Thanks To You

I barely registered the thumping in my skull when I jolted awake. The burning liquid rushing up my throat forced my mouth open just to pour down my chin and over my bare chest. I coughed, blinking my burning eyes slowly in the bright light as the vomit spilled from my lips. Once I was done dry-heaving, water running filled my ears and I glanced up to find waterpouring over me.

"Jesus Christ, Alex."

I heard Casey's dissapointed tone and whimpered, my stomach churning painfully before I was bending forward and puking again between my knees this time. A gentle hand moved up and down my slick back comfortingly and I relaxed a bit. Once I felt I could sit back up, I slouched back against the shower wall. That's when I noticed my red stained hands.

"It's okay." Casey cooed in my ear, brushing my wet hair out of my eyes. "I'm sobering you up. You passed out a few times, but I can tell you're more with me now."

I frowned, looking over to see her sitting on the ledge of the small bathtub in a pair of shorts and one of my shirts with her hair up.

"I don' feel good." I breathed out, closing my eyes when the room started spinning.

"That's because you're still drunk. I put you in the shower because you keep puking all over yourself." She explained.

I nodded, grimacing at the horrible sick feeling filling me. I moaned, tilting my head back in the corner I was leaning against without even caring about where the blood came from.

"Jack and I took you to get stitches at the free clinic down town because you somehow cut your knee open. I wrapped it up in a plastic bag to keep it from getting wet for now." She informed. "You cut your hand a bit too, but the doctor said it'll be fine."

I groaned, bringing my elbow up over my sore eyes while I focused more on the water hitting my stomach.

"Drink some more of this." She ordered, pushing something cool against my dry lips.

I shook my head frantically, various flavors sitting on my dry tongue already. My stomach lurched just at the thought of puking again, but at the same time my throat was begging for something to go down it instead of up. Without another thought, I turned back towards here and opened my mouth.

"Slow." She warned as she allowed it to slip into my mouth.

I breathed in through my nose and swallowed thickly, earning a light slap to my side.

"Slow or you're gonna puke it right back up." She scolded.

I nodded, letting it slowly flow down my throat for a couple of seconds before she pulled the bottle back. I sighed, leaning back in the corner while it settled in my stomach.

"We're gonna talk in the morning." She noted, brushingmy bangs out of my eyes again.

"Nothin' to talk 'bout." I mumbled tiredly.

I heard her sigh loudly before she continued to run her long nails through my hair. I breathed deeply, focusing on the warm water running over me while I grimaced at the strong fruity smells surrounding me. My eyes fluttered closed and I found myself relaxing more into the cool wall as the loud water got more quiet.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Something 'bout you
makes me feel like
a dangerous woman-

"Fuck." I hissed, barely hearing the loud music over my thumping skull.

I sat up, not able to control myself as I rolled onto my side and dry-heaved. I choked out air, irritating my scratchy throat and making my head pound worse. I kept my eyes closed, already feeling sick from the orange glow behind my eyelids letting me know the room is way too fucking bright. God, I could fucking kill Mike for blasting god damn music right now. I gagged, tasting various flavors on my dry tongue while my stomach churned and the rest of my body felt sore.

"Somethin' 'bout you! Somethin'bout, somthin'bout, somthin'bout you, makes me feel like a dangerous woman!"

I cringed, gagging again from the strong sick feeling filling me up. My lower back is aching, my stomach is cramping, my head is pounding, my fucking knee is stinging horribly and now Casey's fucking screeching just blew my god damn eardrums. I guess it wasn't Mike afterall.

"Please, Case..." I whined, rolling onto my back and throwing my elbow over my eyes.

The loud music cut out and the way my ears protested the silence could've been worse than the music. I could just hear a loud ringing.

"Ugh." I grumbled, shaking my head a bit and sighing in relief when the ringing stopped.

"You're a fucking idiot." Casey told before a weight shifted beside me.

"Where did you come from?" I asked hoarsely.

"I live here? You got completely shitfaced and called me looking for Jack to come get you. You also spilled your whole damn life to me." She explained, patting my side. "And I kept you in the shower for a few hours while you puked all over yourself, so that's why you can't puke anymore. It should all be out of your system."

The harsh, nervous flip in my stomach had me opening my burning eyes to look into Casey's. I cringed, glancing down at where the stinging was coming from and raised an eyebrow in shock.

"Shit." I mumbled, staring down at the two long, jagged bloody lines down my kneecap filled with black thread.

"We took you to get stitches at the free clinic. Probably not the best, but I didn't know what else to do and I didn't know how much it would cost-"

"Thanks, Case." I whispered, carefully relaxing back into her bed. "You shouldn't have done anything for me."

