Road Trip [#Wattys2015]

Chapter 11

I had only gotten about two hours of sleep that night so when I woke up I could barely get up. Jackson was already up but I had no idea where he was and Maia was buried deep in her covers to the point where one brown curl was the only thing showing of her. I got up and went to the bathroom but as soon as I was out Jackson had entered the room.

"Dude where were you?" I asked.

"I got some breakfast." He said and this reminded me how hungry I was.

"Okay, wanna go to the shop and then get some lunch?" I said fully aware that this was no time for me to have breakfast.

"Okay." He said with zero excitement. He wasn't facing my eyes but I could still tell something was brothering him. Knowing him, I knew better than to ask him what it was. If he was ready to tell me he would. Then I thought for a second of what could possibly have gone wrong with him, his text to me last night was very friendly and not at all depressed. I guessed that this was nothing but morning grump since Jackson was never much of a morning person.

We left Maia a note saying were we were and that if she woke up before we arrived and wanted to find us she could ask Sidney to drive her or at least give her directions since the place was not that far, we were just lazy. We got in his car and I showed him on the map how he could get to the shop. It was a really silent drive, one of the most awkward one I've ever been on. I never expected to have awkward silences with Jackson, but this ride was just full of them. I would always ask questions to break the ice but he would dismiss them with one-word answers. It was as if we were meeting for that first time, and that was kind of true since I've never met this version of him before.

When we walked in the store, my eyes were not scanning the place for the Pleasant Wake Alarm like I thought they would. They were focused on him walking away from me in a fast pace.

"Hey." I called out behind him, loud but not aggressive. He stopped where he was but still didn't turn to look at me.

"What is it? Are you mad about something? Did I do anything to you?" I knew three questions in a row sounded kind of pathetic but I still hadn't decided what exactly it was I wanted to ask when I started speaking.

"I saw it you know." He was looking at me now. He went on even though by my expression he could tell I knew what he was talking about. "You all over my sister last night."

"But when did you-" I was cut off while trying to put the pieces together.

"I asked Sidney since you were not picking up and she told me to go to that milkshake shop. And there you were." He pointed his hand at me in disgust.

"Wait so you texted her that you were lost while we were kissing?" Turns out I had a reason to be disgusted to.

"What? You were still making out when I texted her? Dude that's just wrong." He said and I started becoming conscious of how long the kiss was. "And my father cheating on top of that..." he said mostly to himself. Now he was more sad than angry.

"Oh, so Maia told you about that." That explained his behavior his whole time, this was not about the kiss it was about his father.

"You knew?!" His anger took over his sadness again, he looked back at my face.

"Yeah, I did not wanna tell you because-" he was not paying attention to my excuse.

"So you know about my father and not even bother to tell me, and on top of that you kiss my sister when you already have plans to go out with another girl!" He was loud but not yelling. He threw his arms up in desperation when instead of giving him an answer I looked down at my feet. "Well that's just lovely! Good luck on you date tonight, your side hoe will be waiting at the hotel room." He says calmer now than before and storms out as I keep staring at my feet. I would yell at him for thinking this low of me and Maia but I decided to let him be mad. I knew how hard this must have been for him.

After all he was not mad at me, he was mad at his father and himself for idolizing him. He must be feeling lost now that he had nobody to look up to, at that moment it was hard to sympathize for him after what he had said to me but I tried to get it of my head and only remember the calm and peaceful Jackson from yesterday. The one that got on the stage and sung like nobody knew he could. I started walking outside of the store wondering if he would still be there, and he was. In his car, his head pressing on the weal with his hands balled in fists on the sides of him. I could not see his face but it seemed as if he were crying. I started walking to him, but when he noticed me he turned on the car and drove away.