Opposites Distract

“Warren, Jack! What do you guys think of Taylor’s dress?” May asked, dragging the two of them into my dressing room.

“May, I thought we were dress shopping for your wedding…and, for a wedding, this dress is rather short,” I hissed, self consciously pulling it down. It was no use, though. Still standing, the hem of the dress hit my mid thigh.

“Well?” May asked when she brought in Warren and Jack and the two remained speechless.

“The dress is pretty on you, Taylor,” Warren said, coughing awkwardly when he got a glare from Jack.

Jack stepped forward to hug me. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered into my ear. I could hear May “Aww”ing at us, then she and Warren left Jack and I alone. Jack gently ran his fingers over the beading of the dress, making my breath hitch in my throat. “Your dress is the only one with the beading, since you’re the maid of honor and all,” he said randomly, sighing softly and releasing me.

I frowned, taking his hands in mine and swinging them a little bit before I stepped to and leaned back on the wall. “Something wrong?”

“Warren is bothering me,” Jack mumbled, sitting down on the bench in the dressing room and kicking the door shut. “He still hasn’t told May yet. And he said…never mind.”

“No, you can’t do that! Tell me, Jack.”

“Warren said he was your first.”

I swallowed thickly, feeling my face heat up. “…Oh.”

Jack glared at me. “That’s all you have to say for yourself?”

I was taken aback by Jack’s attitude. “Jack, that shouldn’t bother you. It was years ago and…quite frankly, Warren is awful in bed.” Jack’s lips twitched into a smile. “Don’t worry, May knows about it. It was terrible. I mean, really bad. And anything is better than bad sex. Hell, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is better than bad sex! I gave Warren a blowjob, and he put it in me for about five minutes before he came and passed out.” I rolled my eyes at the memory. “Sex is supposed to be a reciprocation of the pleasure, but it wasn’t that way with Warren. Ugh. I didn’t feel anything.”

Jack smirked, grabbing my hips and pulling me down so I was straddling him. “I’ll make you feel something…”

“Jack, not here,” I giggled, feeling goose bumps break out all over my skin when he gently kissed, bit, sucked on the juncture where my shoulder met my neck. I placed my hands on his chest and gently pushed myself off him. “Jack.”

“Taylor,” he said in the same tone so he could mock me, still holding onto my hips.

“Let’s go. We can continue this later. I need to pay for this dress now.”

Jack pouted, but let me go and got out so I could get my normal clothes back on. I folded the dress over my arm and exited the dressing room.

I was rather flustered that Jack found out about Warren and me. I was really pissed off that Warren told Jack, too. But thankfully it looked like Jack knew better than to believe whatever Warren said. "Here you go, May..."

We wrapped things up at the dress shop and went our separate ways, but Jack still seemed so upset about the fact that Warren was my first. He was so tense while we cuddled on the couch in my apartment's living room. It made him not so very nice to cuddle with."Jack, can you just forget about it?"

Jack's jaw was clenched tight. "My sister's best friend and my girlfriend slept with my sister's fiancé before she did. Tell me how I'm supposed to feel about that, Taylor."

I sighed softly, rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't see what that has to do with you and me, though. Would you like me any less or more than if you were my first?"

"Th-That's not what I meant..."

I stood up and grabbed my phone to text May out of boredom. Jack wasn’t being his usual sweet self, and I didn’t like it. He’s been hanging out with me too much, I guess. "I think you should go back to your hotel. Hang out with Alex or something. Get your mind off things." Get your mind off me.

Jack stood up and wrapped his arms around me. I resisted the urge to push him away. “I’m sorry. I just… I think this made me realize just how much I –“

Don’t say it, don’t say it, please don’t say it!

“Like you.” I tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment with Jack. “I know I’ve only met you this month, but…I don’t know…I’m bad with wording things, but I just...I really, really like you, Taylor. Like…I can’t really remember the days before you. And I don’t want to have any days ahead without you. I mean it.”

He was bad with wording things? Yeah, right! The things he just said – and always said, for that matter – were always so sweet and innocent. It wasn’t too much, or too simple. It was always perfect…or maybe I’m just thinking that. “Jack… I…fuck,” I whispered, feeling the tears in my eyes spilling over.

