A/N: Hey, I know I've been on a mini hiatus. But it was
because of writer's block.
Ehh, whatchuu gonna do right?
Anyway, I have noticed that a lot of you favorite and subscribe
me, but do not review.
So do me a favor and review, but I do love all of the subscribes
and alerts and all that junk.
Love you guys *thumbs up*
Here's chapter 8.
Jack's P.O.V.
I was almost finished packing my last suitcase when my mom knocked in to
greet me, bringing in along Jerry, Eddie, and Milton.
"Jack, hurry up and pack your last suitcase. When you're done, come
downstairs and then we'll leave." My mom said to me, but with Jerry, Eddie,
and Milton here she might as well have announced it.
"Okay." I said quietly, still not believing she could have gone along with
this. As soon as she left the room's atmosphere immediately lifted. I sat back
on the heels of my foot and smiled at my friends, but none of them looked
happy, not even Jerry. They all stared at my suitcases, the three of them I
had, and then looked back at me with confused expressions, and this was a
new face for Milton since he was hardly confused.
That's how I know things were bad. I shrugged my shoulders forgetting that
I never told them what had happened, but I knew they would somehow think
that all of this was their fault. I sighed.
"So… guys what's up?" without even answering the question, or beating
around the bush like they usually do, they asked me the question I've forgot
that I've been dreading. But now that I remembered a little while ago, I
started to dread it all over again.
"What's with the suitcases?" Jerry asked.
"Yeah," Milton piggy-backed. "Where are you going?"
Both of their questions were blunt and straight forward. I looked down and
my suitcases and finally got up from my knees, wincing with a slight cramp
in the right thigh.
"Um… I'm going away for the summer." All three of their mouths dropped
open, but Eddie was the first to recover.
"When are you coming back?" I shrugged my shoulders. That's the one
question I hadn't thought about. Eddie looked like he had something else to
say but then quickly shut his mouth.
"Why are you leaving?" Milton asked.
Here we go.
I walked back a few steps and sat on my bed getting ready for the long story
I had to tell.
"After the whole thing with Arthur, his dad and Rudy invited back to Rudy's
office at the dojo the next day. Long story short, Arthur's dad, who I now
know is called Mr. Sheffield, said that, because of my "bad-behavior" I have
to go to his reform school for the whole summer." After I finished with the
important details they looked shocked again. No one spoke up this time. I
cleared my throat after the 5 minute mark.
"It's none of you guys fault. It's only Arthur's" I assured them. But they still
remained quiet with the same expressions. I looked at them from left to
right.
"Guys? Say something."
Jerry was the first to move; he came and plopped down right beside me,
bouncing me a little into the air in the process.
"I just can't believe you're going away from the whole summer man." He
said patting my shoulders and shaking his head. "What am I going to do with
all the ladies with you gone?" He asked, mostly talking to himself. This
thought though, made me laugh, maybe even lighting my mood, but also
making me sadder because I won't have laughs like this when I leave.
"You can handle them Jerry." I answered still laughing, which seemed to
take Eddie and Milton out of their internal shock, but also gave them a
questioning look.
"Wait, where's Kim?" Milton asked. At the mentioning of her name, the
image of us having our first kiss just yesterday, a few hours ago, made my
face immediately turned red and they all looked at me questionably,
including Jerry.
"Um… I actually don't know." I said slowly. It was true though, I hadn't
seen her since I left her house yesterday.
"Did you say goodbye to her already?" Milton asked leaning against the wall
of my room.
I nodded my head, and the way I had said goodbye to her was still lodged
into my mind since the mentioning of her name.
During my flashback I hadn't noticed them all looking at me, putting the
pieces together.
"Ohhh, looks like he already said goodbye to her." Eddie said trying to hold
in a laugh, only making me blush harder.
"Guys, it wasn't like that." I said trying to suppress them and also myself.
They were sure to make things more than what they seem to be.
"Of course it was." Jerry said bluntly. I sighed. What was the use, there's no
convincing these guys of anything once they had their minds set on another.
