‹ Prequel: Smiling In Everything

Mess You Made

Realization.

Jack—

"You know," Rein teases as my eyes travel back to her face, "you can hold my hand if you want to."

I felt a small smile on my face as she wiggles her fingers at me cheekily. I chuckle a bit and twine our hands in the center of the table, taking another sip from my water. I glance around for what felt like the thousandth time. I couldn't shake this feeling I had creeping up my spine, like someone was here. I don't who this someone was, but I felt someone.

Why I felt this someone in the middle of a diner while I was having breakfast with Rein, I didn't know. So I tried to ignore it as I spear another piece of bacon into my mouth.

"Are you okay?" the girl across from me was now asking as she rubbed her thumb over my palm.

I look up again, scrunching my brows like I didn't know what she meant. "Yeah. Why?"

She cocks her head to the side, cutting at her strawberry and banana pancakes with her fork. "You just seem off. Do you need some Aspirin? I think I might have some in my bag." I watch as she takes a drink from her coffee, her light eyes smiling at me with a genuine warmth that cut me deep to my bones.

I shake my head, trying to muster up a not-fake-looking smile. I was almost there, but no cigar. "I promise, I'm fine. I just feel weird. Like...there's this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach."

She looked worried. Actually worried. "What kind of feeling?"

I couldn't decipher it as I tried to wrap my head around it again. "I don't know," I mutter, using my free hand to muss up my hair. "I can't figure it out. I feel...I feel someone. Like someone is...watching us? No, not that necessarily..." I blow out a large breath, shaking my head a second time. "I don't know and I don't care. Let's just enjoy breakfast together, all right?" I give her a grin, one that felt real, and she grins back.

"Sure thing, Jack," she says softly, going back to her pancakes.

We had finished our breakfast and she was on her second cup of coffee about fifteen minutes later. We were just sitting and talking, laughing like old pals. That was one thing I liked about this weird fling I had with Rein; it wasn't awkward, it was comfortable and neither of us minded not being attached right now. There was one main reason for that and thankfully we had both avoided that topic so far in this unique relationship—if you can call what we have a relationship.

But after three glasses of water, I had to tinkle. "Excuse me for a moment?" I smile small as I get to my feet. Rein nods and I lean over to press a chaste kiss to the top of her head. I pull back and she was smiling wider, making my own expression brighten.

As I make my way to the bathroom, that feeling in the pit of my stomach blossomed.

What is this feeling? I can't even explain it. Is someone here? At the diner? Who could I possibly be having this reaction over? It's just Rein and I and I would prefer if it was just the two of us without anyone being here to catch us. Maybe I having this feeling because we're out in public together and I'm terrified Alex will find out. But let's be honest, what the hell could he do about this? He was the one who ruined his and Rein's relationship so it's not like he'd have any sort of reason to be mad about what her and I have now. If anything it would just be tense and awkward which is just as worse. And God knows I want to avoid something tense and—

Smack.

I go sprawling across the floor, blinking as I try to clear the blackness from my vision. I hadn't even felt the door banging into my head but I did feel the aftereffects. "Fuck!"

"I am so sorry!" I hear a sweet, feminine voice chime as I land on the carpeted ground beneath me. I feel them get on their knees beside me as I continue to blink the darkness from my eyes. "Are you okay?" Their voice was frantic. But it was a frantic I'd heard before.

"I think so," I chuckle, thinking nothing of the familiarity itching at my brain. "I didn't see the bathroom door opening."

I look up, the blackness fading. It took me two seconds too long for my eyes to register who I was gazing at. Her auburn hair was tucked up under a beanie, her small nose and freckles the same as they had been a year before. Her eyes widen as my own do as well and we stare at each other for a millisecond before my mouth forces itself to move. And saying her name made me know she was actually here, in Maryland, crouching over me.

"...Sadie?"

Her jaw opens and closes uselessly as I force myself to sit up. I couldn't even believe it. But then I noticed that feeling in the pit of my stomach had disappeared. It was Sadie I had felt?

I go to say her name again, my hand reaching out to touch her, when she was getting to her feet hurriedly. Her face was sad, guilty, angry, and all these other things I couldn't catch as they flashed across her face quickly. Our eyes stay connected for just a moment longer before she's running away, bolting around the corner and back out into the open space of the diner.

"Sadie!" I call immediately, stumbling to my feet and going after her.

