Jack had gone through dates like he had gone through reports, at his job, this month. None had gone even remotely good. Jack had never been the best on dates, but this month they seemed to be going worse than ever. Girls had actually gotten up in the middle of the date and left without a word. One girl excused herself to go to the restroom and never came back. This had never happened to Jack before. Even a girl, who laughed to every single one of his jokes and had a lot in common with him, made an excuse that she had to go to church when he offered they should go out to dinner.
His last date was the best until the end. Everything had been going extremely well, even after he got lost the girl didn't say anything. It was lifting his spirits, but then he played a game with her where she, unknown to him purposely, lost so he would get further away from him. After he was far enough she took the opportunity to leave.
Never before had winning in "Rock-Paper-Scissors" felt so bad. Jack had created a game of his own from "Rock-Paper-Scissors." It was called "Grant My Wish Rock-Paper-Scissors," which just meant that the winner got to make a wish and the loser had to comply with it, and make it come true. So when Jack and his date came across a stairs monument he decided he would play it, to spice things up. Scissors got you ten steps, paper got you twenty, and rock got you thirty. The first to reach the top would win and get their wish.
Jack went home rather saddened and down. Once he had reached the very top, the girl took advantage of that and just left him. Jack had stayed half an hour, in hopes she had just gone to the restroom or to freshen up, but she didn't come back and he eventually left.
The next day Jack was roaming the quiet streets, past the normal time for an evening stroll. His thoughts were somewhere lost in between loneliness and wonder about what his love life had in store for him.
The dim lighting of the street lamps let him see his slowly moving shadow next to him. It was the only thing that kept him company as he walked. Jack would even go to the extent of talking to it, if it weren't that he still thought he had a living chance at getting a girlfriend. As he walked aimlessly, Jack didn't notice that his two feet had lead him to the stairs where he had been ditched the previous night. He groaned rather loudly, but still walked to them and began to climb them. Giving up halfway he just sat down on the steps, enjoying the cool breeze of the night.
Thinking back to the night before, Jack didn't notice as a small pup came to sit next to him. It wasn't until Jack began to feel a strange warmness next to his right leg that he turned to look and found a ball of fur, that made him jump at least half a foot away from it. A silent gasp also escaped his lips, but he wouldn't admit that. The small creature looked up at him with its big round eyes, filled with hope, and neared him again.
"W-what?" Jack managed to stutter out at the small dog.
The small dog, obviously not able to talk, only looked up to him and locked gazes with him.
Jack's heart began to beat normally again. The dog seemed to notice this and walked over to him, laying, now, on his lap. Jack looked down quizzically at the dog. Did it not have an owner? Jack looked around but there was no owner in sight, or yells heard coming from any direction. He picked the small dog up and stared at it, examining it. The dog had a red collar, so it definitely had an owner, but this owner was obviously not looking for it.
"So you like me little fella?" Jack asked, setting it back down on his lap.
The dog appeared to have replied, with a small noise that sounded somewhat between a growl and a whimper.
"Are you lost?" Jack asked, once more earning a small grumble. Jack only chuckled at himself. "So I have stooped so low that now I talk to animals? Well…" Jack pondered. "I might as well if I am already talking to you" he shrugged. He brought the dog back up to eye level, "Do you how to play rock paper scissors?" he asked.
The dog gave no reply to this, not even a small grumble, it actually looked away, uninterested.
"As I thought" replied Jack.
Seeing as the night had begun to darken, Jack decided to head home. The wind had also picked up, and the air had cooled. "I guess you will be coming with me today" Jack offered, tucking the small creature into his sweater. He began his walk home, which took his through one of the main streets. As he walked by a light post, while waiting for the light to change so he could cross, Jack noticed a paper flapping with the wind. It caught his attention and so he walked over to it, to find a very familiar photo of a dog on the paper, with strip cut out with a phone number. "Lost Dog" it said at the top. Jack slowly tilted his head, trying to figure out where he had seen that dog. It wasn't until he felt the shuffling by his chest that he realized where. It was the dog he had found. Pulling out his cell phone, Jack began to dial the number.
A woman's voice answered on the other side. "Yes, hello?" she demanded politely.
"Um, yes is this the phone number for a lost dog?"
The other side went silent, and Jack almost believed they had hung up, but then he heard some faint breathing before they replied. "Y-yes."
"Well I found the dog…" he answered.
Minutes later Jack was standing before a teary eyed girl, who was hugging her dog very tightly. She had a whole mess of curls on her head, bouncing about at her every move.
"Thank you so much" she smiled, a small amount of her scottish accent coming out. It had not been obvious over the phone, due to the lack of words used, but now it was clearly heard.
"Don't mention it" Jack said with a wave of the hand.
"Is there anything I can do to repay you?" The girl asked, eyes awaiting his response.
Jack only stayed silent. Something about the girl before him kept him in place, just able to look at her and think that it was meant for them to meet. He wasn't sure what though. He managed to eventually shake his head.
"Um…I'll be back" the girl declared, and before he could nod, she had retreated back into her house.
Jack still nodded though, and waited outside for her to come back. After a minute or so he thought she wasn't going to come back out and he feared that. He wanted to see her one more time before he left. He looked around in hopes to distract his thoughts, and just as he did the door creaked open and there she came, holding in envelope in hand.
"It isn't much, but I think it shows how grateful I am to you" the girl said, extending the envelope out so he could take it.
"Oh no, It's fine" Jack shook his head.
The girl wasn't going to take a no though, she walked forward and tried to hand it to him, but he avoided contact. She stood back a bit, confused, but tried once more to give it to him, only to have him avoid her again. This time a small frown formed itself on her forehead as she pulled back. She was very confused.
"I couldn't take the money, but if you insist, I ask that you play a game with me instead" he said, getting her attention, but confusing her even further.
"What type of game?" she asked, curious and suspicious.
"Rock-Paper-Scissors, if I win you go on a date with me, if I lose or we end up tied then you don't have to do anything and we part as unlikely friends, strangers" he explained. There was a tugging at the back of his mind that this girl was the one he was looking for.
The redhead raised her eyebrows at him, while pondering his request. "So if you lose I really don't have to do a thing?" she inquired, trying to make it clear.
"Not a thing" Jack assured.
"Fine" she smiled now. This was really weird, but something told her this could be a fun.
Both raised their hands, ready to say the words and declare their weapon, but before that Jack spoke.
"I will be going with scissors" he announced.
The girl was surprised once again by him. He had just given her his move. She could either pick rock to beat him, or pick paper to let him beat her, but that could mean going on a date with him. She hardly knew the guy. Apart from that, she nodded and decided to continue.
'He's a weird one' she thought, along with what her move would be.
They both chanted and put their hands down, showing what they picked.
The red haired girl had picked paper, she had picked to let him win. Jack, on the other hand, thought she would have picked rock and also picked paper to beat her. He really wanted to go on a date with this girl.
They looked at each other. The girl looked at him confused and he looked at her in shock. She was going to let him beat her…and he had been stupid enough to do what he did. Oh well, he couldn't change what he did. He just chuckled awkwardly and took a step back, wanting to get out of their quickly.
"Wait!" the girl called.
Jack turned around, with shock and curiousness in his eyes.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Jackson, Jackson Overland."
"Merida Dunbroch" she smiled at him, extending out her hand.