Jack Kelly x Reader

Chapter Seventeen

(y/n)'s POV

I was feeling uneasy this morning as I headed to school, sensing that Katherine was planning something. I didn't know what, I didn't know if she even knew what but I had no doubt in my mind that she was gonna do something.

"(y/n), hey! How's it going?" JoJo called, seeing me walk in. I grinned as a greeting, with him not being someone I really expected to be seeing right now.

"Hey, Joey. All is well at the moment, how's it going with you?" I told him, bumping his shoulder with mine.

He was a very sunshiny person, the kind with an infectious smile that made your cheeks burn after a while of being with him. I was honestly surprised he didn't have a partner yet, but neither did almost anyone in the friend group.

"Pretty good. Is it actually true that you like Jack?" He asked, tilting his head and giving just enough puppy-dog eye to make me feel really bad for even thinking of lying.

Despite that, I decided to lie to him.

"No, he's just a friend. Kath sees romance in everything, and though I love him a lot, it's not romantic. Ya feel?" I told him. It was all false, but my answer seemed to satisfy him.

"That's fair. She's a real delight, but she's gotta stop assuming everyone who hangs out or smiles at each other is madly in love. If someone catches us now, there'll be rumors galore," he gave a dumb grin that was simply my current mood.

"Exactly! I'm allowed to care about my friends, right? Because I really do love everyone in the group, but the thought of dating them is beyond weird. Next time she brings it up I swear I'm gonna mention cooties as an excuse," I laughed.

"Good one. Well, I ought to get to class. Later, dork!" He called out, already speedwalking away.

I headed right into my first class, which we happened to have stopped right next to. What a nice coincidence.

Katherine's POV

I laughed at something this random boy said, because I think it was a joke. Not that I knew, I wasn't paying much attention.

He was an integral part of my plan for today. He played opposite (y/n) when she was Dawn in Waitress, and they were good friends. I just needed him to swing by the lunch table, chat and flirt with (y/n) when Jack was present, and make him just jealous enough to ruffle his feathers and act on his obvious feelings a little bit.

This boy, Eric, happened to like her a little bit. So I was really offering something nice for all of us. I just had to tell him not to tell anyone that I was involved.

"Can we get back to the discussion we were having? I need you to swing by (y/n)'s table, talk about the old times for a minute, and flirt a bit before walking away. I'll text you when to come over, but don't tell anyone I was involved." I told him. He nodded with a bit of a goofy grin.

"Why do you need me to do this exactly?" He asked, making my stomach drop. This was a fair enough thing to be asking, sure, but my answer was strange.

Still, I reluctantly explained.

"Well, I'm trying to make someone else jealous, because he obviously likes her and needs to act on it. It would be a huge help, please?" I gave him my most convincing puppy-dog eyes, desperate for him to say yes. I saw him deflate ever so slightly but nevertheless smile and nod.

"Sure, seems like a not-horrible thing to do with my lunch period. I don't have your number though, and that would be helpful," He said. I whipped out my phone and put in my pass-code, opening it to Contacts.

"Here, put your number in and text yourself something. And thanks a lot, I owe you," I grinned as he took it, fingers dancing in the keyboard for a minute before handing it back.

"No problem. I just saved myself as Eric by the way, I figured the last name wasn't necessary." He said, turning away, not without turning to send a wink my way. I rolled my eyes good-naturely and started walking away to get to my next class.

*Time skip brought to you by Jack's obsession with Santa Fe*

(y/n)'s POV

"So, I have an audition coming up," I told JoJo, who had decided to sit next to me. He grinned excitedly, causing me to smile just as wide.

"What show are you going to be starring in next?" he teased. I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"When you say it like that it sounds weird. But, I'm going for Bonnie in Bonnie and Clyde. It's a professional production, which means I'm less likely to get the part but I still think I could possibly get the role." I explained, feeling my smile grow as I thought of the possibility.

Bonnie was a huge dream role of mine, and this could put me on the map, help me get into college and assist me in my future acting career.

"That's great! I listened to some of the soundtrack one time, and I think you could totally sing the part. And you're the best actress in the history of ever, so clearly you can act her. You got this!" He encouraged. A couple other people were sitting down, including Kath who bumped my shoulder with hers.

"All facts there! My best friend is gonna be famous one day!" She exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes.

"I don't have the part yet, hon, don't go around spreading  the word until the cast list comes out. I'll probably have to book another couple auditions, but I'll just hope," I sighed.

"What part?" Jack asked, sitting down. He was closely followed by Davey, who automatically started listening in.

"She's auditioning for a leading role at a pro theater," JoJo boasted for me, and I shrugged as I heard the dramatic cheers from my two losers for friends.

"What show is it?" Davey asked eagerly.

"It's Bonnie and Clyde, and I'm going for Bonnie. I know I probably won't get it because she's way out of my vocal range and also I'm a minor, and that show has some adult content. But I'm still gonna hope," I rambled, and I was shocked to feel Jack reach out and grab my hand, beaming proudly.

"Oh shut it, we know that youse gonna be the best Bonnie ever." He said, with this softness in his eyes that made my heart flutter.

No, no stop it heart. You can't do that, not with everything going on and the plan and shit. Nope. Stop it.

Katherine nudged my shoulder and made a goofy face. I rolled my eyes while bumping her shoulder with mine, and with a lot of hesitation removed my hand from Jack's. I glanced over just as his face fell, and he retracted his hand back under the table awkwardly.

I ignored how cold my hand felt and instead focused on Katherine looking around distractedly.

What the hell was she up to?

(1218 words)