Chapter 46: Those are the Rules of Masculinity

The door bangs open and I rub my eyes, standing up. Alex stands there, staring at me. I look at the ground.

"Nat," he says. He's sweaty from his morning NFL training and his shirt is off. I look at him. He stares back before his face collapses and he walks forward, bringing me into him with one arm and wrapping the other around my back. I wrap mine around his neck and cry into him.

"Alex," I cry. "I wanted to tell you."'

"Why didn't you?" he asks. I feel a tear leak onto his shoulder.

"I... didn't know how," I say. He pulls me into him further and threads a hand into my hair, softly combing it so that I calm down. He runs a hand up and down my back as I sob into him.

"How long?" he asks. I shrug.

"A few months," I whisper.

"Nat," he whispers into my ear, his head moves down to my neck and I stop crying finally.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. He runs his hands through my hair and my breathing starts to even out.

"You should've told me, Dude," he says. I pull him into me further.

"I couldn't have," I say quietly.

"Why not? I would've stopped it. You know... I lo-"

You would've broken up with her!" I say. His hold weakens and he looks down at me. Oh no.

"What?" he asks.

My phone vibrates. Alex picks it up. His mouth falls open and he slams it on the desk with so much force the whole thing rattles and I'm surprised it doesn't break. He storms out and I slump down on the seat again, picking up my phone. Its a text from Amanda's spam account that I haven't accepted yet.

Alex is already out of the room and I lay my head on the desk. Damn, why does this have to happen to me?

***

"Natalie Bennett!" Bubbles yells from ten feet away from our table. She slams her butt down on the seat and places her back down firmly beside her. "What in God's name is going on?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, munching on my burrito. Kate and I are the only ones here, Meghan and Chloe are doing their Japanese homework.

"The... What! Alex! Amanda! You! Alex and Amanda! Amanda and you! What the flip is going on!" she asks, pulling out her phone from her back. "Look!"

"Wha-" I start but she turns up the volume and the video starts playing. I scoot over on the bench and peer at the phone. Kate moves over and bites into her sandwich, listening closely.

The video features two people. One - a shirtless Alex and two - a Gucci clad Amanda. They're yelling at each other against the lockers. A couple of other people have their phone out.

"You're sick!" Alex yells at her.

"Sorry!" Amanda screams back. "Not my fault she's a cow!"

"Excuse me?" Alex says, walking right up to her. "She is not a cow. She is fantastic! You're more of a cow than she ever could be! She's beautiful! She's not fake like you, and she's funny! How dare you call her a cow!"

"Come on Alex. You like me, remember, it's alright. I'm sorry, we can work this out," she says, placing a hand on his chest and looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

"No!" he pushes her hand away. "I never liked you! And you f***ing think we can work this out? We're done, Amanda. It's over! And don't you ever touch her again," he says, chucking a piece of paper at her and walking away.

Bubbles switched her phone off. "And the sad, depressing, bleak, embarrassing, un-loving, hopeless, gloomy, oppressive, sombre-" Bubbles starts.

"Hurry up, Claudia," Kate says, biting into her sandwich again.

"-relationship of Alex Collins and Amanda Harper."

***

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Lucas and Paul, happy birthday to you!" Mum and Dad sing as they walk out into the dining room with two plates of waffles, each with twelve on them. Lucas and Paul just sit, awkwardly, waiting at their seats. Ha, relatable.

"Thanks!" they chorus. Our family has this thing where, on your birthday, you get your age in waffles. That's why the boys have twelve each. It probably wasn't the most sensible thing to do... but we love it anyway. Although, I did stop finishing mine when I was seven, too much maple syrup *shiver*. Although, this year they didn't do it for me. Maybe when you enter adulthood you don't get waffles.

The boys dig in while I stare greedily at their breakfast as I eat my weet-bix. They finish theirs in under ten minutes and I'm amazed. What the bloody hell?

"What're we doing today?" Lucas asks. Mum sits down with some honey on toast.

"Well, since your party is today, I think we'll just go hang out at Centenary oval across town with the Collins. Sound good?" Mum says. Dad comes and sits down beside her with some muesli and a waffle.

"Hey! Why don't I get one?" I ask as he rips it in half and hands it to Mum. Dad shrugs and bits into his. I slump in my seat and cross my arms over my chest, glaring at him.

"There were no more!" he says through a mouthful of food. I roll my eyes.

"Anyway," Mum says, eating her tasty waffle. "Boys, you can open your gifts there."

Wombat comes bouncing down the stares I get up to pet him. "Well," I say, turning around and glaring at Dad. "I'm going to take Wombat for a walk."

I stomp upstairs and change into a cropped, grey singlet and a navy Nike jumper with sports leggings.

