Do It Now, Remember It Later.

“Jack!”

I jumped, sitting straight up in my bed. I blinked furiously to get my eyes to adjust before glancing at my alarm clock.

6:50.

“Jack Bassam!”

I cringed at my mom’s yell and rolled out of my bed in a frenzy. I’m so going to look like crap today. How did I sleep through my alarm?

“Jack!”

I jumped out of my thoughts and grabbed a clean pair of black skinny jeans from my dresser.

“I’m coming, mom!” I called back.

I stripped out of my pj bottoms and slid the tight jeans up my legs as fast as I could before pulling my red zip-up on over my white t-shirt. After slipping some socks on, I pulled a black beanie over my bed head and grabbed my backpack before I left my room.

“You look like a slob, Jack.” My dad commented once I was in view.

I frowned and slid my shoes on.

“I slept in.” I mumbled.

“Well, get going or you’ll both be late. And take this with you.” My mom pushed, shoving two granola bars into my hand and a bottle of orange juice in the other. “Have a good day, both of you.”
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“I can’t fucking believe that asshole!”

I looked up from my desk at the sound of a book slamming on the desk in front of me. Kellin plopped down and turned towards me, his face showing annoyance as he scowled. I bit my lip, sitting up straight in my seat instead of slouching lazily like I was before he walked in.

“Uh…who?” I asked cautiously, wondering if he wanted me to ask about it.

“Someone I hope you never meet. I hate him so much.” He spat. “He decided to embarrass the shit out of me when I finally worked up the nerve to ask Katelynne out. That fucking dick.”

I tried to refrain from raising my eyebrows at him. Even after only knowing Kellin for a short time, I’ve never seen him so angry. It honestly didn’t even seem like that big of a deal. Anything could embarrass you in front of someone you like. Whatever happened could’ve been something as small as this guy joking about his bowtie or something stupid. But, hey-who am I to judge him for being mad? I used to cry when Devin embarrassed me in front of his friends.

“What did he say?” I questioned, waiting for him to let out the breath he took in a few seconds ago.

He let it out in a huff, slouching his shoulders and mumbling something I couldn’t understand.

“I didn’t hear you…” I trailed off quietly.

“I said…he mentioned how much money I have and made me look like I think I’m better than everyone. Then he made it sound like I have fancy things to make up for my dick size or something stupid. I’m not an asshole, I don’t think I’m better than anyone because my family has more than enough money to last us forever. I mean, I know I’m better than him. He probably can’t even afford the fucking two dollar lunch.” He ranted.

I sunk a bit in my seat, taking everything in. I mean, that last part was kinda harsh. Wouldn’t he be a hypocrite if he said he didn’t think he was better than anyone before going on about how he is better than someone? He’s just upset about it, I’m sure he doesn’t hate the guy that much.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you still have a chance with her.” I smiled. “If he’s an ass daily, then she must know how he is right?”

He looked thoughtful for a minute before throwing me a small smile and nodding.

“Yeah…” He trailed off. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks Jack.”

I shrugged, looking up at the clock above the classroom door just as the bell rang. A few more people rushed in before Mr. Davis began his lesson for today’s History class. After he went through attendance, I allowed my elbow to prop my head up in attempt to keep me awake during the lesson. In my opinion, it was way to early for History. Even if it was already third hour.

Man, first and second hour went by a blur. That could be because I was half asleep though. At least I didn’t get any homework because that would suck. Usually I get all my work done in class anyway so I don’t have to take it home. Homework shouldn’t even be invented if we work on it in class. I think we should just be able to finish it in class the next day instead of taking it home. School is for work and home is for-

“Jack.”

I jumped, my heart suddenly pounding in my ears as I made eye contact with Mr. Davis. The whole room was silent and I had no idea what was going on. Why do I have to zone out all the time? Sometimes I seriously think I have ADD or something.

“U-Uh…yes?” I answered, awkwardly clearing my throat.

I bit my lip nervously, feeling too hot in my hoodie. I really needed a drink of water to cool myself off right now. I feel so uncomfortable knowing I was caught daydreaming and now everyone is staring at me and I still don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing.

“I suggest you pay attention to the lecture if you want to pass next Friday’s test.” Mr. Davis retorted.

