#jackandfinn

Chapter 6: Hit the Road Jack

Cook and I kept hooking up for a few weeks after the night we all went out, many hot and heavy make-out sessions but never going all the way. But things cooled down pretty quickly and we realized that though we had a great time together, we didn’t want to pursue anything else romantic, we much preferred just enjoying each other’s company as friends. Sure, we had a connection. But I was me and he was… well… Cook. I would always be a bit of a princess, and he would always be brash and crude and abrasive and… well, Cook. He was a lot of fun, but not the kind of guy you introduced to your mom. Plus, he was Freddie’s best friend. And I couldn’t stand being around Freddie.

Seeing Freddie at school over the next few weeks was beyond uncomfortable.  At first, Freddie would try to talk to me in the hallways, to which I only ever responded with icy silence. I still couldn’t believe that I had started to fall for such a disgusting human being. It was probably just the drugs distorting my perception. Yet, I still found myself being drawn to him. What was wrong with me?

I was lost in my thoughts at the end of the school day, still in my own little world as I walked home. I barely said a word to my family that evening, I just went through the motions of dinner and homework before heading up to my room to read. What a way to spend a Friday evening.

About an hour after passing out with a book in my hands, I was awoken by the sound of my buzzing cellphone

 FR: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:30pm

Pack a bag, we’re going to the cabin for the weekend.

 I rubbed my eyes, attempting to orient myself. Afternoon naps always left me groggy.

 TO: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:31pm

What?

 FR: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:31pm

Jack and Finn’s cabin. Hurry. Jack will be at your place in 20.

 TO: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:32pm

Maxxie, I’m already in my “not leaving the house again” clothes. And what am I supposed to tell my parents?

 FR: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:33pm

Not my problem. Stop being such a grandma. Figure something out. 17 minutes. See you soon.

 I tossed my phone down on my bed, put my bookmark back in Pride and Prejudice and found myself absentmindedly beginning to pack a weekend bag. I tossed in the essentials and even dug out the bag of skittles that were left over from the night we went clubbing. They may come in handy. I slunk downstairs to find my dad sitting in the living room, watching the news.  

“Hey, dad?”

“Yes pumpkin?”

“Maxxie and some of our friends are headed to a cabin for the weekend. Can I go?”

“Where is this cabin?” He asked, pulling himself away from a story of a skateboarding dog.

“Not sure, I’ll text you the address. Dad, they’re on their way here… I need an answer.”

“It’s getting late. How are you evening planning on getting there?”

“Jack is coming to pick me up.”

“That’s one of the twins, right?”

“Yes.”

“He seems respectable enough. Alright, have a good weekend. Say hi to Maxine for me. When will you be back?”

“Probably Sunday. Thanks, dad!” I said, placing a kiss on his cheek. I ran out of the living room before he could ask any more questions.

At 5:50pm, I saw Jack’s familiar SUV pull up outside of my house. I grabbed my backpack, camping gear and the bag of snacks I had thrown together and slipped out of the house. Jack sat in the driver’s seat, the back-seat empty. Jack hopped out to help me toss my stuff in the trunk.

“Where is everybody?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, I’m not kidnapping you. You’re just the first one on my pick-up list.” He said flashing a debonair smile.

“Where’re Finn and Maxxie?” I asked, climbing into the passenger seat.

“Maxxie is driving herself and Finn took our other car. We wouldn’t all fit in one car.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed to be alone with me.” Jack teased, starting the car.

I stuck my tongue out at him playfully.

“I’m trembling in my seat.” He teased.

I smiled back at him. The skin around his eyes crinkled when he laughed, and his green eyes glinted in the sunlight.

“What?” He asked, taking a few stray locks of my hair in between his fingers. 

“Nothing…” Still smiling, I turned to stare out of the window instead.

After a few moments of silence, I remembered what Cook had told me about Jack. I wasn’t sure when I was ever going to get him alone again, so I decided that this would be the best time to clear the air.

“I know what happened between you and Cook’s girlfriend, Jack…”

“What?” He took his eyes off the road for only a second, but his face flushed. “What are you talking about?”

“Cook told me,” I said, not taking my eyes off of him. I studied his response. I saw the muscles around his jaw tense and release. He let out a long exhale.

“Okay.” He signaled and pulled into a gas station parking lot.

He turned off the engine.

“I had been hoping to avoid having this conversation with you, but if it has to happen, I want to make sure to give you my full attention.”

“I’m listening.”

“Okay. Me, Finn, and Cook were really close. The three of us had been friends since primary school. Cook’s mum was and Finn and my piano teacher as a kid. We ended up spending more time playing with her son than practicing the piano. The three of us were inseparable. Then about two years ago, Cook met Eden and they started dating. I’d seen Cook with a lot of girls, but this was the first time I saw him do the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing. He dove in head first, like he would have given her his left kidney if she had asked him to. But we could all tell that she wasn’t as invested as he was. She was a lot like Effie - very free-spirited, rebellious - except Eden had a mean streak and a penchant for vodka and pills. She would use Cook for his money and then blame him for her shortcomings.” Jack looked over at me to make sure I was still following.

