Learn Again

Eleven

"Oh my god, did you hear?"

"What? Wait...is Jessica pregnant again?"

"No! Alex is, like, going out with a girl."

"Um, what?"

"He's going out with a girl!"

"Wait, you mean, like, whoring around with a girl, or like, going out, going out, with a girl?"

"I mean going out, going out, you idiot! He's like, totally parading her around the school. She's so lucky."

"Oh my god...Do you know her name?"

"I heard her name's Margaret! And she's hot. Like, supermodel hot."

"Well, that's not new. Alex is, like, super hot, too! It's about time he got a girlfriend..."

The sounds of their conversation died away as the girls walked out of the bathroom. Grace pushed open the stall weakly. Alex was actually going out with a girl? But he had never went out with a girl...So he must be serious about this one. Really serious.

Grace winced at the thought, and then dashed some cool water on her face. What the hell was she thinking? It shouldn't affect her at all if Alex wanted to go out with someone. No, not at all.

She walked out of the bathroom, and slowly made her way to her first period class. She suddenly brightened. Alex was in her first period -- maybe she'd have a chance to question him about his new "relationship."

Except, when she sat down in homeroom, Alex walked right past her without a word. He had never gone past wthout cracking a joke, a pick up line, saying hi, or even smiling at her! But insead, he just ignored her.

She gaped for a minute, and then shook herself. Pull it together, Grace, she chided. He has a girlfriend now. Girlfriend!

A girl walked in through the doors, and then preceded to sit on Alex's lap and thoroughly make out with him.

Grace turned away, disgusted by the sight. "Get a room," she muttered under her breath.

Unfortunately for her, the girl heard her. The girl -- Margaret, wasn't it? -- turned around and glared at her. "You're just jealous because I have Alex and you don't!"

Grace rolled her eyes. "You can keep him," she replied. She looked up and saw Alex staring at her with a hurt expression, which he then composed into a smile.

"Margaret, baby, she's not worth it," he cooed, and then pulled her face to his. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Grace, waiting for her reaction.

She gritted her teeth but continued to look cool as a cucumber on the outside. "PDA. Classy," she commented, and then turned to the front as the teacher called for attention.

~

Alex was furious. He was shoving his tongue down her throat and she didn't even care! She should've been falling over him, tripping over herself to please him.

He didn't even like Margaret! He was just going out with her for the sake of making Grace jealous. But she wasn't jealous, at all. What the hell? Did she not like him?

He thought about that for a second, and then shook his head. No. He definitely had not mistaken the way she looked at him before...And she responded to him when he kissed her!

Yeah. He had a chance. Now, if he could convince her to go out with him...That hot body of hers was really tempting him. After he tapped that, he'd be gone. It was wham, bam, thank you ma'm -- the less feelings involved, the better.

"Dude," David grunted, interrupting Alex from his extremely deep thoughts. "What the hell is wrong with you? You've been all quiet and weird all day."

Alex shrugged self-consciously. "Girls," he said, uttering it like it was a curse.

"Margaret getting on your nerves?" David snorted.

Alex winced. "No. Another girl," he contradicted. He added, "I don't even like Margaret."

"Then why are you going out with her?"

"Getting another girl jealous," Alex replied.

David snickered. "Oh! We're getting serious now, are we?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "No, it's just that girl, Grace."

"Oh, damn, her? I'd tap that. Can I have her when you're done?"

Alex tensed and his jaw twitched at the fact of David getting his hands on her. "Sure," he managed to say.

David licked his lips. "Dude, she's a firecracker. Why haven't you banged that yet? Getting a little rusty?" he teased.

"No," Alex denied.

David laughed. "Oh! Hell yeah you are!"

Alex scowled. "I bet I could get her in my bed in a month."

"Fifty bucks says you're wrong," David offered.

Alex narrowed his eyes. "You're on."

~

"I don't like him." Grace rolled her eyes.

"Sure you don't," Margaret hissed. "I could see you eye-raping him, hussy."

Grace snickered. "Hussy?"

Margaret's face turned red. "Shut up, skank."

"Skank," Grace observed. "Nice one. Varied, very creative insults. I know why Alex chose you, now."

Margaret scowled. "He chose me because I'm hot. Unlike you."

Grace raised an eyebrow coolly. "Wow, we're shallow, aren't we? Ever heard 'beauty is only skin deep'?"

"That's what ugly people say," Margaret snarled.

"Perhaps," Grace acknowledged. She smiled brightly at Margaret.

Confused for a second, Margaret paused. "Just -- just keep your paws off my man!" she shouted, and then stormed off.

The corners of Grace's lips turned up. "Quoting Glee. Classy."

"What are you whispering about?"

Grace looked up with a smile, which quickly faded when she saw Alex. "Nothing."

"What, no hello?" Alex asked, pretending to be offended.

Grace looked at him with a bored expression. "Didn't say hi to me when you had your whore with you."

Alex held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "And the claws are coming out! Rawr," he teased. "If I didn't know you better, I would have thought you were jealous."

"You don't know me," Grace muttered angrily, blushing a little.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "So, basically...you're saying you are jealous?"

"What -- no! No. God." Grace denied, her cheeks turning redder by the second.

"Aw, so cute! She's blushing," Alex cooed.

"Whatever." Grace rolled her eyes again.

Before Alex could retort, Margaret's shrill voice pierced through their conversation. "Alex! Get over here, now!"

"What are you, a dog?" Grace snorted.

Alex shrugged. "Maybe. Well, gotta go. Laters, baby," he winked, and then ran away.

Grace smiled, watching him go, and then froze. Wait...did he just quote Fifty Shades of Grey?

She sighed. I always choose the psychos, she thought sadly.