Chapter 7

Confronting the Ultras

(Thursday April 13th 2017, 3:00pm)

It was the end of another day, near the end of Jack's second week in Ewen High School and, as far as Jack was concerned, it had been another successful day. Now he, Carrie, Norma and Freddy were at their lockers dropping off the books they didn't need and getting those they needed for their homework before they left school for the day.

"And that's the end of another day here." Jack said, as he closed his locker door and then locked it up. He then headed off to the main entrance to meet up with Carrie, Freddy and Norma. He saw them standing near to the doors talking to each other as most of the other students made their way out and headed on home.

"Hey, Jack…you feeling eager to get back to your apartment after today?" Freddy asked.

"Yes, and after a hard day like today, I'm eager to get back and really relax for a good long while after the day we've had." Jack said.

"Well before you go, would you like to go get a drink and a cake in one of the nearby coffee shops and maybe a walk round the park before then?" Norma asked.

"Yeah, it's something that may help us relax after today." Carrie said.

"Sure; after all Ms Desjardin told me that she isn't due to finish up until just a little after half four this afternoon. She said something about supervising an after-school sports training group, or something along those lines." Jack said.

"Okay, let's go while it's still a lovely day out." Freddy said, and they headed out of the school doors, before turning right and heading down to the street to the coffee shop where Jack and Carrie had gone on their first outing together the previous week.

They soon arrived at their favourite coffee shop, The Cup A' Joe, went inside and ordered drinks and slices of cake; Jack and Carrie had rich chocolate cake while Norma and Freddy had cherry pie. After paying for their orders, they went over to a table by the window and sat down. Tucking into their food, they talked quietly among themselves about TV shows they liked to watch.

"So, you still like watching Thunderbirds, Jack?" Norma asked, as she took in another spoonful of her cherry pie, one of her favourite dishes.

"I do; I loved to watch it back when I was a kid and I still love it now even in my late teens." Jack said.

"And that show was made back in the mid 1960's with electronic puppets, was it?" Freddy said.

"It was, as pioneered by its now deceased creator, Gerry Anderson; it's a way of film-making that's not done very much today, if at all, especially when you see all the CGI animated stuff that's all the rage now, though I've seen the old-fashioned way being done in commercials and so forth from time to time…purely for nostalgia purposes I assume." Jack said, taking a sip of his tea.

"But it's not widely done in TV that way now, I assume?" Norma said.

"Indeed not, it's expensive and difficult to set the puppets up and if something went wrong while filming, it takes a lot of time to get things re-set again so you could take a second shot, hoping of course nothing will go wrong again." Jack said, taking another forkful of cake.

"So, you much rather prefer the older versions of TV shows that you saw when you were younger?" Freddy asked.

"Absolutely; in fact, if you were to give me the choice of watching newer CGI versions of classic shows I saw when I was a kid, or to watch the older episodes of said shows, I would always go for the older episodes. They just…have a certain way about them that newer C.G.I. animation will NEVER match." Jack said.

"Oh, I know what you mean." Norma said, with a smile.

Carrie smiled and simply sat down and listened to the other three talking while she ate through her slice of rich moist chocolate cake. In the past week that had gone by since Jack arrived at Ewen High, Carrie's confidence and self-esteem had improved considerably and, though she was still slowly opening up, she was no longer afraid to speak up when she wanted to and admitted, only to herself, that she was becoming attracted to the young Irish boy who had helped to a great extent her over the last few days.

She knew she was becoming attracted to Jack, yet at the same time she wondered if he felt the same as she did. Though she had secretly read books about romance and how people in those stories fell in love, she knew in real life things usually didn't happen that way. Yet when she thought about Jack, it would positively affect her emotions and her telekinetic powers, which would make them stronger.

For the last few days, Carrie had been thinking about showing Jack her powers, yet she wasn't sure how he'd react if she showed him. She was a little concerned that he might react negatively if she did, and so she decided not to show him yet even though he promised he would always be her friend.

"Hey Carrie, are you okay?" asked Jack, noticing the uncertain look on Carrie's face.

"Oh, I'm okay Jack, I was just…thinking about something." Carrie said.

"It's okay, Anyway Carrie, have you ever seen Thunderbirds?" asked Jack.

"No, I haven't…we actually haven't got a TV in my house." Carrie admitted.

"Really?" Norma asked, with some surprise.

"Yes, my momma…isn't really interested in TV." Carrie said, unsure if she should admit what her private life at home was like.