“Anyway, after two months or so they started fighting like cats and dogs. At first, it was just playful bickering, but by the 8-month mark, we all thought they may actually kill each other. We all told Cook to end it with her, for his own sanity. One day, Eden shows up at my apartment while Finn was at work. She was a mess, she had clearly been on a bender. I let her in and asked her what was wrong. She told me that she and Cook had gotten into their biggest fight yet and that it was over between them. She had been staying at his place at the time because she and her mum didn’t get on well, mostly because of Eden’s rage and the substance abuse. I invited her in to collect herself. She went into my room, said she needed a nap. I went into the kitchen to make her something to eat.” He paused and wiped his hands over his face. I could see him growing more anxious.

“Jack… what happened next?”

He looked at me, his eyes begging me not to make him go on. But I needed to know, I needed to hear it from him.

He exhaled. “When I went back into my room, Eden was lying on my bed… naked… I was in shock. I just stood there in the doorway holding a grilled cheese like a pansy. She slowly made her way over to me. I asked her what she was doing, and she backed me up against the doorframe. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to touch her… I knew I couldn’t. But then she undid my pants and began to pull them down… I… I…” He let his head fall into his hands.

“Did you sleep with her?” I interjected.

“No! Is that what Cook told you?!” He looked horrified by my accusation. “The only thing that happened is that she tried to give me head and I pushed her off! She was embarrassed so I tried to downplay the situation. I gave her a shirt to put on and went back to the kitchen. Eden was a bit messed up, you know? I didn’t want to set her off.  Anyway, I heard the buzzer ring, but before I could answer it, Eden ran to the door. I heard Cook explode and ran out to try to diffuse the situation, which of course only made it worse. He accused me of sleeping with her, which I adamantly denied. Eden didn’t say anything, she just stood in the corner of the hallway smirking like she had planned it all along. Ever since then, he’s wanted me dead. But I swear to you, I didn’t do anything with Eden. I wouldn’t do that. Especially not to Cook. He was like another brother to me. Zye, I swear to you. That’s what happened.”

 I searched his face for any sign that he may be lying, but everything he said seemed sincere. His eyes were wrought with grief, I had clearly hit a nerve.

“Did you ever try to reach out to Cook? Tell him what happened?”

“Every day for 6 months. By the end, he told me that if I ever spoke to him again, he would jam his fist so far down my throat that he’d pull my balls out through my mouth… I took that as a hint to leave him alone.”

A heavy silence fell over the car.

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me, Zye?”

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. “Well…”

“I mean… I get it… if I heard that about someone, I wouldn’t want to hang around them either.”

“I’m sorry Jack…” I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Are we alright now though? You don’t think I’m some low life woman stealer? Am I back to being the ridiculously good-looking guy you know and love?”

“We’re fine now Jack.” I smiled sincerely. I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Between finding out that Jack stole Cook’s girlfriend and that Freddie was such a creep, I didn’t know how much more I could handle.

Jack nodded and started the car.

“Hey, Jack?”

“Yes?”

“Whatever happened to Eden?”

“I went to her house a few days after things blew up with Cook to try to get her to explain to him what had happened. Her mom answered the door saying that Eden had transferred to an all-girls boarding school four hours away. She seemed surprised that I didn’t know, apparently, they had been planning it for months. She hadn’t even bothered to tell any of us she was leaving. I wouldn’t be surprised if she planned the whole mess as a means of leaving her mark on us. Typical Eden.”

I noticed his hand lingering on the gear shift. I placed mine over his.

“I’m sorry about you and Cook. I’ll see if there’s any way I can help.”

He smiled warmly at me. “Thank you.”

Before long we had picked up Cook and Effie. Initially, I felt uneasy around Effie. After all, she had seen me almost kiss her sort-of boyfriend. If she and Cook were anything alike, it meant she may be holding a grudge against me. But, to my surprise, she and I fell into easy and comfortable conversation and before I knew it we were on our way to the cabin.

---

When they said we were coming to a “cabin”, I pictured a homely wooden structure, hidden amongst the trees. What I saw in front of me as we drove up was a sprawling, modern, angular structure nestled into the rolling hills of the countryside. As we drove around the side into the driveway, I had a full view of the dock and the lake just as the sun was setting over it. I jumped out of the car as it stopped to take it all in. It was absolutely breathtaking.

“Earth to Zye!” I heard Jack call from the porch.

I snapped out of my reverie and turned to help Cook and Effie empty the trunk.

Jack showed me to the room I’d be sharing with Maxxie.

“Will you be okay in here?” He asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“I think it will do quite nicely!” I said flinging myself dramatically onto the best nearest the bay window. Jack rested my things on the floor beside the bed and helped me up.

Jack headed down the hall to his own room while I began to make my way downstairs.

I ran down the stairs so quickly that my socks slipped on the hardwood floor. I felt myself beginning to fall and then being grabbed out of midair. I felt strong hands grab my waist and set me back on solid ground. It was Freddie.

“Are you alright?” He asked gently as I turned to face him, his hands still around my waist, his eyes with a glint of playfulness in them.

A sudden memory of his body pressed against mine in the dark, humid club flashing through my mind. As I stood only inches away from him, I felt the same burning desire in the pit of my stomach that I felt before. My hand traced its way up his arm again my better judgement. I shook away the memory and commanded my mind back to the present.

“I’m glad I bumped into you actually, Zye. I’ve been meaning to talk to you…”

“Thank you for catching me. I have to go.” I said curtly, pulling myself from his hands.

“Oh, right. Of course.” He said, awkwardly running his hands through his hair. Oh, how I wanted to run my fingers through that hair, gripping it as he placed hungry kisses on my collarbone and nibbled on my earlobe… I shook away the thought.

“Just be careful, wouldn’t want you to fall.” He said with a faint smile.