That Girl
welcome to the family.
Alex sat across from Jack in silence. While there was a lot on his mind, he did not have a lot to say.
"Bro, are you okay?" Jack asked taking a drink of his chocolate milkshake.
Alex shrugged.
"Where did you stay last night?" Jack thought that was a better question, one that might actually have been answered.
"With Finley."
Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Naughty, naughty!"
Alex rolled his eyes. "Not like that. I slept on the couch. And her father pretty much kicked me out this morning."
"Did you fuck her?"
He scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Have you met her?"
"Yeah, she's kind of a bitch," Jack said with a shrug.
"Shut up, dude, she is not," Alex said defensively.
Jack paused, his eyes widening. "I'm sorry, have we been talking to two different girls?"
Alex sighed. "Alright, fine, she can be. But I think it's more than that."
"Why?" Jack asked, surprised when the waitress stopped by their table. He thanked her quickly, taking his cheeseburger from her hands and turning back to his best friend.
Alex also thanked the waitress, taking his plate of fries and popping one in his mouth. "What did you say?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "I asked why you think it's more than Fin just being a bitch."
"Oh," Alex said, taking a drink of his Coke. "Something's going on."
"Were you eaves dropping again?" Jack asked with a look of faux disappointment on his face.
Alex nodded slowly. "If she and I had gotten caught, shit would've gone down, Jack. Her dad was freaking out."
"What parent wouldn't be? I don't know how my parents didn't find out, but I know they would be pissed off if I had gotten caught drinking at that party," Jack told him.
"No, no it was more than that. He wasn't mad that she was at a party. He actually seemed to care less that we were drinking. It was the fact that there were cops that really bugged him," Alex said before eating another fry.
"I still don't understand why that surprises you, Lex."
Alex sighed. "Whatever, dude. Forget I even brought it up," he told him with a shrug before taking a drink of his Coke.
Jack watched his best friend for a minute, taking another drink of his milkshake. "Why does it surprise you?"
"She's hiding something from me. Well, not just me, all of us," Alex explained. "She even admitted that there's something to hide. And, I mean, we had a lot of fun before the cops showed up, you know? We were talking, drinking, just…getting along. And now it's back to the way it was before. I just don't…get it, you know?"
Jack nodded slowly, though he didn't know exactly what Alex meant. He knew enough, though. The rest he could speculate. "Couldn't you find some girl that's actually…I don't know…available to like?" he asked. And he wasn't trying to sound like an asshole. Well, for once. But he really wasn't.
Alex sighed. "I don't know, dude. I don't think that it's because she's not available--"
"Emotionally unavailable, Alex. I mean, c'mon, didn't this sound like a bad idea from the get-go?" Jack asked. "And I'm not trying to be a prick, but. I know you, Alex. You always want the girl you can't have. Are you sure that you actually, I don't know, like her? Or is it just because she wants nothing to do with you?"
Alex paused and actually thought about it for a minute. Yeah, all right, Jack had a point. He liked to chase girls. Well, actually, he didn't--he liked the moment when a girl actually admitted that, okay, she liked him, especially after they had told him there was no chance. It was all about winning, in a sense, and Alex liked to win.
"Think about it, Lex. She's cold as hell to you. Sometimes she won't even talk to you. You beat yourself up over it, constantly asking what you did wrong or…whatever. I mean, fuck, you're the girl in this relationship. And it isn't even a relationship," Jack explained.
"I am not, Jack," Alex snapped.
"Dude, just give in the man card already. This bitch is controlling you when it's clear that she has no interest in being with you. She's just fucking with your mind and you're letting her do it. So is it really any surprise that you feel this way?"
Alex's jaw clenched. He knew Jack was just looking out for him, but maybe he was taking it a little too far. Besides, he didn't really like this whole insightful side of Jack anyway. He wasn't used to it, and he didn't want to start getting used to it at all. "You really don't like her, do you?" he asked quietly, taking a long drink of his Coke.
