Chapter 4

Over the next couple of weeks, Jack had made more and more contact with Rose. At first, it had been a simple nod when they walked past each other but by now they were finally on a first name basis. Jack had been pleasantly surprised by the fact that Rose was in a couple of his classes. He had stopped in his tracks when he walked into the class and seen her hitting next to the window. He made his way inside and took a seat a couple of rows behind her. She had smiled at him as he had walked past. Jack was desperate to get a chance to talk to her. There was something about her, something that confused Jack. Every time he looked at her, he got this unbelievable feeling of déjà vu. He felt as though he had seen her before. There was something overly familiar about her but he just couldn't put his finger on it. The beach party that Amy had told him about was coming up that weekend and Jack was hopeful that Rose would be there. He wanted to try and get her away from Cal so that he could get to know her a bit better. Jack had seen her from his bedroom window a few times whenever she was going out. He'd also seen Cal turning up at her front door on more than one occasion. Jack had to laugh when he watched Rose turn him away each time. He just didn't get it that she wasn't interested. Jack wondered how many more rejections he would take but he'd met guys like Cal before, the type of guys that usually always got what they wanted. Jack knew that Cal would be persistent until Rose finally gave in but he was confident that she wouldn't back down. She seemed strong willed and independent.

"Right Jack, so I'll pick you up at 12 tomorrow to head to the beach? Remember and bring a couple of changes of clothes because we usually end up in the water" Tommy laughed. It was now Friday and the beach party was the next day. Jack was really excited about it, not just because he was hopeful that Rose would be there but because it meant he was going to be able to spend so much time with his friends outside of school.

"That's fine Tommy. Looking forward to it!" Jack high fived him as he walked towards his car. He planned on taking a detour to a nearby store to try and get some beer. Luckily, despite his boyish face, Jack was tall and was easily mistaken for being older than he was. He pulled up outside the store and went inside, picking up what he needed. After being served he made his way back out to his car and put the drinks in the trunk. Jack finally arrived home. He said "Hi" to his mom as he disappeared up to his room. He got together his rucksack and put inside a couple of towels and a few changes of clothes. He picked up a few other things and put them inside. He put the bag down on the floor just as his mother shouted him downstairs for dinner.

The next day, the sunshine was shining brightly through Jack's room. He stirred as it hit his face. Squinting his eyes, he looked towards the window. Excellent day for it! He smiled to himself. He looked over at the clock and realised it was 10 o clock. He climbed out of bed and decided to start getting ready. Tommy would be picking him up in a couple of hours and he wanted to be ready. He wandered downstairs and made himself breakfast. His mom was at work already. She had left him a note telling him to have fun and that she would see him tomorrow. Jack smiled as he quickly wrote a response and left it lying on the table for her.

Once he had finished, he walked back upstairs and made his way into the shower. Jack had sat watching TV for a while and by the time he made it upstairs it was nearly half past 11. Once he had showered, Jack wrapped the towel round his waist and made his way out to his bedroom. He was about to start getting dressed when he heard shouting coming from outside. Jack walked towards the window and looked across the street. The first thing he seen was Cal's car sitting outside Rose's house. Jack screwed up his face as he seen Cal leaning against his bonnet whilst Rose struggled with blankets and a cool box.

"Just you stand there and watch me Cal!" she shouted at him.

"Sweet pea, I'll help in a minute." He smirked.

"In a minute, I'll be finished!" Jack could tell that Rose was getting frustrated. He had to stop himself from storming out the house. Who did this guy think he was? Jack wouldn't tire of hitting him, he hated the way that he treated Rose. Despite everything that was going on, Jack couldn't help but smile as he now realised that Rose was definitely going to the beach. This was the perfect opportunity to get to know her better.

Jack quickly got dressed and grabbed everything he needed just as he heard a horn sounding from outside. He looked out the window and seen Rose staring down the street. Tommy appeared in his jeep, music blasting from the windows. Jack laughed and pulled a jacket from his closet and ran down the stairs. He walked outside and looked across the street. He smiled to himself as Rose waved across at him, clearly glad to see him. Jack wasn't sure if she had even been aware that he lived there but he was glad that she knew now.

"Hey bud!" Jack shouted to Tommy, putting his bag in the back of the car. "2 seconds, I just gotta grab something else."

Jack ran back to his car and took the cases of beer from the trunk. He walked back over to Tommy's car and put them inside. Jumping in the passenger seat, he put on his seat belt as Tommy pulled away from his drive way and sped off down the street.

A/N – Thanks for reading again. Please leave a review!