On the Run: The Texas Files ✔

Chapter 12: The Adventure

I'm kissing Parker, and he's kissing me. I'm in my kitchen, and he just made us breakfast. He made me ditch school to get to know me... 

My mind is foggy. My heart is beating so fast, I'm worried he can hear it. Is this what a kiss is supposed to feel like?

"Jackie?" A voice says to me. "Jackie?"

I snap out of it. Parker is standing in front of me. It was a daydream?

"You okay?" he asks. "You totally spaced out."

"Uh," I say awkwardly. A rosy tint colors my cheeks.

"I had just asked you about your first kiss, and you just stared at me like you got lost in another world," he says.

God. I need to distance myself. I'm getting too close. This proves it. I need to be cold. I don't want to, but I have no choice.

I need him to want to leave me alone... But how?

He comes close to me. What is he doing? I back up, and he takes a deep breath. I make him do that a lot...

"Sunshine," he says soothingly. "This isn't going to work if you keep backing up. I need to make sure you don't have a concussion."

"You know what to look for?" I ask. He knows so much more than I thought.

He nods and has me follow his finger as he moves it side to side. He stares deeply into my eyes to check my pupils. He asks me my name. I'm hesitating. I shouldn't, but what name does he mean? He's going to think something is wrong. I've hesitated too long now...

I give him the name he knows. "Jackelyn Robinson."

His head is facing me, but he's looking behind me at something. He frowns slightly.

He shakes his head. "I'm worried because you didn't answer right away," he says. "But at least you didn't slur your speech or say something that made no sense."

I shrug. "I'm not dizzy and I don't have a headache," I say.

I'm tested for concussions a lot. It's one of the routine questions they ask when I go to the hospital after my escapes. I kind of know the drill, but I'll give him peace of mind.

He rinses my plate and the pan out at the sink. "Jackie."

He says my name oddly. He always seems like he's going to stop at "Jack" and I don't know why. Whenever he says it, the mystery of him builds.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asks.

Oh, God. "Uh, sure." No. No. No. Composure, Jackie. Maintain composure.

"Have you ever had a concussion before?" he asks.

More than you'd hope, Parker. "I've had a few." Understatement of the century.

He leans on the counter. He sighs again, and his eyes sink to the floor.

I grit my teeth. I need to throw him a bone. "Parker, I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of. These things kind of dictate my life."

He shakes his head and looks up at me. Our eyes meet, and I swear he's trying to burn a hole into my head. "We've all done things we regret, but we can't let them control our lives. Life is a one-way street, Jackie. There's no way to go but forward."

He's trying to be wise, but he has no idea. I wish it was that easy to forget.

I shrug. "I suppose." I lean on the bar.

"Come on," he says. "I want you to lay down and rest."

I nod. May as well. I don't want to protest either. I'm exhausted.