Jack Kelly x Reader

Chapter Sixteen

(y/n)'s POV

"I don't get it!" Kath proclaimed as she sat down next to me at our usual lunch table. Somehow this kind of thing managed to happen at least once a week.

I paid her little mind, instead dunking my french fry into a little cup of ranch.

"You don't get what, exactly?" I prompted. I glanced over at her as she hurriedly opened up her vanilla yoghurt.

"I don't get how you're not together yet!" She explained before shoveling a spoonful into her mouth. I raised an eyebrow, dunking another fry into my ranch.

"Pardon?" I asked with a monotone voice, before tearing my eyes off her to look around. Davey and Crutchie were coming, but there was no Jack in sight.

"You both like each other, it's obvious. Just ask him out." She insisted. Davey and Crutchie sit down, and they both examined us curiously.

"Doomed to fail, darling. Want a fry?" I weighed in casually, trying to fight down the urge to twirl my hair around my finger like a giddy middle schooler when her crush calls her cute.

"It is not! You're like those high school sweethearts that everyone knows are gonna get married! Basically soulmates, I'd say. So ask. Him. Out!" She exclaimed, accepting the fry I held out and stealing my ranch for a second to dip it in.

"What are you guys talking about?" Davey asked, cutting in.

Other people were coming though, with Albert and Race, arguing like normal about something dumb, Elmer, JoJo and Finch jokingly imitating the Plastics, and Buttons and Specs deep into some seemingly enthralling conversation.

"How (y/n) and Jack are clearly meant to be! You guys see it too, right? Like at movie night, that was adorable!" Katherine ranted.

"We were tired, Kath. Falling asleep together isn't a marriage proposal," I retorted, picking up the sandwich I brought and waving around a bit in the air as I spoke before taking a bite.

"But it was cute. And you two have a lot of 'moments' unprovoked, huh?" Crutchie argued with a wink. I rolled my eyes, willing my ears not to go red.

"I'm an angel," I said with an obviously false smile.

"Sup losers!" Albert declared, sitting down and with Race quickly claiming the seat next to him.

"Just mocking (y/n) for her cruuuuuush," Kath sang out, punching my shoulder. I shot her a glare and stuffed a fry in my mouth.

"Oh worm?" Albert prompted, glancing between us. I could tell he was silently begging Katherine to declare it was anyone but Jack, I could see it in his eyes.

"Yeah, she and Jack would be the cutest together, don't you think?" She asked, catching the attention of Elmer, JoJo and Finch as they plopped in their seats.

"Is there a new ship on the horizon I see?" Finch jumped in with a big grin.

"I'll cut off seven of your toes," I threatened him before turning to Kath. "You too."

They all shared a little laugh at my defensive behavior. Fucking rude.

"What prompted this exactly?" JoJo inquired, giving us all his typical sunshiney grin.

"I have pictures!" Crutchie piped up, pulling out his phone to find the pictures of me asleep and Jack looking at me with this look on his face, frustratingly gentle.

He didn't exactly make the "no strings attached" thing very easy.

"Why do we all ship our friends after one moment between them?" Davey complained, siding with me.

"Thank you! I swear, y'all are a bunch of animals." I proclaimed, just as Crutchie displayed the picture around the table.

"And you say this like we care?" Race teased with the widest, most victorious grin. He knew he was gonna win this bet, and then it would all be over. Then I'd ride this out, and my friends would give up when something new and exciting showed up. And then I'd be on my merry way with my life.

"Look at them, the cutest couple in the senior class!" Kath squealed, clasping her hands together under her chin joyfully. She was seriously reading too many romance novels lately.

Though secretly, and I'd never tell anyone this, it made me feel good when she got on my case about it.

Granted, it was annoying and more than a little embarrassing but it was validating in my feelings.

...If that made any sense, which it probably didn't.

I looked up and made eye contact with Jack, finally on his way to the table. I made an apologetic face and he quirked an eyebrow, before Kath slung her arm around my shoulders and I had to break eye contact to glare at her.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here." Specs interjected, being true voice of reason. "So they cuddled one time and he looked at her. That isn't exactly fodder for a whole relationship, especially in senior year."

"What's this debate over here?" Jack asked as he plopped in his usual spot. He got a lot of stares, some mischievous and others pitying.

"Whether or not you and (y/n) should be together." Race answered simply with a boyish grin. I rolled my eyes.

"And I'm here saying that they should shut the fuck up," I said giving a sweet smile that had my exasperation written clearly on my face.

"I like that part, youse should do that." Jack chimed in with a pointed look, but he looked cute today and I could have melted a little bit if I wasn't so stubborn.

"But the picture is too adorable to resist, Jackie!" JoJo chimed in with a joking smile. The handsome brunette scoffed.

"What picture?" He asked.

"Someone showed them a picture of us on movie night." I explained, shooting Crutchie a pointed glare.

"It's not my fault! The masses needed to see your sweetness!" He piped up with a laugh. I seriously was not getting out of this easily, huh?

Just my rotten luck.

"What about we save the rest of this conversation for a different lunch period and complain about Mr. Lohst because I have got some material for that," Albert proposed, and some others nodded, Jack and I included.

Everything dissolved into chaos, with three different conversations going on all at the same time.

Albert complaining about his rotten teacher, Davey ranting fondly about a book he read recently, Buttons telling a story from his childhood.

But they all were chaotic, because that's par for the course in this group.

I decided to listen to Davey and his synopsis of that book, just eating my fries with ranch and having a pretty good time.

(1110 words)