MORE THAN THAT
Chapter Thirteen
After school, Tommy drove them all to
L&B, where they ate pizza. Hannah and Christina got in line to order
themselves another drink. The whole time they were there, Christina and Tommy
were all over each other, blushing and holding each other’s hands. It all got
to Jack, who was heartbroken, seeing them all happy with giggles escaping from
their mouths.
Jack looked at his pizza. He didn't have much
of an appetite. He picked at the cheese. He nibbled on the pizza a few times
and barely drank his soda.
"What's wrong with you, Jack?"
Tommy asked.
"Huh? What?" Jack looked up.
"Your head is hung low! You usually
smile! What's up with you? You've been sulking around since sixth period,"
Fabrizio said.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Jack's voice
was low.
"If you say so! So, what'd you do last
night, Tommy?" Fabrizio asked.
"I hung out with Christina at her house
after we dropped Jack off. Her parents are still in Boston!" Tommy
blushed.
"Yeah, and what'd you do?" Fabrizio
asked.
"Nothing!" Tommy began to blush
even more, and his face was beet red.
"Nothing? Ha! What'd you do?" Jack
teased.
"Fine! It was our first time! Don't tell
anyone! Don't let Chris know I told you!" Tommy said.
"Your first time?" Fabrizio was
confused just as much as Jack was.
"Yeah. Didn't I just say that?"
"How about all those times her parents
went away? You slept with her," Jack pointed out.
"That's all we did! Sleep!" Tommy
said.
"How sweet!" Fabrizio joked. Tommy
grabbed one of his garlic knots and threw it at him.
"Now, hush! The girls are coming back to
the table!" Tommy said. Christina sat next to Tommy, who was now in
between Jack and her. Hannah sat across from them, next to Fabrizio.
"So, what are you boys talking
about?" Christina asked.
"Nothing," Fabrizio said.
"That's what you all say, when we know
you're really talking about porn or something," Hannah said. She took a
sip of her soda and looked at Jack, who was back to the sad face. "What's
wrong, Jack?" she asked.
"Nothing. I'm just thinking," he
answered.
"Bullshit!" Christina yelled out.
"If nothing was wrong, you wouldn't look like you’d just had your heart
broken!" Jack looked down, and Christina realized that she had said
something wrong. "Did you?"
"Fine! You guys wanna know what's wrong?
I tell Rose how I feel and she still wants to be with that asshole! I kissed
her and she still wants to be with the bastard!" Jack snapped. They all
stared at him with a blank look in their eyes.
"You kissed Rose DeWitt-Bukater?"
Fabrizio asked.
"The one with the evil boyfriend?"
Tommy added.
"On the lips?" Christina asked.
"Tongue?" Hannah asked.
"Yes. All of the above!" Jack
yelled.
"Sorry, Jack!" Tommy said, patting
Jack's shoulder. The rest of the time they sat in silence, not quite sure what
to say.
*****
As soon as she got home, Rose ran into her
room. She threw herself on the bed and buried her face in it.
The kiss Jack had given her had been
powerful. It had been one she had never experienced before. There had been
sparks, and she could just feel it. Even after Cal kissed her after school,
Jack's lips still lingered on hers.
The rest of the day, she had noticed Jack's
head hanging low. He hadn't looked up once. Knowing that it was because of her
made her feel bad. However, if she was to stay with Cal, she had no choice then
but to avoid him.
The things Jack had said to her were the most
beautiful words someone had ever said to her. He thought she was amazing. She
had only known him for a month, and barely knew him. There was something about
him that made her feel connected to Jack, something she didn't feel with Cal.
Cal was all she had ever wanted since being a freshman, but there was no
compatibility between the two.
Rose got up from her bed and sat down at the
vanity. The reflection in the mirror wasn't so great. Quite frankly, she didn't
really care. Her usually perfect hair was in a loose ponytail and she had bags
under her eyes from not sleeping well. Everything in her life was supposed to
be perfect.
She had the perfect family, the perfect
house, and the perfect life. On the outside, that was the way it seemed.
Inside, she was dying. Everyone thought Cal was the perfect boyfriend to have.
He was rich and handsome. He gave her everything, but she didn't care for it.
What Rose wanted the most was to be free and live an adventurous life.
If she were to commit suicide, then she would
never have the life she wanted. All she had ever wanted in life was to become
an actress.
When she was a little girl, she and Christina
used to talk about their dreams. Christina had said that she wanted to be a
chef and travel to England, Ireland, and most of all, Spain, whereas Rose
wanted to head out to Hollywood and become a huge actress like Bette Davis, who
was her favorite of all time.
Christina was the only friend she had ever
really had, along with James Calvert. She had traded it all to be with Cal, and
now she wished she hadn't. However, she didn't have the strength to break up
with him, especially since her reputation would be on the line. That was her
decision. To stay away from Jack so her reputation wouldn't get ruined.
*****
Jack pushed his door open. His mother sat in
the living room, reading the mail. He dropped his book bag on the couch and
kissed her on the cheek. Rebecca Dawson looked up and smiled at her son.
"Hey, Jack! How was school today?"
she asked.
"It was all right. Killer history
test."
"I'm sure you did great." She
looked at Jack and noticed that he wasn't smiling as usual. "What's
wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Jack, I'm your mother. You can't hide
how you feel from me. You're not smiling the way you usually do. In fact, I
haven't seen that look on your face since the funeral."
"I'm just having a bad day."
"Really? What happened? Girl
problems?"
"Sort of."
"Well, I'm sure whatever it is, the girl
will come to her senses. I don't know what girl would be crazy enough to not
like you," Rebecca said, with her hands on his cheeks. Jack smiled a bit.
"Thanks, Mom."
"I need to get ready for work. I'll be
working very late tonight. If you want, there’s money in the jar. Order food or
something."
"All right."
"You can even have friends come over.
Christina's a very nice girl and, I should say, beautiful." Jack laughed.
"She is, but taken."
"I know she is dating Tommy. I like
Tommy just as well. You've made very good friends here in New York. To think,
you just made them on your first day of school."
"I still miss my other friends back
home. I spoke to Mike yesterday."
"How's he doing?"
"He's cool. I should have him visit
during Christmas break."
"That'd be nice. Well, I'm gonna go get
ready for work," she said, and went upstairs.
Jack picked up his book bag and ran up to his
room. He quickly changed out of his uniform.
He flipped through his portfolio and sat down
at his desk. Jack was completely devastated that he could barely concentrate on
his work. Why am I even letting this get to me? She has a boyfriend!
Rose was the only one he could think of. He kept on sketching her face and
scribbling it up, throwing it across his room.
I should do my homework! That'll keep me
busy! Jack out his math book and
tried focusing on a problem, which was a problem about a garden of roses. He
closed the book and shoved it away. He chewed the pen cap and rested his head
in his hands. Music will help me take my mind off of her! He turned on
his radio, and he recognized the song by Coldplay.
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter
Now I met you
And honey you should know
That I could never go on without you
Green eyes.
Honey, you are the sea
Upon which I flow
And I came here to talk
I think you should know.
That green eyes
You're the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you
Must be out of their mind.
Jack quickly shut off the radio and threw
himself on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Just what I needed to hear! A
song to remind me of her and her eyes!
Song: Green Eyes
Artist: Coldplay