glitch | jack hughes (rewritten)

chapter 39

josephine lee 

"Why can't I go? I'll be quiet and discreet and other synonyms for quiet and discreet." Jack complains, watching me put the final things I'll need on this brief trip back to New Jersey. I zip my backpack up and drop my shoulders after looking at his defeated demeanor. "Rowds, it's just best if I go alone. There's no need for you to come with me. Enjoy some time with your brother." I tell him with my hand holding his cheek.  

He stares at me, disapproving of the fact that he won't be joining me no matter what he says or does. He groans, rolling his eyes at me, and throws some swimming trunks for him to wear during his boat day today on the mattress. "Fine, let's get you to your plane." He says, sighing obnoxiously loud as he looks for his keys. 

In full transparency, I don't want him to be seen with me. I've seen Jack's comment sections, I've seen what they've been saying to him, and I've heard every death threat in the books. Marjorie is actively working to control those messages and despite her endless reassurances that she won't let any of this escalate I'm nervous. 

Someone sent me my address and told me they were going to come hurt me while I'm sleeping. Luckily, you need a code to get past my gate so unless the intruder is someone who has been over they won't be inside. Another thing I am extremely grateful for is the fact that I won't be in my home for a long, long time, but it's still frightening to think about. 

Jack opens the bedroom door and tells everyone he'll be out just to drop me off. "Why aren't you going? You trying to beat the puppy dog allegations?" Quinn teases from his spot beside my best friend in the kitchen. Jack wags his finger at his brother very slowly and tells Quinn what I told him causing Meredith to look up from the pan where she's cooking an omelette.

"How was that last episode?" she asks me, knowing me well enough to know that my reasoning is deeper than what I told Jack. What's going on? Why don't you want Jack to go? "Uh, hectic. A lot was happening, I kind of don't want to watch for a bit." My life is hectic, a lot is happening, and it makes me want to take a step back from the spotlight. Meredith nods in understanding, grabbing a glass plate from above the stove, and plating her breakfast. 

She rubs my arm reassuringly and says, "New season very soon, remember that." I nod my head with a soft smile, giving her a hug before saying goodbye to everyone else in the house. Jack closes the door behind us and drives me to the airport. He plays with my fingertips and rings, listening to Taylor Swift's debut album. 

He mumbles the lyrics he knows into my knuckles. "Hey, what's our song? Do we have a song?" Jack says, dropping our joined hands on the center console. I look at him for a minute, wondering if he's just forgotten or not. When he doesn't say anything for a while I say, "Well we do have the ones I write about our relationship but I don't know if you're just ignoring those." 

The lightbulb above his pretty little head goes off and his jaw drops. "We do have those!" He says with a massive smile, pressing his lips to my knuckles. I laugh at him, shaking my head at the fact that those songs completely slipped his mind. He explains himself as he pulls up to the glass doors and finishes his thoughts with a kiss on my lips. 

"I'll miss you." he says in between kisses before I loop my pinky around his and promise to meet up with him and his friends before we leave for California for Stagecoach. He kisses my thumb just to give me another kiss and watches as I get onto the plane to go film an episode for the Devil's podcast. 

Once I board the plane I send Dad a quick text message, letting him know that my plane will be leaving soon. Which is basically me reminding him to come pick me up in two hours. I watch him read the message and reply with a picture of an alarm he set on his phone. It's set for an hour and 45 minutes after I had texted him so he can pick me up almost immediately after I land.