Running From Lions
012
“How’s Xavier?” I teased Alex and he grinned.
“Great thanks, he’s dead cute,” he smiled sitting next to me in Jacks room.
“Look what I got,” he said showing me his phone with texts on it from Xavier .
“Alex you kissed him?” I asked and he smiled.
“Maybe a little when we went outside but don’t…”
“Tell Jack I won’t,” I said and he laughed.
“So you’ve found someone to replace my brother,” I joked.
“He was replaced a long time ago,” he admitted.
“You ever had a boyfriend then?” I asked and he shrugged.
“1 it tends to be more messing around with guys, I’ve had girlfriends. I like more girls than I do guys,” he admitted.
“I guess I should tell Jack but I don’t want him to flip out and think I like him or be against the whole thing,” he explained.
“I don’t think he will I mean his cousins gay and he doesn’t care,” I replied and he nodded.
“You went out with Jonah's best friend didn’t you?” he asked and I nodded.
“Marcus, he was really nice until Jonah got him doing drugs,” I replied.
“When’s Jack making his move on you,” he teased.
“We’re friends,” I replied.
“He wants it to be more trust me I know he told me, do you like him like that?” he asked and I shrugged.
“Come on you’ve got to tell me! You know about me so you have to tell me about you that’s how the best friend thing works I’m pretty sure of it,” he said smiling.
“Best friend?” I questioned and he nodded.
“Okay I do like him,” I admitted and he smiled.
“Well let him know,” he advised as we heard Jack run upstairs.
We lay watching a film when Jack nudged me pointing to Alex and I smiled as I saw Alex with his head on my back asleep.
“Looks like your not moving far,” he joked and I nodded.
“He’s not hurting your back is he?” Jack asked and I shook my head.
“I feel like I’m treating you like a child asking all the time but I’m just worried,” he added.
“It’s okay but really I’m fine,” I reassured.
“So you and Alex?” he asked and I nodded.
“You like him?” he asked.
“I’m worried he’s only being friends with me through sympathy,” I admitted and he shook his head.
“He loves you, he said he regrets never giving you the chance but that he thought you might be like your brother,” Jack whispered and I smiled.
“He really does like you, he said your best friends,” he said and I smiled.
“So you got a crush on him?” Jack asked and I shook my head.
“You don’t have a boyfriend do you?” he asked and I shook my head and he smiled.
I heard shouting outside but ignored it until I heard a familiar voice and jumped up waking Alex up.
“Rory?” they both asked as I opened the window, leaning out.
“Shit,” I mumbled grabbing my hoodie pulling it on.
“What’s up?” Alex asked.
“That’s my brother,” I snapped back as I ran downstairs opening the door.
“Jonah!” I shouted but nobody answered, he wasn’t where he’d been a few minutes earlier.
“Jonah!” I shouted again and heard whispering and saw someone move. I ran over pushing the boys from around him.
“Jonah are you okay?” I asked but he stayed quiet.
“What are you doing?” I snapped at the 3 boys surrounding him.
“Stay out of this!” one of snapped.
“No leave my brother alone!” I shouted back and they walked closer grabbing me as Alex and Jack ran outside.
“What’s going on?” shouted Alex.
“Your brother owes us money,” snapped one of them.
“How much?” I asked.
“$200,” he replied and I looked at Jonah shocked.
“Give him 3 more days and he’ll have it I promise,” I said and they hesitated.
“Look you either go now boys or you get in trouble for fighting and drug dealing, people talk around here you know,” I snapped and they ran off.
I dragged Jonah to a street light and the guys gasped as they saw the state he was in.
“Jonah how do you get that much in debt again?” I asked as I lifted his top up to check him over.
“Drop dead Rory,” he snapped at me.
“Hey she just saved your ass,” Alex cut in.
“Gaskarth since when do you care about her, at least I have the guts to fuck her about to her face you just do it behind her back. She’s tried to be friends with you for years and you cut her down, what you think I didn’t notice?” Jonah snapped and Alex shook his head.
“I never fucked her about I just didn’t want to be sucked into your world!” Alex snapped at him.
“Rory stop it,” Jonah snapped as I tried to stop his lip bleeding.
“Jonah you…” I started.
“Rory just fuck off your useless!” he shouted pushing me away from him.
“Hey don’t talk to her like that,” warned Jack as he grabbed my arm.
“Why don’t you boys run home, my sister and I have some things to sort out,” Jonah said and I was terrified on what that exactly meant, they stayed there so he rolled his eyes.
“Why the fuck did you say I’d pay them, where do you think I’m getting that money from?” Jonah snapped.
“They’d have beaten you up worse than this if I’d left you,” I admitted.
“Yeah but they’d have left me,” Jonah cut back.
“Well I’d rather not see you get beat up Jonah,” I replied and he shook his head.
“You can have it from me again if you can’t find it,” I offered.
“Where do you get your money from?” he asked.
“Mom, saving up, that sort of thing. But I want it back,” I replied and he shook his head.
“Come on” he said grabbing my shoulder tight.
“You should let mom check you over,” I replied as he dragged me with him.
I knocked on the door and several minutes later mom opened it.
“Look what I found,” I said as she grabbed Jonah pulling him through the door and she shut it not even talking to me, I turned round to see Alex jump from the hedge.
“I thought we should hide, I know your family hides this” he said and I smiled.
We walked back to Jack’s and went to sleep, I didn’t really want to talk about what had happened and I knew they’d want to know more tomorrow.
