My soldier in Neverland (Jack Barakat)

chapter 16

Brook

When we get to the mall Jack is pushing me in my chair, it is annoying how much help I need.

"Jack I can do it my self, you know they are made so the Person in it can control it." I laugh a little, I know that pleases him.

"Well you would just be going in circles with that arm in a sling." This time I truely laugh.

"Fine, I cant wait to ge this sling of so people would leave me alone about it." I remember the nurse at the hospital telling me the same thing.

"Here we are, at the first store." He says to me. My chest tightens but I tell myself I am not going to let this happen, its been so long since I have had a panic attack. My chest slowly goes back to normal when we enter the store. I get that my sister is trying to help me with the whole panic attack thing but I feel like we just jumped five steps.

"What about this one?!" My sister scurries out of an isle with a skirt smaller than the one that I have on now.

"No!" Me and jack say in unison.

"Tough crowd." She says going back into her zone and looking for clothes. 

Alex comes up behind me and asks for jack's opinion on a shirt. I crane my neck and see the gray stripped sweater.

"I like it Alex, you should get it." I tell him.

"An opinon from a woman is the best opinion, or so my mom always says." He walks to the check out and buy it.

"Speaking of his mom..." I really don't want to finish the sentence and luckily jack answers it.

"Yeah she knows, the whole time you were in the hospital she was with Alex. She didn't even get a hotel room because she knew that she would spend all of her time there. His dad wasn't able to make it out but he spoke to him over the phone every day for as long as Alex could." He clears his throat. "I finally one day had to tell his mom that she should go shower and change at our hotel, Cass, Rians girlfriend brought her there and talked on the phone with Alex the whole time because she was so worried that something might happen." He shakes his head at the next part. "Eventually a therapist came and told her that he would be fine and he could leave the hospital, like any mom she insisted that he come live at home for a while but he told her that he was going on a trip with me, she told me that she trusted me and let him go with me." He tells me like it was nothing for his mom to let him go but it probably broke her heart to let him leave.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, it saved me from my emotions. Its Jessica, I answer.

"Hello?" I answer.

"What store are you in, I just got in the mall."

"Wait you are here!?" I'm  shocked that my sister invited her.

"Well yeah I cant let your sister pick the sluttiest things out!" She explains. I tell her our location.

"Who was that?" Jack asks.

"Oh just one of my many boyfriends." Im in a happier mood now that my best friend is coming.

"What?!" He sounds confused.

"Oh calm down, its just Jessica. I haven't got to see her since my graduation party." I explain.

"Why didn't she visit at the hospital."

"It was only relatives." I say getting back to the subject of my parents, they didn't even call me when I was there even though my mom called them. I heard her in the hall telling them to get their asses to the hospital because this might be the last time to see me because they are on a six month trip in England, at that point I knew I was dying in that time frame.

"Hey.. slut!" Jessica comes in my view, she tries to find a name to call me then finds the name of the character that I'm playing today.

"Is it bad?" I look down.

"Its worse than bad its horrifying! Let me shop for you." She says placing a coffee in my hands.

"Thanks." I look up at jack. "You want some?" I ask hoping he says yes because my stomach is really not up for coffee right now.

"Yeah." He takes it from me and pushes me after Jessica.

"Hi jack, sorry I was too caught up in her outfit that I didnt have time to slip a hello in there.

"Its okay, I agree on the outfit." He tells her.

We check out the of the store with some shorts that are a little more apropriate. 

"You want to change?" Jessica asks.

"Yes please." I sound over enthused. "Be back soon Jack." I turn to tell him.

After a couple of minutes waiting and me trying to convince Jessica not to yell at the person in there the big stall opens up, we go in and akwardly we get my new shorts. As we leave two girls trying on really tan bronzer see me and the black haired one whispers something to the blonde one. Jessica must have heard because she snaped and got up in the black haired girls face and yells. "She has cancer you..." She backs away from the girl that is about ready to cry. "there isn't even a word to call you, it would be a disgrace to whatever the word would be." She comes back over to me huffing and puffing.

"What did she say?"  I ask when we leave the poorly lit bathroom and into the sunny mall.

"Wow she needs to go outside a little more!" She says in a mocking tone while wheeling me over to the concrete fountian that we are supost to meet Jack and Alex at, they are talking to three girls that are overjoyed to be with them, I am guessing they are fans. I tap Jack on the shoulder and smile to the girls that give me a look like they would kill me if I touched Jack ever again. He turns around and has a huge smile that changed when he sees who it is. "Oh I'm sorry they recognised us and wanted to get pictures and..."  He sounds like a little boy trying to explain what happend after he did something bad.

"Jack it's okay." I say.

"I can leave?" He tries.

"No Jack its fine we can wait." I tell him with the biggest smile.

After a few more minutes more people started to show up and I started to get hungry so I text Jack so I don't get another death glare and tell him that me and Jessica are going to get some food, I notice that he doesn't check his phone so I hope he notices and doesn't think  I just left because he was with his fans because I loved to see him smile and interact  with everyone there, even if they hated me.   

When we get to the retrauraunt Blondie and Dill are sitting in the corner