Then she thought of Jack again, Jack who she had shared everything with for the past five years. The Jack who knew Magz better than Magz knew herself, but he had no idea who Peggy was. But she was Peggy now.
“Whatever,” Jack shoved her bag at her and walked off down the hall.
* * *
When Magz got home she was not surprised to find herself alone. She put her phone on charge and texts and missed calls started coming through. Jack's began as kind and considerate texts asking how she was, was she OK? And eventually turned slightly crazy, threatening to break into her house or go over to Big Mick’s if she didn't reply. She hoped he hadn't done either of those things.
Then there were the ones from her mom who had not even noticed she'd been missing, about getting home late and not wanting to wake her. Getting up early and heading off on some business trip. Something about her dad going to China and her mom staying in the Valley. Why was her mom staying in the Valley? It wasn't like it was that far away. Magz didn't even want to know. Why should she even care when her own family didn't even notice if she was in the house or in another decade? What kind of future did she have here?
But what about Jack? She could just pretend to move away. She wondered if she could continue this charade until the end of the year when she could just tell everyone she was going off to college and disappear. She could delete all her social networking accounts, and no one would be able to find her even if she was still in the present. Working out what to do about her parents was going to be trickier. Sure, they hadn't noticed that she'd disappeared for a couple of days, but surely if she disappeared for the rest of her life it was going to cause some concern eventually.
She'd worry about that later, right now she needed to go to the drugstore to stock up on her favorite mascara that hadn’t been invented yet.
Twenty-One
Pajama Party
Magz was a little sad about the fact that she had to drive her SUV to the mall still covered in soda after it had been left at school for a week. She dropped it at the car wash, the guy said he'd have to charge her double. She rolled her eyes, said “fine” and then went to find solace in the aisles of her favorite drugstore. She could not believe how frizzy Janet’s shampoo had made her hair. Big hair was one thing, but frizz was out of the question. It seemed kind of pointless though, in a couple of months she'd run out of all this stuff and then what would she do? Janet had tried to explain to her the nonsensical rule about not being able to come back after you chose to stay but Magz didn't really get it. She'd already decided to stay but she’d still gotten back to the present. She still didn't understand how it worked, was it science or magic? She probably should've read the book Janet gave her about the nuns the whole way through, but that whole thing sounded a little crazy. Magz couldn’t understand how nuns were connected to time travel.
She stood at the checkout with her cart full of mascara, tampons, her favorite strawberry shampoo, a bunch of other lotions and potions and tapped her credit card with her pink nails. Money. What was she going to do about money when we she went back? She could take some cash with her, things were cheaper in the eighties, so she could make it last a while, but eventually it would run out.
“Can you just wait a second?” Magz asked the girl at the checkout who she’d seen around school but didn’t really know.
“Not really,” the girl said rudely handing back Magz’s tampons.
“Seriously?” Magz pulled her cart out of the line, letting an old lady with a cart full of powdered milk ahead of her, and headed back to the nail varnish section.
* * *
Magz jolted out of her time traveler’s mind fog when one of their songs came on the radio in the SUV. They had lost count of how many songs they had. They had mix CDs, playlists, almost every song either of them had liked since seventh grade had become their song. This one was extra special though. When Magz had been stupidly screwing around with Big Mick, Jack hadn't spoken to her for a few days. It was the longest they had ever gone without speaking. She logged into her Music app one night and found Jack had sent her a track by The Lumineers with an apology. She felt her skin prickle at the memory, the lyrics coming out of the speakers as if Jack was saying them to her, telling her that they belonged together. Magz swore. She didn’t want to think about Jack. She wanted to get the hell out of this hell hole town once and for all. Forget everything that happened up until a week ago and start her life. Her real life. The one she'd been waiting for all this time. The one she was meant to live.
But the thing is, your life doesn’t just start one day. You live your life every day. And all the days that have passed make you who you are, and you owe them a hell of a lot more than a wish for them to go away. She couldn’t just wish everything she’d had with Jack away.
* * *
“Oh, it's you,” said Jack as he opened the door. He looked like he'd just woken up, his hair was all sticking up on one side.
“Can we talk?” Magz asked, “I mean, really talk.”
“I guess, if you’re not too sick or whatever.” He opened the door wider and let her in.
Jack's house was nice, nothing fancy, but nice. It was cutesy and comfy and homely. His mother had a thing for bright colors and everything in his house was floral - couches, lampshades, curtains, placemats, coasters. There was colored clutter everywhere, the total opposite of Magz's house. Books, magazines and craft supplies were strewn all over. This house, like Janet’s, was actually lived in.
Jack sighed as they walked past the dining table covered with photographs and colored card.
“Mom’s been scrapbooking again,” he explained as he led her up the stairs to his room.
