Noughts and Crosses

Jacks POV

We walked in the house and Kyle was sat on the stairs and stared hard at Alex.
"Why's there a dagger in my house?" Dad said as he looked at Alex.
"I could always go." He said quietly.
" Yes!" Dad snapped.
"No." I growled.
"You turning into a turncoat Jacky?" Dad growled.
"I'm not the turncoat." I said.
Kyle didn't say anything but he was thinking which was dangerous.
"So who is? You brought a dagger into this house, and I'll add a dagger who could kill us at a click of a finger." He said.
"It's the dagger whose the turncoat." Kyle said.
We looked at him.
"If he was a true dagger he wouldn't be here would he?" He said and got up and went upstairs.
Dad went up to Alex.
"If you even open your mouth about being here I'll will..." He said and Alex stopped him.
"You will get a gun and shoot me. I know I have had that threat a thousand times and I don't need reminding." He said.
"Don't you DARE speak to me you filthy white trash." He growled and went upstairs.

I moved and Alex stayed where he was.
"Maybe it better if I go." He said and pointed to the door.
"You don't have to go, just ignore them, they'll get over it." I said loudly so they could hear me.
"Fuck you Jack!" Kyle shouted back.
I was thinking about the come back but thought I better not say it.
Alex moved and came into the sitting room with me.
"Your house is really small." He said and looked around the place.
He stopped and looked at me.
"Sorry i didnt mean it to take offenive or anything." He said quietly.
"Yeah its small and crowded but we wouldnt have it any other way." I said and sat on the sofa.
Alex had found a picture and was looking at it.
"My mother and your mum used to be good friends didnt they?" He asked.
"We used to be. Then she started to change." Mum said and watched from the kitchen door.
Alex put the picture back.
"Sorry i didnt mean to be nosey or intrude on your privacy." He said and looked down.
"Its fine." She smiled.

I went out to the kitchen and got a drink for me ans Alex.
"Is that Isobels son?" Mum asked.
"Mrs Gaskarth?" I asked as i didnt know her first name.
"Yeah." Mum said and looked in the sitting room and Alex was just looking round the place.
"Yeah it is. Thats Alex." I said.
"Hes too nice to be their son. Are you sure thats Alex?" She asked and looked at me.
"Yeah. I'm sure that's Alex." I smiled.
She smiled.
Alex got up and came to the kitchen.
"I mean it I could go back to the shithole if its making everyone uncomfortable about me being here." He said and got the drink I made.
"You don't have to go sweetie. Just ignore them miserable bastards upstairs." She smiled.
"If I've out stayed my stay just say and I'll go home." He said quietly and went back into the sitting room.
He really wasn't happy I rremembered that I had a guitar somewhere in the house.
"Do you know where my guitar went?" I asked mum.
"The last I saw it, it was under Kyles bed." She said and looked at me.
"You haven't played it for ages, why the sudden interest?" She asked.
"Who said I was going to play it." I said.
She looked at Alex who was sat on the floor with his head resting against his knees and his arms covering his ears.
"He plays?" She asked.
"Yeah, and sings but I haven't caught him out on that yet." I said and walked out and went upstairs.

Kyle was sat on his bed listening to some awful music.
"Your in the old man's bad books." He said as I went over to the bed and sat on the floor and looked for the guitar.
"At this moment of time I don't care." I muttered and rolled onto my front.
"What the fuck are you looking for?" He asked.
"That guitar which was Lucy's." I said.
"Well your looking in the wrong place." Kyle said and moved from the bed.
"Where is it then?" I asked. "And you call me blind. It's in the wardrobe." He said and climbed over the mess to the wardrobe.
"I don't even use the wardrobe so how was I meant to know?" I said.
"You would rather have the bedroom as a mess than use the wardrobe like a normal person would do." He said and passed me the guitar.
"Thanks." I smiled and turned round and Kyle caught my arm.
I stopped and looked at him.
"It's for Alex isn't it?" He asked.
"Yeah, he's feeling like shit okay. He's just found something out which is literally gonna fuck everything up." I said.
"Which is?" He asked.
"Look I'm not gonna say okay, let Alex tell you but he not gonna do that tonight so you just leave him alone." I growled.
"I will do Jack." He said.
"You feeling okay? You never back of this easily." I said.
"Yes I'm fine. Maybe he's slowly growing on me." He said and sat on the bed.
I looked at him but left the room and went downstairs.

