Helpless- A Lams Modern AU Fanfiction

Chapter Four

Alex's Perspective

I wake up in the morning absolutely exhausted, with weird memories of the night before. John was totally smashed, so I brought him home...
As if on a cue, John rolls over and sighs next to me.

I remember now! He kissed me (that was a bad idea) and then I sang him a song that my mother used to sing to me. It's a little less beautiful outside of her native French, but John seemed to like it. I climb out from under the covers and pull the thin window-blinds open.

Instant result. John squirms and sits up.
"The light, it burnsssss us," he hisses, then laughs and opens his eyes.
"Good morning to you, too," I say, laughing. "Do you want some breakfast? We have to go to school soon."
"I don't wanna go to school," he whines.
"Well, come eat anyway."

I head straight into the kitchen, realizing that I never put my pajamas on last night. I'm still in my sweater and jeans and even my sneakers, which I decorated myself.
I'm a fairly good cook, so in fifteen minutes I've got bacon frying, eggs cooking sunny-side up, and pancakes ready to flip on the griddle. When I was younger, before my mother died, she taught me how to cook, and it's the way that, even now, I feel connected to her.

John emerges a minute after, as I'm sliding the food onto plates. He's fixed his hair and washed his face, and he looks absolutely adorable with his turtle shirt and bright little face.
"You're making me eat breakfast?"
"Yes. Yes, I am. You need to put some food in your stomach, and I think we'll have to eat in the car. I don't want to be late."
"Do I have to go to school? I just want to stay home and read." John picks at his bacon.
"Yes, you do. I'm sorry if that's not what you want to do, but we are going."
"Okay, Mom."

The familiar phrase sends a little stab of pain through my chest, but I stand up straight and go to get dressed in clean clothes.

John's Perspective

We pull up at school, and a loud honking sound comes from behind us. I look and see Peggy behind the wheel of a silver SUV, waving merrily and hitting the horn as hard as she can. Wait...
"That's my car!" I leap out of the passenger's seat and run over to where Peggy is dismounting with ease, swinging my keys around her finger.

"I fixed your car! It works so well I drove three towns over to my favorite bakery for breakfast this morning and everything!" Peggy's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as always, but something about her statement concerns me.
"Wait, you...drove?"
"Yup! Pretty good for a fifteen year old with no license, amiright?" She looks too proud of herself.

"Oh my God, Peggy, what did you do?" I love that car.
"Nothing!" She counts off on her fingers. "I parallel parked, no major collisions. That dent in the side was there when I got in. I didn't even change your radio station- you seriously listen to girlie pop?"
"Shut up and give me my keys." I let her words process for a moment. "Wait, major collisions?"

"There was one squirrel. I couldn't just hit him, could I? I'm not that heartless. I crashed into a small tree instead. The airbags didn't even go off. It's all good!"
"Well, at least you put the cables back in."
"Oh yeah. About that..."

I bury my head in my hands. "Now what?"
"I'm not sure I put them in right. The red one got tweaked, so-"
She's cut off by the sound of a small explosion and smoke wafting out of my engine. "That happens."

"Margarita Schuyler, you're gonna wake up dead one morning and you'll know exactly why."
"Whatever, Turtle Boy. Waking up dead is physically and logically impossible, sweetie!" She skips off to class, yellow dress floating in the autumn breeze.

"I'm going to kill that girl," I mutter under my breath. Alex takes my arm and looks me in the eye. His face is serious.
"Are we just going to pretend that last night didn't happen?" He asks, looking deeply perturbed.
"What do you mean? I don't remember everything that happened." I pinch the bridge of my nose to stop the incoming headache I feel pounding at my temples.

"...John, you kissed me last night. You said you really liked me. Nothing else really happened, but it can't just sit there like the proverbial elephant in the room."
"Fine, Alex. Honestly, I do like you. I may have been drunk, but I don't regret kissing you. I have no regrets about yesterday. "
"Well, then I have no regrets about this."

Before I can say another word, he's kissing me. When he pulls away, his cheeks are flushed.
"Do you want to go out for coffee or something after school?" My voice is a little wobbly. Pull yourself together, Laurens.
"I'd love to. You'll have to tell me what's good around here, though." Alex pulls his hair back.
"Okay! See you after school."
"I assume you'll need a ride?" Alex has the nerve to look amused.
"I'm seriously going to murder that kid," I say, walking off to class, Peggy's antics driving me crazy once again.