Jacqueline || BWWM

Chapter Thirty Five

I'm shoved into the corner of the couch, the result of Whit, Isabelle and Jaylin all choosing to join me on a two-three at max--person couch. The two other couches in the room lay to the side of us, vacate. With this clearly in all of our minds, you'd think someone--Jay or Isabelle preferably--would do the math and leave.

No such luck.

It seems like I'm the only one uncomfortable with out situation the way the trio continues eating their lunch--a plain salad with tomatoes and sunflower seeds--like they couldn't be more content. While I admire and envy them for this, I know I won't be able to force myself to stay in this position for much longer.

Time to get some answers.

I silently watch the tv for a couple minutes with the group until a commercial--you that Jake from State Farm one?--comes on. Jay and Isabelle immediately get into a debate about Chad--once again. The twist to this time is that Isabelle counters that this guy named James is hotter.

Focus!

"Hey, Whit?" I don't know Whit that well still, so my voice comes out in an airy whisper. To stay on the brighter side of the road, I tell myself it could've came out a lot worse.

"Yeah?" She turns her head away from her friends and aims it at me.

Dumbfound and speechless, I blink at her like the idiot I keep proving to be. In my preparation for this talk, I'd predicted that she'd brush me after I said her name. No where in my plan did I ever consider her actually giving me her full attention, like she is now.

"You going to say something, or are you just going to stare at me?" Whit raises a perfectly trimmed brown eyebrow and looks at me as if I'm some gunk stuck at the bottom of her shoes.

Weird as this might seem, her obvious distaste is what gives me my voice. "Um, yeah. Remember the party you had a couple weeks back?" I lick my lips--they always seem to be dry when I'm doing something I don't want to do--and wait for her nod before continuing. "You told me about this girl named Jackie, but never got to finish..." I trail off hoping she'll catch onto what I'm saying without another word leaving my mouth.

She doesn't. She just raises her eyebrow higher-can all eyebrows go that high?-a bored look claiming her face. "So?"

"Could you maybe tell me more?"

"What more is there to tell?"

Pleasant thoughts of sinking into the couch and allowing it to swallow me whole invade my mind. In this moment, with Whitney looking at me with more then enough annoyance to fill an Olympic pool, it feels like any place but here would be tons better.

Get it together. Breathe. Talk normally.

I look away from Whit's gaze and focus my attention on the gold band around my wrist. Absently fidgeting with it, I mumble, "Well, you have a picture of this girl that was claimed dead at the time the picture was taken. I'm a bit curious at how you got the picture."

I peek at Whit's face from under my lashes. She's slightly pale-white like she's just seen a ghost or something as unheard of-and for a flash of a second it seems like she stops breathing. A half second later though, she's so calm and collected, I start to believe I imagined the color leaving her face. The only reassurance that keeps me in check in the way her manicured fingers remain tightened around her mug of sweet tea.

"Whatever site you got your information off got their facts wrong." She pauses, stabs a few pieces of lecture with her fork, and closes her lips around them. I spin my band around my wrists a few times in the thirty seconds it takes Whit to chew and swallow. "The girl in the picture, Jackie, didn't die in the fire. She was found unconscious by a group of firefighters. They took her to a nearby hospital where King, our parents, and I met her with her a few hours later. Good thing we arrived when we did because the poor girl looked worse than the frog I had to dissect freshmen year." Whit gestures with her fork as she talks as if drawing me a picture of how Jackie looked. "My dad took the picture you saw ten minutes after we arrived because the nurses were ushering us out. Turns out the poor babe was dying. Too much smoke in the lungs or something like that. I don't really remember." She shrugs, dismisses our conversation as the show starts up once again.

I nod at her information-mostly wrong as it would seem- and push myself farther into the couch as I try to enjoy the show. Sooner than I'd like, I'm bored out of my mind. The couple on tv are fighting like there's no tomorrow. To the girls sitting besides this is extremely interesting-they all put their phones down for a second once the guy-Lucas-started yelling at the girl-Brooke or something that starts with a B. A few minutes later-Brooke and Lucas are locked in each other's arms with their lips glued together-and I can't take this anymore. Trying to be polite nonetheless, I wait for a commercial-this time Flo from progressive-to play before I get up. My feet sink into the soft cream carpet and I'm seconds always from bolting upstairs when Whit stops me.

"Hey, Jacs-"

"It's still Jacqueline."

She rolls her eyes impatiently while saying, "I still don't care. Why are so interested in the Hathways?"

"The who?"

Behind my mostly downcast lashes, I'm watching Whit so closely that I manage to catch onto the way she slightly relaxes her tense shoulders at my answer. Staring at her unblinkingly also allows me a better look at the 'is she really that stupid' look she tosses my way. "Jackie. Why are you so interested in what happened to her?"

Welp. Didn't predict that question.

"I'm not really that interested in her as a person, per say. I'm more into the mystery behind it all." I shrug nonchalantly, hoping more than anything that she'll drop it.

"Oh, ok." Whit turns to Isabelle and I take that as my cue to exit.

I got an answer!
_Delivered at 2:51pm.

The door to my room squeaks open a few minutes after I send the text. Beatrice peeks her head in and smiles at me. "Hey love, are you going to do anything exciting in the next few hours?"

"Nope." My plans for the rest of the day consist of taking naps and reading the couple books I borrowed from the library.

The smile on Beatrice's red lips widens and she claps her hands like Jay does when she's excited. "Great! Let's have a Mommy-Daughter. It's been too long since our last one."

In reality, we actually had one two weeks into my stay with them. It was a tad awkward since Jay didn't really seem to appreciate me tagging along-according to Jace it was always just her and Beatrice before I came along. That knowledge in mind, I tried hard not to blame Jaylin for whatever creative words she called me that day.

"Jaylin's busy today."

"That's ok, it can just be us. Sound ok?"

I stare at her outstretched hand for a second as I take in my options. If I decide to go with her, I'll get even more attached to her and this family, making it that much more painful when I have to leave. If I don't go, I'll miss out on a moment I'm sure fate will never present me with again.

What do I do?

Closing my eyes tightly, I send a quick 'please' to God before opening my eye lids and taking Beatrice's hand. "Sounds great."

The more time I spend with this family and the people here the more I realize: there are so many things in this life that are worth taking a risk for. A chance like this is a great example of my realization.

Beatrice pulls me into a quick side hug before dropping my hand. "I'll get my purse." She points a figure up and down my body, "Change into something...else." Before walking out.

I look down at my attire-white pajama shorts covered with little red Mickey Mouse faces everywhere and a thin black tank top-before quickly nodding to no one in particular.

_________

Hey readers! Thank you so much for reading. Hope you liked this chapter. Please vote, comment and share if you did.

Q.O.T.C: What show do you think they were watching?

Love you guys so much, Liv

DF: Nov.24.17
DP: Nov.25.17
WC: 1,449