the other side

Lost

I looked around the hotel room I'm staying in for a couple of nights. It wasnt much. Cream walls. Huge windows, a queen sized bed and a cabinet with an ensuite bathroom. I place my suit case at the foot of the bed and my backpack. I looked around once more before sitting down on the bed, looking out of the window without seeing anything.
I need to start looking for him, I don't know where to start. Maybe i should talk to Blake his best friend first he might know something, I'm gonna have to call the school to see if he came after he's been kicked out.  He might have his phone, I could call him. I patted myself down checking which pocket I put my phone in. My right front pocket. I took it out and looked for his phone number.
I called him. The phone rang and rang. No one answered. Im getting so worried.
Did he change his number. But a machine would've said it was disconnected. Maybe he threw away. Maybe someone trough out of a driving car. I called it again. My leg going up and down. At the third ring someone answered.
'Hello?' I jumped, relieved.
'Hey, hey Jayden? Is that you?' I heard a Shuffler's in the background.
'Alex?' I cried.
'Oh my God! Jayden, oh my God. Are you alright? Where are you? Please say your okay?'
'Alex, hey I'm okay. Seriously. Calm down, I'm alright.' Thank God, I don't know what I would be done if he wasn't.
'Where are you?'
'I'm... You know, sleeping over at a friends, yeah' he sounded hesitant.
'Look, Jay, I know what mum and dad did.' I said
'Wait, how did you-'
'Find out? Well, I come back home. My brother is no where, the 'rents are acting so suspicious its like they never lied in thier entire lives,' I shrugged even though he couldn't see me. ' I forced them to tell me. And now I'm at a hotel.'
'Why?' I raised my brows at that.
"Are you serious?'
'Well yeah, they weren't disappointed in you.' I sat back down, and put my hand on my forhead.
'Look, you're my baby brother. I'm going to protect no matter what. I don't give a damn if you're gay. You're still the little kid who'll wake me up at two in the morning so we could have a midnight hot chocolate with marshmallows and spongebob marathon.' He laughed at that softly.
'I miss you, Alex.' He said, a sob catching his throat.
'I missed you too sweetie. Next time call me, OK? I don't want to worry about you helpless in an alley somewhere.'
'You're so weird' I could hear a smile in that.
'I know. But people still love me because of it.' I smirked. We went quiet for a few minutes.
'Hey, do you want to meet up tomorrow?'
'Yeah of course. Starbucks?'
'Uh, you read my mind sweetie.' We said our goodbyes and hung up.
I sighed. I think, I might be wrong and maybe completely delusional but I think this just might the best thing ever.
I shook my head, got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed tomorrow is no doubt gonna be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That damn phone I swear its the bane of my existence. The phone and Jay.
Hold on I forgot something, I slowly open my eyes and waited it to adjust. After a few seconds of looking around it clicked. I sprung up, ran to the suitcase grabbed the first thing I saw, a pair of dark jeans and a Taylor Swift T-shirt. I threw on the bed than ran to the bathroom but came right back and grabbed my toiletries.
After bathing and putting on my clothes I   grabbed my purse and my phone then ran out of the door.
I'm so late, I'm so so so late, Jay would so kill me I would kill me if I made myself wait for that I mean I'm killing myself now for making no sense whatsoever, I'm supposed to be smarter than a lot of people but I always surprise myself, like right now I'm walking very slowly to Starbucks even though I'm late all because I'm having a very important discussion in my head
I need help
I stop to shake my head and check the time I'm twenty minutes late so I take off running to Starbuck leaving behind a trail of fairy dust... Just kidding just a few angry pedestrians
I got there in three minutes, coming to a unsteady stop I open the door take two steps and was knocked off my feet by someone who was strangling
Ok maybe not strangling but I couldn't breathe
Get off of me, Jay' I yelled, I tried to shove him off but that proved to be  hopeless, my arms were pinned by him
'You're here, oh my God I can't believe it, you're actually here' he yelled back, squeezing me tighter
'If you squeeze me any tighter..uhh ii aaam gooona diiiie you idiooot' I wheezed out shaking my body to get him to let go,
He quickly let go and smiled at me sheepishly, his hand scratching the back of his neck
I just rolled my eyes at him, and looked around almost everyone was giving side glances.