"Well, in that case I'll have to show it to you sometime. And don't worry, I have all 32 episodes of the series on my laptop." said Jack.

"Thank you." Carrie said, as she smiled, and then they carried on with finishing their drinks and slices of cake or pie.

(40 minutes later)

After finishing their food and drinks at the coffee shop, the four friends were approaching Ewen High School on their way to the park which lay just a hundred yards or so beyond it. They were all still chatting away as they walked along together.

"So, how long have you been interested in the Titanic, Jack?" Freddy asked.

"For a little over 10 years now. It's something I've always been interested in, and when the subject grabs hold of you…it will not let go." Jack said.

"Yeah, but how did it happen?" Norma asked.

"When I saw James Cameron's 1997 movie Titanic, back when I was eight years old. I was so intrigued by the story of that ship when I saw it…I had to find out more about it. It led on to me seeing other movies about the Titanic such as A Night to Remember, which came out back in 1958 and even today is considered one of the best films ever made about Titanic. The subject just grew on me, just like it would with anyone who becomes interested in such a subject like Titanic. Once it gets into you, it never leaves." Jack said.

"Do you have many books about it?" asked Carrie.

"Yeah, I have. I've about 85 books about it, and a few more about other famous ocean liners back home." said Jack.

"Eighty-five Titanic books? How on earth do you find time to read them all?" Freddy asked in slight disbelief, as all four came to a stop right in front of the school.

"Oh, I've found time to read them all over the years. And whenever I go on trips or whatever, I always bring at least one or two of them with me." Jack said, giving them a wink and a smile.

"And do you always try add some of the latest ones when they come out?" Norma asked.

"Well, I always try to, but I also always try to avoid the ones that are full of made-up stuff about things regarding the sinking that didn't happen...conspiracy theories in other words." Jack said.

Carrie smiled at Jack, but then as she turned to look up along the path ahead, her smile quickly disappeared. Then her face got paler and heart rate picked up a bit when she noticed a familiar group of people coming directly towards them.

Then her eyes opened a little wider, and her heart rate picked up even more, when she saw just who it was; it was the Ultras, with their leader Chris Hargensen in front of them, coming right towards them, and judging from the grins on their faces, Carrie knew it wasn't for pleasant reasons. But before she could even turn and escape, they arrived and around them other students were gathering too, many of them with their iPhones or iPads out, ready to capture what was about to happen.

The four friends, now that Jack, Freddy and Norma had seen the Ultras coming their way too, mounted their guard and waited for what was about to happen.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't Creepy Carrie White. I see that you've been busy since I've been gone, gotten the photographer nerd to hang out with you, and the senior class president too. Did you both promise him he could take some nude photos of you? Pathetic, he's probably the only one in school who'd find both of you attractive enough to even get a hard on." Chris said, which was quickly followed by mocking laughter from all the other girls in the group behind her.

However, Carrie didn't look down to the ground but instead frowned in anger on hearing that. Freddy and Norma frowned too and clenched their fists at what Chris had said. They'd begun to see Carrie as the sister they'd never had before and hearing the bully talk to Carrie in such a manner like that made them fume with rage.

Chris Hargensen then turned her attention to Jack; his cold angry eyes bore hard and disapprovingly into hers which unnerved her a bit, but she shook that off and continued.

"Oh, you must be Jack Sullivan; the new guy from Ireland who joined our little school just last week." she said, as her cronies then turned their gazes to Jack as well.

"Aye, that's me." Jack said coldly, never taking his eyes off Chris.

"I heard what you did for Creepy Carrie in the hallways last week. You shouldn't have bothered to be honest…the little bible thumper deserves everything that happens to her. Don't waste your time with someone in this school who'll never be respected or accepted. However, if you leave her and join me and my group, I guarantee you'll have the best time of your life here. Because…whatever I want to have, I'll always get. So, what do ya say big boy?" Chris said, while giving Jack her best sultry look. However, Jack stared at her coldly for a few moments, clearly unimpressed - as well as being appalled internally by this statement - before he took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Chris Hargensen; I've heard quite a lot about you and your…little group." he said, when he noticed that two girls weren't with the other Ultras. Sue Snell and Heather Shyres weren't present, but he ignored that little issue and focused on the girls who were standing in front of him.

"Oh, and what have you heard about us? Good things I hope?" Chris said, as she smiled and the other Ultras did the same. After a brief pause, Jack shook his head.

"No, it's just that…if I were to call you all whores, it'd be an insult to law abiding prostitutes everywhere." Jack said straight and bluntly, while crossing his arms and smiling mockingly at Chris and her followers.