"It's not that I don't like her," Jack said with a shrug, taking a bite of his cheeseburger. "I just think you should spend time on someone who actually wants to be with you, someone who doesn't play games."
Alex frowned. "Lovely sentiment, really, Jack. But next time, finish chewing."
Jack laughed and threw a fry at his best friend. "I'm not trying to be a chick here, Lex. I'm just being honest."
"I know you are," Alex murmured. "Do you really think I should just…move on?"
"I think it'd be better for you, yeah," Jack replied. "But you're gonna do whatever you want, Lex, because you and I both know how much you hate someone telling you what to do."
Alex shrugged one shoulder. "I can try."
Jack's eyebrows raised in disbelief and he shook his head. "Do what you want, dude."
+
Finley wasn't going to cry. She wasn't a crier. She hadn't been in years--not since her mother died. She didn't see the point of wasting tears on sadness that would eventually pass. But she was sad. And she hated that a guy was the cause of it. That just…well, it made her mad more than anything else. She pushed it to the side though--she had to. When she pulled into her driveway, she saw Marshall Walker's car and she was not in the mood to talk to him.
But she knew she didn't really have a choice.
She walked into her house, finding her father and Walker sitting on the couch in the living room. She set the keys on the coffee table and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hi, Marshall Walker."
Walker smiled softly. "Good morning, Finley."
"Sit down, Finley, and tell Walker everything that happened," her father instructed.
Finley bit the inside of her cheek before sitting down in the armchair to the left of her father. "I went to a party to see some band play," she began. "And I guess someone called the cops because it was too loud or almost everyone was drinking. But I was out back with one of my…friends, I guess you could say, and when I heard the cops, we took off running. Well, I mean, I did. I couldn't really leave him behind. But we ran about two blocks and hid in some bushes until they left. Then we…came here."
Walker's eyebrows raised. "You actually made a friend?" he asked, joking.
Finley was not amused. "For some reason, I kind of did. Though we don't have to worry about that anymore, I assure you."
Robert frowned. "And why not?"
"Because I told him I could no longer communicate with him."
"Why?" Robert asked.
"Because you stressed earlier how important it was to our…situation to not get caught again," she told him. "And I don't know Alex very well, but I know him well enough to know that he's detrimental to our situation."
Robert sighed. "Finley, I want you to have friends. I want you to go out and have fun with your friends--"
"No one here wants to be my friend, dad," Finley told him. "And I'm okay with that. Alex is the only one who's showed any interest--"
Robert scoffed. "Of course he did. You're a girl and he's a teenage boy."
Finley sucked in a deep breath. "Be that as it may," she told him through clenched teeth, "this is my decision."
Robert opened his mouth to reply but Walker cut him off.
"Regardless of your decisions, Finley, we can't let the police know--"
"And why the hell not?" she interrupted. "Shouldn't the police be willing to help us? This is a federal case. We're not crossing any jurisdiction lines. We shouldn't have to worry about hiding things from everyone," she told them. "I'm hiding things from the school, I'm hiding things from Alex, we're hiding things from the local authority--aren't y'all sick of it yet? Because I know I am."
"Finley," Walker said with a sigh, "we've tried to introduce the local authorities before. They're resistant because I have authority over them in this case. They don't want to feel like some outsider is walking in and trying to tell them what to do. That's why we can't go to them unless we absolutely have to."
"And you know how important this is, Finley. We can't let everyone know--"
"I fucking know that, father," she spat. "You remind me every single day."
"Finley, watch your language," Robert warned.
Finley sighed. "I know how important it is, father. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
Robert shook his head. "You'll never know how much I regret having your childhood taken away from you, Finley. You deserve a normal life and I can't give you that until these bastards are caught. But I'm trying to make it right for you. That's why I push you to go out and make friends."
"How the hell can I make friends when I can't tell them anything about myself? And what I do tell them is all lies to cover our asses. What kind of a friendship is that?" Finley asked.