"I wasn't going to leave you there after I saw you somehow managed to get glass in your leg." She pointed out. "Especially after I could tell you didn't know what you were doing."

I frowned, taking in a few slow breaths as I tried to recall yesterday. I remember smoking with Vic and Mike and then it kind of gets blurry. I did a lot more drinking and dancing and shit, but I don't know when I got so fucked up. I definitely don't remember calling or seeing Casey and Jack. Shit. My stomach did it's usual weird flip at the thought of Jack. It makes me feel even more sick just thinking about what I possibly said in front of him.

"Uh...where..um..where is Jay-uh Jack?" I asked nervously, clearing my throat again.

I moved my gaze down to my bare stomach, lightly tracing the waistband of the orange boxer briefs resting over my hips as I waited. God, I probably made a complete fucking fool out of myself.

"He helped me get you in here and left." She shrugged. "He's just angry."

"Why would he be angry?" I wondered, cringing at my headache.

"It just felt like he was mad when you didn't ask him to take care of you...I don't know, it was weird." She ranted. "You wouldn't even look at him when we got here and you refused to talk to him. That could be why, since he's your best friend."

Best friend. Ouch, that stung to hear way more than it ever should. I frowned, the want-guilt feeling returning. All of the confusing thoughts and feelings seemed to swirl around inside and I found myself feeling helpless. Why am I like this? Why can't I just stop these fucking feelings? God, just thinking about it pissed me off, but made me feel sad at the same time.

"What's wrong?"

I shook the thoughts from my head and sighed. Casey is the last person I would trust with anything.

"There's too much shit going on in my head for me to handle." I shrugged.

"That isn't a reason to drink, Alex." She frowned. "It's serious and you know it. I really think you need help because the past few weeks you've been drunk frequently and you're literally turning out just like-"

"Don't say it." I warned, moving my hands to hold my head. "I don't wanna hear that again."

"It's fucking true, don't you get it?" She hissed. "You cried to me about it last night."

"I'm not a fucking alcholic, Casey and I wasn't crying." I snapped, letting my anger take over once again. "I don't need any fucking help. There's a fucking difference between enjoying it and being addicted, okay? I never asked you to-"

"You fucking called me to get you!" She yelled, standing up from the bed and crossing her arms. "And yes, you werecrying! How would you know? You can't even remember anything!"

I ignored the pain in my head as I rolled my eyes and sat up. I bit my lip and sucked in a breath, trying to calm myself down before I get too worked up. The motion made me a little dizzy, but this is really the last place I want to be right now. Who the fuck does she think she is?

"Well you should've fucking left my ass there okay? Don't fucking accuse me of being a fucking drunk." I retorted, standing up and glancing around the room.

"I wasn't going to leave you like that! You had glass in your knee and you were on the verge of alcohol poisoning!" She defended.

"Where are my fucking clothes?" I shouted in frustration, rubbing my hands through my hair harshly.

"They're in the washer because you fucking puked on them." She spat, cocking her hip with hands at her sides.

"Fuck that." I grunted, shoving passed her.

"Alex! Where are you going?" She called, following me as I stormed down her hall and out into the main room.

I huffed, ignoring her as I walked straight to the front door. I pulled it open and stepped out, slamming the door hard behind me before walking down the porch. I felt really weak and sick, but the light breeze in the fresh air helped me feel a little better as I stormed down the driveway.

"Alex!" Casey pleaded from behind me.

"Leave me the fuck alone!" I yelled in annoyance.

"Seriously, just come talk to me!" She cried out.

I shook my head, throwing her the bird before letting my long legs lead me far away from her. My head was pounding so hard I could barely see straight and I could feel my hands shaking from the anger escaping me. How fucking dare she accuse me of being like my fucking father. We are nothing alike. Just because I've been drinking more often to get Jack out of my head doesn't mean I'm a drunk now. I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face roughly.

"Why does my life fucking suck so much." I hissed to my bare feet, ignoring the pain in my knee from the constant movement.

I watched the sidewalk pass beneath me as I walked, trying to keep my head as clear as possible while I strolled down the block. I stopped after a few minutes or so, plopping my ass down on someone's grass before straightening my knee out to rest a bit. My panting made my ribs ach more and all the fast walking had my back hurting more too, making me re-think what went wrong in my life once again.

"Maybe I am like him-no. No, I'm fucking not." I muttered, closing my eyes and slowly laying down in the soft grass.

I sighed, resting my elbow over my sore eyes while I attempted to let my body relax and calm down. I rubbed my nose softly, sighing as I listened to birds chirp peacefully around me. The birds and sounds of cars driving by seemed to be keeping my mind occupied. It kept me listening closely instead of letting me go back to my troubling thoughts. It was nice.

