Flesh & Bone

In just a few weeks, Jack and Jocelyn had become very close. But, they only really hung out at school. Until one day in particular, a Friday to be exact, Jack had asked her if she wanted to come over to his house to play some MarioKart. Just to hang out.

Jocelyn walked to his house because unfortunately, she didn't have a car yet. When she finally found it, she realized it was literally just down the street. She laughed at herself as she walked up the door, why hadn't she realized that sooner? A wave of nervousness washed over her. She's never hung out with Jack “alone.” They've mostly hung out at school. He had joined her lunch table with Nick just a few weeks ago. And they also had algebra together so, they worked together and talked during the class period.

Her stomach was knotted with both nervousness and excitement. Bringing her hand to the door, she knocked on it quietly. After awhile, nobody came, I must have not knocked loud enough, she thought to herself. But, before her fist hit the big, white door again, Jack was in the doorway. Her eyes widened, “uh, hi.” Jocelyn squeaked with a waved and small smile.

Jack already had a huge smile on his face and motioned her inside. “Come the fuck in and welcome to my palace,” he greeted as he bowed in front of her. Jocelyn giggled and stepped inside.

His house was a normal, middle-class, two-story house. She walked into the living room that was to the left of her and the dinning room was attached. There was a carpeted staircase to her right and straight ahead was a hallway that lead to the kitchen.

“Are you hungry?” Jack asked. Jocelyn nodded her head and the pair headed down the hallway to the kitchen. Along the walls of the short hallway hung pictures. All sorts of pictures, Jack's school pictures, family portraits, and some other pictures.

Jocelyn turned her attention back to walking into the kitchen and she sat down at the island that sat in the middle of the kitchen. Jack was going through the pantry to the right.

“Where is everybody?” Jocelyn questioned curiously, playing with napkins that were next to her. Jack simply shrugged as he grabbed some chips off the shelf of the pantry.

“You like chips, right?” he stiffed a laugh. He also seems nervous, she thought. Maybe this was a bad idea, but there are first times for everything, she guessed.

Jocelyn nodded to him to answer his question. He smiled in response and then skipped off back into the living room. Jocelyn followed him and saw him messing with the TV and all the game systems that lay scattered on the floor. She laughed at him silently as he was trying to figure out which cord went with what system.

“You know, instead of laughing at me, maybe it would be nice if you could HELP,” Jack insisted as he became frustrated with untangling cords. She would help if she knew anything about putting a game system together, she only knew how to play them. Sighing, she noticed him still struggling and decided to help anyway.

Jack beamed at her as she sat down next to him. Jocelyn took a bundle of cords and started to untangle the huge knot. After awhile she was getting frustrated as well. Hearing a grunt from next to her, she guessed Jack wasn't having any luck either.

“Trust me, we will get these cords untangled or I will die trying!” boasted Jack as he stood up and tried ripping cords apart with all his might.

“You know, I won't mind not playing MarioKart,” Jocelyn suggested, biting her bottom lip a little and standing up. Jack gave her a smug look, then pouted slightly.

“I guess you're right, it's not worth this shit,” he said, dropping some cords in the mess below them. Jocelyn nodded and shifted her weight awkwardly to the side.

“So, now what?” he said, slumping down on the couch. The knot in Jocelyn's stomach again returned and she swallowed, hoping it would go away. Was this getting too awkward? She just shook the thought from her mind and joined him on the couch.

“I don't know, should we get out of the house or something?” offered Jocelyn after a short silence. She glanced at Jack and he was nodding his head madly.

“Please, I need to get out of this house,” he insisted, bolting up off the couch and running to the door. Jocelyn giggled at his actions and followed him to the door.

Outside the air was cool and the feeling of Autumn was approaching. The two mindlessly wondered the neighborhood for a while until they ended up at the park. The swings lay empty and they swung themselves in the soft breeze. Jocelyn ran towards them and Jack quickly followed. She flung herself at the swing and started swinging on her stomach then Jack sat down on the swing next to her.

Bringing herself to sit, she started swinging, moving her legs forward and back with all her might. Jocelyn loved swinging, it was the one good constant thing in her life. Her smile grew bigger as she rose higher.

Taking her eye off the sky, she looked down at Jack, who still sat still. She gave him a puzzling look. He noticed her stare and laughed a little.

“I don't like heights,” he shouted to her as she was at her highest point, scratching the back of his neck. Skidding her feet on the ground, she brought herself to a stop.

“Sorry, I just get carried away when it comes to swinging,” admitted Jocelyn. She got up from the swinging. “Do you wanna keep walking?”

Jack nodded and stood up from his swing, taking Jocelyn's hand in his and smiling. Her heart did something weird and her stomach knotted again. She wasn't starting to like him, was she?

The pair started walking mindlessly again and not really paying attention to where they were going. Soon, they found themselves over across the small river and on the richer part of town. Jocelyn and Jack were rounding the corner of a block as Jocelyn had stopped dead in her tracks. There stood a brick, two-story house with a porch and a fence lining the outline of the yard.

