Page 49 of Jackson
15
Jackson
“Just fucking drive, D-J,” Ishouted.
I didn’t want to talk, I wanted to get to the house as quickly as possible, and I prayed that was where Summer had headed. He cornered so fast I held onto the door to keep myself upright. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my car parked haphazardly outside. She wouldn’t have a key though, and I scanned the front entrance to see if I could find her. Before D-J had even come to a complete stop, I was out of the car and running around the house. I slowed as I saw her slumped against her bedroom door andsobbing.
“Summer,” I said as I climbed thesteps.
She didn’t lookup.
“Stay away from me, Jack,” shesaid.
I stopped at the top, unsure what to do. I wanted to go to her, I wanted to pick her up and hold her in myarms.
“I…”
“Don’t fucking speak, okay?” she screamed atme.
I slid down the balcony’s glass wall opposite her and hugged my knees to my chest. Neither of us spoke for a long time. The fear that ran through my body was escalating with every minute of her silence. The urge to cut, to punch the wall, to hurt, was beginning to overwhelm. I struggled to breathe evenly. I had fucked up, big time. There was no doubt in my mind that I had lost her. And I wouldn’t try to stop her leaving. From the corner of my eye, I saw D-J.
“D-J can take you to the airport if you want to leave,” I whispered, hoping that her answer was, ‘no.’
“I need time to think. Open the fucking door,” she said as she climbed to herfeet.
It killed me to see her flinch when I reached over her shoulder with the key. Without a word, she slid her bedroom door open and the sound of the lock being engaged when she closed it echoed through my heart. Somewhere in my brain it registered that she hadn’t said she wanted to leave, I tried to focus onthat.
“Jack, go in the kitchen, dude,” D-Jsaid.
I nodded; I didn’t want to torture myself anymore by hearing her pack, if that’s what she was doing. I walked into the kitchen and sat on a stool. I crossed my arms on the counter and rested my head on them. I concentrated on getting my heart rate down and on squashing theurges.
“Let me go and talk to her,” D-J said and Inodded.
He was gone way too long, although in reality it was probably no more than a few minutes. I heard his footsteps across the decking and rose to greet him at the kitchendoor.
“Well?” Isaid.
“She asked me to leave her tonight, she’ll make some calls tomorrow about rearranging herflight.”
“Okay, so I have onenight.”
“Forwhat?”
“To change her mind, ofcourse.”
“Jack, I think you should leave her alone, at least for tonight. She isn’t strong enough for the likes ofus.”
“You don’t fucking know her,” I said as I pushed pasthim.
He tried to grab my arm; I yanked it from his grasp and walked to her door. Like mine, fine muslin draped the inside but I could see through. She had slid down the door with her back resting on the glass. She hugged her knees. I did thesame.
“Summer?”
“I can’t,Jack.”
“Then just listen,please?”
There was no answer. I sat for a moment wondering what the fuck to say, where to start. D-J walked from the kitchen. I looked over to him and he gave me a sad smile. I nodded my head at him before he left and watched the sun begin torise.