"C'mon, boy," I say, fixing the leash onto his small collar. Wombat really hasn't grown at all. He's stayed basically the same length. I walk down the stairs and out the door, calling a quick 'Happy Birthday' to the boys as I go.

Wombat basically sprints to the road, and I'm surprised how fast the small dog pulls me down the hill. I feel a hand wrap around my shoulders and I look up at the Ray Bans.

"Alex," I say. "Babe, its raining. You don't need those."

"But I do," he says as we continue walking. "It's my signature item."

"I thought that was this," I pinch his leather jacket. He shrugs.

"That too. But, you know, maybe you are. I always have a girl by my side," he winks. I roll my eyes.

"So now that you've dumped your girlfriend you get to hit on other girls now?" I ask.

"Well," he says, raising an eyebrow. "Those are the rules of masculinity."

I laugh. "Did you just reference mean girls?"

"Slightly," he winces. I laugh again. "But seriously though, you could be my signature item."

I roll my eyes. "Sure I will. Shove off," I push him off me and he laughs. Wombat woofs.

"C'mon dude," he wraps a firm arm around my waist as we walk. "Two single people..."

I roll my eyes. "You idiot, that's never going to happen."

"Ya never know," he says, pulling a toothpick out of his jacket pocket and sticking it in his mouth.

I scoff. "I do know, actually. Just keep playing those other girls, I ain't ever gonna fall for you."

"Oooh!" he says as Wombat runs up to a squirrel. "I can't promise you that. This guy's got everything."

"Sure," I say, pulling Wombat back from the bushes. "You definitely do."

"Definitely," he nods. I elbow him in the stomach and he crouches over his abdomen. "Jeez, that hurt."

"Mustn't have everything, huh?" I say, turning and looking at him sweetly over my shoulder as I continue walking. "Ya don't have me."

"Not yet," he says, catching up to me and wrapping an arm back around my shoulders. He turns his head and whispers into my ear from over my hair. "But I will."

***

The oval on Centenary road is big and deserted. On one side is a car park, on the other leads to woods. Mum and Dad set up a gazebo and a few party treats as well as a few balloons, nothing near as big as mine.

"Happy Birthday!" Alex says as he hands two presents to each of my brothers. They rip the packages open.

"Woah!" Paul says, then looks at Lucas's gift. "You didn't et us the same thing?"

"Nope. I thought that that might be annoying," he says, sitting down on the grass with me. I look over at Paul's present. It's a robotic LEGO helicopter. Lucas's is a remote control car.

"Thanks, Alex!" Lucas comes over and hugs him.

"All good, bro," Alex says, giving my brother a fist pump.

Paul does the same thing then sits down next to me. "Marry him. I want more presents."

I roll my eyes and shove him away. "Shut up."

Felecia is sitting down with her new phone and the parents are talking. Liam is in my lap. Alex moves closer to me. I lie down and balance Liam on my stomach, holding his hands so he doesn't fall.

Alex lies down beside me. I turn my head to look at him. "You know, you should've told me."

I sigh, "I don't think I could've Amanda. Would've given me more hell than she already had. She's going to give me more hell."

"No way," Alex says. Liam slides off my lap and crawls over to pet Wombat. "She's not."

"Really?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "Why not."

"Because you're getting a new number and blocking every single one of her friends and staying with me every single second of every single day," he says. I roll my eyes.

"I'll be fine," I say.

"Hmph... still," he says, looking back at the clouds above us. I get up and look over at Liam and Wombat. Liam's lying on the dog's stomach peacefully and they both have their eyes closes. Liam's arms are draped over the dog, too.

Alex stands up beside me and reaches for my arm. He pulls me up and grabs a soccer ball that Jackson brought. We start kicking it around until Felecia, Lucas and Paul join us.

Jackson and Dad bring a rugby ball over. We start playing footy for a few minutes before Paul kicks the ball into the woods.

"I'll get it," I say.

"No, I'll get it," Alex argues.

"No, me!" I say.

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Me!" we start sprinting into the forest. I see the ball and dash forward to get it. I pull it into my hands and spin around, grinning.

He crashes into me and sends us smashing to the ground. At the last second, he turns around so that he lands on the ground and me on top of him. The ball rolls out of my grasp and tumbles to the ground.

I use my arms beside his head to prop myself up. I'm about to scramble off him when he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me down on top of him. My arms drop to my elbows and I look down at him.

"Alex," I groan. "Stop being a peanut!"

"A peanut?" He asks.

"Yup," I say, twisting my fingers into his hair. He raises his eyebrows. I lean down and tilt my head to the side. He moves his head up slightly and tilts it the other way. Right as my lips are about to touch his, I whisper, "No, you idiot." And kick him in the balls, rolling off him and picking up the ball. I sprint back and kick it to Lucas.

