FROM NOW UNTIL ETERNITY
Chapter Eight

Two weeks had passed since the night at the Quarry. Since then, Rose and Jack had been inseparable. Rose barely talked to Leanne, even though she had apologized for her behavior. Rose had no need for fair weather friends, and that was what Leanne was.

Jack and Rose were now in a movie theater in line to see Star Wars, Episode 2. They had bought tickets the week before and now felt the tingling excitement that the others felt at the moment.

"Can you believe it’s finally here?" Rose was full of anticipation. She wasn’t actually a Star Wars fanatic, but she had loved the trilogy since she was a kid and had read everything having to do with the prequels.

Jack laughed at her excitement. Of course, he liked Star Wars, but he was not ready to assume that Episode 2 would be better than Episode 1. He was holding his judgment for later.

"Calm down, Rose." He squeezed her hand. "We haven’t even seen the movie yet."

"But we all know it’s going to be good. It’s Star Wars." A man in front of them snorted.

Both Jack and Rose held back laughter. Jack’s smile faded as he glanced further down the line. Rose followed his gaze and noticed a blonde girl with a guy in jeans and a leather jacket laughing.

"Jack?" Rose asked. "What’s wrong?"

He tore his attention away from the couple and back to Rose. Guilt appeared in his eyes. "I thought I saw someone I knew. I guess I was wrong."

Rose just shrugged and followed the line into the theater, her mind on what was bothering Jack. But as they sat down and watched the movie, any worries she had vanished. She was taken into a much more exciting world for the next two hours.

*****

After the movie ended, Jack and Rose were heading for a pizza parlor not too far away when they bumped into the couple from the line.

"Oh, we’re…Jackie?" The blonde girl’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Chloe?" Jack stared at the girl in disbelief of his own. He knew it was she, just by the way she moved her head.

"Jackie!" The girl wrapped her arms around Jack tightly. "Oh, Jackie, I can’t believe it’s you!"

Rose frowned, wondering who the obviously older woman was to Jack. They seemed to know each other quite well. It was the girl’s date that asked the question.

"Hey, Chloe, who’s the kid?" the man gruffly asked.

"Oh, Kegg, this is my little brother, Jack. I haven’t seen him in like, eight years. Jack, this is Kegg, Carter’s best friend. We’re up here in Chicago on business. What are you doing here? Are Mom and Dad around?"

The smile on Jack’s face faded as he took Rose’s hand. "You’ve been gone for a long time, Chloe. You don’t even know that we have a little brother and sister, do you?"

"What? When?" Chloe looked at her brother in disbelief.

"A couple of years after you left. We were all hoping you’d come back to meet them, but you never did. And then a couple of years later…you know…what do you care?" Jack sighed, beginning to walk away. "You left and didn’t care enough to let any of us know you were all right."

"Jack, wait!" Chloe called.

"I have to get Rose home!" Jack waved as he led Rose to his car.

"Jack! How can I get in touch with you?" Chloe called, but it was too late. Jack was gone.

*****

Jack and Rose stopped at a restaurant not far from Rose’s apartment, since Rose wasn’t due back for another hour.

"So…I didn’t know you had another sister," Rose carefully said, knowing that it was a sensitive subject.

"Yeah. Chloe’s twenty-three. She ran away with this guy named Carter when she was fifteen. As you may have guessed, she never returned. Not when Lily was born, and not when our parents died."

"Oh, Jack…"

"I’m so angry at her…it was best that I walked away."

Rose took his hand over the table. "It seemed like she wanted to talk."

Jack shrugged. "Grandma’s number is in the phonebook. If she really wants to talk, she can look me up."

"Jack…give her a chance to explain. I mean…Lily and Paul deserve to meet their big sister. No matter how mad you may be."

Jack sighed, staring at the table. "You’re right. They do. It’s just that…I don’t want them to love her and then have Chloe desert them like she deserted me."

"Oh, Jack," Rose got up and hugged him tightly as she saw the hurt in his eyes. "With you there, I believe Lily will be fine."

"I hope you’re right, Rose. I hope you’re right."

Chapter Nine
Stories