Chapter 25: 2.4

❀Courtney's P.O.V❀

"So, why were you arguing with the water?" I ask Alex, as he wraps a towel around my shoulders and holds me by his side.

"Well, my boat was tipped over and Damian is wet." He says, "Connect the dots."

I turn to look at Damian and he simply gives me a shrug as he smiles innocently.

"I have no idea what he's talking about."

"It was actually part of the plan, so thank him." Emily pipes up, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," I laugh, "For getting him wet and probably getting him sick."

"You're welcome."

I pause, before I shake my head and roll my eyes. "I was only joking, but alright."

"Can we just go home?" Alex asks me as he rubs my arm. "I really need to shower and get warm."

"Yeah," I agree, "It's getting pretty late."

"Courtney will go with me, since we live together anyways." Alex claims, guiding me towards his truck.

"I'm taking Emily." Damian follows.

"I'm taking sexy Lucas." Steven speaks up, and we all burst into laughter as Lucas gives him the flirty eyes.

"I would call you papi, but that's gay."

"Only Damian can call Alex papi." Steven tells Lucas, and we all nod in agreement.

"Right," Damian winks, "I'll see you tomorrow, papi!"

Alex stops walking, as do I, and turns around to blow him a kiss.

"I swear, Courtney, these guys are secretly gay!" Emily shouts over to me.

"Tell me about it!" I reply.

"Is this gay?" Alex suddenly pulls me to him and leans down to press his lips against mine in a gentle kiss, causing my eyes to flutter close.

He pulls away after only a few seconds, and that's when I reply.

"Hmm, yes."

He chuckles, before he captures my bottom lip between both of his and I, yet again, close my eyes at the contact.

"How about now?"

I scrunch up my face, as if I'm in deep thought. "Little bit."

This causes him to grin before he kisses me a little bit more aggressively, and I kiss him back the same way.

We both pull away when we need air, and I open my eyes as I let out a dreamy sigh.

"Now, that was not gay at all."

* * *

I'm beginning to fall asleep as the credits roll for a random movie that I stayed tuned for.

After Alex and I got home, we both showered—I went first, then him—and he went straight to bed, while I stayed in the living room to watch tv.

I open my eyes to look at the time displayed on the cable box and I yawn as I read the time—2:47 a.m.

Reaching for the control on the coffee table, I fall off the couch and land on my side with a painful grunt. The control falls by my side and I smile in half-success as I turn off the tv.

I stand up from the floor and sit down on the couch again as I try to wipe the sleep out of my eyes. Letting out a groan, I lay back on the couch and close my eyes.

However, the sound of keys hitting each other makes me snap my eyes open again and I narrow my eyes at the doorknob turning, very slowly. It's as if the person on the other side is trying not to make any noise.

Sitting up, I wait for the door to open and my eyes widen as a man stumbles into the house, red smeared around his lips.

"Mr. Mendoza?!" I whisper shout and he freezes, midway shutting the door. Something inside me begins to boil and I wake up fully as I stand up from the couch, storming towards him.

"Courtney? What are you still doing up?" He asks dumbly, but I ignore his question as I stand in front of him.

Smelling the strong scent of liquor, I pinch my nose and grimace. "You have some nerve!" I shout, and he quickly puts his hands over my mouth, but I quickly push his hands away in disgust and take a step back.

"Courtney, keep it down, you'll wake your mother." He says in panic, and I laugh bitterly.

"Let her wake up!" I yell, and he furrows his eyebrows as he looks behind me, towards the stairs. "Let her see what you've done!"

"Courtney?" A voice speaks up from behind me and I spin around to face the owner of the voice.

"Alex." I say his name in a whisper and he rubs his eyes.

"What's going on? Why are you yelling?" He asks in a raspy voice and my eyes trail down to his bare chest for a moment, but I quickly shake my head and scoff.

"Your dad!" I shout, and his eyes move to look at his dad behind me, his jaw dropping as he takes in his condition.

"Dad? Why do you have lipstick on you?" He questions, and I turn back around to see his dad look down at the ground in shame.

"Betraying my mom, that's what!" I reply bitterly, and Alex comes to stand beside me.

"What the fuck, again?! Are you fucking kidding me, dad?!" He shouts at his face and my stomach turns as I listen to him. "First my mom, then Gabriela, after her it was Sofia, now Melanie?!"

I watch as his dad swallows hard and I copy his actions, not believing what I'm hearing.

"It's not what it looks like, you two." He objects, and we both scoff in response.

"Same excuse you use every time." Alexander tells him the same time I say, "Such a cliché explanation."

"Listen, can you two just keep this a secret?" He asks us desperately, and I slap him hard across his face.

