Boston
1/1.
In the light of the sun, is there anyone? Oh it has begun. Oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red and tears are shed. This world you must've crossed, you said...
“There you are,” Alex said, finally finding Jack standing outside their high school’s gymnasium. “Hold this,” he said, handing the other boy his cup of punch. Alex quickly fixed Jack’s messy tie, smoothing it down after he was done. “You alright?” Alex asked, finally, taking back his punch and cradling it in his hands. Jack shook his head, causing Alex to pull the boy away from the doorway, and towards the middle of the school’s parking lot. He could tell Jack had been crying by the way he was staying silent.
“What’s wrong?” Alex asked, running a hand nervously through his hair. He didn’t like seeing his best friend so upset.
You don't know me, and you don't even care. You said, “You don't know me and you don't wear my chains.” Essential yet appealed, carry all your thoughts across an open field. When flowers gaze at you, they're not the only ones who cry when they see you. You said...
Jack wasn’t sure how to word how he was feeling. Trapped. Confused. Those were the first two words that came to mind. He fiddled nervously with the tie his friend had just fixed for him. In all his years of growing up he’d heard horror stories about prom from people older than him. His mom said she had been stood up, and ended up going home and crying. Despite hearing these sorts of things, Jack had hoped, falsely that prom was going to be some sort of magical evening where everything was going to go perfectly. Instead, he was outside, crying.
“I just don’t want to be here,” Jack mumbled, looking up at Alex. He’d been watching Alex, and his date, and although he wouldn’t admit it, he was getting sort of jealous. And that jealousy confused him. Not to mention, quickly after realizing that he had a crush on his best friend a jock came over to him while he was standing at the punch table.
“I got called a fag,” Jack admitted, tugging a loose, white thread in his tuxedo’s sleeve.
“What? By who?” Alex asked, anger flashing across his face as he turned back towards the gymnasium’s entrance. Alex wasn’t strong, or very good with confrontations, but he would do anything to protect his best friend.
“No!” Jack actually laughed, “No, don’t bother with it,” his face falling again as he aggressively wiped at his eyes, and stared down at his shoes.
You don't know me, and you don't even care. You said, “You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains.”
Alex pushed his bangs out of his eyes, he had such a bad nervous habit of playing with his hair. It drove him crazy, even though no one else seemed to notice it as much as he did.
“No, tell me who it was, I’ll go fucking-” Alex knew there really wasn’t much he could do, but there was a reason it bothered him so much. Although he’d come to prom with a girl -- and a nice girl, who had ditched him a couple hours ago -- he really had wanted to be Jack’s date. But like Hell he’d admit to that.
“Can we just get out of here?” Jack pleaded, looking back at the loud gymnasium, he saw a group leave. The girl looked wasted, the guy looked excited...
“And go where?” Alex asked, although he was already digging around for his car keys.
Jack just shrugged, “Anywhere.”
You said, “I think I'll go to Boston, think I'll start a new life. I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name. I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather. I think I’ll get a lover, and fly him out to Spain.”
Jack crawled into Alex’s messy car, leaning back in the passenger’s seat. He watched, tiredly as Alex started up the car and began driving. He didn’t care where they were going. Anywhere seemed better than being at his high school prom.
“Cheer up,” Alex said. Jack’s face scrunched up when Alex took a hand off the wheel, and messed up his skunk-hair.
“So,” Alex asked after awhile, “Where do you want to go?”
Jack thought for a moment, letting butterflies build up in his stomach. He sat up, looking out at the highway. “Anywhere,” he repeated. “As long as it’s with you,” he managed to blurt out. He could feel his heart pounding nervously in his chest and hoped Alex couldn’t hear it.
”I think I'll go to Boston. I think that I'm just tired, I think I need a new town to leave this all behind. I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset. I hear it's nice in the summer, some snow would be nice.”
Alex felt his breathing catch in his throat when he heard Jack say that. With butterflies fluttering in his stomach, he hesitantly reached out, and reached for Jack’s hand across the gear shift. A feeling of relief and happiness washed over him when Jack took it. With that, Alex pulled off the highway, taking the exit towards town and his house. He pulled through Wendy’s, ordering for the both of them.
“Is this good?” Alex asked, parking in the nearly empty lot. It was quiet for a moment or two as the two sat, pulling their food out of the paper bags. As Alex unwrapped his burger, he glanced over at Jack.
“We’re going to get out of this town someday,” he said. “I promise. We’re going to see the world, and things will be different. They’ll be better. I have a good feeling about it.” And it was true, Alex did. And whatever Alex set his mind to, he got it done. Somehow. It was sort of a super power.
You don't know me, you don't even care. Boston, no one knows my name. No one knows my name. No one knows my name. Boston, no one knows my name.
Alex’s optimism was something that was always mind-boggling to Jack. But, at the same time, he loved it. “Hey, Alex?” Jack asked, waiting for the boy to look at him. Before Alex could respond, Jack leaned forward and placed a tiny, bashful kiss on the boy’s lips.
