UNTIL ANGELS CLOSE MY EYES
Chapter Six

When school finally let out for the afternoon, Rose dashed out of the classroom, making a quick stop at a vending machine for a snack. It was 2:45, and as she had to be at work in Moreno Valley at 3:30. She wouldn’t have time to stop at home first. She set her soda can in the cup holder after disposing of her backpack in the back seat, and swung her body into the driver’s seat.

Once she started the engine, she pulled out of the parking lot, heading for the freeway. As she drove, she thought about the pending evening with Jack, and then came the time she would have to call her mother and let her know of her plans. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse, dialed her home number, and pressed the device to her ear.

After four rings, the answering machine came on, and Rose groaned inwardly. She had a bad feeling her mother would not approve of her going out with a boy from the slums that she hardly knew, but it was only fair to say something about it. "Hey, Mom," she began, once the traditional beep gave her the cue to start her message. "I’m on my way to work right now. I won’t be home for dinner…our new neighbor’s son invited me out, so I accepted. I guess you’re at work or something, so I’ll see you when I get home. Bye!" She turned off the cell and put it back into her purse, blowing out her breath. "Oh, boy," she muttered quietly, eventually turning onto the street that would lead her to the enormous warehouse.

*****

Jack, meanwhile, arrived home around 3:15, grateful when his house came into view. He pulled into the driveway, leaning his forehead wearily against the steering wheel after turning the engine off. He felt completely drained, despite all of the sleep he’d been getting over the past couple of weeks.

He still couldn’t believe he’d slept past his alarm that morning, even after going to bed by nine o’clock the night before. His mother was on her way down the hall when she heard the noise blaring from his room, and peeped in to see him still buried under the covers.

*****

"Jack?" Lorraine Dawson entered the slightly messy room, turning the alarm off before giving her son a gentle shake. He merely groaned, pulling his blankets further over his head. "It’s already 8:30. Were you planning on going to school today?"

Jack instantly shot up in bed, his blonde hair all over the place. "Mom!" he cried, and she touched his shoulder, trying to stop the pending panic.

"Relax. If you’re sick, you can stay home, but if not, I’d hit the road right now." She felt his forehead just to be safe, and was relieved to find that he felt normal.

"No. I’m okay," Jack insisted, struggling to slide out of bed. "I just can’t believe I did that." He scurried around the room, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Don’t forget to brush your hair." Lorraine laughed as he prepared to leave the room, and he gave her a look that most teenage boys typically give their parents when it comes to the subject of personal grooming. He ran his fingers through it, smoothing it down.

"How is that?" he asked, and she sighed.

"Fine," she replied. "Is all of your homework done for today?"

"Yes, Mom," Jack groaned, pecking a quick kiss on her cheek before saying good-bye. She stood in the center of the room, listening to the sound of his footsteps down the hall. Once the front door opened and closed with a click, she finished preparing her things for work.

*****

Jack eventually lifted his head, grabbed his books from the passenger seat, and then dragged his aching body from the vehicle. Neither of his parents were home yet, and wouldn’t be for at least another two or three hours. He could probably get a quick nap in before going to meet Rose, and he could not get to bed fast enough.

*****

Rose finally reached Sam’s Club at 3:20 and dashed through the sliding double doors. She noticed her slightly heavyset manager, Marietta, speaking in her thick Mexican accent to someone on the telephone. And, judging by her current attitude towards the person, it was clearly an employee calling out.

Marietta eventually groaned and nearly slammed the phone down on its hook, catching Rose just before she slipped away towards the break room staircase. "Thank God you’re here, Rose. That was Angelina, and she called out again. We’re already short two cashiers, so I don’t know what I’m gonna do." She raised her arms in frustration, and Rose fought back a retort she thought of at that moment.

"Well, I have to be out at seven, Marietta. I can’t stay late tonight." Usually, the manager managed to convince Rose to stay for an extra hour, or possibly more, on nights they were particularly busy. Especially on weekends, when the customers seemed to have nothing better to do than storm the warehouse.

Marietta folded her arms and blew a strand of hair away from her eyes. "Why?" she asked. "You have a hot date?"

Rose smirked. "I guess you could say so."

She snickered. "Uh-huh. I guess that pigheaded novio of yours would be merciless if you were late. Okay…well, I’ll see what I can do for you. You’re one of the few employees in this joint who actually makes an attempt to come to work every day."

