by Kitty Parker
"I don't get you," she bites out. "You come to my birthday and you buy me some of the best presents I have ever gotten in my life from anyone and I think that maybe you like me enough to consider us friends. But then, you turn right around and treat me like I don't exist to you. Like I don't matter."
The last part forms a lump in her throat but she refuses to allow herself to get upset right now; especially when she's standing in front of him.
Jack doesn't say anything and he actually looks guilty right now. He stands there and looks at her but he still doesn't open his mouth to say anything to her. And that infuriates her.
"Either we're friends or we're not, Jack," she says, "And if we are friends, you don't ignore me. Friends don't treat friends like that."
He's still not saying anything but she guesses that's the only answer she's going to need.
She looks at him and wonders why she has such a crush on him and she wishes she could just get over him. He can be so sweet to her without him even realizing that he is and so nice to her son and Matty just adores him but he's giving her whiplash with all of the forwards and backwards he's doing.
She sighs heavily and keeping one arm holding firm to Matty, still sleeping with his head on her shoulder, she turns and opens the door once more.
"Daisy," Jack says her name again, stopping her before she can step inside.
This time, she doesn't turn around to look at him.
"We're friends," he says in a quiet voice. "I wan' us to be friends."
Daisy takes a moment, feeling his eyes on her back, hearing his words in her ears. She turns around and looks at him one more time.
"We're friends," she says quietly after a moment and he seems to exhale a breath he's been holding.
"G'night," he then says and she gives him the smallest of smiles.
"Good night," she returns and then finally goes inside, the door closing behind her with a quiet click.
There's so many things she wants to ask him. She wants to ask why he pulls away from her and treats her like he does. But she knows she'll never ask him any of that.
She knows that those are questions she doesn't want to know the answers to. Not yet.
…
Spencer doesn't give her butterflies. She admitted that to herself a while ago but being with Spencer, it is nice. When it's just the two of them and she's not feeling judged by his friends. She has fun with him and he makes her smile and laugh and she knows where she stands with Spencer. He likes her and she's his girlfriend.
He takes her out on a Friday night. Nothing major. Just a movie she's been wanting to see and he offered to take her though she knows he's more of the shoot 'em up kind of movie guy. Still, he takes her and buys her popcorn and he keeps his hands from wandering over to her during the next two hours. And at the end of the movie, when his hand slowly moves towards her and rests on her thigh, she finds that she doesn't mind.
After the movie, they go to a casual Italian restaurant and they sit in a booth with a candle flickering between them and after they eat and get their leftovers boxed up – Matty will eat like a king tomorrow, he smiles and she laughs – he makes sure he orders dessert because Daisy always orders desserts wherever they go. They share a piece of tiramisu between them, both leaning close into the table.
And Daisy thinks to herself that even though it's such a casual evening, she tries to think of something just as romantic that's happened to her. For a moment, she thinks of all of the presents that Jack got her for her birthday – presents that are absolutely perfect for her – but he's with Carolina and she's here with Spencer and she and Jack are friends and that's the way things are between them.
For some reason, Jack thinks he's not good enough for her and Daisy knows that's another question she would like to ask him about but she thinks she won't understand his answer.
"I want to apologize," Spencer says once he pulls his car into the apartment building's parking lot.
"For what?" Daisy looks at him with a furrowed brow. The evening had been so perfect.
"For that night at my firm's party," he says.
She quickly shakes her head. She doesn't really feel like remembering the hurt and humiliation she felt that night. "It's alright, Spencer. I was just being too sensitive."
He doesn't say anything to disagree or to assure her that she isn't and she tries not to let his silence bother her.
"Thank you for everything tonight," she smiles, swiftly changing the subject.
"I'll walk you up," he says and goes to unbuckle his seat-belt.
"Don't worry," she shakes her head, stopping him. "Just watch me walk in."
He hesitates but then nods. She leans across the middle console and presses her lips to his in a short kiss.
"Good night," she says and then gets out of the car and heads towards the front door, looking back over to Spencer in the car and giving him a smile.
Inside and up the stairs, she takes out her keys and unlocks the door to her apartment. She's not surprised to hear the television still on. Matty's bedtime is usually eight but on weekends, she tries to be a little more lax. Maybe they'll both sleep in tomorrow.
"Hey," she smiles.
Sitting on the couch, both Matty and Jack turn their heads to look at her, Matty grinning and bounding over to give her a hug and Jack stands up, hitting the mute button on the television remote.
"Were you good for Jack?" She asks.
"We made chicken patties and I've been teaching Jack all about dinosaurs!" Matty excitedly tells her. "He didn't know raptors had feathers!"
Daisy smiles. "I don't think a lot of people know that. You're just really smart."
Matty beams and Daisy leans down, kissing his head, before looking back to Jack.
"Thank you so much for watching him tonight," she says.
Jack just shrugs and she's not surprised that he doesn't see the big deal of doing it.
