Sending SOS: Or, How Jack Learns to Walk the Line Between Love and Hate

“It’s just, the thing is, okay. I hate you so much. Oh my god, like, seriously. You’re so obnoxious and irritatingly pretentious all, ‘Oh, look at me, I’m Alex Gaskarth, I’m better than you.’ and it’s just like, oh my god, shut up, you know? I mean, who the hell do you think you are? You’re just the new kid, you should fucking act like the new kid, you know? I run this town, dude. Well, whatever. You don’t even go here. Haha, good one Jack. Where was I? Oh, yeah. I hate you. But also you have a really nice smile. And you’re just… hell, you’re kind of the most genuinely nice person I’ve ever met, you know? It’s annoying. You’re just. I don’t know, Alex. It’s like, I didn’t realise I was bored and that something was missing until you came and started annoying me all the time. I hate it. I think I hate it. But I’m not sure. You’re something.”

Alex looks up from his iPod, pulling out an earphone. He frowns and says, “What? Sorry, didn’t catch that.”

And Jack says, “Nothing,” and turns back to his math homework.