Rose was about to tell Marietta that she was not indeed going out with her pigheaded boyfriend, but with someone she was pretty certain most of her co-workers would adore. However, the last thing she wanted to do was to stir her boss anymore than she was already ruffled. The reason Marietta knew of Rose’s current ex-boyfriend at all was because Cal had been a former employee of the club. He was fired for having an attitude problem, which included talking back to customers and even yelling at a check-out supervisor--or COS, as they were more commonly called. Barely worked a month, the rat, Rose thought, sour over the fact that she had referred him to Sam’s when he’d come asking her opinion of where he could get a part-time job.

"Well, what are you waiting for, chica? Go, go! We need you down here, okay?" She pretended to usher Rose away with her hands, and watched as the girl dashed away.

Rose eventually made it into the break room, which was filled with four long white tables connected together. Several chairs sat at each one, and there were vending machines, a microwave, a refrigerator, and a sink with soap and paper towels. "Hey, Rose." The assistant manager, Susan, waved as she came out of the office. "Marietta was nearly ready to have a fit earlier today. You are lucky you’re here." She winked, and Rose smiled, walking over to her locker to retrieve her red vest and badge.

Though the job as a cashier often grew tedious, Rose enjoyed it nonetheless. Everyone who worked in the store--besides Cal when he was still there--treated each other with respect and were as kind as could be. Rose even went out with several of them afterwards on certain weekends, and considered at least two to be fairly good friends.

"Hey, Jessica!" Rose called to the COS at the podium. Jessica, who was busy poring over a book of store item codes, lifted her head and gave a rather exhausted wave.

"Hey. You can go on register 5," she explained. "Why do you look so perky?"

"Well, I don’t know if I should tell you or not," Rose whispered, "but I broke up with Cal last night."

Jessica gasped, straightening up instantly. "No shit?" she squeaked, checking on either side of her for a possible customer who might have overheard. "Did you tell Marietta?"

"Are you kidding? The woman looks ready to blow a gasket!"

"Damn," Jessica grinned. "Well, the idiot had it coming, anyway. How’d he take it?"

"You broke up with Cal? You go, girl!" Stephanie pumped her fist in the air from where she’d just come out from her register.

"Is this a social gathering or what?" Marietta asked, and all three co-workers stiffened as she approached them.

"I suppose you didn’t hear the news, Mar," Jessica whispered, "but…" She whispered it into Marietta’s ear, and Rose slapped her hand against her forehead. Marietta’s eyes grew large, and her mouth hung open after a moment or two.

"No kidding!" She put her hands on her hips, and cocked her head to the side. "I’m impressed!"

Rose snorted. "I’m impressed I waited so long."

"Well, good thing you did that, Rose. But—who are you going out with tonight? You wasted no time fetching another, mmm?" She winked, and Rose snorted.

"It’s not really a boyfriend," she admitted, accepting her handful of stamps to put inside of her drawer. "He’s my new neighbor. My mom and I just moved to Perris."

Marietta nodded in understanding. "He cute?" she asked, and Rose shrugged.

"I guess you could say that."

"Well, bring the boy in so we can all get a look, eh?" She clucked her tongue in a playful sound, and urged Rose to begin working.

"He said his parents were members," Rose called, and flipped her light on, changing the sign from Closed to Open.

As she worked, she found she was going through the motions moreso than usual. Her mind was on Jack and what she would say to him at dinner that night. Would she tell him everything? Everything that provoked her to want to jump off of the rocks? She knew it would be a very awkward situation, even for her, who was usually very comfortable at getting to know new people. Oh, my God, she thought, smiling wearily at the next customer who came through her line.

The hours dragged on, and Rose spent her free time chatting happily with her other co-workers. Half of the store knew Cal, which was no surprise at all to her, and were thrilled that she’d broken up with him. And, to make matters more nerve-wracking, all of them wanted to meet this Jack who was coming to meet her.

"He’s not my new boyfriend," Rose insisted on her halfway break. She sat at one of the tables with Rebecca, Steven, and Lauren.

"Well, that’s what they all say." Lauren winked.

"You are really impossible. Do you know that?"

"That’s what we’re here for." Rebecca chuckled. "To make your life even more complicated than it already is."

"Welcome to Sam’s," Steven added, and sent all four of them laughing.

At ten of seven, the COS released Rose from her register and sent her upstairs to count down her drawer. After handing the money bag to the girl in the cash office, Rose dropped her work items off, grabbed her purse, checked her cell for any messages, and then ran at full speed back down the steps.

