Alex
Contemplating on the brink of making a decision, to leave half an hour before my shift ends or to stay, I stood restless with my fingers tapping at the counter. It was eight-thirty and wal mart had no customer of interest. Lights dimmed out, it ignited the place with a sketchy sense.
As I was about to lose my work attire and call it a day, the door to the entry opens. The girl I know, well almost in the phase of to-get-to-know walks in, unaware of the boy at the counter. And immediately any thought of exhaustion was replaced by pure excitement.
Her hair was in a braid and she wore a shirt two sizes bigger than her. The indistinct vibe did nothing to blur the brightness she is. But soon her trail vanished within the queue of aisles.
But I waited, drumming my fingers as I entertained myself by inspecting the poster cut of a tall man, with a bushy beard beside some diabetic awareness sign.
Immediately my thoughts carried me to a junction of memory.
The memory of Lee. He was diabetic too. Before I could fall into the trance of missing him again I closed my eyes, exhaling a large sigh.
There were so many people I missed. They used to call me their friend. Special even.
Were they missing me now?
I would know if I unblocked them from my contact list.
Shifting I focused back on the task at hand.
After ten minutes the wait was put to an end as she appeared at the cash counter, stood right in front of me hugging her items, still concentrating her gaze over the overflowing bag of carrots and greens.
I cleared my throat while adjusting my cap cupping the back of my neck, this caught her attention as she craned her neck to see the tall ol me.
At least for her, I was tall enough.
"You can place it on side Miss" smirking I added " Let me do the rest"
"Alex" she half-whispered half uttered as if assuring herself of my presence.
"Alex, in flesh" I smiled as I picked each of her packages for barcode scanning, it also included a women's item that had both of us undergo an embarrassing moment of silence. Not that we were talking, to begin with.
When I handed her the bag, after receiving the required dollars. I was met with a breathtaking smile.
Was she always this beautiful or she has the most beautiful smile that I've ever seen?
"You pop up everywhere," she said her voice taking a playful edge.
"I'll call it fate" she rolled her eyes, I would've probably too if was her.
"You work here" It was not a question.
"Unfortunately" I sighed.
There was a tiny frown, that made her look cute and concerned at the same time "why? I mean if you don't like it. Why do you work? You volunteer at the library every Wednesday and Monday too"
"I've been observed crucially I see" arching a brow, I planted both my palms by the desk and leaned forwards.
She returned an uninterested cold look despite my try on mock intimidation "That was not the answer"
There was this something about her, that forces me to trust her. Her no-bullshit point of view in life shows her maturity to see the world as it is, I know she won't judge me for who I was in past. But my vulnerable and weak part says otherwise.
We are still in the raw stages of a friendship and even a little sharp reality can tear it apart.
"It keeps my mind out of stuff" a grim heat cages my memory, but I shook it away with a smile "-And I don't have many people who are kind enough to ask me to hang out with them"
I know that she can hide disappointment well, she respects my decision, as I do towards her. Though the image of her in the therapy clinic disturbed me.
A lot.
And I don't even know her.
"You can come hang out with me" I squinted my eyes at her, testing her invite that came out of nowhere, and from the look on her face she seems to share the same opinion as mine.
"Really?" I asked raising a brow.
"Yeah, why not?" she nods biting her inner cheeks like it would stop her from blurting more words.
"I'll keep that in mind, now stay here as I get changed quickly. I'll drop you home" I use my index to ask a minute from her.
"It's fine, I can walk"
"I know you can, but I learned it hard way from grocery thieves and purple bruises, the route is not safe" we both stared for a couple of seconds. I expected her to fight or deny more. But-
She sighed in defeat. I smiled at the little victory.
As I was about to leave she beats me to a question "Where are you going?"
Rolling my lips inside I began undoing two of the top buttons of the shirt. Her eyes go big as I walked backward slowly.
"You really thought that I was going to change right in front of you? " Then i turn to stride towards the right path.
I chuckle to myself at the thought of leaving behind a scarlet Elaine as I made my way to the changing room.
***
"I never liked my first name, but then I realized I don't like the second one either so I cut it short"
"So you say that Alex is not your original name, it's short for?" She asks curiously.
Though the drive was short and the coast was clear, I was not going to leave a moment or excuse to learn more about her. I purposed the idea of asking a random question. But she had to ask my full name of all the other infinite possibilities.
"Alex is my middle name" But after some thinking, I add "Well not exactly"
"Okay, now tell me your name. like the whole" she was running out of patience, I could see that. But there was also this mischievous look, it suited dangerously over her facial feature.
With my eyes on the road and my hand gripping the wheel, I avoid her gaze.
"It's Thomas Alexander White" with courage I diffuse. The sour taste was still in my mouth, the same way it always happens when I utter my whole name.
Silence fell upon us like a thick blanket.
Then there was a fading giggle that soon turned into a burst of full-blown laughter. She rushes over in an attempt to stop her but before that, I joined in.
"I am so sorry, but your name is just so_" she paused to think for a suitable term "-not you?"
"Of course it doesn't, I was named in the honor of my great grandfather who fought and died for a war"
"Well, you are named after someone brave, that's something good"
I roll my eyes, but the smile remained glued to my face.
"Now my turn, when did you realize that you can sing?" I said recalling the past event.
"I don't, I can't sing" she shifted on her seat uncomfortably.
I tilted my face to give a sarcastic yeah-i-believe-you nod.
