We're Crazy

Chapter 22

It was the day before graduation. Liv should be happy, but she was far from it. Since that day with the weird man in the diner, he'd been off with her, fine one minute and an arse the next. She had no idea where she stood with him anymore.

On top of that, she'd barely decided where she was going to college yet. Rory had decided on Yale (not that she'd told anyone but her yet) but Liv was torn between Yale and Harvard. She sighed as she drank her coffee, sat at the counter at Luke's.

The door opened behind her and Rory sat next to her, "I can't believe it's graduation tomorrow."

"Yippee," Liv deadpanned, making Rory tut.

"What's up with you?"

Liv motioned to Jess, who was serving a family on the other side of the diner.

"What's he done now?"

Liv sighed, "he's just...an arse! Luke's going to tell him to go on his break in a minute, just watch what happens."

Right on cue, Luke shouted to Jess that he had a 15 minute break starting from now, and Jess went to wash his hands. He walked out and past Liv.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Out."

"Want me to come?"

"Nope."

He walked out and Liv threw her hands up in frustration, "see!"

Rory sighed, "go after him!"

Liv grabbed her untouched donut and ran out the diner and after Jess, "oi!"

He carried on walking.

"Jess, babe, stop, we need to talk," she shouted again. This time he stopped, "what is the matter with you?"

"I don't want to talk," he mumbled.

"Well, tough, I do," Liv crossed her arms, "what's up with you, Jess? It's me, you can tell me anything."

"You're graduating tomorrow," he said, simply.

She nodded, "so are you."

He laughed, bitterly, "no, Liv. No, I'm not."

Liv looked at him, confused, "wha- how? You're so smart Jess!"

"I stopped going to school. I stopped going to school and I've been working at Walmart. Luke told me that I had to only work there evenings and weekends but my boss wouldn't let me. So, now I'm not graduating. And the terms of me staying with Luke were that I had to graduate," he shouted, "so, Olivia, you may as well just say goodbye now."

"You can...you can go to summer school," Liv muttered, shocked, "why do you need a job at Walmart, anyway?"

"For you, Liv. I needed it for you. I'm not good enough for you, I know that, you know that, everybody in this town knows that," he laughed, bitterly, "so I figured I'd get a job, so that I could treat you how you deserve to be treated, but it just fucking backfired on me, didn't it?"

"Jess, you are good for me, don't say that. You're per-" Liv whispered, trying to hold back tears.

"No, Liv. No I'm not. I can't do this, I need some space," he said, walking away from her with his hands in his pockets.

Liv watched him walk away in shock.

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At 10pm, Jess was finishing up in the diner. He saw Liv walk up to the door out the corner of his eye, but pretended as though he hadn't. He watched her walk to the door, but she stopped as she reached it. She stood there for a few seconds, but then left.