Alex stops coming by as often as before.The hecklers aren’t motivated to come back, but it does cause a different disturbance.“Has anyone seen him today?” Charlie asks, fretting over him. “I tried to message him, but he didn’t reply…”The other club members look at each other awkwardly, glancing in my direction before answering her. I really wish they wouldn’t look at me. Whenever they do, Charlie always shoots me a dirty glare, like I’m at fault somehow.Dammit. This is exactly what I was afraid of.I’ve diagnosed Alex’s problem.He likes talking with people, which is fine. However, he fails to establish boundaries, especially toward girls. Then, because he doesn’t like uncomfortable situations, he callously blows things off.The girls get misled when he doesn’t staunch their flirting. Then, he gets tired of the drama and leaves. Then, hurt and angry, the girls fight each other and cause trouble.Rinse and repeat.The worst part is he doesn’t even seem to realize he’s most of the p

When he and the other guys look to confront him, they all freeze up.Alex looks irritated again, his large hand starting to curl into his shoulder. The bully goes pale and starts to sweat, reaching up to try and dislodge it. But the instant his fingers touch Alex’s, the hockey player clenches further.“Ghh!”He whimpers. Honestly, fully, whimpers, and loses his balance, his right elbow supporting his weight on the table. Alex leans down, easily looking over everyone with his eyes narrowed.“It really takes six guys to bully a single person? What a pathetic pack.” He sighs, seeming genuinely disappointed. “Fuck off, will you?”The five guys he isn’t physically holding in place give each other looks before they decide to back off, none of them brave enough to try him. The one he’s clenching on tries to leave, but Alex shoves him down onto the bench attached to the table.“Before you leave, clean up that mess you made. Aight?”“Y-Yeah…”“Cool.” Alex hands him some paper towels, that unki

After auditioning 45 of the 79 applicants, we ended with a grand total of zero female lead candidates. The other 24 decided against trying after I refused Alex’s dating prospects for the 17(th) time.My throat still hurts from all that yelling.Tired and without any progress, the drama club members grumble in frustration. Alex also looks put-off, but he’s got his arm around me, using me as some sort of PDA squeegee.The club members give us a bit of a stink eye as I try not to self-combust in embarrassment. Hailey does, too, though she’s more playful about it. My phone vibrates as Jonathan start talking about another female lead plan.“‘won’t have anythin to do with him again’ you said. ಠ_ಠ”“shut up”“make me (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻”I prepare to reply to Hailey, but Sophia speaks up, raising her hand. Apparently, Jonathan has been taking suggestions. I wasn’t paying attention—“Well, why not Cynthia?”…But I am now.“I mean, Cynthia and Alex helped us rewrite some of the plot, so she knows the

My blood runs cold seeing him there. Anxiety crawls up my throat like a lizard and clings to the back of my tongue, leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I realize Hailey is saying something on the phone, and in my rearview mirror, I see her car approaching.“…Can we…rrr-raincheck?”“Huh?”“Sss-something came up. Let’sss…meet later.”“…I guess so, yeah, we can raincheck. I’m seriously sorry about the sign, Cynthia…”“It’sss okay. Talk to you later. Texss…t. Text me when you get home.”I hang up the phone and wait until Hailey leaves, staring at Oliver. He stands at the door with his hands in his pockets, patiently looking back at me.He had been my guiding light before. Now, seeing him there reminds me of someone else. Someone older, taller…drunker.I get out of my car and head up to the front door. As much as I don’t want to deal with him, he’s not going to keep me from getting into my own house.“Hey, Cynthia,” he greets. He smiles, but I don’t sense any kindness from it.I glance up at

With their most recent win, the Chillers are just a few games away from qualifying for the playoffs and Division I nationals. The Bernard Saints were one of their greatest adversaries—which, I highly doubted that, considering how the Chillers swept them.But Alex sat me down and taught me how the point system works, showing me past games. No, the Bernard Saints were a high-quality team. The Chillers were just better.Still, even after surpassing their greatest opponents, there’s others that could give them a run for their money. Therefore, the Chillers amp up the difficulty of their training.I’m not sure how he does it, practicing hockey four days a week and still finding time for our play. The coach even moved practice to early morning rather than after school. Sure, it’s to reduce other scheduling conflicts, but 5 AM is still so early.Worried he won’t keep it together, I decide to try to help. Maybe if I make him some snacks, he can eat them and stay energized? So, I use some of m