Running From Lions

Jack walked the empty city streets, he figured that he only had one shot at making things right with his best friend, and he knew that he would have to find him so that he could fix this mess he had made. Thinking back, Jack remembered what Alex had said before the chaos had erupted:
“Do you ever feel Like… you know this person right? You know them, you’ve known them for what seems like forever, but yet, something happens and… everything changes?” Alex’s words echoed in Jack’s mind. He sighed as he walked down the street, what if Alex had been talking about Jack? What if Alex felt like Jack wasn’t the same as before and he could feel Jack always paying closer attention to him than anyone else? Jack wanted to scream from the feelings that were building up around him. He knew that he was stupid to have fallen for his best friend, yet he couldn’t help himself. He became constantly caught up in the little things. The way Alex would spend hours on his hair before he would leave his house, the look of concentration on his face when he would write a new song… the way he furrowed his eyebrows…
Jack sighed heavily and kicked a rock to the side of the curb. “Why can’t I be fucking normal?” He grumbled, questioning himself. He knew deep inside that this wasn’t just a crush on his best friend… it was so much more. Alex and Jack had been best friends for almost four years now, Alex knew Jack better than anyone else, and Jack new that if he hadn’t already, Alex would figure it out eventually.
A few blocks away Alex Gaskarth sat on Thames Street in the front of a local coffee shop. He was sitting at a small table with only two chairs; the one opposite to him was empty.
He drummed his fingers on the table top while his head rested on his other hand. It was a cold September afternoon and he was almost frozen sitting outside while the wind blew through Baltimore.
“What the fuck am I going to do?” Alex mumbled to himself. When he had left his house he hadn’t cried. He was too upset to even think about what he was going to do next, instead he just walked. Walked until his feet were sore and he was tired of thinking. He found the nearest convenient seat and tried to make sense of what had happened back at the house. He knew two things:
One, Jack had kissed him on the forehead. Out of love, out of comfort, or maybe out of pure friendship, Whichever, Alex didn’t know, but it had left him with an emotional hurricane, sending his heart racing to cling onto any ounce of affection that he could take in from the younger boy.
Two, Alex was in love. At first it may have only been a crush, a simple fondness of his best friend, but it had grown so much stronger. Alex couldn’t stop thinking about the boy, the way his hair stuck up in all sorts of directions, the way he would put his heart and soul into playing the guitar, and the way he could make up a joke in any sort of situation… Those were just a few of many things that Alex had loved about Jack. Alex groaned and laid his head down on the table, wishing his love for Jack would just disappear. Suddenly there was a sound of footsteps approaching him and Alex looked up at the figure who was standing infront of him.
“What’s got your panties in a bunch?” Tay Jardine growled, looking down at the boy. Alex just grimaced. She had changed her outfit since school and was now wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a lime-green halter top and red heels, clashing, as usual. Alex just rolled his eyes and sighed.
“Like you would care” He said to her, looking away.
“Try me.” Tay said blankly. She put the large amount of shopping bags she had been carrying on the sidewalk and slid into the chair across from Alex.
“Tay…” Alex began to shoo her away.
“No” She interrupted. “You listen to me Alex, you can’t just fuck with my feelings you know? I’m sorry, I’m sorry I obviously screwed things up, but look, I’ve tried. Maybe not in the … best ways” She sighed referring to the slight mishap at Jack’s house at the end of summer. “But look, now I’m here and I see that you’re fucking upset, you know Alex, don’t assume that I don’t care about you still, because I do.” She looked at him with sad eyes. Alex just sighed deeply.
“Alright, Tay” He said. He had no choice but to accept the girl’s version of an apology, he knew it wouldn’t make anything better, but it was good enough. He had better things to worry about than his ex-girlfriend.
“So what’s wrong?” She asked him, looking into his deep brown eyes.
“Just a lot going on” Alex shrugged, “nothing that you need to worry about, anyways.” He looked down at the table, avoiding her eyes. If anything, he would never tell anyone about his recent feelings towards Jack, especially not Tay, she would spread the news around school faster than Alex could admit to it being true.
“I see...” She said slowly.
“Yeah. How are you?” He questioned her.
“Good” She nodded. “I missed you this summer, It sucked after you left you know? I actually felt bad.”
“Good” Alex laughed, he was serious though, Tay had betrayed him to the point where Alex didn’t know what it was to live anymore, after she had left him, he didn’t want to live anymore. Of course Jack had swooped right in and fixed him up… just like always.
“Me and Jeff are together again though.” She stated. Jeffery Watkins was the name of the boy that Tay had left Alex for in the first place. He had already graduated from Baltimore High, but Tay had met him at a college Christmas party she had gone to, that was the night she had cheated on him.
“Really.” Alex nodded “how nice.” He rolled his eyes, obviously unimpressed with the girl.
“Well… I’m happy now.” She said, she smiled slightly at the boy, obviously not taking notice to the expression on his face. Typical Tay, Alex laughed it off and they continued talking about her recent relationship.

