Sometimes, The Sickness is The Cure
I Can't Do The One-Two Step
Don't be afraid I've got your back
When times get rough and bring you down…
Jack had been crying for a least few hours, which seemed like days to him. He dragged his restless body to the shower. When he began to remember the rest of that Sunday.
~*~
"Thank you! I'll be here all week, well actually just Saturdays and Sundays..." Alex blabbered into the microphone.
Jack was actually really entertained by this guy. He had some talent for a guy who wasn’t famous by now. His stunning brown hair, big dark eyes, and a body that had all the sluts in pub wet by now. Hell, Jack knew he'd be wet too if he were female. You had to see him and hear this guy’s voice to understand.
He strummed his guitar a few more times before he began to play his next song. A little bit before he began to play, he swore he saw the brunette look right over at him. Jack felt so embarrassed. He knew his eyes were already swollen from the few tears he'd already shed. What did that guy think about him? Did he think it was pathetic that some guy was crying and getting drunk at what used to be the darkest corner of the bar? He turned around once again and began to sing another original song, or so Jack guessed. He felt so stupid at this point. It's already eleven at night and he'd have to walk home in the dark. There was doubt he'd be mugged. Jack got up and began to walk away, but immediately stopped.
I want you to mean it, Jasey…
When Alex hit a really high note with his voice. It was way too beautiful to miss out on. It was so perfect, so on cue. It almost seemed as if Alex sang it that way on purpose once he noticed Jack was leaving. Instead of going back to sit down, Jack walked towards the bathroom. Trying not to make it obvious that the only reason he hadn't left was because of Alex.
Once he entered the restroom he was disgusted, not by the lack of hygiene in a shitty place like this. Though anyone would be disgusted by it. Jack was looking at a mirror. He was disgusted by the image being reflected off of it. His cheeks were burning red and his eyes swollen from the few tears he shed.
Pathetic.
No wonder she left you...
Jack couldn't help but punch the mirror. Shards of broken glass began to hit the floor, causing a loud echo to emanate from the empty restroom. Jack slowly began to pull out the few shards of glass the pierced his knuckles and the skin in between his fingers. He was bleeding heavily. The manager on duty kicked Jack out the pub without even bothering to ask what had happened.
Jack didn’t care, he wanted to leave anyway. Being kicked from one shittiest bars didn’t really mean anything to him. It wasn’t like it was the only place in Baltimore where he could get booze. He began to walk in the other direction towards his apartment.
Maybe today’s the day…
He remembered he had some pain killers in his medicine cabinet which would probably do the trick. Taking ten of them, or maybe the entire bottle if needed. He had some Jack Daniel’s too. Yeah, the perfect combination, which went very well with his bloody hand. He was ready to end it all tonight. He had no reason to live anymore. Though Lisa was only a few blocks away from him, he knew theoretically she was gone. She wasn’t the same girl he fell in love with. Or so he thought. She was moved on, happy, with a bright future ahead of her. Jack didn’t have anything special to live for. He finished high school, but he didn’t proceed to college. He felt it unnecessary. His family didn’t seem to care about him either. After he was dumped by Lisa, his depression was at an all-time low. He distanced himself from his brother and sister. His father died when he was very young, and his mother was an alcoholic who cared about no one but herself. So what did it matter if he was gone?
He realized that every single day of his life would be the same from now on. He’s been living with the same depression for over five years now. He’s had enough. This is too much for him to bare. He has now come to the conclusion that he would live with this pain for as long as he lived. It would end until the day he died. He couldn’t wait to die naturally, five years have already passed which have felt like an eternity to him. But today, he’s made his decision. He was sick of this pathetic life he was living and he would end it today. No more turning back. He had all the things he needed at home. He was mentally prepared. He was ready to stop feeling.
“HEY! WAIT!”
Jack stopped moving.
“HEY!”
He turned around to face a dark, manly silhouette approach him. He came to see the man’s face. It was that guy Alex who was playing music at the bar. He had his guitar in it case, wrapped around him and on his back. He running towards Jack. Maybe he shouldn’t have stopped walking.
“DUDE! I called y-you like s-seven million times. Thank God you finally s-stopped,” He panted, trying to catch his breath.
Was he seriously running after Jack this whole time? Was he so focused on his own thoughts that he never realized this guy was running after him?
“What for?” The puzzled dark haired man asked.