"Hey!"

I jumped, sitting upright at the stern shout. Once I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusted in the bright sunlight and I found myself staring back at an older man with an intimidating build standing right behind a black car at the curb. I frowned, raising an eyebrow in question as I waved awkwardly.

"Can I help you?" I questioned loudly.

He crossed his arms over his chest and stepped forward. That's when I noticed the sun reflect on his belt...and the navy blue uniform.

"Get down on the ground." He ordered, jogging over.

I threw my hands up and choked on my spit as he pulled a pair of handcuffs from his backside.

"Uh-" I stuttered.

"You got any idea what public indecency is, son?" He interrupted, standing in front of me.

"Fucking shit." I hissed, looking down to my orange boxer briefs. "Look-"

"You got the right to remain silent-"

I sighed, tuning him out while I willingly allowed him to flip me on my front side. My jaw hit the ground, my face scrunching up in pain before I coughed out a wince as my knee rubbed into the grass. My arms were tugged behind my back hard before an unfamiliar coolness was tightened around my wrist. I huffed, turning my head to look straight ahea of me just as I was yanked to my feet by my elbows. I bit my lip to stifle any sounds when my shoulder popped, distracting myself by looking around to see an older kid standing at the porch of the house I was in front of.

"Nothing to see here, sir." The officer announced.

I ignored the flip in my stomach, gritting my teeth while he dragged me down the lawn and to the backseat of his black car. I barely noticed the dull outline of police printed on the side of the car before I was carelessy shoved into the car.

"Jesus fucking Christ." I grumbled once the door slammed shut. "I'm not a fucking criminal."

I watched him sit in the front seat silently before he shut the door and pulled away from the curb. My gaze moved from the back of his head to the cage like wall seperating the front of the car from the back, getting hit with reality suddenly.

Fuck, I was just arrested. Fuck, I don't have my wallet so I can't-fuck!

I tossed my head back onto the small head rest in anger at my fucking stupidity. Thinking about my wallet reminded me that, hey, I'm supposed to be at my fucking job today. I'm supposed to be at work when I'm literally getting taken to the fucking station right now for walking around in my fucking boxers. What the fuck am I suppossed to do? I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes as anxiety rattled inside of me while I pushed away how sick and horrible I feel from yesterday. I mentally counted to ten while taking a few deep breaths to keep myself calm. The last thing I fucking need is to have a damn panic attack in the back of a police car.

I remained silent, the only sounds in the car being talking over the radio thing and the sound of the air conditioning. I frowned, staring out the tinted window to find that we pulled into the dreaded destination. I watched as the car stopped in front of the building before the douchebag officer was getting out of the car. Before I could even blink, the backdoor was open and he was pulling me out of the car by my arm. I grunted, wincing at the movement of my stitches as I was pulled to the front doors. He opened the door and guided me inside, catching the attention of everyone at the front desk along with the people sitting in some kind of waiting area.

"Keep moving forward, kid." He told, knocking my attention off of the old woman and other teens sitting in chairs.

I rolled my eyes before looking forward and continuing to move my legs as fast as he was pushing me. We walked down a narrow hallway before I was pushed into an open, dirty ass cell. My wrists were awkwardly bent away from me for a few seconds before my arms dropped back to my sides. He pushed me in a bit more before he clicked his tongue and slammed the door shut. I grimaced at the uncomfortable feeling in my right shoulder and turned to face him through the tinged brown bars.

"Get comfortable, you get your phone call in thirty minutes after I take your prints and pull up your records." He informed.

I bit my cheek to keep myself from snapping back that my record is clean. He wouldn't give a shit anyway. Sighing, I stepped over to the bench and sat down without hesitation. Everything in here is rusty and smells like piss, but my knee is making it a little unbearable to stand and my shoulder feels like it's hanging out of it's socket. I rested my elbows on my thighs before dropping my head onto my hands lazily.

"Over here, son."

I groaned inwardly and sighed, pushing myself back to my feet. The dirty floor left dirt between my toes and I dragged myself back over to the door. It felt disgusting.

"Put your thumb here." He directed, holding out a square container of black ink.

I did as told and pushed my left thumb into it before moving it to the notebook in his free hand. Once I pulled my thumb back to see the print on the paper, he nodded and left me alone once more. The sick churning returned in the pit of my stomach and I sighed, moving bavk to the bench and sitting down again. I closed my eyes and rested my head in my hands while I tried to keep myself from stressing out.

"Alexander Gaskarth, you've got nothing suspicious under your name. Wanna tell me why you were on someone's property practically naked?"