"I don't know what to tell you, Finley."
She shrugged. "I don't know either."
"Bro, are you okay?" Jack asked taking a drink of his chocolate milkshake.
Alex shrugged.
"Where did you stay last night?" Jack thought that was a better question, one that might actually have been answered.
"With Finley."
Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Naughty, naughty!"
Alex rolled his eyes. "Not like that. I slept on the couch. And her father pretty much kicked me out this morning."
"Did you fuck her?"
He scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Have you met her?"
"Yeah, she's kind of a bitch," Jack said with a shrug.
"Shut up, dude, she is not," Alex said defensively.
Jack paused, his eyes widening. "I'm sorry, have we been talking to two different girls?"
Alex sighed. "Alright, fine, she can be. But I think it's more than that."
"Why?" Jack asked, surprised when the waitress stopped by their table. He thanked her quickly, taking his cheeseburger from her hands and turning back to his best friend.
Alex also thanked the waitress, taking his plate of fries and popping one in his mouth. "What did you say?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "I asked why you think it's more than Fin just being a bitch."
"Oh," Alex said, taking a drink of his Coke. "Something's going on."
"Were you eaves dropping again?" Jack asked with a look of faux disappointment on his face.
Alex nodded slowly. "If she and I had gotten caught, shit would've gone down, Jack. Her dad was freaking out."
"What parent wouldn't be? I don't know how my parents didn't find out, but I know they would be pissed off if I had gotten caught drinking at that party," Jack told him.
"No, no it was more than that. He wasn't mad that she was at a party. He actually seemed to care less that we were drinking. It was the fact that there were cops that really bugged him," Alex said before eating another fry.
"I still don't understand why that surprises you, Lex."
Alex sighed. "Whatever, dude. Forget I even brought it up," he told him with a shrug before taking a drink of his Coke.
Jack watched his best friend for a minute, taking another drink of his milkshake. "Why does it surprise you?"
"She's hiding something from me. Well, not just me, all of us," Alex explained. "She even admitted that there's something to hide. And, I mean, we had a lot of fun before the cops showed up, you know? We were talking, drinking, just…getting along. And now it's back to the way it was before. I just don't…get it, you know?"
Jack nodded slowly, though he didn't know exactly what Alex meant. He knew enough, though. The rest he could speculate. "Couldn't you find some girl that's actually…I don't know…available to like?" he asked. And he wasn't trying to sound like an asshole. Well, for once. But he really wasn't.
Alex sighed. "I don't know, dude. I don't think that it's because she's not available--"
"Emotionally unavailable, Alex. I mean, c'mon, didn't this sound like a bad idea from the get-go?" Jack asked. "And I'm not trying to be a prick, but. I know you, Alex. You always want the girl you can't have. Are you sure that you actually, I don't know, like her? Or is it just because she wants nothing to do with you?"
Alex paused and actually thought about it for a minute. Yeah, all right, Jack had a point. He liked to chase girls. Well, actually, he didn't--he liked the moment when a girl actually admitted that, okay, she liked him, especially after they had told him there was no chance. It was all about winning, in a sense, and Alex liked to win.
"Think about it, Lex. She's cold as hell to you. Sometimes she won't even talk to you. You beat yourself up over it, constantly asking what you did wrong or…whatever. I mean, fuck, you're the girl in this relationship. And it isn't even a relationship," Jack explained.
"I am not, Jack," Alex snapped.
"Dude, just give in the man card already. This bitch is controlling you when it's clear that she has no interest in being with you. She's just fucking with your mind and you're letting her do it. So is it really any surprise that you feel this way?"
Alex's jaw clenched. He knew Jack was just looking out for him, but maybe he was taking it a little too far. Besides, he didn't really like this whole insightful side of Jack anyway. He wasn't used to it, and he didn't want to start getting used to it at all. "You really don't like her, do you?" he asked quietly, taking a long drink of his Coke.
