Can You Keep A Secret?

Chapter Fifty-Nine

           

-Jack's POV-

            "Okay, I have something good to tell you," Brooklyn said, a grin filled with childish joy stretched across his face as he leaned backwards, excited to say his news. It was a stark contrast to how he'd looked after I accepted the FaceTime, after having been called ten consecutive times in a row – He'd been sad then, physically worn out in a way that couldn't be ignored.

            I'd been more than a little apprehensive of the so-called "therapy session" idea, but Rye had threatened to fly over to Ireland and drop kick me if I even dared to hang up. And, yeah, it had been a little awkward at first. Nobody knew where to start, and everyone was little embarrassed to talk about their feelings.

            Rye had been the one to break the ice, saying that we needed to be there for each other, and that if they were going to ruin their diet, they should at least make it fair and get a little weepy. And eventually it had come to feel as if I wasn't watching them through a screen at all, but as if I was right there with them – I came to realize that I wished it were true. I wanted to be sitting on the bunk next to Brooklyn, eating an Oreo as he spoke.

            "I...I have a girlfriend," He said, almost stage-whispering, and the room broke out into pandemonium – But this time, it was the good kind. "Okay, okay!" Brooklyn laughed, blushing a little. "Her name is Stacey." He began, filling us in on the details.

            Andy immediately started singing Stacey's mom, and the others joined in, causing Brooklyn to turn even redder.

            "Shut up," Her muttered, gathering a handful of crisp crumbs and tossing them in the general direction of Andy and Rye. Andy proceeded to grab his guitar and sing louder. Mikey was meant over in laughter, and Brooklyn mock-scowled at him, saying, "You're just as bad!" before shaking the bag over his head.

            The crumbs fell all over Mikey's hair and shirt. I tried to hold back my laugh, but I couldn't.

            Rye proclaimed, "This is why you can't give Brooklyn the crisps bag," and Liv moaned.

            "You do know you'll have to clean this mess up, right?"

            "It's his fault!" Mikey said, pointing an accusing finger at Brooklyn as he tried to shake the mess out of his hair.

            "You asked for it," he smirked.

            "Oh, really? Did I say, hey, Brooklyn, empty a crisp bag over my head?!"

            "I mean, pretty much so," he shrugged.

             Part of me wanted to pop a bag of popcorn and sit back and watch the drama unfold, but another part of me wanted to cry. The feeling that had been creeping up on me for days now consumed me, kicked out of hiding by a good dose of nostalgia. In the moment, I couldn't think of one good reason for having left Road Trip, and I wanted to go back in time and somehow end up over there with them so badly that it hurt.

            I merely watched as Rye somehow brought back the peace, tapping Brooklyn's head and giving both him and Mikey cookies to appease them. The feeling only grew as Brooklyn told the whirlwind story of the milkshake and how she had kissed him. I stayed quiet as the other boys broke in with their own commentary.

            As they all gossiped about Brooklyn getting a girlfriend like a group of teenage girls, I stayed quiet. They seemed happy – what if they didn't even want me to come back, and the whole situation was hopeless, and I would forever have to live knowing that I'd ruined the one good thing that I ever had/

            I hung up the call, figuring that my absence would go unnoticed. I was happy that they'd found some peace in what they'd all been going through, I really was. I wished the best for them, even if it felt wrong to be thinking of them as a unit separated completely from myself.

            But, at the end of the day, this was my fault – All actions had consequences, and I should've thought of that instead of going for short term relief, not that I ever even got any.

            I wasn't expecting my phone to light back up again 30 seconds later, and this time, I didn't ignore it until the ringtone made me want to smash my phone against a wall. I simply picked it up, unsure of what would be waiting for me on the other side of the screen.

            "Jack? What's wrong?" Liv asked, and I could hear Brooklyn call out, "If you're worried about Stacey, it's okay, you're still my one and only."

            I was tempted to throw out some excuse, like how I accidentally ended it or my phone died, but I couldn't. Everyone had been brave that day, and now it was my turn to admit what I really felt, as well.

            "I miss you guys. I want to come back." The room was silent for a moment, and I wondered if they'd even heard me, but then it burst into cheers.

            "I love you, I love you!" Brooklyn yelled. Andy flopped backwards out of relief, Mikey grabbed Liv and did a little dance, and even Rye couldn't stop smiling. Even though I was pretty certain that they'd taken it as a good thing, I had to make sure.

            "Are you...Are you sure that you want me back?" I asked. "Will Blair even let me?"

            "Is that even a real question?" Mikey asked. "It didn't feel right without you here, and I have no doubt in my mind that Blair will be just as eager as us to hear this."

            This phone call, the confession, felt a lot better than the last one. Maybe not all problems were unfixable. Maybe things could go on as if nothing had changed, or maybe they would change for the better. I didn't know, but I wasn't worried about it anymore. Suddenly, the future looked good.