MORE THAN THAT
Chapter Thirty
Was she really there? What had
changed her mind? It didn’t really matter when he came to think of it. He was
in pure ecstasy just looking how beautiful she looked tonight in her strapless
white dress, her curls loose with a white rose in her hair.
She smiled at him and headed his
way. Everything at that moment went into slow motion, and soon the only person
he saw in the room was Rose. He took a deep breath and felt as if he was seeing
her for the first time. He actually felt the same way he did when he first laid
his eyes on her.
Rose was a beyond a goddess in
his eyes. She was exactly everything he wanted. She was actually everything he
needed. Even though he was only sixteen, he knew she was the one he always
wanted to be with, because no one else could compare to her.
Before he knew it, she was right
in front of him.
*****
Rose came into the room with
Tommy on her arm. She was thrilled that Tommy had agreed to escort her so she
could surprise Jack. She also knew Tommy would go nuts seeing how beautiful
Christina looked tonight. She figured she might as well help him get his
girlfriend back, because in the end, love truly did conquer all.
As they walked closer to
Christina and Jack, Tommy let go of Rose and pushed her forward. Tommy smiled
and pushed her to go to him. Rose walked at a steady pace in her silver heels
towards him. In a matter of seconds, she was face-to-face with Jack, her first
true and only love.
"Hello, Jack. I changed my
mind," she said, and smiled at him. Jack smiled back and took her hand in
his. Then he leaned forward and gave her the most amazing kiss she had ever
received.
"You are so beautiful,"
Jack told her, and cupped her face with his hands, pressing his forehead
against hers. Right there, Rose knew Jack was the only one for her.
*****
Christina and Tommy kept their
eyes locked on each other. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the girl he hadn’t
stopped loving. She couldn’t help but do the same. Seeing Jack and Rose
together reminded them of what they had. It reminded them of the love they
shared with each other.
They didn’t know what to say to
each other. All they wanted to do was run into each other’s arms and kiss each
other’s faces, tell each other how much they loved and missed them, that they
were sorry and would never hurt each other again, that they couldn’t go a day
more without holding each other.
Christina finally looked away
because she felt a sudden urge to cry. She held herself and bit her lip, trying
to resist the urge to let a teardrop slip.
It was Tommy who took the
initiative to walk up to her. When he got close, he could see her pain, and it
hurt to know that he was the cause. He never wanted to hurt her. She never
wanted to hurt him, as well, and that was what broke their hearts the most.
"Hey, Sunshine," he
said to her. He placed a hand on her face and wiped a tear away. "Please
don’t cry. You’re too beautiful for that. You’ll ruin your makeup."
"I’m so sorry, baby. I miss
you so much, and I’m such a fool for dumping you," Christina said. Tommy
pulled her into an embrace, smelling her aroma that he loved so much.
"I know, Sunshine. I’ve
missed you, too. I love you, Christina. I never stopped."
"I love you, too."
"Come dance with me,"
he said, holding his hand out for her to take.
"My pleasure," she
said, and placed her hand in his.
They walked together towards the
dance floor. Before they could, though, Tommy had to clear something up.
"I hate to interrupt your
moment," Tommy said to Jack and Rose, who couldn’t keep their hands off
each other. "Can I speak to you for a moment, Jack?"
"Sure," Jack said. He
let go of Rose and went to go talk to his one-time friend.
*****
"So, this was all your idea,
wasn’t it?" Christina asked Rose.
"Maybe," Rose answered,
giving her friend a devilish grin.
"Thank you," Christina
said, and hugged her. "I’m so glad you came, as well. You look so
beautiful tonight."
"Thank you, and to think
this was all last minute!" Rose said, and the two friends laughed.
"What made you change your
mind?" Christina asked.
Rose looked at Jack, and said,
"Love."
*****
Meanwhile, Jack and Tommy sat at
a table. Jack wasn’t really sure what Tommy had to say, and to be honest, he
was quite nervous.
"I wanted to say sorry for
punching you at the party. I know it didn’t mean anything. I’m also sorry for
last month. I took it the wrong way," Tommy apologized.
"It’s okay." Jack
smiled.
"No, it isn’t. You’re a good
friend, and I acted like a dick," Tommy said.
"True, but I probably would
have done the same thing."
"You’re a good guy, and I’m
glad you and Rose are finally together. You deserve each other. So, are we
cool?"
"Yeah, we’re cool. Thanks,
also, for bringing Rose here."
"Not a problem! Now, let’s
rock this bitch!"