I felt my cheeks heating up when others around me laughed a little and nodded my head.

“Yes sir.” I mumbled, sitting up straighter.

I picked up my pencil and flipped my notebook to a fresh page, praying for the heat to fade from my face. My heart finally calmed and I felt a little better now that he started talking loudly again. Now that I know everyone’s attention is off of me, I’ll be able to relax and force myself to take note and actually pay attention so I don’t have a repeat of that embarrassing moment.

It didn’t take long for the bell to ring. I sighed with relief, thankful that the lesson was finally over. I shut my notebook and shoved it into my bag along with my pencil before standing to my feet and pulling the strap over my shoulder. Finally, I can go to music and just relax for an hour. Mrs. Monroe informed us we would be having a lot of free days ahead.

“Hey, meet me by the cafeteria doors after fourth hour? We can get lunch together and then I’ll take you to our secret spot.” Kellin questioned, nudging my side as we walked out the door together.

I smiled, still feeling pretty awesome for already making new friends. I hope we can be closer friends soon. Then I won’t feel the need to be extra cheery and nice around him and the others. I’ll be able to be myself after a while and hopefully they’ll all still like me.

“Sure.” I agreed.

“Great! Later, bro.” He grinned, patting my shoulder before walking in the opposite direction of me.

I smiled to myself and held the strap to my messenger mag tighter as I walked through the large crowd trying to pass though the thin halls. I shoved through, finally making it to the music room in one piece. Once I was inside, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and made my way over to where I was sitting yesterday.

“Good afternoon, Jack.” Mrs. Monroe greeted from her desk. “Make yourself comfortable, today’s another free day.”

“Okay.” I smiled shyly. “Good afternoon to you too.”

She gave me a bright smile before motioning around the larger room with her left hand.

“Don’t forget you can help yourself to anything in this room.” She reminded me.

I nodded to show that I heard her, giving her a small smile before dropping my bag on the ground. I sighed happily, looking forward to laying on the ground and doing nothing. I was in the middle of plopping down on the ground when I remembered that I wasn’t going to be the only one in the room. There’s no way I’m going to let myself go to sleep or something in a room full of people I don’t know. What if they try to draw on me or something? That would suck and I really don’t want to get embarrassed more than once today.

I sat down with my back against the wall, crisscrossing my legs in front of me lazily. I leaned my head back against the wall, bringing my hands up to tug my beanie down to cover more of my head. Just as I dropped my hands into my lap, the ball rang and literally everyone came barging through the door one after another as they talked loudly with their friends.

“Well, would anyone like to explain why all of you just walked in late? Mrs. Monroe asked, making sure her voice was louder than everyone else so she could grab their attention.

“There was a fight.” Some kid replied from somewhere in the room.

“A fight?” She asked.

“Yeah.” A blonde girl confirmed. “It was pretty bad actually, I’m pretty sure one of them was bleeding.”

“You mean Alex?” A shorter brunette girl questioned. “I’m pretty sure he’s not bleeding because of the fight with Ronnie.”

“Then what-“

“Okay, that’s enough gossip about other people’s business. Everyone get to work on something or talk quietly and I don’t want to hear Alex’s or Ronnie’s name come out of anyone’s mouth.” Mrs. Monroe interrupted.

Murmurs and mumbles filled the room before everyone started forming their own little groups around the room just like yesterday. I pulled my bag onto my lap, pulling my phone out and plugging my headphones in. Once I shoved the ear buds into my ears, I went to one of my many playlists and hit shuffle. Once Blink started playing, I relaxed and smiled to myself. Music always made me happy. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I folded my arms over my chest, letting myself get lost in the music. I sang along with the words in my head, just happy to finally have a break from learning. By the time the tenth song came to an end, I realized the playlist wasn’t on repeat because it went silent in my ears. I frowned, feeling too lazy to pull my phone out of my pocket to fix the problem.

“Take a picture, it lasts longer.”

I jumped, not expecting to hear a voice so close to me. Opening my eyes, I glanced over to see Rian sitting against the wall next to me while glaring in front of us.

When did he get there?

