last summer - jack gilinsky

twenty two

i rolled my eyes. "sick fucker."

"did you do something with him rose?"

"no." the lie came out smoothly. i hated myself for lying to jack so easily.

"then why would he write this?"

"to make it seem that way!" i defended. "i told him to get the fuck back to california." i told jack, taking his hands. "please, babe, just get into bed with me. it's nearly 11 pm."

"okay." he sighed, pulled back the covers and climbing into my bed.

i didn't want to get so used to jack being here with me in alabama that when he left, i wouldn't be able to sleep. but as i climbed into my bed and jack's arms snaked around my waist, i couldn't help but be grateful.

"jack?" i whispered, feeling him shift a little.

"yeah?"

"if sam didn't come out here, would you still have came today?"

it was silent for a moment and i felt my heart break a little.

"rosalina, i would've came anyways. i'm in love with you."

i wrapped my arms around him tighter. "are you? really?"

"mhm." jack said, his hands playing with my hair.

"i'm in love with you too."

and then i fell asleep.

-

i woke up with jack asleep in my arms and smiled to myself. i rolled over gently so he wouldn't wake up and his arms wouldn't leave the position of being around my waist to check my phone.

sam - i'll always love you rosie. see u in cali.- 12:18 AM

i ignored the text and went onto twitter only to see something that would devastate me.

flight 3021 from birmingham, alabama to dallas, texas crashed due to engine failures that were not properly checked before the flight took off. the pilot was planning on attempting an emergency landing at the jackson-medgar wiley evers airport in jackson, mississippi but unfortunately, the plane crashed a mile north of the bienville national forest. no one on the flight survived. this flight was supposed to continue on to los angeles .

"jack." i whispered, my eyes welling with tears. i sat straight up in the bed and jack's eyes fluttered open.

"jack." i said again.

"hmm?" he asked sleepily. "why are you crying?"

"sammy's flight crashed. no one survived."

-

fortunately, my coach was very understanding and let me skip practice on this day. i wasn't the only girl on the team who lost someone in the crash, so she came over to my apartment so we could talk about it.

"he was my boyfriend. we've been together for five years and he's always wanted to go to ucla and he got in." she was so in shock that she couldn't even cry. i've been crying all day.

"i was the opposite. i couldve gotten into ucla but i wanted a change and alabama is it."

"then maybe you should've been in that plane."

her words caught me off guard.

"brit you aren't the only person who lost someone on that plane. i know you're hurting and i am too but don't say that to me ever again."

i left her in the living room to think and i heard the front door open and close.

"lina?" i heard jack say.