Changed Forever (Jack G) {EDITING}

One

"C'mon, Lizzie, it'll be fun!" he says. My legs ache and I need to rest. My arms hang lifeless at my sides. He grabs a hand, tugging me closer. Our foreheads meet.

I feel a familiar heat in my bones, that hasn't been there lately. I pull away and set my hands on his shoulders. "Look, baby, I have a curfew." My eyes wander to the sign of the building, a few feet away.

We had walked all the way here from where we were at the beach. I had no idea where we were going but I just went along with it. The place is called "Big Jim's" and I'm guessing its a bar. I just turned 18, so it's not like I can drink. Come to think of it, Jack can't either. I guess, before coming to too many conclusions, I should ask if it is a bar.

"Jack, what kind of restaurant is this? A...a bar?" I ask, biting my lip. He smiles and lets out a breath.

"No. Liz stop worrying. I will take care of you. Always." he says. My trust is on-off with him. He's a bad boy most of the time. He laces his fingers with mine and heads toward the door. It's not a glass door, so I can't see through it. Jack puts a hand on it and pushes it open. The smell of beer and liquor fills my nose. There's loud music playing and men hollering. He lied to me.

I back up immediately, my shoulder blades hitting his chest. "Jack..." I whisper, turning around. Tears gather in my eyes. I sniff as I push past him. He runs after me and grabs my wrist.

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry," he says with a sad tone to his voice. Why is he sad? He obviously knew that it was a bar. He lied.

"Sorry for what, Jack? For lying? For leading me to believe you were taking me to an actual restaurant?" I almost scream. Almost. "Huh?" I say, trying to hold back the tears. I let them fall. He looks away, biting his lip. "Jack!" I yell at him through the tears that are still streaming down my face.

When he turns back to me his eyes are wet. "I love you." he says in a quiet voice. "And I'd never do anything to hurt you. Not intentionally, at least." He reaches for me but I move away.

"Lets just go," is all I say. I know I love him too, but I just can't take him seriously anymore. He lost my trust again.

On the way to my house, he slips a hand across my shoulders. I don't shake it off. I don't know why. We finally reach my house, just as it starts to pour rain. Jack's car is still at the beach so he'll have to walk home. He lives almost 3 miles away. That's a long walk in the rain.

I open the door with my key. I begin to step in, but Jack puts a hand on my shoulder, turning me toward him. "Look," he says, the word "sorry" written in his eyes. "I didn't mean to--" He's cut off by my mom coming down the stairs.

"Oh, hey Jack!" she says, smiling. "Did you guys have fun?" She immediately regrets her words when she looks over at my face. She half-smiles at me and looks out into the night.

"It's raining pretty hard. Do you have a car here?" she asks Jack. He shakes his head. "You can borrow ours. Elizabeth can go with you and drive it back." Then she looks at me again and adds, "If she wants to..."

"Yeah that's cool." I say, grabbing his hand. "I'll be back in a few, Mom."

We get into the car and start to drive off.  Jack starts to talk. "I-I- You need to understand that I-that I would never have done that if I thought you'd--" He struggles to find the words he's looking for and eventually gives up.

Rain starts to pour even more, sounding like hail as it hits the car window. It gets harder and harder to see. The whole road ahead goes blurry even with the windshield wipers trying their best to push off all the water.

Jack's hands shake. He takes several deep breaths. A bright light comes into view, getting closer and closer and closer...

He slams on the breaks. but it was too late. It was all too late.