~Jack's POV~

mention of violence.

I woke up with Lex by my side, and smiled to myself. Last night was amazing, and even though Alex didn't do anything to me, it still felt pretty special. John had been spending more time at my house, and he usually stayed with my mom when I stayed at Alex's, so I didn't feel guilty about leaving my mom on her own anymore. Everything in my life felt perfect at this moment in time, and I just wanted it to stay like this forever.



Once Alex and I were had completed our usual morning routine, we headed for school, hand in hand. Apart from in school, most people in the community had accepted our relationship and that made me more happy than I could of imagined possible. I was finally accepted for who I am and it felt great.

Our first lesson was English, and I took a seat with Alex at the back. I had persuaded Mr Morris to let me sit by Alex after the second lesson I had in that class. Mr Morris had took a liking to me (I have no idea why) and he said I was one of his favourite students, so it was easy to get him to say that I could move places. All through the lesson, Tyler kept looking at Alex, and it was making me feel uncomfortable. You could tell Alex was uncomfortable too, he kept his eyes on his work all the time and barely spoke when he was in the same room as him. I know something is going on, and I think Zack was right about what he said the other week. I need to ask Lex about it before it gets out of hand.



The lunch bell rang, and I wanted to make my way to the cafeteria as quickly as I could; today was chip day, and they were super nice chips. I walked down the corridor quickly, with Alex's hand in mine.

"Jay, I just need to go to the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute, okay?" Alex stopped so he could turn towards the toilets.

"Yeah, I'll just be in the cafeteria, I'll get you some food." I offered.

"Thanks." Alex smiled and turned in the opposite direction to me. I carried on walking in the same direction as everyone else, who was just as equally determined to get their food as I was.

I joined Vic and Alan in the queue, and we just talked about random stuff. Alan was cool, and he could play guitar, which made him awesome. At first, he was really quiet, but once you get to know him, he's really funny and outgoing.

I got 2 portions, one for Alex, and we all went to sit down and join the rest of the group.

"Hey, Jack, where's Alex?" Cass asked from across the table.

"He just went to the bathroom, he'll be back in a few minutes." I replied. I was starting to worry about Alex. I know he'd only been gone for about 5 minutes, but I couldn't stop worrying after what had happened the other week.

I kept scanning the cafeteria, 10 minutes had now passed, and Alex was nowhere to be seen. My eyes landed on Tyler's usual table, but no one was there. Strange, they were always there at lunchtime.

And then it clicked.

"Zack? Can you come with me a minute?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"Yeah, sure." Zack looked confused, but stood up anyway and followed me out of the cafeteria. "What is it, dude?"

"Alex has been gone for 10 minutes now, and Tyler's group isn't in the cafeteria." I said, biting my lip. I started to walk faster.

"Oh, shit." Zack started to run towards the closest bathroom, with me following closely behind. What if they have hurt Alex? I knew something was up. Fuck, why did I let him go on his own? I was so selfish and stupid.

No one was in there, and Zack and I were running around the school frantically. We had checked all the bathrooms, and no one was in any of them. Just then, I heard a scream from one of the classrooms at the end of the corridor we were currently on. I started sprinting in the direction of the classroom, terrified of what I might be about to see. Zack got to the room before me, and swung the door open.

Alex lay on the floor in the fetal position. His lip was bloody, and he was crying. He looked up, and his puffy eyes held a look of hope. "Jack!" He shouted, just as Chad kicked his head. It pained me to watch this happen, and anger and adrenaline surged through my body. I ran towards Alex, and scooped him in my arms. He held onto me for dear life, and I never wanted to let him go.

Suddenly, a fist connected with my face, and a sharp pain hit my nose. As this happened, another kick was delivered to Alex, but it was his back this time. I stood up, putting myself in front of Alex, and Zack stood next to me. "Don't you dare touch me, or my boyfriend. You dicks." I spat at the four of them, and lunged for the one that hit me. I punched him, and then kicked him in the balls. It must of hurt like fuck, but he deserved it. The boy rolled onto the floor, howling in pain, and his friends rushed to him. This was my opportunity to get Alex out. I turned around to him and picked him up bridal style. Zack helped me get him out of the classroom, and we rushed to the main office. Blood was now pouring out of my nose and dripping down onto my shirt, but I didn't care. I was more concerned about Alex. How long had he been in there with them? The blood on his lip was starting to dry, his left eye looked swollen, and I could see a ginormous bruise already forming on his arm. He clung to me, sobbing hysterically, and now I was crying too.

I could see Mr Morris at the other end of the corridor that was seeming like it was going on forever, and I tried to move my legs faster. They felt like jelly, and I could barely walk, let alone run. "Mr Morris! Help!" I shouted. The teacher turned towards us, a look of horror on his face as he ran over to us.

"Boys, what happened?" He asked, his voice full of concern.

"It was Tyler a-and his friends." I blurted out, unsure if he could understand me through my sobs.

"Jack, you need to calm down. We need to get you both to the first aid room. Your nose is bleeding pretty bad. Are you okay?" Mr Morris looked at Zack.

"Yeah, I'm good. It's just these two." Zack looked pretty shaken, I don't think he was expecting this.

"Okay, now follow me." The teacher rushed us to the first aid room, where 3 of the school nurses took over. Alex wasn't saying anything, he was just staring at the ground. Why did I let him go on his own? This wouldn't have happened if I went with him. It was all my fault.

"It was them who attacked you in the park, wasn't it Lex?" I asked. Tears were still running from my eyes.

He nodded, and started to cry again. I wrapped my arms around him, and we just sat there until the nurses had finished cleaning us up.



It turned out that my nose was broken, but apart from that, I was okay. Alex had gotten kicked about quite a bit, so he was going to be left with a lot of bruises, but nothing super serious. Zack had to go back to class, but Alex and I were excused for the rest of the day. We had to give our accounts of what had happened to the head teacher, Mr Flyzik, and hearing Alex tell his story made me feel physically sick. Why would they do that to someone so sweet and kind, like Alex? I just didn't understand.

Alex was brave enough to tell the head that it was the same boys who had attacked him in the park, and I was proud of him for that. He said that he didn't want to press charges, but Mr Flyzik aid that he would be getting in contact with the parents of the boys, and they were probably going to get expelled.

After we gave our accounts, we were allowed to go home, so we just walked to Alex's and lay on the couch. We didn't speak much, we shared a hot chocolate and a few kisses, but apart from that, it was just silence. I was worried for Alex, and I just didn't know what to do. Eventually, Alex's gentle snores filled the room, and I decided to close my eyes and let sleep take me too.

Notes

Okay, so what do you think guys? Make sure you comment, vote, and subscribe!

and oh yeah I was looking through the popular page, and this story is on it! I literally squealed when I found out and I'm sure my mum heard me, but oh well haha :D I can't tell you how happy this makes me, and all the support I've gotten is great! I love you all <3

Ellie x