He Doesn't Look A Thing Like Jesus; But He Talks Like A Gentleman

Chase woke up with a headache, and that feeling of being disoriented. She had seemed to forget she was at her aunt and uncle's house; just knowing she wasn't at home when she opened her eyes and stared at what she took in as a foreign wall.
As her mind woke up a little more she recognized the setting as the disarray room of her cousin, Alex. Looking at the clock she could see it was six-thirty in the morning and that they would have to leave in about forty-five minutes for school. But Chase didn't want to go to school, and since her parents were away until that night she decided she wasn't going to go. She hoped to just sleep in Alex's bed all day, but she knew that that would not happen. He would wake her up for a ride to school.
Subconsciously, lost in her thoughts, Chase closed her eyes, and began to drift off again. That is until, a hyper Alex jumped on his bed, and began to bounce around. Chase moaned in irritation throwing a pillow over her head that Alex ripped out of her grasp and threw across the room.
"Alex. Go."
"And good morning to you too sunshine," Alex smiled and stopped moving around since he'd woken his cousin up. Chase, struggling to sit up, slid her back up against the headboard and leaned her head tiredly against the wall yawning.
Alex tried not to chuckle taking in Chase's appearance. She had the nice dress on, and but her hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions, and her side bangs were completely matted to her face. Her makeup, once perfect the night before had smeared leaving dark lines under her eyes.
"Well don't you look like the image of perfection," he joked rubbing her hair in a older brotherly way.
"Ha-Ha." Chase mockingly laughed as well and repeating the same actions to him.
"Hey!" Alex called out jumping up, "I just showered I don't want my hair to dry like that!" he exclaimed running to his mirror and straightening up the pieces that had gone astray.
"You're such a girl," Chase commented getting up and straightening her dress that tangled in her restless night. She seemed to toss and turn more then she slept.
"You're just jealous because I'm the pretty one," Alex said with a laugh putting a band teeshirt on, and trading his pajama pants for a pair of jeans.
Chase shook her head with a smile, wondering why her cousin was in such a chipper mood for the morning.
"Take your time, I'm not going to school today," she informed him opening the door to leave his room when the aroma of something delicious hit her nose.
"Why not?" Alex had called out to her but she ignored him instead making her way towards the kitchen.
Jim and Elizabeth Gaskarth had a decent sized house, but their kitchen was almost an unholy size. It seemed to take up half of the whole first floor and held a dinning room table, and a large island bar with stools adjacent to the skin, stove and dishwasher. Not to mention the two large refrigerators, and large set of cabinets everywhere. Chase could swear the kitchen could hold fifty people comfortably.
Seeing her aunt at the stove cooking pancakes, Chase sleepily made her way to the island and sat at one of the stools. The noise startled Elizabeth who abruptly turned and gave her niece a warm smile.
"Oh Chase! hello, I didn't know you spent the night."
"Yeah. my parents were away and i didn't really feel like braving the night alone," Chase trailed off, "I hope you don't mind."
"Oh no, no." Elizabeth said swatting her hand around in disagreement, "You're always welcome here. In fact you're here on a perfect morning," she smiled dishing up a dozen pancakes and placing them in front of Chase, "Pancake?" she asked.
A large smile engulfed her face as she could already seem to taste the pancakes she was about to devour.
"What are we celebrating?" Chase asked in good cheer, as she dug in.
"My divorce," Elizabeth said smiling happily and raising her mimosa up in the air and downing it.
Chase stopped mid bite as her eyes grew wide, sensing Chase's surprise, Elizabeth went on, "I'm sure Alex has been telling you things have been horribly tense around here, the fighting never seems to stop. It's for the best really," she tried to assure her niece.
Chase's stomach dropped. Alex hadn't said a word to her about problems at home. He'd probably been battling them on his own, and Chase had just added on to that. Suddenly it clicked, that was the reason why Alex had been so weird around her last week, not wanting her to come in. He'd been shielding her.
"It's been very hard on Alexander. It's just not right," Elizabeth said shaking her head. Just then Alex walked into the kitchen sitting beside Chase, who smiled at him sympathetically. Alex gave her a questioning look and made himself a plate of pancakes.
"What are you guys talking about?" he asked fitting a whole large, fluffy pancake into his mouth and chewing.
