Surreal ✿ M. Wheeler ✿

✿ eleven ✿

Jefferson stood at his locker, stuffing his book bag with all of his homework and textbooks. He was in a hurry to leave school. All day Jaylen has been trying to talk to him and all day he has been ignoring her. Giving her lame excuses and saying that they would talk later. It's been going on like this for the past week or so.

Ever since Josie went missing, she was all that he could think about. She was what he thought about when he woke up and all that he could think about before he went to sleep. He couldn't bring himself to have a conversation with Jaylen when all he could think about was his sister. And not only that, but now that his father was home, things were very different. Plus, there were things that were going on behind closed doors that he'd rather not have her find out.

He closed his locker door and jumped when he saw Jaylen standing behind it, her books in her clutched arms. Her hair was pulled into a thick bun that was placed on the top of her head. She left a few strands of her afro curls out so that they hung in front of her face like makeshift bangs. When he looked at the girl's face, he immediately felt guilt. She looked hurt and worried. Both things being his fault seeing as he's been ignoring her like the plague ever since his father came back to town.

"Hey," she greeted, her voice low and soft.

"Hey," he greeted back, his voice shaking a bit. He slowly put his book bag on, ignoring the sheer pain that he felt course through his body. He rubbed his lips together and said, "Wh-what's going on?"

"Nothing," she answered.

"That's good," he said.

"No, it's not," Jaylen said as she looked up at him. He tilted his head at her, confused. She huffed and looked around before her eyes settled back upon him. Her facial expression showed anger and he could hear it in her voice, "Just because I said nothing it doesn't equate to things being good."

"Right," Jefferson said. "So, what makes you say that?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" she asked him, a shocked and angry expression showing up on her face. He pressed his lips together and she stared at him like he was dumb, "Do I really have to explain to you what isn't good? What is bad? Horrible, even?"

"No," he said slowly.

"And yet you're doing nothing to fix that," she said. She began to gesture between the both of them, "This isn't how a couple is supposed to act. Being ignored? The excuses? The blatant disregard of my feelings as you're doing God knows what? What the hell?"

"I know. I know," he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose while his eyes were closed. He lifted his head upwards and sighed again, "I know."

"You know and yet here we are," Jaylen said, "We shouldn't even be having this conversation right now, Jefferson. What's been going on with you? And don't you say that this has something to do with Josie because you were perfectly fine with me before then. Then, after your dad shows up, that's when you start giving me the third degree."

"Yes, I understand that, but listen," Jefferson began. She looked at him and waited for him to continue. He rubbed his lips together again and said, "A lot of things has changed since then, Jaylen."

"Like what?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't tell you," he answered. She shook her head at him and began to chuckle humorlessly, going to turn away from him. Jefferson reach out and placed his hand on her shoulder. It brought him immense pain to do so, but he couldn't just let her walk away from him. He turned her to face him, "It's not like I don't want to tell you. I just can't."

"Why not?" she asked him.

He pulled his hand back from her and rubbed his shoulder, "Because of what may happen if he finds out."