“I think you’re right,” Jack said, blushing and squeezing Alex’s hand. “Things are going to be better.”
“There you are,” Alex said, finally finding Jack standing outside their high school’s gymnasium. “Hold this,” he said, handing the other boy his cup of punch. Alex quickly fixed Jack’s messy tie, smoothing it down after he was done. “You alright?” Alex asked, finally, taking back his punch and cradling it in his hands. Jack shook his head, causing Alex to pull the boy away from the doorway, and towards the middle of the school’s parking lot. He could tell Jack had been crying by the way he was staying silent.
“What’s wrong?” Alex asked, running a hand nervously through his hair. He didn’t like seeing his best friend so upset.
You don't know me, and you don't even care. You said, “You don't know me and you don't wear my chains.” Essential yet appealed, carry all your thoughts across an open field. When flowers gaze at you, they're not the only ones who cry when they see you. You said...
Jack wasn’t sure how to word how he was feeling. Trapped. Confused. Those were the first two words that came to mind. He fiddled nervously with the tie his friend had just fixed for him. In all his years of growing up he’d heard horror stories about prom from people older than him. His mom said she had been stood up, and ended up going home and crying. Despite hearing these sorts of things, Jack had hoped, falsely that prom was going to be some sort of magical evening where everything was going to go perfectly. Instead, he was outside, crying.
“I just don’t want to be here,” Jack mumbled, looking up at Alex. He’d been watching Alex, and his date, and although he wouldn’t admit it, he was getting sort of jealous. And that jealousy confused him. Not to mention, quickly after realizing that he had a crush on his best friend a jock came over to him while he was standing at the punch table.
“I got called a fag,” Jack admitted, tugging a loose, white thread in his tuxedo’s sleeve.
“What? By who?” Alex asked, anger flashing across his face as he turned back towards the gymnasium’s entrance. Alex wasn’t strong, or very good with confrontations, but he would do anything to protect his best friend.
“No!” Jack actually laughed, “No, don’t bother with it,” his face falling again as he aggressively wiped at his eyes, and stared down at his shoes.
You don't know me, and you don't even care. You said, “You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains.”
Alex pushed his bangs out of his eyes, he had such a bad nervous habit of playing with his hair. It drove him crazy, even though no one else seemed to notice it as much as he did.
“No, tell me who it was, I’ll go fucking-” Alex knew there really wasn’t much he could do, but there was a reason it bothered him so much. Although he’d come to prom with a girl -- and a nice girl, who had ditched him a couple hours ago -- he really had wanted to be Jack’s date. But like Hell he’d admit to that.
“Can we just get out of here?” Jack pleaded, looking back at the loud gymnasium, he saw a group leave. The girl looked wasted, the guy looked excited...
“And go where?” Alex asked, although he was already digging around for his car keys.
Jack just shrugged, “Anywhere.”
You said, “I think I'll go to Boston, think I'll start a new life. I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name. I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather. I think I’ll get a lover, and fly him out to Spain.”
Jack crawled into Alex’s messy car, leaning back in the passenger’s seat. He watched, tiredly as Alex started up the car and began driving. He didn’t care where they were going. Anywhere seemed better than being at his high school prom.
“Cheer up,” Alex said. Jack’s face scrunched up when Alex took a hand off the wheel, and messed up his skunk-hair.
“So,” Alex asked after awhile, “Where do you want to go?”
Jack thought for a moment, letting butterflies build up in his stomach. He sat up, looking out at the highway. “Anywhere,” he repeated. “As long as it’s with you,” he managed to blurt out. He could feel his heart pounding nervously in his chest and hoped Alex couldn’t hear it.
”I think I'll go to Boston. I think that I'm just tired, I think I need a new town to leave this all behind. I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset. I hear it's nice in the summer, some snow would be nice.”
Alex felt his breathing catch in his throat when he heard Jack say that. With butterflies fluttering in his stomach, he hesitantly reached out, and reached for Jack’s hand across the gear shift. A feeling of relief and happiness washed over him when Jack took it. With that, Alex pulled off the highway, taking the exit towards town and his house. He pulled through Wendy’s, ordering for the both of them.
“Is this good?” Alex asked, parking in the nearly empty lot. It was quiet for a moment or two as the two sat, pulling their food out of the paper bags. As Alex unwrapped his burger, he glanced over at Jack.
“We’re going to get out of this town someday,” he said. “I promise. We’re going to see the world, and things will be different. They’ll be better. I have a good feeling about it.” And it was true, Alex did. And whatever Alex set his mind to, he got it done. Somehow. It was sort of a super power.
You don't know me, you don't even care. Boston, no one knows my name. No one knows my name. No one knows my name. Boston, no one knows my name.
Alex’s optimism was something that was always mind-boggling to Jack. But, at the same time, he loved it. “Hey, Alex?” Jack asked, waiting for the boy to look at him. Before Alex could respond, Jack leaned forward and placed a tiny, bashful kiss on the boy’s lips.
“I think you’re right,” Jack said, blushing and squeezing Alex’s hand. “Things are going to be better.”
11/3/13