The baskets did indeed arrive on Monday and Jack willingly accepted the invite to help with them.
Every day, the albino would follow Aster home after school to help him work on painting the wicker egg holders bright, spring colors for an hour or so and then he'd head back to the Overland's to lie on his bed and stare at the ceiling for hours. He barely touched his homework, but his teachers didn't punish him. Everyone knew about the trial thanks to the papers and the news and one look at Jack was enough to realize how badly it was affecting him.
The whole gang seemed to be affected by it. Nick's laughter wasn't quite as boisterous as it used to be and Ana seemed to be perpetually worrying about something. Sandy's smiles and easygoing nature were replaced by constant troubled looks and a constant air of anxious. The only member of the gang who'd had something of a positive reaction was Aster, who'd replaced his nervousness with determination.
Aster would have given anything to return to his former state of being a blubbering idiot, though, if it meant that Jack would be his normal self again. As the days passed and Jack continued to look worse and worse, though, Aster started to wonder if he'd even see Jack's true smile again.
The bell rang, making Jack jump slightly before he sighed and tiredly grabbed his backpack from the floor, holding back a yawn. He was so tired and so sick of nightmares. What he wouldn't give for a decent, dreamless sleep.
With a heavy heart and clenched fists, he made his way out of the classroom to where a smiling Ana was waiting for him, leaning against the wall by the door as she did every day. He gave her a tired greeting and then they began to move through the hallways towards their final class of the day.
As they walked, Ana happily chattered about how her day had been going and Jack shuffled along beside her, content to just listen. He was so tired that he wanted to collapse and he could feel the beginnings of a headache pounding against his brow. Three weeks. Three weeks until he had to face Pitch for the first time since the fire. Three weeks until he had to tell a bunch of strangers how his first love had almost killed him twice. Three weeks to hell. The mere thought made him feel sick.
They turned a corner and Aster came into view, walking the opposite way with Nick and Sandy by his side.
The sight of his best friend made Jack smile despite how tired, scared, and worn out he felt. He couldn't wait for school to be over so he could go to Aster's house and paint. He was pretty certain that his daily visits to the Wilder house were the only thing keeping him from breaking down due to the growing terror in his heart and the never-ending attack of the nightmares.
He really couldn't express how grateful he was that Aster never talked about the trial around him or commented on how terrible he looked. All the Australian ever did was talk about painting, books, Sophie, or the twins. Things that made Jack smile, laugh, and forget about his fears for a while. It was like heaven.
As always, Ana and Jack waved at the trio of boys as they passed each other in the hallway. They made this exchange every day between seventh and eighth period, but today something was different. As Aster casually raised his hand and waved back, Jack suddenly found his heart racing as blood rushed to his cheeks. Thoughts of bright-green eyes and deep, rich laughter pushed aside all others and the albino found himself stumbling down the hallway in a state of shock. Though the dazed teen continued to move along with the crowd, he had stopped watching where he was going, his mind floating in a happy ether a thousand miles away. He was so far gone that Ana had to grab onto his arm and pull him to a stop to keep him from running into a wall.
"Jack, what's wrong?" she asked, several weeks' worth of concern evident in her voice.
A breathy "Oh" was his only reply.
"Jack?" She asked again, even more worried now that she'd had time to notice his flushed cheeks and uneven breathing pattern.
He looked at her with widened eyes and made a few strangled sounds, but nothing coherent escaped his pale lips.
"Jack, do you need to go to the nurse?" Ana raised a hand and placed it against his forehead, checking his temperature. He did feel a little on the warm side, but he shook his head in denial when she suggested a possible fever. He didn't offer another explanation, though. He was too busy staring at her with his eyes full of swirling emotions to even think about speaking.
Ana was annoyed now and in full on mama mode. "Then tell me what's wrong or I am dragging you to the nurse's office, mister."
He nodded and pointed to the classroom behind them, which was thankfully unused this period.
Ana guided him inside the empty room and forced him to sit down on the floor in case he fainted. Once that task was complete, she crossed her arms, looked down at him, and demanded, "What is going on, Jack?"
The albino was grinning with wonder now and all the thoughts that had been rushing around his head started to pour from his mouth. "It's just that I realized I, I don't know why I didn't notice it sooner! How long have I felt like this? I guess things were just so crazy that I, I don't know! It's the most wonderful thing and, boy are his eyes the most amazing shade of green."
Ana was starting to get angry. "Jack! What. Is. Going. On?"
The albino's grin turned into the smile that had captured his secret admirer's heart all those months ago and he started to laugh as the words, "I think I'm in love with Aster!" burst forth from his pale lips.