Running From Lions

Later that night after everyone had left, Jack and Alex were set up in Jack’s rec room. It was Alex’s favorite room in the house. Originally it had been the garage to the two-story Victorian house that Jack lived in, but after the boys had started their band Alex and Jack had convinced Mrs.Barakat to convert it into more of a rec room for the band to practice in. The carpet was soft and the walls were painted a light cream color, the boys had eventually gotten sick of the walls and decorated them with as many Blink-182 and Greenday posters as they could find. It was a perfect setting for when the boys wanted to record videos. The instruments were set up behind the couch, which was set up in front of the T.V. Alex loved his home-away from home. No matter what, he was always welcome here.

“Fuck Alex you’re supposed to be on my fucking team!” Jack screamed at the T.V. The boys were playing Call Of Duty on Xbox360, and Jack was getting sick of Alex’s poor aiming skills. Alex sighed heavily while sitting beside his best friend.
“Sorry man, gotta lot on my mind I guess” He shrugged. Jack looked over at his best friend before grabbing the remote to the T.V and shutting down the system.
“Wanna talk about it?” He lay back on the couch, just so he was facing Alex. Alex tossed his remote on the floor and shrugged.
“I guess I’m just worried about going back to school… with Tay and all.” Alex sighed heavily again, running his hands through his deep brown hair. “She just fucking gets to me you know?”
Jack sat up and faced his best friend straight on.
“I know man” He said, placing one of his hands on Alex’s shoulder. “And I will totally be there to kick her ass. You just gotta find someone new.” Alex nodded slowly. Jack was right, Alex did need to find someone new, but he had never been so close to a girl as he had with Tay. He had never really been close with anyone before.
‘Well except Jack’ Alex thought to himself ‘If I could find a girl version of Jack, then she would be perfect.’ Alex lost himself in a daydream and then realized that he was crazy. A girl like Jack!? No girl could come close to as how crazy his best friend is. Alex sighed heavily.
“Lex?” Jack piped up, interrupting the older boys thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“I asked if you wanted to order pizza.” Jack laughed at his best friend who has obviously been lost in thought.
“Oh, yeah sure, Hawaiian” Alex stated. Jack jumped up off the couch.
“Didn’t ask what kind you wanted, douche” Jack said, winking. Alex just rolled his eyes while Jack walked out of the room to call for delivery. Alex sighed and lay back on the couch. He closed his eyes momentarily and wondered what it would be like to date Jack. If only he was gay, that would be the easy way out. Him and Jack had been inseparable since grade eight and they knew absolutely everything about each other, and he was so easy to talk to! Alex sighed shaking his head once again, he shouldn’t be thinking such stupid things. Even if the best friends were gay, Alex had no chance with a boy like Jack.
Alex stood up and walked towards the instruments that were set up behind the couch. He picked up his acoustic guitar and began to strum, humming the lyrics to a song he had thought up the other day.

“Anything new?” Jack walked back into the room and over to his best friend. He picked up his own electric guitar and plugged it into the amp that was set on the floor beside the drums.
“Nah.” Alex shrugged. “Just the same stuff I wrote last week.” Jack nodded at his best friend.
“I like the song you wrote about Tay” He smiled. “Gotta name for it yet?”
Alex nodded “The Girl’s A Straight Up Hustler” Alex said smiling. Jack burst out laughing.
“Fits perfectly” He said. They began to practice a bit, waiting for the Pizza to come. It was only 9PM and Jack’s mother and father wouldn’t be home from work until around 10, no one was home to complain about the noise the boys were making.

Alex felt more alive than ever while he played beside his best friend. Nothing felt more perfect in the world than the belonging of something real. They had started the band back in ninth grade, after they met Zack and Rian. Giving themselves the name of “All Time Low” it had been history ever since. Music was their muse. Alex stood beside Jack, smiling and plucking out a tab that matched Jacks powerful riff. The boys music together grew louder and louder until…

