"Hey, Jackass, what the hell do you think you're doing over here?" said Daniel as we approached each other. "Rowena, is he bothering you?"

"No, he's not," I said. "He was just passing through."

"'Just passing through' my ass!" said Audrey. "He was coming to spy on me again! Thanks for catching him Rowena, let's poke him with sticks like last time!"

"No Audrey," I said. "He wasn't gonna say anything to you, I just ran into him, we got to talking, and we were just walking around. Is that so bad?"

"Are you kidding?" said Audrey, outraged. "Of course it is! Rowena, you're my friend, you're not supposed to be hanging out with my leftovers!"

"Audrey, if you didn't know already, I'm the new kid in town," I said, struck by that last comment she had made. "I barely know anyone other than you and Daniel here, and I think I'm at perfect liberty to talk to whoever I want, leftovers or not!"

Audrey was speechless and gasping for air like a fish out of water. Daniel just stood there, not really knowing what to say. "Look Audrey, this isn't about you this time," Jack finally said. "Rowena's right."

"Come on!" Audrey bellowed. No one else said anything, and Audrey stomped off with a sigh. She stopped after a few steps and looked at Daniel as if to say, "Hey, numbnuts, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Daniel looked at me apologetically, glared at Jack, and went with Audrey.

"What in the hell?" I breathed.

"Friend, huh?" said Jack.

"I mean…I'm sure it'll blow over," I said. "It's just a little fight. Why are you still trying to get her back if she hates you that much?"

"That's not important right now," said Jack. "Are you okay Rowena?"

"I—I'll be fine," I said. It hurt to see Audrey, someone I thought could be a very good friend to me, just storm off like that after she just saw me walking with her ex-boyfriend, but what also hurt was seeing Daniel just stand by. I knew he hated Jack, but wasn't he supposed to like me? He did look torn.

"Audrey's pride is just a little hurt," said Jack. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go somewhere, I can make this mess up to you, I promise." Jack looked up at me with the most genuine look in his blue eyes that I just couldn't say "no."

"Okay," I said.

"Groovy," said Jack. "I know this awesome café, let's go." Hoping that an outing with Jack wouldn't result in more of his whining about Audrey, I followed him. He showed me through the door to a little café with beads in the doorway, posters on the walls, and a Led Zeppelin record playing. A waitress showed us to a table near the back, and we both took a seat on a couple bean bags that were there instead of chairs.

"Cozy," I said.

"Yep," said Jack. "This place has been here since '66. I used to go here when it first opened with my parents before they split town."

"Your parents left?" I asked, my heart dropping for him even more.

"Two years ago, when I was eighteen," said Jack. "They couldn't afford me anymore, so they figured that me being eighteen was a good time for them to leave. Except they didn't think about how I would live on my own; hell, I've been living in the same shitty apartment in the Village for two years and it sucks. But whatever. I have stuff I do anyway."

"What is it you do?" I asked.

"Some days I sing," said Jack. "Others I play guitar I'll paint another day, then I'll write the next day. A lot of stuff. So, you never told me the reason you came here Rowena."

"Ah, right," I said, surprised at the number of things Jack did. "I came here to start my singing career. I'm singing at Daniel's uncle's bar now, weekly."

"Nice," said Jack. "I've heard some rotten things about that guy…Henry?"

"Yeah," I said. "And they're true. He's a bit of a pervert."

"You better watch your back around him," said Jack. "I heard he's more than 'a bit of a pervert'."

"I know," I said. "Daniel's been looking out for me."

Jack made a sort of huffing sound, but bit his lip in embarrassment after. "Sorry," he said. "I don't like him, but if he's looking out for you there I guess that's a good thing."

"It's okay, you're entitled to dislike who you please," I said.

"Thanks…though I feel bad about downtalking someone you like," said Jack. "By the way—thanks for sticking up for me like that back there. It must have been hard for you to do that to a friend of yours. You really didn't have to you know."

"But I did," I said. "In all honesty, I understand how you feel—well, sort of."

"What do you mean?" asked Jack.

"I've gotten spurned pretty badly in the past too," I said. "I mean, he wasn't a jerk about it and he had a pretty valid reason not to be with me, but still, it hurts either way."

"Well, who was he, what did he do?" asked Jack. It was then I realized what I was about to tell him and froze up.

"Ah..." I said. "It's just that—I've never told anyone this before."

"Not even Audrey?" asked Jack.

"Nope," I said.

"Look, Rowena, if you don't want to tell me it's fine," said Jack. "But I won't judge you."

