Alex’s POV
“Jack did you just say you love me?” He sat staring at me, panic in his eyes. “Jack tell me now! What’s going on? How long have you loved me?” He shuffled in his seat and looked down at the floor. “Since we met.” Jack looked up and his eyes were red, a single solitary tear rolling down his cheek. I leant forward and took his hand and he followed it all the time with his eyes and I took it and pressed it against my own chest. “I’ve loved you since we met too Jack.” He looked directly at me, eyes focusing on mine. “Really?” I nodded, giving a slight smile. The door handle turned and I let go of Jack’s hand. It was the teacher. “Is everything alright in here boys?” We both nodded towards the teacher and stood up taking our bags and heading towards the door.
We stopped near the door to the playground and I grabbed Jack by his wrist. “Do you really love me? Is that why you acted all weird when I was with Lisa?” He only nodded in return, a small frown playing upon his lips. I looked at his lips. I really didn’t have the courage to kiss him. “Alex I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” He looked at me. “For making your life even more fucked up than it was before you moved here.” I shook my head and looked at my feet and shuffled forwards a few steps. “You’ve made my life better Jack, not worse.” He smiled at me, pulling me into a hug and squeezing me into his body. “I’m sure your life is worse than mine Jack. You told me your story.” He nuzzled into the crook of my neck. “Can I come over tonight and talk this through in more depth?” I pulled away from the hug. “Sure.” I smiled, patting him on the back and heading out the door to lunch.

At the end of school Jack and me walked to my house, awkwardly of course. I wanted to hold his hand and I’m pretty sure he wanted to hold mine as well. We accidently hit one another’s palms every now and then. We reached the door of my house and went up the stairs to my room.

Jack’s POV
I sat down on the bed opposite Alex and crossed my legs over. “Right lets sort this out.”
“Sort out what?” He smirked at me. “Sort out the fact that we know we both love each other in the same way Jack.”
“Oh. We don’t need to sort out anything really.” Alex raised one eyebrow at me and leaned forward leaping on me. “Alex oh my god get the hell off me.”
“And why should I do that?” I looked into his eyes and all I could see was love and lust and passion. “I-I-I don’t actually think you should move.” This was the moment I’d been waiting for since I met Alex. I could feel his breath on my face and everything was perfect. “ALEX WHERE ARE YOU? I’VE GOT SOME COOKIES FROM SHOPPING FOR YOU!”
“Shit! My mums home!” He jumped off of me and I sat up on the bed pretending like nothing had happened. Alex ran to the corner of the room, grabbed his guitar and sat beside me. His mum walked into the room. “Oh hello Jack.” I looked up. “Hello Mrs. Gaskarth.” I smiled, trying to stop things from looking awkward. “Alex you didn’t tell me you were letting Jack stay the night?”
“Wha-What? He isn’t staying over? He’s just staying for a bit to chat.”
“I think I’d love to stay over Alex.” I grinned, as he looked over to me raising an eyebrow and mouthing to me ‘are you insane’. I raised my eyebrows. “Well you’re very welcome to stay over Jack. Dinner will be at 7!” Alex’s mum walked out of the room and he literally threw his guitar on the bed and leaped on me. “WHY THE FUCK DID YOU SAY YOU WERE STAYING OVER FOR THE NIGHT!” I just chuckled, smirking at him. “Thought it’d be good for you know, our relationship?”
“Were not even together Jack.”
“And how would you know that when you’re not inside my mind.” I pushed him off of me. “I’m going to get my stuff for tonight okay. I won’t be long!”
I walked into my house and was greeted by my mother and father, glaring across the room at me. “Jack where the fuck have you been for the past hour since school finished?”
“I-I-I was over Alex’s. I did ring but nobody answered.”
“That’s no good young man.” My mother shouted at me. “I’m sorry please forgive me! Please! I’m meant to be sleeping over Alex’s tonight so I only came to get some clothes!”
“SLEEPING OVER! WHO SAID YOU COULD SLEEP OVER HIS THEN?” I stuttered, my words not coming out. My dad walked over and took me by the collar and pinned me against the wall. “YOU ARE STAYING HERE TONIGHT NOT AT THAT BOYS HOUSE. I DON’T TRUST HIM!”
“You don’t know him dad, you don’t!”
“I DON’T WANT TO KNOW HIM!” I struggled to get out of my fathers grip as my mother looked on from across the room. “YOU WILL DO AS YOUR TOLD. NOW GO TO YOUR ROOM!” He threw me to the ground, kicking me hard in the stomach. “At least Alex is nicer to me than you!” I ran up the stairs, holding my stomach in agony. I slammed my door behind me, sliding down against the door and crying out in pain. I lifted up my shirt to look at all of the old and new bruises upon my stomach and chest. Alex had never seen these and I don’t think I’d ever want him to…

Alex’s POV
It had been 1 hour since Jack had gone over to his house. He hadn’t come back since. “He shouldn’t have been this long. He was only getting some clothes.” I looked out of the window across the road at Jack’s house. The lights weren’t on. The only light visible was the porch light, which was always lit. My mother walked in. “Alex dear, dinner was ready 10 minutes ago. Where’s Jack?”
“I don’t know. I’m not eating till I find out where he is.” I put on my coat and walked straight past her, rushing out the door to the one place I knew he’d be. His place under the stars. Under the star we named Jalex…