ChapterEight: My Best Friend's Wedding, Part I
Despite his promise to talk to Janet, and tell her how he felt about her, Jack pulled a move that many a commitment phobic male had done in the past – put it off until the next day. And the next day, and the next. . .well, you get the idea. However, while this tactic saved him from what he thought of as almost certain rejection, he also didn't seem to be using an kind of calendar or other time indicator, seeing as it was only three short days until Janet's wedding day. And like many hot blooded females over the years, Terri was becoming increasingly impatient and agitated by her friend.
"Jack, you do realize what day it is right? And when the wedding is?" She confronted him at breakfast that morning, shortly after Jay and Janet had left.
He sighed, and kept his eyes peeled downward like a scolded puppy. "Yeah, yeah. I know what day it is."
"So. . . what are you planning on doing?"
"Nothing."
The sound of a metal spoon hitting glass bowls was never a pleasant sound, but accompanied with the twisted look of, was it, yes, horror, on Terri's face the sound seemed only magnified and Jack winced when he saw it.
"WHAT?!"
"Terri, keep your voice down, huh?"
"Keep my voice – Jack Tripper, you had better explain yourself or I'll. . . I'll. . .well I don't know right now, but it'll be bad."
"Look, I've been watching her for the last mouth and she's happy. Happy, Terri. I can't break that up. If anything, I need Janet's friendship. And I won't do anything to ruin her relationship with Jay. If that's what she wants, then, well, she'll have it. I just want her happy."
Terri gaped at him in open shock. "Jack, I think that may be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say. And that's saying a lot. If you had half a brain cell left you'd go and find that girl and tell her."
"I killed that cell thinking about this whole thing."
Terri threw him a look, but refused to respond to that comment. "I'm being serious, Jack."
"So am I! You think this is easy for me? Watching her walk off into the sunset with that, god like guy? It's no cup of coffee that's for sure. But I'm putting up with it. Dealing the way I know how. So, please, let it be."
Terri continued to stare at him in confusion, making it obvious that she would never understand his slightly warped logic to the situation. "There are times, Jack, when I really, honestly, do not get you. And I'd be lying if I didn't say that this was one of those times."
"You don't need to get me, as long as I understand me."
She shook her head and sighed, before pushing herself away from the table and gracefully standing up to take her plate to the sink. When that was done she turned back around to face him. "Alright Jack. We play it your way. Nothing happens. Janet marries Jay and lives happily ever after. Maybe. But what I don't understand is how you can just sit back and let it happen. Janet will always be your friend. You and I both know that. Why condemn yourself for something that doesn't need to happen?"
Jack averted his eyes again, and repeated Terri's earlier motions. He walked to the door of the kitchen and glanced back at Terri threw pained eyes.
"If it doesn't need to happen, then what does it matter?"
And he left.
When she was sure he had left after hearing the door open and close briefly, she took her previous seat and let out a long drawn out breath. This was turning out to be much more of a hassle and taking far too much time then she believed in the first place. Running a hand through her long blonde hair, she thought hard on a plan to convince Jack of what he need to do without making him revert back into himself more then normal. As a smudge of a defense formed in her mind, she tried to think of someone who could help her with this entire thing.
A wide, almost evil grin spread across her face when one solitary name fell into place in her mind.
Larry.
* * *
"This had better be good Lar, because I can't say that I'm in too good of a mood today. And I'm really tired."
"Yeah, I noticed," Larry grunted in answer, but continued leading Jack to somewhere that was really beginning to scare Jack. Of course, he trusted Larry. Just not with his life.
"Are you going to going to tell me where we're going?"
"Surprise."
"Oh, really? And for what occasion is this that I deserve a surprise?"
"Ten year anniversary."
"Of what?"
"Day we met."
Jack smirked and raised an eyebrow as he eyed Larry's back in confusion. "That one girl, Linda, was right after all. You really are kind of girly."
