The Mixtape of Hatred

Jack hung up the phone with tears in his eyes. He's such a fucking idiot, why couldn't he get over his stupid petty crush? Why does he have to ruin everything?

He'd found out about Tanner when he was recklessly scrolling through instagram, noticing how someone from the Alex Gaskarth fandom had posted something that caught his eye.

'Tanner dumped Alex a few days ago and I'm still not over it.'

It might not seem like much, it's literally just a caption, but it triggered Jack into looking it up on Google and finding out that Tanner had broken up with Alex, more specifically on the day before he'd checked out of the hospital. He'd broken them up. It was all his fault.

Was telling Alex worth it? No, it was most definitely not worth it, it broke his heart to say goodbye just days after they'd first seen each other since high school.

And for the first time in his life, he cried himself to sleep.



"Y'know what, congratulations, this might be your last flashback," Verity said, patting him in the back as she guided him, possibly for the last time.

"Why am I having trouble believing you?" Jack growled.

She shrugged, "I dunno, I just don't want to see you suffer anymore. I got my revenge, obviously, but this broke you, you were in tears when you hung up the phone. And I don't think I've seen Jack Barakat cry over some boy before."

Jack looked at her, "He was my best friend and I lost him because I didn't love him," he sighed, "He means more to me than any conquest I've ever succeeded in, and I destroyed the chances of him ever having someone truly love him just because I wanted him for myself. I get it, Verity, you want me to see that I am a selfish know it all with no consideration of other people's feelings. I just wish I'd realised it sooner, before I've lost him completely."

"See Jack, that's where you're wrong," she smiled, before disappearing into thin air.

"Hey Jack," he heard a familiar voice say. He glanced towards wherer he thought the voice had came from and was shocked to see the sight he bared.

It was younger him, like usual, and Rian, sitting near a pond in an empty park. His younger self looked defeated as he stared into the water, Rian looked like he pitied him.

"I don't get it, Ri," his younger self stated, "Three months ago, Alex told me that he loved me. And now, he apparently doesn't. Did I take too long figuring things out?"

"Jack, I-"

"I just, I've always known, deep inside, that I liked Alex, maybe a little more than just a friend, and I didn't want to say that I felt the same way without being sincere about it, so I thought things through, it's just that, I dunno, maybe if it didn't take me three months, I'd probably be the one who'd put a smile on his face every day. That's all I've always wanted, y'know? To make him happy, but if it means letting him date Tanner, then I'll do it, I guess."

"Um," Rian responded, "I mean, he is kinda really happy with him, I guess if you really wanted to-"

"Sometimes I wished that I didn't cut him off whenever he talks to me, y'know? Maybe before Tanner happened, he'd let it slip off so I can maybe have a chance with him, but I guess not, I'm just a fucking moron, aren't I?"

Rian looked at him, "Jack, trust me when I say you're anything but."



Jack didn't jolt awake this time, nor did he wake up with music from the mixtape playing. He could hear the CD player beep, signalling that the CD had no more songs to play.

He took out the mixtape of hatred and put it in the CD case, then he observed the case and found the tracklisting. There it was, proudly written in fine ink, a list of fourteen songs, all based off the fact that he's a selfish asshole.

He mentally thanked Verity for giving him this mixtape, and got ready for work.



Fast forward a couple of weeks after the ending of the mixtape, he'd found himself smiling at rude customers who yelled at him for not putting soy milk in their Chai Latte, even though it was Brent's fault for not putting it in the order.

So as he remade the Chai Latte for her, he sips on the wrong one, grimancing every time because it tasted disgusting, like a whale decided to cum on a coffee cup and make the most vile person in the world drink his semen.

"Soy Chai Latte, Andrea!" Jack screamed to get her attention, "Thanks for buying our coffee, now get the fuck out of here!" he said playfully, well it is the company code, if someone orders espresso, you say 'I am pleased with your choice, peace out!' if it's anything else, it's the line Jack has been saying repeatedly this week, just because Brent decided Chai lattes are now a thing and has discovered a recipe that makes theirs much better than the ones in other coffee shops.

"One medium Chai, one large double soy Macchiato!" Brent screamed, "Tanner!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Jack said, before making the two orders as perfectly as he can, he handcrated the beverages with passion and care, before drawing a frowny face under the name 'Tanner'.

"One Chai, one Macchiato, Tanner!" Jack screamed, attempting to gain the attention of this 'Tanner', when he saw someone pick up the drinks, he smiled, opened his mouth, and dropped his can of whipped cream.