“I wanted to- to know if you were okay back there, your hand was all bloody and- OH MY GOD. You need to go get that looked at!” Alex practically yelled.
“I’m fine, it only looks bad because I was bleeding heavy. But it’s only a few cuts,” Jack smirked. “Why did matter to you if I was okay or not?”
“Well- you seemed like a nice guy and um you looked pretty down back there. I was scared that something bad had happened to you. Plus you seemed to have liked my music. I need to thank my fans every once in a while,” Alex half smiled.
“You thought a guy who got kicked out of a bar with a bloody hand was nice?” Jack smirked.
“Uh- good point, I have foggy judgment. But then again I don’t. Cause if you were a bad guy you would’ve mugged me by now,” Alex laughed.
“How do you know I wasn’t going to?” Jack asked.
“Stop it with the questions, now let’s get you home. I’m guessing since you’re walking you don’t have a way home… Want me to take you?” Alex asked the dark haired man as he was examining his hand. Which was a dark crimson of dry blood.
“Well, it’ll be a lot faster for me to just walk home then walk all the way back to the bar-”
“Okay then, if you say so… Um, but if you ever need a ride anywhere you can call me. Got a cell phone?” Alex asked as he pulled out his own phone.
“Yeah, I uh-”
“Is it awkward that some guy you just met is asking you for your phone number and offering you rides? Yea, I’m that one guy that you feel you’d only meet in a story or somthin’,” Alex giggled.
“What the fuck?” Jack laughed. “Here,” he handed Alex his phone so he could type his number in.
“Well I’ll talk to you later…” Alex said as he began to walk away.
Was Jack really going to leave this guy walking by himself in the middle of the night with no way of protecting himself? He literally ran after Jack for at least ten minutes just to see if he was okay. The least he could was make sure Alex got back safe to his car.
“ALEX-”
Jack was thankful that there was a light post on the corner of Thames and S. Broadway where he could easily make out were Alex was standing.
“YEAH?” He yelled back. Jack ran towards the brunette thinking it’d probably wouldn’t be the smartest idea to be yelling across the street in the Baltimore night life.
He looked up at the stars for a second. He’d never seen them so close in his life. Was he hallucinating?
“The least I could do is make sure you get back safe,” Jack said.
“How do you know my name anyway?” Alex asked gingerly.
“Um remember, I’m your fan-”
“Hah, right,” Alex smirked. ”What’s your name by the way?”
“Jack, Jack Barakat,”
Alex laughed. “Is your last name seriously Barakat?”
“Yeah, and? I’m Middle Eastern, so leave me alone! What’s yours?” Jack retorted.
“G-Gaskarth…” Alex whispered.
“See! Your’s is weirder than mine!” Jack laughed.
“Shut up, I’m English!” Alex yawned as they both approached the black Impala Alex was driving.
“Hey, Gaserkath-”
“It’s Gaskarth,”
Jack giggled. “Thanks, for um… chasing after me I guess. Means a lot even though I don’t really know you,”
“Yeah, I just couldn’t help but worry about you. You looked like you were in really bad shape back there,” Alex shrugged.
“You’re a great person you know that? Worrying about a complete stranger then chasing after him… Just to see if he’s okay,” Jack turned to Alex.
Alex couldn’t help but look down and smile at Jack’s compliment. “I guess so,”
Alex asked Jack for his address and began to drive off into the night heading towards the apartment complex in which Jack occupied.
“Is this it?” Alex asked entering to parking lot of Hidden Meadows apartment complex.
“Yes sir,” Jack said, as he exited the car.
“Hey, um by the way I might be able to get you back into the bar. I have my connections. So just don’t go punching anymore mirrors and you’ll be fine,” Alex cocked his head of the window.
“Alright, sounds like plan,” Jack smirked.
“Nice meeting you,” Alex reached his hand out. “Barakat,”
“Same to you,” He shook the brunette’s hand. “Gaskarth,”
And with that, Alex was off heading back home. Leaving Jack behind with nothing, but some kind of relief. Someone, actually cared about him. Someone actually took the time to see if he was okay. Someone whom he’d just met, chased after him, to make sure he wasn’t hurt.
Maybe today’s not the day…
When times get rough and bring you down…
Jack had been crying for a least few hours, which seemed like days to him. He dragged his restless body to the shower. When he began to remember the rest of that Sunday.
~*~
"Thank you! I'll be here all week, well actually just Saturdays and Sundays..." Alex blabbered into the microphone.
