Jackson nodded, and I turned and scurried back up the stairs.
I burst into my room, heart pounding excitedly, and shook Tegan into consciousness.
“What on earth–”
“We’re going to the drive-in with Jackson Hart!” It was an effort not to shout or squeal, but I managed.
I went to the mirror and was relieved to find that my hair actually looked fine. I also realized I was still holding my Subway cup. I frowned at it for a moment before sitting it down on my dresser to toss out later. Then I grabbed a brush and pulled it through my hair a couple of times. I thought it would be too obvious if I changed clothes, so I simply smoothed my shirt out.
Tegan had managed to sit up by the time I turned back to her. She seemed a little groggy as she asked, “What do you mean we’re going to the drive-in with Jackson Hart?”
“He’s downstairs,” I began and quickly explained the exchange. By the time I finished, she was grinning back at me.
“At least I finally get to see him,” she enthused as she climbed out of the bed. After brushing her hair, she stuffed a mint into her mouth. “I’d brush my teeth, but I’m pretty sure you’ll have an aneurysm if I make you wait another minute.”
“I would not,” I argued as she offered me the box of cinnamon Altoids. I was suddenly horrorstruck to realize I’d been downstairs, talking to Jackson while sporting possibly bad breath. I took two mints for good measure.
While Tegan located her purse, I took my wallet out of my messenger bag and stuffed it into my pocket. I wasn’t sure how much the movie would cost, so I knew I’d have to ask Mom for some money, which I hated doing after she’d already spent so much money on me today.
When Tegan and I made it downstairs, Jackson was still waiting by the front door, but Skylar was noticeably absent.
“Jackson, this is my best friend, Tegan Tyler,” I introduced. “And Tee, this is Jackson Hart.”
“Hey, it’s nice to meet you,” Jackson greeted with a swoon worthy smile.
Tegan’s cheeks flushed as she said, “Yeah, you too.”
“I’ll be right back,” I smiled. “I’ve just got to let my mom know I’m leaving.”
Mom was in the kitchen. All of the groceries had apparently been put away, and she was giving the counter a good scrub.
“Mom,” I said, drawing her attention. “Tegan and I going to the movies with a friend if that’s okay with you.”
I tacked the last part on out of courtesy, but Mom seemed somewhat distracted. “Who’s your friend?”
“Jackson Hart,” I answered, biting my lip. “He’s a guy from school.”
It seemed so odd to refer to Jackson as a friend; though that appeared to be what we were fast becoming.
“Okay, just don’t stay out too late,” Mom said.
“I won’t,” I agreed, “but could I get a few dollars?”
Mom frowned slightly but nodded toward the dining room table. “My purse is over there. I think I have a ten in there. If not, just take the twenty and bring me back the change.”
I thanked her and got the money, but I couldn’t shake my surprise that she hadn’t asked more questions before letting me leave. I wanted to blame her inattention on the cleaning at hand, but I didn’t miss that Dad wasn’t home, like he usually was during the weekend. He’d been here at lunch, but I wasn’t sure when he’d left. With Tegan and I upstairs all afternoon, I worried that Mom and Dad had been arguing again.
“Ready to go?” Jackson asked as I made my way back down the hallway to the entryway. His question drew my thoughts away from worrying about Mom and brought back my excitement.
“Yep, let’s go!”
Jackson opened the front door and let Tegan and I go out first. He pulled the door shut behind him, and I started down the sidewalk but drew up short. His Camaro wasn’t sitting at the curb like I’d expected. Instead, there was an unfamiliar dark blue, Ford F-150.
“I drove my dad’s truck,” Jackson said, understanding my confusion. “I thought we’d be able to see the screen better in it than in the Camaro.”
“Darn, I wanted to see this car that Silly’s told me so much about.”
My jaw dropped as I turned to look at Tegan. Her face flushed as soon as she realized what she’d said.
“You talk about my car?” Jackson seemed thoroughly amused.
