Big Brother Barakat (Jalex)

Last Flight Home (Alex's POV)

Two weeks. Those two words rang over and over in my head on a daily basis. It had only been a few days since I had finally opened up to Jack, and we had seen each other every day since. I even agreed to take the phone back he had given me. I wasn't used to trusting someone, and though Jack understood, I still felt remorse for not sharing all aspects of my life with him. After all, he was here to help me, and so far, I hadn't taken advantage of that. I only had two weeks left to let Jack see the real me, and the mere thought of this teenager leaving that I had grown to rely on scared me. 

In the few days that had passed since I told Jack I trusted him, the people around me had seen a drastic change in the way I acted, the way I looked, and simply the way I carried myself about the day. I, overall, felt happier. I felt wanted and needed for the first time in my life, and I wasn't about to let that go to waste. Jack was making an impact on my life; he fulfilled the one thing he came on this trip to do in the first place.

Jack was unlike anyone I had met before. He was willing to put in the effort to help me, to make sure I was alright throughout the day. He cared for me, and though I wasn't used to that, I wasn't about to push the feeling away. As odd as it felt to be someone's main priority, it made me feel like I was worth something for the first time in years. 

I felt like a human for once.

-

One week. Just like the previous week, those two words played over and over in my head. Things had changed between Jack and I, and though I still trusted him and enjoyed talking to him, I couldn't help but feel resentment again towards him. In just seven days, Jack would cease to exist in my life, and I wasn't too sure I was prepared for that. The first person I had trusted would soon be out of my every day life, he would leave the country I called home, and he wouldn't be here to talk to me, to tell me everything would turn out okay.

Jack Barakat was someone I called a friend, someone I called a best friend. There was no way I was willing to let him leave the country and go back to America. As the days passed, I distanced myself from Jack more and more. I began to distance myself from everyone again. It began to feel like Jack had never even come, judging by my actions. Soon, I spent the days locked in my room, listening to music or just staring out the window. Jack had stopped by each day, but I refused to see him, I refused to talk to him. I had convinced myself that he was just like everyone else, that he would just up and leave and never come back.

Jack became someone I couldn't trust.

-

January 4th. Today was harder than any other day had been. Jack and his churchmates were supposed to leave today, and I hadn't seen him in nearly a week. He had texted me and called me almost every day since I had seemingly fell off the face of the Earth, but I ignored the buzzing from the phone that was always beside me. It was in my hands almost constantly because it was the one thing I still had that was connected to Jack. If I didn't want to see Jack, I would still have the phone.

Jack's plane was due to take off in the evening; they had an overnight flight. It was nearing two in the afternoon, and it was taking every muscle in my body to make myself stay in my bedroom and to not go chase after Jack. I wanted so desperately to see him before he left, but I knew I couldn't spare myself the heartache. I couldn't say goodbye to another person in my life and not know when I would see them again. There's no way I could put myself through that for a third time.

As five in the evening rolled around, I had a pounding headache from crying my eyes out for what seemed like hours. The buzzing of the phone in my hands was getting more frequent, considering Jack was due to leave in just one hour. I wanted to see him, I needed to see him, but I was afraid. I was terrified that I would never see him again. I had been trying to convince myself for nearly an hour that this wouldn't be the last time I would see Jack. His words kept repeating in my head, 'I hope you'll trust me enough by the end of this trip to know that this won't be the last time you'll see me.' 

And once I had finally convinced myself, I bolted out of my group home, hailing a cab and praying that I would get the airport in time to see Jack.

-

It was nearing five-thirty in the evening, and I knew planes around here started boarding twenty minutes before takeoff. I only had ten minutes to find Jack in the large, crowded airport. I quickly paid the cab driver, then bolted into the airport, receiving odd looks from passersby. I remembered the gate number Jack had told me and quickly ran down the hallway leading to the gate. 

As I arrived in the large open area, there was a line leading to a door to get on a plane. I recognized some of people and instantly knew it was Jack's church group. I analyzed the line trying to spot Jack's dark, spiked hair. My heart began to sink as I reached the end of the line. I fell to my knees, eventually leaning against a row of chairs behind me. For the first time, I had cried in front of people I didn't even know, complete strangers. 

-

"Alex?" I heard a familiar voice.

My head snapped up, and my eyes met the tall, lanky boy I had come to rely on. I scrambled to my feet and wrapped my arms around the tall boy's small figure. I began sobbing into his sweatshirt, and he stood there, comforting me in the middle of the airport lobby. I kept repeating the words, 'I'm sorry. I trust you. Please, don't leave me. I love you.'

'I love you too,' he kept telling me, and I knew he meant it. He refused to let go of me, and we stood there until the last possible second before he had to board. We let go of one another, and I walked Jack to his gate with tears in my eyes. We reluctantly let go of each other's hands, and I began to break down once more as I watched the only person I've ever trusted walk down the hall to his plane.

Jack Barakat had left me, just like everybody else.