At that moment, Jack Barakat turned on the corner of Thames and South Broadway. He was looking for his best friend, he needed to make things better before the worst happened, but it looked like he was a little too late. Jack spotted Alex sitting outside of the coffee shop on the street, and he wasn’t alone. Tay Jardine sat there alongside the boy, laughing and smiling away.
Jack narrowed his eyes. What the fuck was happening?! This was not how things were supposed to work out for him. He was supposed to find Alex first, he was going to explain how he felt to him! He was going to tell him everything…
Jack held back tears and turned around, almost ready to run home. He couldn’t take a second longer of this, he needed to figure out what he was going to do, and he needed to know how Alex felt. He took a deep breath in and stood quietly on the corner for a few moments, trying to clear his head from any bad thoughts that remained. Then suddenly someone called out his name.

Jack turned around to find his best friend racing towards him with open eyes.
“Jack!” Alex called out once more. He ran into his best friends arms without hesitation.
“W-what are you doing here?” Alex looked up at the older boy once they had pulled apart.
“Looking for you.” Jack shrugged. “I saw you with Tay.” He looked down at the cement, afraid to meet the other boys’ eyes.
“Well I was alone, but then she ruined my peace and quiet.” Alex narrowed his eyes.
Jack sighed “you looked pretty happy to me.” He said. Suddenly a feeling took over Alex, he felt unafraid, as if he could do anything in the world. He grabbed Jack by the hand and intertwined their fingers.
“No.” He said looking Jack straight in the eyes. “I was not. She was annoying me and quite frankly I wanted to be with you instead.”
“r-really?” Jack stuttered.
“Yes.” Alex said, still looking the younger boy in the eyes. “I always want to be with you Jack… you’re my best friend.” Jack smiled down at Alex, filled with relief.
“I like being with you too Lexy.” He said. The two boys were still holding hands, their eyes locked onto one-another.
“We should talk” Alex finally let out. “About what happened before.”
“Yeah” Jack nodded in agreement “I think that would be a good idea.”
“Not now” Alex said. “This weekend okay?” Jack breathed in heavily, that was an entire four days away, could he deal with keeping his feelings for Alex to himself, for that long?
“Okay” Jack agreed, “This weekend. Are we still going to have band practice tonight?” Alex grinned at the younger boys dumb question,
“Of course we are you faggot” He laughed “Why wouldn’t we?” Jack just shrugged. The boys let go of one another’s hand, “Wanna go back to my house?” Alex said happily. “I’m sure you left the pizza out in the open, mum won’t be too happy about that.” They began to walk down the street.
“Oh shit” Jack said moaning. “Whatever, it’s your fucking house you douche; you’re the one who’s supposed to be cleaning it up!” The boys continued to laugh and take jabs at one-another and that was exactly the way it was supposed to be. They were never happier from the moments that they were together, smiling away. Alex and Jack, Jack and Alex, that was the way it was supposed to be, but only time would tell what would happen next.