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Alejandro curses under his breath in Spanish. "Why am I doing your grocery runs?" He asks Heather over the phone.
"If you want to know, then ask yourself why you lost at rock-paper-scissors."
Alejandro sighs. "Point taken." He runs his hand through his hair as he goes through the milk section. Which one had Heather asked for?
Noticing the quietness, Heather clears her throat. "You do remember the list I told you, right ?"
"Totally, who do you take me for?" Alejandro lies. Shrugging, he chooses a cartoon he thinks he's seen Noah hold before.
"Whatever. If you're wrong, then you're the one going back to the store again," Heather says before hanging up.
Alejandro purses his lips before pushing the cart. All Alejandro wanted to do was visit his dear, beloved friend. Instead, he's stuck doing grocery shopping for her despite her step-brother being right there.
On the topic of Noah, Alejandro feels a sense of dread when he sees Izzy and her girlfriend looking through the bread aisle. Sure, he could go somewhere else and avoid them, but oat bread was the last item he needed, and he didn't want to stay out longer than necessary.
Maybe if Alejandro hurries, he can slip past them and leave with no incidents. Leaving his cart near the end of the aisle, Alejandro slowly walks, his eyes scanning for the right bread. He spies his target and slowly creeps to the item. He carefully grabs it off the shelf, and he turns around to make his retreat.
Maybe it was the crinkling sound that sets her off, but like a fucking bloodhound, he hears Izzy whip her head up and call out, "Alejandro?"
Alejandro stills, lets himself wear a grimace on his face for a second, and puts it away. "Hey, Izzy, Eva," he says as he fixes his posture.
"It's crazy seeing you here!"
"It's a local grocery. I wouldn't think it's a stretch to see me here."
"No, that's not it," Eva says. "She's saying that because we were just talking about you and your crush."
Alejandro nearly chokes on his saliva. His what? It's not that big of a deal, it's just a simple misunderstanding. However, he prides himself on not indulging in romance.
Izzy doesn't get the memo or bother to read the look on his face. "Yeah!" She excitedly says as she approaches him. "I was just telling Eva how your crush on Noah is so cute!"
Alejandro blinks rapidly. Does he need to get his ears checked? No way Izzy thinks he's crushing on Noah? Despite them being lesbian, someone thinking he liked Heather and Courtney would make more sense.
"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone," Eva reassures as she gives him a pat on the back.
Alejandro feels himself gape. It's one thing for Izzy to think he likes Noah. After all, Izzy is Izzy. She's known to be missing a few marbles, but Eva? Alejandro was under the impression Eva was the second most sensible person in that group of theirs. What did they call it? Team Escope?
"Oh, babe! We need to hurry up and get the ingredients to DJ. See you later, Alejandro!" Izzy says as she grabs Eva's hand, pulling her out of the aisle, a basket full of ingredients in Izzy's other hand.
What just happened? Alejandro wonders as he stands bewildered in the empty bread aisle.
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When Alejandro sees someone from 'Team Escape' again, it's a week after the grocery store incident. Truthfully, he hadn't thought much of the accusation. After all, Izzy is Izzy, and he figures crazy must be contagious.
Unfortunately for Alejandro, he can't quite escape the rumor going around.
He's sitting at his favorite coffee shop, Crystal Grove. So far every time he's visited, it's peaceful. That's why Alejandro goes to an open table and studies. Just as he's about to finish his homework, someone calls his name.
"Al?" Mierda. Alejandro recognizes that voice.
"Owen!" He says with fake cheer as he looks up. Then he sees Noah standing next to him, and the bookworm looks everywhere besides the Latino teen. "And Noah! It's nice to see you guys."
"I didn't know you visit here, Al!" Owen chuckles. Alejandro feels himself flinch. Again with that nickname-
"You probably didn't know because I come here sporadically."
Owen hums in understanding while Noah rolls his eyes. "I'm going to go order for us," he tells Owen. " Don't do anything weird, okay big guy?"
"Since when have I done anything weird?" Owen nervously chuckles. Noah gives him a disbelieving look, and Owen adverts his gaze, sweating more as the seconds tick by. Finally, Noah shrugs and goes to the counter, leaving Owen with Alejandro.
"What do you think about Noah?" He asks Alejandro as he pulls out a seat.
What an odd question to ask. He thinks many things about Noah, not all of them nice, but settles on, "He's smart?"
"Just smart?"
"He's witty, I guess." Alejandro has no idea where Owen is going with this, but when Owen's eyes light up, he can tell it isn't good.
"Would you say that you like that he's witty and smart?"
Now, this is getting into uncomfortable territory. "Yeah, I do. I must ask you, Owen, why are you asking me these questions?"
Owen's eyes dart to the counter where Noah is still ordering.
"I know about your crush on Noah, but between you and me, I think he likes you back," the fat teen whispers.
"You think what? " Alejandro blurts out, and even he winces at how loud he is. Everyone in the coffee shop turns to him, including Noah. The boy merely raises an eyebrow as he's handed his order.