"It's not that I don't like her," Jack said with a shrug, taking a bite of his cheeseburger. "I just think you should spend time on someone who actually wants to be with you, someone who doesn't play games."
Alex frowned. "Lovely sentiment, really, Jack. But next time, finish chewing."
Jack laughed and threw a fry at his best friend. "I'm not trying to be a chick here, Lex. I'm just being honest."
"I know you are," Alex murmured. "Do you really think I should just…move on?"
"I think it'd be better for you, yeah," Jack replied. "But you're gonna do whatever you want, Lex, because you and I both know how much you hate someone telling you what to do."
Alex shrugged one shoulder. "I can try."
Jack's eyebrows raised in disbelief and he shook his head. "Do what you want, dude."
+
Finley wasn't going to cry. She wasn't a crier. She hadn't been in years--not since her mother died. She didn't see the point of wasting tears on sadness that would eventually pass. But she was sad. And she hated that a guy was the cause of it. That just…well, it made her mad more than anything else. She pushed it to the side though--she had to. When she pulled into her driveway, she saw Marshall Walker's car and she was not in the mood to talk to him.
But she knew she didn't really have a choice.
She walked into her house, finding her father and Walker sitting on the couch in the living room. She set the keys on the coffee table and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hi, Marshall Walker."
Walker smiled softly. "Good morning, Finley."
"Sit down, Finley, and tell Walker everything that happened," her father instructed.
Finley bit the inside of her cheek before sitting down in the armchair to the left of her father. "I went to a party to see some band play," she began. "And I guess someone called the cops because it was too loud or almost everyone was drinking. But I was out back with one of my…friends, I guess you could say, and when I heard the cops, we took off running. Well, I mean, I did. I couldn't really leave him behind. But we ran about two blocks and hid in some bushes until they left. Then we…came here."
Walker's eyebrows raised. "You actually made a friend?" he asked, joking.
Finley was not amused. "For some reason, I kind of did. Though we don't have to worry about that anymore, I assure you."
Robert frowned. "And why not?"
"Because I told him I could no longer communicate with him."
"Why?" Robert asked.
"Because you stressed earlier how important it was to our…situation to not get caught again," she told him. "And I don't know Alex very well, but I know him well enough to know that he's detrimental to our situation."
Robert sighed. "Finley, I want you to have friends. I want you to go out and have fun with your friends--"
"No one here wants to be my friend, dad," Finley told him. "And I'm okay with that. Alex is the only one who's showed any interest--"
Robert scoffed. "Of course he did. You're a girl and he's a teenage boy."
Finley sucked in a deep breath. "Be that as it may," she told him through clenched teeth, "this is my decision."
Robert opened his mouth to reply but Walker cut him off.
"Regardless of your decisions, Finley, we can't let the police know--"
"And why the hell not?" she interrupted. "Shouldn't the police be willing to help us? This is a federal case. We're not crossing any jurisdiction lines. We shouldn't have to worry about hiding things from everyone," she told them. "I'm hiding things from the school, I'm hiding things from Alex, we're hiding things from the local authority--aren't y'all sick of it yet? Because I know I am."
"Finley," Walker said with a sigh, "we've tried to introduce the local authorities before. They're resistant because I have authority over them in this case. They don't want to feel like some outsider is walking in and trying to tell them what to do. That's why we can't go to them unless we absolutely have to."
"And you know how important this is, Finley. We can't let everyone know--"
"I fucking know that, father," she spat. "You remind me every single day."
"Finley, watch your language," Robert warned.
Finley sighed. "I know how important it is, father. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
Robert shook his head. "You'll never know how much I regret having your childhood taken away from you, Finley. You deserve a normal life and I can't give you that until these bastards are caught. But I'm trying to make it right for you. That's why I push you to go out and make friends."
"How the hell can I make friends when I can't tell them anything about myself? And what I do tell them is all lies to cover our asses. What kind of a friendship is that?" Finley asked.
"I don't know what to tell you, Finley."
She shrugged. "I don't know either."