Alex
A month or so had passed since my return to school and I was pleased to say that it had passed quickly. I hadn’t expected things to be easy but I slipped straight back into my old routine quickly and I’d settled back into school without any great difficulty. Sure, there were days when things got bad and the only thing I wanted was for my mom to be here so that I could talk to her about it. Thankfully, the good days outweighed the bad ones and when I felt bad, I usually talked to Jack, Danny or Zack, depending on who was more accessible. I was glad that I could count on Jack as not only a teacher, but a friend too. In the past month, Jack had proven himself to be a really close friend and I knew that I could count on him when I needed him. We just clicked instantly. I don’t really see him as a teacher. Not many people know about it because I’m not sure that many would think it was appropriate to be friends with a teacher.

Jack and I had so much in common. It was insane. We liked the same music and acted the same way. I’m almost certain that if we were to meet under different circumstances, then we would have become instant friends. Matt is cool too. He was a really funny guy and he owned one of my favourite music stores in the city which was pretty awesome.

I still go to Jack’s for tutoring sessions but now, every Friday night I join Jack and Matt for take out after our sessions have finished. I really did not expect to get two friends out of this experience but I guess that I’m just lucky. Danny and Zack were intrigued by this new relationship too and ever since Danny came back from tour, he had been hounding me for more information. Danny, in a typical Danny style, wanted to know everything! The question that he was most obsessed with was, ‘Do you like him more than you should?’. I had lost count of how many times this question had been asked and each time my response would more or less be the same.

A shy blush would creep onto my face before mumbling a ‘No,’ in response and trying to avoid the question at all costs. Danny could see right through my lie, but there was no way that I was admitting that I liked Jack as something more just right now. It would be too awkward. It was only getting used to the idea myself. Besides, what would Jack see in me? We’d never discussed sexual orientation but I’m sure that he’s straight.

Right now, Danny was over at my house for a while. He’d been waiting for me here when I’d come home from school. My dad loved Danny, and I’m sure that my dad was glad of the company. Dad was doing his best to make sure that the amount of school that I missed, was kept down to a minimum. This meant that he often played down on how he was feeling and he was often reluctant to tell me the truth if I asked. He was worried that I’d worry too much and let it effort my school work. So, having Danny around, turned into a good thing because it would take his mind off of the pain. My dad enjoyed hearing all of Danny’s stories from the road. IT was good to see him laughing, smiling and joking around.

I was getting ready to leave for my tutoring session with Jack but Danny continued to distract me. The worst thing about Danny is that when he’s on the road, he complains about missing home and he’s always looking forward to his next break so that he can come home for a while. The only problem with this is that whenever he’s home, he gets cabin fever and he becomes eager to get back out on the road once again. He’s so used to living such a busy life on the road where everything he does is planned out for him as per the daily schedule he finds it weird to be at home, twiddling his thumbs because he’s bored.

I was rushing around my room trying to put all my notes together when a glance at my phone confirmed that if I didn’t hurry, then I was going to be late.

“Danny, you know that I’d love to stay and chat but I really need to go. If I don’t leave now, then I’m going to be late! I’ll be back at about ten o’clock. How about we do something then? I’m sorry to rush out but I need to get to my tutoring session.”

Danny tore his gaze away from the book that he’d picked up to smile at me as I rushed out the door.

“I’ll give you a ride, Alex. It’s on my way home.”

However, no matter how late I would possibly be, I could not and would not leave without checking on my dad first. I found him in the living room, reading a book.

“Dad, I’m going now. I’m not sure what time I’ll be back at but if you need me at all, then my phone will be on and you can text or call me. Okay?”

~*~*~*~

After another successful tutoring session and an equally amusing time spent chatting with Matt and Jack as we ate pizza, the time had flown. It was only when I heard someone knock on Jack’s front door did I realise that over three hours had passed since I’d left home. Matt stood up and walked towards the door while I checked the time on my phone.

“Danny K?” Matt’s shout was loud and clear and it caused both Jack and I to turn our heads in the direction of the door. Jack’s face broke out into a huge grin while I went to gather my things.

“That’s my ride. I better go,” I started but I was cut off by Jack who stood up and began walking towards the door.

“Danny K! Come in, dude. How have you been?”

It was then that I remembered that they had all gone to school together.

“Actually, I was just here to collect Alex,” I heard Danny explain but he was led inside anyway. The next hour and a half was spent with everyone catching up on the past few years and swapping stories from their High School days. It was pretty funny to hear about some of the stuff that they had gotten up to in High School. It was entertaining to say the least.

“Jack, Matt, it was great to catch up with you both but I really need to get going. I have a meeting early in the morning and I should be getting Alex home. We will have to meet up again soon, though. Bye, everybody.”

With that, Danny and I stood to make our way out of the house, waving goodbye to Jack and Matt. Once we go to the car, Danny turned to me with a huge grin filling his face.

“He so likes you!” He exclaimed as he put the car into drive. At this stage, I was glad for the darkness of the car because my face was blazing red.

“Danny, hush up. He doesn’t like me.”

Danny looked over at me and through the light of the streetlights, I could see Danny’s smug expression.