Misery Business
You Done Good, Barakat
For the next few days, Jack had tried to get Victoria out of her slump. It was pretty hard, what with Alex only living a few floors under them and always being on her mind, but he then realized how beer did wonders with her. She had more hangovers going to work this week than she did in a whole month. Needless to say, she was enjoying having Jack as her roommate.
It was now time for Jack to talk with Alex. He didn’t know necessarily how to approach the subject to him, but he knew he had to or they all would never be the same. Jack needed the times they had back in high school―the good times. And he wouldn’t get it without Alex realizing how much of a dumbass he was for forgetting Victoria.
“Hey, dude,” Jack beamed as Alex let him inside his apartment. He looked around. “No Lisa?”
“Yeah, she went out for a ‘girls day’ with one of her friends.” Alex shrugged.
Perfect, Jack thought.
“So why’d you come by? We don’t have our meeting with Flyzik until tomorrow.”
Jack was snapped out of his thoughts, suddenly not knowing what to do. “Uh―” Oh, shit, he forgot what he came here for. “Well―”
Alex held his friend’s eye open and looked to both eyes. “You’re not high on me, are you?” He joked with a smirk and walked back to sit on the couch.
“Nah,” Jack shook his head with a fake smile. He took a seat beside Alex, becoming serious―something completely alien for Alex to see on him. “Listen, man, I got to talk to you about something.”
“This isn’t about the time you got drunk and got us banned from that strip club, right?”
Jack furrowed his brow. “What?”
“Never mind.” Alex looked away.
“Seriously, this is important.”
Alex waved his hand for his friend to continue. “What’s up?”
“You know my … um … roommate?”
“The girl who was staring at me when I visited?” Alex chuckled. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, there’s a reason why she was staring …”
“And that is?”
Jack was taking steps to better explain this, but it turning out to sound like mindless jibber-jabber. “Do you remember when we first became a band in our senior year of high school?”
“Yeah―what’s up with all these questions?”
“Just let me finish this,” Jack held his hand out to stop his talking. “Do you also remember a girl you dated at that time?”
Alex scrunched his face for a second, and then his face softened as he looked down at the tattoo on his forearm. “Yeah” was the only word to slip from his mouth. So he did remember her! She just looked different to him! And that first day he moved in, he was probably just lying about not remembering their last day in town! Everything was making sense now. Jack almost wanted to shake Alex’s shoulders to help him realize.
Alex suddenly turned to Jack, a look of suspicion on his face. “…Why?”
“You see―well―” Now that Jack finally knew Alex remembered her, he couldn’t let the words come out. “The thing is―”
“Just spit it out!” Alex shook his friend’s shoulder.
“VICTORIA IS MY ROOMMATE!” He blurted. He didn’t mean for it to come out that loud, and he suddenly stared at Alex wide-eyed.
Alex lifted his hand from his shoulder, looking down at his forearm. Images of Victoria from high school to the girl he saw a few days ago flickered in his mind, going back and forth a thousand times. He finally uttered the word “Fuck.”
“I should’ve told you sooner, man. I’m sorry. She was just so upset and thought you―”
Alex cut him off. “I’M SUCH A DUMBASS! HOW DID I NOT NOTICE?! OH, MY GOD. I NEED TO―” His eyes wandered to the photo of him and Lisa on the table next to him. “Shit,” he muttered, his head falling into his hands.
Jack put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Go and talk to her, dude. She needs it.”
“How can I even approach her now?” He sighed. “‘Hey, I forgot about you because you look different and I came back here later than I planned. Oh, and I can’t be with you again like I promised because I have a girlfriend. Sorry.’”
“It’s a start,” Jack joked with a shrug.
Alex stood up. “I’ll think of something on the way.” And with that, he was out the door.
Jack smirked to himself, patting his own shoulder. “You done good, Barakat.”
It was now time for Jack to talk with Alex. He didn’t know necessarily how to approach the subject to him, but he knew he had to or they all would never be the same. Jack needed the times they had back in high school―the good times. And he wouldn’t get it without Alex realizing how much of a dumbass he was for forgetting Victoria.
“Hey, dude,” Jack beamed as Alex let him inside his apartment. He looked around. “No Lisa?”
“Yeah, she went out for a ‘girls day’ with one of her friends.” Alex shrugged.
Perfect, Jack thought.
“So why’d you come by? We don’t have our meeting with Flyzik until tomorrow.”
Jack was snapped out of his thoughts, suddenly not knowing what to do. “Uh―” Oh, shit, he forgot what he came here for. “Well―”
Alex held his friend’s eye open and looked to both eyes. “You’re not high on me, are you?” He joked with a smirk and walked back to sit on the couch.
“Nah,” Jack shook his head with a fake smile. He took a seat beside Alex, becoming serious―something completely alien for Alex to see on him. “Listen, man, I got to talk to you about something.”
“This isn’t about the time you got drunk and got us banned from that strip club, right?”
Jack furrowed his brow. “What?”
“Never mind.” Alex looked away.
“Seriously, this is important.”
Alex waved his hand for his friend to continue. “What’s up?”
“You know my … um … roommate?”
“The girl who was staring at me when I visited?” Alex chuckled. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, there’s a reason why she was staring …”
“And that is?”
Jack was taking steps to better explain this, but it turning out to sound like mindless jibber-jabber. “Do you remember when we first became a band in our senior year of high school?”
“Yeah―what’s up with all these questions?”
“Just let me finish this,” Jack held his hand out to stop his talking. “Do you also remember a girl you dated at that time?”
Alex scrunched his face for a second, and then his face softened as he looked down at the tattoo on his forearm. “Yeah” was the only word to slip from his mouth. So he did remember her! She just looked different to him! And that first day he moved in, he was probably just lying about not remembering their last day in town! Everything was making sense now. Jack almost wanted to shake Alex’s shoulders to help him realize.
Alex suddenly turned to Jack, a look of suspicion on his face. “…Why?”
“You see―well―” Now that Jack finally knew Alex remembered her, he couldn’t let the words come out. “The thing is―”
“Just spit it out!” Alex shook his friend’s shoulder.
“VICTORIA IS MY ROOMMATE!” He blurted. He didn’t mean for it to come out that loud, and he suddenly stared at Alex wide-eyed.
Alex lifted his hand from his shoulder, looking down at his forearm. Images of Victoria from high school to the girl he saw a few days ago flickered in his mind, going back and forth a thousand times. He finally uttered the word “Fuck.”
“I should’ve told you sooner, man. I’m sorry. She was just so upset and thought you―”
Alex cut him off. “I’M SUCH A DUMBASS! HOW DID I NOT NOTICE?! OH, MY GOD. I NEED TO―” His eyes wandered to the photo of him and Lisa on the table next to him. “Shit,” he muttered, his head falling into his hands.
Jack put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Go and talk to her, dude. She needs it.”
“How can I even approach her now?” He sighed. “‘Hey, I forgot about you because you look different and I came back here later than I planned. Oh, and I can’t be with you again like I promised because I have a girlfriend. Sorry.’”
“It’s a start,” Jack joked with a shrug.
Alex stood up. “I’ll think of something on the way.” And with that, he was out the door.
Jack smirked to himself, patting his own shoulder. “You done good, Barakat.”
Notes
I loved writing this chapter<3 I just love Alex and Jack and their best friend-ness xD And as always, thank you guys for all your love and support with the story<3Subcribe/ comment/ rate! :)
Rock on \m/ :D
Old account was hacked, reposting and continuation of The Rock Show here
2/6/14