I looked back at him and smiled
'I missed you too baby brother, I would hug you but I'm a bit scared of your hugaphobia' I sad with my serious face
It was his turn to roll his eyes at me
'Are you gonna get something or what?' He said pretending to be annoyed 'wait that a stupid question' I nodded completely serious
I got a twenty out of my purse gave it to him 'Hazelnut mocha latte and whatever you want, I'm gonna find us a seat' I said I smiled up at him and went to sit at one of the tables in the back, I got my phone out and turned it back on, I turned it off when I realised my parents were calling me none stop. The screen lit up I waited for the notifications to appear, mum called about forty times while dad called sixteen times, I have to phone calls from work and a few calls from Jay.
I also had a few messages from friends, a bunch of emails that need to be done and even more app messages
I looked at all of it then turned the screen off, and placed it on the table face down,I really don't know what's gonna happen now, should I move here? Or take Jay with me to New York? Does he want to even go with me there? How about school? Should I take the guardianship from my parents? But why even bother, he's 17 now so he'll turn 18 next year in April. But how about sch-
'So who won this round, you or your subconscious?' Jay said with a smirk, he was standing in front of me with our coffees which he placed at the table before sitting down.
'The damn voice won't even let me put a word in, every time I try, it already knows so it'll just reply with so much sarcasm that I'm scared for my life' I say with a small frown
Jay nods seriously 'I completely understand, what you're going through..' He pauses for a dramatic effect, leaning slightly forward ' it's called mental illness, and frankly I don't feel comfortable trusting you with my well being' he says sadly, his eyes looking at the table,
I raise my eyebrows 'I understand' I wipe fake tears 'I was hoping you would come with me to LA, for my business trip, I'm gonna be staying there for about a week and then going back to New York, I already bought your tickets but now that you were honest with me I think I'll just-'
'Wait, we're going to LA? Are you serious?' He said grabbing my arms, his eyes wide.
I laughed 'I have a couple of business meetings and a dinner which by the way youre attending with me as well'
'Oh my God, we are going to LA and New York, this must be a dream, but my clothes?' A look of fear in his eyes.
I frowned at that, 'I grabbed a few of your clothes,  we could go shopping for the rest later' he visibly relaxed.
I grabbed his hand with both mine, 'Sweetie we don't have to ever go back,' I tell him softly, Jay sighs
'I know its just..' His voice trails off.
'I know sweetie, I know' I squeeze his hand, he squeezed back then let go to take a sip from his cup, we went quiet for a bit. We looked around the busy cafe both of us in our own world.
Jayden broke the silence 'How about your car?' I looked at him then I remembered, I mentally slapped my forehead.
'This is when you know you're off your meds, when you have a car and its right in front of you but you totally forget about it' I said to him with a small smile
He looked at me confused 'You ran here didn't you?'
I shrugged sheepishly. He laughed softly.
'When are we leaving for LA?'
'Tonight actually, at twelve'
'That doesn't leave me much time to say goodbye to everyone I know' he frowned at me.
I shrug again 'just throw a party' he nods. Jay pulls out his phone and starts texting.
'Are you gonna be there?' He asks not looking up.
'What do you think?' I take a sip of the now cold latte
'Alex, don't you want to see everyone again?' He looks up at me, serious
'No not really' I smile 'Anyways I have to get ready for those meetings. '
'Fine, but if anyone asks I'm gonna tell them you think your too good for them'
He smirks, thinking I'm still that goody two shoes who has to make everyone happy, to survive in a city like New York you need to be tough so that little girl who every authority figure adore, but all of her peers hate is long gone. And to be honest I'm so much more happy.
'Ok, because that is the truth' I smirk back.