Jack's bedroom was typical teenage boy. Posters of bands he liked were all over the walls, clothes on the floor, which he quickly scooped up and threw into the closet. There had been some attempt to straighten out the bed sheets, but the bed was not exactly made, and it smelt like boy. Not in a bad way, just in a deodorant and shaving cream, sheets could probably have used changing about a week ago and an old plate with half an old pizza on it kind of way.
Magz thought of all the times they had sat in this room and hung out over the years. She hadn't been over much lately, but she used to come over all the time. She wondered why she'd stopped doing that and felt herself getting teary. She wished she could blame the tears on a side-effect, but she'd always been like this.
“Hey, what's wrong?” Jack's voice softened slightly.
She shook her head as the tears began to fall. He sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him. She slumped down onto it.
“I don't even know where to start... I don't know if I can tell you any of it, or if you'll just think I'm completely crazy even though it's all true!” She began to sob. She just felt so much. “Why do I always cry on you?” she cried.
Jack said nothing for a while, he just put his arm around her and let her tears saturate his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Jack said.
“You’re sorry? I should be sorry, you have every right to be mad at me.” She wiped her eyes with a corner of his sheet.
“I'm not mad now, but you disappeared. I was just so worried. I just want you to be safe, and happy and stuff.”
“I went away,” she said looking up at him.
“Away, where?”
“When.” She wondered if this was the right decision, if he was going to call the guys in the white suits to take her away or if he would just tell her mom and she would get the guys in the white suits to take her away.
“When? Well you were gone for days Magz, over a week.”
“I mean, I went when, not where,” she sat up straight, taking a deep breath.
“Huh?”
“I, I time travelled,” she said.
Jack was silent for a few short seconds and in those seconds Magz thought he actually believed her. They were in on this together, they could work this all out together.
Jack laughed hysterically.
Or not.
“Magz,” he laughed. “This is like the worst excuse for not texting someone back I've ever heard. Nice try though. Now tell me what really happened.”
“I'm serious, I'm not making this up.”
“Magz,” he said grabbing her hand to calm her, “I’m not mad, you can tell me anything, even if it’s about Big Mick. I promise not to be mad.”
“It’s not about god damn Big Mick!” she yelled.
“Well what the hell else could it be? I know you still like him.” He folded his arms.
“I don’t like him. After what he did to me you think I still like him?”
“You were crazy about him.”
“Well not anymore. Now I’m crazy about someone else.”
Jack’s sighed. “Great, so who’s the lucky dickhead jock this time?”
“He’s not a jock or a dickhead and I’m so sick of hearing this.”
“Where were you?” Jack demanded standing up. All his promises not to get mad coming to nothing.
“I went back in time!” she shouted at him.
“Why would you come here and tell me this BS?” he scowled.
“Because it's true,” she begged, “and I can prove it to you if you don't believe me.”
“How are you going to prove to me that you went back in time Magz? Seriously?”
“Look at me! My hair is big, and my eye-shadow is blue, and my uniform is all weird!” she flicked her collar.
“No offence, but it's not the first time you've tried a more eighties look.”
“I'll get you a comic,” she said as she kicked one of the old milk crates that was peeking out from under the bed. He had loads, all full of comics. One of his nerdy guilty pleasures few people knew anything about.
“You know you can buy old comics on eBay Magz.” He shook his head running his hand through his hair. She didn't want to never see him do that again. There was something about it that was so familiar, so her and Jack, so comforting. He always did it when he was worried or nervous and Magz loved that she knew him well enough to know that.
“Anything you want, I'm not making it up. I'm going back tomorrow morning, but I’ll come back, and I'll bring something for you, and you'll believe me.” Magz knew as she said it that this was not the last time she would see Jack. She would come back for him. She promised herself. He was the reason she'd be able to come back and forth. She could never fully make her decision when he was still here.
“Sure Magz, bring me a couple of Twinkies that expired in 1983 and if they're good I'll believe you.” He rolled his eyes.
“I don't know if it works like that,” Magz thought out loud, “like, I don't know if they will just turn old when I come back...”
“If you went back in time and then came back again without shriveling up then I would expect dessert snacks to do the same.”
Jack had a pretty good point. Did this mean he might believe her?
“Do you want to stay here tonight?” he asked.
“Why, so you know I’m not out with Big Mick?”
“No, it’s because I missed you, you big dork.”
In all the time they had known each other they had never once spent the night together at his house. Jack had slept on her couch loads of times when she'd been lonely at the show home and wanted him around, but they had never slept at his house before.
“Sure,” she said shrugging.
Jack grinned and thrust open the closet. “Pajamas,” he said, throwing her a soft grey t-shirt and a pair of way too long blue striped pajama pants.
“Do you want to eat? Or watch a movie?” he asked as she kicked off her brown flats.
“I just want to sleep, I have to get up super early to go home and get my stuff,” she yawned, feeling completely exhausted but so comfortable being here in Jack's room. “Won't your parents flip when they find me here?” she asked, turning away from him to take off her shirt.
