Sally & Jackson

Chapter 4

Ever since last night, all that my mind seemed to know was her. I kept on checking my phone, waiting for a text from her to arrive, but there was nothing. I don't like people, but for some reason, she seemed to have already crawled right into my skin.

Lunch time arrived, and I found myself climbing the stairs that led to the roof, in hopes that maybe I'd find her there, but she wasn't. I'm not going to lie; it kind of hurt. I set my tray down and moved towards the ledge to try and see what exactly she was looking at that day, but I was too busy looking at the world from where I stood. It was definitely something.

"Jack, what're you doing here?" I threw my hands in the air in shock.

"Sal!" I turned. "I was just trying to..."

She rolled her eyes at me and walked over. "Come away from there. I'm not suicidal or anything."

"But I'm still curious. Rachel still needs her mother."

She kept her tray down and giggled. "Is this about Rachel?"

No, it was not about Rachel. I just want to know what she was doing so close to the ledge.

"Yes," I lie.

"Look, I was only there because, from here, it feels like I'm on top of the world." She finally caved in. Even though that wasn't what I was expecting, it feels legit.

"I believe you now," I replied.

"Can we have lunch now?" She asked, gesturing to the trays.

We both sit down and begin to eat lunch together.

"So, tell me your favorite book, movie, flower, and color." She asked with her mouthful.

"Uhh, Harry Potter, Spider-Man No way home, sunflower, and maybe...golden."

"Harry Potter didn't shock me, but I don't see the appeal." She chuckled as I gasped.

"How dare you? You take that back."

"I'm serious" She bit her apple. "But Spider-Man, that movie was good."

"What about you?" I asked.

"I have two favorite books, and they're It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover and The Darkest Parts of the Forest by Holly Black." She closed her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. "Euphoria, hydrangeas, sky, and ocean blue."

"Umm, excuse me, but Euphoria is a series, not a movie," I corrected.

"They're the same thing," she argued.

"No please! Euphoria comes in episodes and seasons. Spiderman does not," I responded.

"The hell?" She looked taken aback by me, and I quickly reined it in. She was quiet for a couple of seconds before she burst out laughing. "Fine, my favorite movie is probably... uh, I don't have any."

"You've got to pick one," I urged.

"Well, you didn't." She swatted my knee.

"That's a lie. I chose Spiderman."

The look of defeat on her face was obvious.

"Fine, then, better be Chemical Hearts."

I was puzzled. I don't have a social life, but I make up for it in movies and books, but I haven't heard of the "Chemical Hearts" she spoke of.

"Okay. My turn," I said, and she nodded. "Favorite song, artist, place, and your celebrity crush."

"Ohhh." She threw her head back, laughing, and her shoulders shook.

"My favorite song right now is Block Me Out by Gracie Abrams. I don't have any; I love the vibes of New York, and I don't have a celebrity crush," she answered.

"Everyone has a celebrity crush," I replied.

"Well, I'm not everyone."

"Valid point"

"Your turn." She rested her hand on my knee, and every nerve in my body somehow moved to where her hand lay.

"Okay, my favorite song is She Chose Me by Bruno Major. I also don't have a favorite artist. I really don't have a favorite place; my celebrity crush is definitely Billie Eilish." She groaned as the name left my mouth.

"What?" I asked.

"Everyone's just obsessed with her right now."

"Have you listened to any of her songs?"

She shook her head vehemently with a frown in her face, and I knew she wasn't going to be interested in trying it.

"And you don't plan to."

She nodded her head.

"Have you ever read Harry Potter?" I asked.

"Don't even try to convince me into reading it," she replied. I raised my hands up in a form of surrender, and she chuckled. "You're funny, you know."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah." She moved closer to me until our shoulders were touching. "If only you'd show this side of you to people." She pushed me sideways.

"Well, I'm trying to be better. So, I can be a good father to Rachel," I replied.

"Wow!" She laughed, and I joined her.

"What's your favorite animal?" I asked her one more and quite possibly the last question for today.

"Well, I love animals, but I'm both a cat and a dog person."

"I love dogs, and I have ophidiophobia."

"Ophidio...what?" She frowned at me.

"It's the intense fear of snakes."

"We all fear snakes."

"It's more intense than the normal fear of snakes," I replied.

"Ohhh." Her eyes fell to the floor.

I stared at her, taking in every single detail of her face. The little freckles on her face and how she occasionally chewed on her upper lip. She turned, and I looked away quickly in hopes that she didn't catch me, but her laugh signaled that I was in the wrong.

"We should get going," she said as she got back on her feet. It was then that I checked the time and realized how long we'd been up here.

"Damn!" I exclaimed in shock, then turned the phone to her. "We've been here for over two hours."

She didn't seem taken aback by that; she just shrugged it off and made her way towards the door, but she stopped as she wrapped her fingers around the knob and turned to me with a mischievous grin on her face.

"No," I said quickly, without giving her a chance to speak.

"You haven't even heard what I was about to say." She smiled.

"The look on your face says it all," I replied.

"We've already missed some classes. Why not just skip the rest of them?" She suggested.

"Because... I don't know... I can't," I said as I wiggled my fingers, signaling her to come help me up. She groaned as she walked over and pulled me up. I was closer to her than ever, and I could hear my heart beating in my ears.

"Well, I'm going with or without you," she said as she let go of my hand and walked back to the door. This had reverse psychology written all over it, but I just couldn't resist her.

"Fine." I caved into her offer.

"Yay!" She squealed and clapped. I couldn't help but laugh at her.

She opened the door and raced down the stairs. I felt a rush of adrenaline run through my body as I followed quickly behind her. I never saw the need to skip class or ever thought of engaging in it. I wonder what the other me would've said, but it didn't matter because everything else is different with her. I am different with her.