She can't remember who suggested him watching Matty tonight when she has a date with Spencer. He was over that morning, sharing with her the pot of coffee she brewed before she walked Matty to school and he headed to the garage where he works, and she asked him what he's doing that weekend. He shrugged and said probably see Carolina or go hunting and Daisy was so quick to say that she had a date with Spencer that night. She really didn't but suddenly, imaging him with Carolina, she had to say she had plans with someone else, too.
The second she got back home from walking Matty to school, she had called Spencer at his office and asked if they could go out that night. He sounded surprised on the phone. He probably thought that they were pretty much done. Daisy had thought so, too.
…
It's Sunday and he's been in the woods for most of the day. He has his crossbow but he's been too distracted by his thoughts to get any hunting done. Daisy, as usual, is on his mind and not much of anything else. That girl seems to be on his mind more times than not. And even when he tries his hardest to push her out of there, she refuses to leave and he knows, deep down, he doesn't want her to.
He wanted to be her friend but the instant he felt himself getting too close to her – seeing the way she had gotten over his birthday presents – he pulled away the instant he could. He can't explain that to Daisy though. She won't understand. She comes from a family who all love one another and seem to like being around one another. He never had that and he still doesn't. He may want to be Daisy's friend but he sure as hell doesn't know what that means. Treating her like she exists would probably be the first step.
He doesn't like how Daisy mixes everything up in his head. He never understands what he's doing or thinking when he's around her and she's right. One minute, he's fine. Almost nice. The next, he's the biggest asshole in the world and he's trying. It might not look like it but he is. He really is because he can't remember the last time he wanted something as much as he wants Daisy to be his friend. And she's said that they are but he can't help but doubt her because why the hell would she ever be his friend with the
way he treats her?
…
He's never hit a woman before. Never even came close to even entertaining the thought but Carolina had to go and do what she did. And she didn't think what she had done was wrong because why the hell would she think she did anything wrong? She comes over the night before, drunk and wanting something from him he just wasn't in the mood for. So he gives her one of his tee-shirts and lets her sleep in bed with him and makes sure she knows that nothing is going to happen this night.
He really needs to stop letting anything happen. He knows that. And it's just something else in his life he feels like a dick over because Carolina's nice enough and she really likes him and he's not really doing anything to really encourage her or push her away but she sticks around anyway, thinking in her mind that he wants her because he's never told her anything different. And he doesn't know why the hell he isn't able to tell her.
The next morning, Carolina wakes up and she wants to thank him for letting her crash here the night before even though he tells her that she doesn't have to do that. She doesn't seem to hear him though and makes the claim that she makes the best French toast in the world. But looking through his kitchen, she sees that he doesn't have butter and how in the world can he not have any butter.
And Jack's in the bathroom and he mentions to her without really thinking that Daisy's a baker and probably has a ton of butter. And the next thing he knows, he hears Carolina leaving his apartment and knocking on the door across the hall. He stays in the bathroom like some coward, too afraid to come out and see Carolina and Daisy talking at her door and looking at Daisy's face in that moment. She likes him. He knows she does. Even with her dating Spencer. He tells himself not to get jealous over that relationship because he looks at Daisy and knows she doesn't like Spencer. She likes him. For some damned odd reason he will probably never be able to understand, Daisy likes him and Carolina's at her door right now on an early Sunday morning, wearing his tee-shirt and asking for butter.
She's probably thinking that the one thing that didn't happen the night before actually did happen and now, it's staring her right in the face.
He knows that he and Daisy will probably never really be friends no matter what either of them say to one another and who can blame her?
…
He doesn't have a landline and he has an ancient flip-phone because he doesn't have the need for one of those fancy phones and he ignores Carolina any time she mentions going with him to the store and getting one. He's never liked the phone and having the cell phone, he supposes, is only so Cletus has something to call him on when he's gone or locked up.
He's just leaving the garage for the day, sliding into his truck behind the wheel and lighting up his usual drive-home cigarette when he hears the thing ringing from the glove box. He reaches in and takes it out, staring down at the unfamiliar number flashing across the screen. It's not the Atlanta jail. He knows that number by now so it's not Cletus calling him.
He almost ignores it but he can't help but be curious. He never gets people calling him – not even when it's a wrong number. After the fifth ring, he flips it open.
"Yeah?" He answers gruffly.
"Jack?" A familiar man's voice responds. "This is Johnathan Greene."
And hearing the man's voice from the other end of the phone, Jack feels his blood run a little colder than it had been just a second earlier. Why would Daisy's dad be calling him? He had given Daisy his cell number a couple of weeks ago on a whim. For emergencies, he had said, even though he couldn't imagine Daisy ever calling him even if she really needed help. She has a ton more people in her life who mean something more to her than him. But still, he wanted her to have the number and now, her dad is the one calling him.
He has been in enough bad situations in his life to know that this is one of them.
"'s everythin' okay?" Jack asks even though it's pretty damn obvious that it's not.
