2

Alex was sitting in the lounge room watching whatever boring family movie was on. It was a Friday night, he could be out with his friends but instead he was stuck here with a person that didn’t even make an effort to talk to him. Alex’s parents always wanted him to talk to Jack but that was only because they were friends with his parents. Alex kept thinking of all the fun things that he could be going and had heard what he thought were sobs coming from upstairs. He let out a loud sigh and got up from the couch and made his way up stairs.

Tears kept running down Jack’s face. He hated his appearance. He hated every little thing about him. All he wanted was to be happy but he had forgotten what happiness really felt like. Jack wanted someone to be afraid of losing him. He wanted someone to talk to when he was bored. Jack wanted someone to be there for him because in reality he had no one. The only voices that Jack heard where the demons in his head that controlled every move that he made. He wanted this sadness to end.

Alex made his way to Jack’s room and knocked on the door. There was no response so he tried the next door that just happened to be the bathroom and knocked on the door. There was no response once again but he knew that Jack was in there, he could see that the light was on. He placed his hand on the door handle and twisted it open to see Jack sitting beside the toilet with his hand looked down at the ground beneath him.

“Go away Alex.” Jack said through his sobs. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this. Jack was at his weakest point and right now anything could break him.

Alex walked up to Jack and sat cross legged in front of him. Alex wanted to know what Jack’s story was. He wanted to know thought about before he went to sleep. He wanted to know what his fears were. Alex wanted to what he’s lost in life. Alex wanted to help Jack. He didn’t know why he wanted to but he felt as if Jack needed someone.

“Tell me about yourself.” Alex said simply to the younger boy sitting in front of him. “This floors cold, can we go to your room or something?” Alex asked. Jack nodded and the two made their way to Jack’s room and they both sat down on his bed.

“Why would you want to know about me?” Jack asked, his voice was quiet and weak from throwing up so much. “I don’t matter to anyone.” Jack was fragile; every time he opened his mouth to speak he was putting himself in a massive amount of pain.

“I want to know you because I want to help you. I’ve never seen you smile. You wear jumpers in summer. I don’t see you at school and you barely talk.” Alex said honestly. All of these things were true and Jack knew it. “Why?”

“Why would I want to smile when I fail at everything I try? I’m failing my classes because I don’t have enough time to study the nights before school. I barely get any sleep because I’m kept awake by my thoughts. I hate every inch of my skin. I don’t know what the definition of happy is. And most of all, I don’t want to be living in such sadness anymore. I want it to end.” Jack had no idea why he was telling Alex any of this and he expected Alex to laugh at him and call him something degrading but instead Alex’s arms wrapped around him. Jack winced and pulled away as soon as he could. “Please don’t touch me.”

Alex nodded his head. He knew why Jack wouldn’t want to be touched. “Show me your scars.” Alex said to him. He needed to know what he’d done to himself. The thought of Jack being hurt whether it was by his own hand or the hand of another mad Alex feel miserable.

Jack was hesitant to do that but Alex said that he wanted to help, right? Thoughts ran through Jack’s mind and a slowly pulled the hem of his jumper up and revealed the scars that were placed on his hips. There were even more that littered his stomach. Jack tried to hold back his tears but it was no use and they just kept falling from his eyes. He felt the sleeve of his left wrist being pulled up carefully by Alex. His wrist was just like his stomach. There was barely any skin that hadn’t been cut into and there were scars healing over old scars.

“Why’d you do all of this? I mean, there would have had to be something traumatizing in your past for you to do all of this to yourself.” Alex pulled Jack’s sleeve back down along with his jumper and held him in his arms.

“W-when I was 11 I was raped. Since I was 10 I was bullied in school. Every time I close my eyes memories flood back into my head and I hear everything that anyone’s ever said to me.” Jack cried into the older boy’s chest. He felt weak; spilling out all of these emotions to someone that he hadn’t even given the chance to get to know.

Notes

Hi c: Thanks for all the votes, I hope that you all like this chapter :)