Silence was heard as all the other students watching were shocked and surprised that the young Irish student who had joined their school a week before had just insulted the most popular and powerful clique of girls in school, something they hadn't expected to occur.

The faces of Chris and the other Ultras went red from embarrassment and anger from being insulted in such a vicious and blunt manner; clearly, they hadn't been expecting to hear this either.

"What the FUCK did you just say to me?! Who do you think you are in talking to me in such a way like that?!" Do you know what I could even do to you?!" she yelled at Jack, who wasn't even the slightest bit intimidated by Chris's actions. He just chuckled mockingly for a moment before he spoke to the angry girl before him, but this time with a much more serious expression on his face than before.

"First of all, you heard what I said, so I won't repeat it. Second, I'm someone who's had enough of your bullshit and the way that you've been treating others in this school who you think are below you. Third, I don't care what YOU think you can do to me; my French teacher back at my school in Dublin is a much nastier piece of work than you are or ever will ever be." Jack said.

All the other students around watching all went "Ohhhhh," or chuckled when they heard this; clearly this young Irishman had plenty of experience in dealing with bullies before. They were all impressed by the way Jack was conducting himself now that he was face to face with Chris Hargensen and her clique of girls.

From the windows of the Staff Room on the second floor of the school, a few of the teachers, who had been resting after their day, had overheard what was going on and were looking over the front of the school to see what the commotion was. Among them was Rita Desjardin, and she was impressed that someone was finally standing up to Chris and the other Ultras, though she noticed Sue and Heather weren't there.

Chris was growling with rage at her threats being completely dismissed by the young Irishman before her. Who was he to stand up to her? She then turned her attention to Carrie, who was standing just slightly behind Jack.

"Did you tell him lies, huh?! What kind of lies did you tell him about me and my friends, Creepy Carrie?!" Chris shouted, as she focused her eyes on the now scared Carrie, who couldn't answer and took a step back. But luckily, Jack stepped in front of Carrie, protecting her from Chris' inevitable wrath. He placed his hands on her shoulders and thrust her back, much to the shock and surprise of the Ultras as well as the other students watching.

"Oh, Carrie didn't tell me anything about either you or any other girl in your group; I got all THAT information by myself." Jack said, and he pulled out his iPhone from an inside pocket of his jacket and opened one of the files.

"Tina Blake…." he said, looking at the girl in question who jumped back slightly; "…start of the year last September, your average grade in English was a C+, and then suddenly by mid-January, you're getting an A+ in all exams and papers. Hmm, that's very suspicious if you ask me. Very suspicious indeed." he said, while glaring at Tina, who nervously glanced at the other students who were all now watching her with interest.

"I…I…I studied r-real hard to b-boost my grades. R-really I d-did." stuttered Tina, in a very nervous voice. Jack merely scoffed at that, clearly not too convinced.

"Oh, a likely explanation; but I happen to know HOW you've been getting ahead of everyone else, and I have all the evidence for that here." he said, looking at the evidence on his iPhone.

"Mr Ullmann, it's Tina from your class. I just want to know if there's anything I can do to boost my grades. I'm willing to do anything…and that's quite the picture you've sent with that text. I'd read the rest of it, but it gets way beyond PG-13, so I'll stop there." Jack said, giving a mocking grin. Tina was mortified and went red with embarrassment and horror at her secrets being revealed, as the other students again went "Ohhhhh" or just laughed at her.

"How did you get those?! Those were private messages!" she shouted in embarrassment, as Jack simply chuckled mockingly.

"Oh, technology is quite the thing these days. You'll be amazed just how easy it is to get someone's private information if you know how to. Also, I know someone who's a whizz with computers and can easily get any information I want." Jack said with a mocking smile. The person was actually a girl, and a close friend of his three sisters, who, like he said, was a whizz with computers and was easily able to get all the information he needed to take down the Ultras. Also, a certain Rita Desjardin had "borrowed" the student progress reports and sent him copies.

Tina stared down at the ground; with her secret out and everyone going to find out about it by the next morning, she hoped it was just a bad dream, but she knew it wasn't a dream and would have to deal with the consequences of it.

All the others were watching astonishment at the unexpected events that were taking place before them; Jack was clearly only one man as they could see, but considering the way he was standing up to Chris and her minions, it made him seem like an army.

Jack opened another file on his iPhone, before turning to the other Ultras before him.

