The Truth Hurts [Open]

[OOC: For me and Destin primarily - but feel free to join later.]

Alex sat at the smallest table by the window. He was eating a large salad in silence. He was thinking about the past week at school. It had been eventful to say the least. After nearly being killed by Jace and taken to Nick's apartment, he wondered where the time had gone. He sighed. He wondered what Destin had been up to, he hadn't seen him since his party and even then Destin seemed distant. He had gone off with Sephy, not that he was jealous. But he missed his best friend. He chewed on the lettuce, bored. Picking the remains of his lunch he stood up and threw the rest in the bin.

Destin was angry. Alex had promised he would try. But he lied. Pushing his way past a group of giggling girls, Destin stepped sternly into the cafeteria. Immediatly he spotted Alex trowing away his un-eaten food. This was it. Pushing pash more students Destin tapped Alex lightly on the shoulder. As he turned Destin threw the hardest punch he could muster at the boy, hitting him square in the jaw. "I can't believe you! You lied to me! How could you? You're supposed to be my friend!" He shouted, he didn't care who heard. He was so upset at Alex, he had trusted him. From the begining, and this was the thanks he got. "You f*cking wh*re!"

Alex winced in pain and held his jaw with his free hand, "What the f*ck? What are you on about?" he asked rubbing his face to try and get the pain to stop. For someone made of rubber the boy didn't half hit hard. His lip was bleeding and it had started to throb. What was wrong with him? Alex looked almost as confused as he felt.

Destin shook his head almost laughing, "You know exactly what i'm on about. Who's Nick? and this Jace person? Hmm? You said you loved me! What the f*ck is wrong with you?" He shouted, getting angrier and angrier. Destin was never angry. But Alex had hurt him and now he didn't care if he hurt Alex back. "You don't care about anyone, even your own mother doesn't love you!"

Alex wiped the blood onto the back of his hand, everyone in the room was silent. "N-nick and Jace are friends...am I not allowed friends Destin? Am I going to be forced to stay with you my entire life?" Alex spat. If this was what Destin wanted then this was what he was going to get. "For f*ck sake!" he ran his bloody hand through his hair. The jibe about his mother his hard. Grabbing Destin by his collar he almost threw him to the floor. "Don't you dare say anything about my mother," he said slowly and quietly shaking his head at the boy on the floor.

Destin kicked Alex hard in the shins and he pulled himself back onto his feet. "Sure, friends who you f*ck every night. Oh, wait sorry, they f*ck you. They use you every night because you're so pathetic and don't notice when people are laughing at you. They hate you Alex. Everyone hates you. But I loved you. After everything. But this has gone too far. Now you're just worthless to everyone. No one will ever love you!" He shouted, instantly regretting it. He shook his head at the boy in front of him. "I-i didn't mean..."

Alex was shocked. No, more than shocked. He looked down, was that really true? No. It wasn't. It couldn't be. "It's fine Destin. Just...just f*ck off. It's quite obvious now that you're jealous. It's okay, I understand. It must be awful to have your best friend have so many admirers and for you to have none. Just think, if it wasn't for me you would still have never had your first kiss. I think you're the pathetic one." he smirked at Destin and stood closer so that only Destin would hear him. "I will never love you."

Destin stepped back and tripped, falling to the floor, "You don't mean that. Alex take it back! Please! Take it back!" he begged quickly standing up again. Destin paused, why was he the one begging? Alex had manipulated him. Frowning he stood directly opposite Alex. "Fine, do what you like. But you know, at least the person I go out with won't just want me for sex. At least someone will love me for who I am, not what I can do with my mouth."

Alex smirked at Destin's uncertainty, "I don't give a f*ck about love. Love is meaningless. It's just a word. I could say I loved you and not feel a thing. Oh, wait. I've been doing that the whole time. Don't get me wrong, I like you. But I don't love you." he shook his head smiling, "Just wait until the person leaves you for me." He said raising an eyebrow. "Then you'll be able to admit, I might not be as clever as you are. But I'm funnier, hotter and a better f*ck than you'll ever be."

Destin had had enough, enough talking. Pushing Alex into the tabe behind him, Destin smirked as he fell to the floor, "No one would leave me for a sl*t like you," he spat, "No one in their right mind anyway. Oh is that how you get people to f*ck you? drug them? That would work, it isn't your charm that pulles them it. That woudl just push them away. You're repulsing!"

Alex pulled Destin down to his level, climbed on top of him and pinned him to the floor. "Shut the f*ck up! You don't know anything!" he shouted more hurt than he had ever felt in his life. "At least I'm not the one chasing after a little girl because I'm not good enough for the hot guy. Isn't that the only reason you're with Sephy? Hmm? You know that when you f*ck her you'll wish she was me." he said, his lips twisting into a smile. Everyone was staring at them, but he didn't care.

Sephy jumped at hearing her own name; she'd blocked out the fight as she ate in the other corner of the cafeteria, not even realising it was Alex and Destin. They both sounded so different when they were shouting. She sat for a moment, processing what Alex had said, trying to find an excuse for it to be forgivable - he's just having a bad day, he's not thinking, he doesn't really mean it - but it all seemed so real that she couldn't quite leave things as they were. It had stung, as if he'd just walked over and slapped her in the face, and she clenched her fists, shaking. There wasn't anything she could do, was there? No. Except...

She leapt to her feet and ran over to them, landing a hard, unexpected slap across Alex's face. "Don't talk about me like that!" she spat, half angry and half horrified that he was able to do this to Destin of all people. Not just his best friend, but the sweetest person she knew. "I might be shy, but I won't be second best!" She felt alive all of a sudden, finally voicing the words flowing through her mind uncontrollably. "You've worked your way to the top, Alex, and it's made you a horrible person! You haven't got much that's good, and what you have got you don't deserve! So...so don't you dare say anything like that about me or about Destin ever again!"

