What We Are (And How We Hate It)
Chapter 3
The weekend arrives, and the boys gather for yet another band practice. They go to Rian’s house again and the band gathers in the basement. They all seem more on edge but no one wants to bring it up.
Zack is the least on edge, but it’s still clear that something’s bothering him. Meanwhile the other three are slightly more visibly distressed. Jack has noticeable dark circles under his eyes, which he hides with his older sister’s concealer.
Alex and Rian don’t look that much better. For the past few days their dreams have gotten worse, and they wear looks of exhaustion from the lack of sleep.
“Are you guys sure about practice today? You don’t...look up to it,” Zack says. He places a hand on Jack’s shoulder and notices he feels warm. Like, a sickly kind of warm.
“I feel fine,” Rian insists, heading over to his drum set.
“We’ll wake up more when we start playing. Don’t worry about it.”
Zack glances at them and gives them questioning looks. He’d been feeling weird the past few days too, and things were happening to him that he couldn’t explain. But it seems that he got lucky.
“Can we wait a few minutes? I gotta get some cold water.”
His friends shrug it off and he walks upstairs. Rian’s mom is in the room and looks up when he comes up the stairs. He waves and walks into the kitchen, getting the water he needs as well as a washcloth. Then he goes back downstairs.
Jack’s on the couch, laying on his back with his eyes closed. Zack took a seat next to him and got the washcloth wet before he set it on Jack’s forehead. The guitarist opens his eyes and looks at Zack, then closes his eyes again and relaxes.
Zack smiles down at him and turns his attention to Rian and Alex. The singer’s rubbing his throat, like it hurts, and Rian can’t seem to focus on the meeting. There’s a look in his eyes and he looks like his mind is elsewhere.
“Seriously, we shouldn’t be meeting if you guys don’t feel like yourselves.”
“Zack, I’m fine!” Rian insists. Alex nods and mumbles an agreement. His voice sounds awful and Zack shakes his head.
“Alex can barely speak! And Jack,” he looks down at the other boy and sees how pale he’s become, “he’s clearly not doing well.”
The others want to argue, but after seeing Jack in his current state, they deflate and cave in.
“Fine.”
Zack stands, satisfied, but stops when he feels Jack holding his hand.
“I don’t want to leave,” he mumbles.
The bassist squeezes his hand gently and looks over at the others.
“Can he stay over here tonight? I can call his mom and tell her.”
Rian shrugs and sighs.
“Why don’t you all stay the night?”
“Would your mom be okay with that?” Alex asks softly.
“Yeah, she won’t mind. She already tries to give you guys my food and snacks.”
“Because she’s nice and hospitable,” Zack retorts. Rian shoots him a glare but he’s unfazed.
“I’ll let her know.”
As the drummer stands to head upstairs, Alex and Zack get their phones out and call home. The calls take just a few minutes, their parents giving their permission and telling them to have a good time.
“Need me to call your mom?” Zack asks Jack. The guitarist nods meekly.
“My head’s on fire,” Jack mumbles.
The bassist frowns and makes quick work in getting the phone out and calling his mom. She picks up after a couple of rings.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mrs. Barakat, it’s Zack. Jack’s really not feeling well and Rian’s mom is okay with us staying over, so would it be alright if he stayed the night?”
“He’s not feeling well? Does he feel good enough to talk on the phone for a few minutes?”
Zack hands the phone to Jack and he talks to his mom. He finishes the call and hangs up.
“She’s fine with me staying over.”
“That’s good.”
“Can I have some water?”
“Yeah, I’ll get you a glass.”
“Can you get me one too?” Alex asks, his voice now sounding parched.
“No problem.”
Zack walks upstairs and heads to the kitchen. He grabs two glasses and heads to the sink. Rian’s mom walks past and heads downstairs while Rian follows close behind. He looks worse, more in pain than before.
“Are you feeling alright?” Zack asks him.
“Fine, just some pain in my sides. It’s probably nothing.”
Zack purses his lips and finishes filling the glasses, rushing back down to the basement. Rian’s mom is checking on Jack. Zack hands a glass to Alex, and he begins to chug the drink. That concerns him too.
“It sounds like the two of you are coming down with something. I just can’t tell what it is. I hope it isn’t contagious.”
She moves aside as Zack sits next to Jack, handing him the water. Jack thanks him and takes a sip.
“I’ll go get you some medicine, Jack.”
She heads upstairs and Alex follows, holding the empty glass at his side.
Rian rests against the couch and closes his eyes. He looks worse.
“How much pain are you in?”
“Um, more now.”
“Maybe you should go to the doctor’s.”
He nods.
“I’ll tell my mom when she gets back.”