But by the time I'd made it back out into the main dining room, she was nowhere in sight. The door was slowly shutting and I hear another person shout "Sadie!" as well.

And this voice was one I knew all too well.

I turn my head to the side, my gaze catching the sight of Alex halfway out of a booth. I take in the two plates, one in front of his seat and one in front of the seat across from him. It took me one whole second to put the piece together and I was seeing red. They had fucking breakfast together? What? Does this mean that she had come back for him, come back to see Alex and not? I growl and stomp over to the booth, grabbing Alex by the collar of his shirt. His eyes widen up at me.

"Jack—" he breathes.

"How long has she been back?" I hiss in his face, my hands curling into fists. "How long have you two been screwing each other again?" I throttle him harshly, my teeth gritting.

He pushes me off of him, his face strangely calm, despite the fact that we had both just seen Sadie, the girl we'd been fighting and pining over for an entire year. "If you'd let me explain," he growls back, straightening out his jacket. "She came back yesterday. I ran into her at a coffee place. I took her back to Cass and Rian's, where she is currently staying, at her request and stayed over after falling asleep on the couch. I then took her to breakfast." He narrows his eyes at me, a hint of regret in his eyes for having spewed all of that to me. He had wanted her all to himself. "One of us had to get answers."

I twist my face up into a scowl. "I don't believe you."

He throws his arms in the air. "That's your problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a girl to chase after." He attempts to run past me, but I grab his arm before he can. He growls again.

"Let me go," he spits, throwing me off of him again.

I push him back a few feet. "What did she say to you?"

He scrunches his brows. "I hardly see how that is any of your business." My face grows darker at this. "Sadie is her own person. She doesn't need two douche-asses needing to know her every move."

"Oh, just one douche-ass then?" I quirk, crossing my arms over my chest.

His jaw clenches at this and I see him about to pull his arm back, ready to throw me a punch, before his face droops as his eyes move to the right of me. I crease my brows before looking to where he was looking, seeing Rein giving him a look. "Don't make any more of a scene than you two already have," she says haughtily. "Outside. Come on."

Then she was hustling us out of the diner, eyes following us as we did so. When we are finally outside, away from the judgmental looks, Rein crosses her own arms.

"You are acting like fucking children," she snarls. "Let her go. She needs space."

Alex gives her an incredulous look, still wary of the fact that she was her in the first place though. "Since when are you defending Sadie?" he asks hotly, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

"Since you two just tried to smother her," Rein scoffs. "I know what she did was wrong. And I hated her for a long time because of it." I see Alex's jaw tighten at this and his back go stiff, but he stays silent. "But I can forgive and forget. We were all foolish back then." She shakes her head. "Just...give her some time, okay? You said she's been back a day? Fuck, she must feel so overwhelmed."

"Especially since she had planned on not seeing either of us," Alex tells, nodding between he and I. My brows raise at this.

"She thought she could return to Maryland and avoid us?"

He nods bitterly. "Which immediately didn't work since I found her not even six hours after she had landed back here." He shakes his head as well, blowing out a breath. "I'm gonna go home. I, as well, need to clear my head." Then he was stalking off without as much as parting look.

After he was in his car and driving off, Rein turns to me, her gaze soft.

"Are you okay?" she asks quietly. "I...I assume seeing her wasn't..." she drops off, a thick tone in her voice. "I assume it wasn't easy seeing her."

I look away. "It wasn't."

"Do you...do you wanna talk about it?"

My mind flashes back to those moments of seeing her again: her small face, her light eyes, and her bright aura that could light up a room without the help of electricity. I close my eyes briefly as I try to grasp onto those few seconds I had at seeing her again. This just reminded me how Alex had shared an entire evening with her and my blood runs cold and my teeth grind together.

"No," I say, my voice gravelly with pulsing anger. "I don't. Just...give me space, too. Okay?"

Then I'm forcing myself from her, ignoring the solemn glance she spared me as I turned away.
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This is terribly written, so sorry about that. But thoughts? :)

AND READ THIS PLEASE! I am currently participating in a writing contest called the Prompt Table Challenge where I have to write a certain number of one-shots (or chapters in a story format, which is the option I chose) based on a prompt for each chapter/one-shot. I chose the table 30 Passions and the story is located here: Passion. It is a fic featuring Aaron Tveit. If you don't know who he is, he is a Broadway performer and quite the talented singer! If you could all go at least read the story and give feedback it would mean a lot! And if you subscribed/recommended that would be even better :) THANK YOU!

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