Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal

It was true I’d found jack, I liked him I really did, and maybe this was what I needed to see that I was ready to admit that, my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. My mum was sitting next to me, I didn’t care if she heard this or not. I didn’t even bother looking at the caller i.d I knew it was him.

‘Hello?’ I answered with when I finally accepted the call.

‘I’m guessing you’ve seen it?’ he asked me, he was angry I could tell.

‘Yeah, well the headline, if it wasn’t about me I wouldn’t know about it.’

‘I need to speak to you.’

‘Me too, I’m five minutes away shall I come to you?’

‘Yeah, I’ll be in my hotel room.’

‘Okay, bye.’

‘Bye and Melissa?’

‘Yeah?’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s not your fault.’

I hung up then looked at my mum she was reading the article. There was the picture of me and him after the first tour date after party, then out in Georgetown, I smiled at myself recalling the memories, he’s older than you, you’re 15, my mind kept telling me, I pulled my headphones out my bag and started to play steel panther, I’m an idiot.
My mum smiled at me, great.

We arrived back at the hotel where I left my mum and brother in the safe hands of Adam, while I went to see jack, I could hear the music from his room from the lift, jack doesn’t take anything seriously, I told myself, I got to his floor and knocked on his door.
Jack stood in the door way, he’d turn the music off when I knocked, he hand his glasses on a boxers and a top, the exact top that I wore the day before. A small smile crept along my face and he just stood there.

‘Hey.’ He whispered. I’d never seen him this quiet.

‘Hey.’ I answered to him, I looked up at him, he was taller than me and even with these shoes on I still couldn’t be the same height as him, he pulled me into a hug and held me tight, he invited me in, I walked in and then shut the door behind us, I knew he was sharing this with Alex but he was nowhere to be found.

‘I still need to talk to you.’ He told me.

‘I know but so do I.’

We went and sat down on his bed I pulled my knees up to my chest, I was worried about what he would say.

‘But you’re going to laugh. I’m never serious.’

‘I promise I won’t.’ I told him.

‘Okay, first I’m sorry about the magazine, I know it’s hard but part of me wishes it was true.’ He told me whispering at the end, I looked up at him, he’s head was bowed down.

‘Jack?’ I asked him. He looked straight up at me.

‘What happens if that part that wishes it was true is?’ I asked him while a small smiled crawled along his face.

‘But….’ I told him.

‘No buts please.’

‘Jack I’m 15.’ I whispered.

‘I know.’ He pulled me closer to him, and cupped my face with his hands, then lifted my face up.

‘Jack.’ I whispered.

He kissed me and our lips moved in sync, this is wrong I told myself. He’s lip tasted of beer, I liked it, but I knew how wrong it was and pulled away.

‘I’ve wanted to do that from the day I met you.’ He whispered my forehead leaning on his.

‘Jack, we can’t be together, it’s not that I don’t want to its everything I come with.’ I told him, holding back the tear from the words that reminded me off my past.

‘Melissa, I’ll wait for you.’ He told me.

‘Jack, I want to be with you now, but erghh.’ I told him and crashed into him, he held us both back from falling straight onto the floor.

‘Then I’ll help you, I’ll be your best friend, until you turn 16 I promise.’ He told me.

‘But jack you don’t know me.’

‘Then let me.’ He drew closer to me and kissed me again.

‘What do you want to know?’

‘Your tattoo, it’s being itching me for ages.’

I took a deep breath, ‘when I was about 12 I had a really tough time up till I was 14, I was picked on because I was fat and I was always doing my work instead of playing up in class, then when I joined the band people made everything 10 times worse and I started to cut myself on my thighs, I escaped through that and I still do if I need too, the tattoo reminds me of how strong I can be sometimes.’ I told him the tears streaming down my face.

‘Melissa?’ I looked straight at him. He’s hands were on my thighs, I never thought jack could be like this but I was glad he chose today to act 23 instead of a child.

‘Don’t do it again. For me.’ He whispered pulling me in.

‘I’ll try.’ I answered with.

I was miles happier and I carried on lying with jack until my phone started to ring, I checked the caller i.d to see it was Adam.
‘Sound check.’ He answered with.

Jack already had me on his back; I laughed picking up my shoes that were on the bed.

‘Sound check princess?’

‘Yeah, my knight in shining armour.’

He took me to my sound check and smiled at me the whole way through it and for once in my life I was glad I’d let someone in.

ALEX’S POV

I opened up the backstage door and walked down the corridor, I need to find jack, I’d seen the article and wanted to know if it was true or not, I turned into the stage and found him sitting down watching Melissa. I went and sat by him and waited till she was out of sight.

‘Did you sort it out?’ I asked him.

‘Yeah, we’re going to be friends until she’s 16 then we’re going to date.’ He told me the excitement in his voice killed me.

‘So she likes you?’

‘Yeah, crazy.’

My heart tore open and into tiny little pieces. Fuck, I liked Melissa and Melissa liked jack. And I was left here on my own.