Outlines

VIC'S POV

When we're done with the tour, a nurse approaches Jack and informs him that some one named Zack came by.

"Oh, okay." Jack says. His voice sounds sad.

"What's wrong, Jack?" I ask after the gigantic nurse walks away. Jack mumbles something but I miss it.

"What?" I ask.

"Never mind." He says. I nod and we walk into the arts and crafts room, it's open for an afternoon session.

We sit down at a table with names engraved on it along with the years they were carved into the old table. I look around and see mine, "VIC" with a heart next to it. I smile. That was my last day here.

I grab a piece of green paper and a black marker from the middle of the table and start to draw Kellin. His long hair, shorter than mine, and his goofy smile, his trademark black sunglasses that he looks really sexy in, and his beautiful body. He ends up looking like a giraffe when I'm done. I sigh.

I look over to Jack. He has crayons surrounding him, a white sheet of paper and multi colored scribbles surrounding a small stick figure.

"It's me." he says softly. I nod. "And my thoughts."

The scribbles aren't really scribbles- they're slanted, jagged words and sentences.

"YOU SUCK"

"DIE"

"WORTHLESS"

"BITCH"

"FAG"

"I HATE YOU"

"UGLY"

I stop reading, the words tearing at my already fragile heart. I pick up his paper and walk over to the counter where there's a paper shredder. I feed the paper in and turn around and see Jack laughing. He's crying but he's laughing silently.

I walk back over to him and pull a clean sheet of paper from the center of the table.

"Draw something happy, Jack."

And five minutes later he's done exactly that. There's a really intricate drawing of him with "GAY" written in block letters with all the colors of the rainbow and there's a guitar and "BLINK-182" written on it and lyrics to First Date and a drawing of three others, who have captions floating above their heads "ALEX" "RIAN" "ZACK". And on seperate papers there are letters addressed to each of the three, written in red Sharpie. I don't read them but I catch the words "Thank you" and "love" and "believe".

"It's perfect." I say.

ZACK'S POV

"Zack. Zack. Zack, wake up."

"Mhhhhgggghhhh." I groan into my pillow.

"Zack, it's Jack." I whip my head up, to kiss my skunky friend good morning, but all that I see is a buzz cut hair style. I flop my head back onto my pillow.

"Rian, that wasn't cool." I tell him. I can picture him nodding and he pokes my arm.

"Get up."

"Is it Monday yet?" I ask, picking my head up a little.

"No, it's Sunday night."

"Oh." I say. I sit up and turn over so I'm not on my stomach.

"Come on, let's go to the park."

I look out my window and it's almost pitch black out.

"What time is it?"

"11." Ri says as he hands me a jacket and we walk out of my room. We run through my house and down my porch, to the park two blocks away.

******

I'm sitting on the swing, dragging my foot on the wood chips, slightly swinging back and forth, Rian sitting where the grass and wood chips meet, a few feet in front of me.

"It'll be okay, Zack."

"I know. So how's Cass?"

"Amazing, but don't change the subject. Now it's time for you to tell me how much you love Jack."

"A lot. To the moon and back. As much as a person could."

"That's what I thought." He says. We're both silent for a minute and I look up at the stars. They shine so bright but we drown them out with our own lights. Like Jack's personality. He's so bright but we've fucked him up.