To The Stars And Back - Jack Dawson

Chapter 24 - Fallout

Jack's POV:

Rose and I lay next to each other on the bed next to the fireplace. She lay on my chest. This was all I wanted for so long. But I felt so empty.

She looked up at me, my eyes boring straight into the fire. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. Fine." I lied. Beth could always see right through my lies. And she never had a single problem calling me out on it.

"Your friend seems nice." She said. I scoffed, amused by this comment.

"Nice isn't the word I would use."

"Was she mean to you or something?" Rose asked. I didn't even know how to answer this. Not technically. She was never technically mean to me. But she wasn't really nice either. It doesn't matter though, nice people can be really annoying. Beth is just realistic and blunt.

"No."

"Then she's nice."

"Also no." I replied. It's hard to describe Beth if you don't know her.

"You know what, it doesn't matter. She'll leave tomorrow and then it'll be just us. No pretty girls to get in the way. Just us. The way it's supposed to be." She said, leaning her head down and kissing my neck softly. How could she say something like that? "But I'm so happy you're back. I love you."

It took me a second but I managed to tell her that I loved her too.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air. I'll be right back." I said, getting up and putting my clothes back on before walking out the door. To my luck, Beth was standing in the hallway, staring up at a portrait with a confused and judgemental expression. "Thank god." I said, walking over to her.

She snapped her head and her face morphed into a frown.

There was so much sadness behind those beautiful violet eyes of her's. It hurt to think that I did this to her. I don't deserve her. How could she even love me after all the shit I put her through?

I guess I'll just have to live out the rest of my life with Rose.

But that's what I want, right?

"Hey Jack." She said, her gaze unmoving from the floor. She was still dressed in her maroon dress from the party and her updo was slightly out of place. She looked so broken, so sad and tortured. But she still managed to look beautiful and elegant as always.

"I need you to tell me something."

"What?" She asked.

"Are you gonna be okay after you leave?" I asked. "I can tell that something is wrong. You don't have to tell me what it is, but I just need to know that you'll be okay. I can't let you go without knowing you'll be okay." She paused, as if she was taking in the question, then she looked up at me.

"It'll suck at first. I know it will. But eventually, yeah, I will be okay." She said. There was nothing but truth in what she said. She returned her gaze to the floor.

"There's something else." I said.

"Go ahead."

"I know." I said.

"Know what?"

"I know that you're in love with me, Luna told me." Her gaze shot up to meet mine with a mortified expression. Then she started laughing, or crying, I honestly couldn't tell.

"Wow, my 'best friend', keeper of my secrets, tells the one secret that I actually asked her to keep. Wow. What a plot twist! That was great." She said, tears clouding her vision as she still ranted cheerily. "If my life were a story, I would pray to god that it's over soon. I'm so fucking sick of this. I can't even trust anyone anymore. And since nothing good ever comes for free, this is the downside for being your friend. But you know, that's fine. Because you were so worth it."

I was speechless. "But you just didn't feel the same way so all this pain is pointless." She finished. "I'm leaving tomorrow. I think it would be better if you didn't write to me."

"Beth I-"

"No, don't." She interrupted. "I don't wanna hear anything you have to say anymore. It'll only hurt me."

I would've confessed. I should've confessed. But I didn't want to hurt her anymore than I already did. I was with someone else, and me confessing wouldn't lessen everything that I did to her. I sighed. "I'm so sorry for everything."

"Me too." She replied. "I hope you two have a really nice life together, Jack."

She took a deep breath and turned swiftly on her heel, walking into her room and disappearing until what would be morning. Then I would never see her again.

I stood in the hallway for a good five minutes. Just contemplating what happened.

That's when I felt two hands comfortingly rubbing my arms. "Everything okay? I thought you were going outside." Rose said.

"Yeah I'm fine, just... fine."

If I were to tell that lie to Beth, she would laugh that glorious cackle of her's and then interrogate me no matter how annoyed I got.

Rose just couldn't read me as well. She didn't see me.

Beth did.

But that was already over because of me. I'm such an idiot.

A/N:

Sorry it's gonna be a little while until I update again. I only have two more chapters left in this story and I just don't want it to end! Thank you all for reading again and sorry for leaving so many author's notes.

-Charlotte