Three's a Crowd

Marcel sat at the collapsible desk in his room several textbooks scattered around him. The brown haired teenager had been staring at his books for the last hour but no matter how hard he tried nothing was sticking. Irritably he sighed closing the thick English book and rolled his chair away from the desk, getting to his feet he pulled his wide framed glasses from his face rubbing his eyes as he walked over taking a seat on the window sill beside his bed looking out at the street below him.

There was a gentle knock on his bedroom door causing him to turn around quickly.

“Hey Marcie,” it was Jackie’s voice, the green eyed male slipped on his glasses so he could see her clearer

“Hi Jackie,” he smiled turning his head and looking at her dressed in a casual pair of boyfriend jeans and black tank top exposing her tattooed arms and chest. “What are you doing back here?”

“Sarah forgot her book earlier.”

“Oh right,” Marcel chuckled lightly running his fingers through his now untamed hair. “Did you want to sit?” he asked indicating to his bed that was the closest seat to her.

“No, I’m alright honey, won’t be here much longer just thought I would come up and say hi,” Jackie smiled warmly. The blonde looked at her friend and realised how stressed he looked, his hair was beginning to curl like he had been running his fingers through his hair a lot, his eyes were half lidded as if he needed sleep, and he just looked exhausted and confused. “What’s going on Marcel, you look exhausted?”

“School work, It’s driving me insane,” the brunette admitted groaning before tilting his head back to rest on his wall.

“Maybe you need a break,” Jackie suggested casually shrugging her shoulders before walking over to the green-eyed male and taking a seat next to him on the windowsill. Marcel chuckled as his eyes slowly cracked open and he looked at the blonde who was sitting next to him.

“I wish Princess, but I can’t. I have an exam tomorrow and nothing is sticking.”

“All the more reason to get out for a while, doesn’t have to be long, come on, I’ll take you, we can go for a walk.”

“Ja…” the male began but the feisty blonde was having none of it.

“Nope, no excuses Marcel, we’ll just walk around the block.” Marcel didn’t get a choice in the situation because before he could object Jackie had grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. “Sarah, I’m taking Marcel for a walk,” the blonde heard a muffled alright from the lounge room before the two of them were out the front door and in the evening air.

“You sure Sarah is gonna be alright there by herself?”

“Marcel, she’s nineteen don’t try that, plus it won’t be long until Ed gets home from whatever he’s doing.” Jackie spoke before grabbing the male’s arm and pulling him away from his home and away from his homework.

The two teenagers walked in silence, it was a comfortable silence. Jackie had her arm linked comfortably with Marcel’s as she walked along her biker boots hitting the concrete with a light thud.

“Marcel,” Jackie began, her voice had shy tone to it which the blonde hated, Jackie was never shy she was always straightforward and nothing embarrassed her and she definitely wasn’t shy. However what the blonde was about to ask caused her cheeks to burn in embarrassment and her heart to race in her chest.

Marcel picked up on the blonde’s tone and he couldn’t help the way one of his brows arched in confusion and surprise. “Yes Jack,” he spoke calling the blonde the nickname the two shared privately. Jackie was struggling severely with the question that she wanted to ask embarrassed and unsure if she wanted to know the answer. “Jack,” Marcel stopped walking grabbing the girl and pulling her around so she was looking at him dead in the eyes. “What’s wrong? What’s going on in that mind of yours,” the green eyed geek chuckled. Sighing the blonde threw all caution to the wind.

“At breakfast you said that you would date me when Ed started dating Sarah…” the blonde trailed off unable to keep her eyes locked with the younger twin in front of her she pulled them away looking down at the ground. “Did you mean it?” her voice was no higher then a whisper when she asked the question, she winced at how pathetic it sounded.

The two were swallowed into silence, it only lasted a few moments before it became too much for Jackie and she spoke. “Never mind, you don’t have to answer it, I get it; it was just a joke, got it,” she chuckled awkwardly before unwinding her arm from around Marcel’s and began walking back to the house at a fast pace.

“Jack,” Marcel spoke but the blonde simply laughed before turning and running back to the house, “JACKIE!” he yelled chasing after her. Marcel had longer legs so it didn’t take him long until he had caught up with the running blonde. He cut in front of her stopping her abruptly, luckily she had good balance otherwise she would have fallen over. Marcel was a good two inches taller than the blonde, which caused her to look up at him, when she lifted her head he saw the tears in her eyes. “Jack, where is all this coming from?” he asked reaching out his hands cupping her cheeks and using the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the few tears that had fallen onto her skin. A breathy laugh left the blondes lips as she shrugged her shoulders.

“I just wanted to know, I mean we dance around each other like this all the time and…”

“Jack, I’m not very good at the whole dating thing, I have never dated a girl, and the only dates I’ve ever had have been with a text book and their frustrating enough.” Jackie laughed at the male’s joke. “I would date you Jackie believe me I would, you’re beautiful, blunt, funny, and at the moment emotional but I am scared.”

“Scared?” the blonde sniffled.

“Yes, scared. I’m scared that I would mess everything up for you, for us, the friendship we’ve had since we were little toddlers exchanging crazy stories and sharing everything. I don’t want to lose everything.”

Jackie nodded her head understandingly. “I understand Marcie,” she sniffled again but a small smile spread across her face. “Gosh, look at me… I am a blubbering mess,” Marcel chuckled pulling the blonde close pressing a kiss on her forehead and wrapping his arms around her smaller shoulders.

“But a gorgeous blubbering mess,” a weak giggle left Jackie’s lips as she snuggled her face closer to her best friends chest. “Come on we had better get back, god knows what Ed’s trying to get Sarah to do,” the tattooed blonde nodded her head against the brunette’s chest before they both turned walking back to the house Marcel keeping his arm around Jackie’s shoulders.