I bit my lip nervously, looking from his angry face over to the few people that kept glancing back at him. I took in a deep breath, pulling my headphones from my ears slowly. Rian’s my friend now right? At least, he said he wanted to be. So being a friend…should I ask him what’s wrong or is that too personal? Maybe I should just leave him alone-

“Jack?”

I jumped again, blushing when my eyes looked back into focus.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Rian questioned.

“I-I’m sorry..I was just-uh…thinking. Well, I mean like…are you okay?” I sputtered like an idiot.

I mentally groaned, wanting to smack myself. God, I sound so stupid and awkward all the time. I bit my lip harder, waiting for his reaction. What if I annoyed him by asking that or by accidently staring at him?

“I’m perfectly fine, thanks for asking.” He replied.

I mentally shook the thoughts from my mind and looked back at Rian. His face was a little pale and he had light bags under his eyes. I also realized he’s wearing sweats and a hoodie. All in all, he kind of looked like crap.

“You um…you don’t look fine…”I trailed off.

He chuckled, giving me a small smile.

“I’m just tired. Had a bit of a rough night. Not to mention, this kid started shit with my friends. I just hate seeing my friends get hurt, especially over something so stupid.” He sighed, letting his shoulders slouch and mumbling to himself. “Alex was already hurt enough, Ronnie had to make it worse.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, curiosity getting the best of me. Alex and Ronnie are the people the class was talking about…

“Who’s Alex and what do you mean he was hurt enough?” I questioned, covering my mouth right after. “I’m sorry-“

“Alex is that guy I brought in with me yesterday. I call him Al most of the time. Others like to call him Gaskarth, his last name. He was supposed to be here with me again, but he’s stubborn as hell and decided to skip out. He got hurt two nights ago and now Ronnie made it worse, that dick.” He explained. “And don’t be sorry.”

I slowly nodded, feeling better about asking the questions.

“I hope he’s okay.” I told him, taping my knee lightly with my fingertips.

“He’ll be fine. He always is.” He replied quietly.

He always is? What is that supposed to mean?
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I turned the corner gripping the long strap of my bag tightly as I sped up my pace. I sighed in relief, finally walking up to the cafeteria doors. It wasn’t really crowded anymore, so that was a good thing, but Kellin looked a little annoyed.

“Finally, dude. It never takes you this long.” He joked.

“Sorry.” I muttered sheepishly, rubbing my arm up and down a few times.

“No problem, let’s get lunch.” He smiled. “What took you so long anyway?”

I bit my lip, shrugging as we walked into the short lunch line.

“I wasn’t paying attention to the time and had to put everything I was using away after the bell rang.” I lied casually.

“Oh.” He chuckled. “I hate when that happens.

I smiled, nodding in agreement. A small feeling of guilt twisted in my stomach from lying just now. I don’t like lying to friends, but I didn’t exactly want to tell Kellin the truth. Who knows how he would react if he knew I was late because I got up talking with Rian. We actually talked during the rest of the hour, mostly about stupid stuff which is why I lost tack of time. He was still talking to me when the bell rang and it would’ve been rude to just run off on him. Plus, I like talking to Rian. He’s a nice guy.

“Yes, pizza!” Kellin exclaimed happily, grabbing a tray with two pieces on it.

I laughed, grabbing one of the trays as well before following him up the line to pay. I gave the lunch lady two dollars and fifty cents and grabbed a chocolate milk as I walked out beside Kellin. I was walking towards the tables when Kellin nudged me with his elbow and shook his head.

“I’m taking you to the secret spot, remember?” He chuckled, leading me out of the cafeteria.

“I forgot.” I noted, adjusting my bag over my shoulder so I could hold my tray easier with both hands.

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to remember all the turns and hallways. It was no use, I already forgot which way we came from. It looked like we were heading to a classroom, but then Kellin’s turning down a dark hallway and pulling me over to a solid blue door. He pushed pulled it open and motioned for me to go in. I sucked in a breath, stepping into the room and hoping this wouldn’t get us in trouble. It felt like we shouldn’t be here.

All my fears washed away when I actually looked into the room I stepped in. It was just a huge band room with all of Kellin’s friends and another group I didn’t recognize.

“What’s up Kels? Jack?” Justin called from his spot on a big bean bag chair.

