Work Text:
"I heard that you've been
Self-medicating in the quiet of your room,
Your sweet, suburban tomb."
Jack stared at the stage. Alexander William Gaskarth, his former best friend, was up there, singing their song in front of about a hundred people. Jack couldn't help feeling betrayed.
"And if you need a friend,
I'll help you stitch up your wounds."
Those lyrics brought back so many memories. Jack felt tears build up in his eyes and blinked them away.
"I heard that you've been
Having some trouble finding your place in the world.
I know how much that hurts,
But if you need a friend
Then please just say the word"
But Jack's tears wouldn't go away.
"You've come this far,
You're all cleaned up,
You've made a mess again,
There's no more trying,
Time to sort yourself out"
He remembered why he and Alex weren't friends anymore. It was a stupid reason, because Jack was stupid and selfish.
"Hold on tight,
This ride is a wild one,
Make no mistake,
The day will come when you can't cover up what you've done,"
He remembered all the times Alex sang this song to him. When he was feeling down; when he felt like hurting himself. Sometimes, though, Alex had sung it just because Jack asked him to.
"Now don't lose your fight, kid,
It only takes a little push to pull on through,
With so much left to do,
You'll be missing out, and we'll be missing you."
Jack thought about how much of an idiot he was. He stopped hanging out with Alex halfway through junior year. He was blinded by the possibility of being popular. He was a hopeless idiot.
Jack stood and listened to Alex sing, regretting and reminiscing his last year and a half of high school. He'd graduated another year and a half ago.
Jack hadn't talked to Alex in three years.
The realization slammed into him like a truck. He couldn't stop the tears, and frankly, he didn't want to.
"Grit your teeth, pull your hair,
Paint the walls black and scream, "Fuck the world
'Cause it's my life, I'm gonna take it back, "
And never for a second blame yourself."
That was new. Alex must've added those lines after Jack left him. The thought almost made Jack laugh. He was drowning in misery and self-pity, but what else could he do? It wasn't like he could just go and talk to Alex— oh wait, he could.
Jack followed Alex with his eyes when he got off the stage. Should he go after him..?
"Fuck it," Jack said to himself. He ran after Alex.
"Hey," Jack called out. "Hey, Alex!"
Alex turned, a look of confusion and slight fear painted on his face before recognition took over.
"Jack?" His disbelief was obvious in his voice.
"Yeah."
"I- I thought you hated me." Alex's voice was small.
"No, no way!" Jack shook his head. "I never hated you. I just... I got the chance to be popular, and I was stupid enough to take it and leave you behind. I- I'm sorry, Alex."
Alex stared at Jack, dumbfounded.
"I- I thought it might be nice to... start talking again?" Jack was stumbling over his words now, warmth crawling into his face. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. "We could catch up over, like, coffee, or something."
Alex grinned. "It's a date."