present for jack

- it was love -

the next day came by quicker than jack had expected. his alarm went off and he threw his pillow onto his face, wanting to scream out all his emotional pain, but his voice didn't come out. he stayed in bed for a few minutes before his mom forced him to get out. reluctantly, he did.

shawty was already at the airport, and probably on the plane to america already. she sent him a text message that said "i'll be there soon. call u, ok?"

jack turned his phone back off and prepared to go visit the playground that he was just crying at last night. he slipped out of the house and made his way to the park.

he walked to the same location he and shawty were at only hours ago. he looked at the pavement and remembered where she stood. just being there hurt more than he expected. he was quickly going back through flashbacks of the night, thinking about how he was crying and shawty, for once, looked genuinely sorry and dreary. he barely got sleep that night. he spent it thinking about shawty.

he sat on the bench that shawty waited on for hours. he knew that shawty wasn't dead. he knew that he could always contact her. he knew that, but he wanted to hug her and squeeze her tight, making sure to never let her go. he wished the foreign exchange student program never existed. he wished he signed up too.

when the program was offered at school, he refused, knowing it wasn't worth the money and the effort to go to america. he barely understood american culture, and would be seen as a disgrace, even after 9/11. he always thought americans were rude and stereotypical. he wouldn't fit in. it's not like he couldn't afford it, he simply didn't want to go. however, shawty thought otherwise.

she was fascinated with different cultures around the world. she recognized that america had potential. she did her research and knew that america was a stirring pot of different cultures and ethnicities. she would definitely fit in somewhere. she just had to find the right location. she gave america a chance.

jack slammed his hand down next to him. he was furious. why didn't he sign up? why didn't he ask shawty if she was going? why did he assume she wasn't? he thought up of all the possibilities and all the questions he didn't ask himself prior to his refusal. he longingly wished he could go back and sign up for it too. he wanted to be with shawty, no matter what.

what was even special about shawty anyway? he suddenly came to the slow realization that maybe he had a thing for shawty. why was he so attached? it wasn't only because she was his childhood best friend. no, it was something more.

it was love.