Khrysopos ✔

THIRTY THREE

- Alex's POV -

He did not like this feeling anymore.

Mostly because he had just found out that some idiot liked Juliet. He was in the boys' lockeroom, right after football practise, changing, when one of the boys yelled loudly, "our boy here's got himself a crush on Juliet Ashtooooon!" and then whooped. The other boys laughed and whistled.

The boy who liked Juliet was some miscreant named Tyler. Some idiot. Some delusional worm. Alex hated his guts.

He peeked over his shoulder to see what Tyler looked like.

Tyler had skin warm coloured skin, and short black hair. His eyes were a pale blue. He had blushed and said, "aw man, Miles. Are you gonna announce it to the whole school now?"

Alex had shut his locker and lifted his bag, already moving towards the door.

And then Tyler's friend, Miles, stopped him by putting an arm on his shoulder. "Hey. Dude. You're good friends with Juliet, right?"

Alex scowled a little as he pushed the boy's hand away, coldly. "We talk to each other a little bit, yes. How is that any of your business?"

"I was wondering if you could help my man Tyler out here." Miles winked. "He really likes this one."

"This one is not some animal you pick at a pet store," Alex said flatly. "I mean, she may behave like an animal sometimes - most of the time, really - but you don't 'like this one'. She isn't a vegetable you pick at the market."

Miles said, a little warily, "whoa, man. I didn't mean to be offensive. I just wanted to help my buddy out here."

"If your "buddy" can't woo Juliet on his own, then maybe he and Juliet aren't mean to be, are they?" Alex asked coldly. "If you'll excuse me."

He stalked out of the locker room.

Nosey bastards, he thought darkly.

***

"Did I do something wrong?"

"You do everyone wrong," he snapped, eating his dinner.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. I'm perfect. Now tell me what's really bothering you."

Alex glared at her. "You."

"And the other thing?"

"Also you."

"And the thing after that?"

Alex glared at her with the intensity of a thousand angry Karens who didn't get to speak to the manager.

Juliet grinned. "You look really hot right now."

He huffed. "You have no shame."

"Shame is for losers."

"It is," he said, "literally."

She shrugged. "I'm neither the winner nor the loser."

"Then what are you?"

"I don't know. A commentator, I guess." 

***

Alex worked away. He had a football match coming up this weekend, tons of homework to do, and was extremely tired. His eyes were droopy and all he wanted to do was break down from the amount of work he needed done.

It was around seven in the evening when someone rang his doorbell. It was Juliet.

She was bright and beaming as she held a bowl of fresh strawberries from her small garden on the balcony she had started a little while ago. He wasn't sure when she started it. But her smile dropped when she took him in properly and said, "you seem tired. Are you okay?"