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Chapter Twenty-One: "Just Friends"

*Chapter Twenty-One: "Just Friends"*

"I'm sorry, you know?"

Beth sighed, looking up at Alex from her homework. "Alex, you need to stop apologizing. I forgave you the first time."

He gave her a small smile, wheeling over to her. "Just because you forgave me doesn't mean I can forgive myself."

Beth frowned, taking his hand in hers. "Whatever happened between us, it's fine now. I have no anger towards you. I'm with Ty now and you're getting better. Things are good."

"Okay, Bethy. I should probably go get ready for AA."

"Need any help?"

Alex's eyes widened and he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I... Uh... Don't think your boyfriend would appreciate that very much. Especially since my sister's out on a date with her boy toy."

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"Sure you didn't, Bethy."

Not too long after Alex left, getting a ride from a girl who went to the meetings, Abbie came back. "Hey. How was your date with Parker?"

"We just went out for pizza and a movie. It was fun. Very laid back. How was your night?"

Beth raised an eyebrow and tapped the textbook on her lap. "How do you think?"

"You know, you and Ty should come with one of these times. We could have a double date."

"Yeah, maybe."

"You don't have to spend all your time working, you know. You can have fun."

"Ty tells me that all the time but I don't think he gets it... He's got scouts fighting over him. He's going to have to choose from sports scholarships. But me? I have to rely all on my academics and hope that gets me somewhere. I just... I want to at least be a driving distance away from you guys. I don't think I'll be able to survive college without it."

"Beth, you'll be fine. And knowing me, I'm probably going to be going to community college so wherever you go, it'll be a hell of a lot better of a place than wherever I go."

It was quiet for a little bit, before Abbie got her backpack and started working on homework.

It was about a half an hour after that when Alex got back. However, he wasn't alone. A small petite girl with bright blonde hair was pushing his wheelchair inside. Abbie and Beth looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Oh, hey guys," Alex said. "This is Sam. She's the one that's been driving me to AA meetings. I figured it would be a nice thing to invite her inside for some coffee."

"Oh, well that's... Nice of you, Alex," Abbie told him. "I can go make some coffee if you-"

"No, it's good. I got it. Thanks though."

They went into the kitchen and Beth and Abbie looked at each other with wide eyes. "Do you think Alex likes that girl?" Beth questioned Abbie, who shrugged.

"I mean, maybe, he's doing that thing where he tries to be all macho and not needing help. He usually lets me help him with things around the house."

Beth covered her mouth, trying to hide her excitement. If Alex could find a girl, especially one that understood his struggles with alcoholism, things could really change for the better for him.

It was around an hour before the girl, Sam, left. Abbie and Beth could clearly see that she was smitten with Alex, giving him a hug that lasted a little too long and taking her sweet time to actually leave. Alex didn't seem to mind too much though. He'd had a dumb smile on his face since they'd gotten there.