Alex received the vibe clearly that Ethel didn't like her. Vylad could feel tension when his grandmother looked in his direction. And Garroth, he was confused about it all. He felt the difference. It was hard for anyone to be oblivious about it. He just didn't know what went down. No one would tell him. 

"I don't think my grandmother likes you," Garroth blurts out, laying on Alex's bed. He had already showered and was adorned in a fresh set of clothes. His hair was slightly wet. "I don't understand, though. She liked you Sunday."

It was Wednesday. Alex was sitting at her desk, finishing her math homework. "What gave that away?" She asks, though her sass was evident. "The dirty looks she gives me when I'm around Vylad? The sly comments she made at dinner last night? Or all of the above?"

In a moment that Alex considered to be stupidity in hindsight, Alex had dinner with the Ro'meave family the night before. Laurance had an away meet that was further than she was willing to go to, and she had cheer practice regardless. Hayden was working late, and Cadenza remained on campus. Instead of making a lonesome dinner for herself, she included herself with the Ro'meave family. However, she regretted it immediately. The other half of the table made her feel unwelcomed.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice those," Garroth sighs.

"I'm not an idiot."

"I never said you were an idiot. I was just hoping you would be oblivious to it."

Garroth only receives a hum from Alex. She was putting her notebook away in her backpack, ignoring Garroth's stare from behind. The bed creaks from his weight when he comes to the conclusion she didn't want to give him the time of day anymore. He walks over to her, stopping behind her chair and massaging her shoulders.

She glances up at him and hovers her hand over her laptop. Alex knows he doesn't want to be done with this conversation, but she wants to.

"Are you going to break up with me because of my grandma?"

Alex's eyebrows furrow together in confusion. She rotates the chair so she's facing Garroth, forcing him to look at her. "I'm not going to break up with you because of your grandma. If I were to break up with you, it'd be because you're an idiot."

This seems to bring a bit of relief to Garroth. While he isn't fully convinced, he feels better nonetheless. Alex stands up from her chair and wraps her arms around him, tightly. She rests her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry my grandmother doesn't like you," Garroth sighs into her hair. He presses his lips firstly against the top of her head. "I don't understand what has caused her to feel like your intentions aren't pure."

"I don't know, Garroth," Alex admits. "It's not like I'm fucking your brother behind your back. He's my best friend."

"Please never say that again."

Alex chuckles at this, walking away from him and heading towards her closet. She looks at her clean cheer uniform and eyes his letterman's jacket next to it. "Garroth, I think you should give your mom your jersey on Friday."

This wasn't a normal conversation. When Alex and Garroth got together, it was normal that she got his jersey. She had given it to Zianna when it was parents night, but she normally had it besides that. Of course she didn't have it on the track, but she normally had it nonetheless.

Garroth looks over at her, confused. He didn't understand why she suddenly changed the conversation between the two of them. "What do you mean? Why don't you want it?"

"I always want it," Alex says. She purses her lips together, trying to think of how to word her next words. "It's your last game, Gar. I think she'd appreciate it if you gave it to her. I'm sure this week hasn't been easy on her either."

"Do you want it for school?"

Alex shakes her head, insisting she'd be fine. "I'll be alright. But if you really want me to have it, I'll do half the day." She reaches into the closet and grabs onto the jacket, tossing it his way. "Though, I'll wear this one on our date. Make it smell like you. It smells too much like my perfume."

Garroth's frown goes away, and he tosses the jacket onto her chair. He walks over to her, playfully wrapping his arms around her and rocking back and forth on his feet. He places messy kisses all over the top of her head before stopping his rocking and cupping her cheeks and delivering kisses there.

She tries to scold him through her laughter, but she's no match for Garroth. Eventually, he's able to tip the two of them over onto the bed.