"We're at the hospital. Daisyy was in a car accident," Johnathan tells him and if possible, Jack actually feels his blood stop pumping in his veins now. "She's okay," Johnathan's quick to add but Jack doesn't know if he believes him. If she's really alright, why would the man be calling him? "But Matty's been asking for you and we think just seeing you will calm him down a little. I know it's probably an inconvenience to expect you to come here-"
"'ll be right there," Jack interrupts him. "You on a particular floor?" He asks as he flicks the cigarette he had only taken one drag from out the window and turns the key in the ignition. The hospital is small – just two floors – but he doesn't want to waste time, running around, looking for them when he can just right to them.
After Johnathan gives him the information, Jack slaps the phone shut and tosses it onto the seat beside him as he speeds out of the garage's parking lot, his tires squealing on the pavement. He tells himself to slow down. No reason to drive like an idiot and get in an accident, too.
…
"Jack!"
Matty exclaims his name the instant he sees him coming down the hallway and the boy slides out of his grandma's lap to come running towards him. And Jack is able to swoop the boy up in his arms without missing a step in his stride as he walks to her family. Her mom and dad are there as is Nathaniel and Spencer's there, too. If any of them think it's weird that Matty ran towards him and is so relieved to see him, none of them act like it.
They all stand up and Johnathan and Nathaniel shake his hands and Annette gives him a kiss on the cheek like she's known him forever and Spencer stands there and directs a slight head nod towards him. Jack's not sure why her family is so nice to see him or so glad to see him or why they even called him the first place. Daisy obviously has never told them how much of an asshole he is to her.
"What happened?" He asks, looking at Johnathan and Annette and no one else and Matty rests his head on his shoulder.
"I was driving," Spencer is the one to speak. "A woman ran a stop sign and t-boned us in Daisy's side. Neither of us were going that fast."
"Thank God," Annette adds.
"But Daisy is sore and has a pretty nasty cut on her cheek. The doctor is hoping it doesn't scar over that bad," Johnathan says.
Jack can't help but glance over at Spencer. He looks fine. Not even his suit rumpled and even though according to the story, it's not his fault at all, Jack still wants to blame him.
But that can come later.
"What about you, kid? You a'right?" Jack asks, putting a hand on Matty's back, and Matty pulls his head from his shoulder, looking at him and nodding. "Is it a'right if I go in and see her?" He then hears himself asking, looking back to Johnathan and Annette.
"Of course," Annette answers and Johnathan reaches out, taking Matty from his arms into his own.
Jack takes a deep breath before he turns the handle and enters the room. He expects it to be quiet but instead, there's a steady beeping of the machine Daisy's hooked up to, keeping track of her heart-rate and there's soft laughter and when he peeks his head around the side of the curtain drawn between the two beds in the room, he sees Maybelle is sitting in a chair next to the bed and both sisters are laughing over something.
Daisy sees him first and she lifts her eyes, looking at him, and Maybelle turns, looking at him in return, both of them smiling faintly at him as he comes to stand at the foot of her bed.
He can't help but have his eyes linger on the cut on Daisy's face. It's on her left cheek, red and stitched up, but she's lying there in a blue hospital gown with her blonde hair pulled over one shoulder and she still looks so damn beautiful – cut or no cut. And even if it does scar and it's noticeable now for the rest of her life, she'll still be the prettiest girl he's ever laid eyes on.
Maybelle stands up. "I'm going to drag Nathaniel down to the cafeteria. Either of you want anything?" She asks.
Jack and Daisy both shake their heads, still looking at one another and nothing else, and when Maybelle passes by him, she gives his arm a gentle squeeze. When they both hear the door click
behind her, Daisy gives him a small smile.
"You can sit down if you like," she offers. "I know you probably can't stay long-"
She cuts her own words off when Jack moves to sit in the chair without needing to hear her say anything else. He sits down in the hard plastic chair beside the bed and looks at her.
"Thank you for coming," she says before he can open his mouth to say anything. "I kept trying to calm Matty down but he was so scared and kept saying he wanted to see you. I didn't want to bother you-"
"You didn't," Jack is the one to cut her off this time. "'m glad you called me."
Daisy doesn't say anything to that but she smiles a little at him, settling herself back into the pillow behind her and he hadn't realized that she had been stiff.
"How you doin'?" He asks her and he knows that it's probably a stupid question since she's here in a hospital bed but even with that, she's still smiling and laughing and being Daisy.
"I'm okay," she answers truthfully. "A little shaken up but I hope they come in soon and release me. I don't have the money or good-enough insurance to stay in a hospital overnight."
Jack's not too sure what to say to that.
"It looks terrible, doesn't it?" She asks then in a soft voice.
He doesn't need her to clarify. "Nah," he shakes his head.
She begins to lift her hands to touch the stitches but he reaches a hand out, placing it over hers, stopping her.
He shakes his head. "Don't wan' it to get dirty," he then says.
She lets out a soft little sigh and she brings her hand down on her stomach. It takes him a moment to realize that his hand is still over hers and when he does, he pulls it away with the tips of his ears burning red.
"Is Spencer still here?" She asks after a moment and he feels his stomach tighten though he reminds himself that there's no reason for that.
Spencer's her boyfriend and he's just the asshole across the hall neighbor who claims to be her friend but does nothing to show her that.
