Paint Yourself a Picture, Something Perfectly Obscure
11
It’d been about 3 hours since Jack had texted me when my phone rang and I saw it was him “Hey” I answered to hear voices “Shut up dude I’m on the phone” a voice snapped that wasn’t Jacks. “Hi, is Dillon there?” the voice asked, “This is she” I stated, “What? Whoa Dillon’s a chick not a dude. He’s been hanging out with a girl?” the voice asked and I gathered the questions weren’t directed at me.
“Sorry erm Dillon it’s Alex, Jacks friend” he said “Okay” I replied unsure of where with was going “Erm can you come down to the hospital?” he asked “Why?” I asked not quite catching on. “It’s Jack, he’s had to come in and he’s asking for you,” he stated, I felt sick as soon as he said it.
“What? Is he okay?” I asked “Oh yeah don’t you worry about him he’ll be fine, he’s a tough one but he’s got to stay in for a couple of hours and he keeps asking for you so would you mind coming down? What?” I heard Alex ask and I heard voices in the background.
“Okay so he says I have to come pick you up, is that okay?” he asked and I shook my head, Jack knew I hadn’t been in a car since the accident “I’d rather walk” I admitted “She say’s she wants to walk, oh alright calm down will you. The doctor said you shouldn’t be talking much” Alex snapped “He said you have to let me drive you and that you know he wouldn’t make you if it wasn’t for a reason” he said and I heard a door shutting and the voices disappeared.
“Look I know it seems weird me calling and all but he’s really shook up about this and he wanted to ring you but well he’s not really supposed to be talking and I know he’s been hanging out with a Dillon and I just presumed it was a guy sorry. He can be a secretive little git sometimes and he’s mentioned you but never anything about you and well I can explain all this in the car but will you please just come down to the hospital because otherwise he’s going to do my head in” Alex explained and I smiled.
“I’ll come down but I’d really rather walk down, it won’t take me long” I replied “Look he wants me to pick you up for a reason and it’s not my place to say what that is but if I let you walk down he’ll worry himself sick and if I lie and say I picked you up and he finds out I didn’t he will potentially kill me so please let me pick you up” he reasoned and I sighed.
It was 2-minute car journey tops and there’d be no traffic and Jack obviously really wanted me to go with Alex “Okay” I said giving him my address. He was there within 5 minutes and I opened the door to see him stood there “Hang on you’re the drummer girl” he said and I nodded.
“Jack Barakat you sneaky little boy, I’m Alex but then we’ve met before” he said smiling and he looked at me “Jack kind of told me your jumpy about cars so I promised him to drive really careful. I’m sorry about the whole guy thing,” he said as he walked back to his car with me ”It’s okay” I stated as we got in his car and I felt sick.
“If I drive too fast or anything tell me okay?” he said as he pulled off and I nodded trying to force it out my mind “So you’re where Jack’s been running off to, I should’ve seen it coming. You like Lion King and knew it was Nala; he was bound to want to be friends with you. I guess I should do some explaining before you see him,” he said keeping his eyes on the road and I surprisingly didn’t feel that bad.
All that talking with Jack must’ve worked somehow because I only felt extra cautious like I needed to keep checking things out and not like I wanted to get out right now although I was thankful the hospital was close. “I don’t really know how much you know about Jack but he has a few…problems,” Alex said and I decided to save him the struggle.
“I know he’s been to rehab and had therapy, I know his moms boyfriend used to hit him when he was like 17 and we saw him earlier today and he made me run away from him and I know about Cassie from therapy” I admitted and Alex smiled “So you know Jack then, well he caught up with Jack later on” Alex said and I looked at him.
“What? He said he’d gotten home fine” I said and Alex nodded “From what I can get out of him the guy must’ve followed you guys when you were running away and then waited until Jack left yours and followed him to his. Jack said something about answering the door and someone grabbed him and Jack managed to ring me without him knowing and I went around to find Jack like he is now” Alex explained as he pulled up at the hospital and I sighed as we got out walking into the hospital.
My first car journey and nobody died. Alex kept looking at me and then smiling when I caught him looking, “Okay so a couple more things; don’t let him know he’s as bad as he is because he’s a drama queen and he’ll make out he’s dying and he’s not as bad as he looks Jack just bruises like soft fruit” he said and I looked at him. “Did you just liken him to soft fruit?” I asked and Alex laughed.
“Yes I did, now come on before he starts worrying I’ve kidnapped you or something” he said opening the door “I’m back with your friend Dillon, who you never mentioned was a girl or that she’s the drummer girl you insisted on me picking for our gig” Alex teased as I walked in and the others looked at me and I recognised them to be Zack and Rian and they both smiled at me.