Alex comes back out of the woods and I don't look at him. He goes and gets himself a cup of lemonade and stares at me. I can feel his gaze in the back of my head and I avoid him with all that I am.

The game finishes and I walk over, pouring myself a cup of Coke. Liam and Wombat are still sleeping together. I sigh and sit next to Alex. He pulls me into him so I'm half on his lap. I lean back so that my back is pressed against his chest.

"That was rude," he says, curling his arms around my front. It tickles so I squirm and put my hands over his.

"What was?" I ask, turning back and looking at him.

"That... stunt you pulled over there, Dude," he motions with his head to the woods.

"Sorry," I roll my eyes.

"Seriously," he squeezes me and I squirm. "You shouldn't tease guys."

"Oh, so I was teasing you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yup," he says. "First girl that kicked me where it hurts, too. And... also the only single girl who has the will power to avoid my charms."

"You two finished?" Dad asks. I squirm out of Alex's hold and lie back down on the grass, sipping my Coke weirdly so that it doesn't splash all over my face and hair.

"Yup," Alex says to Dad, then turns to me, smirking. I roll my eyes and take another weird sup of the Coke.

"So, guys, we have some news," Michelle says when Felecia, Lucas and Paul sit down with us. "About the holidays."

"Yep," Mum says, putting down her cup. "We are... drum roll please..." she says. Lucas and Felecia clap their knees, but Paul just rolls his eyes. What a cool kid. "Going to Australia!"

"What?" we all say at once.

Mum sighs. "We've booked a shared house at Fraser Island. We'll be there for two weeks together."

"Oh, cool!" Paul says. The other's smile. Well... that's news to me. Ok. I take another sip. Alex taps the end of the cup and it pours all over my face.

"ALEX!" I yell when I finally get rid of all the Coke from around my mouth. "You... butt crack!"

He laughs. I push him back onto the grass.

"C'mon everyone! Nat, you can Alex can drive home together," Mum says. They pack up the gazebo and chairs and walk back to the cars. I turn back to Alex and glare at him with a fire in my eyes.

"You flopping dingo," I say, pushing him back to the ground after I've dried my face on my shirt. My hair is still all sticky. I fall to the ground with him. "You made me all sticky!"

My arms are still on his shoulders, pinning him to the ground. "Sorry. I'd be happy to wash your hair for you."

I roll my eyes. "You do that."

"I will," he says, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. He doesn't pull his hand back straight away. Instead, he threads it into my knotty hair and pulls my head down to his. I put my hands on his chest and pull away. Damn, I really don't want to kiss him like this. Wait, kiss him. Was he going to kiss me? I whip my head around to see him. He looks up at the sky. Nah, probably wanted to lick my hair or something.

"C'mon, let's go," I say. He nods. We stand and walk to the car.

***

Hey. I'd just like to announce to all my followers that I'm going to be a herbivore. I'm doing this because I'm going through a tough time and I don't want any of the sloths to suffer because of deforestation.

"What?" I laugh. "She's so dumb."

"I know right," Bubbles shakes her head, flipping off her phone. "She must eat sloths. Anyway, Jaz sent that to me."

I laugh. "Hope she unfollowed Amanda afterwards."

Bubbles shrugs. "Dunno."

Amanda is the dumbest person I know. Who'd go 'herbivore' because of 'deforestation' uhm, honey, those are two totally separate things?

"You and Alex are going to Australia! Bro, make friends with those gals, they were amazing!" she says.

"How'd you know?" I ask.

"Callum," Bubbles states. I nod. "Thank God! Its over!"

I laugh. "Yes, thank God."

School's final bell of the semester has just rung. Now we're on holidays. Yay me. Someone wraps an arm around my shoulders after Bubbles gives me a hug before walking to her car.  I turn to face Alex.

"Hello, Babe," I say.

"Hey, Greg," he says. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I say. He smiles, taking out his keys. We walk to his car. I hop in. "Moist."

"What?" he turns to look at him.

"Sorry," I say. "I took a BuzzFeed quiz. Moist is one of the most hated words, you know?"

"I wonder why," he says sarcastically. I don't get it so I look out the window as he drives.

"Why?" I ask.

"Uhm," he looks at me. "You good?"

"What's wrong with moist?" I ask again.

"Look it up in the urban dictionary," he mumbles. I take out my phone. He laughs and puts his hand on it, pushing it back into my lap. "No, Greg, please don't."

"Alright, must be dirty," I say, He snorts.

"Stop being a butt.'

"Stop being beautiful."

"I hate you."

"I love you."

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