Two's Too Many

1. Nightmares

Alex

"No but seriously I have to go," I say, trying to sit up from the way too comfortable couch.

"No!" Jack shouts wrapping his arms around my waist and dragging me back down into the pillowy space.

"Free me!" I yell dramatically reaching my arms out.

"But I'm cold, you can't leave me I'll freeze," he says, resting his head on my stomach.

"Okay fine, five more minutes and then I really got to go to the store for dinner stuff," I say, earning a nod.

Well it turns out five minutes turned into a half an hour and then a full hour before I finally got up and rolled off the couch.

Jack pouts and looks up at me from his spot on the couch.

"I'll be back in like ten minutes I swear," I say kneeling so i'm sitting in front of him. "Then I'm making spaghetti, okay?"

He sits up and yawns, stretching his arms. "Yeah, okay."

"And you're sure you don't want to come with me?" I ask, putting on my jacket.

"No thanks, it's way too cold out for me," he says, putting his feet on the coffee table and leaning back on the couch.

"Okay, I'll be back," I say grabbing my keys off the key ring and walking out into the bitter winter air.

My breath dances off my lips and into the night air as I walk over the icy concrete out to my car. Damn, I wish I started the car before I came out here because I do not have the patients to wait for it to warm up.

My thumbs tap the steering wheel along to the beat of a song playing on the radio as I drive slowly over the slick roads.

If only everyone else took the time to be so careful.

I make it just about a block away from the store when I notice the car right in front of me slam their brakes causing the red lights to light up my own fate.

A semi slides across the iced roads as the car in front of me slides into it and I hit the brakes myself, just for it to do absolutely fucking nothing.

Everything crashed with a horrible crunching noise as my entire world disappears into the brake lights of another car.

Alexander William Gaskarth was pronounced dead on December 20th at 4:30am despite nearly ten hours of medical attention and four different emergency surgeries.

Jack

I scowl at the dirt as the casket sits on the hinges, being prepared to be lowered into the ground. Here we are at last... I can't believe that the last image ever burned into my head is him sitting in a casket packed full of preservatives with his eyes and mouth sewn shut.

I never ever wanted to see him like that. Why did I have to? What did I do to deserve this? This life?

I go back to staring at the now closed casket that's suspended over the two foot wide and six foot deep hole in the ground.

Oh how I wish I could just shake him awake like I used to when he would have nightmares. Just shake him awake from this nightmare.

A year later

"Hey Jack wanna go for a walk with Rian and I?" Zack asks.

I shake my head and he sighs falling back on the couch next to me.

"Awsten is coming over later want to hang out?" He asks, earning yet another shake of the head.

"Jack you haven't been doing much recently, are you sure you don't want to get out, just for a little bit?"

"No, I'm good, really, just a little tired," I mumble.

"Right, okay, we'll see you later then, okay?"

I nod as he gets up and him and Rian leave, leaving me with just my dog again. Of course they got me a puppy because isnt that just what you get any sad person to make it better?

Speaking of the dog, I probably need to take her outside for a little bit. It'll probably do some good for me too.

"Olive!" I yell, sitting up, immediately hearing her little feet running across the floor.

In a second the little puppy is at my feet and jumping all over me. I smile a little at her and grab her leash off the table.

"C'mon Liv," I sigh leashing the little dog. "Let's get this over with so I can lie back down."