Beat It

Alex is, yet again, pissed off at me over something stupid. Always on my mind. And he says I’m bipolar...

He doesn’t understand that we aren’t best friends. He thinks that just because we had that moment that I told him I was gay on the roof that everything has changed and it hasn’t.

He seems to be getting along with Zack and Rian really well, which is good. He and Zack play video games a lot and Rian likes making fun of them. I go in their room sometimes and play with them every once in a while. It’s not as often as Alex does, though. Most of the time Im in my room writing in my journal, listening to music, or doing homework.

I heard my door close and turned my stereo down, giving whoever walked in a chance to speak before I turned it back up. I was busy finished up my forensics homework and didn’t have time to be interrupted.

I was about to turn up my stereo, I was listening to American Psycho by Misfits, when he spoke up. “We need to talk about Alex, bro,” Rian sighed, taking a seat in the spare chair by my desk.

I groaned while setting my pencil inside my textbook and shutting it. “What about?” I question, sitting back in my chair and looking at my foster brother.

“You know, you really should be nicer to him. He’s not that bad of a person once you get to know him. You would know that if you gave him a chance,” he explains, raising an eye brow at me. Never satisfied.

“Rian, I really don’t want to deal with this right now. I get that he’s a nice kid and I shouldn’t be so hard on him but have you guys ever tried telling him to just back off?” I ask, looking at Rian expectantly. “I mean, everyone’s so worried about the new kid but no one cares to think that ‘hey, maybe if he wants Jack to like him the he should leave him the fuck alone!’

“If you all will give me some time, I’m sure I’ll end up liking him but until then, stay away. Im just as distant towards you and Zack. The only person I’m really close with is Flyzik and that’s because I get suspended a lot.”

“Alright,” Rian nods understandingly before getting up out of his chair and leaving my room.

After the door shuts I hear it open again before I even have the chance to grab my forensics book. “What is it now?” I snap, turning my body towards the door to see Zack standing there.

“Bro, I was just giving you back the Anti Flag CD you let me borrow. If now’s a bad time I can listen to it again and come back later?” I sigh and motion for him to come in. I take my CD out of his hand and put it back on the rack with the rest of my collection.

“Are you alright? You seem pissed,” Zack notes, looking at me with a concerned look on his face.

I turned away and rolled my eyes at him. “I’m fine,” I groaned, taking a seat back at my desk. “Rian just pissed me off.”

“Alex?” Zack questions. Why do we keep repeating what we know is unhealthy?

“How’d you guess?”

“You hate him,” he shrugs like it’s no big deal, which it isn’t. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that.”

“At least one of you understands.”

“Can I ask why?” I thought about it for a second before sighing and turning back around to face Zack, who was now seated on my bed. That concerned look was still there with a small smirk that just kept growing. “You don’t know, do you?”

“He annoys me,” I answer like it’s all the reason in the world.

“Do me a favor and talk to him later, please? If you don’t like him after you talk to him then I wont bother you about it anymore. Until then, don’t say you don’t like him. Deal?”

“Deal,” I agree and shake his hand.

“If you need me, I’ll be on my XBox. I just got Halo 4 and I’m really close to beating it,” he beams and leaves my room.

I laugh at him before getting back to my homework that I finally had some quiet time to complete. I am on my own.

-

I cut down my stereo before climbing on my bed. I silently sigh before glancing over towards Alex. He’s playing on his iPod with one ear bud hanging out of his ear. “So, who’s your favorite band?” I ask him. He looks up from his iPod and gives me a funny look.

“Did you just start a conversation with me without telling me I’m pissing you off about something?” Alex questions, turning off his iPod and taking his ear bud out of his ear. He sits the device on his nightstand and looks at me with one of his eye brows arched.

“I did,” I nod impatiently. If he’s going to question me I might as well not even try this whole ‘be nice to Alex’ thing.

“Blink 182 or Green Day. I’m pretty fond of them both,” he explains cautiously. “What about you?”

“I really like Anti Flag and New Found Glory. Blink and Green Day are really good bands too,” I reply.

“I’ve noticed you have all of their albums. For Blood And Empire is probably my favorite album by Anti Flag and Catalyst is my favorite by New Found. What about you?”

“Those are pretty good but my favorite would have to be The Terror State for Anti and Coming Home for New Found. My favorite Blink album is Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and my favorite Green Day album is Nimrod.”

“That’s my favorite Blink album, too,” Alex laughs. “My favorite Green Day album is American Idiot, though.”

“I have that one,” I smiled at him as his eyes lit up. “I actually have way to many CD’s for it to be ok. It wouldn’t surprise me if I found something in my rack I didn’t remember getting.”

“I’m that way with the music on my iPod. I have so many different songs that I can’t download apps because there isn’t enough storage,” he explains shyly. I laughed at him. A small blush spread across his cheeks.

I started to feel bad for being mean to him. He isn’t that bad. If anything, he’s adorable. The smile that has stayed on his face this whole time is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. “Can I ask you something, Jack?” Alex asks, making snap out of my thoughts for a second. I scolded myself for thinking that way about him. Chemical love. He’s my foster brother.

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you suddenly taking interest in me?” Addicted to you like a drug.

“I thought I should give you a chance. I haven’t done that yet and I started to feel bad,” I lied, crossing one leg over the other.

He nodded and smiled at me. “So I don’t annoy you?”

I blushed before shaking my head. “No. I’m sorry.”

Notes