Terrible Things [Chapter 19]
Title: Terrible Things
Rating: R
Pairing: Alex and Jack
POV: Third, focused on Jack. Sometimes Alex.
Summary: Jack meets Alex after they're thrown together in a dorm at college and is desperate to have the English boy close, but after the first few nights, is it ever that easy?
Disclaimer: Fictional, may contain sexual references, violence, homophobia and a lot of swearing.
Credit: Title to Mayday Parade
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A/N: So I'm very ahead on my chapters at the moment so I might upload another one before I leave for Ireland, but I'm taking my laptop over there anyway so all is good. Apparently it will take me two hours to get through airport security with these Olympics going on, so I hope the laptop makes it.
Chapter 19
“Hey.” Alex frowned. “If you’re doing what I asked then good. Clearly if the building is on fire then you can say something but yea, not a word.”
Jack sat in silence, staring at the English boy. He’d hid himself in the shadows when he came in and it became evident why once he came into the light. Across the left side of his face lay multiple, deep, purple bruises. His right eye was black from where Jack had punched him earlier, but he knew for a fact that he didn’t leave the bruises.
“Not. A. Word.” Alex breathed, collapsing on the couch. “Though, can I use your laptop still it’s kind of important.”
Jack just nodded and went to his bedroom. He still couldn’t comprehend the idea of five whole days. Honestly, he half expected to forgive Alex completely by sundown and everything would have been that one bit better. Carefully, he wrapped himself in the blankets and tried to hum himself to sleep. The bed was cold and slightly lonely without the English boy’s warmth for company; Jack missed it. In the next room, Jack could hear Alex’s slight gasps of pain as he lay down to rest and he couldn’t help feel incredibly guilty and curious for the bruises that decorated the left side of his face. The thoughts invaded his mind for hours on end until he eventually managed to sleep out of pure exhaustion.
The following two days went by without a single word exchanged between the two boys. Occasionally, Jack would look over to catch Alex staring back but both looked away quickly in the hope that the other hadn’t noticed. Sometimes, when Lisa was around, Jack would try and have open conversation with her just to get his own back on Alex for forbidding them to speak for the 5 days. Jack assumed that Lisa knew what was going on; she never once questioned why he and Alex weren’t speaking. Though it did make things awkward, especially when it grew completely silent in their room for hours and nothing could be done to break it.
On the third day, Lisa was around for the entire time. At first everything was just the way it usually was, her and Alex kissing on the couch for a while before they decided they were hungry and tore through the kitchen whilst Jack sat alone on his laptop in the corner.
“How’s the college hunting coming on?” Lisa had asked Alex once they’d made their way back into the front room.
“Difficult, not many are running the same course.” Alex sighed. Jack’s face lit up in horror. Quickly, he found the history tab on his laptop and was met with at least 20 different websites for colleges in England. It was clear that he’d found out; Alex wouldn’t even look him in the eye.
“Not a word, Jack.” He breathed. Angered, Jack shut his laptop and took it with him to his room.
“Lisa, Alex isn’t using this again.” He spat.
“Don’t drag me into the middle of this!” Lisa yelled back. Jack ignored her and opened up his laptop to look at the colleges. Most were situated in the North of England. There were even promises of cheap accommodation provided Alex was willing to room with 5 other people.
There was one that had been visited most frequently; Manchester University. According to its website, it offered every course that students wanted and had accommodation just minutes away from the main building. Alex could even start there despite missing the first year.
“No.” Jack whispered, clearing the history entirely and shoving the laptop under his bed. Just two more days and he’d be able to confront him about this. Just two more and he could stop him. He’d forgive the English boy completely if it stopped him from leaving. But why would he?
What made Alex want to leave America so much?