Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Chapter 2)
Title: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Author: Emma emmameatsix
Pairing: Jalexu
Rating: NC-17
Summary: High school - what a load of bullshit. Everyone thinks they know you, but they don't. So you keep your guard up. Keep your walls up. Keep your mask on. It's the only way you'll survive.
Disclaimer: Never happened. Title belongs to Arctic Monkeys.
'So, what did Jack want earlier?' John asked curiously as he scribbled down notes from the book he was currently reading, which happened to be about chemistry. Seeing as they had an exam coming up, the two were always in the library after school to revise. No way were they failing.
'It was weird,' Alex answered, shaking his head and knitting his eyebrows as he thought back to lunch.
'How so?' John had, for the time being, stopped taking notes to instead look at his friend, showing Alex that he was attentive.
'He asked me if I wanted to hang out with him tonight,' Alex mumbled, absently fiddling with a small bit of thread he had found on his t-shirt, as John raised an eyebrow at him and gently set down his pencil, which he had previously been drumming against the desk.
'Jack Barakat asked to hang out with you?' John asked in disbelief, earning a half-hearted nod in reply from Alex. 'Well, are you going to?'
That seemingly caught the other's attention, and Alex stopped twirling the thread as he looked at John as though the boy was crazy. 'Are you being serious?'
'Yeah,' John shrugged.
'John, Jack's an asshole, okay? I don't want anything to do with him,' Alex answered honestly.
'Oh, thank God,' John exclaimed, dramatically letting out a sigh and sending his hand flying to his chest for effect. 'I thought you were gonna abandon us there.'
Smiling at the other boy, Alex let out a happy chuckle as he shook his head. 'Nah, never.'
- - - - - - -
'Hey Mum!' Alex smiled when he got home, wrapping an arm around the woman's shoulder and giving her a peck on the cheek.
'Hi, honey,' Isobel beamed, gently grabbing her son's wrist to pull him in for a proper hug, which he happily accepted. 'How was school?'
'It was okay,' Alex shrugged, grabbing a can of coke from the fridge. 'Where's Dad?'
'Just held up in traffic. He'll be back soon,' Isobel replied, Alex nodding at her words. 'I'm making spaghetti for dinner. That okay?'
'Yeah. Smells amazing, by the way,' Alex commented, before turning and making his way to his room.
'Aw thank you, sweetheart!' Isobel called after her son, who just grinned as he entered his room, collapsing onto his bed and putting Dookie on, figuring that Green Day would be a good change from the Blink album that had been in his stereo for the past week.
'I declare, I don't care no more! I'm burning up and out and growing bored,' Alex sang loudly, grabbing his textbook from his bedside cabinet and looking over it. John was the one who studied at the library. Alex much preferred to do so either at school or at home.
'In my smoked out boring room, my hair is shagging in my eyes,' he belted out, reading curiously over a section about the rate of chemical reactions.
'Sit around and watch the tube, but nothing's on,' he managed to get out, before he heard his Mum call him down for dinner. Walking into the kitchen with a smile, he saw his Dad sat at the table, waiting patiently for his dinner.
'Hey Dad,' Alex smiled, sitting across from him.
'Alex! How was school?' Peter asked, smiling back at his son.
'It was okay,' Alex answered again as his dinner was set down in front of him, thanking his Mum. 'How was work?'
'It was alright. That bloody Robert can never get the numbers right, though,' Peter sighed, picking up his fork and taking his first bite of spaghetti.
'So Alex, why have you been so late back these past few days?' Isobel asked curiously as she twirled a few pieces of spaghetti around her fork.
'Library. John studies there,' Alex muttered.
'Oh. Tell him he's more than welcome to study here with you if he'd prefer to. I've no problem with you going to the library, you just might be more comfortable here.'
'I'll mention it to him,' Alex nodded.
The family sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, the only sound being forks clattering off of plates, until Peter spoke up.
'I heard you singing Green Day earlier, Alexander,' he began, his words causing his son's cheeks to redden slightly as his wife smiled. 'I don't know why you don't try and make something of it.'
'You have a gorgeous voice,' Isobel agreed.
'Woulda thought you'd want me to take up something a bit more academic,' Alex admitted, and his parents just looked at each other.
'We just want you to be happy,' Isobel said softly. 'Your brother never took his guitar with him. You could use that.'
Alex winced slightly at the mention of his brother. It had been 4 years since he had moved, and Alex still missed him like crazy. They hadn't heard from him since.
'I guess I could give it a shot,' Alex mumbled, and his parents beamed at him.
