Show Choir.

“This week’s assignment: duets!” Mr Goldstein exclaims to the entirety of Dulaney’s less than impressed show choir.

“We always do duets.” Hayley says with a groan, flipping her fiery orange bangs away from her face.

“She’s right.” Rian nods in agreement.

“Ah, but these duets are different!” Mr Goldstein continues, enthusiasm not bashed, “You’re not picking your partner. I am. It’s about time you work with different people!”

Everyone groans.

“Right, pairs are: Hayley and Matt, Lisa and Victoria, Rian and Christofer, Zack and Vinny, Jack and Alex and Cassadee and Sierra. Go sit with your partner now.”

Jack sighs as he stands up and weaves his way over to Alex. The elder doesn’t say anything to him, as always.

“You can spend the rest of this practice deciding on your song. You’ll be performing them Friday.” Mr Goldstein takes his seat behind the piano.

It’s a few moments before Alex says anything to Jack, and by then the other pairs are already halfway to deciding.

“We should do Thunder. You know, that Boys Like Girls song?” Alex says.

“Yes. I know that.” Jack swallows nervously.

“So we’ll do that.” Alex nods. Jack freezes.

“If you come over to mine tomorrow we can divide the song up and practice.” Alex says with a slight smile.

“Sure. Whatever.” Jack replies, not looking at him.

“Okay guys, time’s up! I want to know what song each pair’s doing. Hayley and Matt!”

“We’re doing Human by The Killers.” Matt says with a smile, and Hayley hits him playfully on the arm.

“Lisa and Victoria!”

“We’re doing We Change, We Wait by The Maine.” Lisa grins.

“Rian and Christofer!”

“Our song’s Haven’t Met You Yet by Michael Buble.” Rian announces, blushing a little.

“Zack and Vinny!”

“All The Pretty Girls by fun.” Zack smiles.

“Jack and Alex!”

“Thunder, Boys Like Girls.” Alex says with a nervous smirk.

“And Sierra and Cassadee!”

“Promise The Stars by We The Kings.” Sierra says, pulling an obviously nervous Cassadee into a hug.

“Okay, I’ll sort out a running order for Friday’s practice. Happy practicing!”

Jack barely makes a move to exit before Hayley drags him away to the side.

“You’re doing Thunder?” She asks incredulously, “With him? But I thought-”

“Yeah, I know. It was mine and Oliver’s song, but it’s time I got over that.”

*

To say Jack is nervous when he knocks on Alex’s front door is an understatement. Alex answers the door grinning, and Jack’s barely said ‘Hey’ before sheets are being shoved into his chest.

It’s times like these that Jack remembers exactly why he has a cripplingly huge crush on Alex.

Alex drags him by the wrist up to his room, where he’s got his laptop open with an instrumental version ready.

“I highlighted your parts.” Alex says with a smile, and Jack glances down at his sheet, where half of the text is bright yellow.

They practice a few times, and Jack keeps back the tears by thinking about something else, like how cute Alex would’ve looked while he was concentrating on highlighting the right parts.

“I was thinking, for the dance, since I’m with Lisa and you’re with Hayley that we could, y’know, get them involved.”

Jack narrows his eyes.

“I’m not with Hayley. I‘m not with anyone.” He says firmly.

“Oh. You could still use her though, since she’s like your best friend.” Alex says, sitting Jack down on the bed, “Because we could pull them up from their seats and spin them around a bit, then sort of lower them down and kiss them. If you don’t want to kiss Hayley then that’s cool. Something like this.”

Alex drags Jack up again, spins him a few times and then, very carefully, with both hands on the small of his back, leans him down slowly.

“And then you’d obviously kiss her.” Alex says, a little breathlessly.

“I like it. It could work.” Jack says as Alex pulls him back to his feet, “But what would we do for the rest of it?”

“Obviously, we’d be sort of, singing it to them, so if we just look all moody and miserable, and sing certain lines to each other, that could work.”

*

“Okay, the order goes like this: Rian and Christofer, Jack and Alex, Zack and Vinny, Cassadee and Sierra, Hayley and Matt and Lisa and Victoria.”

Christofer and Rian look genuinely terrified that they have to go first, but while they’re setting up and getting changed, Mr Goldstein keeps talking.

“I’ve checked out the songs you’ve all chosen, and I’m really proud of how different they all are. I must say, I was expecting more rock than we have.”

Christofer and Rian appear from the makeshift dressing room -well, broom closet if we’re getting technical- and Rian tentatively places the CD in the player.

Cassadee and Sierra are blushing furiously, because, hello, crushes in very fitted suits here.

