just friends ; jalex

12

the question — the big, burning question forever on alex's mind — has been answered. does jack barakat is gay?

record scratch. strike that out, wrong question.

is jack barakat ... not straight?

that's better. 

and the answer — quite possibly to both of those questions — is yes.

i know. keep your squealing to a minimum. i promise alex has out-squealed us both. you should've seen him when he found out... well, technically he found out that night, when jack never answered his question... but it didn't really sink in until the next morning. and you can bet your ass he kicked his feet and squealed like the 12-year-old girl he really is.

and yes, it was as adorable as you can imagine.

this week is ... well, leagues above the previous one. for one, jack is talking to him again.

two, he's... flirting with him.

mind you, lisa's still there. sometimes it happens while she's watching. more often than not, alex will flirt back, and jack will laugh at how oblivious lisa is. because she is— and, well, she's got a good reason to be, cause why would alex flirt with his best friend?— but it's frankly hilarious how much she can miss right under her own annoyingly upturned nose.

that was jack's description of her, by the way. alex is still pretending to be infatuated with her.

well, is he actually pretending? you know, maybe he actually likes her. they are dating, after all, and it's not like he could just dump her and break her heart. and she's ... you know, pretty cute. and funny. and really sweet...

maybe he's not pretending anymore—

and anyway, jack's just flirting as a joke. there's no way he actually likes alex, let alone is willing to flirt with him. especially so suddenly, you know. it's like a switch flipped overnight and suddenly alex is finding double meanings in every look, every smile, every word.

short version: it's driving him insane.

it's not like he can just, you know, come up to jack and go, "hey, are you flirting with me?" unless he's properly armed with a bottle of whiskey. there's a reason they call it liquid courage, okay? alex isn't a 17-year-old alcoholic. he's not that sad.

so he sits there, and tries not to flirt back lest lisa somehow manages to notice. what's more embarrassing than being accused of that?

jack also, by the way, has a bad habit of storming off whenever alex flirts with lisa. it's probably just a coincidence, but when he's not storming off, he gets very quiet and pointedly refuses to meet alex's eyes.

he also never, ever talks to lisa, unless she engages him in conversation first.

but anyway, alex is probably overreacting and reading into things too much.

-

"wanna come over today?" jack asks. 

it's wednesday. a homework-free day, for once. alex is eager to say yes. 

"oh, shit, i can't," he says instead, remembering he has... "lisa and i are going out tonight."

jack rolls his eyes. "you two are practically attached by the hip. it's sickening."

funnily enough, he seems to be dead serious, no joking tone in his voice. alex grins anyway, playing along. "sure is, dude. what can i say? she's hot, yanno. can't help myself." when jack goes to roll his eyes again, alex adds: "you know, if you keep rolling your eyes, they'll get stuck like that."

"oh, right. thanks, mom," jack snaps back. alex searches for the friendly, joking twinkle in his eye, and doesn't find it. surely jack isn't actually angry at him? he hasn't done anything wrong...

"sorry," alex responds quietly, examining the ground with his eyes.

jack's shoulders slump. "it's fine. we just, ah, barely hang out anymore."

and it's sort of true. minus fridays, alex's free time has been cut down to barely anything. he's always going on dates, showering lisa with the presents that only a 17-year-old on a fast-food worker's pay could afford. he's pretending that if he keeps giving her things, he won't have to meet her parents. a boy can dream, okay?

"i know," he says to jack. "and i'm sorry. tomorrow, i'm free... i think."

a beat or two passes before jack nods. "alright. hey, a question."

"yeah?" alex is already leaving, heading to his car, but he stops at jack's words. "what is it?"

jack's eyes suddenly drop to the ground. "ah... do you remember last friday?"

chewing the inside of his lip, alex thinks back to that day, trying to remember. "the sleepover? barely, dude, other than you acting weird as shit. i got too drunk by the end of it. why?"

at this, jack seems almost disappointed. "no reason, just wondering. see you tomorrow, i guess."

puzzled, alex nods anyway. "uh, see ya."

speaking of, what did they do last friday? his memories are a blur after the moment he picks up the whiskey bottle. something about... he slept in his boxers, he knows that. jack did too... right? that must've been weird as shit. he can imagine all the "no homo" jokes they exchanged. what else?

anything about lisa? ...maybe, but he can't remember the finer details.

ah, fuck it, he decides, getting into the car. he has a date to get ready for.

-

"alex," says lisa. "i think it's time you met my parents."

alex pretends to be very interested in the cuff of his plaid shirt. "what, tonight? i can't... um, homework."

she sighs. "you've used that excuse already. besides, you've got barely any homework, you told me earlier."

fuck. "listen," he responds almost pleadingly, "believe me when i say i can't..."

"and why not?" lisa has a wonderful habit of letting her voice get shrill when she's pissed or upset. "lex, we've been dating for nearly two months now. they're desperate to know who this mystery boy is. they won't hate you— my parents are very nice people."

i'm sure they are, alex thinks, just like you. "just—" he starts, and sighs. "i don't know. lise, one more week, okay? you know i've got— fucking— anxiety. you know that."

that's not a lie, or anything. he is actually, legitimately, stressing about meeting her parents. just for different reasons than she might think. how can alex live with himself, introducing himself to lisa's parents and dumping her too soon afterwards?

it's one or the other, at this point. meet them, or dump her.

"fine," lisa agrees begrudgingly, and he thanks god he can push that decision off another week.

not that jack will be too happy.