How to Fall in Love in Three Easy Steps

Chapter 16

By Thursday of that same week, Jack was almost up to date with his English work, cramming each night with Alex, trying to grasp each complex concept. It was a constant battle against himself as he fought his procrastination and forced himself to do several worksheets a night, using Alex as a reward. Even though it was helpful to have Alex cheering him on and explaining certain things, it was also a burden, knowing that Alex was resting on Jack's bed, his lips begging to be kissed without saying anything. Jack would be hunched over his work, scribbling down definitions, and then glance over at Alex, only to find him with a smirk on his face, his eyes scanning every inch of Jack.

That day, Jack was leaving physics class, his brain reeling with thoughts of the notes they had taken today, trying to understand what they all meant. He spotted Alex out of the corner of his eye, and almost called out to him, his mouth open, Alex's name on the tip of his tongue. That's when he saw her.

She was drop dead gorgeous with wavy blonde hair, bright green eyes, a huge chest, and long, tan legs. With each glance she threw at Alex, she would toss her hair over her shoulder and put her hand on her hip. Every time she laughed, she would push Alex slightly, basically resting her hand on his chest. This girl wanted Alex, and that made a deep, burning rage emerge from Jack's stomach. Alex was his and no one else's. But then again, who wouldn't go for a girl that flawless? As she turned away, Jack noticed Alex check out her ass, which was, of course, perfect. After that, Jack walked the other way to English.

-

It was brutal in English, while Jack tried to ignore Alex and block him out of his sight. On one hand, he wanted to talk to Alex about this, because deep inside, he knew that Alex wouldn't cheat on him, but on the other hand, he was afraid that Alex would dump him in half a second. He had invested too much time in this silly little crush for it to be washed down the drain like that. Plus, if they were to break up, it was likely that Jack would fall right back into the place he had been before coming to St. Francis Academy. Drugs would be back into his life, even more than before. Sometimes, Jack still wanted to do those drugs, at his weak moments, when he was having trouble with the world. That's where Alex came into play, telling Jack he didn't need that shit. Somewhere deep inside, Jack knew that, but after being addicted for so long, it was hard to quit.

A finger tapped on his shoulder and Jack spun around only to find Alex staring at him with a concerned look. In the background, Mr. Cormac droned on about god knows what. "Are you ok?" he mouthed. Jack felt the words spill out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Who fucking cares anyway? That's right, no one."

He hadn't even thought that phrase over, and it honestly surprised him. The bitterness that resided inside him was trying to escape through snarky comments and menacing glares. Mr. Cormac turned to face Jack and stared at him.

"Jack? Do you have something to say?"
"No," Jack spat.

"Then please, be quiet."

"Yes, sir."

Alex's hand held Jack's shoulder and he whispered in his ear, "Talk to me during lunch, ok? I'll meet you in my dorm."

Something about these words chilled Jack to the bone. Was he done with Jack already? Was this the end? A cold sweat leaked through Jack's antiperspirant.

Class ended, and Jack stormed out of the room, pushing past several aggravated teens.

"Hey, Jack! What's up, fag?" Shaun called from across the hall.

Today was not the day to mess with Jack, and he glared at Shaun and then slowly made his way over towards him. He pointed a finger at Shaun and poked him in the chest.