The Things You Did For Me

This moment had clouded his thoughts for months...maybe even years. The thought that it had actually happened terrified him. She knew the truth now. There was no going back. It was strange how familiar it felt to be with her like this. They had been best friends their whole lives, yet all of that seemed to change in an instant. Alex pulled away from her, staring at her in shock.

She opened her eyes to view his expression, regret flooding her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine," he muttered over top of her. He could still feel his pulse thumping through every vein in his body, his chest tightening making it harder to breathe.

Her eyes fell to the ground, a little shamed of herself for making assumptions about him. "I should go."

He watched her turn to make her way around the car, her boots sinking into the grass as she crossed her lawn. "Come over tonight," he shouted after her.

She stopped at the sound of his voice, a slight smirk forming on her face. "Okay," she shouted back without bothering to turn around. "I'll see you at seven."

Anxiety washed over him as he stood alone, waiting for her to enter her house before bolting inside his own and slamming the door behind him. Everything was falling into place. Maybe everything was going to be all right for once. For the first time in a very long time...he was happy.

Alex rushed into his room, nearly tripping over the heaps of clothes lying carelessly on the floor. He silently cursed himself for not cleaning up. He'd have a lot of work to do before Norma came over, and he wanted everything to be perfect for her. The little black box was still lying where he'd left it the night before. He smiled to himself, glancing out the window into the bright evening sky.

It was around five o'clock when John had showed up at Norma's doorstep begging for forgiveness. She rolled her eyes at him, a part of her glad he had come at a time when her parents weren't home. "I'm sorry," he pleaded. "I was surprised. How was I supposed to react? I mean, you kind of just laid it all on me."

She cringed at the pang of guilt rising within her. The thought of Alex roamed inside her mind. "Just forget it. It doesn't matter anymore." She tried to close the door but he stopped her, grabbing her wrist a bit too roughly.

"It does matter," he barked. "It's my child too."

Her mouth fell open, part of her starting to correct him but she stopped herself. She could feel tears starting to well in her eyes as she thought of every possible outcome. She hated that this was her life. She hated what had happened to her. But most of all she hated her brother for hurting her—for betraying the trust they had held sacred for so many years.

"We can be in Phoenix in a couple of days. I took the money from my college fund. I'll get a job in a mechanic shop. We'll have to live in a motel room for a few days—maybe a week at most. But we should be able to afford a small apartment once I start working." Norma was surprised to see that he had thought this through so thoroughly. She still didn't say anything though. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. John was offering her a ticket out of town. How could she refuse? She stared at him, her expression unreadable. He let go of her wrist, letting her slid back behind the door—only her bright blue eyes shining in the darkness of the house. He watched her sink back, clearly saddened by her reluctance. "We can leave tomorrow if you want."

He left after that. Norma closed the door as he disappeared inside his car. She rushed over to the window to watch him leave, a pain forming inside her gut. She didn't want to have to choose between her best friend and her boyfriend. Her choice was obvious from the start. Alex would protect her—he always had.

Everything was perfect. The house was perfumed with the smell of his mother's famous spaghetti recipe. It was the only thing Alex knew how to cook. His mother had gotten around to teaching him her recipes on her good days. Spaghetti was the only one he actually remembered.

The sound of Dean Martin's voice swelled inside the house, pouring thoughtfully into each room. Alex smiled to himself, lighting the last of the candles he had placed around the house. Tonight would be perfect. It had to be. His life was changing.

Alex jumped at the sound of a soft knock coming from the front door, glancing down at his watch eagerly. It was 6:45...she was early. He smiled to himself, desperately trying to keep his cool. His heart dropped as he opened the door viewing the girl standing before him. "Sally?"

She stared back at him, clearly surprised to see him so dressed up. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt anything," she stuttered. "It's just...when I asked you if you'd help me with my English project you said come over whenever. And I thought that you wouldn't be doing anything, and...I'll just go."

"Wait," Alex sighed, watching as she turned to leave. "I have a little bit of time."

Sally turned around to face him, her smile gleaming up at him as she embraced him. "Thank you, Alex. You're the best."

Alex fought to roll his eyes, pushing the door open for her. "Yeah. I know." He hated that he was always the nice guy. It made him vulnerable. "So what's this project about?"

She seemed to be in awe of her surroundings. Alex had to admit...he had done a nice job putting the house together. Sally stopped at the record player, suddenly realizing he had just spoken to her. "Emily Dickinson," she mused, turning to face him. "You clean up nicely."

Alex glanced down at himself. He seemed to have forgotten about dress shirt and pants. "Thanks," he muttered somewhat indifferently. "I'm expecting someone."

He hated the way her face fell, her eyes drifting over to the kitchen table stopping suddenly at the sight of the little black box. "I just wanted you to read my report," she told him. "It's due on Tuesday. I can come back tomorrow."

Alex sighed to himself, knowing he would always be the nice guy. "I can read it now. I have time."

It was close to seven when Norma showed up on Alex's doorstep. She could see the gentle glow coming from the front window, the light humming of Dean Martin tempting her to peek inside. A familiar pain formed inside her as she watched Alex and that girl. Part of her knew nothing had changed since their last encounter in the driveway. But Norma couldn't fight the feeling that she would be holding Alex back if she walked inside that house. Alex had a bright future ahead of him...she didn't want to be the one to ruin him. So she left. Walked all the way to John's house trying to convince herself that this was the best thing to do. She only hoped she was right.