Boston
Chapter 3
"He looks good," Addison said, dropping a magazine on Boston's desk.
She glanced down, then back to her computer screen. "He looks the same in all the pictures you've shown me this past month, Addy. You're really making the "don't think about him" thing difficult, you know?"
Addison shrugged. "I'm just good like that."
Boston looked up, briefly. "Is that all?"
"You're so testy."
"I'm not testy," she said, reaching into her messenger bag and pulling out three thick manila envelopes. "I have three classes worth of essays to grade, two finals to write, a study guide for each final, and I have to finish the participation, attendance, and discussion board grades for all two hundred plus of my students. I'm not testy--I'm just busy."
Addison nodded. "That's why you teach history and do multiple choice for all of your tests. It's much easier."
"And less fair. Some people--"
"Are better at expressing themselves through essays, yeah, yeah. I get it, B," she said, smiling. "Just two weeks until finals. Are you teaching any summer classes?"
"No," she said, shoving the folders back into her bag. A notebook fell off her desk. She didn't pick it up--she just went back to typing up a study guide for one of her intro classes.
"What's this?"
"What's what?" she asked, not looking up. "Dammit. I forget if we covered the last half of personality disorders in this class. It was in the book so they should have read it anyway... I'll put it on here anyway."
"Boston."
"But I don't want to be unfair. I just want to cover everything. I might just do it as extra credit, you know? Just in case."
"Boston."
"But I really hate giving extra credit--"
"Boston!"
"What?!"
Addison sighed, picking up the letter that was exposed by the notebook that fell a few minutes before. "What's this?"
Boston bit her lip, shaking her head. "It's nothing. Nothing important."
Her best friend smiled. "Boston. You got the job at NYU? You said you did horrible in your intervivew over winter break. You said there was no way you were going to get it."
Boston tried to hide her smile but failed. "Yeah, I didn't want to get my hopes up, you know? But.... I did. I mean. I didn't think I would, but. Yeah, I got the job" she laughed.
"That's so exciting! That's such an amazing school!" She paused, reading the letter. "Wait, did you accept it or not? The teaching position?"
Boston sighed. "I... No. Yes? I don't know if I should or not. But I want to. Mr. Jacobs wants an answer by Friday afternoon."
"You have to! It's such an amazing opportunity!"
"I know."
"Then why are you hesitating?"
She sighed. "I really don't know. I just. There are so many things to....to think about. Moving all the way across the country?"
"You've done it before," Addison said, shrugging.
"Yeah, but I really had to at that point. I didn't have any other choice. I do now. I've. I've built a life here. I have friends, a routine--"
"You can have that on the east coast, too, you know."
Boston sighed, taking the letter from her friend, re-reading it like she had at least fifty times before.
"It's warmer there."
She smiled. "Are you trying to make me leave? Are you trying to get rid of me?"
Addison laughed. "No. I'm not. I just know how great of an opportunity this is for you."
Boston nodded. "I know... I want to. I mean. I've honestly already packed a few things..."
"You should do it."
She smiled. "You know. I think I will."
"We should live in Forks," Kellan said, zipping up his jacket as he climbed out of Jackson's rental car.
"Yeah, no," Jackson said, laughing. "I much prefer the warmth of the south."
Kellan yawned. "Tell me again why we're up so early?"
"Antiquing," Jackson lied, eying the coffee shop they were standing in front of.
"At least I get coffee out of it," he said, shrugging. "Damn, it really is cold here."
"It's sixy degrees in May. In Washington. I think that might be a heat wave."
"Yeah, well, I spent most of my time in L.A. so this is cold to me," Kellan said, laughing. "Why are we just standing here? Why aren't we in the coffee shop, drowning the early morning blues in steaming hot coffee?"
"Yeah, let's go in," Jackson said, scratching the back of his head. He opened the door and stepped into the coffee shop, instantly looking around. She wasn't there. "Dammit."
Kellan paused. "What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
"Liar. What's up?"
Jackson sighed. "Okay, so. I was here a few months ago, right? And there was...this girl."
Kellan smiled. "Okay, I got ya. Was she hot?"
Jackson laughed. "Yeah, she. She was. Is. Yeah."
"And she's not here?"
He shook his head. "No, she. She's usually here every morning. Which is why I made you get up really early. I know it's stupid, I just thought..." he trailed off. "Never mind. I was stupid to think she'd still be here at the same time, like, four months later."
"You're not stupid," Kellan said, stepping up to the counter and ordering his drink.
"Yeah," Jackson said, sighing, rolling his eyes.
"You want anything?"
He shook his head.
Kellan just looked at him. "Okay, relax, man. It's just a girl. You'll get over it, you'll move on, you'll find someone who will sleep with you just to get to Rob, and all will be back to normal."
Jackson paused. "Yeah, that's. Thanks for, uh, putting my life back into perspective for me. That was. That was really nice of you. Really. You're a true friend, Kellan."
He shrugged. "I do what I can." He paid the employee and took a drink of his coffee. "Okay, what are we doing now?"
"I don't know. Let's just kill some time in Best Buy or something. Is that cool?"
Kellan smiled. "Yeah, yeah. I'm thinking about buying a new laptop, anyway. And I think I should invest in buying all of the seasons of House. What do you think about that?"
"House is amazing. Purchase away."
"Okay, no, no, no, no, no. See, that's just not going to cut it for me," Boston said, shaking her head. "You-- You-- You-- Okay, you. You work with computers. You can fix them. Now fix mine, please."
