A Home That Wasn't There// Alex Gaskarth [COMPLETED]

chapter thirty one

We had practice every other day for a few weeks before our first meet.

I got all of my gear too! Cap, goggles, suit, leggings, and sweats! All adorned with my school logo.

And today, on a Saturday, I am waking up at five thirty in the morning to go to my first meet.

Lisa is going to take me, and Alex is going to meet up with us later.

My best is a one hundred meter freestyle.

"Hey, coach wants you to wear this today. It'll help cut your time off." Keri, one of the senior girls who has been on the team since she was a freshman, said.

She was holding up a pair of knee-skins.

"How the hell am I going to get into that?" I asked.

"Don't worry, we'll help." Keri said.

It's hard to be shy when you're in a room of sixteen naked girls. Eventually, you stop caring.

"Oh Christ. I can't breathe." I gasped.

"Yes you can, just take super deep breaths, it'll stretch it out a little." Keri said.

I put my cap on, and my goggles on top of my head.

I gathered with the girls who were in my lane, and we all walked out together. We have about an hour to warm up before the meet started.

"You're still doing the hundred free, right?" Bri, a fellow freshman, asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"Okay. What's your time?"

"Forty five." I said.

"You go first. Hundred frees are normally last so you'll have time to rest." She said.

I nodded and dove straight into the pool. I put my goggles over my eyes and began my laps. When I finished, I got out of the pool, and looked out in the crowd.

"Who're you looking for?" Bri asked.

"My dad and my little brother. My mom is here though. She's the only mom in here wearing a Harry Potter shirt. With the short blonde hair. Here, if I wave really hard she'll wave back." I said, and waved.

And she stood up with the biggest smile and waved back.

"Do I have time to go over and ask where dad is?" I asked.

"Meet starts in ten, You're good." She said.

I walked over to mom and asked where dad was.

"He said he was stuck in traffic. I'll text him and see where he is." She said. I nodded and went back to my team.

"He said he's on his way."

But when it was my time to do my laps, he wasn't there.

When the meet was over, he wasn't there.

I wanted to cry. He said he'd be here, and he wasn't. I did cry once I got into the locker room.

"Did he not show?" Bri asked.

"No. He promised me that he'd be here." I sniffled.

I pulled my cap off of my head and shoved it into my bag, I was dry enough to pull my sweats on, so I did. And I put on my shoes.

"I'll talk to you guys later, I just want to go home, eat, and take a nap." I said, pulling my bag over my shoulder and giving everyone a high-five.

When I found Lisa, she looked just as pissed as I was, and I was fucking pissed.

"Do you want to go get something for lunch?" She asked.

"Yeah. I want Tang Street." I said and we walked out to the car.

When we got food and got to the house, we saw Alex running out of the house with Tom in his arms.

I was too pissed to even talk to him.

I ate my lunch in silence. I did my homework without music blasting. I poked at my dinner, I didn't listen to music while in the shower. I was too mad to enjoy things.

And finally, at three in the morning, I broke down sobbing.

I wrapped my comforter around me and went to go sit outside.

And I saw Alex sitting outside.

"You were supposed to be there. You let her down again." Alex said to himself.

I went and sat by him, and wrapped my comforter around his shoulders.

"You really fucked up today." I said.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. It was completely on me I thought it was at a later time and then Lisa asked where I was so I lied and then I fell asleep on the couch and woke up just as you guys pulled up in the drive." He said.

At least he seemed very genuine with his excuse.

"You know, I'm still pissed off at you. And recently you've been really bad at keeping your word. You know I have trust issues, and you're really not helping. But something I will do, is I will not hang off of your every word anymore. I won't believe your promises until I see them. This is me laying all of my cards out on the table. Pick what you want. But you have to commit to completing those cards." I said.

"I understand." He said, leaning his head on to my shoulder.

I leaned my head on to his and we sat there for a bit.

"Alex. Once a week, like on a Saturday. Will you stay the night in my room with me?" I asked.

"Yeah. Come on, let's go to bed. My toesies are cold." He said.

"Did you just say- you know what. Never mind." I chuckled and we walked inside.

We walked up to my room, where Alex launched himself at my bed.

"Hey, you wanna see what I do for fun?" I asked.

"Hell yeah."

I whipped out my phone and showed him a video of Rose and I. She has the bottom bunk of a set of bunk beds, her older brother has the other one. So she has holes on her headboard and footboard. And we like to fill those holes with Febreze and jam our fingers into it.

"Is this how you broke your finger that one time?" Alex asked.

"Maybe."

I then showed him my favorite videos on Instagram, such as, 'Yelling Hard Enough Triggers My Gag Reflex' and 'Slightly Green Welch's Grape Juice with Wii Bowling Music'.

And my favorite Post Malone memes.

"Oh my god. Okay, I'm too tired for this. I just thought that Country Roads meme was actually funny." He said. He was crying from trying to hold his laughter in.

I yawned and set a sleep timer on my TV before putting some random YouTube video on.

And I fell asleep shortly after.