"I’m coming with you," Marietta teased, tagging along behind as Rose hurried towards the exit door.

Rose turned to her. "All right. I’ll make a deal. As soon as he comes, I’ll bring him in for a few minutes. Do I get a bonus for this, by the way?"

Marietta let out a huff. "You wish! Well, we’ll be waiting!" She made kissing noises, and Rose was half-tempted to flip her off. She left the building, standing on the pavement. It dawned on her at that moment that she had absolutely no idea what Jack’s car looked like. Damn, she thought, fiddling anxiously with her purse.

She eventually spotted a familiar figure walking towards her and felt her heart leap into her throat. "Jack!" she called, waving frantically, and he waved back. When they met up, they stood a few inches apart, not quite sure whether a hug was appropriate at this point or not. "Don’t worry, Rose. It’s not a crime to hug somebody when you haven’t seen them…"

"For more than a few hours?" Rose winked, embracing him gently. "Oh, my co-workers are dying to see you, and I might get fired if I don’t show you off. So, you don’t mind a few moments of petty humiliation, do you? They’re perfectly harmless, I assure you."

Jack grinned. "I didn’t see this coming." He agreed, and Rose led him inside.

"Ah-ha!" Marietta called, pointing a finger. "He’s blonde! I had a feeling!"

Jack and Rose looked at each other, biting their lips to keep from laughing. "Jack, this is my boss, Marietta." Marietta shook hands with him.

"If you’re ever looking for a job, please don’t hesitate to apply here," she added, and Jack smirked.

"Thanks," he replied. "I’ll keep that in mind."

"Have fun," Marietta called, and several of Rose’s co-workers giggled and whispered to one another from their registers. Rose stuck her tongue out at them and waved, feeling her stomach fluttering with butterflies as Jack led her outside.

"So, where would you like to eat?" he asked. "Since we both are driving, you can follow me, because I’m pretty familiar with the main restaurants."

Rose shrugged. "Wherever you want to eat is fine with me," she added, feeling as though her voice was shaking.

"Sizzler’s pretty good. It’s one of those typical restaurants, if you know what I mean."

"Sure," Rose replied, and pointed to the employee parking lot. "I’m parked over there. Where are you?"

"Just back there. I’ll pull up in front of the building and you just pull in behind me," he suggested, and she nodded.

"Sounds good. See you in a few." She pulled her keys out of her purse and made her way to her car. As she sat down in the driver’s seat, her cell phone rang. Oh, shit, she thought, closing her eyes and resting her forehead on the steering wheel. No doubt her mother had just gotten home, and was probably calling to attempt to talk her out of going to dinner with Jack.

Rose fumbled for the tiny cell in her bag and flipped the top, placing it against her ear. "Yes, Mother?" she asked icily, and Ruth exploded.

"Are you out of your mind, Rose? I haven’t even met this boy, and who knows what he’s like? A boy like—like that? You dump Cal, and go for the first piece of trash that comes along!"

Rose narrowed her eyes. "He is far from trash, Mother. And it was a nice gesture, so I took his offer." She wasn’t about to lose her head with her mom, not when she was just about to enjoy herself in Jack’s company.

"I hope you know what you’re doing, Rose. If you end up pregnant, don’t come crying to me."

"Oh, Mother, shut up!" Rose snapped. "I am old enough to make my own choices, and I don’t need you judging every one of my friends that aren’t of our social status!"

"How dare you…" Ruth spat.

"I am going out to dinner with Jack," Rose replied sharply. "And I will see you later."

"Rose!" Ruth hissed, and Rose hung up, breathing hard. She shoved the phone back into her purse, started the engine, and began to pull slowly away towards the spot she was meeting Jack.

Once they pulled out of the busy parking lot, she turned the on the music, rolling down the windows. The warm, dry breeze ruffled her curls, and she bobbed her head to the beat of the song. Jack, noticing this through his rearview mirror, smirked as he headed in the direction of Perris High School. Sizzler was right across the street from their school, and they eventually reached the shopping center.

Rose took a deep breath as she followed him through the narrow parking lot pathways until she found an empty space right in front of the restaurant. She sat for a moment after turning off the engine and attempted to gather her wits.