Owen rushes to shush him, looking behind him worriedly. "Shh! I didn't mean to startle you, but hey I think it could genuinely work out between you guys!"
"No, no, no. You got it all wrong. Where did you even get the idea that I liked him?"
Owen tilts his head. "Well, I always had the suspicion that you liked him, but then Izzy told me, and it just confirmed everything."
Alejandro resists the urge to facepalm. Is Izzy going to be the sole reason all of this spreads?
"Owen, I don't like-"
"Who don't you like?" A new voice asks as they enter the conversation.
Both Owen and Alejandro jump at Noah's sudden appearance.
“Little buddy!” Owen greets nervously. “It’s so nice to see you! Oh, is that the croissant I asked you to get?”
Noah gives Owen an unimpressed look. “It is,” Noah confirms as he smacks away
Owen’s eagerly awaiting hands. “But from what I heard, I don’t think you deserve it.” He walks away from the table, ignoring Owen's pleas to wait up. Right before he can leave, he stops at the door and gives Alejandro an unreadable look, but then he’s leaving the shop with Owen right on his tail.
Alejandro slumps into his chair. He doesn’t like it, but he can already tell he won’t escape from this situation easily.
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“Can you stop sighing?” Courtney asks, slamming her book onto the table.
Just to piss off the freckled girl more, he sighs again, much louder than he has previously.
"What has you so worked up?" Gwen asks as she gently sets down her art sketchbook.
It isn't often that Gwen joins her girlfriend and Alejandro for their biweekly study session. According to her, the only good part is watching Courtney's concentrated face. Except she said she heard something interesting, so she wanted to join this session.
At first, Alejandro hadn't thought anything of it. He was curious, sure. Gwen wouldn't join them out of something small, but as Gwen keeps staring at him with a knowing look, he finds his desire to find out decline.
"That isn't the problem here. Why do you keep staring at me with that look on her face?"
“What look?”
Alejandro doesn’t budge and stares at her with a raised eyebrow.
Gwen shrugs, but a smirk is on her face. "Ok, fine! I heard from a little birdy that you like a certain someone."
Courtney, who was watching the exchange with amusement, laughs. "Oh, do you mean Noah? I could've just told you that if you had asked, silly."
Alejandro gapes at the couple. He has so many questions, but he doesn't know if he wants answers.
Sighing again, he rests his head on the table. Noah's friends thinking he liked the bookworm wasn't surprising in hindsight. After all, Izzy is in that group, and as he said, crazy must be contagious, but Courtney? How could Courtney betray him like this?
"Where did you hear that from, Gwen?" He asks, his voice muffled by the desk.
"I would tell you, but they asked to be anonymous, sorry." She didn't sound the slightest bit sorry. And that 'anonymous' person is probably someone from Team Escope.
Lifting his head, Alejandro stares at his ex-friend. "Why do you think I like Noah? I thought we were friends!"
"You're so dramatic," Courtney scoffs. "And how could I not think so when you always talk about him when we come to study?"
For the first time since hearing about the rumor, Alejandro flushes. It's faint, and he doubts Courtney or Gwen can see it, but just feeling his cheeks heat up is bad enough.
He tries to give a proper reply, but he's too flustered to do so. To the two (smirking) girls, it probably sounds like a babbling mess.
Finally, Alejandro manages to say, "I only talk about him because he can rival me academically. That’s why he’s on my mind when we study."
Courtney laughs and pats him on the back, but she's gracious enough not to tease him. "Sure, Alejandro."
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Three days later, Alejandro goes to Heather's house after studying with Courtney. Despite it being the two of them this time, Courtney wouldn't leave him alone. Even though he made it a point to not bring up Noah even once, Courtney did it for him with an amused smile.
"I'm leaving!" Alejandro declared once they finished.
"To where?"
"To Heather's house!"
"Make sure to tell Noah hi for me," Courtney says with a shit-eating grin.
He cursed in Spanish, knowing very well she could make out most of what he said.
That's how the Latino finds himself on Heather's living room couch. Based on the look she's giving him, Alejandro assumes Courtney told her that he was on his way.
"Noah isn't here. He's out with Owen," she informs him simply.
Alejandro looks at her confusedly. "Why would I care about that?"
"Alejandro, I don't think there's ever been a time where you haven't asked where Noah is," Heather scoffs.
He opens his mouth in protest, but he quickly closes it. Now that he thinks about it, Heather is right. "Do you know when he's going to be back?"
Heather wrinkles her in disgust. "No, god you're not going to stay here for hours until you see him, right? I don't want to deal with you for that long just so you can talk to your crush."
Alejandro stills. Then he grabs a pillow and groans loudly. "I don't like him," he sulks. How many times will he have to say that just this month?
Heather is quiet for a few seconds, but she starts to laugh, and even though Alejandro can't see her, he can tell that she's clutching her stomach and that there are tears in her eyes.
