Endangered Innocence

Some friendships make more sense than others. Common interests, mutual friends, and other connections like these are all factors that can go towards a conventional friendship. Within that relationship, there are roles that often make sense, too. Two loud friends, two quiet friends, or one loud and one quiet- whatever it is, they will complement each other. Of course, there's no actual guide for what makes up a perfect friendship, but those who see one will know one. That's where Alex and Jack's relationship comes into play. None of those who've known them have ever understood how it came to be, how it worked, or how it still continues to work. The two boys don't fit into any pre-existing categories, but perhaps they've created their own.

Alex Gaskarth was born in England. He had a fairly normal childhood, growing up with a mother, father, and sister, going to public school, and having a small circle of friends. He wasn’t at all disappointed with his life, although he knew that there was definitely more in store for him. This is why he wasn’t totally mad with his parents when they told him that they’d be moving to America. Sure, he was super bummed about having to leave his friends and the place where he grew up, but a fresh start excited him at the age of fifteen. He hadn’t had anyone that he could call a ‘best friend,’ just some ordinary pals that he probably wouldn’t have ever met if it weren’t for school. So, as planned by his parents, Alex and his family took off to America just under a year later in July, with little resistance from the boy. His parents weren’t so lucky with his older sister, though.

After having a couple of weeks to settle in, Alex was to begin attending a school a few blocks away from his house in early August. The end of his summer that he’d spent in America had let him get used to it, and he was more than ready to meet some new people his age. He’d woken up early, gotten ready, eaten breakfast, and packed his stuff, all before the normal student would have even awoken. His mom had let out a chuckle at her son as he ran out the door, yelling something about wanting to be early in order to not get lost on his first day.

Not very far away, Jack Barakat had barely woken up, and was now rushing to make it to school on time. The sixteen year old had had a fairly decent summer, good times with friends Zack and Rian, and plenty of lazy days. Over all, summer is summer, and he wasn’t complaining. He'd grown up and lived in Baltimore his entire life, and he wasn't really looking for more. It wasn't that Jack was resistant to change, it was just that he didn't know where to start. He didn't know who he was, or what he wanted. So, when the first day of junior year came along, he wasn't particularly excited, nor was he nervous or scared. Taking his time, he made his way to school, not really thinking about what this year would hold for him.

To get right to the point, Alex and Jack had met in chemistry class that afternoon. Alex had gotten there early, while Jack had walked in just on time. The two boys sat next to each other because, Alex, being new and not knowing anyone, had taken a seat in the corner by himself, and Jack, all alone since most of his friends were in advanced classes, had no choice but to sit next to the other boy, as all the other seats were taken. The two shared a few short glances throughout second period, trying to listen to their teacher's first day spiel, until the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Grabbing his stuff and following the crowd out of the classroom, Jack was deciding where he'd go for lunch, and who he'd look for, when he heard a voice call his name from behind him. Turning around, he noticed the boy who had sat next to him in chemistry running to catch up with him.

"Hey. Hey, Jack, right?" The boy asked, fixing the blond hairs atop his head that had fallen astray as he ran.

Jack nodded his head, curious as to what the kid could want. Alex, figuring it was worth a shot, spoke again.

"I'm Alex. You going anywhere for lunch? Mind if I tag along?" He smiled, head cocked to the side as he bounced on his feet, waiting for an answer.

Jack chuckled at Alex's eagerness, impressed by the other boy's ability to talk to people he barely knew. Figuring that hanging out with the boy for the next little while wouldn't be so bad, and that he could catch up with Zack and Rian later, he nodded again. "Sure," Jack complied, motioning for Alex to follow him.

A year later, and the two boys were inseparable. They'd formed a bond over the last twelve months, that no one really understood. It started out with the two hanging out at lunch, Jack introducing Alex to the rest of his friends, so they could be together more. They began going over to each other's houses then, familiar with each other's parents, and often spending the night. Their relationship was quite confusing to the rest of their peers. Everyone knew that they were best friends, but quite a lot of people could tell that there was something else going on there, too.

