Life's a Bitch, but I'm Friends with Her Sister

Jordan's point of view.

"Jordan, watch out dude!"

Too late. I banged my head on the top of the doorframe as I was coming into the boys' locker room, after gym.

"Oww," I whined, rubbing my head and ducking through the door this time. "They need to make the door longer!"

"Jordan," Rob sighed. "Aren't you used to it by now?"

"Um, sorry, I was pre-occupied..."

"Yeah, you're quieter than usual," Jack pointed out. "Anything going on?"

My eyes flickered towards Alex, but luckily no one noticed.

"No, nothing important."

"Alright..."

As we walked towards our lockers, I kept a close eye on Alex.

I had noticed a bruise on his chest. I couldn't tell how big it was or what exactly could have done that damage because he was desperately trying to hide it, but I'm sure I saw one. I didn't know what I was going to do about it. But first I was going to be sure of what I saw.

Luckily my locker was only a locker away from Alex's, and that too an empty locker.

I watched him intently as he fiddled with the lock, shifting my eyes away to my own every time he glanced my way. My lock was not going to open anytime soon at this pace.

The guys kept trying to involve me and Alex in their jokes, but Alex didn't seem to have his heart in it, and I was too busy staring at Alex, anticipating his next movements.

He seemed to have let his guard down. And that's it... He was pulling off his shirt. I felt like a stalker or a creep, but I had to know.

"Hey Jord-" started Jack, but I let out a loud gasp. Alex had a huge shoe-shaped bruise on his chest.

Everyone snapped their attention towards me and I buried my head in my locker.

"Jordan, dude?"

I sighed and stuck my head out. "I, euh, thought I had lost my iPod, sorry," I said with a forced chuckle.

"Oh okay," Jack said, not thinking about it twice. Zack looked at me suspiciously, but just shrugged it off.

I looked at Alex. Did he understand? Did he know that I saw?

Well, he seemed to be avoiding my gaze, and hurrying to pack up his things. I did the same and tore after him as he hurried for the door.

"Alex!" I practically yelled, catching up to him. The hallways were deserted, gym was our last period, after all. And we always made it out of the locker rooms last.

I managed to grab his arm and stop him. He turned to face me, and his eyes were watery.

"Alex, we need to talk."

"Jordan, I need to get home."

"You're not going anywhere until you talk to me!"

That came out harsher than I intended it to, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Jordan, I- I can't- you- I-"

"Do you trust me?" I said, softer this time.

"I- I guess..."

"Then, please. What's that bruise on your chest, Alex?"

"You- you can't tell anyone!"

"I won't, Alex! I promise you."

He looked up, his eye-lined brown eyes lost behind tears that were threatening to fall. "I can't tell you here..."

"Let's go outside."

He followed me out the door and we sat down on a bench, not too far from the parking lot, but just far enough for no one to notice us.

He took a deep breath and said, "It started back in Essex."

He told me everything. About his brother dying and his parents taking their frustration out on him. Them moving here and how he hoped things would get better, but wasn't sure if they would. About how his dad gave him that bruise a few days ago. How his parents hated him.

"Alex," I said to the crying boy. "You can't say they hate you... Okay, so I don't know what it feels like to go through the things you have, but I'm sure your parents don't hate you."

"You- they do! Ever since I t-told them about me being... Being..." he was hesitating again.

"Being?"

"Jordan, you have to promise that you won't t-tell anyone anything I've just told you."

"I already promised you, Alex!"

"I'm sorry, I- I've just never talked to anyone about all this before and..."

"Alex, what were you saying, about you being..."

He bit his lip, unsure whether to talk to me or not. I gave him an encouraging look and he sighed. "Ever since I came out of the closet."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, are you serious?"

He looked down, picked at his hoodie sleeves and nodded.

"Well, don't worry about that. Cause, well, I'm sure there's something going on between Zack and Jack, Rian is bisexual, and the others don't mind us... And plus. I'm gay, too."

He looked up curiously. "You are?"

I blushed and he raised his eyebrow.

"A lucky guy got your affection?"

"Well... I mean..."

"Let me guess: it's Cameron, hunh?"

I blushed harder and looked away. "How did you guess?"

"I can just tell by the way you smile everytime he talks to you, and the way you're always interested in what he's saying."

"And people call me the observant one."

He just shrugged. I thought for a moment then asked, "Is that why Adam was beating you up?"

"On the first day?"

I nodded.

"Yeah. Because I'm gay."

"Lucky Zack found you... That jerk needs to... Ugh."

"But... How come Zack managed to stop him?"

"Well, as you know, Zack's the quarterback of our football team, and Adam is the captain of the soccer team. So basically they're at the same level. They both sort of have to respect each other, but I'm sure Adam's scared of Zack."

Alex nodded in understanding, then said, "I remember Zack saying something about Rian..."

"Oh, yeah. Adam copies off of Rian for his biology class. If he fails he gets thrown off the team and he knows it. And he knows that Rian doesn't approve of him beating up kids..."

"Oh I see..."

We stayed quiet for a bit then he said, "But I'm serious Jordan. You can't tell anyone."

"Why would I?"

"I- I don't know. Just... No one can know."

"It's okay," I said, putting my arm around his shoulder in a friendly manner and walking with him into the parking lot. "No one will."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem. How does ice-cream sound?"

"Great."

"The guys - and Tay - are probably already..." I cut myself off because my phone had vibrated in my pocket.  I checked the message and chuckled. "What did I say."

"They're there?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. My car's over there."

I followed him to his car and got into the passenger seat. I didn't have my own car yet, but I knew the way to most of the places we go to better than people who could actually drive. Jack, for example.

I showed Alex the way and when we got off, Jack jumped on Alex, hugging him. Well, more like crushing him.

"Leeeexyyy!" he cried, then he jumped on my back. "Jordaaan!"

"Jack! Get off me," I laughed.

"Nope, I like the view up here."

I glanced over and I saw Tay talking to Alex, while Mike, Rob, and Cameron argued about something. Cameron looked over at me, and said, "Jordan! Come here?"

I walked over to him, Jack still on my back. "Yeah?"

"Don't you agree that chocolate ice cream is better than strawberry?"

I laughed. "Definitely."

"You see! Cool people prefer chocolate."

I smiled.

----

It's only when I got home that I had time to fully think about what Alex told me.

I came home with no fear. I wasn't afraid of my parents. In fact, I loved them, a lot.

But Alex was being abused at home. The only time he actually was safe was at school...

Or was he?

And what was I going to do about it? I couldn't let him keep getting hit. One day something horrible was going to happen and no one would be there...

But I promised Alex and I wasn't about to go back on that promise. I just had to find a way to help him out, discreetly... If I could.