My face felt hot. “It’s a cool car,” I shrugged, trying to play it cool, but it felt pretty feeble.
“Well, maybe next time, Tegan,” Jackson chuckled.
I elbowed her in the side before we climbed into the truck. “I thought it was my job to have verbal diarrhea,” I muttered.
“Sorry,” Tegan murmured as I pulled open the passenger’s side door.
It was an extended cab, so Tegan climbed into the bench seat in the back while I climbed up into the front.
“Need a stepstool?” Jackson teased once I’d clambered in.
“No,” I said, indignant, as I closed the door.
Jackson just grinned and started up the engine as I pulled on the seatbelt.
The first part of the ride was somewhat quiet. I wasn’t exactly sure what to say, and I thought part of that had to do with Tegan’s presence. I knew she wouldn’t think I was dumb, but it was different having an audience to my conversations with Jackson.
The other part of me was still annoyed with Skylar. I couldn’t get her stupid, flirty smile out of my head. At the same time, though, I felt kind of triumphant. I wasn’t delusional enough to think he was asking me out as anything more than friends, but Jackson had come over with the intention of asking me if I wanted to go to the movie with him. That kind of threw a wrench in Skylar’s warning not to bug him. He wouldn’t have invited me along if he thought I was a nuisance. I wondered if that would be enough to shut Skylar up, where Jackson was concerned, for a while. Probably not.
Tegan finally took the initiative and started the conversation. “I didn’t realize the drive-in was open this late in the year.”
“It’s actually only open on the weekends from the beginning of October to the end of November, and they mostly show older movies at a lower rate. They’re closed through the winter, but reopen on the weekends again in the spring. They’re only open full time during the summer.”
“Makes sense,” I agreed. “What time does the movie start anyway?”
I glanced at the clock on the dash. It was only going on four, and even though I hadn’t been to the drive-in in a long time, I remembered enough to know it didn’t start until the sun went down.
“Not until seven, actually,” Jackson pursed his lips. “When I called to confirm they were open, they suggested getting there at least an hour early. I thought we could stop for something to eat first.”
“Oh.” While I didn’t have a problem with that, I wasn’t sure I had enough money. One glance at Tegan and I could see she was facing the same dilemma. “How much does the movie cost?”
“Like five or six dollars,” Jackson shrugged. Then he glanced over at me and his eyes widened. “Oh, if you’re worried about money, don’t. It’s on me. I’m the one that invited you guys.”
“No way,” Tegan said. “That’s too much.”
“It’s really not.” Jackson didn’t seem that concerned, but even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t feel right letting him pay for both the food and movie.
“How about we pay for our food, and you can pay for the movie?” I compromised.
Jackson’s eyebrows knit together for a moment, and I thought he was going to protest, but he finally nodded, though he didn’t seem all that pleased with the concession.
After much debate, or rather a lot of “Oh, I don’t care. You choose,” we finally decided to go to Papa Johns. Jackson seemed less bothered when we decided to order a pizza and split the bill three ways.
We got a large pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni and mushrooms with onions and black olives on half.
“Ugh, I hate onions,” I murmured, shaking my head at Tegan a
nd Jackson.
“Oh, come on,” Jackson chuckled. “They taste good.”
“Losing battle,” Tegan informed him. “My dad’s a chef. He’s tried to convince Silly, but she’s finicky about her pizza.”
“I’m not finicky. I just know what I like,” I argued.
It was good-natured argument, though; one we’d had many times over the years.
“Hey, at least we’re not trying to talk you into ham and pineapple,” Jackson pointed out. “That’s what Jordan always wants to order when we have pizza at his place.”
“Gross.” I made a face before taking a bite out of my very simple, but very delicious, pizza.
Once the debate over whether or not certain topping combos were disgusting or delicious, talk turned to movies.
Tegan had actually already seen The Da Vinci Code back when it was released in May. I’d finished the book on Thursday, so I was curious to see how the two were different, but Tegan hadn’t read the book, and she refused to tell us what happened even though both Jackson and I peppered her with questions.
