How Jack Wrote The Universe (Revised)

4.00

Day six

THAT morning, everything seems normal for a second - like no one died, like Mark isn't still missing, like Jack isn't writing an article about a dead girl. For a second. Until Jack snaps back to reality as he passes by the makeshift altar they made for Ladi: a picture of her in the middle, white candles around, and a bunch of flowers and little teddy bears, all the while as I love yous, and We'll miss yous colored the altar as they are etched on sticky notes.

Jack sighs as he remembers his article, and how incomplete it feels even if he has redone it himself overnight yesterday. To him, it feels like Ladi is still a stranger; and maybe, maybe that's why he can't make a proper article.

How will he change that, though? No matter how many people he interviews, nothing changes.

'Let's dig deeper.'

And then he remembers what Ari said.

"Right." He mutters under his breath as he trudges in the middle of the noisy hallway. "Maybe, I'm not digging deep enough."

The boy looks around him. Trying to search where his friends are. Though, right now, all he can expect to be there is Ari and Bonny since Mark hasn't answered their calls yet.

He's been missing for three days. He thinks to himself.

As Jack turn to the next hallway, he sees both Ari and Bonny standing and talking in front of Bonny's locker. He smiles while he approaches them but then as he quickly does, he notices the falter between the smiles and laughs of Ari, and how the boy seems to want to leave immediately.

He shrugs the thought away.

"Hey guys." Jack smiles.

In unison, the two smiles back and says, "Hey."

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Mark still isn't home." Bonny answers this time.

"Right, yeah. He still hasn't answered my calls, too. You guys?"

"Same."

"Yeah."

Sighing, Jack turns to Ari. "Listen, Ar. I need help with so-"

"I can't." The Indian boy blurts out.

"Oh, why?"

"It's just, I'm helping my cousin prepare for her tests and all that and-"

"Lily's back?" Jack cuts him out as he remembers one particular cousin of the boy.

"No, not her. You haven't met her. I'm sorry, Jack. I just can't today."

Smiling, Jack nods. "Yeah, man. It's okay. I'll just ask Bonny then."

"Right. So uh," Ari scratches the back of his neck. "I'll go now. I forgot I need to talk to Mr. Enriquez." He reasons out.

"Failing Spanish?" Jack grins at him.

Grinning back at the boy, Ari shakes his head no. "Who fails in Spanish?"

____

He lied.

But he can't help it. Ari knows that, whatever Ladi's reason is to kill herself, it has to be in that journal, right?

What he can't understand is the urge why we wants to hide it from Jack. He's the one who needs it for his article. Why does he have to lie to him?

Maybe because Jack won't tolerate breaking into a dead girl's house and basically intruding on her privacy.