like lightning: jack harries

sixteen

BEFORE U READ:: RE READ CHAPTER 14 if you've been reading update by update. new important part added. enjoy . -ak

JACK: pov

The next morning I woke up to the sound of a box being thrown onto the floor and a shriek coming from a certain 17 year old girl and the sight of 2 neighbors in my room.

"Ow, that was my toe, Peter, for gosh sakes." Laura lifted the box of model motorcycles off her foot.

"Well, you should've been watching where your foot was."

"Um- um, I - w-what are you doing in my room?" I groaned, lifting my duvet off my head.

"Peter couldn't wait to get more of the models you gave him yesterday, so he figured you wouldn't mind him getting them himself." Laura shrugged, running her fingers over the model cars on my shelf.

"What time is it?" I quickly put on a shirt, squinting in the sun that came through my window. "6 am?"

"Um, 9:38, actually." She raised her eyebrows. "How late did you even come home last night? I didn't see you leave."

Oh God, I forgot about last night. My stomach flipped but I swallowed it down, attempting to swallow the memories of the bedroom down with it.

"I left around 9 I think." I lied as I scratched my neck. "I got bored."

"How could you be bored when you were sitting next to such a pretty girl like Amber?" Laura laughed. "Ben told me that she thought you were cute, you know."

"Oh. She was nice, I guess." I shrugged, meaning to scream, I meant bored as in a heartbroken mess, Laura, and I could care less about whether or not Amber thought I was cute when all I could think about was your stupid dimples and the fact that you were making out with a stupid surfer God who probably doesn't even care about you.

"Anyway, Peter, are you ready for breakfast?"

Peter held a box from my closet filled to the brim with car and motorcycle models, a satisfied smile across his freckled face. "Yep."

Laura followed Peter out my bedroom, turning off the lights on her way out. I stood half- dumbstruck by my bed, running my hand through my unruly hair as I watched Laura's ponytail move side to side as she moved down the hallway. She turned around and stuck her head back in my room.

"Aren't you coming to breakfast?"

"I, um-" She raised her eyebrows and I swallowed. "Um, yeah, sure." I looked down at my pajamas. "I'm uh, um, wearing my pajamas, can I, uh,"

"Change?" She smirked. "Yeah, we'll be downstairs."

I blushed, hearing her mutter 'dork' on her way out. I put on jeans and a new t-shirt and flew downstairs, Laura and Peter already finding their way to the doorway to the garage.

My mum nudged me as I went into the kitchen. "Breakfast date?"

My stomach twisted. "No one takes their little brother on a date, mum. Plus Laura would never take me on a breakfast date." I muttered the second part.

My mum gave me a long sigh and smiled. "You never know." She winked and I felt my face turn into a tomato and a chili pepper all at once.

"Yeah, um..." I mumbled, going into the garage. "Bye, mum." 

"We were thinking that one pancake place across from the library, is that good?" Laura asked as I followed them into the garage.

"Uh, yeah, I think so."