“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
When we made it to the drive-in, there were only a few other cars there. We had plenty of time to kill before the movie started, but Jackson tuned the radio to the station they used for broadcasting the sound.
We all took off our seatbelts and relaxed into our seats. Tegan slid into the middle of the bench seat in the back so she could see both Jackson and I, and I turned so that my back was to the corner of the seat and door while Jackson angled himself toward me.
With Tegan refusing to give us movie spoilers, conversation turned to other movies, which Jackson seemed to know the most about because of his job at the theater.
“I don’t get why they’re remaking so many movies,” he commented. “Psycho was a total bust.”
“I know!” I exclaimed. “It was exactly the same as the original. They should have just left it alone.”
“Not to mention they totally made Vince Vaughn into a total creeper,” Tegan sighed. “Definitely not how I want to see him.”
“Oh, me too. It just totally ruined my crush on him,” Jackson teased, speaking in a high soprano that was so different from his usual baritone.
I couldn’t help it. I snorted out a laugh. I didn’t have time to be self-conscious as Tegan snapped, obviously amused and embarrassed, “Oh, shut up, you!”
After a good laugh, Jackson turned the conversation back to the original topic. “Anyway, just this year there have been remakes of The Omen, When a Stranger Calls, and Pulse, which was based on a Japanese film. And Black Christmas is supposed to be out on Christmas day this year.”
“And every movie you mentioned is a horror flick,” I commented. “I know there are some that aren’t, but it’s like they can’t come up with anything new in that genre, so they just recycle what worked in the past.”
“Exactly!” Jackson smacked the steering wheel lightly.
“But what about Saw?” Tegan said. “It’s not a remake.”
“True,” Jackson conceded. “That shit is gory as hell, though.”
“Oh,” I groaned. “I could hardly stand to watch it. I refuse to watch the sequels. I’m sure they’re just as gross.”
Tegan nodded her agreement as Jackson said, “Oh, the second one definitely is, which is why I prefer psychological thrillers to horror and gore.”
“Like Seven?” I suggested.
“Oh, yeah, great movie,” Jackson nodded. “Definitely one of my faves.”
By the time the movie started, I was completely relaxed. Any anxieties I’d had before had vanished, and I was able to watch the movie with rapt attention.
Afterward, Jackson and I discussed the differences between the book and movie, which we had to explain to Tegan, and she had a few questions that hadn’t been answered even after a second viewing, which we tried to explain as best we could.
The drive back to my house went much too fast, and after thanking Jackson for taking us and buying our tickets, we said our goodbyes.
“You weren’t kidding,” Tegan giggled as we made our way up to the front door. “Jackson is gorgeous but also so cool. Now, I can see why you’ve been talking about him so much.”
“I don’t talk about him that much!” I blushed.
Tegan gave me a look that plainly screamed, “Liar!”
I knew she was right. Since the ride home from the mall and our occasional conversations on instant messenger, it was hard not to. He wasn’t just a pretty face. He was so easy going; it was impossible not to have a good time when he was around.
I’d known for weeks already, but it was finally official; I’d caught the crush bug, and I had it bad.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
While it was a bit unsteady Mom’s first week back to work, most everything around the house was okay. Dinner came later, and the dishwasher didn’t always get filled or emptied immediately, but it wasn’t as extreme as I had anticipated. I’d come to realize it wasn’t fair for Mom to carry all of the responsibility, but that concept seemed beyond reason when it came to Skylar, Luke and Dad, and by the second week, things were starting to get a little crazy around the house.
The tension between Mom and Dad remained, but it was easier to ignore. Mom seemed to be getting along great with her new job, and I had become less unsettled by her absence in the immediate hours after school was over. Because Dad was still in a snit over Mom taking the job—or so I assumed—and Luke and Skylar were too wrapped up in themselves, I felt obligated to ask Mom about work, which she was always happy to talk about.
