting her all the while.
"I'm flying!" Alex gleefully shouted.
Michael's head perked up in surprise to her merry statement and he smiled at the sight of that broad grin plastered on her face. He felt as if he were flying too, on the inside because he felt his heart take flight whenever he heard the glorious sounds her voice made.
The pain I caused her is all in the past now, right? She has a heart of compassion. She wouldn't dwell long on those painful memories. Maybe I did hurt her more than necessary but I'm trying to change that. I'm really trying. The harming process is over now. Now, I have to begin the healing process. I have to start aiding the wounds I caused her and mend her broken heart. I have to show her that I am willing for change. I have to show her how much I love her before it's too late.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Enjoy peoples!
Chapter End Notes:
I hope you enjoyed. This chapter is dedicated for those who wanted Alex and Michael to have a "moment". Don't forget to review! :)