I just laid there in my bed, staring up at the ceiling and hugging my pillow. Why did Jack stand up for me today? What if those guys turned around and started picking on him? It would've made things a hell of a lot worse. So, why was he willing to risk it?
After the whole thing went down, Jack helped me pick up my books and then just walked off as if him saving me wasn't that big of a deal. But it was. To me, it was. It was a huge deal. No one had ever stood up for me before. Well, except for Tom.
And that was what made me run to the bathroom so that I could cry in the stall. It was the memory of Tom that Jack brought back. It was the familiar feeling that I had missed so much. It just kind of pushed me over the edge. I think I may have been caught, though. Jack's friend, Rian, came into the bathroom as I was walking out of the stall. I kept my eyes down so he wouldn't know I was crying, but he asked me what was wrong, anyway, so I just shook my head and left.
I had went through the rest of the day without any confrontations with anybody. It was like I didn't even exist, which was kind of a relief. I didn't feel like putting up with anyone's bullshit after that.
And that leads us up to right now. I've just been laying here on my bed since I got home from school. Mum and Dad decided to have a date night, tonight, so I had the whole house to myself.
I sighed. Why was I just laying here? I've been here for hours. I needed something to do.
That was when I remembered the old abandoned park I had found last night. It was quiet and it seemed pretty safe. And it got me out of the house, which made it a lot better.
I got out of bed and pulled my beanie over my head and slipped on some Dunks. I grabbed my hoodie and pulled it on as a trotted down the stairs and to the front door. I pulled my hood over my head and headed out the front door and down the street, trying to remember how I had found the path.

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It took me about half an hour to find the path in the pitch black darkness. I had to use my phone for a light since there were no lights on the path and the lights at the park didn't work. I finally arrived at the park and sat in the same swing I had last night. I sighed deeply and closed my eyes and emptied my mind. Some people might find an old, abandoned park in the middle of the night a little creepy. But not me. It was so peaceful, I could sleep here. I opened my eyes and waited for them to adjust to the pitch black. Luckily, there was a little bit of moon tonight and the clouds weren't covering it like last night.
After being there for about half an hour, I decided it was about time to go home. It was freezing out tonight and I couldn't feel my fingers. I shoved one hand into one of my pockets and used the other hand to hold up my phone to light my way. Once I squeezed back through the bushed and onto the sidewalk, put my phone away and shoved my other hand in my other pocket. As I made my way down the sidewalk, I heard some footsteps behind me. I pulled my hood further over my head and quickened my pace, only to notice that the footsteps behind me picked up the pace as well.
I looked to my right and saw a tall figure there, and I almost jumped out of my skin. I placed a hand on my heart and breathed deeply when I realized that it was just Jack. "G-God damn it, Jack. Give m-me a heart attack, why don't you?"
Jack smiled innocently. "Sorry, Alex. Just saw you walking alone and thought you like a friend." He took a sip of his coffee and smiled at me again. "So, this is the second night in a row I've caught you out this late. You in a gang or something?" He chuckled.
My eyes widened and shook my head. "No. No, I'm not in a gang! No way! I-I just like to take walks to clear my mind. That's all." I looked down at my shoes, watching them hit the concrete one after the other. I stopped when I reached the corner of my street, and Jack stopped, too.
He laughed. "I was just joking, Alex. Chill." He looked up at the street sign and then back at me. "So... I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He patted me on my shoulder and began to walk away. He turned back around real quick to tell me goodbye and then continued on his way in the seperate direction.
I just stood there for a second before returning home. I luckily beat my parents home, but not by much. I got home maybe ten minutes before them, but they didn't suspect a thing. Lucky me.

Notes

So, this chapter really sucked, but it's just a filler soooo... yeah. Things will start to get interesting soon. I promise. :)

-Ryan