Alex comes down with another glass of water, and a filled water bottle. His throat must be more sore than he thought.
Rian’s mom comes back down and gives some medicine to each of the boys, except Zack. She stops at Jack last and checks his temperature again. It doesn’t seem to be good.
“Still pretty warm.”
“Should I get some more cold water for him?” Zack asks.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
Zack takes a couple minutes to get more water for Jack, and when he comes back down, he sees the guitarist looks a bit better. So does everyone else. He sets the water next to Jack and takes a seat beside him.
“You guys look better.”
“I’m feeling better,” Jack tells him. He tries to sit up but doesn’t make it all the way and he lays back. “Well, I’m not 100% back to normal.”
Zack smiles and looks at Rian and Alex. They seem to be doing better, not in pain.
“I’ll bring down some movies for you to watch and then I’ll get dinner started, alright?”
“Sounds good.”
“Thanks mom."
Zack, Jack, and Alex echo their thanks and get situated near the couch. When she brings the movies, they pick a few of them and put them in. She brings them dinner after a while and Rian picks up after them when they’re done. He grumbles about it the whole time.
After the second or third movie, Jack starts feeling better and sits up all the way. He takes the washcloth off his forehead and wipes the water away. When he brushes against Zack and Alex, his skin isn’t burning up anymore.
Rian comes back down and he’s holding clothes in his hand.
“Got some clothes for you guys to change into.”
They mumble their thanks and focus on the screen. When the movie ends, Rian’s mom appears at the top of the stairs. She says goodnight, and they take that as a sign to start wrapping things up.
They change into the clothes Rian brought down and head up to the living room. Rian gets out some extra pillows and blankets, and they pull the couch out so they can all fit.
“Look at the moon,” Rian says.
They all crowd at the window and look into the night sky. The moon is full and shining bright.
“I’m gonna go outside, get some air.”
Before anyone else can say anything, Rian heads out to the backyard. Since he pointed out the moon, he appeared to be in a trance. But Zack doesn’t bring it up; maybe he’s just seeing things.
“I need more water,” Alex mumbles before heading to the kitchen.
“Should we get him more medicine?” Zack asks Jack.
Jack shrugs.
“I think he’ll be okay.”
Zack wants to double-check, but the exhaustion sets in and he nods.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
He settles onto the far side of the couch-bed and pulls the blanket over him. Jack gets in next to him and leaves a few inches of space between the two of them. Zack accepts the warmth, and closes his eyes. He falls asleep easily.
That peace isn’t going to last.
Zack is the least on edge, but it’s still clear that something’s bothering him. Meanwhile the other three are slightly more visibly distressed. Jack has noticeable dark circles under his eyes, which he hides with his older sister’s concealer.
Alex and Rian don’t look that much better. For the past few days their dreams have gotten worse, and they wear looks of exhaustion from the lack of sleep.
“Are you guys sure about practice today? You don’t...look up to it,” Zack says. He places a hand on Jack’s shoulder and notices he feels warm. Like, a sickly kind of warm.
“I feel fine,” Rian insists, heading over to his drum set.
“We’ll wake up more when we start playing. Don’t worry about it.”
Zack glances at them and gives them questioning looks. He’d been feeling weird the past few days too, and things were happening to him that he couldn’t explain. But it seems that he got lucky.
“Can we wait a few minutes? I gotta get some cold water.”
His friends shrug it off and he walks upstairs. Rian’s mom is in the room and looks up when he comes up the stairs. He waves and walks into the kitchen, getting the water he needs as well as a washcloth. Then he goes back downstairs.
Jack’s on the couch, laying on his back with his eyes closed. Zack took a seat next to him and got the washcloth wet before he set it on Jack’s forehead. The guitarist opens his eyes and looks at Zack, then closes his eyes again and relaxes.
Zack smiles down at him and turns his attention to Rian and Alex. The singer’s rubbing his throat, like it hurts, and Rian can’t seem to focus on the meeting. There’s a look in his eyes and he looks like his mind is elsewhere.
“Seriously, we shouldn’t be meeting if you guys don’t feel like yourselves.”
“Zack, I’m fine!” Rian insists. Alex nods and mumbles an agreement. His voice sounds awful and Zack shakes his head.
“Alex can barely speak! And Jack,” he looks down at the other boy and sees how pale he’s become, “he’s clearly not doing well.”
The others want to argue, but after seeing Jack in his current state, they deflate and cave in.
“Fine.”
Zack stands, satisfied, but stops when he feels Jack holding his hand.
“I don’t want to leave,” he mumbles.
The bassist squeezes his hand gently and looks over at the others.
“Can he stay over here tonight? I can call his mom and tell her.”
Rian shrugs and sighs.
“Why don’t you all stay the night?”