“Nothing much.” I replied while Kellin started up a conversation with everyone.

I sat down in a random desk, setting my tray on top of it and grabbing a slice of pizza. This is pretty nice. It’s big and quiet, not crowded and loud. I felt pretty relaxed and I was able to enjoy my pizza in piece. I mostly listened to the conversations around me while I ate slowly. Talking to a bunch of people isn’t really my thing. I’m too shy around so many new people.

“Whose turn is it?” Jesse, another one of Kellin’s friends, asked.

I licked my lips, finishing my last bite of pizza and taking a sip of my chocolate milk. I raised an eyebrow in amusement when everyone pointed to one another and laughed.

“Whose turn for what?” I wondered, gaining everyone’s attention.

I sunk in my seat a little, feeling uncomfortable from everyone’s eyes on me.

“Every time we come here, one person has to take the trash back to the cafeteria.” Kellin explained.

“Oh…” I trailed off. “I’ll do it.”

Everyone cheered at the offer, standing up and piling their trays onto my own empty one. I laughed a little, standing up and brushing my jeans off. I fixed my beanie before picking up the pile of trays and leaving the room quietly. I made my way down the hall, biting my lip when I had no idea where we came from. Taking a guess, I walked down a random hallway. I continued turning corners until I eventually ended up in front of the cafeteria.

“Thank God.” I mumbled as I walked up to a trash can.

I dumped the trays in, smiling in accomplishment. Now all I have to do is get back. I sighed, slouching my shoulders as I began my journey back to where I came from. I walked slowly, tracing my finger along the wall as I walked to the next one. I was about to turn another corner when I heard a door open and shut.

“God dammit, Alex!”

That sounded familiar…it sounded like Rian.

“Fuckfuckfuck.”

I turned the corner, not wanting to stand awkwardly out of sight and eavesdrop. When I stepped into the hall the first thing that came into sight was Rian’s figure bending over another, who I assume is Alex.

“We need to go to the hospital, Alex!” Rian exasperated.

I continued walking, trying to pass them without them seeing. I didn’t want to look like I was trying to get in their business or anything. I also didn’t want them to think I’m nosey…even if I am. I sped up my pace, only to stop at the pained yelp coming from where they were. I glanced over, gasping at the sight.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” I blurted, covering my mouth right after it left my mouth.

Alex was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall and all I could see was blood seeping through the right side of his white t-shirt. His head was resting back against the wall and I could see how tense his body was while he held his hands over the bleeding spot.

“Jack, I need you to help me get him to my car.” Rian stated, throwing me a hopeful look.

Without a second thought I nodded and rushed over, leaning down next to them. Alex squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Rian shook his head, standing up and pulling Alex to his feet by his bicep.

“Ah.” He hissed, bending forward.

Rian wrapped Alex’s arm around his shoulder and reached his other hand under his thigh.

“Can you get his other side?” He asked me.

I shut my mouth, nodding furiously and pulling Alex’s other arm over my shoulder.

“Fuck! It’s making it worse motherfucker!” He groaned.

“Sorry!” I squeaked, following Rian’s lead and grabbing under his thigh with my free hand before we lifted him together.

I hurriedly followed Rian’s pace and focused on not dropping the side of Alex I was holding. I bit my lip, my heart pounding a little louder in my ears with every step I took.

“You’re a fucking idiot for fighting Ronnie in this state.” Rian scolded as we pushed through an exit door that I’ve never seen before.

I looked down at Alex’s stomach, noting that the bleeding was definitely a lot worse than I thought and now a huge circle of blood was soaking through. I could even start to smell it and it made me want to be sick.

“Okay, let me just get the door open.” Rian breathed, pulling the door to a black and grey jeep open. “You can let him go.”

I nodded, doing what I was told and gently removing my hands from him. Rian tossed him into the car and slammed the door shut, patting me on the shoulder and running to the driver’s side.

“Thanks, Jack! I owe you!” He called over his shoulder.

I nodded to myself, watching him speed out of the parking space and across the lot. I gasped for breath, feeling my heart start to slow a bit. Did that really just happen? Did I just help Rian drag a bleeding Alex to his car? What the hell just happened?