Jack was actually really entertained by this guy. He had some talent for a guy who wasn’t famous by now. His stunning brown hair, big dark eyes, and a body that had all the sluts in pub wet by now. Hell, Jack knew he'd be wet too if he were female. You had to see him and hear this guy’s voice to understand.
He strummed his guitar a few more times before he began to play his next song. A little bit before he began to play, he swore he saw the brunette look right over at him. Jack felt so embarrassed. He knew his eyes were already swollen from the few tears he'd already shed. What did that guy think about him? Did he think it was pathetic that some guy was crying and getting drunk at what used to be the darkest corner of the bar? He turned around once again and began to sing another original song, or so Jack guessed. He felt so stupid at this point. It's already eleven at night and he'd have to walk home in the dark. There was doubt he'd be mugged. Jack got up and began to walk away, but immediately stopped.
I want you to mean it, Jasey…
When Alex hit a really high note with his voice. It was way too beautiful to miss out on. It was so perfect, so on cue. It almost seemed as if Alex sang it that way on purpose once he noticed Jack was leaving. Instead of going back to sit down, Jack walked towards the bathroom. Trying not to make it obvious that the only reason he hadn't left was because of Alex.
Once he entered the restroom he was disgusted, not by the lack of hygiene in a shitty place like this. Though anyone would be disgusted by it. Jack was looking at a mirror. He was disgusted by the image being reflected off of it. His cheeks were burning red and his eyes swollen from the few tears he shed.
Pathetic.
No wonder she left you...
Jack couldn't help but punch the mirror. Shards of broken glass began to hit the floor, causing a loud echo to emanate from the empty restroom. Jack slowly began to pull out the few shards of glass the pierced his knuckles and the skin in between his fingers. He was bleeding heavily. The manager on duty kicked Jack out the pub without even bothering to ask what had happened.
Jack didn’t care, he wanted to leave anyway. Being kicked from one shittiest bars didn’t really mean anything to him. It wasn’t like it was the only place in Baltimore where he could get booze. He began to walk in the other direction towards his apartment.
Maybe today’s the day…
He remembered he had some pain killers in his medicine cabinet which would probably do the trick. Taking ten of them, or maybe the entire bottle if needed. He had some Jack Daniel’s too. Yeah, the perfect combination, which went very well with his bloody hand. He was ready to end it all tonight. He had no reason to live anymore. Though Lisa was only a few blocks away from him, he knew theoretically she was gone. She wasn’t the same girl he fell in love with. Or so he thought. She was moved on, happy, with a bright future ahead of her. Jack didn’t have anything special to live for. He finished high school, but he didn’t proceed to college. He felt it unnecessary. His family didn’t seem to care about him either. After he was dumped by Lisa, his depression was at an all-time low. He distanced himself from his brother and sister. His father died when he was very young, and his mother was an alcoholic who cared about no one but herself. So what did it matter if he was gone?
He realized that every single day of his life would be the same from now on. He’s been living with the same depression for over five years now. He’s had enough. This is too much for him to bare. He has now come to the conclusion that he would live with this pain for as long as he lived. It would end until the day he died. He couldn’t wait to die naturally, five years have already passed which have felt like an eternity to him. But today, he’s made his decision. He was sick of this pathetic life he was living and he would end it today. No more turning back. He had all the things he needed at home. He was mentally prepared. He was ready to stop feeling.
“HEY! WAIT!”
Jack stopped moving.
“HEY!”
He turned around to face a dark, manly silhouette approach him. He came to see the man’s face. It was that guy Alex who was playing music at the bar. He had his guitar in it case, wrapped around him and on his back. He running towards Jack. Maybe he shouldn’t have stopped walking.
“DUDE! I called y-you like s-seven million times. Thank God you finally s-stopped,” He panted, trying to catch his breath.
Was he seriously running after Jack this whole time? Was he so focused on his own thoughts that he never realized this guy was running after him?
“What for?” The puzzled dark haired man asked.
“I wanted to- to know if you were okay back there, your hand was all bloody and- OH MY GOD. You need to go get that looked at!” Alex practically yelled.
“I’m fine, it only looks bad because I was bleeding heavy. But it’s only a few cuts,” Jack smirked. “Why did matter to you if I was okay or not?”
