Runaways (A Jack Barakat Fanfic)

3 - Step In My Shoes

Rhianne

So far, I was surprised to find that I could easily get along with everyone. Zach helped me unpack and sat talking to me for about an hour before we joined the others in the back lounge. I took a seat next to one of the sofas on the floor, my legs crossed, as somebody handed me a remote. I sighed. I hated this game. I'd never been good at this kind of thing anyway; I'd die within the first few minutes and be a laughing stock. To my surprise though, Jack was worse than I'd expected and died before me, making my efforts seem a little less pathetic.

The back lounge was packed before I knew it, and I decided to pass the controller to to Alex (who had been whining about not having a turn for the last half an hour) and go to have a lie down. The feeling of being in the midst of these people strangely made me feel happier. I never felt like that unless I was on my own usually, but I felt that somehow these people had filled a hole and took the place of someone I'd lost. I smiled at my stupid thoughts as I lay down on my bunk. The shouting from the back lounge occasionally made me laugh, but soon enough I was in a dreamland again, spiralling through a strange dimension where it was complete confusion.

All I really remember about my dram was the strange reoccurring dream I'd been having for weeks; I sat in the middle of an empty white room where it was impossible to determine where exactly the walls were. I only sat there, I couldn't move no matter how hard I willed myself to do so. I started to panic, but it didn't last long.

I woke up a little while after that. Sitting up, I banged my head on the bunk above mine. I swore under my breath at my stupidity of forgetting that I couldn't do that any more. Instead, I rolled out of bed after opening the curtains to hear a low chuckle from above me. I looked up to see Jack's dumb face looking in my direction. I smiled at him awkwardly before searching through my suitcase to find a pack of painkillers.

"Careful, you might hit your head," Jack joked before hopping down from his bunk and almost landing on top of me. I shook my head and took the painkillers with a sip of water from a bottle I'd kept in my bunk.

"Yeah, I think I'll remember that now," I told him as I rubbed the back of my head. Jack held a hand out to help me up, as I'd collapsed to sitting on the floor, and I took it.

"What happened to your hair?" He asked. my stomach dropped.

"I didn't like it," I told him simply. "I didn't want you guys to do the same thing as everyone else has done and take the piss," Jack nodded, but smirked.

"How long ago did you move from England?" He asked. I had to think about it for a moment before answering him.

"Nearly five years. I moved here on my nineteenth birthday to get away from my family." I quickly explained. He looked a little concerned as we took a seat in the front lounge. "Oh God, that must have sounded awful... I hated my step dad and my mum refused to leave him no matter what he did. I just signed up for a transfer with my university and ended up living in Baltimore,"

"What was so wrong with him?" Jack asked.

"He never let my mum do anything. He was extremely sexist the last time I saw him, and I hated that. He just couldn't quite grasp the idea that I wanted to do something with my life rather than stay home all my life and pick up shit after kids," I began to rant. Jack nodded as he grabbed a beer from the fridge and offered me one I refused.

"He sounds like an ass. My dad was the same, but I don't really remember him." I smiled at him as he sat down again.

"I still don't know who my real dad is," I told him. "I guess you could say he was an ass too if he never wanted to know me,"