Therapy (Jalex)

Session 20

Patient: Alexander William Gaskarth

Notes: becoming more in-touch with the world, but becoming a reckless teenager

-Dr. Bassam Barakat

-

"Joe!" A broad, redheaded guy came rushing out of the house. "You made it!"

"Yeah, man, and this is my little brother Jack and his friend Alex," Joe said. The guy nodded at us before directing his attention back to Joe.

"Katie and her friends came, too," he said in a hushed voice. Joe snickered, and the two rushed inside the house. Jack and I stood on the lawn, gazing at the house. All the lights were on, and the bass of the music could be felt from the outside. I glanced at Jack, and he glanced at me.

"Leggo!" He bounded, or at least as close as he could get with a boot on, into the house, and I trailed after him. Inside, people were drinking and chattering above the music, and some couples were going upstairs.

Girls were scantily clad in shimmery tops that showed more to their midriffs than I wanted to see, half their asses hanging out from shorts, their hair plastered to their faces with sweat, mascara perfect and eyeshadow vibrant. Guys were chugging and hooting like fucking Neanderthals and some were grinding on the girls. A lot weren't wearing shirts, and some were brawling in the living room.

"Um..." I started to become anxious. We didn't fit in at all. As far as I could tell, we were the only sophomores at the party. The youngest I could see was a senior from Towson High School, infamous for her nudes that were leaked in junior year, when I was a freshman. She was on the lap of some incredibly tanned, well-muscled guy, and her tongue was down his throat. Most people were college aged, and I clamped onto Jack's hand.

"Hey, kids." A lone sober-looking guy approached us, smiling. "Want to have a good time?"

"Wh-What?" I stuttered. I didn't get out a lot. I had no idea what he meant, but he explained it with his actions. He pulled out a little bag with green capsules, shaking them in front of our faces. They rattled in the bag, but I couldn't hear it due to the music. But I imagined them rattling.

"It's pretty new on the market," he said, almost shouting. He didn't seem to care if people saw, probably cause a lot of them were already on it or too drunk to notice. "It makes you feel floaty and happy."

Happy?

"How much?" I blurted out, suddenly unaware of Jack's presence. I couldn't feel the warmth of his hand anymore, and I could only stare at the bright green pills in the bag. They mesmerized me. It felt like I was staring at everything I ever wanted. A permanent solution. My mind went reeling and I widened my eyes.

The guy grinned.

"Free for first timers," he said with a Cheshire smile. He tossed me the small baggie. "Find me if you want more."

"Wait, what is this?" I asked, my eyes glued to the lime pills.

"Vertigo." The guy turned away and disappeared in the crowd, leaving me stunned and paralyzed, clutching the plastic bag in my palm.

"... Alex...?" I remembered that Jack was still here. His doe eyes were wide and kept switching from my face and the bag. A foreign expression was on his dainty face.

"Oh, Jack," I said, unsure of what to say. "I just... I don't know."

"They're drugs, Alex," Jack deadpanned, his eyes becoming fixed on those little green pills. I pulled them back and shoved them into my pocket, becoming a little protective of my new item and also becoming aware that I was in the middle of a crowded house party, where someone sober could catch me or someone intoxicated could snatch them.

"He... He said that they'd make you feel happy," I said, dragging Jack into the bathroom, which was a little more quiet. "I need this."

"And I don't make you happy?" Jack asked, his eyes growing wider by the second. I shook my head violently and clasped his hands in mine.

"I love you, you know that," I started out, trying not to stammer. "But... But when you're not with me, I feel so... empty. I need this."

Jack shook his head. "Alex... I..."

"Just let me try it once," I said, trying to meld some innocence into my voice. My tone became like a half-melted m&m; sickly sweet and incredibly mushy. I knew Jack couldn't possibly resist this voice.

"Well..." he said, faltering. "Just don't do it in front of me. I don't want to see you force that pill down your throat."

I nodded and pecked him on the lips gleefully. My hand reached into the plastic bag and picked a pill. The emerald capsule rested in my fingers, cool to the touch, and I gave Jack a short smile before turning around so he wouldn't see. My cupped hand threw the pill into my mouth, and with great difficulty, I swallowed it. I winced as it travelled my esophagus. Next time, I was using water to wash it down.

"Is it done?" Jack peeped. I turned around to face him and saw that he was covering his face with his hands. He spread his fingers to check and straightened up.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"A little woozy, but I'm pretty sure it'll take a few for it to actually kick in," I replied. As I stared at him, I saw the colors of the wall shifting and blending. I could already feel my morals slipping away. "Orrrrrr maybe it works immediately."

"C'mon, let's leave the bathroom," he said as he opened the door. "I expect an 800 word essay about your adventures as you're high on whatever that is."

"Vertigo." The word rolled off my tongue so pleasantly, and I started to feel as if I was floating. I felt so tingly and dizzy, like how I would get if someone told me "don't look down." Vertigo. Vertigo meant a dizzy feeling and a lack of balance. That was probably going to do that to me.

"Jack," I whispered, clinging to his arm. "I love you."

"What?" Jack shouted. Some drunks had gotten ahold of the stereo and were now blasting trap at full volume. It hurt my head.

I grabbed Jack by the collar and kissed him roughly, pinning him against the wall. My hands travelled down his body, and eventually came to his waist. I pulled his torso closer and grinded myself against him as we kissed. Jack made a sort of strangled noise. I eyed him mischievously.

"Upstairs?" I asked, grinning.

"What?" Jack yelled. I shook my head and took his hand, dragging him upstairs. I stumbled quite a bit on the way, but we eventually got upstairs and secured a room for ourselves.

"I looooooove you," I cooed, tangling myself in his arms. My body weight caused him to fall back, and he fell onto the bed into a sitting position. I started to kiss his jawline and journeyed down, leaving a trail of wet kisses to his collarbone. I picked a spot right above his collarbone and started to suck gently. Under me, I felt the fifth of Jack's members start to rise, and I smirked cheekily at him.

"Oh God, Alex," he managed to choke out. "I... I..."

"Don't worry, Alex will take care of you," I giggled. I untangled myself from him and got down on my knees with some difficulty, swaying back and forth and trying to keep from falling. I placed myself between Jack's knees and looked up at him for approval. Jack turned completely red and nodded quickly.

"Ye-Yeah," he murmured, twiddling his fingers. I smirked again and my hands greedily went for his pants zipper.