“I think you’re confused…the order of those words should be ‘I fuck Jack’.”

Aaand he’s back. I elbowed him and we had a wrestle/tickle fight on my living room floor…which he won. I don’t understand why. He was skin and bones. It wasn’t fair. “Jack.”

He rolled off me and propped himself up on his elbow so he could look down at me. “Yeah?”

“Do you want to tell May tonight?”

His face fell. “Oh…yeah, that’s probably a good idea…do you…or should I…”

“Can we do it together?”

“That’s what she said.”

I slapped him for joking at a time like this before we drove to their hotel. Jack’s legs were bouncing like crazy. I could tell he was just as nervous about this as I was. But when we got there…we got there just in time to see Joe, Jack’s older brother, beating Warren senseless, with May screaming at him to stop. Jack rushed over to pull Joe off Warren. May and I helped Warren to his feet.

Joe was reacting the same way Jack had. Thank god Jack was being so mature about this, even though he probably wanted to beat the shit out of Warren, too. “May, he cheated on you! Why – Why?!”

“Just let me fucking talk to him!” May screeched, helping Warren hobble to her hotel room. I helped too, but I didn’t go in with them. I went back to the lobby to see how Jack and Joe were doing. Joe was animatedly telling Jack everything we’d missed.

“…admitted he cheated on her! And I mean, recently! Like, while we were here, recently!” Joe fumed. I was very proud of Warren, though. For not fighting back, I mean. For taking what he deserved. “I need to take a walk before I take it out on him again,” Joe muttered, leaving the hotel lobby.

Jack sighed, but didn’t follow his brother. “I wish we got here sooner…to, like, mediate or something…”

I sat down on the couch with him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Let’s just wait and see how things go…”

And they didn’t go well. Half an hour later, Warren walked out of May’s hotel room by himself. Jack and I got to our feet, so he instantly flinched like he expected another beating. “Warren, how is my sister?” Jack asked as civilly as he could manage.

“She postponed the wedding,” Warren mumbled, looking down at the ring in his palm – May’s engagement ring. He looked like he was about to cry. I bit my lip, feeling nothing but sympathy for him now. But he said postponed…that’s better than canceled, isn’t it? “You should go talk to her,” he sighed, pocketing it. “I did it…proud of me, Tay?” he asked weakly, trying to smile in a way that wouldn’t make his split lip split any further. I couldn’t help it. I went up and hugged him. “I’m gonna go straighten shit out with Reese now,” he said in a low voice for only me to hear, returning the hug. “Talk to May, please?” he asked the both of us. “And I don’t even mean for me. Just…make her happy again. Please.”

“Can’t make any promises,” Jack said tersely, and I felt his hand in the small of my back. “Take care of yourself, Warren,” he said quietly, holding a hand out to him.

I felt as surprised as Warren looked. Warren shook Jack’s hand. “See you around.” Warren left, too. I hope for his sake he goes where Joe won’t find him.

Jack exhaled sharply before guiding me over to May’s room. He went in first. May was lying on her stomach on the bed, obviously sobbing. “Sissy?” Jack said quietly, kneeling down on the floor so he was where he could see May’s face. He looked so sad. I didn’t even want to think about May’s expression.

“Jack-a-roo,” May responded, sounding congested. Jack wordlessly reached forward and gently stroked her hair. She shook harder when he did that. “Jack, I’m postponing the wedding,” she said through her sobs. “We’re gonna go home to Baltimore for, like, a really fucking long time, ok? I can’t stay here anymore…”

But when May said that, my heart sank. Jack looked up at me, worry and indecision all over his face. I breathed slowly, feeling the tears come on. I held up my phone and shook it, signaling Jack to contact me later. He nodded in understanding. I waved goodbye, and Jack blew me a kiss. I bit back a smile, closing the door behind me quietly.

I should be comforting May, too, but...

She was taking Jack away from me.

My Jack-o-saurus Rex. My Jack-o-lantern. My Jack Skellington...

He's as good as gone.