57 Hilton Street

“Florida? Why Florida?” Alex asks, confused. May rolls her eyes, opening the phonebook and turning it to Andrew’s entry.

“If you paid any attention, Gaskarth,” She sighs, pushing the book into his hands “Then you’d already know. Now read me that address.”

Alex recites the address for May to type into the GPS and sits back in the passenger seat.

“So what did you do?” May asks, starting the car “Jack wouldn’t tell me - or at least, he cried trying.”

Alex feels a lump form in his throat. Jack cried?

He swallows and looks across at May as she pulls the car out of the driveway.

“If you don’t tell me, I can just call Andrew. He’ll tell me.” May states, eyes fixed on the road.

*

Jack’s still sat in Andrew’s lap. He’s playing with his phone and looks at Andrew every so often.

“Look, if you’re going to call anyone, it should be May.” Andrew says quietly “I know you might not want to, but she’s your sister.”

Jack nods, and quickly goes through his contacts until he reaches his sister.

“I’ll be here the whole time.” Andrew reassures him, his arms around his waist as Jack presses ‘call’.

“Shit! Call!” May squeaks, rummaging in her handbag with one hand. She produces her phone and throws it at Alex.

“Tell me who it is, put it on speaker then put it on the dashboard.” She instructs.

Alex looks down at the screen and his throat tightens.

“It’s… It’s Jack…”

“Answer it, you idiot!”

Alex presses a few buttons and then Jack’s voice is projected around the car.

“Sis?” Jack asks. He sounds nervous.

“Yea, I’m here.”

Jack lets out a long breath and then it hits Alex that he’s really been tearing himself apart over this.

“I just… Don’t know why he did it.” Jack talks slowly so the tears don’t have chance to form “I just don’t get why I wasn’t enough.”

May glances quickly at Alex; he’s staring guiltily down at the floor.

“Believe me Jack, I don’t think he knows either.”

“But… He has to know! He’s the one that’s made all this mess!”

Alex wants to say something, but May senses it and turns to glare at him and shakes her head.

“I just feel so goddamn stupid for falling for him in the first place.”

“Me and Lottie tried to warn you, remember?”

“I know, but I didn’t think he was like that…”

May sighs, and looks across at Alex. He’s still staring at the floor, tears brimming in his eyes.

“I didn’t think he was a lot of things.” Jack sighs wistfully, and May and Alex can almost hear him choking on his words.

“And before you ask, yes, I still love him. I don’t know why, but my stupid heart still holds him dear.” Jack sniffs. May and Alex hear a few pitiful sobs and then a different voice takes over.

“Why is it that whenever he talks to you, he ends up in tears?” Andrew asks, frowning.

“I presume you’re Andrew, then.” May guesses. He sounds the same as he did in high school.

“Excellent detective work there.” Andrew replies sarcastically.

“Okay, no need to get stressed. And I don’t know.” May answers simply.

“Well it’s not good for him. It took him three hours to stop crying last time.” Andrew informs her.

May is about to respond, but Andrew’s voice is replaced with a dial tone. She grumbles to herself, but then hears Alex let out a whimper he’d clearly been holding back.

May looks at him, and he wipes his eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie.

“I… I cheated.” He whimpers, fearing May’s reaction.

“You what?” May screeches, stalling the car on the deserted interstate “Tell me you’re joking!”

Alex shakes his head, the tears now just rolling down his cheeks.

“I wish I was.”

“Alexander William fucking Gaskarth! I’m actually going to castrate you so you can’t stick your cock in everything that fucking moves!”

“Okay, I get it, you’re mad!” Alex sobs, turning to look at her “You think I’m not? You think that I’m not so fucking annoyed with myself? I’ve lost everything May, do you have any idea how that feels?”

May hangs her head.

“Well… no, but-”

“It’s the most horrible feeling on the planet.” Alex says simply, trying to rub away his tears and failing miserably.

May feels bad now, for shouting at him. She starts the car again without saying anything, and the drive is silent, save for Alex’s occasional sobs of self pity.

*

Jack’s still crying. Andrew still doesn’t like seeing him cry. He knows there’s not much he can do.

Andrew just holds him, because there’s not much else he can do.

“Why do you care?” Jack asks Andrew simply. He doesn’t mean it as an insult, and he hopes Andrew understands that.

“Because, Jack, if I didn’t then you’d have no hope whatsoever.” Andrew says quietly, not looking at the younger, instead fixing his gaze on the mirror by the fireplace.

Jack frowns. Andrew has a point.

“Well, thanks. I never thought you would.” Jack says quietly.

And before it registers in his brain what he’s doing, he kisses Andrew.

Andrew pushes him away as soon as realization hits him; Jack can’t kiss him, otherwise he’ll be just like Alex.

“Jack.” He says sternly “You can’t.”

“Why not?” Jack asks, sounding more than a little put-out.

“Because if you do, you’ll be as bad as Alex. And you know you don’t want that.” Andrew explains.

“So? He’ll only be getting a taste of his own medicine. You know he deserves that.” Jack replies, his eyes searching Andrew’s for a response.

Andrew stays silent. Jack’s right; Alex probably deserves this more than Andrew likes to think about, but it’s wrong.

But it’s not wrong enough for Jack to care or Andrew to stop him.

Andrew kisses Jack back, and he doesn’t care how far this will go, or what direction it heads in.