Alex stood in the doorway, tears streaming down his face once more. He couldn't fucking believe it. It was the fucking kitten. The kitten he had given Jack, sat alone on the front step. A letter laid beside it. Slowly, Alex sat down on the step, and picked up the piece of paper.
Alex,
I think you forgot someone at the hospital. I know we haven't gotten along well at all. And I know I did some pretty terrible things to you. But I want you to know that I loved him too. And while you were in the hospital, I came to visit you. I brought you balloons, and a chocolate bar. I don't think your mom gave them to you. I understand why. But I want you to understand that you're not alone in this. I have some pretty big issues. Substance abuse and my anger definitely top the list. But I'm not a bad person at heart. I feel things to. And I lost someone I cared about very much, just like you did. I doubt we will ever become friends. But that's not why I wrote this. I don't hope to be your friend Alex. I know it won't ever happen. But I needed to do this for Jack. I made a promise to him. A promise you don't know about. And I'm not going to explain what it was, because that was between me and Jack. But I will tell you this: He loved you Alex. And he wouldn't ever want you to feel guilty over what happened. It was bad luck. It wasn't you. You didn't kill him. Now please, take care of his cat. I picked him up from the animal ward at the hospital a few days ago. His name is Jalex. I've already been calling him this for a while now, he knows it's his name, so you can't change it. I thought it was pretty clever to be honest, so I don't know why you'd want to anyway. I thought you would have liked that name. Seems like something you'd come up with. I know nothing will ever replace Jack, but I hope having little Jalex here will help you to remember you need to take care of yourself, because he needs you to be able to take care of him.
I'm sorry for all you've been through. I'm sorry for what I put you through. But I wish you luck.
Kellin
Alex couldn't believe what he had just read. After the last time they had seen each other, Kellin had sworn to god he was going to kill him if it was the last thing he did. But he guessed that was the effect Jack Barakat had on people. He made them forget about themselves and focus on others. Because that's just who Jack was. He was unselfish, and he just loved. Without expecting anything in return. He was love. He was the very definition of the word. And with Jalex in his arms and the letter in his hand, he walked back inside. He sat on Jack's bed and watched as Jalex explored all corners of the room. He watched the innocent little guy pounce, and play, and for the first time in a very long time, Alex caught himself smiling.