“It’s great,” she sighed contentedly the first time I asked. “I’d forgotten just how much I enjoyed teaching.”
After that I made it a point every day to ask about her day. I knew I didn’t like it when no one around the house, aside from Mom, was courteous enough to ask about my day, so I wanted to do something nice. After all, she brought me into the world, so I kind of owed her.
I seemed to be the only one who felt this obligation. As Dad was still being very grouchy, it seemed like when he wasn’t ranting erratically about something he read in the newspaper or saw on television, he was quiet and surly. Whenever anyone asked him a question, his replies mostly came out sounding like a grunt. Frankly, I was growing quite concerned. It was rather unnerving to sit at a table with a man who looked like he could rip the head off the first person who put a toe out of place.
Luke and Skylar had both been faring pretty well with the changes, despite their initial dismay. It only took Luke a couple of days to create a new routine for himself once he realized we had no parental supervision for nearly two hours after school. I was completely blindsided the first time he brought his newest girlfriend, Brooke, over to the house.
She was a peppy and petite blonde. I’d seen her around school a few times, and I was pretty sure she was a cheerleader. I didn’t know much about her, though, because Luke hardly ever brought his girlfriends around, which probably should have been my first warning.
As soon as they got to the house, Luke led her upstairs without so much as a word to me. I didn’t think much about it at first, but then, when I went upstairs to my room a little later, I heard the noises.
Now, I didn’t make it a habit of meddling or discussing my brother’s sex life. I didn’t care. The things I’d seen on his laptop and heard from Stevie and Skylar were things I wished I hadn’t. I could deal with it, though, and push it back into the recesses of my mind and pretend I hadn’t heard any of it. But actually hearing it with my own ears was not something I was prepared to handle.
Because Luke’s room was right next door to mine, we shared what seemed to be a way too thin wall, which resulted in me hearing things I wished could be unheard; Brooke’s whimpers and moans, Luke’s grunts and groans and the awful squeak of his mattress and the clunk and clatter of his headboard against the wall.
Needless to say, I scurried back downstairs and stayed rooted to the couch until Brook
e had gone, and the next time Luke showed up with her in tow, I shied away from my room while mentally cursing my brother to the farthest recesses of Hell.
Aside from the mental scars Luke had left behind, I was also irritated with him because if I couldn’t go into my room, for obvious reasons, then I couldn’t get online. If I couldn’t get online, I couldn’t talk to Jackson. We’d talked a few more times via instant messenger since our first conversation. He was usually online for a little while after school, so we never talked long, but I’d come to cherish those conversations.
I’d seen him at school a time or two since we went to the movies, but it was never long enough to talk. Besides, it seemed so much easier from behind a computer screen. It gave me a chance to check my mental filter, whereas I usually felt befuddled in his presence. The uncertainty was less severe since we hung out that one Saturday, but now that I’d admitted to myself that my crush on Jackson wasn’t solely based on looks, I still felt somewhat shy when I passed him in the hallways.
Skylar also seemed rather annoyed with Luke for bringing Brooke over. Skylar wasn’t around as much, but, on the couple of occasions she was, I warned her off from going upstairs, and, realizing what Luke and Brooke planned, she’d glared and joined me in the living room to watch television.
I was fairly certain her anger had less to do with Luke having sex a floor above us and more to do with the fact that she was jealous she didn’t have a guy to bring over to do the same. Because I was still upset with her after being so mean to me during the shopping incident and the flirty smiles she’d sent Jackson’s way, I thought it served her right. I only realized later that I should have allowed her to be subjected to Luke and Brooke’s loud sex as punishment.
By midway through Mom’s second week of work, Luke and Skylar’s easy acceptance finally gave way to frustration.
“I have no clean clothes,” Skylar complained after dinner one evening.
“Neither do I,” Luke chimed in. They both looked to Mom, who I was helping load the dishwasher.
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