"Fine, my Mom was good at playing piano, she was great. She used to encourage me to sing for her pieces and that's how it started"
I noticed how she referred to it as was and not is, but I refused to pry. For now.
"You are really good at it, ever thought of joining contests or choir?"
"Oh hell no, if someone at school breaths an air of it they'd make it an upgraded hell for me"
I wanted to comfort her if only she knew who I was and what I can do to ruin all those bullies with just the blink of an eye. To tell her with me there I could make all her pain vanish and no one can even dare to hurt her ever. But this time I was supposed to think practically and stay sane.
Violence, money, and power were not the cure for everything.
I was still dazed by the idea that she brought up her bullying so casually with me. Like someone with their friend. Her house came into the train of line, and soon we came to a halt.
"Thank you so much for the ride," she said tucking a stray strand behind her ear, she seems to do that a lot when she is nervous.
"Anytime" I handover her the bag that I kept in the back seat and was still carrying it while walking her to the door.
As I was contemplating to stay or leave, she made a surprising offer.
"Hey Alex, you wanna come in?" her cheeks flushed, giving off how she lacks at inviting someone or how hard was it for her to socialize.
This made me sad and upbeat, she tried.
"Only if you want me to"
She seemed unsure for few seconds, " yes I do, but there's someone in there who might be a little dramatic and out of control. Is that fine with you?"
Maybe she wasn't insecure about inviting me, maybe this was something entirely else. But I think I was up for a challenge, or whatever it was.
I don't answer. Instead, I get off the car and follow her to the door.
She rang the bell twice, there was lots of noise, shuffling, stumbling, and hitting.
Then the door peeled open, but the fun part was Elaine was immune to all of it.
She pushed the door open and in there stood the same boy I saw with her many a times. Chocolate brown hair, lively brown eyes, thin lips with a sharp jawline. I guess today's the day I put a name to this face.
But he was anything but looking forward to meeting a guy like me, his bitter scowl was deeply embedded In His features as he shoots questions at Elaine.
"Y-y-you bought a guy home?"
"Ye-"
"Is this what's g-goin on b-b-behind my b-back" his hand gestures complimented his words.
"What the h-"
"My friend c-c-cheating on me w-w-ith an extreme white h-h-aired guy" he was fuming. Like really fake dramatic kind of fuming as I watched the exchange with amusement. Elaine rubbed her temple and opened her mouth to say something but-
"T-this is it, i-I am leaving t-this pla-" but before he could complete it a carrot hit right on his face.
"Ow, Elaine. I-Is this the day i-i- I raised you for, to h-h-hit your brother with carrots"
"It should have been a pumpkin not carrots, secondly you are my self proclaimed younger brother and third this boy has a name called Alex and he is here to hang out with us, that is if you already haven't scared him and if he wants to escape this madness. He can leave." She looked at me pleading and embarrassed.
But my eyes were trained on him who gave me a once over. Quite over and over again.
"So this is y-your new f-friend?" he inquired to which Elaine gave a big eye roll.
"What's y-y-your name?"
Who said the one who stutters does not scare you? The guy was intimidating, though I bet he was shorter than me by three inches.
Since when did the intimidator become the intimidated?
Possibly since I was practicing the art of becoming human, I bark back.
"Alex" I croaked.
"s-so Alex, why d-did you choose Elaine as a f-f-friend?" his eyes squinted at me.
Is this how one feels when their girlfriend takes them to meet her parents? Except in this scenario, Elaine wasn't my girlfriend and neither was he her parent. Heck, he was a year younger than me I presume.
You know you can be way more worse than this. It didn't even require for you to open your mouth and people already wished for your mercy.
Shut up!
"Because she is simple, smart, and has a good heart?" I muster up my scattered predatory thoughts as I answered his lingering question. But after seeing her now, and events of today led me to think otherwise, Elaine has many dimensions. Simple and common wasn't anywhere near it. She was like an ocean, calm and serene on the surface, but the deeper you go the more interesting and wild it becomes.
He snorts, "y-you my friend is in for a-a- real s-surprise if you think a-all those things a-about her"
His smile was genuine and this time I felt at ease, but his words did have an impact on me. If what I thought was not the real Elaine then what she exactly was?
I intend to find out. No matter what.
Elaine who had left for the kitchen came back with a handful of food.
"All week I've been trying to eat healthily and you had to make dinner with pounds of cheese and meat" she walks in and dumps it all into the coffee table in front of adequate sized flat screen t.v. she takes three turns to bring food while we both awkwardly stand there watching her.
The house had a stylistic effect more than a warm or homey feeling. With quotes decorating the wall and black, red, and white are all that the house is made of. It was small yet had enough space to convey the message of style and elegance.
When she's out of earshot he breaks the silence,
"i-I am Noah and if you b-b-break her heart i-i-ll kill you m-myself"
With that, he walks to the couch and I see Elaine wave her hands calling me over.
"Which genre?" she announces.
"Huh?"I ask confused.
"For movie. We have the whole house for ourselves tonight"
"But don't we have school tomorrow?"
"Says the boy who works at Walmart on Sundays"
"w-woah you work? F-failed to see t-t-that coming." Noah interrupted.
Then There was a brief exchange between Elaine and Noah, they communicated with smirks and terror. At the end with a fake sweet smile, she switched for Netflix and sat on the right of Noah, while I was at left. So Noah was practically squeezed in between.
"We are watching Annabelle's creation" there was a dangerous edge to her voice as Noah groaned.
The reason was soon made sense with loud screams and swears of the boy beside me.
And boy the kid can swear like a sailor
***