It was a known fact that Alex was gay. He was open about it, but never did he flaunt it. He didn't see the need to, because he considered himself just as regular as anyone else. The liking that he had taken to Jack made total sense because of this, though. All of their friends could see it in the way that he looked after the slightly older boy. He'd go out of his way for Jack, carrying his things, getting up to go get stuff for him, and other things like that. Jack, on the other hand, was not as readable. It was clear that he liked Alex as well, but nobody really understood his sexuality, or where their relationship stood. Alex and Jack were both equally as loud, crazy, and obnoxious seniors, but when Jack was around the younger boy, he'd quiet down, and put all his attention towards the younger boy. He'd go along with whatever Alex said, no matter how stupid.

On this particular day, Jack was over at Alex's, the two sitting on his bedroom floor. They were working on their homework, Math for Alex, and English for Jack. Their studying was soon long forgotten though, when Alex had pushed Jack's books off of his legs, and pulled him onto his lap.

"Hi," Jack giggled, fitting his arms around Alex's neck.

"Hey," Alex breathed in reply, head leaning back to rest against the wall.

Alex made a move first, reaching out to cup the darker haired boy's face and pull him closer. Jack responded quickly, lips moving forward to press against Alex's. Hearts racing, together they deepened the kiss, but not too far. As suspected, they were just beginning things out in their relationship. Minutes passed, and as each boy let go more, mouths opened and tongues began to peak through swollen lips.

Alex was just about to take off his shirt, before Jack was pulling back, shaking his head. As a string of 'No's' fell from Jack's lips, Alex pulled the older boy closer again, but this time for a hug.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay. None of that until we both decide we want to go further. It's okay, baby." Alex whispered into Jack's hair.

Jack sat up once again, blushing at the pet name and nodding his head in reply. "Okay," he mumbled, taking the hand Alex had offered to him, hands clasped and fingers entwined.

Alex spent the night of graduation over at Jack's house. The two had spent their day with all of the friends that they had made during the past few years years, but decided to go to one of their homes for the night, just the two of them. Jack's mom had made them both dinner, and then they went upstairs to Jack's room.

Flopping down on his stomach onto Jack's bed, Alex looked up at the taller boy sitting next to him.

"Where do you think we're going to be in ten years?" Alex asked, eyes sparkling and a thoughtful look on his face.

Jack sighed in response, bringing a frown to Alex's face. Sitting up, Alex grabbed Jack's hand, asking him, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Letting out a breath of air, Jack spoke. "It's just that, I have no idea. Even though we're both going to the same college, you have all of these plans and all of this hope for your future. You know where you want to go, and what you want to do. I don't know anything. I feel like I'm working towards nothing."

"Aw, hey. That's not true at all. You have so much potential, and even if you don't exactly know where you're going now, you'll always have me to guide you, up until the day that you're guiding me, okay?" Alex asked, looking into Jack's eyes. The raven haired boy nodded, just before the ringing of Alex's phone interrupted their conversation.

"Hello?" Alex answered, and Jack waited patiently as the younger boy listened to whoever was on the opposite end of the phone. "Oh... Okay." Alex spoke, eyebrows scrunching together as he hang up. With a confused look on his face, Alex turned to Jack, saying, "That was my mom. She said I have to be home immediately."

Alex's sister had died that night, on the evening of May 29th. The car she was riding in had been hit by a drunk driver at a busy intersection, killing her and her friend. Once he'd arrived home, Alex's mother had informed him of this, with a strained voice and swollen eyes. The boy had asked several times if she was sure, if she was lying, if it were a joke, before dropping to the floor in hysterics. His mother had tried to calm him down, using all of her last drops of courage to comfort her now only child, but Alex wasn't having any of it. He stomped up the stairs with his heart heavy in his chest, and called Jack immediately.

The older boy was over at Alex's house in no time, soaked in just a T-shirt from the rain that was now pouring outside. Something inside of him had been sparked by the panic in Alex's tone, and he ran out his door without a second thought.

