Double Dare // Sky Flaherty

Chapter Thirty-One

tw for this chapter: mild blood and a vehicle accident
~~~~~

Three Weeks Later

"Jack, are you sure you're feeling good enough to come?" I ask as we climb out of the Uber with a few other cast members, headed for the entrance to the state fair.

"For the last time, Sky, I'm fine," Jack states.

Jonalyn, who's walking on the other side of Jack, gives her a concerned look. "You've seemed exhausted for the past few weeks and you keep getting dizzy. I think you should have stayed behind."

Jack shakes her head. "Guys, I'm fine. I took some advil for my headache before we left. Besides, I don't want to miss out on anything. Stop wasting your time concerned about me and let's go have fun." She smiles as she shoos the others away.

"So, where do you want to go first?" I ask as we begin to wander around. "Ferris wheel?" I suggest.

"That's very cliche," Jack says, grinning.

"I happen to enjoy the cliche, Jack Kelly." I nudge her lightly with my shoulder. "Come on, let's go get in line." We stand in line for a few minutes before we get on the ride. Jack sits next to me, smiling in a way that makes me glad it's getting too dark to see my blush. As the Ferris wheel begins to go up, I smile happily.

"Look at the sunset," Jack says softly as we're nearing the top. As if the universe is on my side, it begins to get more cliche. Once we're at the very top, the ride stops. "Do you think it's stuck?" She asks after several, glancing towards the ground.

I can't help but smile. "I don't know. But that means we can watch the sunset," I point out.

"Yeah, you're right." She smiles happily. "I get to hang out with you, so it's not that bad." We sit in silence for a few seconds. "How are you liking being on tour so far?" Jack asks.

"I should be asking you, since it's your first." I laugh. ""But I'm really enjoying it. Tours are fun, but this one is even funner because you're here."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "Funner? Skyler, that's not a word."

"I don't care." I shrug. "Anyway, I think you're absolutely killing this tour thing. I love seeing you on stage. You belong there, Jack."

Her smile softens. "Thanks, Sky. It's really fun so far, too. It makes it a lot easier when I get to do this with you." I only smile in response, and after a few minutes of quiet, I lean my head on Jack's shoulder. I glance up at her a few moments later, and I find she's looking at me. Neither of us look away.

I've never taken the time to really look at Jack's eyes. They're a shade of brown that reminds me of early morning coffee; of autumn evenings by the campfire, eating smores and telling stories; of home. I find myself leaning in closer, and Jack does the same. I let my eyes close, and just before our lips touch, Jack places a hand on my arm.

"Sky," she whispers. "I can't do this." I open my eyes, sitting up. "I can't. You know I can't." She sighs softly, turning away from me as the ride begins moving again.

"I'm sorry," I mumble, embarrassed. For the rest of the night, there's an awkward tension between us that neither of us can shake.

~ * ~ * ~

Jack's POV
The rest of the evening at the state fair is much more awkward than I'd planned. Towards the end of the night, I begin to have light chest pains, but I don't say anything. I don't want to ruin anything else about the night. I get in a car with English and Megan to head back to the hotel. As we're riding, the chest pains slowly get worse.

"Jack, are you okay?" Megan asks from the backseat, concerned.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine," I say quickly, turning to glance at them behind me. English and Megan look at me, not believing me at all. "I'm serious. I'll be fine."

I pull out my phone, opening Instagram. I scroll through my feed, liking the pictures my friends posted from the fair. English and Megan talk softly in the background.

Then, within mere seconds, someone in the backseat lets out a shout, I look up, and all I see is a pair of headlights headed straight towards the car. Glass shatters, the hood of the car crunches, and the airbag in front of me inflates instantaneously. When the car abruptly stops moving, I find I can't feel my leg. My head hurts, my heart beats wildly, and as my vision begins to fade out, I see a stream of blood coming from a cut in my arm.

~~~~~
yeah I completely forgot about updating this book since it's been a while since I actually wrote a chapter
but here's this one and I'll try to update more often
thanks for reading!