Sweet Goodbye
Two
"So, got any special talents?" I asked, as we took the long way home. Alex shrugged.
"I guess. I can play guitar, and I can sing. My dad tells me I'm an awful singer, but I don't really care. I love doing it, so I do it when he's not around." I frowned.
"You can't be that bad, why don't you sing me something?" I asked him. We stopped at a park, and sat on the swings.
"I don't know. It's kind of embarrasing if what my parents say is true." He sighed, and started pushing himself with his legs.
"Come on, please? I won't say anything mean, I promise." I said, not letting the subject go.
"You promise?" He asked, looking over at me. I nodded, and smiled.
"Promise." Alex smiled back at me, and took a deep breath. He started to sing, and it was like everything went quiet for him. His voice was beautiful, and soothing. I listened as he sang the chorus to my favorite Blink song, one that described me so well. When he was done, he didn't dare look at me. I got up from the swing, and stood in front of him, placing my hands on his shoulders.
"That was fucking amazing. You can really sing." I said. He finally looked at me, a smile on his face.
"You really think so?" He asked. I nodded. "The only person who ever told me that was my mom, and...." He trailed off, the smile dissappearing from his face.
"Hey, is something wrong?" I asked, taking a step back from him.
"Can I tell you something? The real reason why we moved here?" He asked, playing with the strings on his sweatshirt.
"Of course you can, what are friends for?" I said, sitting back down on the swing. Alex straightened up, and turned to me.
"Well, I didn't entirely tell you the truth. I'm technically not an only child." He said. I looked at
him in confusion, not entirely understanding what he meant.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I had a brother. Tom. He... He passed away during the summer. My parents couldn't bare living there anymore, so we moved here." Alex's lower lip began to quiver, so instanctly, I got up from the swing once again, and wrapped him in a hug.
"You didn't have to tell me that, Alex. That's something very personal, and we only just met." I said, trying to soothe him. He shook his head.
"Well, you're my friend now. I had to tell someone, and who better than a new friend." He said, pulling away from me. "Come on, we should get going." We started back up the road in silence. "Can I ask a personal question?" Alex asked, after a while. We were almost home.
"Yeah, anything." I said, not even contemplating what he would ask me.
"This morning on the bus, when that guy... Uh, Chester, I believe, asked if you found a butt buddy.... What was he implying?" I stopped for a second, feeling actually embarresed for once with a question like this.
"Well, I'm the only openly gay kid in our school. He uses it to torment me, but I don't mind. If you're worried about you getting picked on and bullied, than we don't have to hangout.." I said, feeling kind of bad. None of my other friends really had this problem, because we hardly hungout.
"Oh." Was all he said. I felt scared for a minute, that maybe he would turn against me for being gay. We didn't say anything else until we reached his driveway.
"I'll see you around, Alex." I said, waving to him. He smiled.
"Jack, wait." He said, running over to me. He hugged me quickly. "Thank you. It was nice meeting you." My face began to burn.
"Your welcome, and you too." I said. I watched as he dissappeared into his house, and then began walking up my long driveway, planning out exactly what I would say to my mom.
"I guess. I can play guitar, and I can sing. My dad tells me I'm an awful singer, but I don't really care. I love doing it, so I do it when he's not around." I frowned.
"You can't be that bad, why don't you sing me something?" I asked him. We stopped at a park, and sat on the swings.
"I don't know. It's kind of embarrasing if what my parents say is true." He sighed, and started pushing himself with his legs.
"Come on, please? I won't say anything mean, I promise." I said, not letting the subject go.
"You promise?" He asked, looking over at me. I nodded, and smiled.
"Promise." Alex smiled back at me, and took a deep breath. He started to sing, and it was like everything went quiet for him. His voice was beautiful, and soothing. I listened as he sang the chorus to my favorite Blink song, one that described me so well. When he was done, he didn't dare look at me. I got up from the swing, and stood in front of him, placing my hands on his shoulders.
"That was fucking amazing. You can really sing." I said. He finally looked at me, a smile on his face.
"You really think so?" He asked. I nodded. "The only person who ever told me that was my mom, and...." He trailed off, the smile dissappearing from his face.
"Hey, is something wrong?" I asked, taking a step back from him.
"Can I tell you something? The real reason why we moved here?" He asked, playing with the strings on his sweatshirt.
"Of course you can, what are friends for?" I said, sitting back down on the swing. Alex straightened up, and turned to me.
"Well, I didn't entirely tell you the truth. I'm technically not an only child." He said. I looked at
him in confusion, not entirely understanding what he meant.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I had a brother. Tom. He... He passed away during the summer. My parents couldn't bare living there anymore, so we moved here." Alex's lower lip began to quiver, so instanctly, I got up from the swing once again, and wrapped him in a hug.
"You didn't have to tell me that, Alex. That's something very personal, and we only just met." I said, trying to soothe him. He shook his head.
"Well, you're my friend now. I had to tell someone, and who better than a new friend." He said, pulling away from me. "Come on, we should get going." We started back up the road in silence. "Can I ask a personal question?" Alex asked, after a while. We were almost home.
"Yeah, anything." I said, not even contemplating what he would ask me.
"This morning on the bus, when that guy... Uh, Chester, I believe, asked if you found a butt buddy.... What was he implying?" I stopped for a second, feeling actually embarresed for once with a question like this.
"Well, I'm the only openly gay kid in our school. He uses it to torment me, but I don't mind. If you're worried about you getting picked on and bullied, than we don't have to hangout.." I said, feeling kind of bad. None of my other friends really had this problem, because we hardly hungout.
"Oh." Was all he said. I felt scared for a minute, that maybe he would turn against me for being gay. We didn't say anything else until we reached his driveway.
"I'll see you around, Alex." I said, waving to him. He smiled.
"Jack, wait." He said, running over to me. He hugged me quickly. "Thank you. It was nice meeting you." My face began to burn.
"Your welcome, and you too." I said. I watched as he dissappeared into his house, and then began walking up my long driveway, planning out exactly what I would say to my mom.
I love this story<3
7/3/13