*****
The six friends were now
complete. They were all especially glad that Christina and Tommy were back to
normal. This was the way things were supposed to be, and they hoped it would
never change.
The friends sat at their table,
tired from dancing. They laughed, told jokes, and told stories.
"Wow. This school year started
out so bad, but in the end, it all turned out for the best," Rose said.
"I’d have to agree. But let
us not reflect on the past. Let’s not worry about the future, either. We’re
young. Might I also add, I’m glad you and Christina became friends again and
you came around to giving Jack here a chance. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t have
come to know the real Rose," Fabrizio said.
"Thanks, Fabri," Rose
said. "That’s very sweet."
"That’s also very fucking
weird to hear coming from him. What movie did you get that from?" Tommy
teased him.
"Hey, Fabri always says
sweet things!" Hannah defended her boyfriend.
"So does Sister Connie when
it comes to collecting money!" Christina said about their principal.
"Burn!" Tommy said.
"Fuck you guys!" Fabri
said.
"It’s so good to have you
two back together," Jack said to Tommy and Christina. "I really
missed the double teams on Fabri!"
"I missed my partner in
crime," Tommy said as he and Christina looked at each other and smiled.
"Remember, Chris was my
partner in crime first. You get her on loan!" Rose said.
"Hey, Christina was my
partner in crime second, so he has to ask me, too!" Hannah said.
"Oh, girls fighting over
girls! When do we get to see some girl on girl action?" Fabrizio asked,
rubbing his palms.
"That’s the one thing we
wouldn’t miss. We would not miss any of Fabri’s perverse statements!" Jack
said. The friends nodded their heads, and Fabrizio rolled his eyes.
"Wow. You guys really are
good friends, and know how to have fun. I finally found where I fit in!" Rose
said. Finally, Rose felt right where she needed to be.
*****
The moment was soon to come.
Vengeance would rule the day, and no one would see it coming. They were all
getting what they deserved. He couldn’t wait. The plan would soon be set in
motion.
He didn’t want to do it, but she
needed to be taught a lesson. No one told Cal Hockley it was over. That was his
job. He’d be damned if some girl left him for some poor piece of trash. Cal
always won, one way or another.
*****
Jack spun Rose around the dance
floor and sneaked a kiss on her lips when she faced him. He wasn’t much of a
dancer, but he had fun with Rose. She made him feel like he could do anything.
He had also given Rose what she
needed, and that was the feeling of being free. He gave her strength and love.
He fixed her broken wings so she could soar out and fly away, but she would
only go if he went with her. He was her crutch. He was her energy. He was her
heart.
"If I don’t get to tell you
later, this was the best night of my life," Rose said. Jack smiled and
pulled her into a deep kiss that felt like it could last forever.
The song they had been dancing to
ended and on came A Moment Like This by Kelly Clarkson. It was the
perfect song, as it reminded Jack just how she felt about him. And as he pulled
her closer, with his hand on her waist, everyone in the room disappeared and
they were alone. They looked each other in the eyes, smiling at one another,
and Rose felt the sudden urge to tell him how she felt. This was the perfect
moment.
"I lo--" Before she
could complete the sentence, there were screams and two gunshots. Jack’s face
went pale as he saw Rose’s eyes open wide and her jaw drop.
Jack touched the back of her
dress, and it was warm and wet. He looked at his hand as his other arm held onto
her waist. His hand was completely covered with her blood. He dropped to his
knees, Rose cradled in her arms.
Tommy and Christina ran to the
scene, Hannah and Fabrizio close behind. Christina dropped to her knees and a
flood of tears came pouring out of her eyes. Tommy held her as she rocked back
and forth.
The music stopped and everyone in
the room stared. It was completely silent.
"Will someone get some
fucking help, please? Why are you all just staring? Get a fucking
ambulance!" Jack said. He couldn’t believe what was happening. "Rose?
Rose, baby, please say something."
Rose’s face was sweaty. She still
had an ounce of life in her. She tried to speak, but it was hard for her.
"Jack…I…I…I lo…lo…love…y…yo…you."
"Don’t you do that, Rose.
Don’t you start saying good-bye. An ambulance will come, and you’ll be saved.
You’re going to go on and live a long life. Just don’t leave me. Not tonight.
Not like this," Jack said, starting to cry as he moved the hair out of her
face and caressed her cheek.
"Al…ways…re…mem…ber…me...come…Jos…ephine…in…my…fly…ing…mach…ine…and…it’s…up…she…goes…up…she…"
She turned her head and was gone.