How Jack Wrote The Universe (Revised)

3.00

Day five

"YOU know, Mark's been really missing on a lot these days. What he's been up to, anyway? It's not like he has his own band like us." Nathan comments as he shoves a handful of fries into his mouth.

After sipping at her own smoothie, Sam nods vigorously. "Right? What's up with him anyway, Jack?"

Sam looks at Jack who's sitting beside Nathan. The brown haired boy is too focused on his notebook he doesn't hear the red-headed girl's question.

Nathan laughs softly before taking in another handful of fries into his mouth before Sam kicks Nathan's feet underneath the white table. The three is currently having an unhealthy dinner at Joe's on a Friday night before T&K goes out again for a new gig outside Jacksons. Unfortunately, the twins are asleep on their houses while Ari and Bonny's having a late study session as Mark's currently MIA which then results to their 7PM threesome, unhealthy dinner.

"Jack?" Sam calls him out again.

This time, he hears it as his head immediately shot up to Sam who's sitting alone in front of him and Nathan.

"What?" He asks while he scratches the back of his head. Obviously confused and feeling disorganized as ever.

The girl sighs. "I said, what's up with Mark? And you, too. And Ari. Actually the four of you." Then she pauses as if she's said something wrong. "I mean, just the three of you. It's not like Bonny's changed or something-"

"Unless he's gotten unusually loud." Nathan buts in.

"-Right. Anyway, what's up?"

It's Jack's turn to sigh now. After raking his fingers through his disheveled hair, he answers Sam. "I honestly have no idea."

"What the frick do you mean? You guys see each other every-single-day."

"Yeah but I've been busy."

Sam rolls her eyes. "And by that, you mean you've been holing yourself in your room to finish your article?" She smirks.

"No."

Yes. Everyone can say it's Jack's hobby: to be so immensely focused on writing that he tends to neglect his other duty, and just fall completely to whatever his writing. Maybe that's why Ari lied to him about the journal, because Jack just really loves setting pedastals, he often forgets these people he loves writing novels about are just people.

Then sometimes, Sam imagines Jack to be one of those journalists who gets skinned alive in an abandoned asylum because he's too nosy.

"Right. How's your writing anyway?"

"Nice." He chooses his words carefully but then this is his writing, and sometimes he can't help himself but to be disappointed at his works.

"Of course." Sam plays along with his lie then rolls her eyes. "What's. Up."

Jack sighs. "Nothing, okay? It's just, I have a draft already, and everything's okay but I just feel like it's missing something."

"Something like what?" Nathan asks.

"I don't know!" Jack frustratedly answers. "It's just as if - I haven't given my all in this article. I have been writing for the past five days. I have all the enough information about Ladi but it still doesn't feel good enough. Something's missing."

Sam licks her lower lip. "I feel that sometimes." She pauses as she looks around the desolate diner.

"Whenever I've finished writing a song, sometimes it doesn't feel nice enough. Like it lacks something." Sam sips on her shake. "And often times, I think its lack its soul. I don't know how to say it really, but sometimes it just lack emotions--no, a soul, really, and it doesn't feel good--humane enough. It's like a robot's work or something." She chuckles lightly.

"What do you do about it?" Jack asks.

"Well, I start over. Then finds what makes it soulless. I put more of my emotions. More facts, I guess."

"So what do you suggesting? I rewrite these things?"

"I guess. I don't know. It's just that, whenever I think my songs lacks something, I reject it until I put enough in it. Maybe you just need to do that. Other than just revealing what the good things Ladi did, maybe glorify who she is. Like her personality, and her life. That even though she has these problems, she still manages to remind everyone that hurting others is not going to help; that she still manages to smile, and just help anyone who's in need."

Jack looks at Sam's eyes for a while as he thinks to himself. Doing that will prolong this article, and will have him talk to a lot more of Ladi's friends but in doing so, people will know how great Ladi is.

Interviewing is part of being a journalist but that doesn't mean Jack likes it. He hates it but if it means making his article great and showing how better Ladi is, then he's willing to do it.

She's Ladi. She saved half of the school's population of getting bullied. She deserves this.

____

Jack has probably throw erased his tenth draft by now. He looks at the clock on the right corner of his laptop and sees the time: 2:46 AM. He's been rewriting his draft since after 8PM; after he, Nathan and Sam parted ways at forty pass seven.

After getting home, he immediately loads his laptop as he's still fueled by Sam's glorious memo about writing but then, as soon as he sits in front of the laptop, the fuel of hope slowly leaks out of him then before he knows it, he's just been staring on a blank MS Word file for minutes that turns to hours.

Sighing, he stands up from his office chair and stretches for a while. Good thing is, the next day is Saturday. No school. He can sleep in.

But then he remembers, he has to research about Ladi. And interview more of her friends. Too much task with barely help from his friends.

Friends.
Mark.

Where is he? Jack thinks while he remembers that Mark has been MIA for two days.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, he texts his friend.

Jack: I know its late but how are you, Mark? Where have you been, man?

After texting the boy, Jack gets out of his room with his laptop encased under his arms as he heads for the kitchen.

____