Larry threw a look back at him, and sneered. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Hilarious Jack. Regular fifth Marx brother you are."
"Fifth?"
"Yeah. Groucho, Harpo, Cheeko, and Zeppo."
"Oh."
Conversation stopped as they continued on their little hallway walk. Larry kept his face as stoic as possible while explaining the situation to Jack and then leading him on this little wild goose chase. When Terri had come to him with this idea, he had about doubled over laughing as he thought of Jack's face when he realized what was happening. And the surprising cleverness of it, made Larry jump on the band wagon fairly fast. After, of course, seeing what was in it for him. Besides his friends happiness, of course.
And now here they were.
They stopped at a room down the darkened hall. Jack again threw his friend a strange look, but merely crossed his arms over his chest and just gave in without vocal protest to the weird look on Larry's face. Or the erratic behavior.
"In you go, Jacky-boy," Larry said in an almost satanic voice, that again, made Jack raise an eyebrow.
He shrugged and walked into the semi-light room. Once completely inside, he turned around, mouth open to confront Larry, only to be greeted with the door slamming and locking, in front of his face. He frowned and banged on the door.
"Larry? Larry! Would you open the door?!"
No answer came and he banged once more on the door, before sighing loudly in the strange room. He was about to turn around when he heard a very familiar, very distinct female voice that made him about freeze in his very steps.
"Jack?"
He turned around and looked up.
Janet. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly suddenly realizing what was going on and wishing he hadn't been blind in self-pity to see the plan being formed.
"Damn you, Terri," He muttered to himself, before quietly walking over to where Janet was standing firmly in the middle of the room.
* * *
AN: I am SO sorry for the inconvenience and act of seeming negligence on my part when it came to this story. (And all my other stories as well) But after some time off from my ridiculously hectic schedule, I was finally able to get this chapter done and ready for publish! So, my deepest apologizes to any and everyone who has emailed me and left all the atonishing notes wishing me to write again. Thank you for getting me to finally get this part done! And promise to finish the entire story soon! (Hopefully!)
Despite his promise to talk to Janet, and tell her how he felt about her, Jack pulled a move that many a commitment phobic male had done in the past – put it off until the next day. And the next day, and the next. . .well, you get the idea. However, while this tactic saved him from what he thought of as almost certain rejection, he also didn't seem to be using an kind of calendar or other time indicator, seeing as it was only three short days until Janet's wedding day. And like many hot blooded females over the years, Terri was becoming increasingly impatient and agitated by her friend.
"Jack, you do realize what day it is right? And when the wedding is?" She confronted him at breakfast that morning, shortly after Jay and Janet had left.
He sighed, and kept his eyes peeled downward like a scolded puppy. "Yeah, yeah. I know what day it is."
"So. . . what are you planning on doing?"
"Nothing."
The sound of a metal spoon hitting glass bowls was never a pleasant sound, but accompanied with the twisted look of, was it, yes, horror, on Terri's face the sound seemed only magnified and Jack winced when he saw it.
"WHAT?!"
"Terri, keep your voice down, huh?"
"Keep my voice – Jack Tripper, you had better explain yourself or I'll. . . I'll. . .well I don't know right now, but it'll be bad."
"Look, I've been watching her for the last mouth and she's happy. Happy, Terri. I can't break that up. If anything, I need Janet's friendship. And I won't do anything to ruin her relationship with Jay. If that's what she wants, then, well, she'll have it. I just want her happy."
Terri gaped at him in open shock. "Jack, I think that may be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say. And that's saying a lot. If you had half a brain cell left you'd go and find that girl and tell her."
"I killed that cell thinking about this whole thing."
Terri threw him a look, but refused to respond to that comment. "I'm being serious, Jack."
"So am I! You think this is easy for me? Watching her walk off into the sunset with that, god like guy? It's no cup of coffee that's for sure. But I'm putting up with it. Dealing the way I know how. So, please, let it be."
