Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous

“Jack Bassam, it is nearly four in the afternoon on a Saturday! Why are you still in bed? Why is this place a mess?!”

I awoke with a start when the yelling hit my ears, but I had no clue who it could be. I looked over to find Jack blinking his eyes open with a groan. He grinned at me, “Hey.”

“Hi,” I grinned back.

“Ahem!”

We both looked to the door to find Mrs. Barakat giving us an incredulous look while tapping her foot.

Jack groaned. “What, Mom?”

She raised her eyebrows. “I asked you a question, quite a few actually, but I have one more.” She shifted the look to me. “Who are you?”

I felt heat in my face, suddenly realizing I was only wearing a pair of Jack’s sweatpants. “A-A-Alex, m-ma’am.”

She nodded. “Right, right, I met you. Jack,” he propped himself up on his elbows to look at her properly, “Oh my god!” She rushed to her son. “Jack what happened to you?” She tilted his face to look at the blue-black bruises, the scabbed over cuts, the deep purple under his eyes. It had only been two days, and while I ignored it, Jack still looked pretty worse-for-wear from his last encounter with his drunken father.

I was suddenly angry, really angry. She was there. She was right there when this had happened. She could have done something. She should have done something to stop her husband, but she was passed out, drunk, on the floor instead. I was livid.

“What happened?!” I growled, sitting up. Both Barakats looked at me shocked. “Your bastard of a husband happened!”

“Lex!” Jack hissed, red blooming behind the bruises on his cheeks. Seeing him like that just made it worse.

“Excuse me?” Mrs. Barakat scoffed.

“You heard me! You should already know that, but you were too busy passed out on the fucking floor while that asshole attacked Jack!”

“Just who do you think you are, making accusations like this?!” She shouted.

“I’m his boyfriend!” I matched her volume. “I’m also the one that took your children to safety when you were too drunk to stop your tyrant of a husband! You don’t get to walk in here and make a fuss over him when I’m the one that was there every goddamn time Jack needed someone. You don’t get to pretend to care when you didn’t help him! I’m the one that was fucking there for him, and you have the audacity to get mad at me?!”

I was shaking, glaring at his mother when Jack grabbed my wrist. “Alex, stop.”

“Get out of my house.” I looked back to Mrs. Barakat. “I said-“

“Mom!” Jack interrupted frantically. “Stop it! Both of you!” he begged.

“I will not be insulted in my own home by these false accusations!” she boomed.

“Mommy?” My eyes snapped to the door where May stood, clutching Beverly to her chest. She took in the scene and smiled when her eyes met mine. “Alex! You’re still here!” she ran up and jumped on the bed, wedging herself between me and Jack. She looked to her mother, then her brother. “Daddy’s not home?”

He cleared his throat. “No, sweetie, why?”

She hugged her monkey closer. “I thought I heard yelling.”

Mrs. Barakat stared at her daughter, clearly stunned. “May, what are you on about?”

She scooted away from her mother and closer to me, probably from the tone in her voice. “The yelling only happens when Daddy’s home, too.” She looked at me. “Alex knows; he stays with me when it happens. He’s really nice, Mommy.”

I tried to let go of my anger because May didn’t need to see it. She didn’t need to be a part of this conversation, either. “May, I think Jack and Mommy need to talk. How about we go out?”

“Can we get ice cream? I ate my breakfast and lunch, I promise!”

“She’s not going anywhere with you!” Mrs. Barakat burst out, suddenly. “I don’t want you near either of my children!”

“Why?” May asked, looking to her mother with innocent confusion.

I still angry with her, but she didn’t want to listen to me. I refused to put May in the middle of all this, so I shook my head and stood. I wouldn’t argue with Mrs. Barakat any more, it wasn’t fair to Jack to go at his mother like this.

“Alex?” May asked as I put my shirt on.

I sighed. “I have to go, May.” Jack watched me carefully, when I met his gaze I saw tears in his eyes.

“Oh. When are we going out? I was good for Lzzy, you said we would all go out today if I was good and I was. Oh! Can we go for ice cream then?!”

“I know, but we can’t today.” I put on my sneakers and grabbed my jeans off the floor.

“But you promised!” she whined.

I walked back to Jack’s bed and sat next to her. “I know, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort!” Mrs. Barakat snapped. “Get out of my house and stay away from my children!”

I started to get up but a hand clutched my wrist.

“No, he’s staying right here.”

Jack:
I watched in stunned horror as Alex screamed the truth at my mother. I had never dared to tell my parents what they didn’t remember of their nights at home – what they never remembered no matter how many times it happened. I thought I had it under control; I thought that keeping everything quiet was the only way to deal with this, especially when things started to get bad. But then, hearing Alex let out all his frustration, I wondered why I didn’t tell her; why I just sat by and cleaned up the mess my parents left behind time and time again. Any justifications I had deluded myself with before showed themselves as the empty excuses they were. I was just a scarred kid trying desperately to keep safe the person who meant the most to me, but she was in more danger than ever because this was getting far too out of hand. Something needed to be done.

I was torn from my thoughts when the bed moved. Alex stood and began to collect his things. Panic instantly gripped my throat. Oh god, he’s leaving me. I couldn’t focus on what he and May were saying, I just watched him. In the few months I’d known him, Alex had become the only thing holding me together; the only thing keeping what was left of my sanity as my world went to shit. I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t–

“Get out of my house and stay away from my children!”

Alex gave my mother a hard look and moved to stand. My hand moved on its own to grip his wrist tightly. I won’t lose him, too. “No, he’s staying right here.”

His eyes met mine and I know he saw it all. I had no walls left; all the pain and fear and horror was right there for anyone to see, and I knew he’d seen it. He took his seat again.

“Excuse me? I’m your mother!”

“Yeah, but he’s right,” I sighed. I wasn’t sure I had any anger left, I was far too tired. “He’s right about everything, and I think it’s something we should have a serious talk about because I thought it was under control but it’s getting worse and I–“ I took a breath. “We need to talk.”

“So talk,” my mother said impatiently.

I glanced at May and looked up to find Alex was doing the same. He shook his head and covered her ears with his hands. “Not now, don’t drag her into this,” he said in a harsh whisper.

“Hey!” May voiced her displeasure at being excluded, but I shook my head at her.

“Fine,” my mother said curtly, “meet me in my study.” She glanced at my bare torso. “And get dressed, please."

Alex and I shared a long look when she’d gone. I was the one to break it by turning to May.

“Can you stay in your room and be good for a bit while Alex and I talk to Mom?” I asked her.

She looked from me to Alex as if one of us would tell her something different.

“Please? We can get that ice cream later if you do, I promise,” Alex tried.

She nodded frantically. “Ok!” She hopped off the bed and ran back to her room.

I had a million things running through my mind. A thousand questions, but the only one that made its way out was, “Boyfriend?”

Alex grinned at me, but it didn’t quite make it to his eyes. “I did my fair share of courting, I took you on your damn date, if you’re not going to agree to being my boyfriend now then I’m at a loss with what else to do.”

I chuckled. “No, I’d say you’ve earned it.”

He kissed me. “Good.”

I pulled him back for a long, lingering kiss.

“Yeah, it really is.”

Notes

Ah yes, we're getting there now. This is just the beginning of things to come. Enjoy! - Anna