JACK AND ROSE: PRESENT TIME
Chapter Sixty-Nine

Author's Note: A special thanks to Anna for helping me with these next few chapters. Thanks for the ideas, girl! You're the best!

"I can't believe we're doing this," Rose said with a smile.

The whole group was going to go camping in some woods right outside Santa Monica. All of them decided that they needed at least one big trip before school started. They were all in Dominique's van ready for another adventure!

Dominique made Rose sit in front with her. Jack and Fabrizio sat in the seats behind them, and Alexia and Tommy shared the very back. Rose knew something was wrong with Alexia and Tommy's relationship. It seemed like forever since she last saw them kiss.

Rose had gotten enough courage to ask Alexia about it the other day. "I dunno," Alexia told her. "Tommy's been acting kind of weird lately. I don't know what's wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if we broke up!"

"Turn it up!" Alexia yelled to Dominique.

"You actually like these guys?" Tommy said. "They couldn't carry a tune if their life depended on it!"

Alexia frowned. "Don't go dissin N'Sync!" Tommy just rolled his eyes.

"Who's your fav?" Rose asked Alexia.

"Lance!" Alexia replied. "He's the hottest."

They always talked about music with each other. The girls could agree on a lot of stuff from pop to country. The boys, on the other hand, didn't like any of the music the girls liked.

Rose shook her head. "No...I think Chris is!"

"What about Joey?" Dominique asked. "He's got the goods!"

"I'm gonna throw up," Tommy said.

"You girls always talk about how hot guys are," Jack said. "We never talk about how hot girls are."

"Like who?" Rose asked as she looked back at her boyfriend. "Who do you guys think are hot?"

"Christina Aguilera," Jack said with a smile.

"I like Alicia Silverstone," Tommy added.

"No," Fabrizio said. "Emma Bunton."

Dominique laughed. "Who's that?"

"Hey!" Rose said. "Isn't she Baby Spice?"

Fabrizio nodded. "Yeah...the cute blonde one."

About an hour later, they finally reached the woods where they were going to go camping. They brought a big tent and everything else that they would need. It was going to be awesome!

"Did you guys know these woods are haunted?" Dominique asked as she reached for her stuff from the back of the van.

Fabrizio swallowed hard. "Really?"

"No," Tommy said. "It's just a myth."

Dominique shrugged. "Ya never know."

After they got the tent set up and all of their stuff settled, they all built a fire. The sun had just begun to set. It was a beautiful evening. After the fire was made, they all sat around the fire and talked.

"So..." Fabrizio said. "What's new in your life, Alex?"

Alexia looked up at him and then at Tommy. "Nothing. Nothing is ever new in my life..."

"That's it!" Dominique said. "Tell us what's going on with you two!"

Tommy and Alexia both made eye contact with each other. "Nothing!" Tommy said. "Alexia is just being a bitch like always."

Alexia looked him in the eyes, again, before running off into the woods. "Tommy!" Rose said. "Look what you did!"

"Come on," Fabrizio said. "Let's go find her."

As Fabrizio, Jack, and Dominique left to go find Alexia, Rose stayed to have a nice chat with her friend Tommy.

"What's wrong with you?" Rose said.

"Nothing," Tommy said with a sigh. "Alexia and I haven't gotten along lately."

Rose took a seat on the broken tree trunk beside Tommy. "Tell me what happened."

"Well," Tommy said. "We just don't agree on anything anymore. Why can't we be like you and Jack? You guys are so much in love..."

Rose smiled. "You and Alexia will work out your problems," she said as she laid her arm around Tommy.

Tommy shook his head. "No...we won't." He looked up into Rose's eyes. Their heads were so close...He was close enough to kiss her. "Why can't I find someone like you?"

Tommy closed the space between them and their lips met. The kiss was short, Rose almost immediately pulled away. "I'm sorry Rose," Tommy said once he realized what he had done. He wasn't even thinking.

Rose was really to shocked to say anything. She didn't need to. They both turned around to see who the footsteps belonged too. Lucky for them...It was Jack.

Jack starred cold into Tommy's eyes. Jack didn't say a word. He just turned right back around to where he had come from.

"Shit..." Tommy said.

Rose got up and ran after him. She found him shortly, leaning against a tree. She approached him quietly. "Jack?"

She must have scared him because he jumped a little and turned around. He starred into her eyes with a blank expression.

"Jack," Rose said. "Say something."

He just kept starring.

"Look," Rose said. "I'm sorry...I didn't want him to."

Jack finally spoke. "I can't believe it..."

Rose came closer to him and took him in her arms. "I feel terrible Jack."

Inside, he knew Rose didn't have anything to do with the kiss. Jack saw the whole thing. Tommy was the one hitting on her, and he was the one that kissed her! How could he do that to him?

"It's not your fault Rose," Jack said. "I saw the whole thing."

"Tommy didn't mean to," Rose said. "It was an accident."

"It was no accident, Rose," Jack replied. "He was hitting on you, and I have the right to be furious at him."

Rose sighed. "I'm sorry Jack," she said as she brought him closer to him. She didn't want to lose him. Especially to something like this. "I love you so much."

"I know," Jack replied. "That's why I'm not mad at you. I love you more than anything, Rosey."

This time, Jack kissed her.

Chapter Seventy
Stories