Drink Your Medicine (Jalex)

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Five in the morning. Oh how I loathe this hour. What if I could stay in bed for another whole day? Or would I see Jack again? I just don't know. 

Instead of worrying about it, I got out of bed and forced myself to make it so that I wouldn't be tempted. I drank a spoonful of the medicine and went into the bathroom. "Jack? " I whispered. 

He came forward, looking me over. "You should brush your hair, " He suggested. 

"Whatever. Listen, I need to know why I've never seen you before. "

"I've been hiding. I thought that was obvious. Usually you're gone when you saw me yesterday, so I appeared. "

I nodded along. At this point, anything made sense. There's a dude in my mirror for God's sake. If he said that he was hiding, then goddammit he was hiding. I'll believe anything he says. 

"Have your ever been to middle school? " I asked him, brushing through my hair before I got changed. 

"No. What's it like? " He asked curiously. 

"It's hard. It's difficult to do things without getting made fun of. And nobody likes you. " 

"That sounds awful. Why does your mom make you go? "

He says 'mum' funny. "Because she doesn't know. I won't tell her the truth, or else she'd worry. " 

"Is that why  you don't drink your medicine? " 

I sighed. "That's not why, Jack. " I pulled my shirt over my head. "I don't wanna talk about that. " I shook my head as I took out my toothbrush. "It's complicated." I quickly brushed my teeth. "Bye, Jack. I'll see you later. " 

"Bye, " He said as I left the bathroom. 

I said goodbye to my mother as I walked out the front door. I skipped the bus and began walking. I never take the bus, it's a personal guarantee to get spitballs or bullies.  And I get more than enough of that at school. 

Upon my eventual arrival, I stopped at my locker to grab all of my morning books. I hugged them to my chest as I walked to my homeroom. I took the desk in the back and opened a book. That could conceal me from bullies, and keep the teachers from calling on me. 

Much to my dismay, the teacher walked back and put a pencil in between my book. I looked up at her. "Yes? "

"Just making sure that you're still alive back here," She said enthusiastically. 

"Oh yeah, living the dream, " I said sarcastically. 

"What's the matter? " She asked. 

"I just don't have a really good social experience. " 

"I see. If there's anything I can do-"

"There's not," I cut her off. "I'm okay by myself. " 

She smiled. "Okay then. " She walked away from me. I sighed, both relieved that she was gone and upset at myself for telling her too much. I hid back behind my book as the room began to fill up, and the lecture started to drone on. 

During lunch, I resisted ever urge inside of me to bolt out of here and go home. I sat on the floor near the trash cans, getting milk spilled all over myself and ketchup stains on my shoelaces. Ah, yes. This is the life. I looked around before I took out a spoon and drank a sip of the medicine. I put said spoon and medicine away and felt my arms loosen slightly. 

A medicine designed to calm tension and make you relax. What could possibly be better? Normality, friends, a good health system, who needs that, right? 

I took a single bite out of the apple that I'd brought for lunch before throwing it away and declaring it spoiled. I looked around the cafeteria and played my favorite game. 

"I spy something green, " I prompted myself. I then took out a pen and paper and wrote down everything green that I saw. The defiant highlight in that girl's hair. The shirt on the cafeteria worker. The food stuck in that guy's teeth. The canvas shoes of that person over there. On and on. 

I'm not lonely. I don't think I am. 

As soon as I arrived home, I was hit by the usual question. "How was school?" My mother asked cheerily. 

"It was great. I've got loads of homework to do, so I'll be off." I started for the stairs and went straight to the bathroom as soon as I was up there. "Jack?" I whispered.

"What is it?" He asked, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. 

"My teacher actually tried to talk to me today," I complained.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked, too naïve to understand the true damnation of being spoken to by one's teacher.

"Yes. It's the worst. That means that they're worried about you. You're supposed to stay invisible in middle school unless you run with the big dogs or the smart kids."

"And who do you run with?"

"As of current....the man in my mirror."

Jack smiled. He has a nice smile. "I'm glad that you consider me at all. I think that's really sweet. Why doesn't anyone else see that in you?"

"Because I'm the kid who's high all of the time. The one who freaks out over something as simple as not being able to remember the theme to a morning cartoon. The one who can't go anywhere without a designated and extremely detailed plan first."

"I see. Well if society doesn't accept you, then I will. I promise it."

"You know, for some dude in my mirror that I've just met, you're really nice. I think that you're alright," I said to him, finally feeling the corner of my lip twerk up a little bit. 

"You have the best smile, Alex." Jack said this with such a joyous tone that it made me sad. I can only imagine the hell that he's been through, and I'm complaining about not having a few friends. I should be grateful that I can at least live my life without worries.