Hearts On Fire {Alex Gaskarth}

Chapter 2

Alex

I had way better things I could be doing besides some stupid dinner with the new neighbor. I could be hanging out with my friends, like I originally planned. They walked home with me and everything and an hour after playing video games and joking around my mom asked them to leave saying we had plans tonight. Which ultimately meant that they made plans and decided to drag me into it.

I was never good at being social and although I make myself out to seem like a total ass, I'm just a shy seventeen year old senior who would rather spend his waking hours playing video games and sleeping than to go to a complete strangers house. I mean why we would even go there in the first place, I don't know. For all I know they could be psycho killers targeting us for their next kill. Maybe I'm over reacting just a tad. I'm pretty sure they're a very considerate and well meaning family.

My mom pushed a covered dish into my hand and started to pull on her light jacket.

"Alex maybe you should put on a hoodie or something, it's going to get cold out soon when autumn arrives." She said cautiously with one of my hoodies in her hand. I rolled my eyes and handed her the plate so I could put it on. Not even out the door yet and she's already being over protective. I'm a big boy I can handle myself. I'll be eighteen in a little under three months.

"Great! Are we ready?" She said while clapping her hands together. I looked at my dad out of the corner of my eye and he looked at me back clearly confused on what was so exciting about this.

We started walking, me lagging behind because I'm a lazy sack of potatoes and my mom being very eager. My dad just lagging behind her. We were like little children in a single file line and mom was ecstatic because she was the line leader. Oh the good old days, the days when kids were your enemy because they were the line leader instead of you. These were the high school years now and god forbid you bumped into a jock. Let alone sleep with his girlfriend. Hehe.

My mother rang the doorbell and before I knew it she crushed the woman in a hug.

"It's so nice to see you again Rebecca." My mom had an overwhelming tendency to be extremely touchy and loving to people who she really liked. In my case, she still treated me like a child, if we went out to dinner she would be one of those mom's that licked their thumb and scrubbed non existent marks off your cheek. Me being my age it was extremely embarrassing.

"It's great to see you Isobel, Gracie is right upstairs." She said quickly before yelling up the stairs. So she had a daughter. Probably like an eight year old or something. I wasn't the greatest with little kids. Meaning that if I was in a predicament where I had to encounter a child, I would have no idea how to act. I'd probably poke them with a stick.

I heard footsteps come down the stairs and froze. This was the same girl from my math class. The one that almost cried when she was called on. Everyone was talking about her. The jocks and cheerleaders were being bitches and calling her a cry baby. Then there was the considerate two percent that thought Owen was a total asshole for doing that to her. I had to admit, she was hot. Had a pretty face, but I was a teenage boy and mostly attentive to the nice rack she had. And her butt, oh my god.

"Well, don't just stand there and be shy, introduce yourself." I heard my mother whisper in my ear. I rolled my eyes and held out my hand.

"Um, hi, I'm Alex." I said quietly. Shit. Way to go Alex, acting all shy and shit around a hot girl. Just great. She smiled and cautiously took my hand.

"I'm Gracie." She said quietly. It was all she said, she pulled away from the handshake and wiped her hand on the side of her jeans thinking no one would notice her discreetness. I don't know what it was but I noticed it. Maybe it was the fact that I was checking her out again, or maybe it was the fact that I just notice things like that, mostly I was just checking her out again.

"Well I just finished setting up dinner and silverware when you guys arrived, lets go on shall we?" Her mom said with a smile. This dinner was either going to be a complete and total disaster, or it would actually be really good. I couldn't help but notice one thing though. Where was her dad?

As both Grace and her mom Rebecca walked forward ahead of us leading to the kitchen I leaned in close to my mom "So where's her dad?" I whispered.

She slapped the back of my head without looking down at me and continued walking.

"Ugh, mom, the hair." I whined and patted the back of my head.

"That's rude Alexander William." She hissed and sat down next to Rebecca who was serving herself some mashed potatoes. I scoffed under my breath and didn't make a move while my mom piled vegetables on my plate and a piece of chicken Parmesan next to it. I didn't see what was so rude about it, I was simply asking a question out of my own curiosity.

I suddenly wasn't very hungry and it looked like Grace was the same because she had only eaten half of her chicken and a scoop or two of her mashed potatoes. She was just sitting there quietly looking down at her hands listening to the nearby conversations of our parents. I looked over at her mom every once in a while to see her sneaking glances, but her daughter was to entranced by her chipping nail polish to glance back at the worried looks her mom registered.

After dinner her mom and my mom stood up and walked off to the kitchen with all the dirty dishes and I heard the faucet starting. My dad had taken his plate in along and it was just her and I being quiet. It was awkward i'll give you that, but I couldn't find any words to say to start a conversation, she certainly wouldn't. She got up abruptly and left the table and I heard running up the stairs. It couldn't have been that bad sitting her with me? I mean yeah it was totally awkward, but a conversation could have been started. Did I smell bad?

I smelled myself and shrugged, it wasn't b.o, it was pretty decent. I couldn't just sit there at the dining room table alone like a bum, I went in the kitchen to find my mom drying dishes while she washed them and my dad was no where to be seen.

"Hey where's dad?" I asked. She turned around with a smile but faded once she saw me.

"Went home to watch the game on the television. What are you doing in here?" My mom asked.

"Grace kind of ran upstairs away from me after you guys came into the kitchen. I didn't know what to do." I trailed off and shrugged.

Her mom turned around with a sad smile on her face and dried her hands turning off the faucet.

"I know I don't know you that well Alexander-"

"Just Alex is fine." I interrupted she smiled again and stopped in front of me

"Gracie is deathly shy and doesn't like talking to people she doesn't know, I want you to help her break out of her shell a bit." She said. Was she crazy? I can't ruin my rep by being friends with a girl. I didn't need everyone thinking she's my girlfriend when I have girls lining up asking for me.

"Um, I, um, I don't know." I stuttered. She sighed and looked into my eyes. It was then that I realized just how piercing blue her eyes were. They were sad. I felt bad now and I only sighed.

"Yeah, I guess." I said giving up. There was no way I was going to live this down.

She pushed me towards the stairs fast and when I turned around I saw her giving a thumbs up and my mom smiling behind her. There were positives to this. I could actually warm up to her if I allowed myself to.

I knocked on the door her mom said was hers and took a deep breath.

"Come in!" I heard from the other side. I opened the door cautiously and peeked my head in and widened my eyes. She was already in her night wear, which consisted of long sleeve shirt and yoga shorts. She squealed and pulled her shirt over her. Well now I have a serious problem.

"I thought you were my mom. I didn't know you were still here!" She squeaked and threw herself under the covers. Once she was quickly hidden by the covers she reverted back to her shy self.

"Um, I thought we could get to know each other." I said quietly. And here we go again with this shyness. What's wrong with me? I'm never this quiet around a hot girl.

"I-I guess so." She whispered and patted the spot on the bed next to her. It was weird because I wasn't one for having conversations while sitting on a girls bed if you know what I mean. Then I realized, I was a terrible person for pitying her and doing this. I think I should've gotten paid to do this.