“Well- you seemed like a nice guy and um you looked pretty down back there. I was scared that something bad had happened to you. Plus you seemed to have liked my music. I need to thank my fans every once in a while,” Alex half smiled.
“You thought a guy who got kicked out of a bar with a bloody hand was nice?” Jack smirked.
“Uh- good point, I have foggy judgment. But then again I don’t. Cause if you were a bad guy you would’ve mugged me by now,” Alex laughed.
“How do you know I wasn’t going to?” Jack asked.
“Stop it with the questions, now let’s get you home. I’m guessing since you’re walking you don’t have a way home… Want me to take you?” Alex asked the dark haired man as he was examining his hand. Which was a dark crimson of dry blood.
“Well, it’ll be a lot faster for me to just walk home then walk all the way back to the bar-”
“Okay then, if you say so… Um, but if you ever need a ride anywhere you can call me. Got a cell phone?” Alex asked as he pulled out his own phone.
“Yeah, I uh-”
“Is it awkward that some guy you just met is asking you for your phone number and offering you rides? Yea, I’m that one guy that you feel you’d only meet in a story or somthin’,” Alex giggled.
“What the fuck?” Jack laughed. “Here,” he handed Alex his phone so he could type his number in.
“Well I’ll talk to you later…” Alex said as he began to walk away.
Was Jack really going to leave this guy walking by himself in the middle of the night with no way of protecting himself? He literally ran after Jack for at least ten minutes just to see if he was okay. The least he could was make sure Alex got back safe to his car.
“ALEX-”
Jack was thankful that there was a light post on the corner of Thames and S. Broadway where he could easily make out were Alex was standing.
“YEAH?” He yelled back. Jack ran towards the brunette thinking it’d probably wouldn’t be the smartest idea to be yelling across the street in the Baltimore night life.
He looked up at the stars for a second. He’d never seen them so close in his life. Was he hallucinating?
“The least I could do is make sure you get back safe,” Jack said.
“How do you know my name anyway?” Alex asked gingerly.
“Um remember, I’m your fan-”
“Hah, right,” Alex smirked. ”What’s your name by the way?”
“Jack, Jack Barakat,”
Alex laughed. “Is your last name seriously Barakat?”
“Yeah, and? I’m Middle Eastern, so leave me alone! What’s yours?” Jack retorted.
“G-Gaskarth…” Alex whispered.
“See! Your’s is weirder than mine!” Jack laughed.
“Shut up, I’m English!” Alex yawned as they both approached the black Impala Alex was driving.
“Hey, Gaserkath-”
“It’s Gaskarth,”
Jack giggled. “Thanks, for um… chasing after me I guess. Means a lot even though I don’t really know you,”
“Yeah, I just couldn’t help but worry about you. You looked like you were in really bad shape back there,” Alex shrugged.
“You’re a great person you know that? Worrying about a complete stranger then chasing after him… Just to see if he’s okay,” Jack turned to Alex.
Alex couldn’t help but look down and smile at Jack’s compliment. “I guess so,”
Alex asked Jack for his address and began to drive off into the night heading towards the apartment complex in which Jack occupied.
“Is this it?” Alex asked entering to parking lot of Hidden Meadows apartment complex.
“Yes sir,” Jack said, as he exited the car.
“Hey, um by the way I might be able to get you back into the bar. I have my connections. So just don’t go punching anymore mirrors and you’ll be fine,” Alex cocked his head of the window.
“Alright, sounds like plan,” Jack smirked.
“Nice meeting you,” Alex reached his hand out. “Barakat,”
“Same to you,” He shook the brunette’s hand. “Gaskarth,”
And with that, Alex was off heading back home. Leaving Jack behind with nothing, but some kind of relief. Someone, actually cared about him. Someone actually took the time to see if he was okay. Someone whom he’d just met, chased after him, to make sure he wasn’t hurt.
Maybe today’s not the day…
Notes
Hey, new chapter! I'm working on the next one tonight. If I stay up long enough I'll upload it! My goal is to at least update once a day, or at least every other day xD
Title and Lyrics from All Time Low.
Additional lyrics from All Time Low's "Jasey Rae"
Thanks for taking the time to read this! Means a lot<3
Subscriptions, votes, and comments are dearly appreciated.
c:
Don't worry, sincerely I prefer read a good chapter after a while than a shitty one immediately (if that even makes sense, I'm sorry but I'm tired so my mind is pretty fucked up). And I hope the things you're going through will work out :)
12/15/14