Soft | Lams

Chapitre Trente

Alex was finally feeling better, and John had nothing more than the sniffles. All was good, almost too good to be true. All their friends were supportive, they were in relatively good health, their relationship was going amazingly. It felt as though nothing in the world could stop them from living good lives. Until it did.

There had been rumors going around the school about seniors getting a new social studies teacher. Apparently once he graduated college he traveled to France to "increase his cultural awareness." Him and George had known each other for a while though, and as soon as he announced coming back to America Washington hired him. There had been an empty position for a while, and the seniors Alex and another teacher split to teach would be going to the new guy. The new guy's name was Thomas Jefferson.

When this information was revealed, John stopped showing up.

Alex didn't know why. He wouldn't answer texts or phone calls, even from the school. His door was locked, and he wouldn't answer it when Alex knocked. Alex kept telling the office that he caught what Alex had, but inside he was conflicted and in all honesty scared. He didn't know where John was or why he was gone. He didn't know how to contact him. The person Alex loved most was on a complete hiatus from the world, and Alexander wasn't sure how much longer he could handle it. The longer this went on the more clear it became for Alex.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

John's landlord had a master's key, but only used it in extreme cases. He had a policy about respecting people's privacy.Thankfully, when Alex went up to him one day and explained the situation he was more than happy to help. John was one of the best, most on-the-ball and organized residents in the building, and his landlord genuinely appreciated him. Maybe John was right about it paying off to make your landlord like you.

When he entered the apartment, the first thing that hit Alex was the smell. It wasn't that it smelled bad. It was that it didn't smell like islands and fruit scented air freshener like it normally did. Alex glanced around the living room and kitchen, John nowhere to be found. After a while, Alex came to the conclusion that the last place for him to check was the bedroom. And John was in there, which was good. The state he was in, however, was not.

John was laying there on the bed, and Alex was sure he hadn't moved the entire week. He was in pajamas that had been wrinkled beyond belief, and his curly hair was a horrifically tangled and knotted mess. John turned over to see who on Earth was in his apartment, and that was when Alexander's heart really shattered.

John's eyes were blood shot and watery, and his cheeks had faint stains from tears. The dark circles under his eyes looked so dramatic and vivid that they looked almost drawn on. His lips were chapped and cracked. They looked to be in pain. It looked like he hadn't shaved for weeks, his scruff looking patchy and rough.

John looked at him. "Alex.. I-I can't... it's just.. HE just..." John couldn't figure out how to talk, partially from crying, and partially from not speaking with anyone for nearly a week. Alex tried to comfort John, but John just shook his head.

"No, you don't understand!" John exclaimed, finally figuring out what to say. "Jefferson... Jefferson was one of my college friends..."