Chapter 2
Alex completely forgets about her and Sydney’s fight until Christen texts her the next morning.
Christen: what happened between u and syd????
Alex: she insulted tobin while I was at her house last night and I got pissed and stormed out of her apartment.
Christen: well she said you’re not invited to her party anymore
Alex: honestly, I don’t even care anymore.
Alex cares a lot, actually.Her and Sydney have never fought in their 10 years of friendship and Alex isn’t about to start one now. Despite how stubborn Alex is, she knows Sydney is equally (if not more) stubborn and Alex has to apologize before this gets out of hand.
“Who’re you texting?”
“Jesus Tobin! Don’t scare me like that!”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t know how else to get your attention. Hey, you looked pretty invested in that conversation, did you want me to leave to give you privacy or something?”
Alex’s heart swells at Tobin’s concern and tries to hide the grin that’s making its way onto her face.
“No everything’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
Tobin takes a deep breath before starting her next sentence.
“So… about last night…”
Alex’s alarm on her phone rings loudly and Tobin’s look of defeat and slouched shoulders don’t go unnoticed by Alex.
“Shit! I forgot I have a day full of interviews about my new movie today. As much as I’d like to say, duty calls.”
“It’s cool, so I’ll see you later?”
“I’ll text you.”
“Cool. I’ll walk you out.”
Alex manages to throw on her clothes from last night and call her limo driver in less than five minutes and as Tobin’s closing the door she hears Kelley and Morgan whistle and give Tobin a pat on the back.
Alex just shakes her head at their antics. As she’s walking into the local radio station she texts Tobin; make them believe we hooked up, it’ll make u so much cooler
Tobin: psssshhh. i’m already cool enough.
Alex tries to ignore the fact that she’d much rather be laying in bed with Tobin all day instead of here answering the same four questions over and over again. Between interviews she texts the group chat containing her, Morgan, Kelley and Tobin all the ridiculous questions she had to answer and in return Kelley sends a bunch of ridiculous answers which Alex briefly considers. Alex comes to the conclusion that this group chat is the only thing keeping her sane when for the fifth time that day an interviewer asks her if she's romantically connected to her co-star, a man named Servando. Alex just wants to yell that yes of course they spend a lot of time together because they're co-stars for Christ's sake and her type is more a girl with lean muscles who rides skateboards and watches crazy amounts of soccer and steals all the covers on the bed just to kick them off later in the night and who never wears matching socks.
It's an entertaining thought that makes fans on twitter question why she's smiling so big when Servando's name comes up during interviews.
---
Alex spends the next month hanging out with Kelley, Morgan and Tobin and she’s fascinated by the three friends’ dynamic.
One night, Tobin gets called into work so she spends the night with Morgan and Kelley in their living room, streaming Brooklyn Nine Nine. She learns that Kelley and Tobin met playing college soccer and laughs as Kelley tells her the story about Tobin nutmegging Kelley that one time and Kelley being so impressed/dumbfounded by it that she went up to Tobin after that game and congratulated her.
“We’ve been friends ever since, we moved out to L.A. for me actually, I decided to play pro-soccer, but Tobin decided to become a sports reporter instead. Her pieces are some of the best I’ve ever read, and I’m not just saying that because she makes me sound good whenever she writes about me.”
“Why does she work two jobs then?”
There’s a long stretch of silence before Kelley answers.
“Her ex-girlfriend, she uh, moved to Paris one summer and after two months decided L.A. and Tobin weren’t for her anymore. They wrote to each other all the time. After the break-up Tobin felt the mail sorting thing was the only way she could remember her. They were – Tobin wanted to propose. But you know, sometimes things don’t work out.”
“Wow.”
Morgan pops her head out from the kitchen, where she’s making microwave popcorn and says “But you’re good for her Alex. Kell and I haven’t seen her this happy in a while.”
Alex just shakes her head and tries to stop the blush that’s creeping up on her cheeks.
“Nothing’s happened between us.”
“Not yet.” Kelley and Morgan reply in unison.
---
Christen calls her just as she’s arriving back home that night. “Hello?”
“Hey Alex, I just wanted to ask, are you coming to Syd’s party tomorrow?”
“I thought I wasn’t invited…”
“I know, but I think you should apologize to her, how come you haven’t tried texting or calling?”'
“I have. 77 times in the last month to be exact. I even tried emailing her, but no reply.”
“Just show up tomorrow and apologize, I don’t like you two fighting.”
“You think I want to be fighting with Syd?”
“Please, just come. It’s a masquerade party by the way.”
“Fine, alright. I’ll be there”
---
Alex can’t find Sydney or Christen anywhere. Considering the amount of people here (nearly 200) cramped in Sydney’s penthouse and the fact that everyone is wearing a mask makes it nearly impossible to find Sydney.
She tries calling Sydney, but no luck.
Once Alex pushes through the bodies and makes it into the washroom, she texts Tobin the address to the hotel so Tobin can come pick her up.
She’s reading Tobin’s reply (don’t worry, Flynn is on his way to rescue the damsel in distress!) when someone else walks in.
“Do you hate these things as much as I do?”
Alex recognizes the girl as Ali Krieger, world renowned actress and model.
“Actually yeah I do, want to get out of here? I texted my friend the address and they’re on their way.”
“I’d love that. I’m Ali by the way.”
“I know – shit I mean I’m Alex. Morgan.”
“Nice to meet you Alex Morgan.”
They make their way out of the bathroom and into the lobby of the hotel.
It’s another five minutes before Tobin pulls up, in a red pick-up truck with Kelley and Morgan frantically yelling and waving in the bed of the pick-up truck. Tobin helps Alex and Ali climb into the bed of the truck before Kelley tells them that they’re making a pit stop at home to get them out of those “ridiculous dresses” before they meet up with some of their other friends at a local bar.