"You’re just like me." She heard Jack’s voice as he approached her vehicle, and she glanced up at him with a small smile and laughed. "When I’m in that kind of mood, I mean," he added, and winked, offering his hand, which she accepted after she opened the door.

"Thanks," she told him, fetching her purse and pulling it over her shoulder. He led the way towards the front door of the restaurant and held it for her. "Thanks again." She chuckled, stepping inside. Sizzler was a hopping joint, with round tables, booths, and a typical bar area. Families of all sizes and races gathered there. Some had young children and some did not, but they were all either chatting happily or merely enjoying their food.

A hostess greeted them cheerfully and brought them to a booth by the window. "I’ve never been in here," Rose admitted, and it really was a shame. Her parents preferred the more elite types of restaurants, ones that required fancy dress and over-the-top manners. Rose thanked the hostess once she set down their menus and nodded after she explained that a waiter would be with them shortly.

When Rose turned to Jack, she noticed that his pale complexion, if possible, seemed even paler than when she’d seen him at school earlier that day. The dark circles remained under his eyes, and she couldn’t help but feel a small pang of concern for him in her stomach. I wonder if the flu’s going around? she thought, fiddling with the corner of her napkin.

"My mom called before we left Sam’s," she suddenly spoke up, causing Jack to raise his head. He cocked his head to one side, clearly a little confused by the sudden statement.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Well, I guess you could say so. I haven’t really seen her in almost a day and a half…"

"How come?" Jack opened his menu and began peering at the appetizers. He still didn’t feel very hungry, and was ready to settle for a plate of mozzarella sticks or something light like that.

"Oh…we just keep missing each other. I…uh…I broke up with my boyfriend last night, and she hasn’t quite forgiven me for it. We’ve kind of avoided each other for a bit."

At that moment, a man in his late twenties approached, and carried the typical notepad waiters used to take orders. He smiled at them and clicked his pen. "Hello," he greeted. "Welcome to Sizzler. My name is Alex, and I will be your waiter for the evening. Would you like to start off with something to drink?"

Jack and Rose placed their orders and watched as he wandered off towards the bar. "Why would she be upset if you broke up with someone you didn’t care for?" Jack didn’t understand. He would have thought Rose’s mom would approve of her making her own choices.

"Well, you know, my mother is very…er…overprotective of me, I guess you could say. We came from a very wealthy place in society, and she really thinks I should date within my status." Rose made a face, and Jack laughed.

"Who were you dating before?" he asked out of curiosity, half-relieved to know she was now single.

"I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him or not…you probably have, though…" Rose took a deep breath. "Cal Hockley."

Jack nearly spit out a mouthful of the ginger ale Alex had just delivered.

"Are you serious? You were dating Cal?" he asked, finding it very hard to believe that Rose would go for someone as arrogant and selfish as him.

Rose raised her arms innocently and sighed. "It was a huge mistake from the start," she continued. "Caesar salad," she told Alex, who began jotting down their meal orders on the pad.

"I’m just going to have some mozzarella sticks," Jack added, and Rose blinked.

"Are you sure? You hardly ate anything at lunch today. I’m surprised you aren’t starving!"

Jack looked decidedly uncomfortable, so she didn’t say anything further about it. "I don’t know. I just don’t feel like anything big."

"All right. Thank you." Alex gave Rose a kind expression and left again.

"Now, what were you saying?" Jack asked, stirring the ice in his glass absentmindedly.

"I was saying it was a big mistake," Rose continued, wondering why she was so suddenly pouring her heart out to a boy she’d just met last night. All through work that afternoon, she’d thought about how she was going to approach him, and here she was, going right to the heart of her problems. He just has that essence, she thought with a raise of her eyes. He just looks at you and you want to start telling him everything. Well, she added, don’t lose your head, Rose. She cleared her throat, sipping from her Coke. "I don’t know. My mom and dad knew his parents, and his dad worked with my dad. My dad was an accountant."

Jack frowned. "Was?"

Rose lowered her head, feeling her throat choke up. "My dad died a few months ago in a car accident," she explained, and Jack instantly felt guilty for asking.

"Oh, man," he breathed. "I’m sorry, Rose. I didn’t mean to pry…"

Rose shook her head. "It’s okay," she admitted, and Jack leaned back in his booth, starting to put two and two together. It was slowly starting to make sense…why he found her attempting to commit suicide from the cliff. To lose a parent so suddenly was indeed traumatic, and could mess with anyone’s emotions. Jack knew this situation only too well, having lost both of his own parents in a horrible fire when he was just a baby. His current mother and father had adopted him after rescuing him from the flame-filled house, and only when he was about eleven did they reveal he truth of his upbringing. However, he didn’t feel it quite necessary to jump in and tell Rose this yet…he would wait until she finished her story, or whenever another appropriate time occurred.