"Your disgusting eating skills," Chase attempted to lightened the mood and stuck her tongue out at him.
The two quickly finished their breakfasts and bid their farewells to Elizabeth as they piled into Chase's car, starting on the journey towards their high school.
"So," Chase pressed once they were alone and on the road. "Where was your dad?"
Alex's smile seemed to fade a bit, "Oh I don't know, work maybe," he said in a light-hearted tone.
"You know," Chase started pausing to look at Alex before continuing, however when their eyes met his seemed to be giving her a message. They seemed to say, please don't do this, not now, and she couldn't help but oblige. "You could always skip with me," she said going in a complete opposite direction then she'd originally planned with the conversation.
"I wish I could," he sighed, "but I have practice and a test, and a presentation."
"You're loss," Chase shrugged with a tilt of her head. "So I think I'm going to go out with Tommy again."
"Oh really?" Alex wasn't enthused and he didn't hide it.
"Yeah, we had a fun time last night. And he asked me out again..." Chase trailed off.
She wanted to say and I'm too scared to actually risk things with Jack.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, except for the low sound of music in the background.
"Do you want to bring me my homework?" Chase pulled into the school parking lot, and parked into her spot even though she didn't plan on staying there. Alex shrugged and grabbed his backpack from the backseat. "Ok, thanks for the ride."
"Wait!" Chase called out before he had even opened the door, and her loud voice had startled them both.
Chase leaned over the console and embraced Alex tightly. The hug startled him and it took him a moment to register what was going on, but due to the emotions involved in the hug, he couldnt help but return it.
"You're strong," she whispered into his ear before she gently pulled away with a smile and a hint of tears behind her eyes.
"Thanks," he said getting out of the car and making his way into school.
++++
You'd think Alex Gaskarth would be having a good day. His father was moving out. That's what he'd wanted, so why was he so upset? No more constant bickering at home, he should be happy. But there seemed to be a hole in his heart as cliched as it sounded. He knew that's why he'd overcompensated that morning with Chase and his mother, and he knew after their conversation that morning that she knew. Especially with that crushing hug that they'd shared.
Through his morning classes, the day had only gotten worse. The mundane work, and same old bullshit with his friends. He found himself wanting to be with Chase, who was home, or Rian who'd gone away for a college visit and would not return until Thursday night. Lunch was uneventful, besides the fact that he couldn't seem to focus on anything. Except the fact that Jack Barakat had his eye on Alex's table. At first Alex thought he was giving him a dirty look, but following his gaze he could see it was not directly directed on him. Then he'd thought Jack was checking out Kelli and Kerri, but the way his eyes had slowly moved around, he knew it wasn't that. Then it registered, he was looking for Chase. A scowl came over Alex face and he pushed his lunch aside no longer hungry.
When the hour long torturous lunch finished, Alex dragged himself to health class, shuffling his feet along the way.
Jasyn Barakat was already in her seat beside his when he came waltzing in as the bell was ringing; not that it would have mattered since Mrs. Desmond wasn't even there yet; and she didn't look happy. But it wasn't like that was a new development. The only new development was that Alex wasn't in the mood to pretend and try to break her out of her shell on that day.
"Listen," she said turning to Alex as he sat down, as if she'd been waiting for him to speak and Alex turned to her watching her mouth as she spoke. "I don't have to tell you I'm not your cousin's biggest fan, but I don't exactly hate you, and I know that you care about her, so I think you should watch out for her and Tommy." Alex's eyes moved up to her eyes meeting them he could see that she had sincerity behind them. "He comes off all sweet at first, but things go south pretty soon. He'll treat her like garbage and no one deserves that."
Alex nodded and managed to mumble a mixture of "OK" and "thank you" before the substitute walked into the classroom. Since Mrs.Desmond wasn't there she had left the sub with a movie, meaning Alex and Jasyn weren't forced to talk, even though he was surprised to feel a part of him missing their usual sarcastic banter that they exchanged each class since being forced to work together.
++++
A day home from school was just what Chase needed. She had the day to herself, and had spent most of it sleeping. As soon as she strolled in from dropping Alex off she'd headed straight for the shower. Scrambling under the hot pulsating water she let out a content sigh. She stood under the water washing out the cigarette and weed smell from her hair that threatened to make her vomit at such an early hour.

