Never Say Goodbye

Another flashback from when Mrs. Baker and Zack were in Austrailia trying to adopt Jackie.

Zack's POV

Mom and I were staying in a house, well renting it really. She said she didn't know how long the adoption process would take, so she wanted to be sure we would be comfortable while we stayed.

Leigh, the lady from the agency, let mom drop me off at the orphanage every day that mom had to go to the court house and talk to people about adoption, which was most every single day.

Jackie and I were bonding more, she was a great kid. I really wanted this to work, I wanted a little sister so badly. Mom dropped me off at the orphanage at noon, and Jackie and I were currently playing out in the courtyard.

"Zack!" Jackie shouted as she ran over to me.

"What is it?" I asked.

She turned and pointed behind her. "Snake.." She whispered and climbed onto a chair.

"So?" I asked and inwardly laughed at how funny she looked, being so scared of a snake.

She looked at me with wide eyes "It's a snake. Big, scary snake... can you go like... put it over the fence?" She asked.

I shrugged "Ok." I said and walked to where she instructed me to go.

I looked down and saw a snake, it was kinda big, but not really. It looked like a harmless snake, nothing too weird out there. I picked it up and flung it over the fence. Jackie ran over and hugged me "Thanks Zack!" She smiled and went back to what ever it was that she had been doing. "See, Anna used to get all the snakes for me. She was like my big sister. She was two years older than me." She said as she picked up a rock, tossing it over the fence almost exactly where I'd just thrown the snake.

"Oh, so she got adopted?" I asked as we casually walked back to the building.

Jackie looked up at me with big sad eyes "She killed herself two years back. She was raped." She whispered and looked back down at the ground.

"I'm so sorry..." I whispered.

I'd never had a friend kill themselves, and especially not someone I'd lived with for my whole life. She just shrugged "Eh, she's in a better place. Y'know." She said as we entered the building to find Leigh and my mom talking happily.

"Hi mom." I smiled as I gave her a quick hug.

"You officially have a new sister." She smiled and handed me and official looking paper.

"YES!" Jackie and I shouted in unison.

I had helped Jackie pack, even though she didn't have alot of stuff, that night. Mom said we would stay here for two more days, transition Jackie out of the orphanage before giving her major culture shock.

Mom asked if she wanted to go anywhere special before we left. Jackie said she wanted to go to the beach, so we went. She was in a one piece, blue and purple flowered bathinsuit, and I was in dark green swim trunks. Mom was in a tank and shorts, tanning on the beach while Jackie and I ran around in the water.

"So did you come to the beach alot before?" I asked as we splashed eachother.

"No, only on special days. Like my birthday..." She trailed off "HEY! My birthday is in a few months!" She smiled widely "I'll be ten." She laghed and sat in the water, picking up a small crab. "Ohh look Zack!" She laughed and shoved it at me.

"A crab!" I smiled as it seemed such a big feat for her to find. "Holy crap! That's a big wave!" I shouted as a huge, like wicked huge, wave approaced us.

Jackie's eyes widened as it crashed and rolled towards us. "AH!" She shouted.

I planted my feet in the water and shut my eyes and closed my mouth. When the wave passed and I opened my eyes, Jackie was gone.

"Jackie?" I asked as I looked around.

I heard someone spitting water and looked behind me. "Holy woah, are you alright?" I asked as she stood up from the water.

She spit out a stream of water and smiled "Yeah. Just a big wave."

Back to present. Jackie and Matt are still in the kitchen talking. Jackie's POV

"Then they brought me here." I smiled as Matt kept hugging me.

"What did you think of us when you first met Jim and I?" He asked.

I tapped my chin "Hmm, that's a toughy. Well I think I met Jimmy first..." I trailed off.



"This is my friend, Jimmy. He's a grade older than me." Zack introduced me to one of his friends on my first day of fifth grade. The school's were intermingled. Middle school was with elementary, so it was first grade through eighth. Lots of kids.

"Hi. I'm Jackie." I smiled as he stuck out his hand and shook mine.

"Nice to meet'ya." He smiled "Well, I gotta get to class. See ya' 'round Zack, Jackie." He said before bolting off as a bell rang.

"That's our cue. Come on, I'll walk you to your first class." He smiled and took my hand, walking me down the long hallway.

We came to a door that read 110: 5th grade homeroom. Mr. Kemlone*. Zack knocked on the door, and soon a man opened it. He was tall, but obviously from a ten year old's point of view he would be. He was bald, wore glasses, but didn't look old per se. He looked about mid thirties, and he had one a striped polo and khaki pants.

(*Pronounced Kem-Loan.)

"Hi Mr. K." Zack smiled and shook his hand.

"Hey Zack, so is this your new sister?" He asked, smiling down to me as he shook my hand. Zack nodded.

"Jackie, this is Mr. Kemlone." Zack smiled and patted my back.

"Well Miss Baker, shall we go join the rest of the class now?" Mr Kemlone asked as Zack walked down the hallway, looking back to wave before he entered another classroom, where I could hear kids laughing.

"S-s-sure.." I stammered nervously as he led me into the classroom.

He stood us at the front of the room as I scanned the classroom. The girls looked bitchy, and the majority were bleach blonde, in only fifth grade. Sheesh. "Class, this is Jaclyn Baker. She's a new student." He smiled "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself." He asked and took a seat behind his desk.

I nodded nervously "I'm Jackie..." I started slowly, getting a few 'hello Jackie's' I smiled, feeling somewhat welcome "I'm from Austrailia... I'm ten and..." I looked at the ceiling "I'm adopted." I finished and rushed to the seat Mr. K instructed me to.

"Well it's nice to have you here Miss Baker." He smiled as I sat down, next to a tall red haired girl.

She looked at me and smiled "Hi, I'm Brianna." She shook my hand.

"Hi." I smiled.

"So you're Zack's new sister?" She asked, I nodded "That's so cool. Want to hang out after school?" She asked as Mr. K rambled on about something to do with Maths.

I shrugged "I'd have to ask Zack to ask mom... but if she says yes, then sure." I smiled as I took note of all the books in my desk.

"The yellow one is for Math." She whispered "Blue is English, orange is Science, and green is Social Studies."

I looked over and smiled "Thanks."