It's All In Your Head (Jalex)

2- We're Friends, Okay?

Jack and I ended up walking back from school together. "So what's your favorite band? " Jack asked. 

"Uh-Blink? " I offered. Hopefully he knew who they were. 

"Awesome! I love them. " 

"Really? " I tried to hide my surprise. Having someone who actually liked the same music as me was too good to be true. 

"Of course, it's hard not to. " 

"You're one of the only other fans in town. Everyone else stopped liking them because I gave them a 'bad rap. '" I looked at my shoes. I still remember that day, they nearly tore off my shirt. 

"How? " 

"I wore a shirt to school once. " 

"You wore a Blink shirt and then suddenly everyone hated them because you liked them? " Jack shook his head. "You've had it rough kid. I'm sorry that they're like that. You really do need a friend in life. " 

My head shot up. "But I thought-" 

"Oh! Oh, we're friends of course. Well, now. I meant that you needed a friend then. When they were treating you like that. " 

I nodded, trying to calm my panic. No one likes you. He just pities you. He's too good for you. 

"Anyway, can I have your number or something? " Jack asked. 

I nodded, feeling around in my pockets for a pen. I found one and wrote it on his arm with a shaky hand. It was happening again, that thing that always happens whenever I think too much. 

"Thanks, I'll call you tonight. Or see you tomorrow, whichever happens first. But anyway, bye Alex! " He called, turning the street were we'd run into each other this morning. 

By the time that I arrived at home, I'd steadied my breathing and quieted my mind. I didn't have a full-time panic attack, but it was still enough. "Hi, mum! " I called. 

"How was your day at school?" She asked. You'd think by now she'd figure out that I'm lying every time I said good or fine, but she still asked. 

"I made a friend, " I said. 

"Really? It's been so long since you've talked about friends. " 

"Yeah, well this guy is the greatest friend ever. But he probably doesn't even really like me. I'll bet he's just faking the entire thing. " The panic that had left me before was setting back in. "And Mum! I wanna go home! " I screamed. 

"Alex-" 

"I miss my friends! I miss no nightmares! I miss people actually talking to me! I miss not being avoided by the whole school! " Shit, she didn't know that. 

"Alex? You've been avoided by the whole  school? Why? " She asked. Goddamnit she was being too gentle. Be angry with me! 

"Because they think I'm a devil-worshiper! " 

"Why? " Then her face filled with realization. "You told them about your nightmares? " 

"I told three people! And then they spread the word! Now no one likes me and-" But I couldn't be angry anymore, because my face was soaked with tears, and I couldn't breathe enough to shout. 

She put her hands on my shoulders and told me to breathe. And she must've hugged me for a good ten minutes before I finally could breathe a little bit again. Welcome back to planet Earth. I was very tired, it was finally settling in. The exhaustion from not sleeping for so long. 

I don't know when I passed out on the couch, but it happened. And suddenly the darkness was forming a new fantasy. Another nightmare. 

"Jack? " I called out, panicked. 

He pulled out a knife. "You little fool! I was only getting you to trust me. So I could take my next victim." He started running after me, I ran too. Away from him as fast as I could, until I tripped and he was on top of me, about to stab the knife right through my heart. 

I woke up to the sound of myself screaming. My mum came in, turning on all of the lights. My clothes were sticking to me because they were soaked, and my hair looked like I just jumped into the pool. Every inch of me was drenched in sweat. 

"Alex, " She said softly. I could hear a very unsteady sound, and it was then that I noticed it was my breathing. She looked like she wanted to hug me, but then again didn't want to get herself slick with my sweat either. "It's just a dream, Alex." 

I stood up, heading for the shower. I wasn't falling asleep now, I was wide awake. But everything was scaring me. The lights felt like the final light of heaven, the shower water felt like warm blood, and the metal of the faucet reminded me of a knife. I couldn't stop thinking about that nightmare. 

Even when I got out of the shower and my mum put in a movie at three in the morning to keep me from freaking out, I was still thinking about it. "Someone rang for you, " She said. 

"Who? " I asked. 

"Someone named Jack. " 

Oh no! He was waiting to kill me. My nightmare was real, this wasn't reality. I was still dreaming. Jack isn't even real. I'm dead. I swear I'm dead. 

When I was walking to school, Jack ran into me again. "Hey, Alex! Your mom said that you were asleep at like, seven a night? How early do you wake up?" He was grinning. 

"Stay away! " I shouted. "You're just using me to kill me! " 

Jack's grin disappeared. "Alex, I would never hurt you like that. I promise. You can search me right now, I have no weapons to kill you with. We're friends, okay? I swear that I'll never do something like that to you, ever. " 

I nodded, but I still couldn't shake the nightmare. I knew that Jack was my friend, and I now knew that he really wasn't like the other Jack, but I was still scared of that stupid fantasy.