"The Wilson twins Cora and Rhonda, the Watson twins Nicki and Lizzy, Jessica Upshaw, Rachel Spies and Donna Kellogg; there's nothing as…incriminating as Tina, but still…quite a long list of complaints that were made about you by other students as well as…questionable conversations and comments about certain teachers and students in this school, such as Carrie. Why, if all this leaked out on the internet, it'd really spoil whatever future plans you may have." Jack said, looking at the other seven girls before him.

The faces of the other girls went pale at the thought of their future plans going down the drain. Like Tina, they hoped this was a dream, but at the same time they knew it wasn't and would have to face the consequences when everyone in school found out.

Chris Hargensen felt a wave of fear wash over her; eight of her friends had just had their dirty laundry exposed, and by the looks of things, she was next. And she was right, as she watched with rising anxiousness as Jack turned his grim attention to her. He chuckled for a moment, which made Chris very nervous, much to Jack's satisfaction.

"And finally, we have you, Chris Hargensen; a rich girl with a lawyer for a father, and you no doubt use that as an excuse to feel untouchable by anyone and to treat people like they're lower than dirt. Also, I'm guessing that whenever you've gotten into trouble, be it here at school or with the law, you'd ask your father to make the problems go away. And like the good man that he is, he'll never refuse his… "little princess" …am I right?" he asked but got no response from the angry but anxious Chris Hargensen before him.

Behind him, Carrie, Norma, and Freddy watched with astonished interest as Jack stood up to Ewen High's most notorious bullies. Yet at the same time, their jaws had dropped when they heard Jack reveal the Ultra's dirty laundry. Sparing a glance at Freddy and Norma, Carrie could see small smiles starting to form at the corners of their mouths as they watched Jack stand up to the Ultras. She then turned back to watch what would happen next.

"No answer? All right, I'll continue." Jack said. "Your social media posts are the same as the other Ultras, such as rude comments to students and teachers, specifically Carrie White, who, as I'm sure you know by now, is a very close friend of mine, and I won't tolerate ANY form of bullying or harassment toward her. Am I quite clear on this point?!" he said, but Chris, still in shock, didn't say anything.

Jack then selected another file on his iPhone and looked back up at Chris.

"Oh, now this is interesting! Very interesting indeed! The public records for one Christine C. Hargensen; Public drunkenness, disturbing the peace…well, I'm sure you get the point." Jack said, as he put his iPhone back in the pocket of his safe travel bag under his jacket.

Chris was standing still in shock; her father said he'd made sure no one would ever find those files and records again! But how the hell did this boy from another country get access to them? Right now, her perfect world was starting to crumble right before her very eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Oh…and just so you know Hargensen, I'm not finished with you yet." Jack said, interrupting from her fearful thoughts. She struggled to catch her breath, as she felt truly afraid for the first time in her life.

"Out of all those aforementioned crimes, one of them was the most despicable and the cruellest that I've ever seen before. Of course, I'm talking about a video which YOU posted onto YouTube for people to see!" Jack angrily exclaimed, as he pointed his finger directly at Chris Hargensen, who took a step back in fright.

"You posted a video on one of the cruellest forms of bullying that I've ever seen in my life! Also, Carrie was only 17 years old! Technically, YOU were in possession of, as well as distributed, underage pornography on a community site, which can get you, oh, from 5 to 10 years in your nearest friendly prison...at the VERY least! And just so you know, to really spoil your day, your name would be on the sex offender's registry…permanently! Oh, and before you try to deny anything, you should know that I know someone who can find out who posted an original file, even if it's been deleted. Once it goes online, it never goes away; all someone needs to do is retrieve the file…and hey presto!" Jack said, while clicking his fingers which made Chris jump a little, much to the amusement of the other students watching.

He took a few steps forward until he was face to face with the girl who had tormented his friend for so long, and who was now teetering on the very edge of having a mental breakdown as she stared up at the tall figure of the young man who was determined to protect his friends from any threats, no matter what they were, at all costs.

Jack stopped just a foot or so in front of Chris, where everyone watching could see that he was indeed just a little bit taller than Chris was, about six or seven inches, so he was able to look down at Chris and intimidate her.

