𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 | 𝐙𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥/𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲

08. At the party

The three boys had been at the party for a few hours now, the effect of the alcohol setting in. They had danced, they had laughed, and about ten minutes ago Jonah had disappeared upstairs with a girl.

Corbyn walked back to Jack in the crowd of dancing people, holding two cups. He passed Jack his drink, looking around. "Where's Jonah?" He yelled over the music. Jack pulled Corbyn closer to him, unable to hear. "WHERE'S JONAH" Corbyn yelled again in to Jack's ear. "He went upstairs with a girl named Tate" he yelled back. Corbyn's eyes widened with shock, as if the single name Jack had spoken held the weight of history and a past. "Hell no, he's not going down that road again. Go upstairs and get him!" I looked at Corbyn questionably, but followed his orders nonetheless.

Jack stumbled up the stairs, trying to keep his balance. He winced, scrunching his eyes up to try and clear his blurry vision. He carefully opened the first door he saw, looking inside. He was overcome by surprise when instead of Jonah, he saw someone else in the room. It was the mystery boy Jack hadn't been able to stop thinking about. He looked as if he was talking to someone, but no one else was there in the room. "Who are you talking to?"

The boy snapped his head to the door, noticing Jack's presence. He shot up, looking back over to the empty space he'd since been looking at. Sighing defeatedly, he walked over to the door and pushed past Jack. "No one" he mumbled, leaving the room.

Jack watched him leave, running down the stairs. He didn't want to let him get away again. He didn't want him to disappear into another crowd of people. Jack rushed after him, not letting him fade out of his sight. He followed him all the way outside in to the garden but stopped when he saw a group of people approaching. Panicking, he made the rash and foolishly fear-based decision of flinging himself in the bush behind him. He groaned at the impact, silently attempting to recover from the painful fall.

Once his eyes had almost adjusted to the intense darkness of the outside, getting used to the drastic change from the colourful scene of the party, he narrowed his eyesight, trying to make out the faces of people submerged in the further darkness. It didn't take long for Jack to recognise the leading shadowy figure. "Mark" Jack scoffed under his breath, squinting his eyes to follow the silhouette through the garden.

"Look who it is, Zach the little gay boy" Mark taunted, his boisterous and overbearing stature slowly approaching Zach's smaller figure.

So Zach was his name... Jack thought to himself.

Zach tried to walk the other way but Mark was quick to forcefully grab his arm, restraining him with his iron grip. "Tut tut tut, not so fast, Zach. What, is your little boyfriend not here to protect you anymore? Where is he, Zach? Oh no, is he dead?" Mark teased, pouting. He let out a sinister laugh, turning behind him to look at his friends, some quietly joining in on the mocking sniggering. Zach defensively turned his head away, refusing to look Mark in the face.

Mark grunted in discontempt. "Look at me you worthless homo."
Zach didn't budge, still refusing. "I SAID LOOK AT ME!" Mark screamed in his ear. Zach quietly whimpered,  tears silently beginning to brim his eyes. "Oh no, is little baby crying? I guess you're screwed now that no one's hear to save you. Where's your new little gay lover boy, huh? Stupid little curly fries won't be coming to the rescue today it seems."
Jack quietly cursed under his breath, realising Mark was talking about him.

Zach finally turned to face Mark, his words finally getting to him. He held his piercing gaze, a ferocious look in his eyes. "Leave Jack out of it." Zach growled, a stern frown upon his face. His weak demeanour shifted to a protective one.

The group began to menacingly laugh once again. "So Jack's his name? Maybe we'll have to teach Jack a lesson." Mark sneakily suggested. Zach huffed, his anger growing. "I said leave him out of it. He has nothing to do with me, he shouldn't have to suffer my punishment!" Zach protested.

"QUIET YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Mark aggressively yelled, shoving Zach against a wall and cornering him. Without thinking, Zach reached out a hand and slapped a hand hard across Mark's face.

Mark paused for a second, slowly turning his head back towards Zach. There was something in his eyes that he had never seen before. Something so purely hateful and vengeful that Zach decided it may be the last thing he ever saw.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO YOU BITCH! YOU'RE GOING TO FUCKING PAY!" Mark screamed violently in Zach's face, seizing his shoulders and slamming him against the wall forcefully. Zach screamed out in pain, his head slamming into the hard stone.

Jack leaped out of his position and bolted over to Mark, yanking him away. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Jack panickedly yelled. He shoved Mark down to the floor. "I said get the fUCK AWAY FROM HIM!" He commanded, intimidatingly standing over him.

Mark fearfully crawled backwards, trying to get away from Jack. He was frightened by the crazy look in Jack's eyes. It was wild, as if he was an animal staring at its prey, ready to tear him open with his teeth.

Mark stumbled up onto his feet, pushing his friends in the opposite direction. "Lets fucking go" he mumbled, jogging away with his group. Jack watched them all leave, vanishing far off into the distance until he turned around and looked at Zach, who was now huddled into the corner on the floor. Jack knelt down onto the grass. Carefully reaching out a hand and placing it on Zach's shoulder.

Zach flinched, looking up at him with fear in his eyes. He slowly relaxed, seeing Jack's concern. "Are you ok?" He softly asked. Zach hurriedly nodded, picking himself up off the floor. Him and Jack stood eye level, but Zach looked away nervously. "So your name's Zach, huh?" Jack joked, trying to lighten the mood. Zach didn't respond, and instead stood silent in front of him.

"Alright, not in the talking mood I see" Jack mumbled, a slight tone of hurt lacing his voice. Zach finally mustered the courage to look him directly in the eye, letting Jack see the apologetic look his gaze held.

"I'm sorry Jack, but this is what I meant. I told you not to come near me, not to associate me... now look at the shit you've got yourself into. It's not even just that. I'm fucked up, Jack. My mind is fucked up. I've been through shit. It was safer for you to stay away, but now it's too late..."

He paused, biting his bottom lip nervously. "You're not safe any more."