Author: Jenny
Disclaimer: Sadly, nothing belongs to me. Though Kyle is my pretend boyfriend.
Pairings: Alex/Tess, Kyle/Isabel
Rating: TEEN
Summary: Sequel to A Day in the Life of the B-Team, taking place about three months later. Alex and Tess grow closer as they work on their project, and Kyle defends Isabel’s honor.
Author’s Note: This one will be short - only three parts. Part One is Alex/Tess, Part Two will be Kyle/Isabel, and the third part will wrap both stories up with nice, fluffy endings.
And many thanks to vegas312 for being lured by cookies to beta this. One
Alex Whitman looked at his watch for what felt like the tenth time in as many minutes. It wasn’t quite time yet, but his heart beat faster with every tick of the second hand as it inched closer to the twelve. It was unlike her to cut it this close. She was normally just as punctual as he was, if not more so. Tapping his foot in a nervous rhythm, he couldn’t quite pinpoint why he was so anxious. He’d waited at this same booth for her many times before, but for some reason, today felt different.
Oh, who was he kidding? He knew exactly why he was anxious, and why today was different from all the other days. And why he was worried, for the first time ever, that she might not show up at all.
Two Days Earlier
“Alex, Tess is here!”
Hearing his mother’s call, Alex stuffed the remaining t-shirts into his dresser and forced the drawer shut with a thud. He gave his room one last perusal, and satisfied that everything was in order, headed downstairs to greet his guest.
Even though they’d been working together on this project for their Film Appreciation class for almost three months now, this was the first time that Tess Harding had come to Alex’s house. Usually they worked at the Crashdown or at the school library, and a couple of times they’d hit the Valenti house. But with their project almost completed, it had occurred to Alex that he hadn’t actually watched Star Wars, the movie that they were analyzing for their paper, in its entirety in quite some time. To ensure that they weren’t missing anything pertinent in their research, he had suggested to Tess that they have a “movie night.”
At least that was the reason he had given Tess.
In actuality, Alex had seen Star Wars so many times in his young life that he could probably perform the whole movie for her. He didn’t really need to see it again for “research purposes.” The truth was, he had come to genuinely enjoy spending time with Tess, and was going to be secretly disappointed when this project was over and he wouldn’t have an excuse to talk with her almost every day.
He felt like he’d really gotten to know Tess over the last few months, and had come to realize that they had quite a bit in common - more than he ever would have guessed. They liked a lot of the same movies and music, and had very similar senses of humor. Tess laughed at jokes he made that Liz and Maria probably wouldn’t even get. They would sometimes get to talking about things that had nothing to do with their project and lose total track of time. There were a couple of nights when he’d almost missed curfew because they’d gotten so distracted from their work. He had come to feel so comfortable with the little blonde alien that he couldn’t even remember why he’d felt so much trepidation at the beginning of the semester.
Yes, she’d become much more than just his class partner. She’d become his friend.
And maybe more.
Alex tried to shake those thoughts from his mind as he headed downstairs to meet her. Truthfully, he didn’t really understand what his feelings for Tess were. He just knew that he was coming up with silly excuses to spend time with her. What did that mean?
When Alex got downstairs, he found his mother and Tess engaged in easy conversation. He didn’t catch what they were talking about, but both of them were smiling, and Alex couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across his own face. Tess was dressed very casually in a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt, and her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. She looked cute.
Whoa. Since when did he pay attention to the way Tess looked? And since when did he think she looked cute?
Tess gave Alex a smile when he reached them. “I brought Goobers and Raisinets,” she said, pulling two candy boxes out of her oversized bag. “You can’t watch a movie without the proper sweets.”
“And I’ve got sodas and popcorn,” Alex responded. “We’re set.”
“Can I get you kids anything else?” Mrs. Whitman asked.
Alex cringed slightly at her use of the word kids. “Thanks, Mom, but I think we’ve got everything we need,” he answered, touching Tess’ elbow and steering her in the direction of the stairs. “We’ll be in my room.”
“Leave the door open!” she called as they headed up, and Alex groaned in embarrassment. Tess giggled.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized as he led her to his bedroom. “She always says that when Liz and Maria come over, too.”
Tess just giggled again and shook her head. “It’s okay,” she replied in understanding. “Jim’s the same way. He doesn’t even like to leave me and Kyle home alone together.”
Alex couldn’t help the small stab of jealousy he felt when she mentioned Kyle’s name. To his knowledge, there was nothing romantic going on between her and the sheriff’s son, but why would Valenti be uncomfortable leaving them alone together?
And then he had to ask himself why he cared what was going on between her and Kyle. He had to stop it with these thoughts.
He forced himself to focus on the task at hand. “Movie time?” he asked, holding up the video.
