“This is a really nice car,” Jane said randomly, and her voice had fully regained that sickeningly sweet tone that made me want to vomit all over her pair of stilettos I had on my lap. Leaning even farther forward between the seats, she gingerly brushed her fingers along Jack’s bicep, and he responded by letting his arm fall lax, so it was further out of her reach. None of this made any sense to me. In all my many irritating years of being friends with Jane, I had never seen her fawning over anyone so badly, or being just as blatantly rebuffed.
“Is this Weezer?” I asked, mostly to fill up the awkward tension that was developing.
“Yeah,” Jack nodded.
“I like that song ‘Pork ‘n Beans,’” I commented. It seemed like a rather trivial thing to say, but at least it kept Jane from adding something in her overly flirtatious manner. As soon as I mentioned the song, Jack quickly flipped it to the track, and Jane opened her mouth to say something more, but he cut her off.
“I saw them when they were on tour with The Matches.”
“Really?” I ignored the annoyed glare Jane was giving me and continued on. “I really like them. How are they live?”
“Pretty good, I guess,” Jack shrugged, and then turned sharply into the parking lot outside an all night diner. The trip felt ridiculously short, and I realized that we had to have been going well over the speed limit to get there so quickly.
When we got out of the car, Jane scampered over to him, looping her arm through his. He didn’t look pleased by it, but he didn’t pull away either. Outside in the bright glow of the streetlights, I looked him over again, trying to understand what had possessed her so much. He had on pair of Dickies shorts, skater socks, and light blue Converse, along with the pink tee shirt. He more closely resembled cotton candy than he did a love interest for Jane.
“Oh crap,” I grumbled after I’d gotten out of the car, and looked down at my dirty, bare feet. There were small cuts and blisters and oil all over them, and I couldn’t imagine cramming my swollen feet back into Jane’s shoes.
“What?” Jack asked, and then followed my gaze down to my injured appendages. “Oh. Just don’t wear shoes.”
“I can’t not wear shoes.” I didn’t see much of another option, but I couldn’t go into a restaurant without shoes.
“You can wait in the car,” Jane offered up helpfully with a smug smile and leaned in closer to Jack. That must’ve been where he drew the line, because he pulled his arm free from her and took a step away. She looked a little defeated, but I knew she wouldn’t give up that easy.
“No, you’ll be fine,” Jack insisted confidently. “If they hassle you, I’ll take care of them.”
“What does that even mean?” I muttered, but he’d already convinced me.
After all, I’d seen the way he chased a gang of unruly guys, so I imagined that the graveyard shift at a Denny’s rip-off wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Just don’t worry about it.” Jack held the door open, but Jane seamlessly cut in front of me, smiling widely at him. He ignored her, but grinned boyishly at me when I walked in behind her.
As predicted, nobody noticed my lack of footwear. In fact, nobody even noticed me, or even Jane, which was incredibly odd. The waitresses practically tripped over themselves trying to seat us, all the while keeping their eyes completely focused on Jack. It felt like I had been dumped into some strange episode of the Twilight Zone. When the waitress put us in a booth, Jack sat down first, and naturally, Jane squished up next to him, so he kept moving over until he was plastered up against the window. I sat down across from them, and Jack rested his arms on the table, leaning towards me.
“What can I get you?” the waitress asked. The question was theoretically for all of us, but everything about her said it was meant for Jack only.
“Just coffee,” Jack answered, but then remembered that we were there too. “Or did you guys want something else?”
“Coffee’s fine,” I said. Truthfully, I was a little hungry, but I felt uncomfortable eating in front of him and Jane, and everyone else that was staring at us. All the patrons and staff couldn’t help but look in our direction, and I was starting to feel like I was missing out on some kind of joke.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” Jane pressed, once again running her fingers on his arm, but this time, he actually recoiled from her touch. She still didn’t get the hint, and I wanted to snap at her to leave him alone, but then I should probably snap at everyone else too.
