Shelter

“Let’s get to the beach!”

Zack’s yell was met with a cheer of agreement from most of the guys on the bus. They had a day off and everyone was bored out of their minds. Flyzik had told the bus driver to drive to the beach this morning, so they could all hang out there before going to the hotel later that night. Alex was the only one who groaned, not wanting to go. He wanted to stay in the air conditioned bus and rest on his day off.

“What are you groaning about, Alex?” Rian asked with a chuckle. “Don’t you want to come to the beach?”

“It’s too hot outside,” Alex whined, and the others laughed.

“Don’t be such a pussy, Alex. It’ll be fun,” Flyzik said, picking up a bag of stuff they were going to take outside.

“Fine,” Alex said with a pout, finally giving in. Being outside in the sun did sound like a good idea – he could finally get a tan and not look so pale on stage. The others headed outside while Alex went into the back to pull his swim trunks on, trudging back up front. Jack was the only person left on the bus, waiting for him.

“Your gay is showing,” Jack giggled, looking at Alex’s hot pink swim trunks.

Alex rolled his eyes, “Shut up. It was the last pair in my size.”

“Are you sure you were shopping in the men’s section?” Jack teased, and Alex pouted. Jack laughed and put his arm around Alex, leading him off the bus, “You ready to have fun?”

“I guess. We better not encounter any fangirls, because I really just want a day of peace,” Alex muttered.

Jack smiled, “Flyzik chose a less popular beach for that reason, don’t worry.”

The beach was definitely a less popular one. Only a few families were there throughout the day and everyone left the band and crew alone. Danny had brought the little motorbikes out of the trailer, and him, Rian, Colussy, and Grieco were taking turns speeding around the beach on them. Everyone else was either in the water or sitting on the sand.

Alex was lying on a towel in the sun, relaxing, just as he had been all day. It was hot outside, but the cool breeze from the water made it bearable. Alex’s eyes were closed, so when someone suddenly came up and poured cold water onto his chest, he shrieked and sat up quickly. He scowled when he saw Zack standing there, laughing.

“That wasn’t nice,” Alex whined, crossing his arms.

Zack grinned, “You know what else isn’t nice?”

“What?”

“This!” Zack picked Alex up quickly and tossed him over his shoulder, running toward the water.

“Hey! Put me down!” Alex said with a laugh, pounding on Zack’s back. He gasped when Zack suddenly let go, and he felt himself flying into the water. His head popped back up a few seconds later and he coughed, spitting water out. Before he could even yell at Zack, someone jumped onto his back, wrapping his legs around Alex’s waist.

“Hi!” Jack said, smiling widely.

“Jack, Zack’s mean! He threw me into the water!” Alex complained, pushing his bangs out of his face.

“That was my idea,” Jack said with a laugh. Alex pushed Jack off him and turned around, leaping onto the taller boy and dunking him under the water. He let go of Jack’s head and Jack came back up to the surface, spitting water onto Alex. “Oh, it’s on.”

--------------------

The band was at a hotel for the night so Alex and Jack were rooming together, as usual. Alex had already showered and was lying on the bed, texting, when Jack walked out of the bathroom. He was drying his hair with a towel, still wet from his shower.

“Your hair looks cute when it’s all messy,” Alex commented, glancing up from his phone and smiling at Jack. Jack blushed and mumbled something that sounded like “thanks” before he ducked back into the bathroom. Alex chuckled and rolled onto his side, facing toward the wall. It was way too easy to embarrass Jack.

Jack startled him a few minutes later, sliding into the bed behind him without warning. “I’m exhausted. The beach wore me out.”

“Me too. It’s your fault for making me swim around so much,” Alex agreed, rolling onto his side to face Jack.

“You’re the one who chose to chase me around,” Jack argued. When Alex shrugged, Jack smiled and poked Alex in the nose, “Your face is sunburned.”

“Don’t poke it,” Alex whined, putting his hands over his face. Jack chuckled.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized tiredly.

Both boys were quiet for a while, nearly falling asleep, but then Alex spoke up suddenly. “Jack?”

“Hmm?”

“I had fun today. Thanks for making me get up and have fun with all of you guys instead of letting me sit alone all day,” Alex said softly.

“You’re welcome, Lex. Glad you had fun,” Jack murmured.

Alex stopped talking so Jack could fall asleep, knowing the younger boy was exhausted. He watched him through half-lidded eyes, thinking to himself. Jack was a mystery to him. He wasn’t discouraged by anything, even when Alex knocked down every attempt to date him. He was almost always in a good mood and nothing could bring him down. Alex wished he had the same mindset that Jack had. He wanted to be the one who took risks and didn’t care what people thought. That’s how he used to be. But his anxiety had gotten the best of him and now he just sat back and let things happen around him.

If only he could get his anxiety to go away for good. Then he would be strong like Jack. He wouldn’t be the weak one anymore. They could be strong together.