14

                                    

                                          
I love this chapter. Ugh. I'll shut up now;))
      John is so obsessed with Peggy, I swear. He shuffles the cards, glancing up at her. She goes pink and smiles back at him. How long have they been dating? Since September? I dunno. I silently count the months. October, November, December.... January, February, March, April? Seven months? I dunno. 
      Hercules is tapping his feet on the floor. Eliza, oblivious, looks around. Herc kicks her foot. "Ow! I mean, Kemps!" Nice signal. 
      "Did anyone see our signal?" Eliza asks. Herc sighs. "No, Eliza, we heard it," Alex says. John chuckles. 
      I've gotten really crappy cards the whole time.  "Let's play Spoons," I say, spreading my hands. Collecting the cards, Peggy shrugs. John  glances at her and blushes. That's cute.
      Alex gets up to grab spoons. I reluctantly follow him into the kitchen of their apartment. I guess it's weird that they all share an apartment in high school, but Alex has no parents, Herc's are far away, Lafayette's family is in France, John's mother died recently, and they all plan on going to NYU together next year anyway. Except for John, who is still a Junior.
       Alex pulls out the silverware drawer (IT'S CALLED SILVERWARE NOT FLATWARE DUH FITE ME) and fishes out five spoons, one less than the number of people. My cell buzzes in my back pocket. Pulling it out, I see a message from my father. Cue eye roll. 
      "Come home asap." I love my dad, but he always happens to text me at the exact wrong time. Like when I'm trying to start a conversation with my...friend? Date? Boyfriend? I try out the word in my mind, rolling it over my tongue without opening my mouth. I don't know how I like it.  I settle on date. Casual, like it's just once, not committed, not long-term. Just once.
      "So." He seems to push my tongue to form words with a raise of his eyebrows. "I meant to ask. Um, what, what is this?" He knits his brows curiously. I look to see that we are far enough that my sisters can not hear me speak. "Is this just once? Like, prom and then it's over? Or is this, like, um, more than that?" I stumble over words like a toddler in a sandbox. 
      Alex shrugs a little. "I figured it was a date when I y'know, asked you for french help." I snort. "How was I supposed to know? You suck at french!" He nods. "Actually, I've been fluent in French since I was really little." "You're an asshole." He laughs. "Well, I need an excuse to take a pretty girl to Central Park on a school night." 
      "You're an ass!" "Yeah." 
       My phone buzzes again, now laying on the countertop. "Your dad's texting you." I sigh through my nose, filling my lungs and releasing quickly. "I know," I say defeatedly. "Shit, I gotta go. My dad's gonna be pissed." 
       "Okay, gotta pick up a dress quick though."  I type back to him. I rake my fingers through my hair. "Hey." He pulls me into his chest quickly and grabs my hand. Lacing my fingers through his, Alex pulls our hands up and waltz around their small kitchen, step by step, eyes locked together. My heart thumps as fast as it ever has. There's nothing like his eyes, subtle, and perfect, and real. (DEH REFERENCE haha sorry:)) They are a stormy blue color, like the slate blue paint in the art room, like the sky before a thunderstorm. 
      I'm almost disappointed when he lets go of my hand and puts the spoons back. I think I breathe for the first time in a year. "Just practicing for Friday," he announces to me. A wild grin is plastered on my face, and I'm hyper-aware of how close he was. Peggy stands in the doorway. "Cute," she mutters. Did she see that? I think so, based on the smirk over her lips. She grabs me by the arm, dragging me out of the kitchen. "We gotta go-" 
       "Bye!" I wave to Alex. He flicks his hand in the air in greeting. "Eliza, we gotta go. Move along." I slide my arm out of Peggy's grasp. "I forgot my phone." The waltzing over the kitchen tile, curls fluttering, shoes tapping, spinning on my converse, sticks in my mind. Stepping into the kitchen, I purse my lips, evading a wild smile as Alex grabs a Coke from the fridge. "I, uh, forgot my phone." Setting the pop on the counter, he slides my phone across the table. I bite my lip. "Thanks. See you...Friday. Well, tomorrow at school, but Friday too-" I laugh. "Yeah. Bye." 
      Peggy kisses John in the hallway. "Get a move on, Juliet. Philip wants us home."