ZOE BELL PART 73

I don’t see his car, so I sit in mine, wondering what I should do or where I should go now. There’s a knock on my window and I almost scream before I recognize Alex in his black Three Days Grace sweatshirt. I get out and go into his warm arms.

"Are you okay?"

I nod. "I just needed to see you before I went insane. I can’t handle Curtis and Mason on my plate right now."

He pulls me inside and I’m glad I came here when I puts a slice of pizza in front of me.

"So where’s your car?" I take the pizza and put it on a plate with another slice.

"In the garage. My parents are gone."

I nod, taking a huge bite of the cheesy deliciousness. He piles his plate up with pizza and we go into the living room to eat.

"Spill." He tells me.

I begin my sob story and tell him about the pictures Zagger and Curtis showed me, and then all that happened from dinner with Mason. He laughed when I told him about my wish for a boy fairy to take care of all my problems.

"I just don’t know what to do!" I whined.

He taps my nose. "You should just ditch them both and hang out with me until Mason redeems himself." I think for a minute and wish that it was that easy. Mason would still be around, and Curtis would find a way to be around.

"You’re right, it won’t work." He traces the stress lines on my face and I try to relax my muscles.

"I love how you know what I’m thinking before I say it."

"That’s what best friends are for."

I kiss his cheek. "I’m glad you’re my best friend. I’d be lost without you."

"Same here. You’ve even saved my reputation a few times."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"I was known to be gay until I let loose in the locker room that I made it to third base with you in seventh grade."

I burst into laughter. I remembered how we were somewhat of a couple in seventh grade. Back when life wasn’t so complex.

"You’re still not gay, right?" I tease.

"Of course I’m not."

"Are you sure about that? I don’t see a girlfriend in the picture here."

"That’s because she’s in love with my best guy friend. She doesn’t see me the way I see her." He pushed a piece of hair back behind my ear and winked.

"Who is this lucky girl? I’ll have to talk to her."

He looks past me for a moment and says, "She’s a really awesome girl, and her eyes make me think of a bottomless ocean. And her lips are the color of a pink rose." He traced my lips with his finger.

I laughed and play swatted his hand away from me.

"And her laugh is the sweetest, clearest, tinkling I’ve ever heard in all my life."

"You’re joking with me, right?" I ask.

"Not entirely. I wish you were dating me, but Mason got you first. And when I do find a girl that loves me back, I want her to be just like you. My best friend."

I feel a little better, knowing he isn’t another boy on my list, and I am happy that he wants a girl like me. If I wasn’t stuck with Mason, I would give anything to have Alex as my boyfriend. That’s how much I truly did love him.

"I love you, best friend."

He takes my hand and kisses it. "I love you too."

We sit in silence while I’m mulling over the question I want to ask him. I can’t hold back anymore, so I just blurt it out.

"Why didn’t I qualify for your heart?"

He looks at me and shrugs. "I’ve wondered the same thing, many times. I just don’t know."

After another silence I pat his let. "You’ll find your princess, and you’ll be the most coveted Prince Charming in all the land of Southern Utah."

I feel accomplished when I get a laugh out of him. I love hearing him laugh. I haven’t heard it in a while, and I make a silent promise to myself to make sure I don’t go very long without it again.

"You should probably get home before someone beats down my door looking for you."

I sigh, knowing he’s right, but all my worries that have piled into my life have disappeared for the hour that I’ve been here with Alex. I almost want to crash here so that I can get a good nights sleep. I don’t think my mom would be too thrilled, but maybe if I ask my dad I’ll get my with a little less drama.

"If I promise to be a good girl, can I stay the night?" I ask in a little girl voice.

I get another laugh before he tells me he doesn’t care. I call my dad and tell him what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. He tries talking me into coming home, but since he has a tough time saying no to me, I get what I want and he comes over with Zane to give me clean clothes and my backpack.

"I hate to say it, but I told you so!" Zane said to me when I took my things from him.

"Told me what?"

"That you shouldn’t have gotten mixed in with Mason and all that."

I roll my eyes and shut the door on him. I guess that I should have listened, but I didn’t want to think about it right now.