Angel From My Nightmare
Stella Won't You Take Me Home?
“What are you doing out here?” May asked as she picked Jack up from the side the road.
“I hmm went to see mum” Jack said, looking at his lap.
“You did?” she put the car into gear and started to drive back towards the Barakat family home.
“I felt I kinda needed to say sorry... Look May can you take me back to my place? I can’t face ‘home’ right now”
“Are you sure? Dad’s worried about you, you know” she said, reaching her hand from the wheel to hold Jack’s cold one.
“Yeah, I just keep expecting her to be there you know? Making dinner or hovering or something but she’s not. I just time to sleep and eat and try to get back to normal”
“Okay Jacky, you do what’s best for you. Dad will understand, you’re just still the baby of the family”
“I’m twenty two!” May smiled, turning the car around and heading in the direction of Jack’s apartment on the other side of town.
Once inside his apartment Jack sighed, back on his own again after the last few days with his family. He loved his family of course he did it’s just Jack’s never dealt well with emotion, he’s always tried to run or hide from it.
Changing out of his pyjamas and into a clean pair of sweats and a hoodie Jack made himself something to eat, he turned on the tv and flopped on the couch. Maybe he could just sleep the rest of the day away, he wasn’t due back at work for a few more days and he had nothing better to do.
When Jack woke again it was to his phone ringing. He blindly fumbled around the coffee table for the device, he pressed the cold plastic to his ear.
“Hello?” Jack questioned, his voice still thick with sleep.
“Jack it’s good to hear from you again”
“Hi Rian” Jack said, rubbing his eyes.
“Jack, how’ve you been?”
“Its hard man” he said, staring up at his apartment ceiling.
“I know you might not feel like it but I was going to ask if you felt like coming out for a drink tonight?” his friend asked. Jack stared back at tv, it was mindlessly playing one of the old Batman movies, he had two choices; lay there and wallow in his own misery or get up and go out with his friend and try to get life back to normal.
“I’ll see you at the club at what eight?”
“See you then” said Rian before the line went dead. Jack got up and went to his bedroom, looking at himself in his mirror he looked a mess. His dark hair that was normally styled to perfection was limp and messy, his eyes were tired and there was no hint of a smile. Jack sighed to himself pulling out his straighters and hairspray; well he had to start somewhere. When Jack’s hair was up to his standards, he rummaged around in his closet to get a pair of skinny black jeans and a shirt, one that showed off his tattoo. Jack had a tattoo of Jack Skellington on his chest playing a purple guitar, one that he dreamt of playing one day.
It had been awhile since Jack had stepped through the doors of a club, he’d been with his mum but it all felt very familiar. The smell of alcohol, the loud music, the girls in tight dresses and heels, on any other night Jack would have at least looked up but tonight he just walked straight over to his friends without a passing comment to beautiful blonde who just walked past him.
“Hey man, it’s good to see you” Rian pulled him into a bro hug.
“You too”
“Can I get you a drink? I think you diverse one” Jack nodded and Rian went off to buy him a beer.
“How’ve you been mate? Not seen you around lately” asked Danny Kurily.
“I’ve been with my mum” Jack muttered quietly.
“Oh yeah, how is she?” he asked.
“She died Dan”
That was met by a chorus of ‘I’m sorry’ and pats on the back. Then that was it, the guys went back to their conversion which seemed to be which hair colour is hotter. Rian came back with Jack’s beer and he sat in the corner sipping at it as the others talked. The night went on and Jack sat quietly drinking, glasses soon pilling up beside him but no one seemed to notice. He started at his friends around the room, Matt Flykiz was drunkily trying to chat up a girl, Vinny Vegas was very badly dancing, and Danny was nowhere to be seen and was probably throwing up somewhere. Only Rian was still sat at the table.
“Are you really doing okay?” he asked, noticing the glasses staked beside Jack.
“What does it look like?”
“I know it hurts but she’s in a better place, she’s not in pain anymore”
“How do you know?” Jack snapped, the amount of alcohol he’d drunk showing as he words slurred a little.
“Your mother is at home right now, you could go round there and she’d bake you cookies. I’m never going to see my mum again, how would you know how that feels?”
“Jack I was just trying to...”
“Help I know, it doesn’t matter you don’t understand”
With that Jack pushed himself up and away from the table, taking a 50 from his wallet and throwing it on the table. He walked out of the club, no one understood; no one else he knew had lost their mother expect.... Alex. For the first time since that morning the strange boy from the cemetery drifted back into Jack’s mind, he said he’d lost his mother too and that’s why he’d been there. Maybe Jack could talk to him, maybe he’d understand his pain. Checking his phone and seeing it nearly 3am Jack decides to stumble home, there’d be no point trying to find Alex now. Even if the boy was strange he wouldn’t be hanging around the cemetery at that hour.