The bathroom fogged up quickly but even after she was done cleaning herself, Chase couldnt bring herself to turn off the water, until the hot temperature began to turn into warm, which she knew would soon transition into cold.
She could have slept all day, and she probably would have if someone hadn't rang the doorbell.
"Go away," she mumbled rolling over in her bed as if whoever was at the door could hear her.
The knocking continued, louder and exasperated, Chase dragged herself out of bed. Slowly making her way downstairs, she yawned opening the door holding her hands out, expecting to see Alex with her homework. Instead she got the shock of her life.
There, standing on her, a Gaskarth's, porch was Jack Barakat.
"What are you doing here?" her eyes were huge with a mixture of surprise, fear and excitement.
"I was in the neighborhood?" Jack tried with a smile, that Chase was taken with for a moment before she quickly, and roughly grabbed his arm, looked left to right, and pulled him inside.
"Wrong answer! Anyone could see your car here-,"
"I parked way down the street at the corner," he had a smug look on his face.
"-And!" she continued, "My parents or Alex could have been here. What would you have done if one of them had answered the door huh? Do you ever think about things like tha-," Chase stopped mid sentence her eyes growing wide again.
Jack had looked her up and down and now had a smile on his face, leaving Chase to remember her appearance in embarrassment. Not only was she in pajamas and slippers but she also had her reading glasses on, having had fallen asleep with them and forgotten to take them off in her haste to get down the stairs.
Whipping her glasses off, and happy that her hair had dried actually looking pretty and curly Chase felt a little better.
"The glasses were sexy," Jack commented lifting his hand to her, "Let's try the greeting process again. Peace offering?" he asked holding out a large Starbucks cup to her. Gladly she accepted and took a sip, almost having an aneurism in delight when the drink hit her taste buds.
"Ok," Chase relented, "but we'll go to my room to assure no more surprise visitors see you," she lead him up the stairs.
"If that's your excuse. But really, all you have to say is do me. I'm a pretty easy lay," Jack laughed at his own joke and Chase did too, although she didn't know why. She blamed it on the sugary drink. The same way she blamed the butterflies in her stomach on the same thing.
"So why would you risk your life to come over here?" Chase questioned opening her bedroom door. Jack didn't respond as he looked around taking in her room. He seemed to ignore the things people would consider "big deals" like the huge and expensive pieces of jewelry she had, and the pure gold jewelry box. His eyes went right past the Rickenbacker325 signed by the one and only John Lennon, and didn't look back. The things he seemed to study were the things that only meant something to Chase herself. The personal photographs she had framed of her with friends and family. The certificates she'd received for Academic Achievements, and her cheerleading trophies. The things she'd truly earned and felt she deserved.
"To see how your date went." Jack said turning to her well over three minutes later, and Chase returned with a confused, "What?"
"I risked my life to come over here to see how your date went last night," he said sitting on her bed, and Chase was suddenly embarrassed it wasn't made. However the feeling soon passed and a part of her was thrilled that Jack was on her bed. The other part was terrified. However at the mention of last night, all she could think of was Jack's date and Jack sucking face, and it was enough to make her nauseated.
"It went great" Chase lied with a straight face, but she couldn't meet his eyes. Jack comfortably laid back onto her bed resting his head on the pillow so she couldn't see his face. "Are you guys going out again," he let it hang and Chase had a feeling it was a test.
"I don't know. How was your date?" She asked defensively. Jack got up leaning on his elbow turning to Chase, he pointedly ignored her question and answered with a question.
"Aren't you going to come lay with me?" his face was shaping a devilish grin, and when Chase looked at him, if that's all she'd seen she probably wouldn't have gotten into bed with him. But when she looked at him, he had a trace, a glimmer or unsure sadness in his eyes and she struck up a compromise with him. "If you tell me how your date was," she offered.
I must truly be a masochist, she thought in her head sighing preparing herself for the worst.
"Ok," Jack agreed with a shoulder shrug moving over on her bed making room for her. Chase got onto the bed and laid flat, staring up at the ceiling as far from him as possible, nearly falling off of the edge of her side.
