The Boy Next Door

"Just as I thought your room would look like."

Jack is sitting on the vanity chair. He picks up a brush from the table, "An artist's bedroom. Paintings on the wall, the smell of paint, and brushes on the table."

"I don't know what you mean by that, but you're holding my make up brush not my painting brush." I try to hold my laugh

He drops the brush gently, "Well that's embarrassing."

"I thought you didn't know what embarrassing is after all the crazy things you've done at school." I say. "And outside." I add, after remembering the other stories he'd told me

"I was pretending to understand art." He grins. "To impress the girl I've just gone out with."

"Jack, you know you don't even need to try to impress anyone. You're Jack Barakat, duh. Everyone would just go crazy seeing you peel a banana."

"Including you?" He smirks

I shake my head, "Well, maybe not exactly everyone."

He rises from his seat and walk towards my wall of paintings. It suddenly feels like this has happened before. Déjà vu, but it's not Alex this time..

"If you ever need a model, you know where to get one. Draw me like one of your french girls." He poses. I laugh and throw a pillow at him jokingly

"Do I look like Leonardo DiCaprio to you?" I say

He nods, "Yeah, a red headed one."

"Wow, I should spend more time looking at myself in the mirror." I comment

"Seriously, I've never met anyone as sarcastic as you." He shakes his head

"Believe me, I'm so sarcastic that sometimes I don't even understand what I'm saying." I admit, "Sarcasm is my second language."

Jack laughs lightly. He takes a seat beside me on my bed, "Now tell me, without being sarcastic this time. Did you have a great time tonight?"

"Yeah, but it would've been better if I'd been the one to choose the movie." I shrug

He looks kinda hurt, "I'll let you pick the movie next time."

"First of all, I was just joking. Of course I had a great time! And by next time.. Are you saying that there'll be a second time then?" I say

"If you want to-"

Unfortunately he is cut by the sound of his phone buzzing. He reaches for it from his pocket to check. "It's Alex." He reads the caller ID, "I'm sorry, I should probably take this. He never calls unless it's very important."

"Go ahead, answer it." I give a nod of approval

"Hey Alex, what's wrong?" Jack says to the phone

"Now? Can't it wait a little longer? I'm kinda busy at the moment. What's it about anyways?"

"I know, I know! I'll call Zack or Rian to-"

"Fuck it, I'm coming over. Fuck you for this, you owe me big time, Gaskarth." He groans and ends the call

"I'm so sorry, I've gotta go. Alex needs me. I don't know why he can't just call Rian or Zack this time, he knew I had a date tonight." Jack apologizes. He rushes to get his coat and takes 2 steps at a time going down the stairs.

"What's wrong? Do you want me to come with you?" I follow him out

"It's okay, I can handle him myself. I know him better than he knows himself, let's hope that he hasn't done anything stupid or whatever his problem is. He's my bestfriend, it just doesn't feel right to ignore him. Once again, I'm so sorry for this." He frowns

I open the front door for him, "You are a good friend then. It's okay, I understand."

"I swear I'll make it up to you next time. Thank your for tonight." He faces me

"Thanks to you too." I smile. He leans in for a hug and put an arm around me. With that, he leaves the house and crosses the road to Alex's. He gives me one last wave before I head back inside.

What have I done?

---------------

Alex's POV
There they are, walking side by side. I can't make out what they're talking about from here, but they both have a big smile plastered on their face. I'm guessing the date went well, eh Jack?
It was me who told Jack to make a move. After that night with Gail, I'd told Jack that she wanted a guitar lesson from him. He said yes, because apparently they were good friends already.

"Gail? We're in the same history class. She's kinda hot." Jack answered when I asked him about Gail

"Hot? I think she's more like.. Unique don't you think?" I countered

"Since when do you say girls are unique instead of hot?" Jack shook his head

It was only until a few days ago when he'd come to me after walking Gail back to her house. He'd come to tell me that he was going on a date with her.

Of course I was happy for Jack.

I smiled for him.

I'd suggested him to take her to Le Quartier, because I know that she goes there often.

Me and Jack, we're more than bestfriends. He's like a brother I never had. I should be happy for him. But am I now?

I still have my eyes on them when Jack is finally leaving her house. And until she calls his name once again. I know for sure that she's asking him to come inside.

Jack nods as she pulls on his hand with a devilish grin, she's letting him inside. Leaving me dying to get in too.

I still keep my eyes glued to her house, until the light from her room switches on. It's not like I've seen it a million times before. I see them laughing again, they always seem to be having fun around each other. She has that smile that I rarely see when she's around me.
I don't really know why but I can't stand seeing this any longer.

I'm not happy for Jack, I'm really not. How shitty of a friend I am.

Not to add how guilty I've already felt for lying to him about that night. He doesn't know that I spent a night at Gail's. My parents called Jack that night asking if I was at his place, but of course I wasn't. And then I made up a story to him saying that I'd crashed Zack's place, I also begged Zack to just go with the story, no questions asked. Jack didn't believe me at first, because his house is nearer than Zack's, but he just went with it.

I'm sorry, Jack. I quickly take my phone and dial Jack's number. After a few beeps he finally answers, "Jack! Finally!"

"Hey Alex, what's up?" He greets from the other line

"I need you to come here. Right now, it's an emergency, please."

"Now? Can't it wait a little longer? I'm kinda busy at the moment. What's it about anyways?" He answers

"But I need you, it's a death or life situation. Please just come here and I'll explain what's wrong." I scratch the back of my head

"I know, I know! I'll call Zack or Rian to-"

I cut before he even finishes, "It has to be you! You're my best friend, aren't you? I'm begging you, just please get your ass over here and we'll talk about it. Please-"

This time it's him who cuts, "Fuck it, I'm coming over. Fuck you for this, you owe me big time, Gaskarth." And then he hangs up.

I see him on the front door 5 seconds later, and Gail is trailing behind him. He gives her a brief hug which she responds back by circling her arm around him too.

The next thing I know, there are pieces of shattered glass on the floor. I've broken a framed picture.

"What the fuck is your problem, dude?" Jack bursts in not long after that. I'm still left standing in suprise after I somehow broke the framed picture.

"My problem? You are! I know you were gonna sleep with her, weren't you? That's why you went upstairs to her room, to do her like one of your one-night stands? You're fucking disgusting." I growl

"So you pulled me out in the middle of a date just to fucking yell at my face? And no! Even if I did, you have no rights to tell me who I'm fucking!" He exclaims

"She is not the kind of girl you play around with! Just stay away from her! She's too good to be hurt." I step closer to him

"You were the one who got me to her in the first place! And you know what? I like her. I really do. She seems to like me too." He holds both his hands up as if he's challenging me

"She doesn't know-"

To my surprise he cuts me in by letting a humourless laugh, "You like her, don't you?"

"I don't!"

"Of course you do. You wouldn't do any of these if you didn't." He glares

"If I did I wouldn't have let you go out with her!" I yell

"Because you won't admit to your self that you do like her! Too late for that, Gaskarth. She's mine." He smiles viciously. He keeps firing me with insults, blood boils inside me.

A punch flies from my fist to his side, as he stumbles to ground.

I did not just hit my best friend.

Jack steadies, "Go on, hit me as you want. I can't believe we're fighting our friendship over a damn girl. I thought you were better than that, Alex."

"Just as people say, you always want something you can't have."

Notes