I lifted my head up to see the muscular bald officer standing with an eyebrow raised.

"I uh...got in a fight and the only clothes I had weren't around at the time." I answered honestly.

"Well it was a dumb decision to look like that in public on your part. Public Indecency is a serious thing and you've just got yourself a seventy dollar fine." He explained, motioning for me to come up.

I frowned, slowly rising from the bench before making my way to the cell door just as he slid it open. I looked down at his shirt, squinting at the small metal square on the corner of his shirt.

"Officer Renolds." He confirmed, pulling on my arm as he lead me into a dimly lit hall.

I nodded slowly, not really caring what his name was. All I'm concerned about is what I'm going to do and why he even arrested e for something so fucking stupid. I could have been outside of my own damn house like that, in fact I have been out like this. Since when was me sitting in my boxers considered public indeceny? It's not like I was whipping my dick out.

"You've got one minute to call someone of your choice. Make it a good one 'cause you're not getting out of here until your stupidity is paid for." He noted, picking the phone off the hook before forcing it into my hand.

I bit my lip, staring at the all of the numbers while I blanked. There's no way I could call my dad. He wouldn't care anyway and I don't remember his number. Shit, I don't remember anyone's number. Well, anyone that isn't Jack.

"I don't have all day."

I jumped, biting my lip harder while my heart started pounding as bad as my head.

"Yeah." I agreed, taking in a shaky breath before watching my fingers push the familiar digits.

Five, eight, six, five, five, four, eight, three, zero, one. I reluctantly placed the phone against my ear, listening to the loud ringing on the other side. My heart skipped everytime there was a long pause and I really don't understand when I started getting so nervous to call him.

"Hello?" He finally answered, sounding unsure.

"Uh..." I trailed off, clearing my throat. "Yeah, it's Alex-"

"What the fuck do you want?" He interrupted. "You didn't want anything to do with me last night and you're obviously still with that bitch if you're calling me from her phone. I really don't-"

"This isn't her phone. I neeed your help." I groaned, cutting off his rant.

"Wait, what? What's going on?" He asked, voice growing concerned. "Where are you? Oh my god, I knew I couldn't trust her!"

"No no. I'm fine. Well not-like okay...um, I'm at the police station and I need you to get my wallet from Casey and bring it to me so I can pay this and get out of here." I explained quickly.

"What? You're at the fucking-what? Bail money? Are you going to jail?" He panicked.

"Jay, listen. I need you to bring my shit to the Baltimore Police Station, okay? It was all just a misunderstanding, but you're my one call so please-"

I stopped abruptly, watching the officer's finger push into the button on the wall before I could make sure Jack was actually listening to me. The dial tone beeped loudly into my ear before the phone was pulled back from my hand and properly hung up.

"Time was up." Officer Renolds chuckled, taking hold of my arm as he dragged me back to the cell. "Sounded like a lover's quarrel. Hopefully she's not too upset."

"I wouldn't fucking know since you hung up the god damn phone." I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Watch it. I can raise your price." He smirked, winking at me as he locked the cell.

I glared as I watched him leave the small area once again. I groaned, feeling my throat scratch and realizing how dry my mouth is. Great, I'm fucking dehydrated and hungover stuck in a fucking nasty shit-smelling rusty cell for who knows how fucking long. Not to mention I'm most likely missing work and I'll probably end up getting fired which is something I really don't need.

I whined angrily, moving back over to the hard bench and plopping down on it. Due to my whole body aching, I sucked it up and laid across the bench while all of my thoughts about what happened on it went out the window. No more fucks are given when I'm feeling like this. I took in a deep breath, ignoring the dust inhailed up into my nostrils while I closed my eyes and forced myself to relax.

Notes

This chapter was very unplanned, but I kind of like the idea of it and something like this needed to happen for future chapters. I'm very bad at putting together stories! I'm so excited for this, but the bad thing is that I've got all of these things planned for when Alex and Jack are already together and I'm trying to figure out how to get them together. I have some ideas, but I need to make other shit happpen for a few chapters before they get close to getting together because Idon't like rushing things. I try to make it as real as possible!

Sorry for the long rant/note thingy...most peple skip these, but I figured I'd put my thoughts about it in here anyway for the few who don't skip it! Also, still no spell check so sorry for mistakes!
Another sorry for the shit that is this chapter. They will get better! Especially the ones I have planned for when they're together! I hope this is enjoyable though! Love you all!

By the way, I know nothing about police stations or fines I just made it all up and it is all fake I just needed him to be arrested for something lol. Okay, until next time! Have a good night everyone! And I hope everyone's Mother Day goes great if you celebrate.