“Definitely,” she answered. “Where should I sit?”
“Wherever,” he said as he put the tape into the VCR. “Make yourself comfortable.”
He was surprised when he turned around and found her situating herself on his bed, sitting upright and leaning casually against the headboard. She must have noticed the look on his face, because she asked, “Is this okay?”
“Yeah, absolutely,” he told her before shaking himself out of his stupor. What was he getting so worked up about? Liz and Maria sat on his bed with him all the time to watch movies. So what was so different about her?
But he was beginning to think that he knew the answer to that question.
Nevertheless, his heart fluttered nervously in his chest as he sat down on the opposite side of the bed. As the opening credits of the movie began, he forced himself to just relax. Crossing and uncrossing his arms, he moved around trying to get comfortable, and was eternally grateful when Tess shook a box of Goobers at him, happy to have something to do with hands and something else to focus on.
Before too long he was lured back into the story that was unfolding across the screen, and found himself finally able to relax as they both of them got wrapped up in the movie. All too soon the end credits were scrolling down the screen, and again he found himself becoming aware of the presence next to him. Turning his head, he started to ask a question, only to find himself distracted as she stretched beside him, saying, “I’d forgotten how much I like this movie.”
Alex smiled. “I know. I never get tired of it, no matter how many times I’ve seen it.”
“And how many times would that be?” she asked teasingly.
“I couldn’t even begin to count,” he admitted with a chuckle.
Before he knew it, another hour had passed swiftly as they debated the merits of the new movies versus the original trilogy. She made some interesting points that he’d never considered, though she did confess to having a crush on Hayden Christensen, confirming his suspicion. Who would have thought that Tess Harding would be such a sci-fi nut? Well, aside from the obvious reasons, of course.
“Alex, it’s almost eleven!” Mrs. Whitman called from downstairs.
“Guess that’s my cue to leave,” Tess said, rising from the bed, and he couldn’t fight the disappointment that coursed through his body.
“Eleven’s my curfew, too,” she added with disdain. She’d once confessed to Alex that having a curfew was one of the hardest adjustments she’d had to get used to after moving in the Valentis.
“I’ll walk you out.” He courteously handed Tess her bag and followed her downstairs.
“Goodnight, Mrs. Whitman.” Tess waved politely to Alex’s mother, who was sitting in the living room reading a book. “Thanks for letting me come over.”
“It was lovely to meet you, Tess,” Mrs. Whitman said with a smile. “I hope I’ll see you again soon.”
Alex hoped so, too.
His heart began to race again as he walked her outside. He didn’t want this night to end, and a part of his brain was telling him to say or do something to let Tess know how he was feeling.
“I had fun tonight, Alex,” Tess said, stopping at the driver’s side door of her compact SUV. “It’s too bad we’re almost through with our project.”
Alex couldn’t stop himself from saying, “We can still hang out, you know, after the paper’s finished.”
A shy smile crossed Tess’ face, almost as if she were surprised by his statement, and his heart rate seemed to speed up even more. “I’d like that,” she said softly.
It was now or never. He could let her get in her car and drive away, never revealing the things he was starting to feel, or he could make his move.
His palms were sweating. He was so bad at this sort of thing. You’d think he’d have more confidence in this department, considering his two best friends were girls. But nope, he was still just as hopeless as he’d ever been.
“Tess…” His voice trailed off. He didn’t know what to say, and he couldn’t read much from Tess’ expression.
She didn’t answer, but met his gaze. She had to have the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen. So bright, so clear. He was momentarily hypnotized.
Then, without thinking much more about it, he leaned in. His lips were only a breath away from hers…
Tess backed away. “I should go,” she said, her voice slightly shaky. She opened the door to her car.
“Tess, wait,” he pleaded, slightly baffled.
“I’ll see you on Monday, okay?” She gave him an apologetic glance before getting in the car and pulling out of the driveway. Alex helplessly watched her drive away.
Yep, he’d blown it. He’d taken a perfectly good budding friendship and completely ruined it. Of course she didn’t feel that way about him. She’d given him no indication that she did. Why had he been so foolish?
Inwardly kicking himself, he walked dejectedly back to the house.
Present
That was the last Alex had seen or talked to Tess. He’d tried calling several times on Sunday, but her phone had gone straight to voicemail every time. He was positive that he had ruined whatever friendship they had been forming.
He was brought out of his musings when his cell phone rang loudly beside him. Glancing at the caller ID, he was both relieved and uneasy when he saw Tess’ name on the display.
He answered immediately. “Tess?”
“Alex.” Tess said his name in a tone that he couldn’t quite recognize. She took a deep breath. “I think I’ve done something terrible.”
