The Rookie & Tom Hanson: A "21 Jump Street" Story

Chapter 11: Tom's Breakup

Saturday Night

Tom's POV

I was vacuuming my apartment because Jackie was going to come and stay the night. It's strange to know that Rebecca's brother, Solomon, was my current girlfriend's ex-boyfriend and that they were close to getting engaged or married. I like Jackie, but I don't exactly think we fit together, which was made more evident when she invited me to her Criminal Court Office party yesterday, where I was looked down upon by almost everyone just because I'm a cop. I can't believe that I saw Councilman Davis even though she promised me that he would not be there! Did she know that he would be there, or was it just so that she didn't have to show up alone?

Jackie hasn't even shown up, yet I'm cranky. Sometimes I wonder why I ever wanted to be with her in the first place when it's clear that we both have different goals in life, with me wanting to continue my work in law enforcement. She has obvious aspirations for a political career and it comes with the territory of being an Assistant DA. It just makes me circle back to what Rebecca was saying about waiting for the right person to appear instead of jumping into a relationship. She makes me think back to how my parents' marriage was before my dad's death. They were so in love. So united. They were like a unit in terms of living, and I'm pretty sure they would have remained that way. I think that is why my mother jumps from relationship to relationship. She just can't find someone that fills her heart as much as Dad.

I slowly hear the door jiggle open, and Jackie comes in with a large bag of Thai food in her hand and soft drinks on the other.

"Hey Jackie," I said as I tried to smile at her.

"Are you going to stand there, Hanson, or are you going to help me?" She asked with her signature smoky voice.

"Of course, I was just greeting you."

"You can do that later tonight, but right now, this food is not gonna serve itself."

I rolled my eyes as I got the bag and placed it on my dining table. Sometimes I swear that she treats me more like a servant than a boyfriend. I guess that even though Rebecca's dad may have lowkey insulted our profession, seeing both Rebecca's parents and the obvious love that they have for each other has had me rethinking my relationship with Jackie. They really seemed to know and understand each other well, and for the first time in years, I just remembered the love that my parents had.

"You're awfully quiet, Tom," Jackie said.

"I was just having a flashback of my parents," I said as went to get the plates.

"Really?" She asked. "What about?"

"Their relationship and how full of love it was."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yeah, it was."

Jackie took a seat next to me, and we ate the Thai food in relative silence.

"Hanson, I've been thinking..."

"Yes?"

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

"What? What kind of a question is that?"

"It's a very reasonable and logical question. Where do you see yourself in the next five years?"

"In my personal or professional life?"

"Your professional life, obviously."

I gave Jackie a blank stare as I tried to make out her intentions with this question.

"You do know that you are going to eventually have to give up working at Jump Street because of your age and due to it not being a great career move."

"Career move?"