“Nope,” Jack sighed, then muttered under his breath, “But I wish I was.”
“What?” the waitress asked, leaning in closer to hear his voice.
“Nothing.” Jack waved her off without looking at her. “Just the coffee.”
“Thanks,” I told the waitress when she lingered at our table. Finally, she pulled herself away, and I wanted a chance to look over Jack to see if I could figure out what all the fuss was about, but he was too busy looking at me. It wasn’t one of those longing gazes, not like the way Jane was looking at him, but he was looking, so I averted my gaze and pretended to be focused on the dark green place mat in front of me.
“Thanks again for saving us,” Jane murmured, trying to slide herself up next to him. “If there’s anything I can do to repay you, just let me know.” I could tell by the way he ran his fingers through his hair that he was getting irritated, and then I wondered how I knew that. We’d just met. How would I be an expert on his mannerisms? There was definitely something strange going on, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Are you famous or something?” I blurted out, and Jane looked embarrassed enough for both of us so I didn’t bother blushing.
“What do you mean?” He sounded confused, so I finally looked up at him.
He had sandy hair that stood up in a disarray that I’m sure he had planned. His skin was utterly flawless and beach bum tanned, and that was unnatural for people in Minnesota in March. His eyes were a weird blue-gray color, and there was something tremendously boyish about them, about him really, but otherwise, nothing seemed to stand out as overly attractive. I just didn’t get it.
“Everyone’s staring at us. At you,” I corrected myself. Jack just shrugged and looked down at the table, but didn’t bother checking to see if I was right.
Even Jane peered out behind her long eyelashes and reddened cheeks to confirm my statement, and I knew she saw it too because she blushed even deeper and put her hand possessively on Jack’s thigh.
“I’m not famous,” Jack replied quietly. He looked like he wanted to explain things more, but then the waitress appeared with three mugs and a pitcher of coffee.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” the waitress batted her eyes at Jack, who continued to ignore her.
“We’re fine, thanks,” Jane snapped. She had claimed him all for herself, and she had just noticed that everyone in the room was competition, so her claws were coming out.
“Just let me know if there’s anything at all.” The waitress reluctantly walked away, and Jane glared at her the entire time.
“Come on.” I rested my arms on the table and leaned in closer to him because I’d lowered my voice. “You had to have noticed that. You seem like a pretty observant guy.”
“I don’t have an answer for it.” He picked up the pitcher of coffee and poured a cup for himself and me, and then as an afterthought, filled Jane’s too.
“Do you take cream or sugar in yours?”
“Both.” I was perfectly capable of doing it myself, but I think Jack wanted to occupy himself somehow so I would be less likely to notice him hedging the question. He dumped a creamer and two packets of sugar in my coffee, and stirred a creamer in his, then settled back in the booth.
“I take cream and sugar too,” Jane added meekly, and Jack pushed the bowls of creamers and sugar packets toward her. Her face crumbled a bit, and she slowly added them to her coffee.
“So you’re not famous?” I refused to let it go without a direct answer.
&
nbsp; “I can assure you that I’m not famous,” Jack smiled broadly. This one thing I would say about him; he had to have one of the greatest smiles of all time. It wasn’t particularly sexy or anything like that. It was just so natural and carefree, as if his face had been made to do only that.
“You just look so familiar to me,” I admitted, growing exasperated. As soon as I said that, I knew that wasn’t exactly it either. I could almost guarantee that I’d never seen him before, but there was something undeniably familiar about him.
“I know, right?” Jack gave me a perplexed look that I’m sure mirrored my own.
“So do I know you from somewhere?” It didn’t sound right to me, but I couldn’t think of anything else. There was this strange non-sexual intimacy with him, so I had to know him, right?
“That’s not possible,” Jack said simply, shaking his head.
“How is it not possible?” I asked incredulously. “Did you just move here or something?”