“If your okay we’re going to go ring your mom okay?” Alex asked and Jack nodded and they all left and he looked at me and I saw what Alex meant. He was starting to come out in bruises, his face looked red and swollen in places with the beginnings of a black eye on his right hand side and a cut lip.
“Sorry erm Dillon it’s Alex, Jacks friend” he said “Okay” I replied unsure of where with was going “Erm can you come down to the hospital?” he asked “Why?” I asked not quite catching on. “It’s Jack, he’s had to come in and he’s asking for you,” he stated, I felt sick as soon as he said it.
“What? Is he okay?” I asked “Oh yeah don’t you worry about him he’ll be fine, he’s a tough one but he’s got to stay in for a couple of hours and he keeps asking for you so would you mind coming down? What?” I heard Alex ask and I heard voices in the background.
“Okay so he says I have to come pick you up, is that okay?” he asked and I shook my head, Jack knew I hadn’t been in a car since the accident “I’d rather walk” I admitted “She say’s she wants to walk, oh alright calm down will you. The doctor said you shouldn’t be talking much” Alex snapped “He said you have to let me drive you and that you know he wouldn’t make you if it wasn’t for a reason” he said and I heard a door shutting and the voices disappeared.
“Look I know it seems weird me calling and all but he’s really shook up about this and he wanted to ring you but well he’s not really supposed to be talking and I know he’s been hanging out with a Dillon and I just presumed it was a guy sorry. He can be a secretive little git sometimes and he’s mentioned you but never anything about you and well I can explain all this in the car but will you please just come down to the hospital because otherwise he’s going to do my head in” Alex explained and I smiled.
“I’ll come down but I’d really rather walk down, it won’t take me long” I replied “Look he wants me to pick you up for a reason and it’s not my place to say what that is but if I let you walk down he’ll worry himself sick and if I lie and say I picked you up and he finds out I didn’t he will potentially kill me so please let me pick you up” he reasoned and I sighed.
It was 2-minute car journey tops and there’d be no traffic and Jack obviously really wanted me to go with Alex “Okay” I said giving him my address. He was there within 5 minutes and I opened the door to see him stood there “Hang on you’re the drummer girl” he said and I nodded.
“Jack Barakat you sneaky little boy, I’m Alex but then we’ve met before” he said smiling and he looked at me “Jack kind of told me your jumpy about cars so I promised him to drive really careful. I’m sorry about the whole guy thing,” he said as he walked back to his car with me ”It’s okay” I stated as we got in his car and I felt sick.
“If I drive too fast or anything tell me okay?” he said as he pulled off and I nodded trying to force it out my mind “So you’re where Jack’s been running off to, I should’ve seen it coming. You like Lion King and knew it was Nala; he was bound to want to be friends with you. I guess I should do some explaining before you see him,” he said keeping his eyes on the road and I surprisingly didn’t feel that bad.
All that talking with Jack must’ve worked somehow because I only felt extra cautious like I needed to keep checking things out and not like I wanted to get out right now although I was thankful the hospital was close. “I don’t really know how much you know about Jack but he has a few…problems,” Alex said and I decided to save him the struggle.
“I know he’s been to rehab and had therapy, I know his moms boyfriend used to hit him when he was like 17 and we saw him earlier today and he made me run away from him and I know about Cassie from therapy” I admitted and Alex smiled “So you know Jack then, well he caught up with Jack later on” Alex said and I looked at him.
“What? He said he’d gotten home fine” I said and Alex nodded “From what I can get out of him the guy must’ve followed you guys when you were running away and then waited until Jack left yours and followed him to his. Jack said something about answering the door and someone grabbed him and Jack managed to ring me without him knowing and I went around to find Jack like he is now” Alex explained as he pulled up at the hospital and I sighed as we got out walking into the hospital.
My first car journey and nobody died. Alex kept looking at me and then smiling when I caught him looking, “Okay so a couple more things; don’t let him know he’s as bad as he is because he’s a drama queen and he’ll make out he’s dying and he’s not as bad as he looks Jack just bruises like soft fruit” he said and I looked at him. “Did you just liken him to soft fruit?” I asked and Alex laughed.
“Yes I did, now come on before he starts worrying I’ve kidnapped you or something” he said opening the door “I’m back with your friend Dillon, who you never mentioned was a girl or that she’s the drummer girl you insisted on me picking for our gig” Alex teased as I walked in and the others looked at me and I recognised them to be Zack and Rian and they both smiled at me.
“If your okay we’re going to go ring your mom okay?” Alex asked and Jack nodded and they all left and he looked at me and I saw what Alex meant. He was starting to come out in bruises, his face looked red and swollen in places with the beginnings of a black eye on his right hand side and a cut lip.