"Well, anyway…my mom kept insisting that Cal would be perfect for me, so she kind of…I don’t know, set us up on a date. I found him actually quite charming at first, and was immediately drawn to him. For the first few months, it honestly wasn’t that bad of a relationship…he treated me like a queen."

Jack nodded in understanding. One thing he knew he would never be able to do was to shower Rose with expensive gifts, something she was probably used to in her previous social status. He was certain the move from Menifee to their mediocre street in Perris was a rather big blow to her and her mother. Rose continued, and Jack listened intently, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"But then," Rose began yet again, though this time her voice started trembling a little, "he really started to change. Especially after he became captain of the Paloma Valley High School football team."

Yes, that was how Jack knew him best. He was often talked about in the hallway, and certainly the news he heard was not pleasant. Cal had beaten up more than one Perris High football players, and was known for his foul mouth during the games. "I’m surprised you stayed with him for as long as you did," Jack told Rose, and she looked at him, her eyes full of frustration. Not with him, but with the stress in her current life in general.

"I know." She sighed heavily. "Well, he became really possessive, and he…" She swallowed, allowing one or two tears to fall from her eyes. "He did hit me last night."

Jack felt his heart nearly stop in mid-beat as he watched Rose begin to cry, and was at first at a loss as to what to do. He certainly wasn’t prepared for this, but he wanted to do what he could to comfort her. Alex came over at that moment and paused to stare at Rose for a second before timidly handing them their meals. "Is there anything else I might get for you two?" he asked, clearly trying not to draw attention to Rose.

"No. We’re okay. Thanks," she insisted, quickly drying her eyes with the corner of her sleeve.

"Cool. Let me know if you change your minds," he added, and quickly left.

"I’m sorry, Jack," Rose apologized, sniffing and leaning back against her booth. "I didn’t mean to just start telling you my life story, but…I’ve just been really stressed out lately. Cal didn’t take my leaving him very well, as you could well guess, and my mother thinks I should have compromised with him, but Jack, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I just couldn’t!" She at last buried her face in her arms and began weeping.

Jack sat staring at her, feeling absolutely terrible. He slid out from his side of the table and came over to hers, wrapping an arm comfortingly over her shoulder. "I’m acting like a total idiot," Rose choked, and he stroked her hair.

"No, you’re not," he insisted. "Rose, I’m glad you told me this. I’m glad you felt comfortable opening up to me, because, well…a lot of people think I’m a little weird, and usually most of the time give me looks."

Rose raised her head, using her napkin got wipe her eyes. "You? Weird?" she snorted.

"Do you want to leave?" he asked, glad that none of the other customers were really paying them any mind. Many of them were too involved in their own conversations, or focusing on the sports games happening on television. "We could just ask to bring the food home."

Rose shook her head. "No," she told him, her eyes stinging from the tears. "No, I’ll be okay. Thanks, Jack." She allowed him to hug her. "I really didn’t mean to lose it. I’ve just been so stressed out for these past few months, with my dad dying, the move, breaking up with Cal…thank God you were there last night when I was trying to throw myself off of the cliff, Jack."

He managed a grin. "My pleasure, Rose." He squeezed her hand confidently and went to sit back in his seat. Rose gazed at her salad for a few moments, almost blankly, and felt her appetite slowly returning again.

"Wow. This looks good." She managed to laugh once she took a proper breath, and Jack nodded.

"I always liked Sizzler. My parents took me here a lot when I was younger." He gazed around, his eyes focusing on the basketball game on the television for a second.

"So, Jack, I may just have to challenge you to a few hoops sometime," Rose teased. "Just so you can prove to me how good you are."

Jack grinned. "You like to play?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Occasionally, but I’m really not very good."

"Well, it’s a challenge, then." He winked at her.

Jack and Rose spent the next hour or so eating and chatting, and parted ways around nine o’clock. They followed each other home, and Rose never felt happier as she pulled into the driveway of her house. She watched as Jack pulled into his own driveway, and waved to him as she practically skipped towards the front porch and walked inside.

Chapter Seven
Stories