Pictures Of You

Chapter 13

Amy walked into her house, a smile on her face. She walked into her kitchen to grab a bottle of water, only to find Jack waiting by the counter.

"Oh god, I'm not really in the mood to argue right now." Amy said.

"I don't want to argue with you either." Jack said.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked.

"I just want to talk." Jack said walking toward Amy.

"I told you, I need some time." Amy said.

"I know but I couldn't help it." Jack said.

"Why? Are you in a hurry to go somewhere?" Amy asked and regretted it the second the words left her mouth. She wanted things to get better between them but her insecurities kept seeping in.

Jack didn't say anything, the hurt clearly showing on his face.

"I'm sorry." Amy said.

"It's okay." Jack said.

"I don't know why.." Amy said, but trailed off.

Jack could smell alcohol on Amy's breath. "Are you drunk?"

"What? No." Amy said.

"You had alcohol on your breath, the other night too." Jack said.

"So?" Amy asked defensively.

"I just, I know that you have a lot going on and all of that's because of me but alcohol is not the answer, Amy." Jack said, backing off a little.

"I know." Amy said, curtly.

"I'm fine if you never listen to me about anything else, but just don't make my mistakes." Jack said.

"I'm not, I had a drink but I'm not drunk." Amy said.

Jack nodded, relieved somehow, not wanting to push the matter.

Amy just looked at Jack for a moment and before she even thought about it, she hugged him.

"What was that for?" Jack asked, not knowing how to react, confused by Amy's mixed signals.

"For making me feel like I finally have a father." Amy said, into Jack's jacket.

Jack smiled and hugged Amy back. He felt guilty about the pain he'd caused Amy, but he was ready to do anything to fix his mistakes.

Amy and Jack smiled at each other awkwardly as they pulled away and Amy headed to her room.

"Hey, Amy?" Jack called out after her.

"Yeah?" Amy said, turning back.

"Do you want to have breakfast with me tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"I'd like that." Amy said with a smile and headed toward her room.

Shane was right, Amy could control the outcome of her relationship with her father. It wasn't going to be easy and it would take a lot out of her to trust him but she was hoping that finally having a father would be worth the wait.

Amy overslept the next morning and got ready in a rush, picking up the first thing she found in her closet.

Jack sat there at the diner, looking around, hoping that Amy would show up. He was afraid that, Amy might have changed her mind; deciding it was all too much.

"Hey, I'm so sorry I'm late." Amy said, taking a seat in front of Jack.

"No, it's fine, I was starting to think that, you weren't going to show." Jack said.

"I overslept." Amy said embarrassedly.

Jack smiled at Amy. Jack and Amy looked through the menu and placed their orders. After a bit of small talk, Jack couldn't help but ask Amy, what was bothering her.

"What's on your mind?" Jack asked.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, confused.

"You seem preoccupied." Jack said.

"No, it's nothing." Amy said.

Jack looked a little disappointed by how Amy didn't say much.

"I just, I'm in a weird place with my best friend, Karma." Amy said, trying to make up for the obvious disappointment Jack was feeling.

"Tell me about it." Jack said.

"Oh, it's a long story, with a ton of drama. I don't think you'd be interested." Amy said, not wanting to retell the story, she'd been telling everyone.

"Try me." Jack said.

"Okay so, Karma and I have been best friends since kindergarten. Last year, we pretended to be gay to be popular but I ended up realizing I was gay." Amy paused to see Jack's expressions, which hadn't changed. "Karma didn't feel the same way but recently we kissed and now she's confused about how she feels about me and after a while I couldn't do it anymore, wait around her for to decide, so I asked her for some space."

"So, you miss her, huh?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, so much. But I don't know what to do." Amy said.

"I don't know if I'm the right person to be giving advice or even if you'd want my advice but.." Jack said.

"I actually would love some advice." Amy said, smiling as she took a bite of her pancakes.

Jack smiled, relieved by how responsive Amy was being to him. "In my experience, you should always make amends, even if it hurts because if you lose someone because you didn't try, it becomes one of your biggest regrets."

Amy didn't say anything, trying to understand what Jack was saying.

"But I guess, it's different for different people and you know this thing with Karma better than anyone." Jack said, afraid that he'd said something wrong.

"That's actually really good advice, thank you. I really needed that." Amy said, smiling.

Jack smiled his biggest smile. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this happy, he'd wanted this for so long; just to be with his daughter, something most people took for granted, a simple meal with your child; but it was something that meant everything to Jack.

"Thank you, for today. I had a really good time." Amy said, smiling.

"Thank you, for giving a chance." Jack said, smiling, a lump forming in his throat.

Jack and Amy hugged, saying so much without saying anything at all.

Amy knew what she had to do now, so once she and Jack had parted ways, she headed over to Karma's house.

"Hey." Amy said, walking into Karma's room.

"Hey." Karma said, a little surprised to see Amy.

"I'm sorry." Amy said.

"For what?" Karma asked, standing up and walking toward Amy.

"For taking you for granted, for not being a good friend; for so many things." Amy said.

"No, I'm sorry. I was asking too much out of you." Karma said, tears falling down her eyes.

"If you can't tell me things, who will you tell them to. I'm your best friend." Amy said, hugging Karma; tears now falling down her eyes as well.

"I've missed you so much." Karma said, talking into Amy's shoulder.

"I've missed you too." Amy said.

They both stood like that, hugging each other; their way of apologizing, their of way of reconnecting. They didn't know what lay ahead for them, but they knew that the only way they'd get through it was, together.