Dedication Takes a Lifetime, But Dreams Only Last for a Night

"Luck loves me not tonight, I'm running out,
This four leaf clover's all but useless now..."

I closed my eyes and allowed a smile to slip across my face as I listened to Alex sing.

"I've got four wheels that say I'm not alone tonight,
I'm always looking for a joy ride through the brightest part of this town!"

I sighed happily as I opened my eyes and watch Alex as he held the last note of the song.

"Break out, break out,
As we escape through the windows,
Head for the car, and never look back, singing, singing,
"Break out, break out,
Our time has come and we've got these big city dreams."

Alex let out a deep breath as he looked down at me and smiled. I winked at him and nodded as a signal for him to carry on. His voice was breath taking.

"Put up or shut up, we're not wasting time again,
The credits are rolling and we're getting lost again,
In parking lots, to serenading sirens,
As the blue lights bathed our smiles."

I heard the meaning in his voice and I could tell that whatever this song was about was something Alex felt strongly about. It was beautiful either way.

"Break out, break out,
As we escape through the windows,
Head for the car, and never look back, singing, singing,
"Break out, break out,
Our time has come and we've got these big city dreams...."

Alex held the last note of the chorus, smiling contentedly to himself as he played the last of the guitar part. He stopped abruptly and sat down on the edge of the stage facing me. I scrunched my face up and tried not to cry, though I could feel myself choking up - in a good way. His voice was incredible and I could tell that he wasn't quite aware of just how amazing he was. My favourite subject was music, the career I wanted was in music, and even I wasn't as good as that.
"Did you like it?" I heard Alex speak up. I opened my eyes and grinned in approval.
"It was amazing Alex. You're voice is perfect, do you know that?" I told him, still smiling at him. He looked down at the floor nervously and tugged at his lower lip. He shook his head and chuckled under his breath.
"I'm not that good. Plus, the song isn't even finished. I want to add more to it." Alex replied, sighing in what seemed to be relief that I liked the song.
"I don't think you know just how good you are. The meaning in your voice - I sensed it. I saw it in your eyes and how you played. Your voice is good, Alex. Really, I mean that." I praised him, meaning every single word that I spoke. He smiled at me, appreciating what I said.
"Plus, I didn't think you were the type to be all musical and meaningful. You seemed to be too busy being full of yourself to write such things, buddy." I laughed, winking at him. He laughed along with me. I bit my lip as I stared at him. I couldn't believe how lucky I was becoming so close to him in such a short space of time. Especially after I'd been wanting that since he first moved here. He was perfect in every single way. I shook my head and looked down at the floor to get rid of those thoughts. I couldn't be thinking about him in that way - not when he was sat right next to me.
"You really think I'm that good?! It means a lot to me that you think so highly of me, Jack. I didn't think you were the type to be all deep either, but hey. You're a good guy. I'm thankful that you accepted me as a friend so quickly." He beamed at me. If only he knew just how highly I thought of him. Just the thought of him made me happy, and that was all I needed. I was friends with him now, and that meant a lot to me. It meant I felt happy, acted happy, and my Mom could stop fussing over me. He was amazing. If only he knew...
I noticed a tear roll down his cheek and I got up out of my seat. I walked over to him and threw my arms around his neck. He slipped down off the edge of the stage and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Thank you, Alex. It'll be okay, I promise. I'm here." I whispered into his ear. I rested my chin on his shoulder and smiled. I felt him breathing fast and I could hear his heart racing. I gulped and he twitched as I did so. What if Alex felt the mutual towards me? No, Jack. Stop thinking like that. I shook my head as I pulled away from the hug. I looked down at the floor and started fidgeting. Alex tapped me on the chin to get me to look up at him and I did so.
"It will be okay now you're here. We'll both be okay." Alex reassured me. I nodded hesitantly. We both climbed back up onto the stage and sat cross legged facing each other. I passed Alex his notebook and he slid it into his guitar case. I suddenly felt like I knew Alex a whole lot better than I did before, and I felt relieved for it.
"What do you want to be when you're older, anyway?" I questioned him, changing the subject. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I-Uh... A singer? I want to start a band, actually, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough." Alex explained. I laughed and rolled my eyes.
"You're amazing, pal. You'd be more than good enough!" I told him, "Funny that... I want to be a guitarist, or something of the sort."
"We should start a two man band!" Alex joked. I nodded jokingly in agreement. I liked the thought of that, though I knew we didn't have a chance. It was a nice though either way.
"We'd top the charts in no time." I said, winking at him. We both erupted into laughter. I shook my head and put my head in my hands. He was funnier than I thought he would be. I was glad that I'd got the opportunity to talk to him in private. He'd opened up to me, and he seemed to trust me enough. It was a good thing, I guessed.