The other friends turn out to be an attractive blonde named Ashlyn who immediately catches Ali’s attention, an intimidating brunette named Hope and Morgan’s boyfriend, Eric.
Tobin’s good friend Megan is performing at the bar tonight and Alex spends the night doing tequila with Kelley and dancing with Tobin, who is a bit hesitant at first, but loosens up after Alex doesn’t laugh at her dance moves.
They all make their way back to Tobin’s apartment and after a couple of pizzas and beers Ashlyn and Hope call it a night. Kelley immediately teases Ali for her look of disappointment when the two girls announce their departure, but gives Ali Ashlyn’s number anyways. It’s nearing five a.m. and everyone is half asleep except Ali, who is frantically texting Ashlyn.
From her spot on Tobin’s shoulder Alex manages to get out “Ali, let the poor girl go to sleep. She’ll still be there when you wake up.”
Tobin carries Alex into bed and is about to leave to brush her teeth when Alex mumbles out
“This was the best night of my life. I love Wednesdays.”
Tobin just softly smiles and climbs into bed with Alex, who immediately curls into her side and is asleep within seconds.
“I love Wednesdays too Al, mostly because they brought me to you.”
---
Two weeks later, Alex is peacefully sleeping in her bed when her phone rings from its position on her nightstand.
Alex refrains from yelling at whoever is on the other end of the line and groans out a “Hello?”
“Heyyyyy Alex”
“Syd? Is that you? Where are you? Are you okay?”
“Yup it’s me, aren’t you so excited to hear from me?”
“Not at… three in the morning and not when you’ve been ignoring me.”
Sydney just giggles and then the line goes silent.
"Syd, you still there?”
“Oh yeah! I need your help! I’m on the other side of town!”
“And why are you there?”
“This guy, he kept buying me drinks and was about to take me to his house, but I said no and he kicked me out of his car. He was sooooo cute Al. You shoulda seen him!”
“Where are you exactly?”
“I dunno, in some alley, I think.”
“Do you see any buildings near you?”
“Yeah... there’s a 7/11 and um an apartment? I don’t really know, but can you come pick me up?”
Alex is about to call her limo driver when she remembers she gave him the night off. Alex sighs before replying “I might know someone.”
---
The phone rings eight times and Alex is about to hang up when the person answers.
“Yeah?”
“Tobin, I need your help.”
---
Somehow, Tobin knows exactly where Sydney is. When Alex asks how all she says is “Someone I know used to live on this side of town.”
They find Sydney right where she described, in an alley wedged between a 7/11 and an apartment complex.
Alex goes out to get Sydney, who is a bit (very) unstable, and once Sydney sees Tobin sitting in the driver’s seat of the truck she stops. “I’m not getting into a car with her.”
“Syd.”
“No Alex, she stole you from me!”
“She didn't steal anything.”
“No.”
“What’re you gonna do Syd? Walk home? Tobin was the only one who woke up at this ungodly hour to help you. Now. Get in the car before I leave your ass here.”
Sydney silently gets into the truck and Tobin gives her a weak smile before she starts the engine.
Once Sydney is safely in her penthouse and it’s just them two in the car Alex asks the question that’s been bothering her since the beginning of their outing.
“When you said a person you knew used to live there, you were talking about your ex-girlfriend right?”
“How’d you know?”
“Kelley told me.”
Tobin just chuckles at that, “Of course she did.”
“Look, if you don’t want to talk about it I get it, but I just – I like – I want to make sure you’re okay. Yeah, I want to make sure you’re okay."
“I’m fine, Al. It was a while ago.”
“But the mail sorting job...”
“I must admit, at first it was because of her, but I get paid well and I get good benefits, I couldn’t give the job up so easily.”
“Reporting doesn’t pay well enough?” Alex asks with a smirk.
“For some strange reason, my articles about a certain Kelley O’Hara only sell.” Tobin teases right back.
“Thank you for tonight by the way, and sorry Syd was so rude.”
"No I get it, people like me and you aren’t supposed to know each other, never mind actually be friends.”
“But I’m glad we are, friends, I mean.”
Tobin reaches over the center console to grab Alex’s hand. “Since you asked me a question, can I ask you one?"
"Sure."
"Your co-star, Servando, you're not actually into him are you?"
"No, why would you think that?"
"I was uh - on Twitter and you smiled every time someone brought him up."
"Tobin Powell Heath, were you stalking me on Twitter?"
"No! I just saw it on my timeline. That's all."
"For the record, I was thinking about you the whole time."
"Oh okay. Cool."
Alex tries to hide her obvious disappointment at that answer, "Yeah, cool."
---
Tobin calls Alex to clear her schedule for next Wednesday, like Alex ever needs convincing to cancel whatever plans she had to hang out with Tobin.
Tobin takes her to the same skateboard shop she brought Alex to all those nights ago, and the memories of that night are a bit fuzzy for Alex, but she does remember how warm she felt the entire night standing next to Tobin.
They bypass the front counter and go straight into the back, where there is a large wooden table in the center of the room and various skateboard parts on shelves.
Alex is staring at the various designs on the decks when Tobin breaks the silence.
“So, remember how you gave me money for a new skateboard?"
“Of course I remember; how could I forget?”
“I uh, I haven’t spent the check yet.”
“Why?” And when Alex turns to face Tobin, Tobin’s inching closing to her with her hands stuffed in her pockets.
“I thought we could build one together. You could pick all the parts, and it could be like our thing. I don’t know.”
Before Tobin has the chance to turn away, Alex grabs her wrist and all she can do is kiss her.
“I’d like that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Now kiss me again.”
They don’t end up building the skateboard that day.