Draculaura sighed as she, Frankie and Clawdeen sat down at the quik-fold white 3-piece patio cafe set in front of Dairy Scream with various ice cream flavors in hand. The white and green umbrella shaded the three teens from the suns' harsh rays that seem to shine over Salem.
"Wait so you're telling me that you think that guy in the picture on Catty's critter page is Jackson?" Clawdeen exchanged a quick look with Draculaura before both ghouls burst into hysteria.
"I'm being serious!" Frankie pulled out her ICoffin from her bag and showed the picture of the mystery guy standing next to Pharaoh. "I thought he looked familiar because I have seen him before! I'm telling you guys, this is Jackson!"
Frankie huffed in aggravation as she watched her two best friends cackle and grin at her explanation.
"Okay, okay," Clawdeen began to settle down, yet still had a Cheshire grin plastered to her face "Say that this guy really is Jackson, why would he pop up from outta nowhere? "
Draculaura dipped a small red spoon into her creamy, white vanilla ice cream "Better yet, why would he be hanging out with Pharaoh and Catty, it's not like they were close."
"Yeah but a lot can happen in two years and to be completely truthful I don't think we knew Jackson as well as we thought."
Clawdeen and Draculaura suddenly stiffened as they looked at Frankie.
"What makes you say that?" Clawdeen asked, completely serious. Her eyes locked onto Frankie, and the minty green ghoul looked uneasy, as if she were trying to piece together a puzzle with one piece. Her face was mixture of concentration and curiosity. Frankie didn't know what Clawdeen knew about Jackson, sure Frankie was his girlfriend, but never did their relationship ever drift to Jackson. It was based tightly around Frankie and what she wanted. Jackson and Holt spoiled her like a princess after they had gotten themselves together and wanted nothing more than to keep her happy.
Frankie took in a deep sigh and looked to see if anyone else was around to listen, once she saw that people had been minding their business and unworried about her, she spoke, "Jackson kept a lot of secrets. I mean a lot. Every time I tried to ask him about something that was going on, he would just say it's nothing."
"Jackson was secretive, I will admit but that doesn't mean they have a whole double life we don't know about."
"... Now that I think about it Jackson was extremely secretive. Don't you find it a little weird that none of us have been to Jackson's house? All of the sleepovers, the study sessions, lazy fangouts… we've never done at his house."
"I've been to Jackson's house plenty of times." Draculaura chimed rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, on his porch. But have you ever gone inside?"
Draculaura and Clawdeen exchanged a look once and then turn to Frankie.
"where is this coming from?" Clawdeen asked slightly frowning.
"I-I don't know. I really don't."
"Frankie, spring break isn't too far away. I know you're starting to feel guilty again, it happens every time we get off break for the Boo Years."
Frankie absent-mindedly played with her ice cream as she listened to Clawdeen speak.
"I know you Frankie, I know that deep down you want this to be Jackson so you can finally see if he's okay."
"No!" Draculaura and Clawdeen stared at a teary-eyed Frankie. "I need this to be Jackson! I need this to be him... I-I… I just want him to be okay..." To Clawdeen, Frankie sounded as if it were the last day of their short-lived vacation.
Broken and ashamed, Frankie sat with her head in between her legs and her slender fingers gripping her black and white hair as she silently sobbed. Her eyes stung and here head throbbed. Huge pangs of sorrow crashed her conscious like an eighteen-wheeler tractor trailer smashing into already fragile glass each time she thought about the chaos she had caused hours before.
"It had to be here didn't it? You just had to drag your drama with us on our vacation!"
"Heath leave her alone!" Clawdeen cried.
"Leave her alone?! Are you kidding me?! If it weren't for her we'd still be sitting by the fire right now!"
"It's not all her fault, Holt started the fight."
"He wouldn't have been fighting if his girlfriend hadn't told him she was cheating on him."
Cleo grunted, crossed her arms with a scowl and icily glanced toward Frankie, "Why do you hate fun?"
"Shut up Cleo."
"I didn't mean for this to happen!" Frankie shouted. "any of it…"
"Well you failed."
Frankie shook her head as remorse invaded her thoughts. What was she thinking? How could she do such a thing to the two boys who treated her like a queen, who worshipped her as deity and thought of her twenty-four-seven. She should have ended it after they got home. No, she should have ended it before he gave her that stupid promise ring. She should have just ended it with them when she had the chance, but it was too late for 'should haves', the damage had already been done.
