Block it out.

{blaaah.} Alex sat on a bench at the park on a Saturday morning. He was writing a few words down in his notebook. He sighed to himself and wrote, in his sloppy, ugly handwriting 'I want to hear the birds sing in the morning. I want to hear what these people say is awesome; music. I want to hear this boy everyone is talking about; Justin Bieber. And his nice voice.' He wrote is all down, tears in his eyes. 'I want to hear my brother's voice... One last time.'

He saw a few people walked over and sit down on the bench, so he slowly snapped his journal shut and stood up, fixing the headphones in his ears. A little yawn escaped his mouth as he hummed horribly. He didn't care what his humming sounded like. It's not like he could hear it.

Alex watched the big, white, fluffy clouds as he walked. A small smile was on his lips as he whispered, "Perfect." He walked to the playstructure and took a seat on the little black swing. He swung gently then stopped, opening his journal and writing 'I want to hear the squeak of this old, rusty swing.' He chewed on his lower lip as he got up and started walking around a big tree. His voice started to screech out some lyrics to a song he was writing.

Alex wasn't watching his surroundings, so he didn't mind who heard him singing with his horrendous voice. He shook his head and sat down against the tree. "Help." He whispered. He shut his dark brown eyes and started humming. He loved writing poetry. And songs. But when he would hear music, as a little kid when he hadn't lost his hearing; it was all oldies. This old rythm to it. So that was what played in his mind constantly.

Soon, Alex started drifting off to sleep by his soft hum to a Michael Jackson song. Maybe the Jackson 5. ABC. Or Thiller. He wasn't sure what it was. He smiled in his soft sleep. Hearing the birds was always his dream. Watching the birds fly around and chirp. He wished he could just hear that one more time.

It was later when the boy woke up, the sun was going down against the sea but he still couldn't hear anything, so he didn't know what was so beautiful about anything anymore.

He was getting sick of the voice in his head, that was the only thin he could hear and it was sickening, he hated it. Why could he not just wake up and everything be like it used to be?

He remembered the accident that had caused the deafness, it wasn't major but somehow had made him lose his hearing. Leaving him with two senses down, he didn't speak now he couldn't hear himself.

He looked up and saw a dog running around little kids yawning and holding their fathers hands talking about something, Alex had gotten good at lip reading during the years. His fivers grabbed his notebook and he wrote in it 'I want to hear a dog barking... I want to hear voices... I want to hear laughter' then he closed his notebook with a silent sigh.

Alex stood up holding onto his notebook and the pen sat in his pocket, the voice in his head was horrible again and he really wished he couldn't hear /that/ as well. He adjusted the ear buds and started to pad his way home.

He then felt a shoulder banging into his, a slight stagger as he fell back a little. He looked up and saw the boy from Chemistry class, red eyes, tea stained cheeks.

Alex watched with a frown as he mouthed 'sorry', well spoke but Alex couldn't hear so he shrugged his shoulders at the boy. He looked in a rush and was obviously upset.

But what could Alex do?

Then the boy ran off again, his head ducked against the win as he ran away, from what? Alex had no idea, he wanted to know so badly. Then again, Alex wanted to know a lot of things so badly.

Alex just sighed and continued trekking home, once or twice adjusting his ear buds. It had been his brothers idea, wearing headphones to an ongoing iPod. He had said that then Alex would know immediately if he could hear again, well had written for Alex to read.

He liked the idea.

Alex took a deep breath and walked up to his house. He slowly walked in to see his mum in the kitchen cooking something. He walked a bit close and his nose wrinkled by the smell of cabage. The worst food alive. It was his brother's favorite. 8 years and his mum was still worring about his poor little brother. Dead now. Off to heaven. Well at least, Alex thought he was in heaven.