Jack had instantly taken Alex into his arms, listening to the boy choke on his words and sorting through his sobs to find the meaning behind them. After a short while, Jack had finally picked up on what had happened, and moved to hold Alex even tighter. He whispered "I'm sorry's" and "It'll be okay's" into the younger boy's hair, although he wasn't so sure about his words either. No matter what, though, he was there for Alex, just as the younger boy was for him.

After a dry, calm summer filled with mourning and grief, Alex's mother had announced that there family would be moving back to England. She and her husband had decided that it'd be best for them to get away from the place where they'd lost their beloved daughter. Alex had tensed up at this, more so than they thought he would. He immediately shut the idea down, screaming about how his sister was taken from him, and how they can't take away Jack, too.

Alex's mother pulled the now-seventeen year old into her arms, shushing him until he was no longer shaking.

"Please mommy, before, when we m-moved, I didn't have anyone, so it was fine. But n-now, I have J-Jack. Please d-don't, don't make me leave him." Alex stuttered, tears still falling onto his mother's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Alexander. You're still a minor, so you must come with us. It'll be better there, I promise. We can heal." The woman spoke in reply, shaking her head and trying not to cry as well.

In response, Alex pulled away from his mother, and instead scrambled around to find his phone to call Jack.

When Jack had been informed about Alex's situation, he made his way to the mall as fast as he could, instead of to his boyfriend's house to comfort him. Their relationship was unspoken, but Jack figured it'd be alright to refer to him as that in his head. For now, at least.

Once at the mall, Jack looked around at a few different stores, speaking with several different clerks. Although being put off by his young age of eighteen, they could sense the sincerity in his eyes, and were more than happy to help him. Jack was really hoping that his plan would work, because if it didn't, it would change everything. After making his purchase, Jack called Alex and told him to get to the park as fast as he could.

Alex arrived at the park near his house several minutes later, out of breath from running since he left. He spotted Jack near the swings, and jogged up to him.

"Hey, what's up?" Alex asked, confused to why Jack had asked to meet him there instead of at back at his house.

"Okay, I need you to listen." Jack spoke in a rush. "I know this makes absolutely no sense, and you might think I'm crazy, but I swear it's for the best. It's one of the only things I could think of that could tie you here tight enough for your parents to let you stay. We don't have to act on it now, or even in the next five or ten years, really. I know it's inevitable, though, and so do you. I love you so much and I know for a fact that I'm able to promise you my future right now, because I've finally figured it out, and my future is you. At least, that's what I'm hoping." After letting all of this out in a short amount of breaths, Jack was kneeling on one knee in front of Alex, and asking, "Will you marry me?"

Seven years later, and Alex and Jack were out to dinner with their friends, celebrating the announcement of their wedding. All those years ago, when Jack had proposed to Alex, both of their parents were stunned to find out what happened. Giving in easily, not wanting her son to make such a commitment too early, Alex's mother had promised him that he could stay in Baltimore if he didn't marry Jack in the near future. Jack's mother had agreed to let Alex stay with them, and both boys were ecstatic.

Now, after both boys had completed college and they lived on their own, they decided that they were ready to get married and start a family. They'd talked about it for a couple months, before they finally asked their friends to join them for dinner to tell them the news. Once it was spoken, their table had erupted into cheers, plenty of "Congratulations'!" And "Finally's!" thrown into the mix.

One particular voice, Rian's, stood out. "Who would've thought Jack would be the one to propose, huh?"

Jack and Alex both laughed at this, because it was true. Back when they were teenagers, it had always seemed like something Alex would have done. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack noticed Alex looking down at the ring on his finger. The younger boy had been so very proud of it since he'd gotten it all those years ago, showing it off whenever he could. It melted Jack's heart every time he saw the blond take a glance at it.

"I know, right?" Zack contributed, "But if you looked at them now, you'd have no idea that it was ever any different."

Jack chuckled once again, while Alex blushed, hiding himself under the arm that Jack had thrown across his shoulders. Jack leant down to kiss him on the top of the head, whispering an "I love you," into his ear. Alex replied with the very same words.