Jackson

Chapter 9

It's been an hour since I've been waiting on Jippy at the local park swings. Jippy is a lot of things but I don't think she stood me up.

Would she though?

I sighed once more and peered around for any signs of Jippy, but of course, other than the landscaper, I was the only one here. The pain I felt in my feet alerted me that I was standing there for way too long. I shortly gave in to the ache and decided to wait on the swings.

I took the time to observe my surroundings and smiled at the gentle singing of several birds in the park trees. The silence allowed me to relax under the chirping of their voices. The sky mirrored my mood as the clouds were beginning to cover the sun, a warning that there might be rain soon. I kicked the pile of dried-up leaves directly beside the swing and couldn't help but remember Will when I caught a glimpse of my sneakers.

Converse, his favorite.

A smile crept its way onto my face when memories of him replayed in my mind.

The best sneakers ever made globally known to man huh?

"You seem happy without me."

My smile left as quickly as it came when I recognized who the familiar voice belonged. I perked up on the swing and turned to look at her. "Jippy, you're here."

"Obviously," she retorted and took a seat on the swing beside me.

I secretly rolled my eyes while discreetly taking deep breaths. Fiddling with the seam of my dark leggings, I admired Jippy's attire. She was dressed in a Louis Vuitton two-piece set in the form of an oversized jacket encasing a black crop top, paired with matching shorts and Jordan's.

"Are you an ambassador for luxury brands today Jippy?" I mocked smirking at her.

Her soft giggles which soon followed broke through the tension that engulfed us just a few minutes prior.

"If you must know," she boasted jokingly, pursuing her lips before continuing, "It's a gift, from some guy."

I scooted over on my swing closer to her with my face in my palms, "Hmm I wonder who that is."

A duration of silence fell over us before she responded.

"Wouldn't you like to know..." She said in a faint tone. And just like that, the tension embraced us once again.

I sighed and leaned over on the swing, "Look Jippy, as cliche as it sounds- what you saw wasn't what it seemed to be. I was just having a friendly conversation with Jackson which I did not initiate. So no it does not mean that I feel anything for him, it kind of just - happened. I'm sorry."

I straightened up in the swing and gazed directly at her, "Forgive me?"

Jippy seemed lost in her thoughts while staring directly in front of her. "Woah- I didn't notice how petty this feud was until it was said out loud-"

At that, I laughed and lightly shoved her.

Finally, she sees how her way of thinking isn't logical at times.

She cracked a small smile at my annoying laugh and faced me for the first time since we came, "I don't think I was jealous of you and Jackson-"

My eyebrows creased as I processed her words. "What do you mean?"

She pulled her fingers through her hair and slouched on the swing.

"I don't think that I even liked Jackson to begin with. Becca, you said it yourself, that I constantly have crushes- weekly as you put it."

"Jippy, I wasn't serious about that."

She groaned and glanced up at the sky in frustration, "You're not getting it, Becca. I don't think I liked Jackson because I might have used what I felt as a distraction."

I hesitantly parted my lips to respond, "uh- a distraction from what exactly?"

Jippy kicked her legs out in front of the swing and kept silent.
"I'm lonely Becca- I used him as a distraction from my loneliness."

In an attempt to comfort her, I got up from the swing and stooped down in front of her. "Jippy I'm trying to understand but I'm not getting it. Lonely in what way? You recently left a relationship and you have Essy and me- what do you mean?"

She gripped the swing to control the tears which were now streaming down her face. "Becca, a relationship doesn't mean that you're not lonely. I still felt lonely with him there. He was there physically with me but not emotionally. It played with my self-esteem and I guess I needed comfort Jackson was the closest thing to that but he's not interested in me."

I reached my hand up to her cheeks and gently brushed away her tears. " Jippy how can you be sure that Jackson doesn't feel the same way? I mean, I'm sure you can tell he's socially awkward; so I don't think you can be sure about that."

"He rejected me, Rebecca- I asked him out in class and he refused my offer. I even tried asking for his number and he practically ran away from me. That didn't help with the way I already felt about myself."

Oh- I remember when that happened.

"Jippy, Jackson isn't even worth your tears," I tried to reason with her but she had her head bowed. "Even if he doesn't feel the same way, I'm sure someone else does. You're gorgeous Jippy."

She slightly turned to beam at me, "Thank you Becca, you really think so?"

I returned her smile, "I'm sure."

Well, William definitely does.

___________

Esmeralda's P.O.V

I watched as he gently bounced his little sister up and down on his knees. Her tiny giggles filled the entire room. I couldn't help the smile on my face that came from watching them both. He momentarily pauses his actions to smile at me and my heart flutters at the gesture. It would be too soon and silly for me to say that I have a love for him.

But as the days go by, it's true, I'm falling in love with him.

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Hmm, who could Essy be talking about 👀
Guys, I think I'm getting a hang of this writing thing.

Hope you enjoyed