“It’s complicated.” He touched his coffee cup and made like he was going to drink it, but he never even lifted it off the table. Jane, for her part, seemed to have resigned herself to drinking her coffee and watching us talk. She finished one cup and poured herself another.
“How is it complicated?” The whole issue of whether he was from the Twin Cities seemed like a very simple yes or no question, but he was hesitant to answer it, and I couldn’t imagine why.
“It just is,” Jack replied, flashing me another one of his amazing smiles.
“How old are you?” I asked pointedly. This would have to be a simple question, even though it was one that I couldn’t really decipher. Somehow, he managed to look very young, like he was fifteen or even younger, while simultaneously looking older than me. It was something about his eyes. They were very young and very old, at the same time.
To my surprise, Jack laughed in response, and I found something even more incredible than his smile. Hands down, he had the greatest laugh in the universe. It was this completely perfect sound that I can’t even explain. When he laughed, it sounded so clear and perfect and hearty, and he laughed with everything in him. Somehow, it warmed me through and through, and I realized that I would trust him with anything.
“How old are you?” Jack countered, grinning at me.
“I asked you first.” I had finished my cup of coffee, so I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest, and for some reason, that made Jack laugh again.
“Why does that even matter?” Jack wondered aloud. “You want to know more.”
“I’m seventeen,” I sighed. Jane cast me a look, and I knew that she was hoping I would lie about my age. Most of the time, she’d tell people she was nineteen or twenty, but unfortunately, I knew I could never pass for nineteen.
Besides, I didn’t really want to lie to Jack.
“Twenty-four,” Jack replied with a wry smirk.
“Don’t you feel a little odd running around with two seventeen year old girls?” I don’t even know why I asked that. In some part of my mind, it did logically seem wrong for a twenty-four-year-old to be picking up two random teenage girls. But sitting here, in the booth with him, nothing had ever felt more natural or safe. This was where I was supposed to be.
“I’m mature for my age!” Jane suddenly spouted, but Jack didn’t even glance in her direction.
“As I recall, if I hadn’t been around, you would’ve gotten yourself killed.”
He rested his arms on the table, leaning more towards me. “What did you think you were doing anyway? Walking around in a parking garage in the middle of the night?” He trailed off, but there was genuine concern and almost a protective edge to his voice.
“We were trying to get into a club, but my feet were killing me and I just wanted to get home,” I explained. He looked at me for a minute, the serious expression looking out of place on him, and then shook his head and refilled my cup of coffee.
“Well, don’t do that again,” he said finally, and added the cream and sugar to my drink. I noticed that he had yet to touch his own cup, but I decided not to say anything. As it was, I’d probably annoyed him with my game of twenty questions.
“Yes, sir.” I saluted him, and he laughed at me, breaking the uneasy moment of gravity. His laugh was so easy and contagious that I couldn’t help but joining in.
“What club were you trying to get into?” Jack inquired.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. Honestly, I hadn’t even really been paying attention. I just let Jane drag me wherever she wanted to go, and hoped that by the end of the night, I managed to make it home in one piece. “Hey, what were you doing downtown? Clubbing it up?”
“Hardly,” Jack snorted. “I was… getting something to eat.”
“At midnight?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“I’m kind of a night owl.” Time must’ve just occurred to him, because he glanced over at a clock hanging on the wall and exhaled deeply. “It’s getting really late. I should probably get you home.”
“I’m wide awake,” Jane chirped, but unlucky for her, I didn’t feel the same way. Even with the coffee and the adrenaline rush from earlier (or maybe because of that), I suddenly felt very tired. Admittedly, I wanted to continue hanging out with Jack (although, not for the same reasons as everyone else), but my whole body had started to ache, especially my legs and ankles.
“I’m starting to drag.” As if to punctuate the statement, I yawned loudly.
“Yeah, we should get going.” No sooner had the words left Jack’s mouth than the waitress appeared with the check. She smiled coyly at him, making another comment rife with innuendo, which Jack ignored. I made some kind of tired play to pay for the check, but he wouldn’t have any of it. I knew it was only like a three dollar tab, but considering he’d saved my life, it was the least I could do.