"Courtney!" My mom's shocked voice comes from behind me and we all look up in shock. I turn around and watch her walk towards us at a fast pace. "What's the matter with you?!"

"M-mom," I stammer, watching her face fall into a frown as she looks at her husband from head to toe.

"Walter?" She whispers faintly, tears forming in her eyes, and I feel my heart break as one rolls down her cheek. "Walter, please tell me that's not what I think it is." She pleads, and I look down at the ground as one of my own tears hits the floor.

"Melanie, I– I'm sorry..."

She lets out a sob, and my head snaps up just in time to see her fall to her knees. I quickly drop down in front of her and wrap my arms around her.

She hugs me back and I squeeze my eyes shut as she sobs into my hair. "Mom, please don't cry for him. Please, please, please, don't cry." I choke out, but she continues to cry.

"Dad, you need to leave." I hear Alex's harsh tone demand and a few moments later, the sound of the door clicking shut reaches my ears.

By that sound, my mom breaks down even more and I clutch onto her tightly. "Mom, you don't need him. Please stop crying."

"I hate him." She sobs. "No I don't, I don't hate him. I love him. I hate that I love him. Why do I love him?"

"He made you believe, mom."

"He sure did, and I fell for his charm." She coughs a little, and I rub her back comfortingly. "I'm so stupid."

"No, mom, don't blame yourself. Don't let him get to you that way." I state, pulling back a little to wipe a few tears from her cheeks. "How would you like some company? I can call Nichole and you two can talk and forget about this? Or at least for a little distraction."

She nods her head weakly at me and I offer her a small reassuring smile. "I love you so much, sweetie."

"I love you too, mom."

Alex clears his throat from behind me, and I look over my shoulder to watch him scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. "I can drive you two over there, if you'd like?"

I smile at him and turn back to my mom to get her opinion, catching a small nod from her. "That would be nice, thank you." I answer, and he smiles slightly before he begins to walk towards the stairs.

"I'll just go put on a shirt and we'll be on our way."

I nod my head at him and help my mom up from the ground, sitting her down on the couch. She sniffles and looks down at her hands on her lap.

I watch as both of her rings glisten in the light and I gasp as she angrily pulls them off of her finger, before throwing them across the room.

Okay, that was a bit aggressive.

* * *

"I'm, uh, really sorry about my dad." Alex apologizes as my mom exits the truck, but she simply slams the door shut before she walks up to the house.

Turning towards him, I offer him a small smile. "It's not your fault. My mom just needs to cool down a little bit."

"I'm still sorry." He says, letting go of the steering wheel to run his hands down his face. "I honestly thought he had changed, so I didn't find the need to warn you. Now, I feel guilty that I didn't at least tell you." He sighs, and I furrow my eyebrows at him.

"It isn't your fault, Alex. Even if you did tell me, and I told my mom, she wouldn't listen to me. She's in love with your dad, she wouldn't be fazed with his past." I tell him, offering him a smile. "Don't fuss yourself about it, it's your dad who's guilty here."

He grips the steering wheel again and smiles back at me. "Thanks, that made me feel a little better."

"No problem. I'll see you at school." I tell him as I step out of the car, getting ready to shut the door.

"Wait, Courtney," He stops me, and I pop my head back into the truck.

"Yes?"

"Can I pick you up tomorrow morning?" He asks me, "To take you to school, of course."

I smile, "Sure."

"Okay, great." He says, smiling back at me. "I'll see you in the morning, then."

I nod, "Goodnight, Alex."

"Goodnight, Courtney."

I slam the door shut and watch as he drives back onto the road, with a wide smile on my face.

Once his truck is out of view, I turn towards the house and my smile instantly falls into a frown when I don't see my mom anywhere.

I quickly run up to the door and sigh in relief when I notice that the door is slightly ajar. I push it open and step inside, shutting and locking the door behind me.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Melanie." Nichole's voice speaks soothingly from the living room and I walk towards it.

"That's a low blow." Blake scoffs, and I make my way up to Emily's room.

I knock gently on her door and open it before I step in to lay down on the bed beside her.

She shifts around on the bed as she groans, and I take that chance to pull some of her bed sheets over my own body.

She falls back asleep as she lays on her stomach and I turn on my side, before I drift off into my own dreamland.

✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿

What did you think about this chapter? Some of you may recognize it, although some parts are edited a little. Just a little. For those of you who will wonder what I'm talking about, this was part of the old chapter 19. The reason I deleted it, was because I wasn't very proud on how early I made it happen. So, to assure that this book will have at least a little more chapters than it would have, I took it off until now. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I will talk to you guys next time. I love you!

❤︎Much Love with Hugs & Kisses❤︎

Kimmy Hers 💋