The doorbell rang. Jack’s face lit up as he stopped playing and yelled “Pizza!” He almost dropped his guitar but instead placed it steadily in It’s stand. Alex copied the younger boys movements and they ran up the stairs and to the front door. Jack opened the door smiling at the young male who stood there with three large boxes.
“How much will that be?” Jack asked politely, he was never one to be rude to a stranger (or anyone dealing with his food.)
“$25.95” The boy smiled. Alex took the pizzas from the man’s arms as Jack pulled out a twenty and a ten dollar bill. He handed the man the money and smiled.
“Keep the change” He said happily, closing the door. Alex just laughed at his best friends smooth gestures. They gathered the food and went back downstairs to the garage.
Jack placed the boxes on the coffee table and inhaled the smell.
“Ahhh” He sighed heavily “nothing more beautiful than that smell” He grinned. “Movie?” He asked Alex.
“Sure thing.” Alex said. He walked over to the bookshelf of movies that Jacks family had obtained over the years. This was one of Alex’s favorite things about the Barakat Household, no matter what, you could never get bored there! Not with the movies, the pool, the music. Really, it was paradise, spent right alongside with his best friend.
“Sci-fi?” Alex suggested, ruffling through the movies. Mr.Barakat had a strange obsession with his movies, he would always order them in genre, and then again alphabetically. Jack didn’t mind though, made it easier to find them.
“Uhh, sure” Jack said, his face stuffed full of cheese pizza. Alex turned around at the boy and raised his right eye brow at him. Jack was sitting with his feet on the coffee table, and entire box of pizza was sitting on his lap, three slices already missing. Jack smiled, his mouth full of pizza.
“You are so gross!” Alex laughed, he turned back around to look at the movies. “Have you seen The Fourth Kind?” He shivered, it sounded scary to Alex and he hated horror films.
“Nah” Jack shrugged swallowing down his food. “I heard its great though! Put it in!” He smiled, knowing that Alex would be too frightened to make it through the movie.
If there was one thing Alex hated most in the world, it was horror movies. When he was younger his mother and father would let him watch whatever he wanted. He came across a movie called “Children Of The Corn” when he was in kindergarten, he watched it and, he hadn’t quite gotten over the whole “Horror” concept ever since.

Alex bit his lip and looked at his best friend with sad eyes. Jack knew how much Alex hated scary movies.
“Lex” Jack shook his head at his best friend “you can hold onto me if you get scared” He joked around. Alex thought back to what he has been pondering before, Jack… would be the perfect boyfriend. He shook his head, trying to escape the slightly homosexual thoughts. ‘No’ he thought to himself ‘don’t even think about that’ He scolded himself mentally in his head and put the disc for The Fourth Kind, in the Blu-ray player. He sat down comfortably beside his best friend and opened one of the pizza boxes.
“Aw” he cooed looking down at the pizza “You got me Hawaiian!” He laughed and picked up a piece.
“only because I knew that if I didn’t you would be whining the whole time” Jack growled at his best friend. They began to eat and watch the movie silently.

About a half hour later, the movie began to get too freaky for Alex. All the pizza boxes were empty and lying on the floor in a cluttered mess. Alex was wrapped up in a soft fleece blanket at the end of the couch, hiding his eyes behind a pillow that he was hugging to his chest. Jack was lounged casually at the opposite end, fearless as he watched the movie without flinching. Alex shivered, noticing his best friends’ bravery; he only wished he could be like that.
Jack suddenly noticed the way Alex was hidden from the screen. He chuckled to himself and shook his head.
“Leeexx” He cooed, “Don’t be a scardy cat, come here” He pulled the blanket from off Alex and grabbed the older boy by the arm, pulling him towards himself. Alex scrambled and reached for the blankets but Jack only hushed him, calming him down by placing his hand on Alex’s knee.
“Shhh” Jack whispered. “Its only a movie.” He pulled Alex closer so that their bodies touched. Alex was just close enough so he could turn his head into Jack’s chest when he got nervous. Jack was surprisingly okay with this, placing his hand on the older boys head and running his hands through his hair for comfort.

Alex couldn’t help but notice the feelings that built up in his stomache when Jack was playing with his hair. It was as if he had butterflies, but that was impossible, Alex didn’t like Jack! Jack was his best friend and that was all. He pulled away quickly.
“Uhh, I have to go to the wash-room” He said, flashing his best friend a smile.
Jack nodded casually; as if nothing had happened between the two of them.
“Movie is almost over any-ways” He smiled “you don’t have to be scared anymore.” He winked.
Alex laughed sarcastically and left the room. What was wrong with him? He couldn't think of his best friend in the sort of way he was while they were watching the movie.
Not now, not ever. Alex needed to find himself a girl.