I Know You've Got Your Life In Place But I've Yet To Take The Hint

I didn’t know if I should be doing this, but I didn’t see that I had any choice in the matter. Alex and Jack were my best friends, and I couldn’t stand to see them unhappy. Let’s face it, I sided with Alex on this one. He and Lisa were never cut out to be family material, and baby or no baby, Jack or no Jack, they were headed down the long hard road of self-destruction, and somehow had both missed the dead-end ahead signs that were so easily visible to the rest of us.

I knocked lightly before going into Rian’s bunk. His Skype was open, and I could see that he was talking to Cassadee. The love that flowed between the two of them was quite evident, and I frowned slightly, thinking that if things didn’t straighten up, Rian might be the only one lucky enough to find true love. I sure as hell didn’t have time (or really, the will) to go chasing after love when I could see how it was tearing apart two of my best friends. I was hoping that Rian could help me.

He turned slightly in his chair. “Hey … Zack, what’s up?”

He could always read me like a book. It was evident that something was wrong. “I need to tell you something, Ri. It’s really important.”

He nodded and waved a finger at me, turning back to the computer and said his goodbyes to Cassadee. They talked and flirted and laughed for a few more seconds, and Rian kept his screen open until she disappeared from it. I bit my bottom lip. They’d been together for long enough, and they still talked and flirted and laughed together like they were just starting to like each other, when Alex and Jack couldn’t even look at each other when they were in the same room as other people. It wasn’t right.

Rian closed his computer and turned to look at me, a smile still playing on his lips. It faded when he looked at me and saw how stressed I looked.

“God, Zack, you look like hell. What do you have to tell me? I promise I’ll try my best to help with whatever if I can.”

I knew I could count on Rian. “It’s not about me though, Ri. It’s about Alex and Jack.”

In the dim light, I couldn’t really read his facial expressions. He seemed to think for a few minutes before answering me. “Okay. I take it you know what’s been causing them to act so fucked up lately? And why Matt was shooting daggers at Alex today?”

I cringed at that last part. “Yeah … but first, I want to ask you if you have any idea of what’s been going on lately.”

Rian considered this. “I’m not too sure. It started a while ago, though. Before Lisa even came on tour. At first I thought it was to do with that, but then I looked back and I realized that it couldn’t be just that. I’m sure her presence doesn’t help, though. I mean, her and Jack are like cats and water, they can’t even tolerate each other.”

I laughed at him. “Bad analogy, Ri. Cats hate water, but they still drink it because they need it to surive. I’m sure Jack can survive without Lisa!”

He looked puzzled for a minute, and then chuckled. “You’re smarter than I give you credit for, Zack. Anyway … back to Lex and Jack?” His voice was a question mark.

“Er …” I fumbled, suddenly not sure how to word things. “What would you say if I told you that they were … if they … what if I told you that Jalex exists?”

Rian looked so completely dumbfounded that I wanted to laugh. His eyebrows rose and then met together, furrowed as he thought, and then settled back to normal. “I’d say … it’s about damned time. Nice choice of words, though. Jalex. The fans would be glad that you’re using their term.”

I laughed. “You know, they have terms for all of us as couples. Jalex is the favourite, but they have others. Merrikat, Zalex…” I paused, not sure how to couple Alex and Rian, or me and Rian, or Rian and Jack. “Your name is too damned awkward to use, Dawson.”

Rian laughed. “Thank god for that.” He seemed to think. “But then again ... I wonder how they coupled me and Cass together?” he paused. “Nah, on second thought, I don’t want to know. If you ever see, please do me a favour and don’t tell me.”

We sat there in comfortable silence until I decided to speak again. “Matt walked in on them.”

Rian, who had been in the middle of taking a drink, spit it all over himself. “Damn, Zack, did you have to tell me when I was drinking something? This is the second time I’ve gotten coke-efied in one day.”

He got up and took out a shirt so he could change. While he did so, I decided to continue.

“Yeah, apparently Matt walked in on them when they were, ehum, intimately involved. I guess Matt went crazy and threatened to tell the record companies and make them lose the band and all that shizz. Jack decided to take things into his own hands and tell Matt is was a mistake. He told Alex they would just continue to see each other in secret until he figures shit out with Lisa.”

“Shit man, that sucks.” Rian turned and looked at me. “Jack’s just being a coward. He thinks everyone is going to blame him for Alex leaving Lisa. But fuck man, we all know that it’s not the case. Even the fans can see that Jack is better for Alex. Why do you think they came up with the term Jalex for in the first place?!” His voice had grown angrier. “I can’t believe Jack would tell you and not tell me. Damn, I’m his friend. His band mate. What, does he think I’m going to pull the same stunt as Matt?! Even if I didn’t approve, I’d suck it up. We’re a band. We’re a family.”

I was glad that I had been right about Rian’s reaction. He was pissed off, just like I was.

“I know, Ri. Just try not to take it personal until you know what’s going on in Jack’s head, okay?”

Rian shook his head. “No promises. Did you want me to talk to him?”

Reads me like a book, I thought again. “Yeah, as long as you promise not to lose your temper until after you make it clear that you support them one hundred percent.”

“That I can do.”

I smiled. “I know you can. I can always count on you, Ri. Talk to him in the morning, though, k? Right now I want to watch a movie and I have no one to watch it with.”

Rian shook his head at me. “Are you sure you want them to be together? You’ll be the only single band member, ya know.”

I glared at him. “Thanks for reminding me.”

He smiled. “Anytime.”

I mocked punched him and he pretended to cry for a few minutes before we headed to the living room to find a movie.