It's Gonna Be My Year

The next day I woke up to Jack clinging to me like a baby koala. It was super cute and I just couldn’t get over the fact that this amazing, beautiful, fucking hot boy was mine. ALL MINE. I reached under my pillow for my phone and found Rian had sent me a message. I felt kinda bad because we hadn’t talked since I was at school last because I was busy with my asshole of a brother and then we left on this trip straight away.

Rian: Hey dude, hope you’re feeling ok. Just texting to check up on you and Jack.

Me: Hi man. We’re fine. Jack’s sleeping on me atm.

Rian: I don’t really want to know about where Jack’s sleeping ;) Ok I’ve gotta go to school but I’ll text you later.

I found myself smiling. I really missed Rian and Zack. I didn’t really miss anyone else from back home though.

I heard one of my parents getting up and starting to make breakfast. I knew Jack would be up soon because as soon as he smelled food…

Jack blinked groggily up at me. I was half sitting up now with him resting his head on my chest.

“Hey baby,” I said softly. “Sleep ok?”

He looked blearily at me before sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“Thanks,” he said softly.

“For what?” I was a little confused as to what I’d done to deserve thanks. We just cuddled each other in our sleep and I think that had mutual benefits.

“For looking after me.” He got up, probably in the search of food and I realised I was probably the first one to look after Jack for a long time.

After we’d had breakfast Jack and I went for a walk while Mom and Dad cleaned up. Jack was in a great mood, especially compared to yesterday but I think that this trip will do him some good. I think it will do us all some good. Dad had called Jack “son” this morning and I don’t think anyone had looked happier.

We were in for a long day of driving but my parents said that Jack and I could pick the music since they’d played their old hippie music and reminisced about “some of the greatest years of the world”. My parents were so old.

“Rian texted me this morning,” I said.

“Cool. What’d he say?”

“He was just checking up on us,” I replied.

“That’s nice of him.” I could tell Jack was still a bit wary of Rian. I mean they’d ‘known’ each other for a few months and Jack had been bullied almost his entire life. I could totally understand where he was coming from. I’m just glad he was coming around. And the fact he’d completely warmed up to Zack. I think’s it’s because Zack didn’t know him before the band.

“Alex?” Jack asked, startling me out of my reverie.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Do you think this band can make it? I mean seriously make it?” He sounded very anxious. Almost like my answer would set the words in stone.

“Of course I do. We’re good enough. Dedicated enough. We just need to start writing more of our own songs and start putting ourselves out there. Get a record deal and then we’re on our way.”

I don’t really know what it was that reassured him, the conviction or the fact I was even planning for the future, but he seemed to believe me.

“Yeah, I think we can do it too. Well I hope so. I’ve just wanted to be in a band for so long, write my own music y’know? You’ve started to make that dream a reality, so thank you.”

In the car Jack and I chose to put on some Blink. It was what had made the band come together and it was a nice reminder of the nice things in life. I just kinda associate everything good with Blink. Today my parents were planning on driving all the way to Tallahassee which was almost 9 ½ hours away. After that we’d make it almost all the way to New Orleans.

I was pretty excited to see New Orleans myself, especially since I’ve never been. I was particularly interested on the French Quarter as I’d had to do some assignment on it in History at my last school and it had seemed pretty cool. Looking at the background of New Orleans was the most interesting part of that entire assignment. And that had taken me about ten minutes on Wikipedia. I seriously love Wikipedia and thank all that it’s been created.

“Hey Jack? What are you most excited to see?” Mom had asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Uh, in New Orleans or all of America?”

“Both.”

“Probably the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans because that’s where my parents met and I don’t know about the rest of the US. Anywhere is really cool because I’ve never been out of Maryland.” He replied calmly. He didn’t seem upset to talk about his parents at all.

“Yeah I’ve always wanted to see the Cathedral too. Very beautiful, I’ve heard it’s quite the sight,” Mom said.

“Yeah, so have I,” Jack sighed. “What about you guys? What’s your favourite place in the country?” Jack asked.

“Welll,” Mom started before I groaned. I’ve heard this story about a bazillion times.

“Well, it was in the year 2000. We’d just moved over to America a year ago and we decided to go on our first road trip to travel around and see what our new country was like. We travelled up to New York because we’d heard all about it and seen pictures and it looked like an amazing place. The city that never sleeps. Alex was only 13 and we’d spent a few hours in the car and he was asleep because it was 10 pm. Tom didn’t come on our first road trip because he thought he was too old for family bonding time at 18.”

“Blah, blah, blah. They stopped at the caravan park, blah blah. Looked at stars, held hands, kissed and confessed love for each other,” I butted in. I was sure that’s the story they were telling. But no, she wanted to embarrass me.

“Yeah it was Alexander’s first road trip and when we stopped he woke up, he was a little homesick as we’d never stayed the night at a place that wasn’t home and he had issues sleeping. He came to us in the middle of the night and asked if he could sleep with us. Last night was the first night he didn’t come to us,” Mom said, looking in the mirror to smirk at me.

“You’re the worst,” I muttered. I hated that story. Who’d want to date a 15 year old that still had to sleep in his parent’s bed when he wasn’t at home?

“Well I think it’s cute,” Jack announced, almost like he was daring my parents to judge him.

I looked over and saw that he was telling the truth.

“I’m just glad I helped,” Jack said and he reached over and squeezed my hand. And yeah, I was glad he helped too.