“What's wrong?” wondered Jack, looking at her with concern.

“This is his house,” she murmured.

“Who's?”

“Alex's.”

“Maybe we'll come back and egg it later tonight or some-” Jack started to say but, he noticed Jocelyn had already jumped over the fence and was heading toward the side of the house.

“Joce, what the fuck are you doing?!” Jack half shouted, half whispered, trying hard not to be heard.

“Just, come on!” demanded Jocelyn from behind the short fence, waving him on. Jack rolled his eyes at her but, gave in and pushed himself up over the fence.

No one was home, thankfully and this was the perfect time to sneak into his house and spy. As Jack and Jocelyn came to the side of the house, Jocelyn pointed to a window on the second story.

“That's his room. Wait here,” she insisted as she started to climb the fence like object that had vines wildly growing up it. Jack gave her a disapproving look but, didn't try to stop her.

“Jocelyn Wanor, the badass,” Jocelyn heard below her.

Climbing up the side of the house was harder than before. She used to do this about 2 or 3 times a day when she would sneak over to Alex's house when she couldn't sleep. As she reached the window, the small crow bar, which helped her open the window, still was laying on the windowsill. She gave a quick look down at Jack, his arms were crossed and he kept looking at the road then back to her.

“Just don't get yourself fucking killed or something,” he whispered huskily at her. She rolled her eyes and looked inside the room. No one's here, good, she thought to herself. Taking the small bar into her hand, Jocelyn cracked the window open slightly then pushed it up with her hands until it was fully open. She pushed herself inside.

Alex's room hadn't changed too much. The bed was in a different place and there seemed to be more posters hanging on the wall. Her eyes wondered around the room some more until her eyes landed on a small pink notebook that stood out underneath his bed.

“Hey, that's mine,” she thought out loud. She grabbed the notebook from under the bed and started paging through it. It was mostly a notebook for notes she had written to Alex. But as she looked though it more, she found poems that she hadn't remembered writing. These definitely weren't her's. There was a noise that came from the downstairs. Voices. How did she not hear the car pulling into the driveway or the sound of the front door opening? Paranoia came over her and she started thinking this was a bad idea.

Jocelyn quickly tucked the notebook under her arm and climbed out the window, closing it silently before she climbed down the side of the house. Jack was still waiting and was now sitting on the ground. He stood up as soon as her feet hit the ground.

“What did you find?” he questioned her, seeing the notebook tucked tightly underneath her arm.

“Uh, no it's nothing. It was my notebook and I wanted it back,” she half lied and held the notebook closer to her body. “Let's go back to your house. I think we've had enough adventure today.”

Jack nodded in agreement and the two started walking back to the front of the house, trying hard not to be seen by anyone inside. They slipped up over the fence and speed up their pace to get around the corner of the block.

Arriving at Jack's house, Jocelyn flung herself onto the couch and Jack sat beside her. She started flipping through the page's of the notebook again. She stopped on a page that had a poem titled Untitled. Soon, she realized it was about her.

“Eyes like the devil but, still like Heaven,” she said aloud, “what the fuck, he hates me. Why would he...” she started but, stopped when she realized she was talking out loud.

“What are you reading?” Jack said from next to her, leaning into her shoulder and looking at what she was reading. Jocelyn slammed the notebook shut quickly and put in down on the other side of her. Jack turned his head away when she did and looked slightly embarrassed.

“Sorry...” he apologized, scratching the back of his neck and his cheeks burned pink. Jocelyn turned her head towards him and punched him in the arm playfully.

“You don't have to apologize,” said Jocelyn with a smile. Jack turned his attention back to her and retuned the smile.

“So, wanna watch a movie or something?” Jack suggested and Jocelyn nodded. He stood up and held out his hand. Jocelyn took it and he hoisted her up off the couch. They walked toward the shelf that held the movies and she grazed her eyes over several titles.

“I was thinking of watching something scary, sound good?” Jack turned towards her with a mischievous look plastered on his face. Jocelyn's eyes widened and they had a look of terror in them.

“N-No, no thank you,” she stammered quietly and suggested something a little more lighter, like Monsters, Inc. She reached for the case but, it was quickly out of her hands and in the hands of Jack. He shook his head.

“Horror movie,” he commanded.

“No.”

“Yes!”

“NO!”

“NO!”

“YE- FUCK YOU.” Joceyln shouted, then ripped the movie out from his hands. “Fine, have it your way,” she mumbled with a pout, placing the movie back were it was on the shelf.

“Jack Barakat always gets his way,” boasted Jack as he picked out Saw and placed it into the DVD player.

Jocelyn made her way to the couch and glanced at the pink notebook. Running her fingers over the edge, she thought of why Alex had written that poem about her. She knew she was his number one enemy but, the poem seemed to speak of something otherwise.