57 Hilton Street

Jack didn't see Alex for at least a week after the kiss. If he was honest, he'd have said he didn't want to see him. Really, he did, but only to justify his actions on the fateful day of Oliver's funeral.

When he did see Alex next, the look on his face was pure dead fury.

Jack was with Rian and Zack in the lunch hall, looking around for May. They were due to be meeting her and she hadn't shown up.

"Relax man, she'll show up." Rian reassured the younger, his eyes scanning the room.

Zack was scouring the crowd of ninth graders when his eyes fell on Alex, talking down to a girl who he seemed to be attached at the hip to. His brown eyes grew wide as he realized the girl was May. He knew Jack well enough to know he'd be furious with both of them.

"Hey, Zack! What are you staring at?" Jack asked curiously, waving a hand in front of his face. He followed Zack's line of sight and saw his little sister clinging to the arm of his ex-best friend.

"What the hell is that man-whore doing with my sister?" Jack asked through gritted teeth, shooting daggers at the older boy. He made a move to head towards them but Rian caught him by the wrist and stopped him.

"Let them be." He said quietly, pulling Jack back "See how it goes and if you have to, intervene."

Jack grumbled but sat down with his food anyway. He stabbed at his bowl of pasta with a flimsy plastic fork.

"What did the pasta ever do to you?" Zack asked jokingly, receiving a death glare from Jack.

Jack saw May sit down on Alex’s knee four tables away. The fork in his hand juddered and there was a sickening crack as it broke in his spindly fingers.

Zack looked nervously across the table at Rian and watched as the older boy pulled the splintered plastic fork from Jack’s hand.

“Okay…” Rian said slowly “The cutlery has paid for its heinous crime of existing, now would you please calm down?”

Jack turned and glared at him, his lips pursed and his fringe in his eyes.

“I’ll calm down when he gets his grubby English hands off my sister!”

“Jack, dude, come on.” Zack said quietly “She can look after herself, surely.”

It was then that Jack saw out of the corner of his eye, Alex kiss the edge of May’s mouth and then full on the lips.

Jack stood up, enraged, but rather than storming over to the older boy and giving him a piece of his mind, he just left the room. Rather publicly.

All eyes fell on the table that Rian and Zack were still sat at. They looked at each other for two seconds before getting up and following Jack.

“I’d say you’re pretty lucky you’re not in serious pain right now.” May whispered quietly to Alex, whose brown eyes were glued to the doorway Rian and Zack had just vanished through. He nodded blankly.

“I’m gonna kill him!” Jack shouted through the quiet of the corridor, Rian gripping his wrist tightly to prevent him from hurting anyone who dared get in his way.

Rian and Zack shushed him gently, patting down his flyaway brown hair.

“Just talk to her when she gets home tonight, that way she won’t be with him.” Rian suggested.

“Jack, seriously. Let her see he’s a moron for herself and she’ll come to her senses, I’m sure. She’s not an idiot.”

“She’s thirteen.” Jack replied, as if it was totally clear as to what difference May’s age made.

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit?” Zack asked nervously.

Jack glared at him through his bangs and wrenched away from Rian’s grip before stalking off down the corridor.

“Smooth move, Zachary. Smooth move.”