"So?" Eddie said, getting on with the subject.
"So what?" I said, stalling for as much time as I could.
"Come on Jack," Milton said shaking his head. "Tell us what happened."
When they saw I wouldn't budge, then started poking me, mostly trying to
make me crack.
First came Eddie, then Jerry, and lastly Milton.
Personally, I feel wrong telling anyone about the moment Kim and I shared,
it was private and it should stay private.
Poke *!
And I don't how Kim would feel about it if I she found out I told the guys
about our kiss.
Poke*!
But then again …
Poke*!
I should probably ….
Poke*!
Oh jeez!
"FINE !" I yelled, finally cracking under their excessive poking. I stood up
and turned around to see them all smiling, happy with success and giddy
with the excitement of the information they were about to get out of me.
I ran my fingers through my hair.
It was just a kiss. No big deal right.
"I kissed her." I said straight and to the point. If I didn't, the poking would
resume and I had enough of that as if.
Oddly enough, the room got immensely quiet. I expected a tad bit more
screaming, but no.
Instead I got three overly shocked faces, all mouths agape.
"Well then…" Jerry said first to recover. I'm guessing.
I looked at them confused.
"Wait. I thought that you guys wanted us to get together. I thought that you
guys hearing we kissed would make you guys, oh I don't know, start
jumping for joy. Or at least you Jerry, asking me how it was like you always
do." I said confusion and frustration showing clearly through me.
"We did want this to happen, and we are excited," Milton started. "But think
about it Jack, was this really the right timing. Just kissing Kim and having to
leave her literally the next day. And let's not forget that she's not going to
see you until school starts." I thought about what he said and of course it
made sense, it was Milton who said it.
Was it really that bad? I guess I hadn't thought about it because I was just
into the moment. I guess.
But now thinking about it, I really did start to feel bad.
Oh jeez. Now here are more things to worry about.
"Maybe she won't be mad about. I mean, she knows that I'm being forced to
leave against my will." I said, hoping Milton was a tad bit on the wrong side.
Just this once.
"I guess you have a point Jack. And at this place they allow visits right?"
There it is again, Milton asking me things I never really had the chance to
think about.
I simply shrugged.
"I don't know. I'll check later though. I'll call you if they do, because they
have phones. That much I know about the place."
All three of them nodded this time.
"Yeah, and I'm sure there are visits. It's not jail we're talking about." Eddie
announce, seeming to wake up from his trance of silence.
I nodded. Silently hoping it wasn't going to be like jail, even though part of
me knew it will be exactly like jail in a way.
As soon as Eddie finished speaking, the door revealed a knock. All of us
turned, half expecting it to be Kim. But when my mom showed her face we
all let out a breath we were holding.
"Come on Jack, it's time to go. Did you finish packing?" I nodded, not even
bothering to look at them.
"Okay well, come one now. We need to go. I'll be downstairs." I nodded
again as she excited. I turned around to look at my friends. I shrugged my
shoulders as I grabbed my jacket, and then zipped up my suitcase.
They helped me carry my suitcases down the stairs and then out the door
where we stopped by the car. We could all see my mom already inside
waiting with the trunk open and engine running.
"Well," I said after we finished packing the suitcases into the trunk. "I'll see
you guys soon." They all nodded, not bothering to say anything to me.
I tried to look past it.
I hugged all one by one. Silently wishing Kim was here so I could say bye to
her again, and possibly grant her wish a second time. I sighed when I
finished my goodbyes to my best friends. I hopped in the front seat, as I
looked at them walking away down to the street, most likely going to the
dojo.
I turned to my mom.
"Let's go." I said quietly, as I buckled my seat belt and we backed out the
driveway. I looked at my street one last time as we drived away. This
reminded me of all the times I had to move around in my life, never making
any real friends.
This thought formed a lump in my throat, and the very thing I dreaded
started to happen.
I wiped a tear that rolled down my cheek away before it dropped onto my
collar as we drove onto the highway, further away from my life.