"Oh my god, how can you be so oblivious? Now I get why Courtney asked me to bring up your crush. You weren't even aware of it!"
Alejandro feels his cheeks heat up. It's stronger than it was when Courtney teased him, and he's sure that his (very red) ears peek out from underneath the cushion.
"There's nothing to be aware of because I don't like anybody."
"You're so stupid. Wait, let me text Sierra about this."
"No!" Alejandro leaps up from the couch. If Sierra finds out, then everybody will know about this (untrue) rumor, and he'll never hear the end of it!
Unfortunately for him, instead of tackling Heather and getting the phone from her, Alejandro crashes into the wall. Much to his dismay, this is the moment the front door shakes a little, and soon Noah stands in the doorway. He pauses when he sees Alejandro's position.
"I'm not going to ask," Noah says simply as he walks to his room.
Mortified, Alejandro removes himself from the wall and hisses, "Not a word."
Heather scoffs in response.
Right now, all Alejandro wants is for the ground to swallow him up whole.
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Surprisingly, no one new brings up his alleged crush on Noah for a few weeks. The keyword here is new. Heather and Courtney still haven't let him live it down. Even Owen makes kiss faces when Alejandro is next to Noah.
That is until he's paired up with Lindsay for a project in English class.
"I've been thinking, and I think we should arrange a double date, Alfredo."
Absent-mindedly, Alejandro hums. "That's a good idea, but I'm not dating anyone, Lindsay."
"Don't be silly, Alberto! You're dating Nolan aren't you?"
"Nolan? Wait, do you mean Noah? "
"Didn't I say that?"
Alejandro sighs, and sets aside the passage he was trying to focus on. This is getting ridiculous.
"Why do you think I'm dating Noah?"
Lindsay tilts her head, a confused look present on her face. "Well weren't you guys flirting before you entered this class?"
Alejandro slightly flushes as he recalls the memory. He wouldn't go as far as to say they were flirting, but he does recall leaning against a locker, smiling smugly at Noah. Meanwhile, the shorter boy was a lot closer than needed, smirking as they were engaged in a battle of wits.
Alejandro mentally curses because no matter how he words it, that does sound like flirting. They weren't actually flirting! It's just how their relationship is like. The sooner other people realize this, the sooner everyone can find peace.
He looks at the blonde. With the look she's wearing on her face, Alejandro can do nothing but give a tired look towards Lindsay. "I'll have to ask him about it, but I don't think he'll appreciate it." He's been friends with the blonde long enough to know when not to argue.
Besides , Alejandro thinks as the blonde squeals and hugs him, it's kind of nice to let her have things like this.
Later during passing period, Noah walks up to him with the tips of his ears red. He demands why Lindsay had invited them on a double date, and what could Alejandro do besides shrug?
"You know Lindsay. When she thinks something, she's set on it."
When Noah flushes slightly, Alejandro feels satisfied.
(Only because it's an amusing sight, of course. No other reason at all.)
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With the number of odd things Alejandro has experienced since befriending Heather and Courtney, few things phase him. Any weird situation that has happened has probably already had, especially when staying over at Heather's or Courtney's house. Alejandro has learned to expect the unexpected.
However, never did he expect Noah to drag him by the arm and take him to the roof.
"You're not going to push me off, right?" Alejandro meant for it to come as a joke, but it ends up sounding more serious than he would've liked.
"No," Noah scoffs. "But if you keep running your mouth, I just might."
"If not to murder me, then why else are we here?"
"There's a meteor shower tonight. I want to see it with you."
Oh. Alejandro doesn't exactly know how to react to that. Noah uttered the sentence softly, and the whole thing is much more intimate than their relationship previously has experienced.
Not to ruin this unprecedented moment, he settles on a hum. He glances at Noah, but the teen is looking at the stars. He tries to conceal it, but Alejandro can see how eager he is.
(A part of him can't help but think the whole thing is cute.)
They sit in silence. Alejandro can't tell you for how long. He's too busy noticing everything about Noah. It's torture. He would fill in the silence, distract himself from these thoughts, but the atmosphere is too fragile for that.
He snaps out of it when Noah shakes his arm. He looks at Noah, but the teen points his head at the stars.
Alejandro had the chance to truly appreciate the stars. He's always been too busy, or he never had the interest in doing so, but he can't help but regret it now.
Across the starry sky, the meteors streak across. It starts with one, and then another, and soon there are multiple white streaks. Alejandro finds himself gaping at the sight.
Next to him, Noah quietly says, "It's beautiful."
Alejandro turns his head slightly to see the bookworm. As he stares at Noah, he murmurs, "Yeah, it is." Because at this very moment, Alejandro can't decide who's more enchanting: the awed Noah or the twinkling sky.
Noah turns his head too, and they make eye contact. Alejandro stares into those deep brown eyes, he can't avoid the truth any longer.
He has a crush on Noah.