I thought for a moment, and then I saw the truth in Jack's eyes. "You know what," I said. "I'll go ahead and tell you; there's really no harm. I'll start by saying he was married…"

Jack shrugged. "Yeah, it happens," he said." Did you know?"

"Yeah," I said, bowing my head in shame. "He's also probably twice my age."

"I see," said Jack. "Well, stranger things have happened. Just some guy in the neighborhood?"

"My high school music teacher," I said.

"Ah…" said Jack. "I see…and did you two get involved?"

"No," I said. "I mean—I did try to get him to come to New York with me, and I think he almost did, but he decided to stay with his family. He's friends with Paul, Audrey's dad; that's how I got to staying with them."

"Well then, I guess you can blame him for this whole mess, huh?" said Jack, jokingly.

I chuckled a bit, but said nothing.

"Sorry," said Jack. "It's probably not a big thing…just trying to make light of it, that's all."

"It's okay," I said.

"So I'm guessing Audrey told me all about what happened between us, right?" asked Jack.

"Yep," I said.

"I was stupid," said Jack. "I should have stayed with her, but…whatever."

"We all do things we regret," I said. "It may be too late for you and Audrey, but that doesn't mean that you can't find someone else down the line."

"Rowena, you speak words of wisdom," said Jack. "You're right." I smiled; maybe, although Jack was capable of being annoying and creepy, I had misjudged him. Just because he was a new friend's old boyfriend didn't mean he was a bad guy. We enjoyed interesting and engaging conversation over cups of coffee for about an hour or two. We were soon out of the café and walking along the street.

"Do you have to get back home yet?" asked Jack.

"I should probably steer clear for now," I said. "Audrey's probably waiting to yell at me."

"Okay then," said Jack. "I hope I'm not being forward, but would you like to go back to my apartment? Just to hang out."

"Sure," I said. "Anything to avoid the wrath of Audrey."

"Cool," said Jack. "It's not too far off—and sorry in advance about the mess, I haven't had company in a while."

"I think I can deal with it," I said. We walked some more and we came to an old brick apartment building with vines growing all up the sides. It didn't look like much, but in Jack's eyes it was home.

"Here we are," said Jack as we walked inside the building. "My place is on the third floor. There's no elevator though; we have to climb the stairs." He led me to a doorway that was missing its door that led to a rickety old staircase. It was more dusty than anything and it was steep; I was having a hard time climbing the stairs without huffing and puffing, but Jack seemed just fine. He was used to it; used to a bleak life, and I felt sorry for him. We finally made it up to the third floor, and I followed Jack to the door that read 305.

"This is it?" I asked, trying not to sound out of breath from the stairs.

"Yep," said Jack, unlocking the door. "Rowena—my humble abode." It was really humble, but not too bad. Yes, it was a little cluttered, but no worse than the average guy Jack's age. There was a small main living area with a little TV and a pull-out couch, a combined kitchen and dining room, and two other rooms behind doors which I assumed to be the bathroom and bedroom. The walls were a dull color with a poster every so often; they were mostly the same as the ones Audrey had in her room. There was one window in the living room that was partially covered by old, frayed curtains.

"It's not so bad," I said, walking around.

"Yeah, it ain't much, but it's home," said Jack. "Hey, Rowena, you want a beer? I think I have a couple in the fridge."

"Sure," I said. Jack offering me a beer was different than Henry offering me a beer back at his bar. It was friendlier, and I knew Jack wasn't out to get me or anything like that. Jack came back with two cans of beer and the both of us sat down on the couch.

"For you, my lady," said Jack, handing me a can.

"Thanks Jack," I said, smiling. So far, I could see that Jack was a perfectly nice guy. I still wondered why he would break up and get back together with Audrey so many times though.

"No problem," said Jack. He opened his beer and took a sip; I did the same with mine.

"So, I'm curious," I said, mentally smacking myself for not holding my tongue on the matter. "If you love Audrey so much, why did you leave her three times, and once for someone else?"

Jack laughed and shook his head. "Cause Audrey's right—I am a Jackass," he said. "It's just that…I'm a confused, lonely, clingy person. Even before my parents left, they were never really attentive, I never had any friends as a kid; even now…I just have no clue how to act around people. When I find someone who cares about me I latch on, and a lot of the time my social issues pop up and I still have trouble…and that's what happened with Audrey. I don't know how to deal with people."

Jack looked sad and distant now, and I understood him. Sure, this could very well have been a lame excuse put on by a guy, but I could tell by seeing how he lived and how he acted that it wasn't. "I understand," I said. "Why are you so persistent on getting her back though? She really seems like she's not having it."

"I know," sighed Jack. "My pride's just hurt. How persistent were you with your music teacher?"

