Angel From My Nightmare (Jalex)

Remember Me

What are you spouse to do when you find out your friend is actually dead? Probably not a question asked by many, for Jack the answer was drink. He doesn’t remember much of the day he found Alex was in fact dead, after getting off the phone with Lisa he’d basically gone straight out to buy some alcohol. Drinking it until he couldn’t stand any longer, he just didn’t want to remember. He didn’t want to remember how fucked up he was, how he was imaging the life of a person he’d never met. How he didn’t have a mum anymore, how his dreams of playing guitar were just that dreams. He worked in a club serving drinks to rich people, he had no one in his live he loved, in fact he’d never said the words to anyone outside his family. The one person he’d felt close to a long time, the one person he’d trusted and they were dead.

A week had past and Jack was just sobering up long enough to get to work on time, Matt somehow talked him into doing part-time for a few weeks. Jack didn’t mind too much, he could still pay the rent. Plus it was a distraction from Alex, it felt like he was being reminded of him everywhere.

“Jack... Jack did you hear me?” Lisa called.

“Huh? Sorry Lis I was... Miles away”

“I was asking if you felt like coming out tonight, see the inside of a different club for a change”

“Yeah why not” he nodded.

“Maybe see if we can hook you up with someone” she nudged his shoulder playfully but he didn’t say anything. For once he had no interest in meaningless sex. He didn’t say anything and neither did Lisa, letting the subject drop between them as they continued work.

At the club that night it was Lisa, the new kid Zack and Jack, all out drinking together in a dimly lit room on the other side of town. Jack wondered why he’d agreed to come, he didn’t want to be there but to be truthful he didn’t know where he’d rather be... Okay that was a bit of lie, he knew where he’d like to be but he couldn’t bring himself to go back.

“What’s up with you tonight? You’re being very quiet” Lisa asked.

“Nothing...” he sighed.

“Jack I’ve known you since we were 14, I know when something’s bothering you, plus you haven’t even looked at a girl all night”

“I’m just not interested tonight” He got up and walked away, with the aim of getting another drink. Standing at the bar he looked over at the notice board, pictures of events been and gone and even a few news clippings. One stood out to Jack, he leant across to get it, he knew the face of the boy staring back at him. Alex Gaskarth, the lights in his eyes and the colour in his cheeks, things Jack had never seen in him before. It was a news story about the band he’d been in. Jack scrunched in up in his hand, why was Alex everywhere he looked?

The letters AWG seemed to be everywhere, even now he could see one on a bottle on the other side of the bar. He kept catching glances in reflections that looked like Alex, even his dreams where haunted by the boy.

“You knew Alex?” a voice from behind him took him by surprise.

“What gave you that idea?” Jack asked, turning to face Zack who was standing behind him.

“The picture” he said, nodding towards the slightly crumbled picture of Alex Jack had in his hand.

“Yeah guess I kinda did, how do... did you know him?”

“We were in the band together” he said, taking the article from Jack and pointing out his name ‘Zack Merrick’ printed in black and white on the aging paper.