Jack turned around to face the closet. “Nah, they are out late with crazy uncle Jack tonight and if you head off early, they won't even notice.”
“How is crazy uncle Jack?” Magz yawned.
“Still crazy apparently.”
“You don't have to turn around, I know you aren't going to be looking.”
“A lady needs her privacy,” he said in an awkward jokey voice, pretending to fold some shirts.
Magz crawled under his duvet and rested her head on his pillow. Jack got in with all his clothes on and then tried to take his jeans off under the covers.
“Just because I'm not looking at you, doesn't mean you're not looking at me,” he said.
Magz laughed. It was kind of weird being here like this with him, but it sure beat being alone with Tux.
“Tux!” she called out sitting up right.
“He's fine, I've been leaving him food round the back next to his cat flap.”
“Huh?”
“I went around to your house every day, but no one was there. Tux came up to me on the second day you were gone, meowing like mad. I just put a whole bunch of biscuits out for him, but I stopped when your folks came home.”
“Where did you get cat biscuits from?” Magz asked relaxing on the pillow again, knowing Tux was safe and fed.
“I bought them.”
“Thanks,” she said. “That was really nice of you.”
“I love Tux,” he shrugged.
“Do you want him?” Magz asked.
“You want me to take Tux?”
“Please. I'm going to be coming and going and I can't trust my parents to look after him. He'll be so much happier with you.”
“I'll have to ask my Mom, but yeah.”
As their bodies relaxed into the mattress, she felt warm with him being so close. It was the first time she'd slept next to anyone and she felt so content and happy and safe. She smiled softly to herself as Jack switched out the lamp next to the bed.
“Please could you keep it on?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, I forgot.” Jack switched the lamp back on but tilted it slightly so that it shed less light into the room.
“So, who’s the guy?” he asked getting comfortable again.
“His name’s Sammy,” she said softly into the pillow that smelled like Jack's hair products. “Sammy Ruthven,” she closed her eyes and smiled.
“Is he a jock?”
“No, he’s more like a bad boy.”
Jack groaned.
“You know,” she began, rolling over so that their eyes met across the pillows, “my parents didn't even notice I was gone.”
“Huh? But I went over there, your mom said you were asleep.”
Magz shook her head, “I wasn't even there.”
“Where were you really?” he asked, the light gently lighting up his dark eyes.
“Goodnight Jack,” she said, and she fell asleep so fast she didn't even hear him say goodnight back.
* * *
Magz woke early to find Jack's arm wrapped around her. She looked down at his slender but muscular arm and frowned. All the nights they had spent watching movies, talking, listening to music or even drinking out at The Stables they had never been this intimate before, and it was confusing. Magz wanted to move. She wanted to just get out of there, pack her duffel bag and get back to 1983 for like, the rest of her life. But she also suddenly felt a little like she wanted to stay. Like this, wrapped in Jack, wrapped in his sheets that smelt like him, so familiar and safe. She listened to his breathing and knew when it changed slightly that he was awake but pretending to be asleep, most probably to avoid the awkwardness of any conversation which would take place in this incredibly comfortable but way too weird position.
Magz felt saliva building up in her mouth, she needed to swallow but she knew as soon as she did, he would know she was awake too. He'd probably keep pretending to be asleep and that would be worse.
She swallowed.
“Morning,” he whispered, his warm breath at the back of her neck.
“Hey,” she cro
aked. Why did she feel so nervous? It was just Jack.
He pulled his arm away slowly. “Sorry, I didn't mean to...”
He rubbed his eyes, all scruffy and sleepy looking. She weirdly almost found him attractive.
“I have to go,” she said.
“No, so soon?” Jack looked at his phone on the nightstand. “It’s so early, sleep some more.” He dropped his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes.
“Keep 'em closed, I'm getting changed.” She saw him open one eye.
“It's like you woke up straight or something,” Magz accused as she looked for her clothes.
“Don't be ridiculous,” he mumbled into the pillow. “Mmmmm young John Cusack!”
Magz grabbed the other pillow and pretended to suffocate him with it.
He pretended to suffocate.
Magz ignored him while she dressed.
“I guess I'll see you sometime soon, I don't know,” she said.
“Where are you going?” Jack asked sleepily.
“The eighties.”
“Don’t forget my snacks.”
“Can you do me a favor?” she asked.
“It's before six in the morning and you are already asking for favors?”
“Can you cover for me?”
“Hell no, I'm not covering for you until I see some evidence of time travel or you tell me the truth about what’s going on.”
“Just, if my folks call, and you know they won't anyway, but if they do, can you just say that... say that I'm here for some reason?”
“What, forever?”
“For a while, for the next few days at least?”
“OK, so you’re staying here because my boyfriend broke up with me and I’m really sad,” he pouted.
“Everyone knows you’ve never had a boyfriend,” Magz slipped her feet into her shoes.
Class of 1983: A Young Adult Time Travel Romance Page 12