Terri continued to stare at him in confusion, making it obvious that she would never understand his slightly warped logic to the situation. "There are times, Jack, when I really, honestly, do not get you. And I'd be lying if I didn't say that this was one of those times."
"You don't need to get me, as long as I understand me."
She shook her head and sighed, before pushing herself away from the table and gracefully standing up to take her plate to the sink. When that was done she turned back around to face him. "Alright Jack. We play it your way. Nothing happens. Janet marries Jay and lives happily ever after. Maybe. But what I don't understand is how you can just sit back and let it happen. Janet will always be your friend. You and I both know that. Why condemn yourself for something that doesn't need to happen?"
Jack averted his eyes again, and repeated Terri's earlier motions. He walked to the door of the kitchen and glanced back at Terri threw pained eyes.
"If it doesn't need to happen, then what does it matter?"
And he left.
When she was sure he had left after hearing the door open and close briefly, she took her previous seat and let out a long drawn out breath. This was turning out to be much more of a hassle and taking far too much time then she believed in the first place. Running a hand through her long blonde hair, she thought hard on a plan to convince Jack of what he need to do without making him revert back into himself more then normal. As a smudge of a defense formed in her mind, she tried to think of someone who could help her with this entire thing.
A wide, almost evil grin spread across her face when one solitary name fell into place in her mind.
Larry.
* * *
"This had better be good Lar, because I can't say that I'm in too good of a mood today. And I'm really tired."
"Yeah, I noticed," Larry grunted in answer, but continued leading Jack to somewhere that was really beginning to scare Jack. Of course, he trusted Larry. Just not with his life.
"Are you going to going to tell me where we're going?"
"Surprise."
"Oh, really? And for what occasion is this that I deserve a surprise?"
"Ten year anniversary."
"Of what?"
"Day we met."
Jack smirked and raised an eyebrow as he eyed Larry's back in confusion. "That one girl, Linda, was right after all. You really are kind of girly."
Larry threw a look back at him, and sneered. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Hilarious Jack. Regular fifth Marx brother you are."
"Fifth?"
"Yeah. Groucho, Harpo, Cheeko, and Zeppo."
"Oh."
Conversation stopped as they continued on their little hallway walk. Larry kept his face as stoic as possible while explaining the situation to Jack and then leading him on this little wild goose chase. When Terri had come to him with this idea, he had about doubled over laughing as he thought of Jack's face when he realized what was happening. And the surprising cleverness of it, made Larry jump on the band wagon fairly fast. After, of course, seeing what was in it for him. Besides his friends happiness, of course.
And now here they were.
They stopped at a room down the darkened hall. Jack again threw his friend a strange look, but merely crossed his arms over his chest and just gave in without vocal protest to the weird look on Larry's face. Or the erratic behavior.
"In you go, Jacky-boy," Larry said in an almost satanic voice, that again, made Jack raise an eyebrow.
He shrugged and walked into the semi-light room. Once completely inside, he turned around, mouth open to confront Larry, only to be greeted with the door slamming and locking, in front of his face. He frowned and banged on the door.
"Larry? Larry! Would you open the door?!"
No answer came and he banged once more on the door, before sighing loudly in the strange room. He was about to turn around when he heard a very familiar, very distinct female voice that made him about freeze in his very steps.
"Jack?"
He turned around and looked up.
Janet. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly suddenly realizing what was going on and wishing he hadn't been blind in self-pity to see the plan being formed.
"Damn you, Terri," He muttered to himself, before quietly walking over to where Janet was standing firmly in the middle of the room.
* * *
AN: I am SO sorry for the inconvenience and act of seeming negligence on my part when it came to this story. (And all my other stories as well) But after some time off from my ridiculously hectic schedule, I was finally able to get this chapter done and ready for publish! So, my deepest apologizes to any and everyone who has emailed me and left all the atonishing notes wishing me to write again. Thank you for getting me to finally get this part done! And promise to finish the entire story soon! (Hopefully!)