"Pretty persistent," I said. "But once I realized that he wasn't coming to New York with me I began to accept it."

"Also when you met Daniel?" asked Jack.

"I dunno," I said.

"Come on Rowena, it's okay to admit you have feelings for him," said Jack.

"You sound just like Audrey," I said, trying to brush it off. Why was I in such horrible denial?

"Yeah, well, in that case, Audrey's right," said Jack. "Rowena—do you have feelings for Daniel or not?"

I paused for a bit, my heart pounding, not knowing what to say. I thought about Daniel and the fun we'd had before, and also about the many annoyances he'd caused me. I thought about him saving me from that man in the parking lot, about the time he stood up to Henry for me, and the times he took me to the clearing in the woods. I tried not to think about the fact that the last time he brought me there was a test for me…was everything he said to me back there about me being beautiful and wonderful part of the test too? Nevertheless, it was pretty hard to deny my feelings any longer.

"Yes," I finally said. "Yes Jack, I do."

"Was that so hard?" asked Jack.

"Sort of," I said. "But Jack—do you really think he's got it for Audrey?"

"I haven't a doubt in my mind," said Jack. "Daniel's always hated me, and he's always with Audrey. Seems like a weak argument, but you have to see it to believe it. And you did see it back there."

"I did, didn't I…" I said, starting to lose my breath.

"Rowena," said Jack. "I don't wanna give you the impression that I'm trying to convince you to go against Audrey and Daniel. But…I dunno…I'm just trying to shed some light."

"I know you are," I said. "It's just that…it seemed like Daniel really liked me at first."

"He can be friendly if he gets a good impression of you," said Jack.

"Whatever," I said. "He's an annoying little shit anyway, what should I care. He's not the only guy out there." I did feel hurt. It was bittersweet irony—I had finally figured out my feelings for Daniel, but when I did, it seemed clearer and clearer that he wasn't into me at all. As good as it felt to finally be free of my feelings for Mr. Holland, I felt more trapped than ever. "I guess we both can't have who we want because they want each other."

"Sad but true," said Jack. He held up he beer can. "To being lonely messes!"

"Here, here!" I said bitterly, clinking cans with him. "This isn't what you usually do when you're heartbroken, is it?"

"Nah," said Jack. "Just trying to be a good host." He took a sip and I did the same. Jack set his can down on the table next to the couch and raked his hand through his long blond hair. I put my beer down too and just looked at him. The asshole that I knew from throwing rocks at Audrey's window and begging on his hands and knees was gone; in his place sat a handsome, witty, sensitive, and sweet man who had his heart broken one too many times by one too many people. I really don't know what made me do it—it may have been my pity for him, my own pity for myself, the beer (not that I had enough to be drunk anyway), or even just a physical attraction—but whatever it was, I suddenly lunged forward and kissed him.

At first Jack was stiff, unsure, and probably a little scared at my boldness, but he soon relaxed and kissed me back. I felt his large, rough hands in my hair, tangling and yanking at it, but I didn't mind the slight pain; it was barely noticeable. It was bliss, maybe because it was "forbidden," but I just didn't care. I didn't stop Jack when we started to lean down on the couch, or even when he started to stroke my breasts. I felt like a dirty, seductive jezebel and it felt great. I let it get far…as far as far could go. To feel another person's skin on mine was simply sublime; his lips everywhere on my body, my hands on his…yes…soon I knew everything that Audrey was missing. My head reeled and my body rocked; I couldn't think straight. Jack didn't hold back one bit in giving me the love I knew he wished he could be giving Audrey. I didn't care if he was thinking about Audrey or not, because I was thinking about Daniel. It was a twisted union, but that didn't shake the fact that it was the most satisfying sex I had ever had in my life. I felt a release like I had never felt before and Jack gave his last few efforts. In one final, hard movement, he stopped, his chest heaving, and pulled away to lie beside me on the couch.

Nothing more was said; there was a mutual understanding between us two it seemed. The only time either of us moved was when Jack got up to actually pull the couch out all the way so we could hold each other properly. No, I didn't worry while we were having sex, but as we held each other on the couch, I couldn't help but feel slightly worried about the strain this could have on my friendships with Audrey and Daniel if this got out. Jack and I would have to be the best kept secret since me and Mr. Holland.

"Hey, Rowena?" Jack asked huskily after all of the silence.

"Yeah Jack?" I asked.

"You're a pretty cool chick, ya know?" said Jack.

I laughed. "You're not so bad yourself," I said. All the weirdness of the day aside, I was glad I got to know this other, more desirable side of Jack. Facing Audrey later would almost be worth it.