Behind Closed Doors (Lams)

~24~ Achilles heel.

A/N john andre (derogatory)

TW: Self sabotage, self hatred, blood, fighting, assault, violence, injury detail, self harm mention, suicide mention/morbid joking

Alexander was used to the constant harassment that he would receive from John Andre. Two months into freshman year, he'd pushed Alex so hard in the hallway that he'd dislocated his shoulder, and Alex hadn't given a reaction.

Of course, it hurt, but he wasn't going to let that show on his face.

There were multiple instances of snarky comments or subtle pushes in the hallways, or promises to fight with no true intention of carrying it out, and none of which had ever ended in Alexander showing any form of distress or pain in his presence. Because that would give him what he wanted.

He told himself with absolute authority that he would never allow a person like John Andre to hurt him, or to touch him at all.

Until that day.

"Where's your boyfriend? Did you get bored of him yet?" Andre snickered with venom as he approached Alexander. The boy hardly even looked up from his phone, continuing to scroll mindlessly as he took a sip from his water bottle. His body leaned against the brick wall.

"Why? Do you want me instead?" Alex laughed to himself, still not looking up at him. He rested his chin in his hand and continued on his phone. "Boring! You're ugly."

Andre sort of just blinked at him. Taken aback. The insult was childish, but it still dug at him a little. "At least I'm not..?"

"Not..?"

There was silence for a second.

"At least I'm not a slut."

And Alex glared back, still slightly bored, because Andre knew how much he hated that. He knew that the kind of people that called him a slut were the type to make him cry, but maybe that's just who he was now. All he'd ever been. And Alex had cried enough tears over Andre to fill the Hudson river, anyhow.

"Where's your girlfriend? Did she find out you're cheating on her yet?" He shot back with a smirk on his lips as Andre's jaw dropped. "I know, right? Got eyes everywhere."

"Excuse me?"

"It's a little sad, don't you have anything better to do?" Alex tilted his head back, looking mildly annoyed at best. "You can't call me a slut. Just look at yourself."

"You're not exactly a shining example of chastity."

"But it's funny when I do it, though. You make everything boring."

"You lead people on and then ignore them. That doesn't make you funny."

"Did you even think before you said that?" Alex laughed. He sort of pitied him for being this much of a pushover. Starting a fight over nothing. "Your teeth look like spaced out storage containers. I can't focus on what you're saying. Could you, like, text me this instead?"

"Why are you concerned about my teeth? I'm concerned about your collected suicide attempts."

Alex actually laughed a little. Because that was funny and he could admit it.

Andre wasn't fun. He was cold and calculating and downright nasty. He had no real reason to be as abrasive as he was to the people he actually liked, too. At least Alex's toughness was an entire facade put up against people, but Andre was always like this, there was no redeeming quality.

The two had always been at odds with each other. Neither liked the other, but they recognised a common thread that held them together, and that factor made them hate each other more. Andre saw someone like him who was still able to find friendship with others, and Alex saw the cold, merciless boy he pretended to be.