With You
Disclaimer: I don't own LOST.
A/N: I was listening to this song by Jessica Simpson called With You, and you know me, I always relate anything I can to Jate so I decided to write a story. This isn't a song fic, but I thought that I should explain the title.
Kate dropped her bags in front of the dorm room door, fumbling with the keys that she had just been given. With her heart thumping in her chest, she went to unlock the door, but discovered that it was already unlocked. Kate paused with her hand on the doorknob as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was it, her chance at a new life, away from Wayne, away from her mother. She didn't like leaving her mother with Wayne, but it was evident that Diane wasn't going to leave Wayne anytime soon. And with Tom gone now, she just had to move.
Kate opened the door and brought her luggage in, closing the door behind her. She smiled as she looked around her. It was a small dorm room, made for three people. It had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and one bathroom. She looked down at her paper and saw that she had a roommate.
"Hello?" Kate called out.
No one answered.
Kate went up into one of the bedrooms and put her luggage on the ground. She sat on the bed, but then she stood up in surprise when a young guy walked into the room.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"So, I guess we're roommates."
Kate observed the tall guy. He looked to be about twenty. His hair was black and spiked. His eyes were a piercing hazel. He wore a white shirt with jeans, and he was barefoot.
Kate looked down at her sheet of paper. "Are you Jackie Shephard? I'm sorry. I thought I was rooming with a female."
"Jackie?" Jack grinned and took the paper from her. "They got it wrong. I'm Jack."'
"Oh. Well I'm Kate."
"Nice to meet you."
Kate smiled. "What are you here for?"
"I want to be a doctor." Jack paused. "Wait, let me take that back. My dad wants me to be a doctor."
"And what do you want to be?"
"Well I'll tell you if you'll let me take you out to dinner." Jack said with a sparkle in his eyes.
"Dinner?"
"Yeah I take all my roommates to dinner."
Kate raised her eyebrows and Jack became serious. "I just want us to get to know each other. I mean if we're gonna be living together for four years I'd like to know that you're not going to kill me in my sleep."
Kate laughed. "All right let's go to dinner. Just let me unpack first. Don't you need to unpack?"
"No. I got here last night. I live here in L.A." Jack explained.
"So what are you doing in a dorm then?"
"I wanted to get away from my parents."
"UCLA." Kate murmured to herself.
"Yeah. This is it."
"This is going to change our lives isn't it?" Kate asked, opening one of her bags.
"You bet it is. So do you want me to help you? It will go faster."
"Sure."
Jack came alongside her and they started unpacking. "So why are you here?" Jack asked Kate curiously.
Kate bit her lip. "I wanted to get away from my family too."
"Oh I see. Aren't you here for an education though?"
"I don't know what I want to do yet."
"Who's paying for your tuition and stuff?"
"I got a full scholarship. I was a straight A student." Kate explained. "How did you get here?"
Jack nodded "The same. But if I hadn't gotten a scholarship my dad would have still paid for it."
Kate was starting to understand that Jack's family was rich. Money was no objection for Jack.
"Well I'm glad you know your way around here. I have no idea of where anything is." Kate said.
"I'd be glad to give you a tour tonight."
"Thanks."
Jack silently watched her as she went over to her closet. She was a little shorter than him, with her brunette hair up in a ponytail. He wondered what she looked like with it down. Jack had had a couple girlfriends in high school, but they had always broken up. Not that Jack wanted a relationship with someone he had just met, but he definitely felt a connection between them.
"What are you staring at?" Kate looked at herself, examining her shirt. "Do I have a stain or something?"
Jack blushed in embarrassment. "Uh, no."
"Well then stop staring. You're making me nervous."
Jack didn't say anything as he coughed.
"So how did you get here?" Jack asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Did you drive, fly, what?"
"I flew." Kate shuddered. "I hate flying."
"What? You're afraid you're gonna crash?"
"Yeah there's that, but all the peopleā¦" Kate trailed off. "I like having my own space." Kate looked up at Jack. "Remember that."
"Right. Give Kate space." Jack said in a monotone voice.
"We should probably go over some stuff."
"Like what?"
"Like who's going to do the dishes, when we should be quiet so that we can sleep, when we take showers, when we get food." Kate listed a number of things.
"Should I be writing this down?" Jack asked teasingly.
Kate playfully hit Jack's arm and he laughed.
"Seriously though, I don't think we'll have much of a problem." Jack said.
"And why do you think that?"
Jack shrugged. "We both seem kind of laid back."
"You just wait until midterms and you'll see how laid back I can be." Kate said.
"Yeah well, me too. Honestly I think that we should just play it by ear. If we have a problem with something then we should just tell each other. If we're going to be friends then we need to be honest."
Kate nodded. "You're different Jack." Kate put her empty bag in the closet.
Jack sat on her bed. "What do you mean?"
"I've known a lot of guys." Kate sat down beside him. "You're one of those guys that would have been untouchable in high school."
"Untouchable?" Jack wondered where this was going.
"Sure you would have had a few girlfriends." Kate continued, "But you were more of a friend to most girls. A true friend. I once dated a guy like you. Well technically we're still dating."
Jack frowned and Kate playfully nudged him. "Don't look so disappointed. We haven't seen each other since he moved here. I'm hoping we'll reconnect."
"What's his name?"
"Tom. He wants to be a doctor too."
Jack nodded.
"Will you do me a favor?"
"What's that?"
"I'm going to see him this weekend, could you come with me?"
"Why?"
"I'm kind of nervous and it would help to have a friend with me."
"Sure. Of course I will."
Kate smiled. "Thanks Jack."
Jack smiled back at her. "Where do you want to eat?"
"Surprise me."
A/N: Let me know what you thought!
