The Little Life

Chapter Twenty Six

I composed myself and made my way back to the table. My ass was sore and undoubtedly red from the bathroom interaction.

"Are you feeling okay sweetie?" Mary asked as she watched me wince as I sat down.

"Yes, thank you. Just a bit of a headache and stomachache. Nothing I can't handle" I smiled softly at her.

The rest of the meal was spent talking about various things with Jacks parents. He had put his hand on my thigh right after I sat down and I decided not to fight him. I didn't want to make him more upset than he already was. Once we were finished and Jack paid for all of us (not without his parents disagreeing, however), we said our goodbyes outside and went our separate ways.

"Your parents are nice" I said as I buckled myself in.

"Yeah, they are. I'm glad all of you got along. You'll have to meet Leo next" he said, getting into the car himself and shutting the door.

"I guess so" I said looking out the window.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked as he started the car.

"Yeah I'm fine"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. You just...I'm not used to being defied" he sighed and I could tell he was genuinely upset.

"It's okay" I shrugged as I pulled out my phone.

"Do you need some snuggles when we get home?"

"I'm going home though. To my home"

"Oh. I thought you were staying with me again? It is Sunday after all" he said with a sad tinge to his voice.

"Well yes. I was going to. But I think you need to cool down for a bit"

"Oh. All right then. I'll take you home"

The rest of the drive was awkwardly silent. I could tell Jack was upset. A mixture of sadness and anger. I felt bad but at the same time what he did was not okay. I feel like I'm not allowed to be upset or I get punished and that's not how this works. At least I think.

We pulled into the parking garage to my apartment complex and I gathered my things to go inside.

"Just know I love you, okay?" He said as I opened the door to get out.

"I know. I love you too" I said as I shut the door and walked away.

I held myself together until I got into the elevator. Then I burst into tears. I cried until the elevator opened, then I composed myself and made my way to my apartment. I hoped Tasha wouldn't be there so I could cry and be upset in peace. This was the first fight Jack and I have ever had and it hurts. I don't like being upset with him and I don't like him being upset with me.

I got out my key and went inside to find it empty. I pet Salem as he walked in between my legs and then held him captive to lay in my room with me. I took off my bag and hung it on the hook before walking into my room. I washed my face and changed out of my clothes before peeing. I looked down and realized why I had been so emotional and angry the last couple days. I opened a new box of tampons and prepared to take a nap. After finishing in the bathroom I made my way into bed. I got under the covers and opened TikTok to scroll,  falling asleep shortly after.

I was awoken by the sound of Tasha coming in and I could tell she wasn't alone. I groaned and rolled over to check the time. 5:46pm. Damn what a nap, I thought to myself.

I made sure the bedroom door was locked so none of us were surprised and then I headed into the bathroom to pee. Once I was finished I washed my hands and went back to bed. I picked up my phone from my pillow and looked through my notifications for a minute before  realizing I didn't have anything from Jack. That stung a lot, but I knew he probably just wanted to give me space. I was deep in thought when I heard Tasha attempting to slide open the door.

"I'm home, Tic-Tac" I shouted.

"Jesus Christ on a motorcycle. I thought you were at your penis' house?" She shouted back. I walked over to the door and unlocked it then slid it open to find Tasha and another random girl both half naked standing at the door and slightly out of breath.

"We got in a fight and I'm staying here this week. You can take the bedroom. I'm gonna go for a run. Let me change real quick" I said as I shut the door and began to change into my workout clothes.

"A fight?! You didn't tell me it was a fight fight. Do you need to talk it out? We can talk it out"

"No. I'm...I'm just gonna run, okay?" I said as I threw on my Nike tank top over my sports bra and grabbed my phone to leave.

"Okay. But promise you'll talk to me if you need to?"

"Pinky" I said as I slid the door open and walked past the couple. I grabbed my arm band and earbuds and headed out.

I had to drive to my jogging spot since living in the city didn't allow for much free roaming space that wasn't covered in asphalt or buildings. After the short drive I arrived and parked, putting my spare car key in my sports bra pocket and getting my phone and earbuds ready. I made my way to the front of the park and made sure my shoes were tied before I turned on my running playlist. All of the thoughts cleared my head as I began running to Someday by The Strokes.