Shark Bait (BoyxBoy)

VI

Ash
I yawned, squirming around under a mound of blankets and pillows. I sat up, pushing the mound away. I rubbed my eyes and yawned again. Hearing something stir within the mound next to me, I turned and quickly headbutted it, letting out a furious screech.

"OW!" A voice emitted from the mound, then something moved from within its depths. I stood up, ready to face the evil that emerged from within the blankets, only to slip back and fall from the bed. I yelped, bracing myself for a crash landing, when I landed into someone's arms.

I heard a grunt, and I craned my neck to see who had valiantly saved me. I blinked up at Matt, who blinked down at me, confusion evident on his face. His tousled hair stuck this way and that. He then glared at me, probably remembering what had happened last night, and shoved me away from him.

"Mom told me to tell you two to wake up, dinner is ready." He grumbled, before leaving the room. I sat on the floor near the bed, and I crawled to the side of it, peeking over the edge to see if the monster was gone. All I saw was Alex glaring at me from the sheets with a red mark on his forehead.

"Oh! Hi Alex. Did you sleep well?" I smiled broadly, waving at him. All I got in return was a glare and a rather angry mutter from him. Huh, I wonder what's wrong with him? Maybe he's grumpy.

I scrambled to my feet, realizing that breakfast was ready. "C'mon Alex, I'm hungry!" I sprinted out of the room and down the stairs, nearly slamming into a wall before arriving into the kitchen, a delicious aroma greeting me upon my arrival.

"Hello Mrs. Ryan! Smells delicious as always! I bet it tastes even better though!" I grinned happily, sitting in a chair at the table. I blinked, realizing that Matt wasn't sitting at the table. "Where's Matt?"

"Oh, he already left, hun. Something about meeting up with some old friends or something..." She replied, smiling at me.

"Oh." I couldn't help but feel disappointed, but I shrugged it off. I was gonna stay away from him for a bit anyways! I smiled to myself when I realized that Mrs. Ryan had set a plate in front of me with food piled high on it. I smiled at her in thanks before digging in.

☆☆☆

I prodded Alex's shoulder repeatedly, letting out mewls of discontent.

"Pleeeeeeeease!" I whined, pulling at Alex's arm. "I REEEEEEEALLY need some new clothes!"

"Ash, do you even have any money to afford clothes?" Alex asked with a sigh, glancing at me.

"Uhhh, no, but you can just buy it for me! Consider it an early birthday present for me!" I smiled broadly, feeling a victory in the near future.

"Didn't I get you those shoes you really wanted as an early birthday present?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uhhh, well this is my second early birthday present!"

"And what about that time I bought you food when we were like two minutes from your house?"

"THAT WAS A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION!" I cried.

"Or that time I drove you to a concert of a band you didn't even like, only to have to drive all the way back because you didn't feel like going anymore?"

"...Well, um...MY BIRTHDAY IS REALLY IMPORTANT. If I wasn't here, you wouldn't have any friends!"

"I think the reason I don't have more friends is because you're my friend, Ash."

"Fine! Meanie." I turned away from him, crossing my arms.

"Hey, I guess we could go to the mall. I need--"

"YAAAAAY! I CALL SHOTGUN!" I sprinted out of the house, crying out in joy.

"There isn't anyone else to take it from you, you don't need to call it." Alex called after me.

☆☆☆

Alex and I skipped through the mall. Well, I skipped and Alex tried to grab me because people were staring. But, anyways, we'd already gone through practically every store that had clothes I liked, so Alex was carrying like twenty bags. Before you say I'm selfish, I was carrying something too. Pretzels are VERY heavy. And yummy.

"Ash, I've got to go to the bathroom, could you sit still for a sec? I'll be right back." Alex left without waiting for an answer, dumping all of the bags onto the floor next to one of the many resting areas. I plopped down into a chair, swinging my legs and imagining I was on a rollercoaster. It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be, so I began to watch people as they walked by.

I watched as a few families and couples went by, before I noticed a certain pair. The girl was leaning back against the wall, the guy passionately making out with her. It looked like he was a zombie and he was eating her face. I watched the two for a little while when I realized something: the guy was Matt.

"M-Matt?"