God, he must hate her right now. They'd been nothing but patient and generous when it came to their relationship but she was selfish and reckless. She wanted something that kept her adrenaline running, a secret of her own that she knew would only stay between she and her clumsy lover. Now in the process of getting what she wanted, she sacrificed stability for surreptitious. She shook her head, as she tried to get the distraught look on his face out of her head. The look he gave her before he turned into a walking fire hazard, killed her inside. It was shock, anguish and confusion all rolled together. They didn't deserve this, and they didn't deserve to be lied to.
She paused, her eyes widened in realization.
How was Jackson going to take this?
She had been so caught up in the havoc that she's totally forgot about Jackson. Her puffy eyes, watered again at the thought that she'd have to live with the thought that Jackson might hate her. Jackson was different, he wasn't going to find the guy that had been messing with his girlfriend and pick a fight. He was much to gentle and scrawny to attempt at anything remotely violent. However, he could hold a mean grudge. He still hadn't forgiven Mewlody and Purrsephone for their harsh prank earlier this year. She knew his sweet, precious heart would break hearing what she had done. Frankie's quiet sobs turned to violent bawling and shaking. She had never been more ashamed in herself than she had today.
"I can't believe they're sending everyone home." Frankie lifted her head from her lap as she examined her surroundings through teary, red eyes. Teenage monsters flooded the airport terminal with personal belongings of suitcases, sleeping gear and deflated beach floaties. Most of the seats were filled with sleeping teens, others laid slumped against the glass wall waiting for their parents to take them back home. She looked at all the miserable teens and wept. This was her fault. Everyone was forced to go home all thanks to her.
The next two hours had gone by terribly slow. Frankie finally managed to stop crying, but still felt sin burn her insides. Her own personal scarlet letter to remember her affair. This was not going to be swept under the rug and she knew it. Her friends would surely give her grieve when they got to Salem. The rest of the school would be mad at her and Holt for ruining their spring break, but her friends would be mad at her because of her unloyalty.
"Frankie?"
Her heart dropped at the sound of his voice. She was scared to turn around and face him, oh how she wished a satellite fell from the sky and crush her right now. But wishes don't come true, especially for those who didn't deserve it. She had to face him, she had to explain herself, he deserved answers and she had owed it to him.
With a heavy sigh Frankie sat up and had twisted to see him. Jackson looked awful, his sparkly blue eyes that had held hope and joy were now dull and gloomy. The bags under his eyes suggested Frankie had not been the only one crying tonight. His hair was disheveled and his knuckles were badly bruised. Guilt washed over her all over again as she saw him. He'd look as though he'd been crying and his bruised knuckles suggested he'd released his rage. On what? That was anyone's guess.
"We need to talk."
Frankie gulped as she stood up and followed Jackson to a small terminal café on the far left away from the remainder of teens.
Draculaura sighed, "we all want Jackson and Holt to be okay."
There was a pregnant pause as Frankie wiped the corner of her eyes with a little green and white polka dot napkin. "I'm sorry guys, it's just…"
"We know."
Silence lingered at the table leaving the three teens to their thoughts. Clouds had
Frankie looked continuously at the napkin as if it were the most riveting thing at the table. Draculaura sat there staring across the street, her arms folded loosely over her chest and an annoyed expression on her face. Clawdeen noticed this awkward silence and cleared her throat.
"So, when and what time does your mom want us to show up for dinner?"
Frankie looked up and shrugged her shoulders. "Sometime soon. She says wants to have a 'tea party' without the tea."
"Well just let us know- "A phone starts to ring. Clawdeen stopped mid-sentence and grabbed her purse, violently digging through and grabbing her ICoffin. "Hello?" Clawdeen sighs and placed a hand over her face. "Okay, here I come." She then hung up and heavily sighed.
"Who was that?" Draculaura asked.
"My idiot brothers… They locked themselves out the house. I'll see you ghouls later." With that she grabbed her belongings and left the two in silence.
Frankie looked at Draculaura. The pink ghoul sitting in front of her looked distracted.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." Draculaura looked at her friend and smiled "Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
Draculaura looked back over across the street "Just stuff, nothing important."