Secrets Look Different in the Light

Chapter 5

Jackie's POV

     I wake up sore as hell. My neck aches from sleeping in the same position all night. I blink around, disoriented. Dylan's room.

Great.

I drop my head back onto the mattress and pretend to sleep. Maybe if I stay still long enough, I can avoid the awkwardness of doing the walk of shame from a bed I didn't mean to sleep in. Footsteps. He's coming closer. I feel his hands slide under my head and back, gently trying to move me.

 My eyes fly open. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Shit!" He flinches and drops me.

Apparently I scared him. 

I sit up, groggy and annoyed. "Seriously, what were you doing?"
"You looked uncomfortable. I was just trying to move you to a pillow. Why didn't you say something if you were awake?"
"I was trying to avoid this awkward interaction by waiting to leave until you left the room." I mutter.
He scoffs. "Yeah? Mission accomplished, clearly." Silence for a beat- then I crack up. He does too. He sits beside me, letting the tension melt with our laughter.
"You wanna talk about it?" I ask.
He shrugs. "I don't know what to say about it." 

 "Are you mad at her?" 
"Yeah," he says, honest and clipped. Then his face shifts. "But more than that, I'm scared. I've never seen her like that. I don't know what set her off."

"She's never exactly been a beacon of stability," I offer.

He chuckles. "No, she's fiery and stubborn, but she's not this. She's never accused me of cheating. And attacking you? That's new." he says.

"She didn't just attack me. She hit you too, you know.." I remind him. 

He just shrugs. "I can take a hit. She shouldn't have touched you, though." 

I catch his stare, trying to make sure he hears me. "Just because you can take it doesn't mean you should have to." I state. He gives me a faint smile, but says nothing.
"I'll hit her back for you if you want. Equal rights and all."

He snorts. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
I exhale and stand. "I'm gonna wake Avery for a ride."
"Don't bother. She's probably in a coma right now. I'll drive you." He doesn't wait for a reply. Shoes on, keys in hand, already out the door. I follow, quietly grateful.

Theo's POV

      She isn't a graceful sleeper. She doesn't look like a Disney princess in the morning with her hair perfectly placed and her hands neatly folded together. Her head isn't delicately laid on her pillow and her makeup hasn't been pristinely preserved from the night before. Instead, her hair is knotted from tossing and turning, and her hands are tucked close to her chest like she's guarding something. Her mascara from the night before is smudged on the corners of her eyes and her head is not laid on a pillow. Its laid on my chest. And she has never looked more beautiful. The sunlight hits her face, and her eyes blink open. She groans and rolls onto her pillow.

     "Who let me drink so much?" she mumbles.
"Jayden probably." I retort.

She sits up, looking at me. "Aren't you supposed to look after me, Theo?" 
"What do you think I'm doing here?" 

She laughs lightly and disappears into her closet, coming back in leggings and an old oversized T-shirt. It's mine. I left it here a couple summers ago. She's been wearing it ever since. I've never told her. I'm pretty sure she thinks it's Jayden's, but I don't care. I just like seeing her in it.

 "How do you feel about breakfast?" She asks. 
"Great," I say, moving to follow her downstairs..
"Pancakes, eggs, maybe bacon?" she suggests, but her phone buzzes. She glances at the screen and answers.
she says, flicking her eyes toward me. "I was just about to make breakfast. Really? Yeah, that sounds good. Anyone else? Okay, I'll ask around. Pretty sure they stayed over..." She responds to Jayden. She would never admit to him that I stayed with her in her bed last night. She knows how bad it would look, and I won't tell on her either. Cause I want it to happen again. 

She hangs up, then looks at me. Her expression shifts fast- casual, distant.

"Hangover breakfast at Mango's. You in?" She phrases it as a question, but I know she expects me to go no matter what.
"I should head out. Jackie needs a ride this morning. She crashed here last night too."" I say, and watch her smile falter, almost making me change my mind.
"Right. Okay... I'm gonna fix my hair before Jayden picks me up." 

And just like that, she's gone.

Avery POV

   I flinch when I see myself in the mirror. Makeup streaked, hair a disaster. Thank god only Theo saw me like this. I stare at the old Nascar T-shirt I have on, admiring how it looks. Theo left it here one summer, and I never gave it back. I wore it to school a couple months later and he never said anything so I don't think he noticed. I hope he didn't. 

I'm pretty sure he thinks it's Jayden's anyways, and I'd like to keep it that way.

    I pull my hair into soft waves and fix my face just as Jayden honks from the driveway. I toss on sneakers and head out, relieved when I see he's alone.
"Just you?" I ask, sliding in.
"Yeah. Everyone else is meeting us there. Theo and Jackie coming?" He asks, looking back at the house.
"No, they bailed. Theo's taking Jackie home, too long a night I guess." I  avoid his eyes. He grabs my hand as he drives. I squeeze his, staring out the window.
"You love that old shirt, huh?" He says.

"It's a great shirt, comfy too." I respond.
"Where'd you even get it?" He asks.
"Found it around the house," I lie. "Lucky find, I guess."

   We pull into the restaurant a few minutes later. Inside, Haley and Bryan are already seated.
"You will not believe who's outside," Haley says the second we walk up.
"Who is it?" I ask. 

She's grins from ear to ear. "Look."

I turn toward the patio- and there they are. Jackie and my brother, eating breakfast together.

"What the fuck..." I mutter.

Jayden laughs. "Holy shit, she's actually fucking your brother."
I smack his arm. "They're just eating. I told you why she was wearing his shirt yesterday." I defend Jackie as I take my seat. 

Jayden sits down next to me.
"Sure, but that doesn't explain breakfast. Didn't you say Theo was taking her home?" He asks

I freeze. He's right. That's what Theo said. But clearly, he didn't.

And now I'm wondering what else he lied about.

Dylan's POV

     "Getting breakfast was the best idea you ever had," Jackie says, mouth full of eggs.
I laugh. "I figured." Truth is, I just needed a distraction. May's breakdown is still looping in my head, and Avery's probably out cold. Jackie seemed like a safe bet—someone removed from everything, someone who'd understand not wanting to sit in silence with it.  And breakfast felt like neutral ground.

It's been years since it was just the two of us. Last time was my sophomore year, when we went to Avery's theater performance and heckled from the back row. Let's just say Avery's theater dream was short lived. Jackie's always been funny. Smart. But never really my friend. It feels weird hanging out without Avery around. But with my girlfriend being on coke, I figured it would be fair if I hung out with her to distract myself for the morning.

 Jackie drops her fork. "Oh shit." 

"What?" I ask. 

She leans across the table. "Haley, Brian, Jayden, and Avery are sitting on the other side of that window." She panics. 

I glance over. Sure enough, the whole damn brunch squad. Probably already speculating.
"We're just eating," I say. "Who cares?" 

So what if they think us hanging out is a little weird? It doesn't matter, this is perfectly innocent and I'm not gonna let anyone make it out to be more than it is. 

She gives me a look. "Your girlfriend just accused you of cheating- with me. You really think this is gonna go over well if anyone tells her who they saw getting breakfast the morning after?" 

I roll my eyes. "They're not that dumb. They won't  jump to that conclusion." I respond. 

She leans in further. "May doesn't need evidence to spiral. You know that."

She's right.

I drop some cash on the table and stand up. "Okay. Let's go."

She gets up too, hiding half her face with her hand. "Thanks. Fingers crossed we were invisible."