Ghosts We Carry Home.

Chrissy had arrived. It was easy to see the pain in Jack’s eyes when she kissed him. Anyone, even Chrissy, would be able to see it. Of course, Chrissy didn’t notice. She was too heartless to see another person’s emotions.

“Do you want something to drink?” Jack asked her.

“Poison, perhaps?” I said with a smile.

“Water,” Chrissy answered.

“With some poison?” I continued.

Jack looked at me swiftly and grinned. He gave me the you-know-what-to-do-look and walked out of the room to get Chrissy’s water.
I went to sit next to Chrissy, even though I didn’t want to, and I waited. There was a short buzz and Chrissy took her phone out of her pocket.

“Why’s Jack texting me?” she mumbled.

“Make a guess.”

My voice sounded sarcastic, and that felt nice. I watched as she typed in the code to unblock her phone and smiled as I read her message.

“I loved you,” Chrissy read out loud.

“Loved,” I repeated. “Nice one, Jack.”

Jack walked back in and put Chrissy’s water on the table.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Chrissy said. She stood up and walked with a quick tempo out of the room.

“One, two, three, four,” I said when Jack and I both looked at the phone Chrissy had left.

“Is it that easy?” Jack wondered.

“Jack, look at her,” I said. “Does she look smart?”

I started to like the sarcasm I had created. Jack looked at me one more time, and typed in the code.

“His name is Eric,” I hinted him. “I’ll watch the door.”

I stood up and turned my back to Jack. I couldn’t look at him right now, it would cause too much pain. I heard Chrissy’s shoes echoing, and warned Jack.

“She’s coming back,” I said. Jack didn’t answer, so I slowly turned around to face him. He had buried his head in his hands.

“Jack?” I whispered. “Be strong, okay. She’s the weakest one here.”

“How could she do it?” Jack asked me. He dropped his hands and stood up. He wasn’t crying, but his face told me how he felt. Chrissy walked back in, and held her pass. She had walked through me, once again.

“Jack, what’s wrong?” she asked when she saw the miserable person who used to be Jack.

“Be strong,” I said again. Jack looked at me and nodded.

“Are you seeing someone else, Chrissy?” he said. His voice sounded strong and powerful.

“What do you mean?” Chrissy gasped.

“Don’t treat me like a fool,” Jack warned her. “I know everything.”

Chrissy didn’t answer, she just grabbed her bag and her phone.

“I don’t know what you’re talk -“

“I think you do,” Jack interrupted her.
Chrissy didn’t say anything anymore. She just stood there, staring at Jack. I could tell what was going on in her mind. She was probably wondering how Jack had discovered her sick little games.

“Are you seeing someone else?” Jack asked again.

“If you know everything, I don’t have to tell you anymore,” Chrissy said.

“I want you to say it,” Jack snapped at her.

“Yes.”

“Make her leave, Jack,” I said. “I don’t want to see that cheating bony ass.”

“Go away, Chrissy,” Jack said. “I don’t want to see you.”

“But Jack,” Chrissy started.

“Go away!.”

Jack yelled at her, but it wasn’t the same as when he yelled at me. With me, his voice had sounded weak, now his voice was the total opposite.
Chrissy swallowed and walked out of the room as quick as she could.

“I would have given her more than that,” I said after a minute.

“Mel, not now, please.”

Jack buried his head in his hands again.

“It’s only life, Jack,” I said. “Don’t lose your faith, don’t run away. It’s only life.”

Jack started to laugh.

“I thought you couldn’t remember everything,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“You told me you couldn’t remember what music you liked, but now you’re quoting a line from a song.”

“I am?”

“I wouldn’t lie about it,” he shrugged.

“Weird,” I said. I looked at Jack and sighed.

“I was right,” I mentioned.

“About what?”

“You being stronger than Alex.”

Jack looked at me in disbelief and shook his head.

“Chrissy’s just a bitch. I don’t know what it was I saw in her. She means nothing to me.”

“That’s what you say now,” I said. “I wonder how you would have described her yesterday.”

“Does it matter?” Jack sighed. “She’s gone.”

“Won’t you miss her?” I asked. It was only when I had asked the question out loud, I realized how silly it sounded.

“No,” Jack said. “Why would I? I have you now, don’t I?”

“Yes you have -”

I shut my mouth, and turned my back at Jack.

“What? What did I do?”

“I’m dead, Jack,” I said.

“Yes, and?”

“I can’t accompany you as you want me to.”

“I know that,” Jack reassured me.

“I don’t think you do.”

Without looking what Jack’s reaction was at my words, I walked out of the room.