Carl, a member of the Geek Squad, looked down at the laptop in his hand, then back up to the woman in front of him. "Ms. Hawthorne, with all do respect, your computer is dead. I can't fix this."
Boston laughed, bitterly and without humor. "Carl. We're friends, right? You sold me this laptop. You assured me it would suit all of my needs. And it did. It did," she said, nodding. "And now, it's messing up. It's freezing and it's all...fucked up. And I have files saved on there. Files!"
"Did you back them up on a flash drive?"
"Of course I did! But that's not the point here! The point is, my flash drive is in my office on campus. I'm a professor, Carl. Finals start on Monday. I need my damn documents and I need my damn computer! I need you to fix this for me!"
"Ms. Hawthorne, I need you to calm down," Carl said, slowly. "Your computer is dead," he repeated. "Since you already have your files backed up, all the ones you need, I suggest you invest in a new laptop. I can even show you the newest ones. But, for all of my talents and knowledge with computers, there's no way to fix this. It's just...old."
Boston sighed. "I freaked out, didn't I?"
Carl nodded.
"Did I yell?"
He shrugged. "A little."
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
She sighed again. "So I'm fucked?"
"Well, I wouldn't use that terminology, but. Yeah, you are," he said.
"Goddammit," she groaned. "Fine, fine, just. Just bring me the newest HP and I'll get it. I can't be without one."
Carl nodded. "Sure thing, Ms. Hawthorne. Any specific color?"
She shrugged. "I don't mind, Carl. Thanks."
"No problem. I'll have them hold it up front for you for whenever you're done shopping."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Boston turned around, whipping out her cell phone to call Addison when she stopped. "Jackson?"
"You're seriously getting all the seasons of House?"
"Yes."
Jackson laughed. "Okay. I'm gonna check out digital cameras. Cam broke mine during the baseball scene. Jerk."
Kellan smiled.
"Pick out a good movie for me, man," he said, walking over to the cameras when he stopped.
"Jackson?"
"Boston."
"Um. Hi," she said, awkwardly, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Hi," he replied, breathlessly.
She shifted her feet, looking down at her shoes. "So, um. How-- How are the top secret projects?"
Jackson smiled. "They're, uh. They're good. And yours?"
"They were great until my laptop decided to fuck up and die," she said, sighing. "Now I have to get a new one and I wasn't going to until the fall after I moved, but." She shrugged. "Guess I will now."
"Wait, you're moving?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I, uh. Got a job at New York University. A really, really prestigious job, really, so. I start in the fall. I'm moving in the beginning of June."
Jackson nodded. "I, uh. Didn't know."
"Yeah. That's what happens when someone runs off and doesn't answer someone elses phone calls," Boston said, quiet and bitter.
"I-- Yeah," he said, sighing, looking at the ground. "I had a good reason."
"I didn't ask if you did or not."
"I had to--"
"Look, you don't have to explain yourself to me, Jackson. We hardly know each other," she said, shrugging.
Jackson sighed. "Boston, I want to explain myself."
"Funny, because I don't want to hear it," she said. "I just want to get my laptop, buy the Hell in a Cell DVD I've been wanting for months, go home, and pack."
"Boston, please."
She looked down at her shoes again. "I just think it's...for the best if we say hi and move on. Because I'm not going to see you again, so."
"Who says you're not going to?"
"Well...the fact that you tend to disappear? And you're a movie star--you're not going to be hanging around Port Angeles much longer. And I won't be either. You'll go your separate way and I'll go mine eventually, so let's make that eventually now," Boston explained. "It makes much more sense. It's not like we have anything tying us to one another anyway."
Jackson paused. "What about the fact that I haven't stopped thinking about you since the day I left Port Angeles three months ago?"
She held her breath. "Jackson."
"It's true. It's not some lame come-on line either," he said, laughing slightly. "I don't know why I left without explaining to you what was going on. I think I got scared and...ran," he shrugged. "But I've felt horrible about it. And I knew if I answered your calls, I would've felt even worse just hearing the disappointment in your voice."
She sighed.
"I never wanted to hurt you. That's why I came back, you know? I mean, why else would I be here?" he laughed. "You're the only good thing about this town, so."
"I hate nice people," she said, groaning.
"Yeah, they're... They're horrible," Jackson said, rolling his eyes. "Please don't give up on me."
She sighed.
"Meet me for coffee. In the morning."
"Will you show?"
"Guess you'll have to just to find out," he said, smiling.
She just looked at him. "Ten am."
"Later than it used to be, huh?"
She shrugged. "It's a Monday. I'm sleeping in and I don't give my first exam until noon thirty, so."
"Noon thirty?"
"Yes."
"You mean twelve thirty?"
"No, I mean noon thirty," she said. "It's more fun to say. I'll see you in the morning." She smiled at him and then walked around him. She picked up the DVD she mentioned before and met up with her new laptop at the checkout. She let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding and walked to her car. She set her laptop in the trunk and got behind the wheel, immediately calling her best friend.
"Addison. You'll never, ever guess who I just saw in Best Buy..."
A/N: I think I'm getting a little better at the whole updating quickly thing? I know it's a bit shorter of a chapter but this is probably about the length that they'll stay. I can write them quicker and all of that. Anyway. They meet ~again. I'm still not exactly sure where I'm going with this story but I have a feeling that I'll figure it out as I'm writing it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I will truly update as soon as I can. Thank you for reading. Reviews are pleasing but definitely not necessary. Don't feel obligated.
