when jack harlow left louisville, kentucky after high school, he knew he was on to bigger and better things. he only regretted leaving behind one thing - beth, his life-long next door neighbor, his first everything, the girl he could never make his...
COVID-19 shut down the world on Jack's 22nd birthday, the same day his album Sweet Action came out. He cancelled his tour and with nothing better to do, came back home to Louisville. He reunited with old high school classmates who never moved out of town and wrote more than ever before. Jack would lock himself in his childhood bedroom for hours working on new songs. His January release of What's Poppin' had changed his life. The song spread like crazy, and Jack set a personal goal to complete a new album by the end of the year.
Just after graduation, Beth and Sarah's lease ended. Christian had been asking Beth to move in with him for quite some time, and she finally agreed. They spent more time together than ever. The pandemic had left Beth with no job prospects after her senior year ended, and Christian's law firm moved remote as they struggled to determine how to work with clients when they couldn't physically meet with them. In their ridiculous amount of free time, the couple watched nearly every movie that Netflix had to offer them and tried out new recipes.
With no school and work getting in the way, Jack and Beth talked more than ever. They chatted on the phone nearly every day and would send each other funny Tweets and TikToks. Despite being completely devoted to Christian, being in close contact with Jack made Beth feel connected to home and the girl she once was. They had so many shared memories, and Beth felt so thankful to be connected to him and watch his career grow. She very rarely wore the necklace he had bought her, because she wasn't sure for what type of event the extravagant necklace would be appropriate. Instead, it was displayed on the dresser in the bedroom that she and Christian shared. Christian didn't fully understand the dynamic between Beth and Jack, but Beth had downplayed their romantic relationship so much that Christian had come to believe that Jack really was just a childhood friend that his long-term girlfriend had dated briefly in her younger years.
Jack continued writing songs for his album, but every romantic lyric ended up being about Beth. Regardless of the countless women he had slept with, he had never had a relationship as intimate as the one he had with Beth.
I played you my first hit before it dropped You were in the driver's seat and I was on the aux' You made the stank face, that's how I knew it was hot Lookin' back, I gotta wonder if you would have thought That my life would've changed like this That every station in America would play my sh- That I would do a remix and I could take my pick Of any rappers that I wanted and they'd get on the sh-Hmm, I can't imagine you did The way you see it, ain't no way that I don't have a new b- And it ain't fair, 'cause you know I got a whole lotta friends That's gon' tell me who they seen you on the avenue with
Jack stared at the words on the paper in front of him for a minute, and debated throwing the paper away. The lyrics seemed out of place; the rest of the song wasn't about Beth. It truly was about the women he had met in different cities on tour and on airplanes. This bridge seemed too personal for the song, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of the paper. It reminded him of a time when life was more simple, when Jack and Beth would drive around town listening to his music, but it also reminded him of how life would never be that way again. Beth was in a long term relationship and he was famous. They would never be the kids they once were again, but just knowing those kids existed was comforting, and Jack decided that nothing else could express that the way those lyrics did, so they made it into 21C/Delta.
Beth took the LSAT that summer and started law school at her undergrad alma mater in August, although all of her classes were online. Though the online part wasn't ideal, Beth felt as though her life was finally on track. She graduated from her dream school and was now at her dream law school. She lived with her lawyer boyfriend, and she would also be a practicing lawyer in three years. Her and Christian adopted a puppy right before Thanksgiving, a great dane named Lucy. She occupied a large amount of their time, but brought joy and entertainment into their lives in an otherwise mundane time. The relationship she once had with Jack and the trauma she endured from her abortion and their subsequent breakup felt like a distant memory.
All of the writing took a toll on Jack. Some days, writer's block would take over, making him feel restless. His anecdote to this problem came in the form of an old friend, or rather an old friend of a friend. Vanessa had never left Louisville. She attended the University of Louisville and now worked in banking in the city. Jack was pretty sure she and Beth weren't close anymore, but he wasn't sure why. He had run into her when they were both picking up take out in town. They agreed to meet to catch up, and things developed from there. He would go over to her place to have sex and stay for hours, sitting on her couch and eating frozen meals. Being in a new environment distracted him from his writing. Jack didn't tell Beth he was sleeping with Vanessa. He and Vanessa spent a lot of time together, but he quickly realized he wasn't interested in her romantically.
He came to believe that he may never be capable of loving a woman again the way he had loved Beth. Maybe it was because he was young and naive when they were together, or maybe it was because there was no one out there as fit for him as Beth was. The last song Jack wrote for the album was Creme. It served as a letter to Beth and any woman who may come to love him, that no matter how much he may romanticize love, he may not be able to love fully and be loved in return.
I'm the crème de la crème And it's filled to the brim But you should still go be with him I can't hold your hand this time I can't fold my plans this time
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