I Welcomed You With Open Arms You Drove a Knife Through My Heart

Over the next few months Jack and Nickyla got closer. Whenever the group went on dates they’d tag along almost as if it were a date. But neither one of them had the courage to tell the other what they thought. Currently it was a Tuesday afternoon, Nickyla was sitting under a tree at outside waiting for Jack to join her for lunch. She pulled out her ipod and put in her ear buds and let All Time Low flow through her ears. Since Nic had become friends with all the guys she learned about their band and when Jack put a couple of their songs on her ipod, she couldn’t stop listening. As she sat there waiting for Jack she laid back and looked up at the sky. Today it was a brilliant shade of blue, it reminded her of the last time she’d been extremely happy. A time when her mother was sober and father and brother still lived with them. Nic found herself falling asleep when someone tugged lightly on her shoulder. She looked up to see a smiling Jack. “Hey!!”

“Sorry I made you wait so long. Jordan wouldn’t leave me alone.” Nickyla despised Jordan. Just for the simple reason that she posed her a threat. With Jordan in the way Nic thought that there was no possible way that Jack would ever like her.

“It’s okay, it’s not like I was wait for you to eat or anything.” She told him with a slight chuckle pulling out a sandwich. When Jack heard this he got a small frown. Yes while his mother did give him lunch money whenever Nic offered to share with him he couldn’t say no and always seemed to have extra.

“What do you have today?” he asked curiously

“Peanut butter and apple Jelly and a cute little juice box!” she squeaked. Jack loved peanut butter so he was excited about that and the juice box.
“Got any extra in there?” He wondered aloud. Nickyla laughed and reached into the bag once more.

“Yep, oh and some carrot sticks!”

“Ranch?”

“Of course” she laughed and set the little dish between the two of them. They sat and just ate for a while then when they were done they both laid back head to head. Jack had taken Nic’s and they were pointing up at the clouds to see what they could make of them.

“Oh look at that one, it looks like a rabbit getting it on with a squirrel” Jack said pointing to one that was hovering above them in the sky. That sent the pair into numerous fits of giggles.

“Ha ha and there’s a dinosaur taking a dump!” Nic squealed with laughter. Whenever she and Jack were together it always seemed like the laughter never stopped. They sat and looked at the clouds for another ten minutes before either said anything and it was Jack that broke the silence.

“So Nic, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to the movies with me tomorrow night?” Nic’s breath got caught in her throat and she chocked on it. Then she realized that he was probably just asking because Alex and the rest of the guys were going out with their girls and didn’t want to leave him out.

“Like a group movie trip.”

Jack was quiet for a moment, “Actually I was thinking that it would be just us” he said finally as the lunch bell rang. The pair got up and began to walk back inside.

“Yeah, sure” she said as they arrived at her locker.

“Great then it’s a date.” He said before he even thought about what was flying out of his mouth.

“A date?” Nic asked clearly surprised.

Jack panicked for a minute, “Yeah, you know some people use the term as a plan.” As soon as he said that he noticed the pained expression on her face. “Oh no Nic..”

“No uh it’s fine. I’ve got to get to class.” She told him grabbing a book out of her locker and hurrying away. She couldn’t help but be upset, how could I be so stupid she thought as she walked into the class and took her seat. Ashley sat in the spot behind her and saw that she didn’t look all happy like normal.

“Nic babe, what’s wrong?” it took a while but Nickyla finally got it all written out in a note and gave it to her. Once she read it she was pissed. Ashley took out her sidekick and texted Zack. * your guitarist is so dead. the she texted the rest of the girls who in turn texted their guys and everyone was more than a little irritated with Jack. When class was over Ashley linked arms with Nic and they both walked to her locker to find Aslynn and Jennifer-Anne all standing there waiting.

“Nic are you okay, we heard what happened.” Aslynn asked making Nickyla look from Ashley to Aslynn and back and forth.