"I hate bullies." he said, making sure those filming him could clearly hear him. "I hate those who put down other people for their own sick amusement. That includes people like you Chris Hargensen, so I'm making you a promise right here and right now; if you or any of your "Ultras" come after Carrie, Freddy or Norma, or anyone else like them in a way that would cause them harm…I'll end you. I'll release every scrap of dirt I have on you and your Ultras. Oh, and if you think of sending your thug of a boyfriend Billy Nolan after me, just keep this in mind; I've got quite a bit of dirt on him as well, which was far easier to find. So, remember this; this isn't a warning or a threat…it's a promise…if you ever go anywhere near Carrie again. You got that?!" Jack said, while thrusting his index finger on his right hand at her; Chris, deeply intimidated by someone standing up to her, nodded in fright, breathing in and out quickly to try and keep calm.

"Good! And remember this…you've been warned, Hargensen!"

With his threat well and truly given, Jack backed away from Chris and turned his attention to Carrie, Freddy and Norma, who were all standing in awe of what their friend had just done to Ewen High's notorious bullies before their eyes. Carrie was looking down at the ground, while Norma and Freddy were still gazing at Jack with their jaws agape and eyes open wide.

"Come on, guys; we're finished here." he said, while making a mental note to talk to Carrie in private when they were alone.

The four left and crossed the street before heading over to the park leaving a large group of gobsmacked students and a group of shocked catatonic bullies behind. They had all just witnessed the utterly unexpected; one student, and most unexpectedly a foreign exchange one at that, had just taken on and totally destroyed Ewen High's "Ultras" single handed. The students who had taken photos or videos of what happened were passing them onto their friends or were uploading them to their YouTube or social media accounts. By the next morning, the reputations of Chris Hargensen and the other Ultras would be well on their way to being well and truly destroyed.

Chris, still breathing shakily and in a state of catatonic shock from what just happened, then heard one of the male students who saw what happened say to his friend; "I hope they fuck up really bad. Then we'll really see what their dirty laundry's like."

"Yeah, dude! I hope they REALLY fuck up bad!" the other boy laughed.

From the windows of the Staff Room, the teachers who witnessed what had just taken place on the sidewalk below them were all very impressed by what they'd seen the young foreign exchange student do to the school's notorious bullies by standing up to them. Rita Desjardin especially had a real big smile on her face; she was as proud of Jack as a big sister could be and made a mental note to talk to him about it when she took him back to his apartment a little later.

Yet what no one knew at that moment was that Sue Snell and Heather Shyres and their boyfriends, Tommy Ross and Roy Evarts respectively, had also witnessed what had happened from a distance, far away enough so as not to be seen by anyone, but close enough at the same time so as to hear and witness everything that happened. They were truly astonished by what they'd seen, just like anyone else who was there.

For Sue, seeing Jack admit Carrie was a very close friend of his caused her to think; after the locker incident two weeks prior, she had been feeling horrible since then for taking part in it and had asked her boyfriend, Tommy Ross, to take Carrie to the Senior Prom to try and make up for her mistake. But now, seeing Jack admit to Carrie being one of his best friends, she started to have second thoughts about whether it was a good idea to have Tommy take Carrie to the prom. What she didn't know at that moment, was that Tommy was thinking the very same thoughts.

(With the four friends)

Jack, Carrie, Freddy, and Norma were walking through the park and they'd been walking round one of the duck ponds. All the time, both Freddy and Norma couldn't help but praise Jack for what he did to the Ultras. Norma was especially pleased, as it was about time someone finally stood up to them for the bullshit they'd given others over the years, including to her at times. Freddy praised Jack over again and over again for having nerves and balls made of steel and giving a performance that would make a Marvel superhero proud. Jack just simply smiled and accepted their praise, saying he was happy to step up to the plate, as it was time someone stood up to them, considering all the bullshit they had given people over the last few years.

"Oh, it was really nothing you two. Really it wasn't. Besides, they're chickenshit compared to other bullies I've dealt with over the years." Jack said.

However, Jack noticed that Carrie was still looking down at the ground and was still silent as ever. This was starting to worry him a bit.

"Hey listen, Freddy, Norma…would you mind giving me a few minutes alone with Carrie please? I think we need to talk." Jack said. After taking a brief look at Carrie, both Norma and Freddy nodded and, saying it was time that they both needed to head on home anyway, said their goodbyes to their friends and headed on out of the park, side by side and still talking about what had happened earlier on.

Jack and Carrie sat down together on one of the benches around the large duck pond; they were silent for a few moments before Jack turned to look at Carrie, who was still staring down at the ground and quivering a little.

"Carrie, are you feeling all right?" he asked, with great concern. "I'm really sorry for what happened back there. I was hoping to confront them alone, but never expected them to approach us first." Very gently, he put his hand on her back. "Carrie…please speak to me. I'll do whatever it takes to help you. Just name it."