“Great thanks, he’s dead cute,” he smiled sitting next to me in Jacks room.
“Look what I got,” he said showing me his phone with texts on it from Xavier .
“Alex you kissed him?” I asked and he smiled.
“Maybe a little when we went outside but don’t…”
“Tell Jack I won’t,” I said and he laughed.
“So you’ve found someone to replace my brother,” I joked.
“He was replaced a long time ago,” he admitted.
“You ever had a boyfriend then?” I asked and he shrugged.
“1 it tends to be more messing around with guys, I’ve had girlfriends. I like more girls than I do guys,” he admitted.
“I guess I should tell Jack but I don’t want him to flip out and think I like him or be against the whole thing,” he explained.
“I don’t think he will I mean his cousins gay and he doesn’t care,” I replied and he nodded.
“You went out with Jonah's best friend didn’t you?” he asked and I nodded.
“Marcus, he was really nice until Jonah got him doing drugs,” I replied.
“When’s Jack making his move on you,” he teased.
“We’re friends,” I replied.
“He wants it to be more trust me I know he told me, do you like him like that?” he asked and I shrugged.
“Come on you’ve got to tell me! You know about me so you have to tell me about you that’s how the best friend thing works I’m pretty sure of it,” he said smiling.
“Best friend?” I questioned and he nodded.
“Okay I do like him,” I admitted and he smiled.
“Well let him know,” he advised as we heard Jack run upstairs.
We lay watching a film when Jack nudged me pointing to Alex and I smiled as I saw Alex with his head on my back asleep.
“Looks like your not moving far,” he joked and I nodded.
“He’s not hurting your back is he?” Jack asked and I shook my head.
“I feel like I’m treating you like a child asking all the time but I’m just worried,” he added.
“It’s okay but really I’m fine,” I reassured.
“So you and Alex?” he asked and I nodded.
“You like him?” he asked.
“I’m worried he’s only being friends with me through sympathy,” I admitted and he shook his head.
“He loves you, he said he regrets never giving you the chance but that he thought you might be like your brother,” Jack whispered and I smiled.
“He really does like you, he said your best friends,” he said and I smiled.
“So you got a crush on him?” Jack asked and I shook my head.
“You don’t have a boyfriend do you?” he asked and I shook my head and he smiled.
I heard shouting outside but ignored it until I heard a familiar voice and jumped up waking Alex up.
“Rory?” they both asked as I opened the window, leaning out.
“Shit,” I mumbled grabbing my hoodie pulling it on.
“What’s up?” Alex asked.
“That’s my brother,” I snapped back as I ran downstairs opening the door.
“Jonah!” I shouted but nobody answered, he wasn’t where he’d been a few minutes earlier.
“Jonah!” I shouted again and heard whispering and saw someone move. I ran over pushing the boys from around him.
“Jonah are you okay?” I asked but he stayed quiet.
“What are you doing?” I snapped at the 3 boys surrounding him.
“Stay out of this!” one of snapped.
“No leave my brother alone!” I shouted back and they walked closer grabbing me as Alex and Jack ran outside.
“What’s going on?” shouted Alex.
“Your brother owes us money,” snapped one of them.
“How much?” I asked.
“$200,” he replied and I looked at Jonah shocked.
“Give him 3 more days and he’ll have it I promise,” I said and they hesitated.
“Look you either go now boys or you get in trouble for fighting and drug dealing, people talk around here you know,” I snapped and they ran off.
I dragged Jonah to a street light and the guys gasped as they saw the state he was in.
“Jonah how do you get that much in debt again?” I asked as I lifted his top up to check him over.
“Drop dead Rory,” he snapped at me.
“Hey she just saved your ass,” Alex cut in.
“Gaskarth since when do you care about her, at least I have the guts to fuck her about to her face you just do it behind her back. She’s tried to be friends with you for years and you cut her down, what you think I didn’t notice?” Jonah snapped and Alex shook his head.
“I never fucked her about I just didn’t want to be sucked into your world!” Alex snapped at him.
“Rory stop it,” Jonah snapped as I tried to stop his lip bleeding.
“Jonah you…” I started.
“Rory just fuck off your useless!” he shouted pushing me away from him.
“Hey don’t talk to her like that,” warned Jack as he grabbed my arm.
“Why don’t you boys run home, my sister and I have some things to sort out,” Jonah said and I was terrified on what that exactly meant, they stayed there so he rolled his eyes.
“Why the fuck did you say I’d pay them, where do you think I’m getting that money from?” Jonah snapped.
“They’d have beaten you up worse than this if I’d left you,” I admitted.
“Yeah but they’d have left me,” Jonah cut back.
“Well I’d rather not see you get beat up Jonah,” I replied and he shook his head.
“You can have it from me again if you can’t find it,” I offered.
“Where do you get your money from?” he asked.
“Mom, saving up, that sort of thing. But I want it back,” I replied and he shook his head.
“Come on” he said grabbing my shoulder tight.
“You should let mom check you over,” I replied as he dragged me with him.
I knocked on the door and several minutes later mom opened it.
“Look what I found,” I said as she grabbed Jonah pulling him through the door and she shut it not even talking to me, I turned round to see Alex jump from the hedge.
“I thought we should hide, I know your family hides this” he said and I smiled.
We walked back to Jack’s and went to sleep, I didn’t really want to talk about what had happened and I knew they’d want to know more tomorrow.