“I hmm went to see mum” Jack said, looking at his lap.
“You did?” she put the car into gear and started to drive back towards the Barakat family home.
“I felt I kinda needed to say sorry... Look May can you take me back to my place? I can’t face ‘home’ right now”
“Are you sure? Dad’s worried about you, you know” she said, reaching her hand from the wheel to hold Jack’s cold one.
“Yeah, I just keep expecting her to be there you know? Making dinner or hovering or something but she’s not. I just time to sleep and eat and try to get back to normal”
“Okay Jacky, you do what’s best for you. Dad will understand, you’re just still the baby of the family”
“I’m twenty two!” May smiled, turning the car around and heading in the direction of Jack’s apartment on the other side of town.
Once inside his apartment Jack sighed, back on his own again after the last few days with his family. He loved his family of course he did it’s just Jack’s never dealt well with emotion, he’s always tried to run or hide from it.
Changing out of his pyjamas and into a clean pair of sweats and a hoodie Jack made himself something to eat, he turned on the tv and flopped on the couch. Maybe he could just sleep the rest of the day away, he wasn’t due back at work for a few more days and he had nothing better to do.
When Jack woke again it was to his phone ringing. He blindly fumbled around the coffee table for the device, he pressed the cold plastic to his ear.
“Hello?” Jack questioned, his voice still thick with sleep.
“Jack it’s good to hear from you again”
“Hi Rian” Jack said, rubbing his eyes.
“Jack, how’ve you been?”
“Its hard man” he said, staring up at his apartment ceiling.
“I know you might not feel like it but I was going to ask if you felt like coming out for a drink tonight?” his friend asked. Jack stared back at tv, it was mindlessly playing one of the old Batman movies, he had two choices; lay there and wallow in his own misery or get up and go out with his friend and try to get life back to normal.
“I’ll see you at the club at what eight?”
“See you then” said Rian before the line went dead. Jack got up and went to his bedroom, looking at himself in his mirror he looked a mess. His dark hair that was normally styled to perfection was limp and messy, his eyes were tired and there was no hint of a smile. Jack sighed to himself pulling out his straighters and hairspray; well he had to start somewhere. When Jack’s hair was up to his standards, he rummaged around in his closet to get a pair of skinny black jeans and a shirt, one that showed off his tattoo. Jack had a tattoo of Jack Skellington on his chest playing a purple guitar, one that he dreamt of playing one day.
It had been awhile since Jack had stepped through the doors of a club, he’d been with his mum but it all felt very familiar. The smell of alcohol, the loud music, the girls in tight dresses and heels, on any other night Jack would have at least looked up but tonight he just walked straight over to his friends without a passing comment to beautiful blonde who just walked past him.
“Hey man, it’s good to see you” Rian pulled him into a bro hug.
“You too”
“Can I get you a drink? I think you diverse one” Jack nodded and Rian went off to buy him a beer.
“How’ve you been mate? Not seen you around lately” asked Danny Kurily.
“I’ve been with my mum” Jack muttered quietly.
“Oh yeah, how is she?” he asked.
“She died Dan”
That was met by a chorus of ‘I’m sorry’ and pats on the back. Then that was it, the guys went back to their conversion which seemed to be which hair colour is hotter. Rian came back with Jack’s beer and he sat in the corner sipping at it as the others talked. The night went on and Jack sat quietly drinking, glasses soon pilling up beside him but no one seemed to notice. He started at his friends around the room, Matt Flykiz was drunkily trying to chat up a girl, Vinny Vegas was very badly dancing, and Danny was nowhere to be seen and was probably throwing up somewhere. Only Rian was still sat at the table.
“Are you really doing okay?” he asked, noticing the glasses staked beside Jack.
“What does it look like?”
“I know it hurts but she’s in a better place, she’s not in pain anymore”
“How do you know?” Jack snapped, the amount of alcohol he’d drunk showing as he words slurred a little.
“Your mother is at home right now, you could go round there and she’d bake you cookies. I’m never going to see my mum again, how would you know how that feels?”
“Jack I was just trying to...”
“Help I know, it doesn’t matter you don’t understand”
With that Jack pushed himself up and away from the table, taking a 50 from his wallet and throwing it on the table. He walked out of the club, no one understood; no one else he knew had lost their mother expect.... Alex. For the first time since that morning the strange boy from the cemetery drifted back into Jack’s mind, he said he’d lost his mother too and that’s why he’d been there. Maybe Jack could talk to him, maybe he’d understand his pain. Checking his phone and seeing it nearly 3am Jack decides to stumble home, there’d be no point trying to find Alex now. Even if the boy was strange he wouldn’t be hanging around the cemetery at that hour.