The Devil On Your Shoulder

'Just another day.' I told myself as I walked down the dreaded path to school. I lived on the same street as Alex, and we both walked to school the same way. For the last 6 months, I'd been taking a different route, an escape route. A route that didn't include Alex.

A route that didn't include Alex, that phrase basically summed up my life.

Alex's POV *Flashback*

There was something weird about Jack lately. He'd been iffy with me. Last time I spoke to him he hadn't been able to look me directly in the eyes. I was confused, Jack was my best friend. I'd never had a best friend, just a load of people I'd pushed away when they fell for me. I didn't like being loved, I never have. I was always supposed to be the one who loved more, that's how it happened in my old school. I'd love someone and they wouldn't love me back, every single time.

"Jack!" I called out when I saw him pass me in the corridor. He didn't look up and just kept on walking. I frowned. His pale skin was even paler than usual, his bags under his eyes growing and tinged with red, like he'd been crying.

I heard a scoff coming from behind me. I spun around to see Oliver Sykes, more oftenly known as "Oli" standing there. "What'd you want?" I sneered. Oli had been my "best friend" before Jack came along. We never really were best friends, he'd just order me about and I'd do the same to him.

"Gettin' ignored by your boyfriend?" He grinned. "Shame, you two were cute together."

I grabbed him by the collar, pushing him up against the lockers. "What the hell are you doing to him?"

He pushed me hard, hard enough to make me lose grip of him. He brushed himself down and then looked up at me. "Bad move, Gaskarth, bad move." He told me, his eyes glistening. "I know all about you and your little "friend"." He said, emphasizing on the word 'friend'.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've seen you two together, there's more to your friendship than you're making it out to be."

I chuckled. "Ha, making up tales again are we?"

Oli pushed me again, but this time I didn't stumble. I pushed him back, hard. He wiped his mouth with his hand and grinned up at me. "Thought you knew better than that, Al."

"Don't call me Al." I told him sharply. He put his hands up sarcastically.

"Meet me outside after school, I have a present for you."

"I do like presents." I replied, hitting his shoulder as I walked away.

Jack's POV

My eye hurt like hell. I'd been punched in the face before, for loads of different reasons. For being gay, for wearing tight jeans, for not having any friends, for failing my maths SAT. I was more than used to it. I should have seen it coming. I knew it was gonna come at some point.

Oliver Sykes was a jealous fuck. There's no better way to say it. He was jealous of me, jealous of Alex. In retrospect, he wasn't all bad, it wasn't his fault he turned to violence. He'd had a shit childhood, we all knew it. He couldn't deal with his anger, anger management he needed. According to him though, he didn't need help. He didn't need anyone. He didn't even need Alex.

I almost felt sorry for the guy, the only friends he has are ones that turn their back on him every time he slips up or they find someone better. More commonly, because they see him for his true colors. His backstabbing, violent colors. No one could see him for what he was more than I could. I pitied the guy. I actually pitied him.

I also knew what he was capable of. I knew he was capable of killing me, beating the living daylights out of me and leaving me there. That's why I obeyed him. I wasn't gonna fall down that road again. Last time I'd messed with him he'd broken my collarbone, which hurt so bad I wince even remembering it. What if next time it's my neck he breaks?

Josh Franceschi was his side kick. They were like Batman and Robin. Franceschi would do all of Oli's dirty work. He'd push people around when they messed with Oli. It was only supreme cases that Oli would deal with people himself. Cases like me and Alex.

The only reason Oli had the patience for Franceschi was because Oli was far from confident. He was shy, a fucking coward. Franceschi on the other hand was the cockiest dick you'll ever meet. I hated to admit it, but I liked Franceschi. When he wasn't being an idiot he was funny. He was genuine. He was far from a bad guy. If it weren't for Oli, who knows, maybe Franceschi would have been my Alex.

I laughed at myself for thinking that. Could you imagine that, Franceschi and Barakat? Best friends?

Considering that the cause of the pain in my wrists was because of him and his Batman, among many other reasons, it was a pretty stupid thing to even think.

I winced at the thought of my wrists. I'd only been this morning that I'd "fallen over". They hadn't stopped bleeding and every time I touched them it hurt. A lot. My knuckles were also pretty fucked for punching my bedroom wall. It hadn't gone so well. I wasn't a strong guy, I was far from it. I'd attempted to punch the wall, knowing that Alex had done it many of times, but I hadn't left the same hole that Alex had, instead I'd left my knuckle bloody and in a lot of pain. The wall wasn't even marked.

I hadn't spoken to Alex properly in about 2 weeks. It was killing me. The pain from missing him was worse than my eye, my wrist and my knuckle all put together. I'd been best friends with Alex for about 5 months now, and I needed him. I really did.

My mum asked about him most nights. "Where's Alex? What's going on with you two? Did you fall out? I made mac and cheese, Alex's favourite, why don't you invite him over? Jack, I've got a load of shopping to do, please get Alex to come with me? He always knows the best food."

Sometimes I wondered if my mum would prefer Alex to be her son. Maybe if he was, she wouldn't have split up with my dad.

My dad had only met Alex a few times because he was busy. Too busy. He was too busy for me, for my mum, for anyone. My dad used to be my best friend. I'd come home and I'd tell him about my day and he'd listen to every single word. He wouldn't ask questions until I was finished. He always understood, he was always on my side. He was better than any friend I'd ever had.

Now he was gone and so was Alex. I had no one again. Sure, I had my mum, but she wasn't the same. She didn't have time for me, much like my dad now. She juggled 2 jobs, helping out at an old folks home and volunteer work at the university. She was a good woman, she really was. I'd always looked up to her. Especially the way she was with my dad. Always so loving, right up until 2 years ago.

"Jack!" Alex shouted as I walked past him. I lowered my head, blood rushing through my body like I was a marathon runner. Stay calm, Jack, keep walking. I told myself over and over in my head. I'd caught a glimpse of Oli as I'd walked past, take one look at Alex and I knew I'd be quartered before the end of the day.

It broke my heart ignoring him. It really did. Happiness and worry had left his mouth as he spoke, and I felt like crying. I felt like crying and I had no one there to comfort me.

"I need you, Alex." I whispered as I turned the corner. I put my head on my locker, banging against it lightly. I didn't think I could take this anymore. And just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, there came the one person I'd been dreading.