This Is Me

Part 12

Mark picked up Stacy from the rink, despite his strong urge to lie and say that she couldn't make it. He wanted to be alone with Jack. They had so much still to go over. As much as he liked Stacy, he felt like she always stood between them. Whenever things ever got too serious or heated between them, Jack would always use Stacy as his shield. He couldn't help feeling like that is what Jack was trying to do now. Hoping to hide behind her to avoid his feelings. Jack knew Stacy's motherly instincts made it impossible for him to dig up old wounds. Even if he had the intention to heal them, she never liked seeing Jack uncomfortable or in pain. He loved and hated her for it. The awkward tension between them was thick as he drove down the road. He was always nervous to say anything around her. He felt like a home wrecker. Stacy had come so close to marrying Jack. Then hours later in his grief, he had convinced Jack to spend the night with him. 

Now that he knew that Stacy knew about it, it made things awkward. Did she hate him for that? She didn't seem too. So far she had been pretty friendly with him. Stacy shifted in her seat to lean on the passenger door, breaking the silence to ask nicely. "So... How did his first day of training go? He fought you tooth and nail, didn't he? He can be so stubborn." Mark chuckled to himself, answering in a light tone. "Ya... He took the whole stripper thing pretty hard." Stacy's voice softened to almost a whisper, upon saying. "I had a feeling. He has such a shy nature about him." Mark nodded, adding out with a smile. "He picks things up fast though. I can't wait to see what he's like once he feels more free to express himself." Stacy grinned, replying sweetly. "If anyone can bring it out of him, it's you." Mark took a deep shaky breath, uttering out anxiously. "Stacy... About what I did... I didn't do it to hurt you..."

Stacy's hand moved to pat his leg, but she wasn't looking at him. She was looking out the window as she told him a bit numbly. "I know. I think I knew the day he saw you, that I was going to lose him. You had a connection with him that he never had with me. He was afraid to hurt me... but watching him finally get up the courage to leave didn't hurt me nearly as badly, as how bad I felt knowing that I had caged him for so long. I just never could let him go." Mark gripped the wheel a little tighter, honestly telling her. "You didn't cage him, Stacy. You made him feel safe. He may have loved me, but he valued your word over mine in everything. Don't sell yourself short. There is no one he trusts more than you. I bring out the rebel in him, but you bring out a light in him that I'll never get my hands on. You kept him stable when everything around him was crumbling away. I couldn't have done that."

Stacy traced a finger over the glass window, telling him very softly. "It's hard to believe how much I have seen him go through. I've watched him change so much over the years. I was there for him when his dad and brother lost themselves in the drink. I was there when he was bullied and laughed at for wanting to be an ice skater. I was there for his first loss in the Junior Prix. I was there for his first win in the Junior Grand Prix. I was his first in everything. From his kiss to... Well, you get it..." Mark blushed a little, he wanted to say he was a first in something too, but he held his tongue. Chances were that she already knew that. Stacy's voice perked up as he chuckled out. "I even encouraged him to talk to you. Did he ever tell you that?" Mark shook his head in shock. Stacy giggled, telling him excitedly. "It was after you beat him in his first Grand Prix? Do you remember? You took the silver from him because you added in an extra jump to your free program?"

Mark nodded with a broad grin. He hadn't thought about that in years. Stacy shifted in her seat to face him, excitedly continuing on. "Ok. So, at the ISU banquet. He kept glancing at you as you were talking to Felix. He kept bringing you up in our conversation... Talking about how much he admired you as a skater. What he knew about you. All kinds of shit." Mark smirked at the thought. He remembered that banquet well and how a rookie skater had miraculously gotten up the courage to talk to him. Back then, Jack couldn't even look him in the eyes without blushing. Stacy threw up her hands, happily stating out. "Finally, his coach and I, get so sick of hearing about you. That I took him aside and told him to go say hello. He whined and buckled the whole way, but I dragged him over and told him to simply say hello and a quick congratulations. Boy, was that as hard as pulling teeth... He was so sure that you'd ignore him."