"M-M-Mom..." Alex whispered, looking at his mum. That was practically the only word he wanted to say for now on. That was his first word. When he was a little baby. A small smile was on his face as he cried out mommy. His mom turned to him and sighed. Her face was covered in tears as she shook her head and tugged him into her arms. Alex put his arms around his skinny mom. He wondered if she had been eating. Her small figure made him frown. He kissed her cheek. He had noticed her lips moving, but didn't pay any attention to them. She pulled the headphones out of his ears and looked into his eyes.

"Keep those out." Her lips motioned as she slid it into her jeans pocket. She went back to cooking her cabage and stuff. Alex sighed and looked down. He made his way to the living room, stumbling over his small feet a little. He plopped down on the couch and stared at the blank tv as his father, Peter, walked downstairs. He looked at Alex with a shake of his head.

Alex started singing, not even noticing he was singing. It wasn't really singing. More like talking with a sweet tone. A messy tone. His parents were over in the kitchen. Probably fighting about how they couldn't take life like this anymore.

He stared at the blank tv then turned around, watching his father slid on some shoes and grab his coat. His dad turned to Alex's mom and said something, anger in his eyes. Alex saw his lips move, saying "Fuck you. Take care of your fucking messed up son alone!" Then, he left with a slam of the door.

Alex watched as his mom started crying. She just feel to the ground, putting her hands through her long light brown hair. Alex took a deep breath and stood up. "Mom..." He said quietly, his voice still as screechy as can be. He dropped down onto the floor next to her, pulling her close into a hug. "D-D-Don't ha-hate me f-for somet-thing so-o s-s-tupid." He whispered into her small ear. She just let everything out, her face full of upsetting tears.

Alex put a hand on her back and shook his head. He knew he was as messed up as could be; but did his father even realize he could read some people's lips.

"I'-I'm mes-sed u-up."

Jacks POV

It was later that afternoon that Jack go home, he had been with Rian at the park playing soccer for most the morning as he had made a few friends. He was still nervous though.

3:03 he was three minutes late.

"You're late, Jack," his dads voice spoke from the licit room as Jack tried to close the door silently. "You know what that means?"

Jack swallowed as he kicked his shoes off to join the other shoes that lay scattered Krause the shoe cupboard, it wasn't important to him right now. He was about to get beaten, again. For the second time that day.

He saw his fathers face appear around the door one hand was clenched onto a newspaper the other was balled into a fist that Jack was all too familiar with.

"You're stupid you know..." his father trailed away giving the boy a harsh slap with his left hand "You know I wouldn't do this if you were back on time..." slap.

Jack winced and stumbled back a little, he wasn't going to be crying yet... He knew it was going to get far worse so he didn't see the point in crying and breaking down right there.

"I'm only doing this to make you good again," his father then pushed him to the ground, foot kicking to his ribs "Like you used to be, Jack."

Jack just laid there, he couldn't do any self defence, he was too weak from the numerous abuse he got from his father every day for doing something wrong, something just a little out of place.

Kick. Punch. Kick. Kick. Punch... Arm twist. Bloody nose. Black eye. Blood. Pain. No regrets.

"You're going to be good again," the father whispered giving him another slap to the face, making the young boy stagger back.

Jack took the stagger to run, he stumbled to the door bones analog over the door as he bolted for the park every single movement making his body groan with pain, he was about to collapse; he had to get away.

"Sorry..." the boy mumbled as his shoulder slammed into Someones, he saw the quiet boy looking at him with a little nod. He didn't know why this kid didn't speak. But that was the least of his worries.

Then he bolted it again ducking his head under a fee tree branches but mostly to camouflage his reddening eyes and bruised skin, his Father had done this to him...

He slid into a little clearing when be got to the woods, his arms dangled around his legs, it hurt. Bf he needed to cry there... He burst into the shaky tears letting them flow down his red cheeks.

"I hate my life..." he whispered darkly into his hands, he didn't want to go home. Not to this.

His hands let go of his jumper finally and he looked down to his legs seeing the purple bruises that were now darkening on his pale skin, it made him feel so sick. He brushed some blond and black hair out of his eyes still looking to his body.

