Lonely, Drunk and Beautiful

“Jack?” Ariel asks, her voice tinged with the really irritating edge of sweetness that tells me she wants something.
“What.” I grunt, sliding further down on the couch.
“I hope you have something a little more nice picked out for when we go out later.” she says, indicating to my outfit.
I shoot her an incredulous look.
“To walk around the block?”
“Yes, Jack.” she mutters, trying to give me a meaningful look without the amused Alex catching on.
I stare at her blankly, until she blows out an incredibly frustrated breath, grabs my wrist, and drags me upstairs.
“Alex!” she yells. “Come and help me choose something for Jack to wear!”
“Are you kidding me?” I yell. “I can dress myself, I’m not a child!”
“Ooh, this is perfect.” she says, ignoring me and pulling out a lime green polo shirt.
I stare at her for three very long seconds, but she doesn’t laugh, because she’s actually serious.
Alex snorts with laughter from the doorway.
“Ooh, yeah. Definitely your colour, Jack.” he teases.
“Go suck a dick Alex.” I say pleasantly.
“If tonight goes well, I’m counting on it.” he murmurs, just loud enough for me to hear, and winks.
I can’t help the smirk that pulls at the corner of my mouth.
“Why don’t you pick out a shirt, Alex?” I say smoothly, and Alex grins.
“I’m still all for the polo shirt. The worse it is, the more satisfying it is to see it ripped off your chest.” he shoots back.
“Stop flirting and help me over here, Alex.” Ariel interjects. He blushes, and I grin as he staggers awkwardly over to help her.
“There’s a tape measure in that drawer if you want to take my measurements and stitch something from scratch.” I snark at Ariel, who ignores me.
Alex bites back a laugh, and I lean against the doorway, sighing.
“Jack, would half of this crap even fit you?” Ariel says, holding up a black dress shirt and comparing it to my chest now.
“Even if it did, I wouldn’t be wearing it.” I snort.
“No, seriously, I remember you wearing this to Junior prom. It fit you perfectly.” she continues, eyeing me suspiciously.
“You went to Junior prom?” Alex asks delightedly.
“I made him. He turned up two hours late, sat in the corner and drank all night, and got kicked out for lighting a cigarette in the middle of the venue.” She glares at me, and I smirk. “It looks way too big now, I mean jeez, I knew you were skinny, but if you’re losing even more weight…”
They’re both staring at me now.
“It’s just one shirt Ariel, Jesus. Let it go.” I growl, sticking a cigarette between my teeth and lighting it easily.
She gives me a look, but obliges, returning to the pile of clothes she’s created.
Alex is still looking, so I make eye contact with him, giving him a challenging glare, and he glances away, biting his lip.

_________________________

The entire thing threw my mood down the gutter, but Alex putting on the green polo with a completely expressionless face lightened it considerably.
“I’ll wear it tonight if you wipe that scowl off your face.” he murmurs, and I pout.
“Whatever.” I mutter, but I’m smirking.
“Sorry guys, but no dice.” Ariel says, a little guiltily, and I groan.
“That voice is never good.”
Alex stares from me to her with confusion on his face.
“Is this to do with why you asked me to bring spare clothes?” he asks nervously, and I stare at her.
“What did you do, Ariel.” I ask, and she bites her lip.
“We’re having what was supposed to be a surprise party, for your birthday. Some of the girls wanted to make it a little more fun, so they suggested that we make it, a, uh, costume party. Where we dress up and act like…each other.”
I groan whole-heartedly.
“So, you mean…” Alex starts.
“Alex, tonight, you’ll be dressing as Jack. And vice versa.” she bites her lip.
“Ariel, why.” I whine, and she licks her lips.
“Jennifer bet me fifty dollars that I couldn’t make you come as Alex.” she murmurs.
Alex and I stare at her in disbelief, until I start laughing, to everyone’s mild surprise.
“You have a problem.” I inform her, shaking my head, still laughing.
_________________________

