Powering Through: A Sequel to Learning To Swim For Real

Chapter 21: A Sleepless Night

"I honestly don't know what happened," Jack said. He ran his hand through his hair for the tenth time in as many minutes. It was a curly mess, and Zach laughed, looking at his friend with sympathy. "One minute we were talking, sort of, then she just said I had to leave."

"Something else must have happened, bro," Zach said.

"Yeah, well, I was getting kind of mad," Jack admitted.

"Really? You?" Zach couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"She was saying some crazy stuff, you know? Like she didn't want me to see Marian anymore? She was making it sound like Marian was the only problem, like it was all about Marian." Jack looked at his friend, his frustration evident. "Everyone knows how off the rails Kelsey's been, practically since the beginning, about Tiffany, about my study group, about any girl that even looks at me, you know?"

Zach nodded. "She's been through a lot, though, Jack. Maybe this is just some kind of delayed shock or something."

Jack rubbed his face with his hands. "I don't know, man, I really don't. I do know that I have class tomorrow, and a presentation, and I need to sleep."

"Well, you're welcome to stay here, you know that, but it's not the quietest or most comfortable place." Zach looked around his living room.

Jack nodded. Zach's sofa was rattan, and not really suitable for sleeping, not to mention the fact that his roommates kept very odd hours and would be coming and going in the middle of the night.

"No, it's okay, I actually think I'll go to Marian's," he said. At Zach's look, he quickly continued. "No, nothing like that, honest. I just know that she's going to the set tomorrow, and she'll have to see Kelsey. It's better if she knows what's happening, so I should probably tell her, you know? And she actually has a fold out couch that'll be way more comfortable than a sleeping bag at Jeff or Toby's, anyway."

He sent Marian a text and headed over to her apartment.

She was waiting for him at the door, a look of concern on her face. "Jesus, Jack, what happened?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much what you said. I got home, we tried to talk, she said some things, I said some things, she asked me not to see you anymore, I got upset, she got upset, I left." He looked at Marian apologetically. "Can I sleep here tonight?"

She gestured toward her sofa. "Of course. But I don't think this is a solution, though, Jack. You really need to talk to her."

Jack sat down, dejected. He put his head in his hands. "I know," he said. "I just can't believe this is happening." He lifted his head to look at Marian, who stood, arms crossed. "And I just realized I have to go back there tomorrow before class to get my school stuff." He sighed. "What a mess." He shook his head at his friend. "I don't know what it's going to be like when you see her tomorrow. I'm sorry."

Marian smiled and said, "I can handle it, no worries." She came and put a comforting hand on his back. "Don't think about it anymore tonight," she suggested. "Try to sleep if you can, and we can deal with it tomorrow, okay?"

Jack nodded.

He told her she didn't have to make up the sofa, that he could just sleep on it the way it was, so she brought him a blanket, and he settled down for the night. As he suspected, sleep was a long time coming, though he was so tired.

Were he and Kelsey really breaking up? After only a few wonderful months? It couldn't just end, could it? This felt so wrong, so painful.

But that was how everyone described breakups, wasn't it?