Alex glared at Jace as well.
Luke coughed softly. "Alex... How are you doing?"
Alex switched his gaze to Luke with a smile. "Good. How're you?"
He stifled a giggle. Alex could practically feel the judging glares of his other two friends on his back. It really was incredibly easy to get back at them.
Luke smiled back. "I'm actually doing a lot better lately. I've been going to therapy, visiting my sister in the hospital more, everything's been just generally better."
"That's good to hear. Are you still writing? I noticed you haven't updated in a while."
At this point, Nick butted in. "Writing?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" Alex asked mockingly. "And here I thought you were dating! Luke's currently in the middle of writing a novel on a story app. Luke told me about it a few weeks ago when we met up at the bookstore. It's really good." He grinned in anticipation of Nick's response.
"You guys hung out at a bookstore? How come I didn't know about this?" Nick asked, upset.
Jace nodded his head in m.j agreement. "If I'd have known, I would've come too!"
Alex couldn't help but grin at his friends' reactions. Teasing them was soooooo fun. Easy too. "But you guys aren't into reading! It would have been boring for you. Besides, what business of yours is it if we want to hang out by ourselves sometimes? You guys can be tiring."
The veins bulging out of their foreheads were practically visible by now. How cute.
Alex heard Luke sigh. "Alex, I'd appreciate if you wouldn't use me as a subject to anger them. It reflects poorly on me you know." So he said, but Luke was obviously enjoying this as well.
Alex smiled, "Angering them? I didn't know! I'm ever so sorry if something I said was upsetting. But it's not like I told any lies. You guys are too controlling. I mean, I can forgive Jace, but Nick. Man. You don't have to know where Luke is every second of every day. Give him a break! Or what, are you afraid that he'll walk out of your life like your mom did last year?"
"Alex..." Jace warned. Nick was close to blowing up.
"But that's been good for you, hasn't it? Your dad was always the nice parent after all. Or do you still love your mommy, despite what a horrible human being she was?"
"Alex!"
"Even if you can't get over her absence, it doesn't give you the right to take it out on Luke! He's not your mom, he's not going to up and leave without a warning. But if you keep this up, he is going to leave! And let me tell you this, I would fully support his decision because right now, you're just being an overprotective prick who doesn't deserve Luke as a boyfriend'"
"Alex, shut your mouth right now!" Jace shouted at him. But it was too late.
Nick stood up and punched Alex across the face. There were a few gasps, but the person in question hardly even flinched. Alex held a hand to his nose, which was now bleeding.
"Wow, alright. I guess your solution to someone telling you the harsh truth is erupting like a maniac and throwing punches. Like mother like son, I guess."
Nick grabbed Alex by his shirt collar.
Whoops, too far.
But he seemed to come to his senses. Nick's face scrunched up in anger, but all he did was throw Alex down to the floor before storming out of the shop angrily.
There was a long moment of silence.
Alex inspected himself before letting out a sigh of relief. Just a few bumps and bruises, nothing too serious. It could've gone a lot worse. The most important thing right now was to stop his nose bleed and apologize.
First things first... Alex stood up and brushed himself off. Grabbing some napkins, he held a couple to his nose and used the rest to clean off a couple of places where his blood had dripped onto the floor. Then he threw the dirty ones away.
He put new ones to his nose and turned to face the rest of the people in the cafe. They were in a public setting, after all, it was only right to apologize.
"I'm sorry for disturbing everyone's meals. I was just trying to talk some sense into my friend, I didn't mean for it to be here. If anyone feels seriously inconvenienced, then I am willing to pay for their meal as an apology. Again, I am very sorry, please have a good rest of your evening."
Of course, nobody came up to him to ask him to pay. What kind of idiot would ask that of an obviously wounded teen? If anything, they either pitied him or thought he was too harsh to Nick.
Finished with his speech, Alex turned back to where they were sitting. As expected, Jace had gone after Nick while Luke stayed behind. Alex finished appeasing the crowd right at the same time Luke finished apologizing to the manager.
They then grabbed their things and left the store.