Christofer hits the play button on the CD player and everyone goes quiet.

“I’m not surprised, not everything lasts, I’ve broken my heart so many times, I stopped keeping track.” Rian sings, somewhat more confidently than he looks.

“Talk myself in, I talk myself out, I get all worked up, then I let myself down.” Christofer joins in.

“I tried so very hard not to lose it, I came up with a million excuses. I thought, I thought of every possibility.” Rian continues.

“And I know someday that it’ll all turn out. You’ll make me work, so we can work to work it out. And I promise you, kid, that I give so much more than I get. I just haven’t met you yet.” They both sing, and they’re starting to smile.

A few minutes later, and they’re done. They get a standing ovation from the room, and they disappear to get changed.

“We don’t have costumes!” Alex panics as he and Jack walk down to the front.

“Yes we do. I knew you’d forget so I did it myself.” Jack sighs, pushing past Christofer and Rian as they leave the closet. He drags Alex behind him and rummages quickly through the racks, finding two hangers with black jeans, gray v-necks and red hoodies on them. He presents the bigger of the two to Alex, and immediately begins changing.

“How’d you know my size?” Alex asks warily as he pulls on the jeans.

“She’s about this tall, brown hair, green eyes, called Lisa.” Jack gestures. He’s already changed.

“Oh. Right.” Alex says, tugging the hoodie onto his shoulders, “Are you nervous?”

“A little.” Jack shrugs, pushing open the door and going back into the music room, Alex trailing behind him.

Alex gives Jack a small nod and the younger starts the CD.

“Today is a winding road, that’s taking me to places that I didn’t want to go, whoa.” Alex sings quietly.

“Today in the blink of an eye, I’m holding on to something and I do not know why. I tried.” Jack takes over.

“I tried to read between the lines.”

“I tried to look in your eyes.”

“I want a simple explanation for what I’m feeling inside.”

“I gotta find a way out. Maybe there’s a way out.”

They glance at each other and then the chorus starts.

“Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer. Do you know you’re unlike any other? You’ll always be my thunder, and I said, your eyes are the brightest of all the colors. I don’t wanna ever love another. You’ll always be my thunder. So bring on the rain. And bring on the thunder.”

“Today is a winding road. Tell me where to start and tell me something I don’t know, whoa.” Jack sings with a slight smile.

“Today, I’m on my own. I can’t move a muscle and I can’t pick up the phone. I don’t know.”

“And now I’m itching for the tall grass and longing for the breeze.”

“I need to step outside just to see if I can breathe.”

“I gotta find a way out. Maybe there’s a way out.”

The chorus comes back stronger than before.

“Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer. Do you know you’re unlike any other? You’ll always be my thunder, and I said, your eyes are the brightest of all the colors. I don’t wanna ever love another. You’ll always be my thunder. So bring on the rain.”

They head over to Hayley and Lisa and the bridge starts.

“Yeah I’m walking on a tightrope.” Alex sings, grabbing Lisa’s hand.

“I’m wrapped up in vines.” Jack sings, pulling Hayley down.

“I think I’ll make it out, but you just gotta give me time.”

“Strike me down with lightning. Let me feel you in my veins.” Jack sings, spinning Hayley around and lowering her gently. She giggles in his arms.

“I wanna let you know how much I feel your pain.” They both sing, planting a light kiss on their girl’s cheek.

“Today is a winding road, that’s taking me to places that I didn’t want to go, whoa. Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer. Do you know you’re unlike any other? You’ll always be my thunder, and I said, your eyes are the brightest of all the colors. I don’t wanna ever love another. You’ll always be my thunder. And I said, your voice was the soundtrack of my summer. Do you know you’re unlike any other? You’ll always be my thunder. So bring on the rain. Oh baby, bring on the pain. And listen to the thunder.” They both sing, clutching Lisa and Hayley’s hands tight.

The room falls into a stunned silence before a wave of enthusiastic claps break out. Lisa kisses Alex on the cheek in congratulations and Hayley gives Jack a huge hug.

“Wow, you guys have some tough acts to follow. Zack and Vinny!”

*

Jack’s day has been… eventful.

After his stellar performance with Alex -which the hockey team somehow found out about- he ended up getting cornered by all of them and beaten up. Zack, Rian, Matt and Vinny had to get involved before Jack died, because he’s just not the type to fight back.

And when he got sent home to recuperate, Alex was more concerned that Jack expected. Jack liked to think he maybe cared a little, but it’s more likely that he was faking to make Lisa think he cares about other people that aren’t her.

Which Jack knows too well he doesn’t.