Alex was looking at a picture.
I put the guitar down and stood next to him.
"That's Lucy." I said which made Alex jump.
"Sorry, I just saw the picture and had to look at it." He said quickly.
"It's fine." I smiled.
"She's pretty." He said quietly and put the picture back.
I smiled and went over and sat on the sofa and Alex came over and joined me.
"Only Kyle knows, so we can't do what we normally do." I whispered in his ear.
"Okay." He said quietly.
"Oh, I thought you might like to play this since everyone is doing something or just hiding." I said and gave him the guitar.
He looked at it and took it from me and started to play it quietly.
"I'll be back in a sec." I said and got up and went to the kitchen and left Alex to play the guitar.

Mum was stood leaning against the side.
I sat on the side.
"He's good." Mum said quietly.
I smiled and just listened.
Dad came down and came out to the kitchen.
"Why's that dagger playing the guitar? Especially since its not his to touch or play." He said.
"Just leave him alone Bassam for God sake." Mum huffed.
I knew mum was thinking about Lucy, She always did.
I felt dads eyes on me.
I looked at him.
"He's going tonight." He said.
"The lad not going anywhere." Mum said and looked at dad.
"Joyce they could be looking for him." He said.
"They won't be looking for me. They'll be more than greatful that I disappeared for the night because they don't give a shit about me." Alex said which made us jump.
"And we're supposed to believe that?" Dad scoffed.
"Don't have to if you don't want to but trust me I know what I'm talking about and its not rosey." He snapped and went somewhere.
"Told you when they made me jobless that they wouldn't give a shit about him but that darling girl of theirs wouldn't do nothing wrong." Mum said.
"Joyce its not your fault, Lucy just got killed..." Dad said but I couldn't listen anymore and went out the room and left them talking.

I went outside since I'm guessing Alex would be there and I was right.
"Hey." I said and sat next to him.
"Hey." He said sadly and rested his head on my shoulder.
"You okay? I'm sorry about dad but he doesn't like Noughts that much." I said quietly.
"It's okay. Not really but I'll survive like normal." He said quietly.
"You can tell me." I said.
"It's better if I don't say." He whispered.
"Well if you want to then you can talk to me." I said and moved my head and kissed his head.
Alex moved closer to me and sighed.
We sat in silence for ages until I worked out that Alex had fallen asleep.

I heard the door open so I looked round and saw Kyle.
"He asleep?" He asked and sat next to me.
"Yeah." I said and took the cigarette he had in his hand and started to smoke it.
"He can have my bed if he wants it." He said.
I looked at him.
"I'm seriously starting to worry about you." I said.
"Look, he's a nice lad when he's not being a asshole which is most of the time, but like what you said he hasn't got it easy. He's pretty much shown that he's willing to turn his back on the Noughts to get his own back. That takes guts." Kyle said.
I looked at Alex.
"He's a soldier, and he's willing to prove that to everyone." He said.
"Which is why you and Sir push his buttons so much." I said quietly.
"Sort of. He don't really help himself." Kyle chuckled.
I chuckled.
Alex sat up and looked round where he was a rubbed his eyes and yawned.
"Want one?" Kyle asked handing him a cigarette.
Alex looked at it.
"It's not gonna blow up on me?" He asked and took it from Kyle.
"No, your safe." He chuckled.
"Good." Alex muttered and started to smoke it.

By the time we went indoors we where all falling asleep.
Alex went inside first.
"You have the bed Kyle. I'll stay downstairs with Alex." I said quietly and went inside.
Kyle smiled and went upstairs.
I went to upstairs and grabbed my duvet and pillows.
I got them and went downstairs and Alex was singing quietly to himself.
"Well I've heard what's real takes time to heal, the words cut so deep.
Every bruden felt has slowly dealt me shaking hands its hard to keep,
That grip that's got a hold of me, from dragging me down underneath.
Why won't you let me breathe?"
I sat next to him which made him jump.
"You didn't hear me sing did you?" He asked looking at me.
He had tears in his eyes but he looked away quickly and looked down.
"Yeah I did." I said quietly.
He got up and sat behind the sofa.
I climbed over the back and sat next to him and pulled him close to me.
"I hate them all." He muttered quietly to himself.
I kissed his head hoping it was some sort of comfort but it probably wasnt.
It must of been as he rested his head on my shoulder.

"Go to the sofa as my arse is going numb." I said.
Alex chuckled and sat up and got up and helped me up and we sat on the sofa.
We both sat in the middle with our feet up and lent on each other and put the duvet over us.
"Night Alex." I muttered.
"Night." He muttered and kissed my cheek and got comfy again and fell asleep.

Notes

Don't like this....