Heavy Heart

Chapter 22

After about twenty minutes I went inside the house to check on Jackie. Hannah and Lisa were arguably useless in emotionally stressful situations. They both thanked me profusely for dealing with everything. The two young men had no idea what had happened between Jackie and Brock, they both asked Zack about it as I went inside. I found Jackie in the empty kitchen looking out at the backyard. Her face was pensive, the void of any emotion. I touched her shoulder carefully as I whispered, "Hey, are you alright?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I was foolish to expect him to show up. I knew he wouldn't. I mean, Brock Hansen wouldn't just turn over a new leaf for me right? That is preposterous. I was foolish."

I shook my head, "I don't think so. He did want to be here, Jackie. I know he did. He messed up, but Brock is the king of messing up. I know for a fact he didn't hook up with Sarah last night either. So don't let your mind go there. I know he wanted to be here to help you, it was so important to him." She rolled her eyes at my words, "Why? Why is it so important to him?"

"Because he likes you and he thought this was his shot to show you he's not a total asshole. Obviously, Brock messed that up royally but he had good intentions. I think he's liked you for a long time but didn't realize who you were. Then when he figured it out he hated himself for it because he was such a jerk to you in highschool." I told her.

Jackie turned to face me, leaning her back against the counter. She crossed her arms across her chest and sighed, "Well the damage is done. He's still an asshole and I'm not convinced he can change that." I nodded, "I completely understand. However, are you being hard on him because of his current actions or his past actions? It's important to let people evolve and grow. You and I aren't the same people we were in highschool and neither is Brock. I learned that Zack isn't the same as he used to be, and now look at us. Just remember it's important to judge him fairly."

She nodded slowly as she chewed the side of her cheek. I could tell Jackie was deciding how she was going to handle the situation. I smiled and left her to it. As I walked to the screen door I overheard Zack talking with Andrew and Terry, he seemed to be giving them advice about women.

"My best advice is to be patient. Do nice things for her, say nice things. But you have to mean them." he told them. Terry and Andrew both nodded, seeming to hang on every word Zack was telling them as though he were some sort of savant.

Terry cleared his throat before asking, "So was that guy her boyfriend?" Zack shook his head, "No, he just really wants to be. He's like you, just another guy who likes her a lot." Terry nodded, "Good, I think my gut would flip over if I found out Jackie had a boyfriend." Zack chuckled.

"That guy must have messed up really badly, because I have never seen Jackie yell at anyone like that. I've seen her stressed out, raise her voice but never yell. I was surprised to see it." Andrew muttered. Zack nodded, "Yeah, my buddy, Brock tends to bring out the worst in her. Poor bastard." Terry and Andrew laughed out loud at that.

Terry cleared his throat, "So us being here is good? She will appreciate that?" Zack smiled at the young man, "Yeah, it will go a long way."

I stepped through the screen door up behind Zack and whispered in his ear, "Are you giving these young men pick-up lines for women?" Zack pulled me into his arms and shook his head, "Nope, just some honest advice. No tricks, no lines, baby, honest." I rolled my eyes. I kissed his lips softly.

"We should keep moving. Jackie will be inside for a few minutes." I told everyone. Groans erupted from the group as people shuffled back to work. We continued to pack up various boxes and took them to the storage unit Jackie had rented. After about an hour, Brock's truck pulled up in front of the house. He sat inside it for a few moments as Zack crossed the lawn to lean through the passenger side window. They talked for a few minutes while the rest of us continued to load boxes into Zack's truck.

Jackie walked through the screen door and let it slam sofly. She peered across the lawn at Brock's truck. He climbed out of the cab when he saw her and jogged up to her. He'd showered and changed his clothes this time, thank goodness. I couldn't hear what the two of them talked about but she offered him a tentative smile and a nod. Zack wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind and whispered in my ear, "She asked him to come back." I smiled and nodded, she was going to give him another chance.

I glanced over at Lisa and Hannah who were trying hard not to stare. Terry and Andrew watched from the tailgate of Zack's truck, both biting their bottom lips. Jackie said something to Brock none of us could hear, but she reached out and touched his cheek softly. Brock smiled wide at her and nodded at whatever she had told him. Jackie's eyes fell back to the ground before she moved away from him and said to everyone, "We are almost done. Let's get the rest of the boxes from the back bedroom. Then we can call it a day."

Terry jogged over to Zack, his face full of concern, "What does that mean? She touched him." Zack chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, "It means you boys might be out of luck." Terry sighed heavily and nodded, turning back to the house to continue packing. I smiled to myself and whispered, "Poor boys."

Zack pulled me closer, letting his arms wrap around my hips. His breath tickled my ear as he whispered, "Exactly, they are boys. They will bounce back. I think Jackie knows the difference between a boy and a man." I shivered at his words, I nodded slightly, "I know I do." He growled slightly in my ear as his lips found my neck. I let Zack nibbled for a few moments before I patted the side of his, "Come on, baby, let's finish up here. Then we can go home and have some fun."