this is the start | gilinsky

Chapter Twenty

    "No way..."  My voice is pleading with what I just heard to not be true, "I didn't..." 

    Johnson gives me a sympathetic look and nods his head, "You did." Sinking further into his couch I contemplate on whether I should just call Mom to come pick me up and bring me back to New York, or just deal with the facts that are facing me dead in the face.

    Those facts being that I completely fucked up any sort of relationship with Gilinsky by: 1. Throwing myself at him, 2. Kissing his best friend (who also so happened to be my best friend as well). 

    "Marley...you were drunk, it's not that big of a deal." Jack reassures me. I shake my head. It is a big deal, especially when I know it mattered to Gilinsky. Why else would he be acting so distant. He probably hates me. 

    "Then why doesn't Jack want anything to do with me?" I feel like such a fuck up. I've only been in Omaha for a few days and I already messed shit up. What is wrong with me?

    Before I can start with my waterworks Jack admits, "It's sort of more complicated than what happened last night." I take a deep breath and try to understand what that means.

    "Wha-"

    "He's dating Leigh." 

    "No shit," I roll my eyes and throw my feet up under me. "Why does everyone have to bring her up all the time?"

    "Marley, you're so oblivious." Jack seems even more annoyed than I am. Oblivious? How am I being oblivious? 

    "What are you talking about?" I spit out the anger in my tone. 

    "Why else would he be avoiding you because he has a girlfriend?" Jack hints, but I don't pick anything up.

    "Um because I basically told him that I wanted his dick and now he's afraid of me?" I suggest with a sarcasm oozing out of my lips. I know Jack wants to laugh, but he holds it back and instead replaces it with a sigh. 

    "It's not really my place to tell you how he feels, but I think you need to know," He starts, "But you can't tell him I told you."

    "You're making me so lost right now." I tell him, shaking my head. 

    "Jack's dating Leigh but he likes you, Marley..." I watch him close his eyes shut, and I can tell he regrets telling me what he just did. My heart doesn't stop, my stomach doesn't turn inside out. My hands feel frozen and my mind is blank. 

    "No..." Is all I can manage to croak out, "No." 

    "Yes, Mar, I swear to you he makes it so obvious...especially with how he was acting towards you last night." 

    Everything Jack is saying makes no sense. "First of all, it may be obvious to you and only you because I sure as hell don't see it, second of all, I don't even remember half the shit that happened last night, and third of all you told me he wouldn't even kiss me so how does that mean he likes me!?" I'm out of breath after I finish my last question so I try control myself a little. 

    Jack shakes his head and frowns. He doesn't want to tell me anything else, but I need him to. He can't just leave me so confused like this. I know he's best friends with Gilinsky and he doesn't wanna be sharing his secrets but this is about me and I deserve to know. 

    "Just tell me everything." I plead. 

    "Jack and Leigh started dating like two weeks before you came to Omaha...Jack really, really liked her but then the day before you came she cheated on him." My heart aches after Jack finished his sentence, "He was a total mess but your dad promised us that you were cool and would totally fix Jack's broken heart when you arrived and when you did...we knew your dad was right." Jack's smiling now. 

    "After the food fight when your dad made you and Jack wash the dishes together we could totally tell he was already starting to forget about Leigh...but then when we went to the party she was there and Jack spiralled out of control," Jack takes a deep breath before continuing his story, "Leigh gave this whole crappy speech about how sorry she was and Jack just took her right back and they almost fucked but thanks to you they didn't and I'm actually really happy about that." I nod my head, urging him to go on. 

    "Anyway, after that night Jack was sort of hooked on starting over his relationship with Leigh and making things work out but then she started accusing him of hooking up with you behind her back and they had a falling out," Jack reaches up to scratch the back of his neck before speaking again, "They've been on and off and on and off and he actually started liking you and not so much liking Leigh, but she kept crawling back to him and he just wanted to make things work; he wanted things to go back to normal..."

    "And I'm not his normal." I finish Jack's sentence. He nods. 

    "He does really like you, Marley, but he really wants things to work out with him and Leigh and he knows that if he starts hanging around you more his feelings for you are going to get stronger and he just wants to forget about them." When Jack stops talking I feel like all the air has been knocked out of me. 

    "Why wasn't Leigh at the party last night?" I whisper. 

    Jack turns red and he sighs, "She was most likely cheating on him again..." My heart shatters. 

    "Oh." 

    "Listen, it's also kind of obvious that you like Jack way more than Leigh does but Jack can't see through her bullshit, that's on him," Jack places his hand on my shoulder.

    "Okay..." I say after clearning my throat, "I'm gonna head home now...thank you for telling me." 

    "No, problem, Mar...I'll see you around?"

    "Yeah, see you around..." I nod my head then get up to leave. I need a nap. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Yo guys! Sorry if this chapter was really boring I hate telling long stories and stuff inside the chapters but I wanted you guys to understand what was happening and why Gilinsky was acting the way he was, thanks for reading! chapter twenty-one (what's 9+10?) will be up soon. I won't be able to update as much since school is starting up again tomorrow but I'll try as hard as I can. It takes me about an hour to write a chapter so I may be able to update a couple of times during the week but not as much as I have been updating this week. I hope you guys understand! If you have any suggestions or advice feel free to leave them in the comments, much love- gilinskyshigh 

(also I have another story idea that I've come up with, it's a Sam Wilkinson fanfic and I'm going to call it "Crash and Burn" I might start it after I finish this one!)