Alex

Alex made the cross over the people and blessed them at the end of the service.They started getting up, kneeling down and making the sign of the cross. Alex stayed up front and the first old lady already came up to him. She started talking something about her dead brother and how she needed a mass for him.

But Alex caught sight of Jack. He impatiently answered the questions of the old woman before storming off to greet Jack. But when he came closer to the man sitting on the bench shoulders hanging, he froze. Jack’s face was blue, his eye bruised an even deeper shade. Alex thought he could even make out a band aid on his cheek.

“Jack! What’s happened to you?” he asked in shock. It was obvious what had happened but Jack preferred to lie.

“I… I fell,” he answered.

“I can see that is not from falling... What happened?” Alex insisted softly, sitting down next to Jack. The church was empty except for the two. “You can trust me.”

“Nothing,” Jack replied curtly before getting up. He left and walked out the door. But he looked back once more before stepping over the threshold and there were tears in his eyes.

Alex took his time to get up again. He was shocked. Jack was in danger and he needed help.
Alex decided to call Ms. Welner and have a tea with her to get to know some stories and backgrounds of the people in this place. She agreed to come right over and Alex hurried to make some tea.

---

“So, Ms. Welner, I have a few questions about this place,” Alex began. “Like who is married to whom, problems people are facing, relationship issues…” He tried to sound as innocent as possible. Ms. Welner didn’t notice anything, she was busy gossiping.

“So, there’re Mr and Mrs Anderson. They are nice but they have so many garden dwarfs, it’s unbelievable. They are ev-ery-where! Let me think… oh, Mr Dawson. He’s very handsome and has the shiniest teeth I have ever seen. He’s in a relationship with Cass Pope and they have a huge house, I assume for future kids.”

Alex grew inpatient. He only wanted to know about Jack.

“And how about this guy, Jack, with the blonde stripe in his hair?” he asked, trying not to seem impolite by interrupting her.

“Oh, Mr Barakat! He’s lovely but unfortunately, he’s in a relationship with this drunkard… Matt. Matt Flyzik,” she replied. Alex turned pale.

“Do you know whether he does… bad things to Jack?” he asked, scared.

“You mean like hitting him? Yes he does,” Ms. Welner replied with a sigh. “The poor boy,” she added.

“But doesn’t anyone do anything about it?” he asked.

“No, everyone knows it but we don’t help Jack because we barely know him. He’s kept away very strictly by Matt,” she explained. Alex looked ashen.

The rest of her stay, Alex didn’t really listen to all the gossip. He only thought about how to help Jack. Because he needed (and wanted) to help him.

Notes

Aww Alex :)

-Laura