Girls Don't Know Jack

Wilcrest Academy for Murderers

♫ Crash My Car - COIN

The sound of footsteps stampede towards my bedroom door until it comes flying open, my two best friends barreling towards me.

"Oh my god, I can't believe Jack invited us to a party!" Naila squeaks, and I don't have the heart to correct her.

The second Jack Moody pulled out of my driveway, I was calling them up. I couldn't possibly crash Emma McKinney's party without them.

Jade rolls her eyes at Naila's excitement and collapses onto my bed in a huff, lavender and teal bedding fluffing around her weight.

"Can I go through your closet?" Naila asks walking towards it. "You know my parents. The sexiest thing I own is a care bear sweater."

Before I can answer, the small girl is already flinging open the closet door. A mound of dirty laundry and stuffed teddy bears come tumbling out like an avalanche, dropping her to the floor.

Shoot, I forgot about that.

"Jesus, Molly!" Jade exclaims sitting up to examine the scene. "This is like an episode of Hoarders."

"Eh, sorry about that," I say leaning down to dig Naila out from the rubble. She frowns at me, her big brown eyes looking displeased as she scrambles to her feet.

The two of us sort through the mess to check out my small closet. I begin pulling out hangers of clothes, wrinkling my nose at the options in front of me.

"Ugh, I have nothing to wear," I whine.

Party attire had never been at the top of my list of needs. Clothing in general has never been a pressing matter for me. I mean, I wear the same uniform to Wilcrest every day. And, I don't really have a life outside of school.

"What about this!" Naila says pulling out a black and white striped t-shirt dress.

"It would look cute on you," I offer as my way of saying no way in hell am I showing up in that to Emma's.

Pleased, she smiles and begins to change into it.

"Are you sure we can't just stay here tonight?" Jade pouts from my bed. "We haven't had a movie night in a while."

I roll my eyes at her just as Naila interjects, pulling the dress down over her head. "Are you crazy? We finally get invited somewhere and you want to dip?"

Jade sighs and slams her body back down into a lying position. My eyes lock onto a pile of shirts I never wear in the back of my closet. Sifting through, I pull out a black tube top I normally reserve only for an undershirt when needed.

This could work.

Snagging my favorite pair of high waisted jeans, I present the fit to my friends.

"Cute! Wait, do you have a strapless bra to work with that?" Naila asks in response.

"I'm not going to wear one," I say with a devious grin.

Her round brown eyes widen, and she squeals. "That is so cool."

Wasting no time, I start to strip to change my clothes. Naila dashes across the room to gather my makeup bag and flat iron.

Joining her on the floor in front of my mirror, we begin to primp and prod. Curling our lashes. Caking our face. Frying our hair and spraying it down slick.

.....................

The sound of tires on pavement causes me and Naila to spring from the mattress we've been perched on for the past forty-five minutes.

Peeking out, headlights of Jack Moody's red car shine below us.

"It's him! He actually came!" Naila squeaks in excitement. Her curly hair tickles my cheek as we squeeze in to watch the boy in his driver's seat.

My bed creaks behind us, as Jade stands. "Well, are we going or are we just going to watch him from here?" she huffs.

"Yup, let's go!" I exclaim. "Oh, just one last thing."

Pattering across the hardwood floor, I grab the small glass perfume pottle containing a dull cotton candy pink liquid and spray one last spritz onto my neck and wrist.

"Do me!" Naila says, closing her eyes and stretching out her arms. I spray a good dose on her too and then, we scramble out, down the stairs and out of the house.

"Be back later, dad!" I shout through the cracked front door, before closing it tight.

Dashing to Jack's passenger door I fling it open; he dips his head over to meet me.

"I didn't know you were bringing friends," he says, eyeing the girls straggling behind me.

With a soft smile, I shrug while climbing into the front seat. Jade and Naila follow suit, piling into the back.

"Hi Jack," Naila says poking her head in between the two of us. Her wide eyes focus intently on Jack who jumps back wrinkling his nose.

The boy blinks slowly a few times staring at her smiling face and starry eyes, and then faces forward as he says, "I think one of you went a little heavy on the perfume."

Quickly, I wipe my clammy hands on my neck before brushing them onto my jeans, trying to eliminate the evidence.

Jack's hand moves to the volume knob, pressing it, resulting in a thumping beat filling the small car. And then, he stretches out his long arm, resting a hand on the headrest of my seat before looking over his shoulder to back out of the driveway.

In response, I turn to meet Naila with wide eyes; she bites down on her knuckle, turning to look out the window.

Once we pull onto the road, Jade breaks the silence. "So, Jack. Tell us about yourself."

Jack glances in his rearview mirror to meet her dark eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Why are you at Wilcrest?" Her direct question causes me to shoot her a glare. She better not ruin this for me.

Naila pops her head back up as she word vomits, "We heard you killed someone."

At that, Jack cocks his head back with a quick laugh. "What?"

My small friend sulks back into her seat, mumbling, "Well, we did hear that."

"You all thought I killed someone?" He turns to look at me. "And you invited me to your house?"

"Yeah, well," I say. "It's not like you did it—right?"

For a quick moment, I stare at him in horror, but then he laughs and shakes his head. "You really think they'd send me to Wilcrest, if I were a murderer? That doesn't even make any sense."

Fair point.

Unsatisfied, Jade can't seem to leave it be, so she pushes. "Well, why are you there then?"

His smile leaves his face as he mumbles, "If I had any other option, I wouldn't be."

Quickly, I shoot her one last glare—my best threatening stare. If she presses one more time, I'm jumping back there to stuff my foot in her big fat mouth.

"Well, whatever," I say trying to lighten the mood. "We're happy to have you."

I plaster on my best and widest smile and then lean forward to crank up his choice of music. The bass thumps in his small car, rattling our bodies as we continue on down the lit-up highway.