Destin kicked Alex off him puching him in the face. "How dare you say that!" he shouted pulling Alex up by his collar and then throwing him back on the floor. Looking at Alex laying there, blood pouring down his lips and the red mark from where Sephy had slapped him on his cheek, Destin immediatly lost all of his anger. They were supposed to be best friends. What had happened? Destin knew Alex was like that, and he had just accepted it. Kneeling beside Alex, he sighed. "I-I'm so sorry." he said, his eyes welling up, "I don't know what came over me..."

Alex, terrified, didn't move. He ignored the fact he had blood everywhere. Ignored the fact Sephy had just hit him and ignore Destin. What had he become? To deserve this? Suddenly all his feeling came back to him and he was submerged in pain. "Don't come near me," he said - his voice almost a whisper. "Don't even apologise. I get it Destin...I get it. I'm worthless." he said quietly, "No one loves me." Shakily he got to his feet supporting himself on the table. "I'm just a stupid little boy...I get it Destin." He took a deep breath and bit his lip, looking directly at him, "Thanks for that information." He stepped past the other boy and left the cafeteria.

"No, Alex don't leave! Please!" Destin begged, tears falling slowly down his face, "Please! I need you!" He sat back on his knees and sobbed, "Please," he whispered to himself, "Please." What coukld he do now. Alex had walked away from him. Destin covered his eyes with his hands as the bell rang for the end of lunch, "Please come back," he repeated over and over silently to himself. Destin felt awful, Alex hadn't once hit him back. Never once physically hurt him, but Destin had. Destin had hit him, made him bleed, made him cry, made him hurt so much more than he thought possible. "I still love you Alex," he whispered, "I still love you. I always will."

Alex turned the corner and broke down in tears. Who was he kidding? Destin was right. He was nothing to anyone. Even his own mother didn't remember him. Nick and Jace only wanted him for one thing. They didn't like him. Brushing the tears roughly away with his hands he licked the blood from his lips. It tasted disgusting. He heard Destin's last words and cried even more. Gasping for breath he made a choice. He had to leave. Get away from here. Wiping the tears and blood from his face once more. He ran.

Sephy was shaking, almost on the verge of tears herself, even though she had only played a minor part in their fight. She sank to her knees next to Destin, staring at the floor. After some time she plucked up the courage to say tentatively, "I'm...sorry I hit him. It was wrong of me." Everything hurt, and she'd done nothing in the battle. She'd been a bystander - an extra who happened to have a few lines - nothing more. Destin loved Alex in a way that it was impossible to change, no matter how badly Alex treated him or how well she did. She considered briefly putting her arm around him - his weeping was unbearable - but didn't think it was appropriate. Not now.

Jace strolled down the corridor, his head cocked to the side, his eyes slightly glazed over. He was imagining what it would feel like to kill someone in his wolf form - his favourite shape to shift into. And then his thoughts were rudely erupted by a body thumping into him. He stumbled backwards and caught the body with his power before it fell. "Alex?" he questioned, righting him and looking at his bloody, tear-ridden face. "And what's happened to you?" he asked, in a voice which sounded like a mother talking to her naughty son.

Alex, shocked, looked up to see Jace. Immediately he froze in the boy's presence. "N-nothing. I'm fine," he stuttered. Trying to find a way past the boy without any more questions. He need to get away from here. Not to be taken advantage of. Wiping his lip on his bloody sleeve he spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor. Stepping to the right slightly he tried to move around Jace, "Well, if you'll excuse me. I have places to go."

Jace snorted, "Sure, sure. You're fine. Apart from the fact that your face is bleeding and you've obviously been crying." He rolled his eyes and tutted, again like an impatient mother. "Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?" He didn't care about Alex's feelings or what had upset him, but he really did look a mess. And Jace didn't like sleeping with people who looked a mess. He used his powers to drag Alex behind him, not hurting him of course, until they reached the bathroom.

"Leave me alone!" Alex shouted trying to pull away. But it was no use, following Jace like an obedient dog they entered the bathroom together. Finally he was released, slipping down the wall he sat on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest. He'd never felt this bad before. Not once, except when he was told his mother would be spending the rest of her life in hospital.

Jace ignored Alex's protests and began to clean up his wounds. "Move your legs," he said, trying to reach his face. "Oh for goodness sake! I'll move them for you!" he snapped, making Alex's legs stretch out infront of him and his head face him. "Much better," he murmured as he dabbed at Alex's face with a wet cloth, cleaning away the blood, sweat and tears.

[Sorry To Jump In But My Sister Is Being A B*tch And Making Me Leave D:]

"It's okay," Destin whispered to Sephy, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry you had to see that." He leant back on his knees and wiped his face clear. "I just snapped," he said slowly, "And I'm sure he didn't mean what he said." Destin stood up and helped Sephy to her feet as people shuffled out. "I'm good," he said slowly taking a few deep breaths. He wasn't, but he didn;t want to make Sephy feel bad. He really liked her, even if he liked Alex more.

"He did mean it, though," she said suddenly, grabbing his hand. "He was right. No matter what I do, he's always going to be better. That's just how it is. I'm...sorry about everything. I'm sorry to even be here." She glanced down at the floor then back up at Destin, blushing. "I just...I ruin everything. I'm sorry."

Alex didn't move at all as Jace cleaned his face. He was too scared. "Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly as he was forced to turn his face to the left to allow Jace to clean his neck. "What do you want?" He could still feel his lip throbbing and bleeding. But at least he didn't look so bad.