CHAPTER 6

…2 HOURS LATER…

I woke up on the couch in Rudy's office. With Jack sitting on a chair right next to the couch. "Oh, Jack, what happened?" I asked him.

"You passed out after watching Kim dance." He replied. A chill went up both our backs and I sat up.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"They left when your head hit the floor." That figures.

"Why did you stay?"

He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Um, well, someone had to keep an eye on you, you know, you used to be a Black Dragon, you might've tried to steal something."

I rolled my eyes. "Uh huh, sure, let's get outta here." I got up and we left.

As we walked out of the dojo, I didn't know it at the time, but my journal fell out of my bag.

Jack's POV

A book fell out of Jess's bag when she left. I picked it up and was planning on giving it back to her at school the next day, but that changed when I saw the word 'journal' across the cover. "Hey Jess, wait up!" I yelled, running after her. But I couldn't find her. So I went back with plan A: waiting 'till school the next day. I looked at the book for a minute before I started to open it. I stopped suddenly and quickly put it in my bag.

At school, when I went up to Jess, the principal was talking to her. "Listen, Jessica," he started sternly, "I know how much trouble you were at your last school, and don't think I forgot about all the things you did to this place when you weren't even attending this school."

"Relax," she replied, "I've had a change of heart." There was a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"And did this 'change' happen when your parents died last month?"

She looked at the ground sadly, visibly hurt by Burke's words. "My parents were everything to me," she fumbled her hands, "They told me to start being more responsible, so yeah, it was when they died..."

My eyes widened and my dropped open. I also dropped Jess's journal. She looked at me and, knowing I had over heard the conversation, her eyes saddened and she came up to me.

"Jack, I-"

I interrupted her, "Your parents are dead?"

"You're not very good at being sympathetic, are you?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Jess," I picked up her journal and handed it to her, "I'm just... in shock... Why didn't you tell me your parents were dead... and that you were a lot of trouble?"

"Because I didn't want anyone to know! I was embarrassed, Jack! I haven't even told my uncle..."

"If you haven't even told Bobby, then where are you staying?"

"Oh, you know... around," her cheeks burned a bright red, "Ok, I've been living at the mall... behind the dojo.. for the last two weeks."

"What?! You cant live behind the dojo! The trash cans are back there! The same trash cans that Jerry puts his dirty socks in!"

"Yeah... I figured that out on my own," A chill went up both our backs, "But where else can I go!?"

I was quiet for a minute. "Hey, I got an idea," I finally said, "As your friend, I saw you're my house guest."

She bit her lower lip. "That's sweet, Jack, really, but... won't your parents mind?"

"No."

Chapter six, yup... I gotta get a life... peace out!

Have a blessed day.

~Nydroj