The Jock, The Nerd and The Geek

13

"I can stay. I'd just watch—"

"It's late." She cut in.

It wasn't too late for him, they both knew that, but it was obvious she wanted to be alone. Marcos didn't know if that was a good thing, but still, he nodded and slid off her body.

Alex watched him as he slowly began to dress, and when he was done, stood as well, picking her shirt from the chair and wearing it. "I'd walk you back."

"It's fine. I —"

She shook her head. "I need the air,"

Alex watched his face as he swallowed then nodded. She could tell he feared something else, about them, but she wasn't exactly sure what it was.

Still, she followed him out, both of them walking in silence and sooner than she had expected, reached his house.

As he turned to say his goodbyes, she kissed him. He readily accepted her lips. His warm ones soothing the coldness in her heart before she pulled away and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight,"

Marcos stared at her for a while, like he had something to say, but it didn't surprise her when he just nodded and walked to his house, waving at her again.

She gave a smile and waved as well, watching him enter and shut the door. The snarls and snaps coming back louder in her head.

"I told you! You never listen to me! Where are your friends now?!"

"They've taken my children from me! It's all your fault!"

"Read. Read. Read. Read. Read."

She placed her cold hand on her forehead to calm the ache beginning as her breathing began to come out in fast pants.

She was fine. She knew she was fine. She just needed to get her hand on a book as soon as she got home.

Thinking that made a rush of pain fill her. She couldn't believe that it controlled her this badly now. That she couldn't go a day without reading. Without feeling like jumping off a roof to stop the voices if she couldn't get her hand on a boom.

Her brain could feel the door that was guarding it roughly being scratched by nails that demanded to be let in so it could pick at her one by one since she was deciding to be disobedient.

Just one more time. And she'd get over it. One more book

As Alex got to her house, the voices wailed loudly but she ignored them, opening the door and about to run into her room so she could shut them up when she smelled it.

Food.

Someone... Someone was cooking.

The voices, still there, managed to quieten down for her to have a rational thought as she walked into the sitting room, slowly closing the door then heading to the kitchen.

As soon as she was in, she spotted a figure humming close to the gas that threw her back into an old memory she hadn't thought of in a while.

"Mom!"

Adriana turned to the ten year old girl that had walked in and put a hand on her hips, a playful frown on her face. "Alex. Look at you. You've got mud all over the place."

Alexandra giggled, there was mud all over her face and hands, as she replied, "Daddy and I were wrestling. And I won,"

Adriana's eyes moved to the door, a smile on her face. "Did you, now?"

"Got you!"

Strong arms wrapped around itself her Alex's torso and lifted her into the air. She screamed in delight as her Father twirled her around before he pulled her into his body, placing a kiss on the giggling girl.