breaking boundaries ↠ j.g

e l e v e n

i begin to sob in the car, while on the way to school.

i park in my usual spot in the parking lot, it seems like everyone's already out of their cars anyway. i have time to spare and let out my anger by crying.

i hastily wipe the tears off my face, as it's 10 minutes to eight o'clock.

i check myself in the mirror again to make sure i don't look like i just finished crying.

i get out of my car, and slowly head towards the front doors.

a familiar, deep voice stops me in my tracks. "hazel! you dropped this," the guy says.

i turn around and realize it's gilinsky. i try to avoid eye contact with him, and grab the pen out of his hand.

"thanks," i say with such a stuffy voice.

"yeah," he mumbles and looks at me, a little worried. i think he knows i just finished crying. that's my cue to walk-run to the main building.

-

i'm in my last class of the day, and i try to focus on finishing all of my assignments from every class, so i can relax after work tonight.

i'm finishing my last assignment, which is precalc. i have to find the derivative of x for all of these problems.

i quickly, but correctly, answer all of the problems just as the bell sounds. thank god, i finished!

-

i dread having to have to go home to change into my work clothes, but i quietly pull into my driveway.

i unlock the front door and as i enter my house, i realize no one's home. mom and dad must be at work, then.

i walk towards the kitchen counter, and i see my credit card lying on the marble counter.

i open the bank app on my phone and check my card balance. i have exactly five dollars in my account. great.

-

i get to work, just as tammy's about to leave. i notice jack in the back organizing the tubs of ice cream.

"hi, how may i help you today?" i handle the first customer that walks in the door.

"you seem excited today," jack mumbles as he passes by me, wiping the counter with a towel. i shoot him a very small, quick smile with no teeth.

-

at the end of our shift, i close the lids on all of the ice cream and do everything groggily.

"hey waters, wanna get an in-n-out burger with me? it's across the street, we can walk it." jack offers.

i realize that i still have five dollars to my name in my account, which is pathetic, but i still decide to go.

"sure," i reply, with another lifeless smile. i mean, what's there to lose?

-

i order a regular hamburger and a drink, and jack offers to pay for me yet again.

"jack, really, you don't have to-" he cuts me off.

"i know i don't have to, but i want to," he demands, and gives the cashier his card.

i roll my eyes at him, just as he winks at me.

he decides to take us to his car, where he supposedly has a "bomb ass playlist we can chill to while we eat."

-

we sit in his car gracefully, as he blasts the music and i take a big bite out of my juicy burger.

"so, hazel... what's up with you, today? you aight?" jack asks, lowering the volume while devouring every bit of his double double burger.

"yeah, uh," i shift in my seat as i get a little iffy about whether i should tell him. "just stuff at home." i take another bite into my burger.

"wanna talk about why you were crying this morning? this between us, i promise." he assures me and offers to hear me out. i sigh, and prepare my little rant.

"basically, my parents took all my money in my account to pay for the rent. i'm broke now, and i know they're never gonna pay it back," i laugh a little to play it off like it's nothing, while i play with the lettuce in my burger.

"mm, i see. it's all good, at least you got a job to make up for it."
he reminds me.

"yeah, but that's the thing. i got a job to stay away from their bullshit in the first place, to stay outta their way. i'm practically in the same fucking position i was in ever since i was little." i begin to open up a little more to him.

"i got an idea. how about you keep like 150 cash for yourself, and they won't know. boom," he suggests.

"yeah? and if they check my account purchase hisory and see that i withdrew 150 dollars, then what?"

"fair game, waters. then take out like 20 or a little more a day, and act like you went out to buy food or went shopping or somethin."

"oooh, you right. thanks, haha. never thought i'd ever take advice from a guy like you," i blurt out.

"heyy, you tryna say somethin, waters?" he asks, and playfully hits me.

just as he playfully hits me, my drink almost falls out of my hand, and we both shuffle to try to save it from falling.

jack's now leaning super close to me, but thankfully he saved my drink from spilling.

our faces are a few inches away from each other, and jack leans in closer to my face, our lips centimeters apart.