“How’d you guys find out the only person that I told was Ash and now…GOD, you guys all have such big mouths!” she yelled before storming down the hall past Zack and Alex; Who were in fact shocked to see her in such a furry. The Nickyla they knew was always even tempered. When she was almost to the door Rian actually ran into her.

“Hey Nic, where you off to?” he asked as if he had no clue as to what was going on.

“I’m thinking about skipping the rest of the day.” She said while trying to compose herself.

“Well what’s gotten you all upset? You’re usually so bubbly.”

“It’s nothing”

“Would nothing actually happen to be a person who’s name starts with J and ends with ack?”

“OH MY GOSH YOU KNEW TOO?” she half screamed and half cried. “Those girlfriends your guys’ have such big mouths!”

“Actually while I do agree with that sometimes, Jennifer had nothing to do with this. It’s Jack and so it was expected. The poor guy never stops to see what’s sitting right there in front of him. So are you gonna skip?” Nickyla looked like she was thinking about it.

“I think so, you wanna skip with me?” Rian shook his head.

“Sure” he took her books, “What are we going to do?”

Rian and Nickyla ended up spending the hour and half that they had left of school at a park that was near Nic’s house. In that hour and half Rian told Nic about some extremely embarrassing memories of Jack, much to his surprise it actually seemed to cheer her up. He even convinced her that the girls were simply being that, girls and trying to help in their own way. At three thirty Rian dropped her off at her house and she crept in quietly trying not to wake her mother, who was passed out drunk on the couch. Once she’d gotten up to her room she shrugged of her backpack and crawled into her bed. She was physically and emotionally drained and decided that she needed a nap.

???? Later???

Nic awoke to a clicking sound, at first she thought that she was going crazy and decided that she’d just go back to sleep. Then she heard it again, now she thought that she was going crazy and she was insanely afraid. Quietly she walked over to her window and gently moved the curtains away. What she saw was Jack standing out in the darkness of her yard. Something else hit her window and it caused her to shriek. Nic covered her mouth and gently opened the window. Just as she was about to stick her head out something sailed through the opened window and hit her wall with a tiny *ping*.

“Jack what are you doing down there?”

“I had to come and talk to you. I’m really sorry about earlier. The girls told me how upset you were and I just…” Nic cut him off when she heard a noise. Deciding that it was nothing she told him to come in through the back door and then herself she climbed out the window and up to the roof.

“Nic, Nickyla where are you?” she heard once Jack had found her room.

“On the roof.” She told him from above. Jack walked over to her window and looked out and up to see Nic with her knees pulled up to her chest staring out at the town.

“Can I come up?’

“I don’t know can you?”

“Would you mind if I came up there and sat with you?” she just nodded and he took that to mean it was okay. Carefully Jack stepped out onto the ledge and hoisted himself up using the roofing tiles.

“So, you’re up here, talk?”

“Nic, I’m sorry. Really I was asking you on a date but when you asked about it the way you did I couldn’t help it. I got scared and I didn’t think that you felt the same way that I did. The truth of all of it is that I have like you ever since the first time I saw you trip and fall the first day of our sophomore year. That was the day that I set my eyes on the most beautiful girl that ever would.” Nickyla didn’t know what to say, she was surprised and overwhelmed all at the same time. However at the same time she was finding herself a little embarrassed. Never had anyone ever said anything of that sort to her.

“And Nic, if you would let me I’ve got not problem with asking you out again.” It was all to much, she felt a tear slip down her cheek but wait she wasn’t crying. She felt a couple more drops of fall before she realized that it was raining. “So what do you say, about that date tomorrow and many more after that?” Nickyla nodded and she smiled the biggest that she had ever smiled before. The smile was contagious because soon Jack had one to match. He leaned forward slowly and pressed his lips to hers. To Nic this was heaven, and she never wanted it to end. As their lips moved against each others it began to pour. Nic would always remember this kiss.