This World That Divides Us

CHAPTER 22

"Hey! Guys, that's enough. Hey!" Johnny shouts as he and Rafe run over to our lane. They each grab Jack's arm and pull him away from Henry even though Jack's using all his willpower to resist their hold.

Jack's breathing hard and I can see his chest and collarbone constricting behind his v-neck t-shirt.

"C'mon man," I hear Rafe say, patting Jack's chest. "Let's walk it off."

They leave the room as the rest of us just stand there in shock. I happen to glance Jordana's way and she's looking at me with a disgusted expression on her face before she turns to look the other way.

"I'll, uh, I'll be right back," I tell my friends, and I can sense that Henry isn't pleased with my answer.

"Stassie, just let him go," Molly calls out, trying to stop me with her hand, but I move past it.

I push the doors open and see Johnny and Rafe huddled outside and around Jack, who finally looks like he's calmed down despite the fact that his hair is a mess and he's pressing a white cloth to his bloody lip. How can someone look so imperfectly perfect?

"Hey, guys, can I talk to him for a second?" I ask the boys, nodding my head in Jack's direction.

"Yeah," Johnny says, and Rafe just nods.

I wait until they're in the clear and march over to Jack. "What was that about, huh?"

"He asked for it," Jack says.

"He asked for it? Are you serious right now? You were provoking him, Jack. What did you expect?"

"Uh...for him not to hit me." He drops the cloth down from his face and gives me an exasperated look. "Who's side are you on anyway?"

"I'm not on any side, Jack."

"Really?" he sarcastically chuckles. "Sure seems like it."

I breathe in and out as I continue to stare at him. "We need to get you some antibacterial cream and a bandaid."

"I'm fine."

I walk up to him so that I'm standing right in front of his face and clutch his chin in between my fingers. I gently move his head to the side so that I can inspect the cut better.

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

"I said I'm fine, Anastasia. God, why do you have to be such a pain in my ass all the time?"

I keep my gaze on him, taking his features in. They're soft, even behind the armor he likes to wear.

"Because I care," I state, and his gaze consumes me.

One of the employees was able to fetch me a first aid kit, so I bring it outside, but Jack looks at it and gives me an eye roll. "You've got to be shitting me."

"Did you drive?" I ask him.

"Maybe."

"Jack," I huff, "don't be difficult."

He sighs and then tilts his head up. "Over there. To the left."

I look over and spot his Maserati. "Follow me?" I state but more like a question because Jack's not one to usually follow orders.

Surprisingly, when I turn around, I see him trailing behind me. I hear the car beep, which tells me that he's unlocked the doors without me having to ask him. Looks like we're making progress.

"If you're trying to get me alone, you don't need to play nurse to do it," he tells me once we're both inside the car.

"I'm just trying to help."

I place the kit down onto the center console, take the antibacterial cream out, and press a dot of it onto the tip of my finger. Jack watches me but doesn't move.

"Can you cooperate just a little? Don't make me beg," I say.

"Doesn't sound like such a bad idea."

"Jack, c'mon."

He gives me a cute smirk and then inches his face toward me, turning it to the side so that I have access to the cut. I rub a little cream on the spot and then blow hot air onto it to let it dry a bit before I have to apply the bandaid. The act gets Jack to turn his face back my way, so I whisper, "don't move" and then he goes back to looking away. Once a few more seconds go by, I gently stick the bandaid on and press it down to make sure that it doesn't budge.

"Okay. All set."

He gulps and then looks at me as the silence in the air takes over the moment. "Thanks," he finally says.

"You're welcome."

Neither of us pull away. Our faces are right in front of each other, and everything in me is shouting, "Pull away, Anastasia. Pull away now." But my body refuses to listen.

I have a hard time trusting people, I'll be the first to admit that. It's part of the reason why I'm such a late bloomer. Why I still haven't had my first kiss. Why I choose to give my attention to the 'safe' guys instead of the ones that I actually want but stay away from because they're too unpredictable for me.

Jack, he's the 'stay away' type. I get nervous around him. I feel butterflies. But I also trust him so much that I'm not afraid of everything I think that I'm afraid of. I trust him so much that I feel so completely and utterly safe when he's near.

"Stas," he whispers as his face moves in even closer, but I don't say anything back. Because I know that he's not looking for a response. His whisper is a warning; it's a warning to let me know that he's about to kiss me.

And I let him.

I let him because I want him to. In this moment, it's the only thing that I want.

***

After we kissed, I didn't go home. I didn't want to and I don't think Jack did either. Instead, he drove us to this park that his mom would always bring him to when he was a kid. We're on the swings, seeing who can swing higher up.

"It's not fair. You're taller," I say, trying to justify why Jack keeps winning.

"That has nothing to do with it, genius," he teases.

I slow down my swing until it comes to a complete stop and Jack quickly turns to look at me. "That's it? Giving up?"

He slows his swing down and then meets my pace until we're both no longer swinging. Even in the dark, his face lights up. I can make out every feature. Like the beauty mark on the indent of his cheek.

"You know? I never knew you could be like this," I tell him.

"Like what?"

"Sweet. Romantic."

"Like I said, I think you mistake me for being someone else."

"You were right, I guess."

"Hey," he reaches for my hand, "it's not just you. This whole town seems to also."

"Does it bother you?"

He shrugs. "I've kind of become immune to it at this point."

"Must be hard...people assuming they have you all figured out without even knowing you first." I pause, feeling this heavy sense of remorse. "I'm sorry that I was one of those people."

"Don't be. I'm guilty of it, too. I had this preconceived idea of you in my mind. Turns out I was wrong." We both sit there, our knees turned into one another, our hands gripping the handles of the swings that we're sitting on, and Jack continues. "Stas, I'm sorry for acting like such an ass on the track field. I saw you with Astor and I got...jealous. It's an emotion I'm not used to feeling, but when you're near...I don't know...I guess I get a little selfish." He pauses and then exhales, taking some time to say what he says next. "I think I really like you."

My closed lips curve upward into a smile and then I say, "I think I really like you, too."