When I stood up, my legs fought to give out underneath me, but I managed to stay up on my feet. For a second, though, I thought Jack was going to pick me up and carry me out to the car. Jane must’ve gotten the same idea, because she inserted herself between us so he couldn’t reach for me. I had stabilized myself enough, otherwise he probably would’ve pushed her out of the way. For the first time ever, a guy preferred me to Jane, and I couldn’t help but feel a smug satisfaction about it.
Almost the instant I sat in his car, I fell asleep. I remember a brief discussion about who he was going to take home first, with Jane insisting on me and Jack leaning towards her first. Before I could find out how it turned out, I fell asleep. It was probably for the best because then I got to miss out on Jane’s whining.
I woke up just as Jack pulled up in front of my apartment building. Jane was already gone, so I guess that he had won. I’m not sure how he knew where I lived, but it didn’t seem important then. He got out of the car first so he could open my door and help me out. Sure, I was tired, but more than that, my legs felt stiff and uncooperative. This time, he actually did offer to carry me inside, but I knew how that would look to my mother, who would most likely just be getting off her shift from work.
So I left Jack standing outside the entryway of my brownstone, and I waved forlornly at him. Part of me instantly regretted going inside. We had obviously made some kind of connection, but I would probably never see him again. That definitely made the most sense, considering he was older and everyone randomly seemed to be in love with him except for me, but it still saddened me.
Fortunately, my mom wasn’t home yet so I wouldn’t have to deal with any of her questions, and my younger brother Milo was already asleep in his room.
Painfully, I stripped off the ridiculous short-skirt get up that Jane had dressed me in, and pulled on an oversized tee shirt. I normally would’ve opted for sweats, but my legs felt too sore to push through pant legs. Then I pulled my cell phone out of my skirt pocket with the full intention of plugging it in, but I collapsed onto my bed with my phone in my hand before I had the chance.
Just as I started passing out, I felt the phone vib
rate in my hand, startling me awake. I assumed it was Jane, but I knew that I should put it on silent and plug it in so I could sleep undisturbed.
Sweet dreams:) — Jack The text message was from Jack, and I felt my heart beat faster.
Somehow, when I had been sleeping, Jack had gotten my phone number from my cell and programmed his number into my phone, under the name “Jack the Magnificent.” Under other circumstances, that might have been a little creepy, but in this case, it just made me feel happy and relieved. Clicking off my phone, I set it on my bedside table and promptly fell asleep.
Chapter 2
When I woke up, the first thing I noticed after the incredible, painful damage my feet sustained, was the ten million text messages from Jane. All of them were either demanding more information about Jack or simply gushing about him.
Either way, I felt no urge to reply. I pulled on sweats (with a bit of a struggle) then stumbled into the bathroom to overdose on painkillers and cover my feet in Neosporin and Band-Aids.
Miraculously, I’d woken up before two o’clock in the afternoon, so that meant that my mom was still asleep. She did a graveyard shift as a dispatcher in St. Paul, so she usually made it home at an ungodly hour and then slept all day. My brother Milo was a studious little bastard though, and he’d probably been in bed before midnight and up before nine. When I made it out to the living room, I found him sitting at the computer, probably researching a paper for school even though we were on Spring Break. He was a freshman in high school and had the social life of a toddler. It was a sad, sad thing that I was the cool one in the family.
“What’s wrong with you?” Milo asked, glancing up at me.
“What’s wrong with you?” I countered, utilizing my quick wit. I had gone into the small adjoined kitchen and poured myself a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. (This hasn’t been tested by scientists, but I’ve come to find that a Gatorade, a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, and an Excedrin will cure any hang over.)
“Hung over?” Milo noticed me creating my hang over antidote, and I had to admit that I did feel sort of hung over. My entire body just ached like I had been in a car wreck, and I cursed Jane underneath my breath.
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