Judgmental Morons

13. Food Fights with Physics Genius

I'm gonna be completely honest here: when the doorbell rang, I felt a bit apprehensive.

Alex had come over for tutoring, and this would be the first time we would be alone since the whole crying+hugging+sentimental expressions episode earlier that week. As much as I hate to admit it, I was grateful for his help, but I was also scared that things would turn...awkward.

But then I remembered how he said "Nothing happened here" with that weird smile of his and I realized things would be the same.

I was proven right when I swung the door open, and he greeted me with a "Where the heck did you get that? It looks like somebody died in it!" while pointing at my t-shirt.

"I made it myself, at the arts and craft section at the summer fair. There was a booth for painting your own shirt. Goes to show how extremely talented I am."

"Yeah, if recreating crime scenes were an art."

"As usual your bullshit doesn't make sense."

"And as usual you're being rude and not inviting me inside."

"Oh my," I let out a fake gasp, "how silly of me. Please, do come in."

I held the door out and stood to the side before discreetly sticking out my foot. Alex sauntered in before tripping, flailing around for a few seconds and landing on his ass.

"There's definitely a law somewhere against making a guest trip over your threshold."

"Why don't you go home and research about it?"

He got up and brushed off the back of his pants. "And give up the chance to mess with you? Thanks, but I'll pass."

Yup. Things haven't changed a bit.

*

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*

"So...if the two x's cancel out...then the centripetal force acting on Earth is zero!"

Alex looked up at me, his expression a mixture of triumph and anticipation.

"So you're saying the Earth isn't orbiting the Sun, its actually hurtling through space in a straight line?"

"Yeah!"

I shot him my best do-you-hear-yourself look.

"Oh wait, that would make Galileo wrong...holy golden brown nuggets I've proved Galileo wrong!!"

"Or you mistook that addition symbol for a minus sign."

Alex's face fell, his bottom lip sticking out in an adorable pout.

I meant to say annoying. An annoying pout.

"Thanks for all the encouragement," he mumbled before crossing out his work.

"I'd do anything for my favorite dipshit," I replied in a honeyed voice. Just then, the doorbell rang.

"That must be the pizza," I said before jumping off my bed. "I'll go get it, but DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING WHILE I'M GONE."

Of course I knew he was going to sneak around, but I'd locked away all of my prized possessions, so I wasn't very worried.

After collecting the pizza and paying the delivery guy (a very cute one by the name of Ernie), I started towards the stairs, only to be called back by Uncle Tom.

"Everything okay honey? You're not doing things you'll regret are you?" he teased with a twinkle in his eye.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nah, he's a nice young man. And a good influence on you."

"Excuse me? Since when have I been in need of good influence?"

He ignored me and continued. "Quite good looking as well, don't you think?"

"God, this is Alex! You could pay me a billion dollars and I still wouldn't make out with him."

"You sure about that? Because young ladies have told me they would love to caress my finely toned chest," Alex said smugly. He must have overheard us while coming down the stairs.

He does have a finely toned chest though. Just saying.

Nevertheless, I glared at him. Uncle Tom raised his eyebrows. "As long as you don't do anything under my roof until you're both 25, that is."

"Wait, are you saying I can't--"

I was cut off by Alex, who went, quite politely, "Of course not, Uncle Tom. I'll help her control herself."

"He's not your uncle," I stated hotly.

"Yeah well, neither is Uncle Sam," Alex replied before grabbing the pizza and heading up the stairs. Uncle Tom and I exchanged looks.

"I said he's nice, but I didn't say the kid was intelligent," he said defensively.

*

*

*

Alex's eyes wandered around my nondescript room as he chewed on the pizza slice. I was quietly enjoying my own cheesy portion, when I noticed him fix his gaze on my desk.

Amidst all the junk stood a picture of my parents and me, which had been taken a few months before the...accident.

I couldn't believe I forgot to put away the fucking picture.

A whole paragraph, a rather colorful one, had begun to construct itself in my head. I almost spewed it out on Alex because I expected a nosy question, but all he said was, "Your father was quite a good-looking man."

After getting over the shock, I simply nodded at the pizza box laying on the floor, in between us. A few moments later I looked up to find Alex's eyes on me. He seemed to be calculating whether or not to bring up the mom topic, but again, he read my mind and said instead, "You have cheese flecks in your hair."

I picked some cheese off my slice and flicked it at his hair before saying, "So do you."

Alex narrowed his eyes before smirking menacingly. "FOOD FIGHT!!" He yelled before throwing a slice of tomato at me. Five minutes later pizza topping lay strewn across the floor and stuck to our hair. Alex was grinning like an idiot, and judging from the ache in my cheeks, so was I.

"Uncle Tom is going to go ballistic if he sees this mess," I said.

"Seems like an improvement to me," Alex replied, scooting next to me so our shoulders touched. "You still have cheese flecks in your hair by the way," he continued, picking the little crumbs off my hair.

"Leave it on," I told him jokingly, "It's probably an improvement."

"Meg," he said it in such a soft voice that I had to look up. He was smiling his heart-warming, stomach-somersaulting smile (or maybe that was just the fifth slice of pizza). "You really-"

But he couldn't finish whatever he was about to say because Uncle Tom walked in at that exact moment.

"Hey Meg have you seen the-What in God's name happened here?!"

"Uh...Alex threw up?" I turned the statement into a question.

"Hey! I did not!" Alex protested.

"Well you better clean this stuff up or pizza won't be entering this house for the next YEAR!"

Needless to say, that threat got Alex and me running around in search of brooms in no time.

A/N

I'm not even gonna try to apologize for the huge wait.

And I know the last two chapters have been a bit emotional and Meg and Alex related but hopefully the next chapter will be fun.

Or someone might die. You just never know. *grins maliciously*

Anyway, please let me know what you think in the comments, and if you like it, please vote!!