Him

Chapter 7

It's been nice hanging out with the gang for almost two months now. Gilinsky and I were headed to the café to study but first he had to stop at the gas station down the street to get his favorite snack that he couldn't live without: jalapeño beef jerky.

All day and all night Jack would talk on and on about how delicious it was and how I was missing out on something that was so good. I know he's only been eating it because he was trying to cut back on smoking. I saw him with it in the halls at school or sometimes when I'd pass by his trig class he'd give me a small wave and stuff a piece in his mouth.

He parked the car in the lot and told me to switch into the drivers seat, because he had parked in the handicapped spot "by mistake".

I knew it wasn't a mistake though. Jack lived for unnecessary action and drama it was just his thing. Picking fights about the littlest things that seemed so stupid to me.

"Get into the drivers seat already, Allison!" Jack laughed and threw me the keys. I watched him strut off into the store and shut the door. I grabbed onto the drivers wheel and pretended to drive making fake engine noises out loud and laughing at myself. I turned on the radio and started to sway my head to the music until I heard yelling coming from inside the store and turned around to see Gilinsky running inside the car telling me to drive.

"But I don't even have a license!!!" I was scared again. Who I assumed to be the cashier came running towards the car so I did the first thing that came to my mind and pressed on the gas peddle driving out of the gas station parking lot.

"Okay what did you do." I asked. He replied with a smile and held up the bag of jerky. "You are not serious Jack. I thought you brought money!" I rubbed my temples with my free hand and the car swerved a bit. I put both hands back on the wheel, unsure of where I was even going. "I did it was just so-fun." He opened the bag and began to eat. "Well it's not gonna be fun when I get arrested for Grand Theft Auto now is it." I smiled at him.

"That's for cars." Jack whispered. "Huh?" I couldn't hear him. "You said you'd get arrested for Grand Theft Auto but that's if you steal cars, Allison." Gilinsky smirked and stuffed a piece of jerky in his mouth. "Hey I got something for you to." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Twix bar. I looked at it and back on the road. "I don't want any of your stolen candy." I pushed my hand in his face and chuckled. "Fine then have some jerky!" He pulled out a piece and put it in my face.

"Jack! I'm driving! We are going to crash if you ever do that again!" I swatted him away and turned the radio on. "Okay park in that lot right there so I can drive because you clearly have no idea what you're doing." Jack adjusted his body in the seat.

I parked and got out to switch seats with him. He started the engine again and drove back around. I raised the volume on the radio and reached for his sunglasses on the dashboard, before putting them on. I sang along to the words loudly, trying to annoy him. I even leaned to my side screaming the lyrics in his ears, but he didn't even flinch. I lifted my sunglasses up to stare at him. "There's something inhumane about you." I said referring to how he didn't even move.

I was mesmerised by his concentration. He was so focused and in such a daze that I didn't even want to annoy him anymore, because staring seemed so much better.

I watched him reach back into the bag of jerky numerous times and finally he awoke me from my daydream. "We're here." He stated and got out of the car. I say there for a moment. "Right we were coming here to study." I talked under my breath remembering what we actually came here for.

I stepped out of the car and walked inside the café with him. I ordered for the both of us and we walked to the pickup line. "I'll pay for it." He simply said with a wide smile on his face. "You sure you don't want me to steal it." I joked. We stared at each other for a few moments before the cashier became impatient and tapped her fingernails on the granite table, huffing and puffing with anger. Jack turned to face her and handed her a twenty dollar bill. "Sorry about that." I felt embarassed.