I Still Hear the Rain

Brittany-

The next morning I awoke in the Barakat home. Jack and Rian made me stay after I confessed to them about my life at home Jack was constantly apologizing for the past. I told him it was all water under the bridge. I now had two friends. Jack stirred on the floor next to the bed. He sat up rubbing his eyes. I smiled at him.

“Morning.” He yawned. “Get dressed we’re going to breakfast. My treat.” He got to his feet and did a big stretch.

“I don’t have clothes.”

“Well, I don’t want you home alone. We’ll go with you.” He pulled me into a hug.

“Thanks Jack, they won’t do anything if people are there.”

“You’ll be eighteen soon, I’m making my parents let you stay with us.”

We sat at a small table at a diner on Thames Street. Jack had told me Zack was going to be joining us. I didn’t have an issue with it. I sat alone for the moment while Jack and Rian sat next to each other. The bell above the door rang. Zack quietly made his way over.

“Hey, I heard what happened. He told me. If it makes you feel better, I punched him and told him how much of an asshole he is. Don’t let him get to you. You’re beautiful, sweet, and too good to let all this shit get you down.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Just then he walked in the door. He was very weary about approaching us. When he reached us he opened his mouth to speak.

“Stop it right there, Gaskarth. I don’t know what the fuck I ever did to you or why the fuck you treat me like shit. I hate you so fucking much, Alex. I’m sorry me becoming friends with your friend is such an inconvenience to you. You are a stuck up asshole. You think that the world revolves around you, that everyone has to drop everything for you. News flash, people are sick of it. How would you like it if people did that to you? I’m done with your games. No one ever speaks up and calls you out. But I’m calling you out.” I pushed him causing him to stumble. “Don’t forget it. I really fucking hate you.” He stormed out while everyone stared at us. Jack and Rian busted out laughing.

“Dude! That was fucking amazing! No one ever called him out like that.” Jack cackled.

“No, it wasn’t. It was just a lot of built up steam.” I sighed.

“I’ll go talk to him.” RIan said. “You too. Zack stay with her.” I watched the three friends through the window as they talked. Zack put a hand on my shoulder.

“He deserved it.”

Alex-

Jack and Rian followed me out of the diner. Rian stood there and started to ramble on and on about the incident. I wasn’t paying much attention to it. It was as if her words were stuck on replay in my mind. I made her life hell. I didn’t blame her for what she did. I was an asshole. I really fucking hate you. It made my blood boil. Not in a bad way, it wasn’t from anger. A jealous rage. I wanted to be in there laughing with her. I wanted her.

“Are you even listening?”

“Huh?”

“Fuck Alex. You told me, last night. You think you like her. You’re seventeen, almost eighteen. You’re not a little kid anymore. You don’t treat a girl like shit to show her you like her. She gets it bad enough at home.”

“I don’t know. Yeah, I like her. Everything she does is enough to cause my stomach to flip. I don’t know why I treat her like shit. It doesn’t matter. You heard her, she ‘fucking hates me’.” I looked down at my worn Nike’s hoping they didn’t see my eyes. I blinked and something fell on my cheek. A single tear. I Alexander Gaskarth was crying over a girl.