“Would your mom be okay with that?” Alex asks softly.
“Yeah, she won’t mind. She already tries to give you guys my food and snacks.”
“Because she’s nice and hospitable,” Zack retorts. Rian shoots him a glare but he’s unfazed.
“I’ll let her know.”
As the drummer stands to head upstairs, Alex and Zack get their phones out and call home. The calls take just a few minutes, their parents giving their permission and telling them to have a good time.
“Need me to call your mom?” Zack asks Jack. The guitarist nods meekly.
“My head’s on fire,” Jack mumbles.
The bassist frowns and makes quick work in getting the phone out and calling his mom. She picks up after a couple of rings.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mrs. Barakat, it’s Zack. Jack’s really not feeling well and Rian’s mom is okay with us staying over, so would it be alright if he stayed the night?”
“He’s not feeling well? Does he feel good enough to talk on the phone for a few minutes?”
Zack hands the phone to Jack and he talks to his mom. He finishes the call and hangs up.
“She’s fine with me staying over.”
“That’s good.”
“Can I have some water?”
“Yeah, I’ll get you a glass.”
“Can you get me one too?” Alex asks, his voice now sounding parched.
“No problem.”
Zack walks upstairs and heads to the kitchen. He grabs two glasses and heads to the sink. Rian’s mom walks past and heads downstairs while Rian follows close behind. He looks worse, more in pain than before.
“Are you feeling alright?” Zack asks him.
“Fine, just some pain in my sides. It’s probably nothing.”
Zack purses his lips and finishes filling the glasses, rushing back down to the basement. Rian’s mom is checking on Jack. Zack hands a glass to Alex, and he begins to chug the drink. That concerns him too.
“It sounds like the two of you are coming down with something. I just can’t tell what it is. I hope it isn’t contagious.”
She moves aside as Zack sits next to Jack, handing him the water. Jack thanks him and takes a sip.
“I’ll go get you some medicine, Jack.”
She heads upstairs and Alex follows, holding the empty glass at his side.
Rian rests against the couch and closes his eyes. He looks worse.
“How much pain are you in?”
“Um, more now.”
“Maybe you should go to the doctor’s.”
He nods.
“I’ll tell my mom when she gets back.”
Alex comes down with another glass of water, and a filled water bottle. His throat must be more sore than he thought.
Rian’s mom comes back down and gives some medicine to each of the boys, except Zack. She stops at Jack last and checks his temperature again. It doesn’t seem to be good.
“Still pretty warm.”
“Should I get some more cold water for him?” Zack asks.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
Zack takes a couple minutes to get more water for Jack, and when he comes back down, he sees the guitarist looks a bit better. So does everyone else. He sets the water next to Jack and takes a seat beside him.
“You guys look better.”
“I’m feeling better,” Jack tells him. He tries to sit up but doesn’t make it all the way and he lays back. “Well, I’m not 100% back to normal.”
Zack smiles and looks at Rian and Alex. They seem to be doing better, not in pain.
“I’ll bring down some movies for you to watch and then I’ll get dinner started, alright?”
“Sounds good.”
“Thanks mom."
Zack, Jack, and Alex echo their thanks and get situated near the couch. When she brings the movies, they pick a few of them and put them in. She brings them dinner after a while and Rian picks up after them when they’re done. He grumbles about it the whole time.
After the second or third movie, Jack starts feeling better and sits up all the way. He takes the washcloth off his forehead and wipes the water away. When he brushes against Zack and Alex, his skin isn’t burning up anymore.
Rian comes back down and he’s holding clothes in his hand.
“Got some clothes for you guys to change into.”
They mumble their thanks and focus on the screen. When the movie ends, Rian’s mom appears at the top of the stairs. She says goodnight, and they take that as a sign to start wrapping things up.
They change into the clothes Rian brought down and head up to the living room. Rian gets out some extra pillows and blankets, and they pull the couch out so they can all fit.
“Look at the moon,” Rian says.
They all crowd at the window and look into the night sky. The moon is full and shining bright.
“I’m gonna go outside, get some air.”
Before anyone else can say anything, Rian heads out to the backyard. Since he pointed out the moon, he appeared to be in a trance. But Zack doesn’t bring it up; maybe he’s just seeing things.
“I need more water,” Alex mumbles before heading to the kitchen.
“Should we get him more medicine?” Zack asks Jack.
Jack shrugs.
“I think he’ll be okay.”
Zack wants to double-check, but the exhaustion sets in and he nods.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
He settles onto the far side of the couch-bed and pulls the blanket over him. Jack gets in next to him and leaves a few inches of space between the two of them. Zack accepts the warmth, and closes his eyes. He falls asleep easily.
That peace isn’t going to last.