LOTF: Before and After

Phase 3: Chapter 23

Evan Merridew looked a lot less like Jack and Paige than they did each other. His hair was still arguably blond, but a much darker, dirty blond. His eyes were green, not blue like the kids' eyes. His body was also very different; he was also tall but had a more large and muscular build whereas Jack and Paige were both bone thin and tall. Ralph imagined Evan's large fist hitting Jack's thin-skinned face. Jack wouldn't have stood a chance up against him, not even if Evan Merridew had been half asleep or stumbling around drunk. It was no wonder why he had felt so compelled to hold his position of power on the island; here, he had none at all, not even over his own body.

It wasn't long before Jack and Paige's father had headed upstairs to his bedroom on the second floor. He didn't hug or kiss Paige before he went up, and hardly spent more than a couple minutes with her before he was gone. Ralph was starting to see what Jack meant by it being quiet around here; when there wasn't yelling, of course.

Paige turned off the TV around 2200 hours (or 10:00 PM for those on twelve hour time), and informed Ralph she was heading up to bed.

"You coming up?" she asked as she packed her things into her arms off the kitchen table.

Ralph wasn't exactly sure he was ready to go back into Jack's room but he wasn't about to risk being caught alone if Evan returned downstairs. He nodded to Paige and followed her up both the grand staircase and the second set of stairs.

"Goodnight, see you guys in the morning" Paige whispered as she passed Jack's room and into hers at the end of the hall, closing the door behind her.

Ralph knocked hesitantly on Jack's door before letting himself in.

"Hi" Ralph said simply and quietly as he stood in place in the doorway, their earlier spat making him feel unwelcome in the room.

"Hey" Jack responded with an equal lack of enthusiasm.

"I think I'm gonna sleep in the living room" Ralph declared. "Your dad won't come up here, right?"

"I doubt it" Jack shrugged. "Do what you want."

Ralph stayed still and watched the blond boy change into his pyjamas. He felt his heart start racing at the sight of Jack pulling his t-shirt up over his head. As pissed as he was, he had to resist the urge to walk over to Jack and run his hands up and down the boy's chest. He missed Jack when they fought, even when he was standing right in front of him.

"Okay" Ralph finally agreed as he entered the room to grab his backpack off the floor, throwing it over his shoulder. Jack watched as he headed toward the door and closed it behind him, secretly hoping Ralph wouldn't actually leave. But he did.

Jack laid on his floor, staring up at the empty roof. He thought about Ralph sleeping in the dark living room all alone, and wished he hadn't let his conflict between Ralph and Emma get in the way. He thought about all the glow in the dark stars that were stuck to Ralph's bedroom ceiling in East Point, and hated that Jeffery loved Ralph enough to spend lord knows how long hanging beneath the ceiling sticking what must've been two hundred stars to it. But at the same time, Jack missed those stars and wished he could look up at them now instead of his own, empty roof that right now seemingly resembled his connection to his own father.

"Ralph?"

Ralph sat up abruptly from where he laid on the upstairs living room floor. He couldn't see who the shadow belonged to in the dark. Granted, it could've been either Paige or Jack. It was anyone's guess.

"Paige?" he whispered back.

"No, me" Jack replied, stepping across the carpet and sitting down beside Ralph.