New Necessities (To Live and Let Go)

Zack was the best brother ever. There were no one word answers as to why that was particularly true, but it was quite a truthful statement.
Anyone who ever saw the two Barakat boys knew so. Whenever Zack, the older one with the perfect aura and happiness just radiating from him, was around his little brother (of three years younger), the younger brother never gave the slightest hint of a frown. If you were even lucky enough to be close to Zack, you could see that he treated his little brother as the most important thing in his life, at school, at home, and all the places he ever went.

At any given moment in time, except for when Zack was deep into sleep, he would answer to his little brother's texts, calls, and various signals saying that his baby bro wanted to chat about something.

One of the reasons as to why Zack was so fond of his younger sibling was because Zack knew that Jack didn't really have any other friends. Jack was a loner. And Zack spent all the time he could trying to make Jack just forget about it.

It was a real proper nice thing to do. Out-of-the-ordinary for most brothers to do for any sibling.
Jack really appreciated it too. Even though he couldn't really tell that he didn't know a lot of people too well, he loved spending all his time with Zack. His awesome big brother, Zack.

At the time, the two Barakat boys were playing soccer in the backyard for Jack's training regimen.

"Dammit Jack!"

Jack laughed and kept running to the white fence. He kicked the ball as hard as he could and threw his hands up as it hit hard against the wood.
"Gooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaal!" The sophomore shouted.

Zack jogged lightly over to his brother. An angry smile on his face. He ruffled Jack's long-ish hair forcefully and said, "No fair, I'm a football player!"

Jack chuckled and tossed Zack's arm away from his head so he could pick up the ball.
"But this IS football!"

"AMERICAN football, Jack.
American."

Jack stuck his tongue out mockingly and tossed the soccer ball back at his brother, built for AMERICAN football.

"Well then," Zack started sassily, "Today we're doing cardio. Lahts and lahts of cerdio."

"Why are you doing this to me?" complained Jack.

"Because Sam is on varsity, and they do these things all the time. Your goal IS varsity, right? Not some measly little jv team here, right?"

Jack sighed, defeated. "Yeah."

"You need to work on everything then. Just be glad I'm not using you for football."

The day passed quickly and at sunset, Jack's clothes were soaked with sweat and covered in a thin layer of dirt.

Zack threw the ball at Jack as Jack was using his last bits of energy to sprint across the grass to bounce it up with his chest.

Jack lazily leaned too much and fell over onto the green grass, heavily breathing and dead looking. He heard footsteps come in his direction through the ringing in his ears.
"Is that it...?" he croaked.

"Just for today. Hit the showers."

Jack coughed out a 'yes' as he lifted his arms above his head and the ground like he was celebrating a goal.

Things were okay, except for that Jack's legs would be arguing with him all day the next day, every movement he made. That wasn't the best thing for the first day of high school.
Jack didn't think training for soccer so early when the sport started in spring was exactly a good either.

"First day of school!: Wrong. Should not happen. Ever."
Read a poster in the school lobby.

Okay, Jack thought a little worried.

"Well, it seems people already started the Sarcastic Movement," Zack said with an eye roll.

"What's the Sarcastic Movement?" Jack asked his brother, curious as to why he had never heard the term before.

"It's what everyone calls those things. When people write things like that or say it, or be really hipster or an asshole about things."

"Oh."

"Yeah it's kinda stupid."

Five people had already interrupted that conversation to say hey to Zack. Jack–0.

"So hey, do you need help finding your 1st period?" asked the older brother.

"Considering I've never been here before, yeah."

Suddenly, Zack's head was up at attention like a deer's.
"Sam!" he shouted through the packed lobby.

Sam was wearing a bright green shirt that hurt Jack's sleepy eyes. Sam's eyes had the same effect, but they were blue.
"Awww, is this that wittle baby Jack of yours?" Sam teased.

Zack's face became a little pink and Jack wondered if he talked about him that much at school.

"Well my 'wittle baby Jack' is going to kick you off varsity, dick."

"Why hello there, Jack!" greeted Sam.

"Hey," Jack said clipped in embarrassment.

"I'll help you kick me off varsity, don't worry," Sam said nicely.

Jack stopped counting how many people had talked to Zack by now.
"Thanks.
But Sam, you come over all the time."

"What of it, punk?!" he said jokingly.

Jack smiled as Zack pulled him away from the distractions into the less crowded main hallway.

"Alright, Jack, where's chem?" Zack asked with a bounciness to his voice.

"Uhh..." Jack pulled out his schedule. "Blue 205...?"

"Perfect! I know where that is!"

"Aren't you supposed to? You've been here for three years now."

"Maybe I like saying perfect! Get off my back bro!"

When the two Barakat boys arrived at the classroom, the doors were open and a lot of the kids were already in seats.

"Well it looks like this is it, Jack. My class is actually just three doors down if you're dying or anything."

"Thanks," the younger brother said quietly.

"Hey," Zack ruffled Jack's long-ish hair, "you'll have a good day, don't worry about it."

They smiled their goodbyes and Jack watched Zack walk into his class before going into his own.

He took a seat with someone he knew and awkwardly talked until the bell rang.

Three minutes after the crow-like teacher started calling role, a kid with highlights on one side of his head stepped into the class with attitude and sass leaking from his grin.

"Alex Gaskarth?" she said looking up at the new student as he opened the wood door.

"Oh hey, that's me!" he said, now grinning with teeth like he was coolest in the ice tray.