Jack's POV:
His dad. His dad was abusing my Alex.
My... friend Alex.
He pushes past me and sits on his bed again, holding his sweatshirt tightly around him, as if that'll erase what I just saw. I sit beside him, holding his arm and staring at him. "Talk to me," I say softly.
He takes a deep breath. "It's nothing new. It just wasn't physical until freshman year."
"The year I left you. Fuck, I'm such a selfish dick," I say, getting mad at myself for not being there for the person who meant everything to me.
"You're not, it's okay," he says sadly.
"It's not okay." I say, standing up. "This entire time you've been dealing with too much stuff to handle, and I stood there on the sidelines and watched. You needed me and I pushed you away. I fucked everything up but you still only wanted me, and I just didn't do anything. I watched people bully you and I watched you quickly rub your eyes to avoid crying. I watched you try to disappear as much as possible and I saw how much pain you were in, yet I did nothing. It's not okay, Alex. Don't even start to say it's fine. I completely-" I look back at Alex and notice that he's crying, his hands shaking, his breathing uneven.
"Don't raise your voice, please," he says quietly.
"Fuck, I'm so sorry," I say, pulling him to my chest again. It takes a few minutes, but he eventually calms down. "I'm never going to hurt you like that again, and I'm not going to let your dad hurt you anymore."
"How are you going to do that?"
"Stay at my place."
"Really? You mean it?"
"More than anything, Lex. You can't be here."
He hugs me tight, smiling into my shoulder. "Thank you so much, oh my god, thank you, this means so much."
"Of course," I reply. The smile on my face is huge- my best friend is coming back to me.
-=+=-
I leave his house to get mine all set up for him to be there. My parents are okay with it- they're actually proud of me for finally settling things with Alex. He was supposed to arrive in half an hour, so I just played video games as I was waiting.
Before I know it, I'd been playing for two hours with no sign of Alex. I check my phone and see a message from him.
Friday, September 6, 2019
Not moving in w/ you. I
don't want to anymore
That didn't sit right with me, but I decided to ignore it. Maybe I was wrong about the whole thing, or maybe he's just having anxiety from having to move elsewhere.
It was still about the middle of the day and I had absolutely nothing to do. I call Alex, but he doesn't pick up. I call again with no answer. Frustrated, I throw my phone on my bed and go back to my video game until my mom calls me downstairs for dinner.
"Isn't Alex supposed to be here by now?" she asks.
"I'm guess not. Said he didn't want to."
"You sure that's the truth?"
"I don't see why he'd lie."
"I'm not sure, I've never liked that dad of his..."
"Mom, he's fine." I'm not sure if I'm convincing her or myself at this point. After I finish eating, I walk back upstairs to call Alex again, but I still don't get a response. I shrug, turning off my lights to go to sleep. We always ate dinner late, and I was feeling especially exhausted from the day's events. Lightning flashes outside, and I immediately think of Alex. I have a sudden urge to go to his house, because I know how anxious storms make him, so I sneak out again.
The rain is coming down in sheets, with no intermission. It's cold for a September storm. I pull Alex's sweatshirt around me as tight as I can to conserve body heat. I get to his house and notice all the lights are off, and his dad's car is gone again. I unlock the door and walk in, taking off my wet shoes. I quietly walk upstairs, and upon approaching Alex's door, I noticed something. It was locked on the outside, trapping Alex inside.
Alex's POV:
My dad put me in here immediately after he saw I was moving out. He took my phone with him, and he said he'd tell Jack the "news." I wonder what he might've said.
I open the windows and let the storm outside flood into my room. In my summer outfit of a t-shirt and skinny jeans, the cool September air chills me to the bone in addition to the rain, soaking my back and the top of my head as I lean against the wall beneath the window.
I was freezing, but I didn't care. There was no way I'd get out of this. I hope Jack will understand why I didn't show up, but he'll probably just get mad, just like all the other times.
The doorknob turns, but I don't get up. I don't care what my dad does to me this time.
"Alex?"
I look up, and to my slight surprise- "Jack?"
YOU ARE READING
You Broke Me, You Saved Me (Jalex)
Fanfiction-COMPLETED- - trigger warnings in first chapter "Let's get to my house, we need to get you warm," he says. I look at him, and he's soaking wet. He's only wearing a short sleeve shirt with skinny jeans, since he gave me the sweatshirt he was wearing...
