Mommy's smiling at her. She's smiling even though there are tears streaming down her face after daddy walked out the door, and Jackie wants to know why. Because Daddy saying he's never coming back isn't something to be smiling about.
"We're going to be ok, Jackie." Mommy says, "We'll be better than ok."
She meets a fox-eyed girl with orange-red hair and a talent for stunts. Jackie can't help but look into her life, even with the nagging feeling that there's something familiar about her and that it'd be better not to know.
It doesn't take long for her to figure out why; this girl has the same eyes as her dad. The same eyes as Jackie's dad.
She keeps her distance after that.
Jackie knows she's impulsive, and brash, and vengeful. But she's capable of logic when it really counts.
Which is why when Scarlett appears in her life once more and asks to meet, she says yes. Because it's not Scarlett's fault. She's not the one who lied. She's not the one who strayed. She's not the one who walked away. And she's not the one who made her mother cry.
But when Scarlett asks if they can be sisters, Jackie puts her foot down.
"I already have a sister." She says confidently. "And honestly, even though it's not your fault, I don't want a reminder of my- our dad in my life."
Scarlett gives her a sad and disappointed smile, "Fair enough. Maybe someday?"
"I try not to make promises I can't keep."
Her mom is wearing that smile again, but there's no tears this time. "Your dad wants to see you, Jackie."
"No."
She runs into him on her way back from a photo-shoot. He's with a boy - girl? - who looks a couple years younger than Jackie herself but is almost a carbon copy of Scarlett.
"Jackie…" He begins hesitantly, "I've been hoping-"
"Have you apologized to my mom yet?" She interrupts, and she can tell she didn't manage to mask her anger by the way he flinches.
It doesn't stop him from looking her in the eyes as he says, "No… I haven't."
She walks away.
She watches as Scarlett kisses Kick. Watches as he doesn't push her away. Watches as he smooths his hands over Scarlett's shoulders and the beaming smile it earns him.
Jackie feels her anger bubbling beneath the surface, but she has enough self-control to take Kendall's hand and lead her away.
"Jackie? Did… did you take pictures?"
"… Yeah."
"We had plans to meet in a couple hours. Could- could you have them ready by then? And after… after we can go on the ferry boat like you wanted."
She stops and looks at friend. For a moment, she sees her mom in that heartbroken smile. The one that says the person is trying to be strong even though they feel like anything but. There's so much she can say, so much she wants to say, but Kendall is not her mother and Kick isn't her father, so she simply pulls her best friend into a hug and waits until the tears stop falling.
There are two voices, one warm and peaceful, the other cold and spiteful, asking the same question.
"Do you forgive him?"
Jackie thinks of Kendall, of her mother, and shakes her head. "No."