until I saw her.
She looked…
She looked like a girl .
Not just any girl, a beautiful girl.
“Half-Pint—”
“Alex,” she corrected me.
“Excuse me?” I countered.
She smiled at all of us, picking up our jaws from the floor.
“My name’s Alex,” she simply stated, smiling.
“Since when?” I asked, not knowing the girl in front of me. She even sounded different.
“Since birth,” she sassed, looking at only me.
Dylan cleared his throat, bringing her stare back to all of them. “You look nice, Alex.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Why was I the only one pissed off about this?
“Thank you,” she replied, blushing.
The rest of the boys followed suit, acting as if our lives hadn’t just changed drastically. They fawned over her like they would any new girl that would come around us. Except this wasn’t a new girl, this was our Half-Pint. I didn’t care what she wore or who she pretended to be. I knew who she was on the inside and on the inside she was mine . The shark tooth necklace that still hung around her neck proved my point. It helped ease my desire to drag her away and call her out on this bullshit.
I backed away from them not wanting to make a scene, but mostly I backed away from her. The more I looked at her the worse I felt. It was a continuous, unforgiving feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had done something wrong, and it caught up with me. I’d never felt like that before, and all it would take was for her to look at me for one second, for one damn second and she would see it.
We all went back to her restaurant, exactly the way we had every Sunday. The Collins’ provided a huge Sunday spread, being their busiest day of the week, bringing in people from South Port, the next town over. Everyone told Alex she looked beautiful, grown-ups, old people, shit even boys from our school.
I hated it.
I hated the attention she was getting. I hated the stares that were suggestive and not very subtle. I hated the dress she wore and I hated that she smelled so damn good that all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and never let her go.
How could I feel that way? We were so young.
But mostly I hated the fact that she ignored me. She wouldn’t meet my questioning eyes and I was sincerely about to lose my shit. My temper was looming, and I was ready to drag her out onto the beach and yell at her.
Why did I want to yell at her?
I didn’t eat a bite of my food and when she asked for a glass of water with lemon instead of cherry coke that we always drank I seriously almost yelled at her from across the table.
Was she provoking me?
“Lucas,” Jacob called out from beside me. “Come with me outside.”
I stood, still glaring over at her, but everyone seemed to have her attention but me.
“What the hell is your problem?” he questioned, as soon as we were away from prying ears.
“Nothin’, what’s your problem?” I argued, needing to take my anger out on someone.
He put his hands out in front of him in a surrendering gesture. “I’m not the bad guy here. But it would take a fool not to realize that you’re pissed off about Alex.”
“Her name’s Half-Pint.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, stepping closer. “Listen to me because I will only say this once. She’s growing up, Lucas. Did I think it would happen this quickly? No. I thought we would at least have one more year. But we’re all changing too Lucas, and she’s always wanted to be one of us. She doesn’t want to get left behind. Does it suck? Yeah, it fucking does. I’m not gonna lie to ya, but this is her way of doing that. Come on give her a break. She looks great. I’m happy for her, we all are. Now lock up your shit and be happy for her, too.”
“Don’t tell me what the fuck to do, Jacob,” I gritted out.
He jerked back. “You’re actin’ like you’re jealous, Lucas.”
“I’m not,” I simply stated.
“Good,” he merely replied back.
We stood there squaring off, neither one of us
She looked…
She looked like a girl .
Not just any girl, a beautiful girl.
“Half-Pint—”
“Alex,” she corrected me.
“Excuse me?” I countered.
She smiled at all of us, picking up our jaws from the floor.
“My name’s Alex,” she simply stated, smiling.
“Since when?” I asked, not knowing the girl in front of me. She even sounded different.
“Since birth,” she sassed, looking at only me.
Dylan cleared his throat, bringing her stare back to all of them. “You look nice, Alex.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Why was I the only one pissed off about this?
“Thank you,” she replied, blushing.
The rest of the boys followed suit, acting as if our lives hadn’t just changed drastically. They fawned over her like they would any new girl that would come around us. Except this wasn’t a new girl, this was our Half-Pint. I didn’t care what she wore or who she pretended to be. I knew who she was on the inside and on the inside she was mine . The shark tooth necklace that still hung around her neck proved my point. It helped ease my desire to drag her away and call her out on this bullshit.
I backed away from them not wanting to make a scene, but mostly I backed away from her. The more I looked at her the worse I felt. It was a continuous, unforgiving feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had done something wrong, and it caught up with me. I’d never felt like that before, and all it would take was for her to look at me for one second, for one damn second and she would see it.
We all went back to her restaurant, exactly the way we had every Sunday. The Collins’ provided a huge Sunday spread, being their busiest day of the week, bringing in people from South Port, the next town over. Everyone told Alex she looked beautiful, grown-ups, old people, shit even boys from our school.
I hated it.
I hated the attention she was getting. I hated the stares that were suggestive and not very subtle. I hated the dress she wore and I hated that she smelled so damn good that all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and never let her go.
How could I feel that way? We were so young.
But mostly I hated the fact that she ignored me. She wouldn’t meet my questioning eyes and I was sincerely about to lose my shit. My temper was looming, and I was ready to drag her out onto the beach and yell at her.
Why did I want to yell at her?
I didn’t eat a bite of my food and when she asked for a glass of water with lemon instead of cherry coke that we always drank I seriously almost yelled at her from across the table.
Was she provoking me?
“Lucas,” Jacob called out from beside me. “Come with me outside.”
I stood, still glaring over at her, but everyone seemed to have her attention but me.
“What the hell is your problem?” he questioned, as soon as we were away from prying ears.
“Nothin’, what’s your problem?” I argued, needing to take my anger out on someone.
He put his hands out in front of him in a surrendering gesture. “I’m not the bad guy here. But it would take a fool not to realize that you’re pissed off about Alex.”
“Her name’s Half-Pint.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, stepping closer. “Listen to me because I will only say this once. She’s growing up, Lucas. Did I think it would happen this quickly? No. I thought we would at least have one more year. But we’re all changing too Lucas, and she’s always wanted to be one of us. She doesn’t want to get left behind. Does it suck? Yeah, it fucking does. I’m not gonna lie to ya, but this is her way of doing that. Come on give her a break. She looks great. I’m happy for her, we all are. Now lock up your shit and be happy for her, too.”
“Don’t tell me what the fuck to do, Jacob,” I gritted out.
He jerked back. “You’re actin’ like you’re jealous, Lucas.”
“I’m not,” I simply stated.
“Good,” he merely replied back.
We stood there squaring off, neither one of us
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