Chris sighed dejectedly as he walked down the stairs and met up with the guys. They were in the living room, waiting for the pizza to arrive.
�Dude, Chris, what�s up?� Joey asked, looking over at his friend. Chris shook his head and fell back onto a chair.
�I think your cousin hates me, C.� He stated, looking over at JC.
�Why?� JC raised a questioning eyebrow. Chris sighed and pushed a hand through his hair.
�I think, well, she has like, no clothes. So I said I couldn�t believe she lived like that and she said �Some people aren�t as rich as you�. Then she told me to get out.� He shrugged, not knowing what else to say or do.
�I�ll go talk to her.� JC sighed and stood, making his way up the stairs.
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Alexia couldn�t believe that man! She angrily paced around her room a couple times before coming to a stop in front of the dresser. She hesitated before yanking open the drawer and digging through it. After finding what she needed, she walked out onto the balcony. She honestly didn�t expect to have to have a cigarette so soon, but stress was eating away at her. She opened the carton and slipped out a cigarette and a lighter that she hid in the box. She lit it and stuck it between her lips.
�Alexia?� JC knocked on the door. When nobody answered, he sighed and pulled a credit card out of his pocket. He stuck it between the door and lock and jiggled it. It popped open and he grinned at his expertise.
�Alexia?� He stepped in and the smell of smoke invaded his lungs. He choked and ran over to the balcony, where Alexia was.
�What are you doing?� He asked as he approached her. She spun around and glared at him. She had heard him trying to break in, but didn�t do anything about it. She figured he wouldn�t be able to get in. Boy was she wrong.
�What does it look like?� She took a puff and blew the smoke in his face. He coughed and waved his hand, dismissing the smoke.
�Give me that.� He reached over and snatched the cigarette out of her mouth. He quickly threw it on the ground and stepped on it. He spotted the box and dove for it, grabbing it before she could.
�What the fuck are you doing!?� She demanded angrily.
�You�re too young to throw your life away.� He stated before calmly walking out of the room. She cursed. Now she only had one box left.
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JC marched down the stairs, the box of cigarettes clutched in his hands. The guys looked up as he approached.
�What happened?� Lance asked, eyeing the object in JC�s hands. JC angrily threw the box down on the table. Chris� eyes widened.
�I didn�t know you smoked Jace.� Justin looked up at the older man. JC grunted in frustration.
�It�s not mine.� He stressed.
�She smokes!?� Joey looked at him in shock.
�She�s only, what�eighteen?� Justin looked towards JC for an answer.
�Nineteen.� He corrected. They heard a door upstairs open and they all tensed. Alexia came running down and into the living room where all the guys were gathered.
�I can�t believe you just fucking did that!� She threw her arms up in the air angrily. JC ignored her and picked up the box, throwing it to Justin. Alexia glared as Justin held the box tightly. There was no way in hell she was ever going to get it back. She frowned.
�It�s my life. If you think you can stop me from doing whatever I want, then you�re wrong. I can just go out and get another.� She snapped. The guys watched her in shock. She rolled her eyes and stormed into the kitchen. She knew it was too early to try and smoke again without getting caught. So she went to get the next best thing. Chocolate.
�Sorry man, but your cousin is a bitch!� Joey whispered.
�I heard that!� Alexia came back into the room, a box of assorted chocolates in her hands. She sat on a chair in the corner of the room and opened it before popping a piece into her mouth. Just then, the doorbell rang, signaling that the pizza was here. JC got up to answer it, glaring at his cousin. She ignored him and continued to feed herself chocolate. After a short conversation with the delivery boy, JC came back balancing two boxes of pizza and a bottle of coke.
�A little help would be nice.�
Lance and Chris both jumped up to help him. Each took a box of pizza and set it down on the table. Chris continued to sneak glances at Alexia as she ate. Her face was scrunched up in anger and she had already eaten almost the whole box of chocolates. Having enough of this, Chris stood and walked over to her. Alexia glanced up when she felt someone stand before her.
�Can I help you?� She frowned.
�This is no better than smoking.� He gently pried her hands away from the box and took it away. She watched him in a mixture of shock and anger as he walked away, taking the candy towards the guys.
�Fine. I give up. You win. I can�t control my own god damn life.� Fed up, she stomped up the stairs and into her room, making a point to slam the door. The guys winced as they herd it shut.
�Wow�.she�s ummm�.� Lance stumbled to find the right word without offending his friend.
�A bitch?� JC raised an eyebrow, not at all surprised that the guys thought of her like that. Lance nodded slowly before taking a bite out of his pizza.
