broken promises ↦ jacob barber

the diner

"how'd the interview go with my dad?" jacob asked as him and julia walked out of the school besides each other. "nothing interesting." she said, shrugging her shoulders. "my mom should be here any second." jacob said, earning a nod from julia. "are you staying over tonight?" jacob asked, "i don't know, maybe. do you want me to?" julia asked, turning around so she was facing him. "yeah." jacob said. they returned to facing the parking lot, watching as cars drove past, kids getting into their parents cars. sooner or later laurie pulled up. "we're gonna go home real quick than we're gonna stop over ben's parents' house for a little get together, sound good?" laurie asked the two, "yeah." they muttered back.

julia and jacob sat next to each other on a couch in a room filled with other kids, most of the kids chatting away about who knows what. "are you gonna socialize?" julia asked, "nope." jacob replied back, popping the p. "come on jake, you need more friends." julia explained. "first of all, you're my friend. second of all, i don't see you socializing either." jacob exclaimed. "yeah because i know if i leave you you'll get lonely." she teased. "oh that's so not-" jacob said before andy cut him off. "hey. you guys ready to go?" he asked. "yeah." they both replied. "did you guys bring coats?" andy asked over the loud chatter of the kids. "uh mom put them upstairs with hers." jacob said. "okay, i'll find them. meet me at the front door." andy explained before he disappeared into the hallway. jacob and julia both got up from the couch, shoving through the piles of kids. most of the kids probably didn't even care about ben, they just found this as a chance to gossip about whatever and whoever. "these kids are totally faking it." julia huffed once they got out of the crowded room. "i know, they probably don't even care about ben." jacob replied. "sure ben was kinda a douche, but the least these kids can do is show some respect, you know?" julia rambled. "yeah.." jacob said, trailing off. they stood by the front door for a few minutes before andy came down.

"hey guys come on, we all agreed, no phones when i'm driving. makes me feel like a chauffeur." andy said. "sorry." the two muttered before locking their phones and shoving them into their pockets. "so you got all your homework done?" andy asked jacob. "yeah, mom made me finish catcher in the rye, even though it's not due until like next week." jacob explained. "what'd you think?" andy asked. "uh, it was pretty good i guess. you know the dude with his name?" jacob asked. "who, jd salinger?" andy asked. "no, uh, holden caulfiled. the kid from the book, ms. frun says it's symbolic. so like, the name holden, is supposed to be like hold in. and call is another name for a wom. and field is like the field of rye, the bow." jacob explained. "huh, never thought about that." andy said. "i don't know, its kinda annoying actually. i feel like all the books she gives us, they always have these, metaphors and similes and symbols that you're supposed to figure out but it's just like, who cares? just tell the freakin' story, why do you need all these layers to decode? just, say what you mean." jacob said. "you gotta point." andy replied. by now their conversation has spaced out in julia's mind, her eyes were focused on the road, illuminated by the dimmed street lights. the only noice in the background she could head is the sound hitting the car. "right? i dont now, it just bugs me. the book is right about one thing though. how phony people are." jacob explained. "i remember that about it." andy stated. "like even tonight, me and julia we're taking about it." jacob said, snapping julia out of her gaze by her name being said. "you guys thought people were being phony tonight?" andy asked. "some, yeah. kids especially. i'm not saying they're not upset, it's just they're acting the way they think they're supposed to act. like they've seen in movies or whatever. you know what i mean?" jacob stated.

"yeah, i do actually." andy replied. "nobody's gonna call them out of it because than you'd look like a jerk." jacob explained. it was silent for a few seconds before andy spoke up again. "did you guys get anything to eat back there?" he asked. "just a little. julia?" jacob asked, "uh, not much." she said. they decided on going to a diner a few blocks away.

"so the doctor gives him one of those uh, it's like a plastic cup with a lid on it." jacob tried explaining. "like a canister?" andy asked. "yeah, alright so, the doctor gives him a canister, says come back tomorrow, with a semen sample." jacob said. julia alright knew where this was going, apparently so did andy. "buddy," he said. "so the old man, he goes home, comes back the next day with an empty canister. the old man says, listen, doc, first i tried with my right hand, didn't work. then i tried with my left hand and it still didn't work. then my wife tried it with her right hand, and it didn't work." jacob said. "seriously?" julia asked, trying to hold back a laugh. "then she tried with her left hand, didn't work. so then she called over the neighbor, the neighbor tried with her right hand, still didn't work. but than she tried with her left hand, and no matter what, we could not get this damn cap off." jacob explained. the group broke out into a small laughter, julia nudging jacob with her elbow. the waitress came back with their food, they all muttered a "thank you" in response. "that was good, i didn't see that coming." andy told jacob.