The Sun's Too Bright

Six

🎵Slow Dance in a Parking Lot: Jordan Davis

"You've always felt this way?"

"What?"

I clear my throat, "You've always felt that I'm holding you back?"

"Diane, you know that's not what I meant."

"But you think it. Jack, I want you to be honest with me."

"What about you? You haven't been honest with me lately." He raises his voice slightly.

"I have. I want to be with you. I have no other plans so cut it out."

"Well then I want to be with you too. I didn't want to play baseball in college and I'm perfectly fine with going to Missouri State."

I get out of the car, standing with the door open. "Great."

I close the door, not quite slamming it, but it's loud enough to get the point across.

He gets out and looks at me. "Great."

Present Day...

The waitress laughs as she leaves our table, telling us she'll come back when we're ready. I don't miss the flirty glance she gives Jack. Hundreds of girls have probably given him that same look in the past few years.

"So, where do you live now?" I can't help but ask. It's been on the top of my tongue since he came to the gas station.

"I live in Missouri, never moved away after college." He tells me, still looking at the menu.

I wait, knowing he has more to share. "I did fine at college, playing football and stuff. I got a degree in teaching, but I haven't used it. I want to get a job where I'll want to live. Missouri's great and all, but it's not for me."

I nod. I always knew Jack was good with kids. He'd make a great teacher.

"So you didn't like it, you didn't like Missouri?" I can't stop myself from asking. Call me selfish, but I'm kind of relieved he didn't like it there, meaning he liked being here better.

"To tell you the truth, I never had those friendships that I did here. Sure, I was friends with the guys on the football team, but that's it."

I sit there in silence. He should have never gone to Missouri. He should have gone to that D2 small college for baseball. Sure, Jack was Mr. Popular in high school, but that was because it was a small school and I know that he liked having those close friendships. I can't see Jack ever enjoying college in a big school like Missouri State.

"So I assume you didn't get your perfect fairytale ending yet." He says sharply, probably keeping in mind our encounter with Mason.

"I never needed a perfect happy ending."

"Yes you did. You believed that we would last forever. You believed that we would get married, have beautiful children, and grow old together. You had it all planned out." His eyes turn to ice as he says this. All of the good from his former self seems to have vanished.

"And you didn't?" His words cut deep. When we were young, I always believed that we were in the same boat.

"I didn't know what to think back then Diane. You never understood that. I couldn't deal with that kind of pressure. Hell, I couldn't deal with any pressure. That's why I never stood up to my dad. That's why I became his little puppet. That's why I'm not happy."

"Well look around Jack, does it look like I'm happy right now either?"

"Well isn't that unfortunate. Poor little Diane's not happy for once in her life."

That sets me off. "You bastard. You knew what happened at my house. You watched it happen. You were there, all the times my parents fought. Before you went to Missouri, you found out that my dad left. And do you know why he left? No you don't, because I didn't tell anyone. He left for his goddamn mistress, Jack. He left because he found out that she was pregnant. You felt sorry for me anyways. That's the only reason why you said goodbye to me after we broke up. No one should have felt sorry for me when he left. I never felt sorry for myself, in fact I was happy that he was gone to go start a new family, but then probably ruin that one too. I thought it would finally be peaceful in my house. You also found out that we lost our money, the money that was saved up for me to go to college. Do you know where that money went? It went to drugs. Not for me, for my poor excuse for a mother who was too weak to build herself back up from her failed marriage. So before you make assumptions, get your story straight."

His expression turns from surprise to hardness again. His jaw is set and he looks stone cold, a look that I would have never guessed that Jack could perfect. I guess tonight's just full of surprises, for him and me.

The atmosphere at this table is heavy. I have half a mind to leave, but the other half knows that something happened, something made Jack act like this. And I need to know why the good person that I used to know is gone.

His hands are clenched on either side of the table and he's looking down, as if he can't face what's in front of him. I take a deep breath and lift my hand to touch one of them. He looks up from his lap, into my eyes. His eyes are flooded with sadness and glassy. I keep my hand resting on his, the contact feels foreign.

"What happened to you, Jack Morrison?" I ask softly.

High School...

We sit down in our regular booth, although it feels like anything but normal.

Jack is looking at the menu, something he never does, but I guess it beats looking at me right now.

Our waitress comes and takes our order. She winks at Jack and I clear my throat. She gives me a look, but disappears into the kitchen.

An awkward silence fills the booth. I hate it when Jack's like this, but I didn't do much to help the matter.

"Jack, can we forget this all happened tonight? What's done is done right?"

"What's there to forget?" He's playing dumb. As he says this though, he can't make eye contact with me.