The Days That Count

18. The Day Of The New Year Party

Heavenly was in the kitchen talking to Aliyah and Baek-Hyun and waiting for her boyfriend to come back from the bathroom. When Maxx walked back in she saw a kind of restlessness on his face that wasn't easy to figure out. He did smile and seem lively but for a while he seemed to have something on his mind.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I'm great. Why?" he smiled, putting an arm around her shoulder.

Heavenly Brooks felt that something was off but she wasn't gonna pester him then. Instead, her solution was to make him smile as much as possible and spend quality time together. Once they were back in the living room, there was a bunch of people surrounding a person. When they looked better, in the center of the crowd they recognized Jordan Parker who was telling a joke and laughing soundly, louder than usual, entertaining others and making them laugh as well, spreading joy everywhere he sets his foot, like always. To Heavenly, he seemed almost desperate to make people laugh, or maybe it was himself who needed to laugh the most? She gazed at him in anticipation, trying to get the signals of his strong, unbeatable aura. It reminded her of a time in middle school when that little bully, what was his name? Derek. When Derek tripped him out of nowhere, making him trip and fall into the school's fountain and get his clothes soaked. The kid then laughed along with his other stupid friends and started telling everyone around to look at Jordan and how clumsy he was. Heavenly was at the entrance at that time and as soon as she saw the scene, ran toward him like a bullet. Before she could get to him, some other kids showed up and asked Joe if he was alright and helped him stand up. It annoyed Derek, that he has so many friends despite being a nerd. Heavenly stopped in her tracks when she saw Jordan laughing.

"It's no big deal. " Jordan laughed it off in front of everyone. "At least I know how to swim. "

"The water is on the level of your knees, " one girl scolded him, "That skill won't save you. Especially not from catching a cold. "

"I know. Don't you guys think that Derek's jokes are getting quite boring and predictable though? " Jordan looked at Derek confidently, while his clothes were dripping wet and his hair soaked. Drops were rolling down his face and falling to the ground beneath him as he stared with fire in his eyes. His outside was wretched, yet his fiery look seemed unbeatable.

It made Heavenly think how he was the strongest boy in school, putting up with this and being so composed. Derek was annoyed to the point of just being able to glare and angrily walk away with his laughing crew.

Jordan Parker then sighed and announced he was going to change in the locker room. He walked off. Heavenly was still worried about his physical condition since it was pretty chilly outside. The Autumn weather made it almost impossible not to catch a cold. So, she went ahead and searched for the towel she always had in her locker for P.E. classes. Heavenly picked it up and started to head toward where the boys' changing room was. Once she got close enough to the entrance, her heart skipped. Her eyes widened and her face had taken on the most sorrowful expression. She looked inside, where her whole prejudice had crashed before her eyes. Jordan was there, without a shirt but still in his wet trousers, sitting on the floor with his back against the bench, alone, with head buried into his arms, sobbing like a little baby.

"Why... " he choked on his own breath, not able to stop himself from going rampant. "Why is it always me? " his voice came out hoarse and he lifted his head. Jordan showed the most vulnerable face she had ever seen on him. Heavenly didn't miss a tear falling down his cheeks. He still didn't notice her.

Jordan gripped his soaked sneakers next to him and threw them against the wall angrily. "Why?!" he yelled a bit louder and got up to his feet, throwing the wet shirt as well. He hit a wall with his fist as he screamed and cried to his heart's pleasure.