Three hours later, Ariel, Alex, and I are walking into the party.
Ariel goes first, wearing a brown wig, a fake nose ring, a pair of black skinny jeans, white shirt and too-big sunglasses.
Next goes Alex, and I watch him walk in, people staring as he moves past them.
All of his hair is shoved into a beanie, aside from a little bit of his fringe. The rest of his face is covered in a pair of sunglasses, and he’s scowling, mouth set into a straight line. He’s wearing the skinniest jeans I own, a black shirt, and my leather jacket over it, along with a pair of black combat boots. The transition is impressive.
He stops in the middle of the room, putting a cigarette between his lips, stares back at the crowd contemptuously, and asks: “Where’s the booze?”
That gets him a lot of laughs, and I bite back a smile as he stomps over to the couch, sliding right down, folding his arms, and glares at everyone.
I decide not to make an entrance, sliding across the back wall and sitting on the table in the far corner of the room.
I’m also wearing a beanie, the blonde streaks in my hair hidden, and I’m wearing Alex’s blue check shirt, black jeans, and converse.
From here, nobody can linger behind me, and I have a really clear view of Alex’s fake glare. He has one ankle rested on the other thigh, his leg folded, and I watch him spark the flint of my lighter easily, lighting the cigarette.
“Hey, Alex. Happy birthday man!”
I bite back a sigh as one of Alex’s friends stands near me, a drunken smile on his face.
“Did you see that guy dressed as Jack Barakat? Fucking awesome. Don’t envy him on Monday though. He’s gonna get his ass kicked!” the guy snorts.
“I’ll kick your ass if you don’t leave right now.” I mutter out the corner of my mouth.
The colour drains from the moron’s face as I look up and he realises it’s me.
I smile, well, more bare my teeth, and he staggers off, shaking his head rapidly.
Ariel materialises out of thin air behind me, linking my arm and dragging me off to where Alex is sat.
She shoves me down next to him, scowling.
“Alex, reign him in. We’ve been here five minutes and he’s already threatened someone. That was not the deal, hun.” she snaps, glaring at me, and stomps off.
Alex shakes his head, trying to bite back the smirk on his face, and hands me a cup of beer. I drain it instantly, even though it takes like rat piss, and toss it across the room.
“You’re not good at this, are you?” he murmurs.
“At drinking dishwater out of cups? No, it’s never really been to my taste.” I growl, and he laughs.
“I don’t mean the beer. I mean the whole social thing.”
I roll my eyes.
“I can conduct myself in social situations just fine. But it’s just a lot more fun being an ass.” I mutter.
“There’s such thing as being unnecessarily jerkish, you know.” he murmurs quietly.
“Which I never am.” I mutter.
Alex gives me an incredulous look.
“Are you joking?” he ask in disbelief.
“What?” I say defensively. “I’ve never been an ass to you!”
“You told me talking to you was equivocal to jumping off a building the first day we met!” he exclaims.
I shrug.
“It essentially is. I was giving you advice, not being an ass.”
“You punched me in the face!”
“I pushed you. You hit your face on the ground.” I mutter, a little guiltily.
“Alright Jack.” Alex says, and plucks a bottle of Jack Daniel’s off the side, sitting it between us. “Every time you’re an ass to someone without necessity, you have to take a shot. Twenty dollars says you’re hammered by the end of the night.”
“Oh you’re on.” I mutter, and he smirks.
A silence settles between us.
I push a cigarette through my cracked lips, and throw a crumpled beer cup at the girl who just vomited on the floor near Alex’s shoes.
“You might want to move. I’ve heard oil is a fire hazard.” I warn, indicating to her hair.
She bursts into tears and walks off, giving me room to light the cigarette.
“That’s two shots.” Alex’s smug voice says from next to me. “Jeez, fourteen seconds. You really held out for as long as possible, didn’t you?”
“Two?” I question, blowing smoke into his face.
“Three, now. One for throwing the cup at her head instead of calling her name, one for the insult, and the last for…” he coughs exaggeratedly. “Tainting my beautiful lungs with smoke.”
“But I don’t know her name. And there was always the distinct possibility…”
“Drink.” Alex interrupts me, picking up the bottle.
I smirk as he unscrews the cap, and instead of taking the bottle, lean my head back and open my mouth.
“Are you kidding me.” he grumbles, and I shake my head.
He pours a lot more than three shots into my mouth, swearing as he spills some down my cheek, but I swallow it in three gulps, licking my lips and tipping my head up.
“Shit, I’m sorry about spilling it down your face.” he says worriedly, and I grin.
“You could always lick it off.” I say suggestively, and he rolls his eyes, wiping it off with his sleeve instead.
_________________________

“Jack?”
Alex’s soft voice leaks through the doorway. I groan in response, hanging over the toilet bowl and throwing up again.
In the past hour, I ended up being forced to drink the entire bottle of JD, as punishment for my asinine ways, apparently.
I can normally hold my liquor, but I haven’t eaten in a couple days, and with the rate I drank that bottle, I’ve basically poisoned myself.
I’ve already passed out twice on the toilet bowl, only regaining consciousness because I cracked my head off the porcelain on the way down.
My chest is starting to burn from the heaving, so I collapse next to the toilet, breathing heavily.
I close my eyes, because the room is spinning, and the sensation is making me want to hurl again.
Hearing several metallic noises coming from the handle, I look up, squinting unsteadily as the locked door swings open, and is hurriedly closed again.
“Did you r-really jussst pick the lock.” I slur, watching Alex’s worried eyes swim in and out of focus.
He hits the chain, making me groan at the noise, and I resist the urge to put my head down there just to cool down.
I close my eyes again as he squats down next to me.
“I’m g-gonna die here Alex.” I hum, and he laughs softly, resting a hand on my shoulder, which makes me heave again.
A strong acidic taste is worming it’s way down my throat. I let my head hit against the wall behind me, trying to keep my breaths even.
Alex’s hand is burning through my shoulder, and it takes everything in me not to throw it off and hit him for touching me.
I glance up at him, a really nauseated look on my face, and he pulls his hand away to slam the toilet seat down and flush the chain again.
“Do you want me to get Ariel?” he murmurs, and I shake my head.
“I’m g’nna pass-s out s-s-soon.” I mumble.
Alex stands, pulling off the jacket and tossing it on the floor, and then reaches down and tugs the beanie right down my face.
The half-formed question dies on my lips when he wraps an arm around my chest, pulling me up.
I hiss as his fingers press on the bruise from earlier, seriously considering just passing out right here, right now, but he has the door open now, and the pain is clearing my head some.
My movements are less clumsy the harder he pushes on the bruise, and in a few minutes we’re at Ariel’s bedroom.
Alex lets go, and I stagger across the room, collapsing face-first into the quilt and closing my eyes.
“Jack.” Alex hums.
I make a muffled noise against the quilt.
“You-uh, you guys were my ride.”
I raise my head with some difficulty. I can hear the blush in his voice.
He’s stood next to the bed, chewing his lip, staring at the floor.
I grab his wrist, yanking him down onto the bed next to me, and he lets out a squeak in protest.
I roll over to give him room, thank god this is a double bed, and press my face into the pillow.
“Stop thinking, Alex. Just go with it.” I groan against the material, and throw my arm across his chest.
Once I feel him relax somewhat, I finally let myself pass out.