�Look, just leave her alone. If she wants to talk, then fine. I don�t want to force her.� JC shrugged, nonchalant. He wasn�t about to deal with her the way she was acting. The guys nodded in agreement and continued with dinner. Chris made sure to save Alexia two slices of pizza for later, both of which he placed in the fridge with a little note taped to the aluminum.
�Lexy, know we haven�t had a great start, but maybe we can start over. I saved you some pizza. Chris.�
It was a short note, but he hoped she would start over with him. Satisfied with his good deed for the day, he went back to join the guys.
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Two hours later, Alexia was still in her room, listening to her stomach growl in hunger. She groaned and rolled from her back to her stomach, placing her chin on her arms. She wasn�t about to give in and tell them she was hungry. Another loud growl made her sigh.
�I can just ignore them.� She reasoned, standing and unlocking the door. She quietly crept down the stairs and snuck into the kitchen. There was light flickering from the living room, so she assumed the guys were watching a movie. She opened the fridge and frowned. Jam, milk, half a bottle of coke, water�.where was the food? How did these guys survive? She was about to give up when a piece of aluminum caught her eye. She pulled it out and read the attached note. Her eyes widened. Even after all she had done to him, he was still trying to talk to her? She honestly couldn�t believe it. Not once in her life did she have someone to do something for her. She was always looking out for herself. Never did she depend on anyone, except Brett. She shuddered at the thought of his name.
�No, I don�t need to think about him, I�ve moved on. He won�t come back into my life.� She muttered, unaware that someone was behind her.
�Who won�t come back?�
Alexia shrieked and jumped. Unfortunately, she was still leaning in the fridge, and thus slammed her head into the top.
�Shit!� She hissed through clenched teeth as she cradled her head in her hands. She slowly turned around, still hunched over, and looked up at the person through one eye.
�You okay?� It wasn�t until he spoke again that Alexia realized it was Chris. She nodded and stood up straight, inhaling deeply as pain shot through her head.
�Here, sit down.� Chris led her over to a stool and helped her up. After making sure she wouldn�t teeter and fall off, he went over to the freezer and pulled out an icepack.
�Hold this on your head.� He instructed, moving her hand out of the way. He whistled and placed the icepack on her head.
�That�s gonna be a big ass lump.� He chuckled slightly. She ignored the comment and held up the pack.
�Sorry about that. I didn�t mean to scare you.� He took a seat next to her. She shrugged as best she could and continued to ignore him. She didn�t have any clue on how to react to that note. Luckily, he brought it up first.
�So, did you get my note?�
�Yeah�.thanks.�
�So��
�So what?� She looked over at him, a questioning look in her eyes. She didn�t know if she wanted another try. One of the many reasons why she was being a bitch was because she was afraid to let them in. Afraid the same thing that happened with Brett would happen again. She shivered, and Chris placed an arm around her. She immediately pushed him away and looked at him, startled.
�What are you doing?�
�I�you looked cold. Sorry.� He muttered and turned away. Alexia�s eyes softened. Chris was just like a little kid who had gotten in trouble. She felt a pang of guilt when she saw the hurt in his eyes. She summed up her courage and spoke.
�So�Lexy? Where did you get that from?�
�I don�t know. Just came to me.� He shrugged and turned to face her. Alexia couldn�t help but smile. At least he wasn�t upset anymore. She smiled and adjusted the pack on her head.
�I�m sorry about being such a bitch before.� She muttered. Chris gave her a lopsided grin and nodded.
�It�s okay, we all have our days.�
�But I�m like this every day.� She countered silently in her head. She pushed the unwanted thought away and turned her attention back to the young man in front of her.
�Yea, well, I guess we could start over.� She suggested. His eyes lit up happily and he nodded eagerly. He stuck out his hand.
�Hi, I�m Chris.�
�Alexia.� She laughed and shook her head. He really was too much. She took off the icepack and placed it on the counter.
�Can I ask you a question?� He looked over at her, swinging his feet, which barely touched the floor, back and forth.
�You just did.�
�No, really.�
�Shoot.�
�Bang. Umm, why do you smoke?� He lowered his voice a notch. Alexia tensed, then relaxed and looked at him. Should she tell him?
�I feel like it.�
�You�re lying.�
���
Alexia didn�t know what to say to that. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at the tile floor. Sighing, she looked up again, avoiding his eyes.
�Look, I don�t want to talk about it.� She pushed herself into a standing position and grabbed the semi-melting ice pack.
�I�m here if you ever need to talk.� His words made her freeze for a second. Could she really trust this man? It was too early to tell. She shrugged and left without saying another word.
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