YOU.

Secrets pt.1

⚠Trigger Warning: mentions self harm briefly⚠

"Adeline! Jackson is here to see you!" Mom calls from downstairs.

Cool! He's back from Band Camp!

"Okay! He can come in my room!"

Jackson is the only boy allowed to enter to my room, let alone our house.

I've known freckle-y Jackson Thompson ever since the fifth grade, when he moved to our culdesac. My mom and his aunt both work at the local Science Center, so that led to 1.) us both loving science and 2.) having a 7 year friendship. Best friendship, to be exact.

At least, that's how he sees me. If it were up to me, we would probably be more than friends. That's what I've always wanted, at least.

I hop up from my bed to check out my room. It's still morning, so I've yet to mess up anything other than my bed. I tidy it up a little even though he's seen my room plenty of times before.

"Coming in!" He shouts just before opening my door.

"Wait!", I cry frantically looking for my grey hoodie, "I'm naked!"

I'm not really naked, but it's a better excuse than saying: "Hey Jackson, I desperately need to find my hoodie. Why? Oh, you know, just to cover up my self harm scars. Yeah, it's no biggie though."

Yeah... That's a no for me.

"Naked? Sounds like even more of a reason for me to come in." I can hear the smirk in his voice.

My hands fly to my face, covering the deep redness that he can't see anyways.

"Haha, kidding!"

Of course he is, I think darkly.

Once I find the hoodie and tug it over my head, I open the door.

I take in all of his features at once. His tall and lean build. The black freckles that dot his arms and face. Not his whole face, just the parts close to his nose. His jet black hair is a little longer than the last time I saw him. It goes just an inch past his chin.

"Jackson! Heyy..." I say "cooly".

I try to lean on the door frame, but fail miserably. Instead, my elbow slides, and BONK! I hit my head on the very hard material.

He softly holds my face between his large, heavy, man hands. I'm forced to look into those periwinkle eyes.

"Are you okay, Adie?" His face expresses great concern. Using his thumb, he traces my face, rubbing in a circular motion.

I quickly push him off of me, "Yeah, whatever. I'm good."

He follows me into the room, carefully closing the door.

"I wanted to talk to you about something important."

Uh oh. That could be really good or really bad.

Out of anticipation, I tug my scrunchie out of my hair, and remake my ponytail the exact same way as it was.

"Well?"

He sits down on my bed, facing me. It's a position I'm used to, but something feels very different. Perhaps it's him. Perhaps it's the energy in the room. I'm sure it's both.

"It's actually more of a question," He clarifies.

That can't be good.

"Sure... What's up?"

"Remember when we were playing Truth or Dare a week or two ago?"

"Yeah...?"

"And Katherine asked you about your crush."

Please don't let this go where I'm sure it's going....

"Yeah...?"

"Who's your crush?"

I knew it. I knew he would ask this. I bury myself further into my hoodie. This way, he can't see the uneasiness and red blush on my face.

"Why do you want to know?" I hope he didn't notice my change in pitch because I did.

"Because that's how the game works, silly! You can't just tell one person!"

I try to interrupt, maybe change the subject. But to my dismay, he keeps going.

"And I thought me and Katherine were equals to you. She's your girl best friend, but I'm your guy best friend. Not to mention the more important friend."

He laughs to himself. His laughter makes my heart flutter dangerously. I do my best to ignore it.

"I thought we tell each other everything."

Without thinking, my left hand rubs against the fresh cut on my right arm. The thought of me telling him any more than what he knows about me is frightening. He would surely never be my friend, let alone my....you know. What I mean is that he wouldn't want me if he knew about the....

I shake my head as if it can rid me of the horrifying thoughts. Be strong Adie.

"One, I'm sure there are things that you don't tell me, and two, why do you care so much? Did you really come all the way to my house to interrogate me over a game?!"

"Yes, I did come all the way here to ask you about the game; not interrogate." He puts emphasis on the word ask.

"But why?" I cry out in exasperation.

His blue eyes don't meet my brown ones for the first time during the entire conversation.

"Because...

...Because..."

"Because?"

He looks at me once again. His eyes are icy, yet they burn with something I've never seen in them before.

"Because I really like you Adeline. I like you, and I want to know if there is even the slightest chance that you feel the same way."

...

So, he doesn't tell me everything...

~To Be Continued...~