"...You can scoot over," Jack chuckled obviously trying to mask an almost insulted tone, without words in reference to his suggestion she took action and moved over more, and unbeknownst to her as did he. She stopped when the back of her hand and arm, which were lying flat against her side resting, were completely touching Jack's arm and the back of his hand. Chase could swear she feel the spots that were touching him, burning up in excitement but kept her calm. Finally turning her head on the pillow to face him, who was now looking at the ceiling.
Chase was running around in her mind, she really wanted to press the issue, dying for the answers to her questions, however she didn't want to look like she was obsessing over it as much as she really was. Opening her mouth to speak Jack spoke first still not looking at her.
"Her name's Sarah. We've-We are-We used to be-..." he stumbled on his words and paused seemingly trying to find a word.
"Dating?" Chase tried.
"No. Not exactly," He turned to her biting the inside of his bottom lip.
"Oh." she said understanding, "fuck buddies," she said flatly.
Jack nodded then began to laugh, "Chase Gaskarth just said fuck. I don't think anyone at school would believe me if I told them," he laughed.
Chase smiled and lightly hit him, but her head was preoccupied.
"Well do you like her?" she couldn't control the words coming out of her mouth and she was embarrassed when she said it, instantly blushing.
"Like her? Well, yanno," Jack chuckled but Chase clearly wasn't laughing along and Jack turned his chuckle into a throat clearing. "Well I mean she's cool, but I don't like her in a I'm crazy about you kind of way, no."
"I guess I just don't understand," Chase laid her head on the pillow and very smoothly moved it closer to Jack and tilted it towards his.
"Don't understand what?"
"Why you, why everyone is out having sex with people that they don't care about," she said, and Jack gave her a look, "No, I know I can't really talk considering out little escapade last month...but I mean, never mind."
"No I guess I understand what you're saying. For me it's just fun." He said with a shrug.
"Fun? Wouldn't you rather have someone that you want to spend the entire night with? Someone you have to call or text everyday just to feel sane, someone that you want to kiss just because you can't stop yourself not just because you want a quick lay?"
There was a silence that seemed to last years, and Chase shifted her feet uncomfortably. It had been a rhetorical question, so she hadn't really expected an answer, but she wanted Jack to say Something. Finally locking eyes again, Jack began to lean in towards her and Chase internally began to flip out.
he's going to kiss me! Oh my god, what am I going to do! I want to kiss him but he's Jack. And I like him, but sdlkfjsdkflslkdfj her thoughts reminded her of a twelve year old girl's first kiss.
Before she'd come to a conclusion on what she was going to do Jack was thisclose to her face, and she closed her eyes waiting. Finally she felt a sweet, soft, kiss on her cheek. Although it was innocent and friendly, it was also heartfelt and had underlying passion. A big smile came across her face without realizing it, and Jack couldn't help but smile back at the positive reaction he'd been hoping for.
Sitting up straighter he went to lean back in for a real kiss when the downstairs door slammed and Chase bolted upright her eyes almost as wide as her entire face.
"Hello?" She called out stumbling out of her bed, and Jack quickly got up too. They stared at each other in fear not knowing what to do, or who was there, there was footsteps on the floor, before a voice called out, "Chase?"
It was Alex, and she knew she'd be safe if she just hid Jack until he left, running to him and pushing him towards the closet as she heard the footsteps getting closer, Jack raised an eyebrow and mouthed the word "kinky" she shook her head smiling giving him a huge push and shut the folding closet door just as Alex walked into the room.
"Hi!" Chase exclaimed leaning against the closet door with a smile "What's up?!"
A look of suspicion crossed Alex's face as he entered the room completely and went to her bed sitting, ironically in the same spot Jack had been not even a minute earlier.
"What's going on?" He questioned throwing her homework onto her computer desk.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Thanks for the homework, I'll text you later?" she said smiling and looking at him expectantly. Alex looked hurt as he started to get up, and Chase instantly felt bad, sitting next to her cousin on the bed, and placing a hand on his shoulder and he stopped getting up.
"How are you doing?" she asked taking his beat up state to mean he was feeling pretty low.
"Ok,...not good," he admitted, and when he looked back up at Chase he had tears welling up in his eyes that he furiously tried to wipe away embarrassed.