"You deserve to die, you know that, Jack Bassam Barakat?" he whispered to himself staring out to the forest, it had gone night fall.

His phone buzzed.

Come home, be a good boy. Or you'll know what happens next -Dad

Jack shivered. He was never gonna go back.

Alex had left the house to get some air. He sighed, walking down the street, breathing heavily. He sat down on the sidewalk and shut his eyes tightly. He pulled out his journal and pen, jotting down something 'I want to hear my father screaming.... I want to hear my mother cry herself to sleep.'

He bit his lip, letting some tears roll down his cheeks. He laid onto his back with a small sigh as he looked around. He sat up and stood to his feet. "I WANT TO HEAR MY OWN VOICE!!!" He screamed out loud, not minding that people started staring at him.

Alex ran across the street, making a few cars squeak to a stop. He watched as one car rear ended the other. The guy got out of his car and started yelling. then, he walked up to Alex, yelling and poking him. Alex frowned and grabbed his hand tightly, hearing a crack.

He dropped it and ran away, hiding in a tree so no one could find him. He didn't want to get yelled at police. Because he couldn't be able to hear him. He shook his head as police came and started yelling things. Alex let his tears drip off of his pale white face as they yelled. He whimped and cuddled up against the trunk.

His mom showed up and looked at him. She did 'Come down Alex.. Please' in sign language. He bit his lip and slowly climbed down the tree. His mom pulled him close, looking at the police.

"You're really gonna arrest a deaf person?"

"We have no problem with doing that." the lady officer said. Alex shook his head, trying not to cry. He saw the boy from chem and started walking over, not giving a fuck about the police. They grabbed his arm and pulled him back. They put tight hand cuffs on his wrist and pulled him off to the car. He was being arrested for j-walking.

Jack was watching from over by a tree, he hadn't been back home. He didn't want another punching festival. Jack watched the older boy be put in cuffs, crying.

"Good thing I'm nice," he mumbled to himself wringing his hands.

Jack ran over bearing the pain that subsided all over his body. He looked to the Police Officer with a slight frown, he'd rather be put in prison than going home so he did what he thought was right.

"Excuse me, Miss," he spoke to the police officer, Alex hadn't noticed him standing there as the woman turned "He's my younger brother, I dared him to do that. I thought it would be funny, so take me..." he said holding out his wrists.

"You're telling the truth?"

"Yes, Ma'am." he nodded looking to the woman, only here for like three days and he was being arrested.

The woman clicked off Alex's hand cuffs, he looked at her confused his head titled slightly... Then he turned towards Jack a frown etched on his White face. As he watched the hand cuffs click on him.

"See ya at school," the younger boy smiled before he was being pulled into the car, roughly.

"Ow, watch it!" he complained as his arm was pushed into the car, he just rolled his eyes and slumped in the chair giving Alex a slight wave. Before being driven away.

Why he did it, he didn't know. He kind of throughout of himself as a good samaritain helping a boy he barely knew, a boy who didn't speak to anyone whatsoever and a boy who always had ear plugs in his ears.

"Who are you Alex..." he mumbled into his shirt, the bruises ached as the cuffs dug deeper into his skin leaving red marks and some solid imprints.

"You're in for the night, unless bailed out by a member of your family," the police woman said to him glancing in the mirror to him.

"Yeah. They won't," he grumbled and slid further in his chair trying to get comfortable.

Alex frowned and watched as the boy was pulled into the car and taken off to the prison. He looked at his mum and bit his lip,

"W-We h-h-have t-o ba-bail hi-him, M-om." His mom sighed and shook her head. "Alex. We aren't one of his family members."

She whispered. Alex sighed, seeing her lips speak that. He shrugged and opened his journal. He ripped out an empty page and wrote 'But he said I was his younger brother.'

His mom sighed and looked away from him. She took it and wrote, 'Fine.' A small smile formed on Alex's lips as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her car. He got in and his mom drove off to the jail.

Alex tapped on the door gently as they finally got there. He jumped out of the car and ran in