★ Chapter 13- Alex

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"Let the rest of the world beat their brains out for a buck

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"Let the rest of the world beat their brains out for a buck. It's friends that count. And I got friends."

– All About Eve

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"He's so infuriating!" I declare to a nearly empty diner. I don't even bother checking where Chris and Bailey are seated, I already know where they are. The only thing filling up their table is a pile of napkins and two glasses of water. I smile. We never order until the whole trio is present. They turn their heads as I groan for the 17th time in the day.

"Jonathan?" Bay asks sympathetically.

"Yes, Jonathan. Let me ask a quick question: How do I get through sleeping when he snores louder than a steam train?!"

"It's hard to imagine Jonathan snoring," Bailey says. "Does he look adorable? Does he sleep like a baby?"

I scoff. "More like an aroused pig. Whenever he's not snoring, he's leaving out of the blue to look at the stars or something."

Chris raises a finger to respond but is quickly interrupted by Daniel. I hear him before I actually see him. He's been wearing his signature sneakers ever since we started eating at Ramon's. They're pretty stylish and all, and he takes good care of them, but they're not precisely good for blending in. Every step Daniel takes emits a squeak, which startles everyone at the table.

The three of us turn to face him and let's just say, the sneakers aren't the most striking thing about him.

It's that stupid smile that seals the deal for everyone. Okay, maybe it's more than just the smile. It's his coal-black hair, his tanned skin, his confident pose. I don't think I've ever seen Daniel rattled; he's the embodiment of confidence.

"Hello, three musketeers," he says. "The usual?"

I furrow my brow. "Where's Pen?"

He looks me directly in the eye so intensely my cheeks go warm. "I'm covering for her. She's at band practice."

"All right," I murmur, breaking the eye contact.

"So, the usual?"

"Yes," Chris answers for us; Daniel smiles and scribbles something down on his notepad before returning to the counter.

Bay intertwines her hand with mine. "I bet you'd rather share bunk beds with him?"

I take a moment to think about it, a moment in which I'm temporarily enchanted. I don't have a crush on Daniel or anything; he's a sophomore in college, and I know what's good for me. But it's nice to dream if only for a bit to be stuck with someone less annoying than Bradley. 

Then I remember what Jonathan is actually going through and all that he's sacrificing by staying with me. If there is anyone that deserves Sebastian's place on the bunk beds, it's him, even if he makes it nearly impossible to sleep in peace.

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