"Aw, Alex," She embraced him into a hug as he began to really cry. She'd never seen Alex truly cry before, only tear up when they were children always wanting to display a tough exterior and now here he was, broken in front of her.
"I should be happy, I mean I am, but happier. I shouldn't be upset about this," he cried.
"Sure you should," she said soothingly, "It's a huge change, and it's completely understandable."
Alex remained silent and somewhat composed himself, gently pulling away.
"Thank you. I needed that," he smiled.
"I'm always here," she reminded him, "You can tell me anything."
Alex bit his lip, "I don't know if you should go back out with Tommy."
"Why?" Chase was curious.
"I get, yanno, really bad vibes from the guy, and Jasyn said-,"
"Jasyn? Jasyn Barakat" she silently wondered if Jack could hear them.
"Yeah, She's like my forced health partner," he said giving Chase an eye roll that she didn't talk for genuine at all, "well anyway, she was enforcing my idea that he's bad news."
"Well then you wont be happy to hear that I have another date with him." she said straight out lying. Well maybe not, she didn't as of right that moment but she might soon. Then she realized Jack was still in the closet and sent apologizes his way in her heart and mind.
Alex's face was red and he mumbled something along the lines of 'whatever it's your life.'
"Ok get a pacifier baby," she joked with him sticking her tongue out trying to bring back the playful mood.
"Take a midol bitch," Alex played along and Chase laughed lightly before her mind became completely consumed in her thoughts.
After that Alex left, and Jack pushed through the closet doors gasping for air which he was so over dramatically pretending he needed.
"A bit histrionic?" Chase asked trying to muster a smile while she kept glancing at her computer table. It held the calendar she desperately wanted to see.
"I don't even know what that means," Jack admitted shrugging as his phone went off playing the MGMT song, Kids, and Chase looked at him in surprise, MGMT was one of her favorite bands.
Placing a finger up to his lips signalling for Chase to be quiet he answered his phone.
"Hello...hey Jase...when? Now?...ok." Jack hung up and looked almost sad as he told Chase he had to leave to go pick his sister up.
"Ok, tell her to say hi to Alex," Chase said sarcastically, and Jack nodded along with her, "yeah that was weird," he agreed.
The two stood awkwardly not knowing how to part ways. Chase kind of waved as Jack started to go in for a hug and the two stopped noticing the other's method and Chase went to go in for a hug and Jack waved.
"Well this isn't going to work," Jack chuckled, and Chase smiled. "Let's try this," he laughed holding his hand out for a hand shake. Chase obliged and placed her hand out, Jack shook it gently and held it for a moment longer then a normal handshake, and just as quick as he came, he left. Chase watched him walk down her driveway and down the road, from her bedroom, and quickly she ran to her calendar flipping to the previous month counting.
One, two, three, four, almost five weeks, shit. Chase's breath hitched just as her phone vibrated,
You and me, tonight. Bowling. Pick you up in an hour? and unsure, but petering, Chase replied a yes sure.
Running to her laptop she opened it up and ignored the new facebook IMs she had waiting and instantly went to google to search what she had needed to know. Her fingers wouldn't hit the keys she needed to type though. They hovered above them, and the light on the task bar for facebook kept going off. It was distracting her and finally she opened it. There was four or five people wondering where she'd been or what she was doing that night. To ward everyone off and keep from replying to them all individually she just set her status to, Going bowling with T. cancelling out of facebook, she went back to the google page and finally got herself to type in the words she'd meant to type in, How soon do you miss your period if you're pregnant?
The multitude of responses was confusing and formed a bigger knot in her stomach. One of the sites said, "I think a week after the first day you miss your period... "
and she faltered. It had been three weeks since the party, and the whole incident she'd tried to remember and forget at the same time had been a complete blur. Some parts she did remember was before, when Jack had asked her if she was sure, slurring his words as much as she was, and the morning after. The in-between was completely gone, and she had no idea if he'd even used protection.
One the same token, Chase's periods had always been irregular, but she'd never had to really worry about it before because she hadn't been having sex. All she had to do was always make sure that she had a tampon with her so if it came unexpectedly she'd be prepared. But she couldn't rely on that knowledge.
She'd have to take a test, and that scarred her more then anything.