Chapter 8: This Feeling is Gross

It was inevitable, Sally concluded, that her behavior would change dramatically since she had finally realized her...feelings...for a certain skeleton. What used to be an immature, 'one-sided' love from a moron was now something she sincerely hoped would last forever. Pathetic!

At least she was good at hiding it. Jack had no idea she had fallen for him, as well.

Oh, ew...it sounded so...weird...

"What do you say, Sally?"

'Great,' she thought to herself bitterly, 'now I like the sound of his voice! Stupid, stupid...'

"What do I say about what?"

"Will you date me?"

'Yes! YES! I WILL! I LOVE YOU, TOO!' her mind practically bellowed, disgusting its owner. She was so against having an attraction to Jack...

Well, at least he couldn't read minds...how awkward would that be?

But he looked so adorable expectantly waiting for her answer! It reminded her of the cat she used to own and its face when it wanted her yarn.

Woah. Where did that come from?

Thankfully (or not), she was spared the trouble of answering when they heard footsteps from outside. Sally quickly recognized it as her father's (mainly because it was so soft and slow) and naturally, she panicked.

Without thinking, she grabbed Jack by his shoulders and forced him to lie, facing upwards, onto her bed. She scrambled on top of him, face down, and threw the covers about them so only the back of her head was visible. She mentally thanked whoever gave Jack such a thin body and small feet; she was sure nobody would suspect anything.

However, her relief was only short-lived—when she glanced below her, she was met by Jack's captivating stare, completely pausing her breathing altogether. He looked delighted at their current state, and she could tell he was keeping himself from pulling her closer. If his arms around her wouldn't have made it obvious under the blanket that he was there, she might actually have hugged him first.

As they heard her door creak open, Sally forced her eyes shut and attempted to even out her breathing. She remembered doing this frequently as she grew up (back in the day when her father refused to allow her to leave the house) so she could gaze at the beautiful full moon late at midnight, or feel the rain drops during calm storms on her arms. This had been a nightly ritual when Finkelstein checked up on her to make sure she was asleep.

At least something came out of that.

"Hmm. Seems like she's sleeping..." the old man croaked from somewhere across the room. He sounded tired, tapping against the doorframe in thought. "Hmm..."

"Just let her rest, Dad," yawned another voice. Igor. Sally grit her teeth. Great. Just peachy. Her brother was the one most likely to tickle her until she woke up—a sad fact she knew from previous experiences. Jack felt her tense above him, so he snuggled closer, burying his head in the crook of her neck. Unfortunately, all this resulted in was Sally biting her lip to avoid sighing, which made the sudden movement very obvious to the spectators in her room. 'Thanks, Jack.'

"Hey, I don't wanna wake her up. Let's just let her sleep."

"I suppose. Do you think she was studying all night?"

"Dad, why do you always assume Sal's doing some sort of schoolwork?"

"Because I raised her to do just that! Unlike you...spoiled by your mother."

"Oh, ha ha. Momma's boy, I get it. C'mon, let's leave her alone."

"Oh, alright, alright. You better know how to make breakfast."

"Please. We're eating cereal today."

The voices faded away as the door closed with a soft click. Sally counted to ten before peering above her blanket. Satisfied at the empty room that greeted her, she sat up and stretched, letting a wary breath out. Thank God that was all over.

"Mmm. This feels nice..."

At the sound of Jack's voice, Sally, narrowing her eyes, looked down and almost fainted from embarrassment. There he was, all smiles and still shirtless, with her straddling him.

If she could ask to die again, she'd gladly do so in a heartbeat.

Jack, seeing her horrified expression, raised his would-be eyebrows in confusion; why wasn't she pummeling him to re-death, calling him a sicko? She was just motionless on him...not that he was complaining.

"Oh, c'mon! Hit me already!" he teased, hoping to at least get some reaction from the girl before him. He smiled kindly, startling her completely. Instead of coldly pushing him away while yelling for him to leave, Sally sheepishly clambered down his body (pointedly looking away from his bare torso...oh, God!) and stepped away from her bed. As she did, her face resembled a blank-faced robot, her movements with as much stiffness as one, too.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled vaguely, wringing her hands helplessly. "I forgot..."

"Psh, no worries, my love! It was a nice experience after all!" He winked at her suggestively, again trying to voice out a "You pervert!" from her. It failed miserably as all it did was make her blush even more.

Wait...she was blushing? What the hell?

"Uhm...a-are you going home soon...?" She sounded nervous and, if he dared believe it, upset. It was the exact tone girls used on him when their dates ended, when they didn't want him to leave.

So she actually liked his company?

Amazing.

"Well, I was hoping I could stay here for the weekend. What is it? Sunday?"

"Another sleepover?"

"Yeah. But...I'll just head home, take a bath, get dressed, maybe bring my school things. It would seem off if someone saw me leaving this place with the same clothes for two days, y'know? We could take a stroll when I get back if that's okay."

"Oh. Yes. That's fine...uh, I guess..."

"Seriously? For real?"

"Well, why not?"

"Damn..." Jack gave a low, disbelieving whistle; did he finally break through to her? Was she starting to go soft on him?

"Unless you were kidding," Sally backpedaled immediately, cursing herself for sounding so eager. Why was she being so vulnerable? Why? "I mean—I don't—it doesn't matter if you can't, or anything..."

"Huh? No! No, no! Hell no! I'm staying over!" He held his bony hands up defensively, shaking his head several times. He also noted how...pleased Sally looked at this. Could it be...?

"Don't get worked up about it," she chirped brightly then, clasping her fingers together, "you're more than welcome to stay."

"Someone looks happy."

"I'm just glad you're acting normal for once."

"Is that really it?"

"Of course! What else could it possibly be?"

"You tell me, my love."

"Are you getting your stuff or not?"

"Ahahaha. Fine, I'm off! The sooner I'm gone, the sooner I'll be back! I couldn't possibly bear to be away from you for too long! Au revoir, mon cherie!"

"Adieu, stupide."

"Mon amour."

"Go away."

Jack laughed at this as he fit his head through his shirt. Grinning, he grabbed her hand and led her to the large window in her room. He opened it, but just wide enough to fit his form; the last thing he wanted was for his beautiful love to fall down if she tried to close it.

"I'll be back soon. Wait for me, Sally."

"Fine, fine. I guess I shouldn't try to escape, huh?"

"I'll find you even if you do."

"Good to know, Mr. Stalker. Now, off you go!"

Swiftly, he moved forward to peck her on the cheek lightly, feeling his lips tingle as he did. Jack didn't question the weird sensations (nor was he clueless about them) anymore; he knew very well already that he was madly and irresistibly in love with Sally Finklestein. No questions needed.

"Farewell, then."

With that, he jumped off, the breeze caressing his features. Sally watched him practically skip to his manor, but not before turning around to wave and blow kisses at her.

A hand on the spot where his lips touched her moments before, she raised a hand and slowly waved back.

"Goodbye, my love."

A/N: Sally's in LOVE! Sally's in L-O-O-O-V-E!

Hahahahaha. I always pictured her family having to rely on her for the cooking and whatnot. How typical...

JackXSally forevah!