Author: Emma emmameatsix
Pairing: Jalexu
Rating: NC-17
Summary: High school - what a load of bullshit. Everyone thinks they know you, but they don't. So you keep your guard up. Keep your walls up. Keep your mask on. It's the only way you'll survive.
Disclaimer: Never happened. Title belongs to Arctic Monkeys.
'So, what did Jack want earlier?' John asked curiously as he scribbled down notes from the book he was currently reading, which happened to be about chemistry. Seeing as they had an exam coming up, the two were always in the library after school to revise. No way were they failing.
'It was weird,' Alex answered, shaking his head and knitting his eyebrows as he thought back to lunch.
'How so?' John had, for the time being, stopped taking notes to instead look at his friend, showing Alex that he was attentive.
'He asked me if I wanted to hang out with him tonight,' Alex mumbled, absently fiddling with a small bit of thread he had found on his t-shirt, as John raised an eyebrow at him and gently set down his pencil, which he had previously been drumming against the desk.
'Jack Barakat asked to hang out with you?' John asked in disbelief, earning a half-hearted nod in reply from Alex. 'Well, are you going to?'
That seemingly caught the other's attention, and Alex stopped twirling the thread as he looked at John as though the boy was crazy. 'Are you being serious?'
'Yeah,' John shrugged.
'John, Jack's an asshole, okay? I don't want anything to do with him,' Alex answered honestly.
'Oh, thank God,' John exclaimed, dramatically letting out a sigh and sending his hand flying to his chest for effect. 'I thought you were gonna abandon us there.'
Smiling at the other boy, Alex let out a happy chuckle as he shook his head. 'Nah, never.'
- - - - - - -
'Hey Mum!' Alex smiled when he got home, wrapping an arm around the woman's shoulder and giving her a peck on the cheek.
'Hi, honey,' Isobel beamed, gently grabbing her son's wrist to pull him in for a proper hug, which he happily accepted. 'How was school?'
'It was okay,' Alex shrugged, grabbing a can of coke from the fridge. 'Where's Dad?'
'Just held up in traffic. He'll be back soon,' Isobel replied, Alex nodding at her words. 'I'm making spaghetti for dinner. That okay?'
'Yeah. Smells amazing, by the way,' Alex commented, before turning and making his way to his room.
'Aw thank you, sweetheart!' Isobel called after her son, who just grinned as he entered his room, collapsing onto his bed and putting Dookie on, figuring that Green Day would be a good change from the Blink album that had been in his stereo for the past week.
'I declare, I don't care no more! I'm burning up and out and growing bored,' Alex sang loudly, grabbing his textbook from his bedside cabinet and looking over it. John was the one who studied at the library. Alex much preferred to do so either at school or at home.
'In my smoked out boring room, my hair is shagging in my eyes,' he belted out, reading curiously over a section about the rate of chemical reactions.
'Sit around and watch the tube, but nothing's on,' he managed to get out, before he heard his Mum call him down for dinner. Walking into the kitchen with a smile, he saw his Dad sat at the table, waiting patiently for his dinner.
'Hey Dad,' Alex smiled, sitting across from him.
'Alex! How was school?' Peter asked, smiling back at his son.
'It was okay,' Alex answered again as his dinner was set down in front of him, thanking his Mum. 'How was work?'
'It was alright. That bloody Robert can never get the numbers right, though,' Peter sighed, picking up his fork and taking his first bite of spaghetti.
'So Alex, why have you been so late back these past few days?' Isobel asked curiously as she twirled a few pieces of spaghetti around her fork.
'Library. John studies there,' Alex muttered.
'Oh. Tell him he's more than welcome to study here with you if he'd prefer to. I've no problem with you going to the library, you just might be more comfortable here.'
'I'll mention it to him,' Alex nodded.
The family sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, the only sound being forks clattering off of plates, until Peter spoke up.
'I heard you singing Green Day earlier, Alexander,' he began, his words causing his son's cheeks to redden slightly as his wife smiled. 'I don't know why you don't try and make something of it.'
'You have a gorgeous voice,' Isobel agreed.
'Woulda thought you'd want me to take up something a bit more academic,' Alex admitted, and his parents just looked at each other.
'We just want you to be happy,' Isobel said softly. 'Your brother never took his guitar with him. You could use that.'
Alex winced slightly at the mention of his brother. It had been 4 years since he had moved, and Alex still missed him like crazy. They hadn't heard from him since.
'I guess I could give it a shot,' Alex mumbled, and his parents beamed at him.