Tay's Point of View
-3 WEEKS LATER-
"Hey babe" Dylan greets me as I come in with the grocery bags. I walk over and kiss him to greet him. This may have at first been hostile, but I've grown to like the guy. I set the bags on the table and begin to unpack. I decided that because it's our last week here in New York, that I'd cook dinner for Dylan and the guys. Jordan has taken them out for drinks, leaving me some time with Dylan. Speaking of time, the end of this week is when Rian and Cassadee get married. It's been a quick preparation, but I can tell that they don't want to wait much longer. Last week we bought bridesmaid dresses, all different shades of blue. I start chopping carrots. He comes over and takes a look in the fridge. He pulls out a beer and hands it to me.
"Thanks." I chime and take it gratefully. Despite it being winter, the afternoon sun is harsh and the walk from the shops hadn't helped my temperature.
"Need some help with that Tay?" He asks. I turn and nod, handing the carrot-chopping to him. He does it silently and I watched him as he furrows his brow and chops concentratedly. I smile to myself. He's so nice, so considerate, when he's like this. He turns around catches me smiling at him. I blush and quickly turn to stir the butter in the sizzling pot. I look up and out the window that overlooks the carpark. Outside the sun has been swallowed by the clouds, and the tarmac is shadowed with darkness. It's the kind of weather I like, where I can sit inside and watch movies and wish the day away. My surge of affection for the view is dissmissed as Alex comes walking into the car park, shuffling his feet across the ground, his mouth is moving, he's singing to himself. I look back down at the pan in frustration. I hate it when he does likeable things.
"What's wrong?" Dylan asks from behind me. I wonder if he's seen me look at Alex before, if he can see the hate I have for him.
"Nothing, I just wasn't expecting that asshole to make an appearance." I say, pointing outside to Alex, who seems to be doing a little dance to his self-serenade. I feel like running outside just to punch him. Instead I turn and look at Dylan, who has his eyebrow raised.
"What? I reckon Alex is an okay guy, I mean he did punch me in the face but I reckon' that's what people do to each other to say Hi these days" Dylan smiles. I try to laugh vaguely but nothing really happens besides my face turning to a frown and my lips curling into a scowl.
"He didn't have to punch you, he was just being an dick Dylan. He's always been one." I mutter. Dylan stops chopping the carrots and look up at me with a confused look on his face.
"Since when does punching someone make you a permanent dick Tay?"
"Since Alex Gaskarth, he's so self-righteous. Ooh look at me, I'm such a good boy, saving your ass when all you're doing is talking to your boyfriend." I sneer. I know that what i'm saying is a bent version of what really happened, but it comes out anyway. Out of the window, I see Alex play his air guitar.
"Ha-look at him, he's so pathetic." I say. Dylan looks at me like I just grew a third eye.
"Why are you so obsessed with hating this guy?" He says. He sounds a little offended, a little frustrated.
"I'm not obseessed with him!" I yell. It comes out like a scream, a desperate call from the depths of my brain.
"Woah! Tay, calm down!"
"Calm down?! Why should I calm down, all I'm doing is talking about that bastard!" I yell back. Dylan's face goes from tolerant to hurt.
"You are unbelieveable! All you care about is Alex! Alex this, Alex that! Admit it Tay, you are obsessed with hating Alex Gaskarth!" He booms, he is angry, his eyes wild and upset, angry. It's like my vision has grown a red filter, my cheeks are red, my fingers tingling, my head throbbing.
"I am not Dylan! Would you just drop it!"
"Drop it? What, so you can bring him up tomorrow? And the Day after? You should be the one dropping it! I'm sick of hearing how much you hate him! You're so stuck in this rut that you don't even realise it!"
"I am not stuck in a rut! Since when do you fucking monitor my conversations Dylan!? Huh- you know what- I'm fucking done! Done!" I yell. There is a deafening bang and the hot pan hits the bottom of the sink, I throw it so hard that my wrist hurts afterwards. Hot tears are running down my face now. Dylan is breathing like a bull about to charge. I am fuming, ready to kill someone. I charge out of the bus, and across the tar, angry and sobbing. From behind me, Dylan calls angrily.
"Fine, leave! But don't expect me to be here when you come back!"
I walk blindly, no idea where I'm going to go, but going back to that bus with Dylan still there is not an option. Instead I head for the showerblocks, in desperate need of somewhere to sit, cry and regroup. I storm in, practically collapsing on the concrete bench that runs down the centre. Elbows on my knees, head in my hands I try to pull it together. Why does Alex always do this to me, he takes everything away. My freedom, my happiness, and now the veyr person I'd hope would bring me away from Alex has been taking by him. Alex Gaskarth is the reason that I have just lost my boyfriend. That though sends me into hysterics. It's as if the tears have been building since I first met Alex, and they've suddenly escaped. I'm so busy sobbing that I don't hear the footsteps that come into the showeroom, I only hear the faint thud as whoever it is sits beside me. A part of me wants it to be Dylan, the other part wants it to be Jenna or Hayley or Cassadee, someone to talk to.
But Alex is the one beside me, and right now I cannot bare to look at him longer than a split second. I try to stop myself from crying, but to no avail. I am a leaking tap. It's a good ten minutes before I have the strength to try and look at him. And so I do.
"What do you want?" I snap. He looks a little shocked, his eyes wide. But he remains silent, his hands on his knees. I almost punch him in the face, but I lack the energy. My eyes sting from the tears.
"If you're just going to sit here and look at me I'd prefer if you left me alone." I bark, putting my head in my hands once again. I hear him shuffle and breath in slowly.
"Are you... okay?"
Alex's Point of View
She looks at me like I've grown a third eye. Her face, normally smooth and porcelain, is bright red, her eyes puffy, red-nosed, her hair in a mess of curls, and she still manages to look just that little bit frustratingly attractive.
"No Alex I'm frickin' perfect." She spits. I realise that it was probably a stupid question. I decide to ask what's going on, out of pure curiousity. Not even Rian seemed this torn up when things ended with Cassadee. And that was resolvable problem (obviously).
"Sorry... why are you so, upset?" I ask, trying to be tactful. She splutters and looks down at the floor, a few more tears falling down her cheeks. I have to stop myself from hugging her. My brain tells me to, but my survival instincts know better. She doesn't answer. I begin to feel very out of place.
"It's okay, I'll leave you. I get it if you don't want to tell m-"
"No Alex I don't! I don't want to tell you anything! All you do is swoop in on my life and destroy everything!" She screams. I'm shocked at first, but anger is stronger than shock.
"Oh yeah right Tay, I can't count the times I've saved your ass from that knob!" I yell back. Her face falls for a minute, I'm not sure why, but it hardens just as quickly.
"Well you don't have to worry about that now Alex. Because Dylan just broke up with me," She says in a solemn voice. It's scarier than when she's angry. "Because of you!" The screaming is back, though I cannot retaliate. Partly because I feel sort of bad about bringing up her boyfriend when clearly that's what she was crying in hear for in the first place, and partly because I have never seen anyone look as psychotically angry as she does now. She's broken down now, crying harder than before. I take a step towards her, planning to apologise but she only takes a step back, glares at me, and points at the door.
"Leave!" She orders inbetween tears. I do as she says.