We both jumped as we heard the bell go to signal the next lesson. I had a free period, and Alex had previously agreed to skip this lesson with me as well. Neither of us moved and I let out a deep breath. I was lucky to have been given the chance to be friends with Alex. I'd spent so long feeling down that I had begun to convince myself that I'd never be happy - and most of that was because of the way Alex's "friends" treated me. Being bullied did nothing to my self esteem, and I had little to no confidence, which was why I kept my head down and stayed out of everyone's ways if I'm honest. I hated being unpopular and having hardly any friends. I was hoping Alex could change that, but he seemed to be becoming more and more unpopular as the days went on.
"Hey, why don't you tell me about yourself now?" Alex urged me. I chuckled sarcastically.
"Not much to tell, really." I told him, smiling innocently.
"Sum your life up then. You know all my troubles now!" Alex reminded me. I sighed and nodded, giving in to him.
"Okay, okay!" I exclaimed, laughing. I took a deep breath before starting, "I'm Jack, as you know. I have a sister called May and two brothers called Leeyh and Joe. I'm part Lebanese. On the whole, I get along with my parents, though my Mom is convinced that I have depression. I've been bullied all of my life and that sucks, but none of my family know about that. It gets me down, sure. It gets me down a lot, but I'm pulling myself through. I'm not the most popular kid, and my two closest friends are Rian Dawson and Zack Merrick. I don't try in school because it all bores me, apart from music. Music is good. I like different music to most people, but music is my passion and noone can take that away from me. I like to think of myself as unique, though most people just call me weird. That's me. Jack Bassam Barakat. That's my life."
I sighed heavily as I finished. I could feel myself choking up and I felt like I wanted to cry. I'd never spoken about getting bullied with anyone. I hated myself, and I blamed myself for it. I was just glad that I was finally coming out of that now I met Alex. I wanted more than anything to admit to liking him, but I'd never have the guts to do anything like that. I looked back up at him and smiled nervously.
Alex looked at me sympathetically. Great - sympathy wasn't what I wanted. All I wanted was a friend. I just hoped that he didn't think I was weird.
"Jack, I-... I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say. I didn't know that you were bullied all that time. I know what it's like to have no friends, believe it or not. It'll get better, I promise. I'm here, and you have Rian and Zack. You are unique, man. You're amazing. Incredible. I mean it. You're not weird, and you will be happy." Alex told me. I bit my lip and the corners of my mouth curled upwards at his attempt of helping me.
"Noone knows what to say. Noone knows that I've been getting bullied all my life either - I don't like to talk about it. Thanks, buddy... And oh, I am happy. I can assure you of that." I told him, grinning. If he knew why I was so happy then he may never have become so friendly with me.
"Why so happy?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow and elbowing me. I giggled, leaning away from him.
"Oh, never mind. I just am." I replied. He sighed in a joking manner, giving up attempting to get it out of me. Oh, how I wish he knew how he made me feel. I watched him as he got up to go and pack his guitar away.
"Question!" I blurted out suddenly, pausing as he turned his attention back to me. He knelt up and twisted his body around so he was facing me.
"Huh?" He mumbled, confused.
"Nothing important, but do you like Blink 182?" I inquired. I'd had a sudden idea, and if he agreed to it, it'd make me the happiest Jack alive.
"I haven't heard them..." Alex informed me, frowning at me with a look of confusion on his face.
"If I give you a CD, will you listen to it when you're home and text me tonight?" I offered, grabbing my bag and looking through it for my copy of The Mark, Tom and Travis Show, which happened to be my favourite CD by the band. I never let anyone borrow it - not even Zack and Rian. I held it out to him and raised an eyebrow hopefully. He nodded, taking it off me carefully and glancing at the CD cover.
"I'll give it a listen straight away. Anything for you Jacky." Alex agreed. A shiver ran down my spine as he called me Jacky. It wasn't a name that I wasn't used to hearing - most people called me it, but when I heard Alex say it, it made me feel special. Like I was wanted my someone. I focused on controlling my lower body. I went bright red in the face and threw my hands up to my face.
"Good. Now, we better get going buddy." I spoke up as Alex stood up with his guitar case and slung the strap over his shoulder. I jumped down off the edge of the stage and Alex followed me down the steps.
"Sure thing. We shall be off." Alex said, beaming in my direction. We both began walking up the stairs of the auditorium.
"Thanks for skipping class and coming to talk to me, man. It's been nice." I thanked him, every word being honest. He nodded and looked at me gratefully. We got to the top of the stairs and he opened his arms wide, offering a hug. I walked into his arms and rested my head on his shoulders. I could feel his breath on my neck and I felt a warm feeling arise inside me. I felt content for once.
"Thanks Jack." He whispered into my neck. We both pulled away from the hug and I nodded at him. He was perfect in my eyes. He was incredible.