After a few moments, Carrie raised her head and looked at Jack, revealing tear-stained cheeks. "Y-you…saw me…in the…l-locker room?" she croaked, her voice filled with sadness and shame.

Jack, after a pause, nodded in understanding and brought Carrie into a warm, reassuring hug. He felt her stiffen a little and then relax somewhat as Carrie held onto him and let her tears fall from her eyes and she shook as they did so. But Jack didn't mind; at that moment, all that mattered to him right then and there was to give comfort to his friend when she desperately needed it the most.

"Shh, it's okay…it's okay. Just…just let it all out. I'm so sorry, Carrie...but you deserve so much better than that...really you do." Jack said gently, as he slowly and gently patted Carrie on her back and tried his best to comfort her.

After a few minutes, Carrie, now her tears had stopped falling, stopped shaking and, pulling out of Jack's shirt and the warmth and safety his arms gave her, looked back up at Jack, who looked back down at her.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked. She nodded and, taking a white hankie out of her pocket, wiped away the tear stains on her cheeks.

"Yes...I'm sorry about that." Carrie said, as she wiped her face and eyes.

"Hey, it's okay." Jack said, with a small smile. But then his face became more serious after a moment.

"Carrie…about the video," he said, as Carrie stiffened at the mention of the accursed video;

"I just want to let you know that I don't think any less of you. When I first saw that video, I was so angry at what I saw I wanted to find each of those girls and give them each a damn good thrashing! You needed help and all they did was humiliate you, when you didn't deserve it." he said. He paused a moment to collect his thoughts as Carrie stared at him, her eyes wide.

"After I told my parents and three sisters at home about your hardships over here, they looked like they were ready to get themselves on the next flight over to the U.S. and crack a few skulls. My three sisters were especially keen to come over and do just that…as they hate bullies just as much as me. But actually, we came up with a plan to take down Chris and the Ultras so as to…we looked for and gathered every scrap of dirt we could find about them and to threaten to expose their dirty laundry, and thus publicly humiliate them, if they didn't leave you alone." Jack said.

"Why would you do so much of this for me? You could get into serious trouble for what you've done. Why would you risk it for someone like me?" asked Carrie, while shaking slightly. Jack very gently put his right arm round her shoulders and pulled her in a little closer.

"Because you're a very special person, Carrie, and you mean a lot to me. Spending time with you over the last few days had made me realise that you're one of the most important people in my life. And I'm not letting you go…no matter what." Jack said, very sincerely.

Carrie, looking straight into Jack's warm eyes, was unsure of what to say. But she felt safe with Jack, especially since his strong arms were wrapped round her just a few short moments before which she found quite comforting. She wasn't sure what she was thinking, but she was a little worried if her thoughts were correct.

"Thanks." Carrie said, as she put her own arms round Jack's shoulders and hugged him. In return, Jack placed his arms round Carrie again and hugged her tightly.

After a few moments, they pulled away from each other and Carrie sighed.

"You know…I think I'd better get myself home. My mama will be coming home very soon and I don't think she'll be very pleased to know that I was out for much longer than I was supposed to be." Carrie said. Jack nodded in understanding; he knew that Carrie's mother was a strict, religious woman. Though he knew Carrie was reluctant to talk about her mother, he had a feeling deep within the pit of his gut that there was a lot more to Carrie's relationship with her mother than met the eye.

After Jack and Carrie stood up and, after giving each other another big, long hug, said their goodbyes, and saying they would see each other in the morning, they walked away in opposite directions, yet at the same time their thoughts were on each other as they walked along. Jack thought about how beautiful, sweet and kind Carrie was and how nice her laugh was. Her laugh in fact was one of the nicest sounds he'd ever heard. He was impressed by how much her confidence had improved in the last two weeks and how she'd blossomed into a wonderful person who wasn't afraid to speak to other people and how she didn't hide her beautiful smile.

Carrie though of how handsome and protective a person Jack was and how he had shown her a lot more kindness than she had ever had before in her young life. She thought of the time they had together on Saturday at the mall and how they went to his apartment afterward and he served her some of the self-saucing pudding he baked the evening before. She remembered how delicious that pudding was and how they completely polished off the whole thing. She knew he would everything he could to make her a happy person. His Irish accent, which she had found a little strange at first, was now one of her favourite sounds ever.

Though they weren't close to each other at that moment, the two teens stopped walking at exactly the same time, their eyes wide open with realisation.

"I'm in love with her!/I'm in love with him!"