A Story to Tell Your Friends

“Have you got everything? You’re not forgetting your phone charger or anything stupid?” I asked, looking around the room. It was August the 2nd and Jack was leaving in the morning to go to visit his parents before they left on tour. I wasn’t happy about the extra 10 days he was going to be gone for, but I kept my pouting to myself by telling myself over and over that his family needed him occasionally too. I was currently helping him finish packing and searching his room for anything he may have forgotten to pack.
“Alex gave me a list. I’ve ticked off the entire list. I have everything. I promise,” Jack said, laughing at me. I held my hand out for the list, to which he obliged. I narrowed my eyes at it, trying to find something wrong somewhere, but came up with nothing.
“Okay, this is pretty solid,” I admitted, handing his piece of paper back to him.
“We do this all the time. It’s become an art.” I rolled my eyes, dropping down and sitting on Jack’s bed, next to his most recently packed suitcase. I’d spent most of my day here, milking every second I could steal from him before he left. I’d shown my face at work for a couple of hours, leaving early and telling Clive I’d make the time back tomorrow. He’d told me not to worry about it, saying he knew I stayed later than anyone else every other day anyway. Alex was staying on for a few days with Lisa before they left too, but Jack had to leave tomorrow. I had tried to get Alex and Lisa to convince him to stay, but they just told me if I couldn’t do it, no one could. I’d only responded by telling them they were cheating me by not trying.
“I wish you didn’t do it so much,” I told him, pouting.
“One month, that’s it. I’ll be back to see you on the 5th of September.”
“You’re going to be gone longer than I’ve known you,” I told him. “What if you forget about me?”
“I’ve told you a thousand times: I’m not forgetting you, I’ll call you every day and you have nothing to worry about.” I smiled slightly at his words, looking up at him as he made his way back over to the bed with the last of the clothes he was taking, throwing them in the open suitcase next to me.
“I know, but I think I might actually miss you.”
“’Might’?” He laughed. “Thanks, Clara. It’s good to know I’m appreciated.”
“Hey, I don’t know until you leave. I could yet realise I was only in it for your pretty face and stop speaking to you while you’re gone,” I joked.
“It’s okay, I’ll just stalk you until you realise I’m your favourite person in the world. I might be a thousand miles away, but I can still be a pain in your ass.” I snorted, grabbing his hand and pulling him down to my level, kissing him quickly.
“Stalk away.” Jack grinned at me widely, kissing me also.
“Are you staying over?” He asked, nonchalantly as he started to zip up the suitcase.
“If you don’t mind.”
“When have I ever minded? Go home and get some things so you’re not up at the ass crack of dawn to go home and change.”
“Would it freak you out to know I already brought my PJs and another set of clothes just in case? They’re in my bag.” Jack snorted and I grinned sheepishly. As if he really thought I’d pass up the chance to spend all of his last day with him.
“You’re still such a fucking creeper.”
“I know, but how else was I supposed to stop you from going out and meeting the girl of your dreams tonight?”
“Call me cheesy, but I think you’re too late.” I bit my lip to suppress the grin forming on my face. I was doing a terrible job and I could feel it, but Jack had merely winked at me as he’d made his comment then turned his back to me to take the final suitcase into the hallway. I know I shouldn’t believe every word he said, but I couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t used to the idea of a day when I knew for a fact I wouldn’t see Jack and every time he opened his mouth, he seemed to say exactly what I wanted to hear. I couldn’t imagine being with anyone other than him anymore and I knew for a fact I was going to miss him more than I could put into words. “Speaking of cheesy, what pizza do you want tonight?” He asked, strolling back into the room where I had now laid down. I laughed as he sat himself down next to me.
“Anything you want. My treat for once. It doesn’t even have to be pizza.”
“I’m the one leaving for a month, I’m buying and we’re having pizza.” I rolled my eyes at him.
“You’re such a pain in my ass.”
“I’m practicing for when I need to stalk you. Even though I know I can always tempt you back to me with pizza and cheese fries.”
“You must have done something really wrong if you need to use both.”
“How badly will I have fucked up if I have to add bacon to your cheese fries, too?”
“You would have murdered my family. Or Tammy must hate you.”
“I’m glad I know how to get out of you hating me when I murder your family. I don’t think you’d ever really forgive me if Tammy hated me.” I snorted at his response. Trust him to be a drama queen.
“Only because Tammy would whoop your ass if you looked at me.”
“Damn, remind me never to get on her bad side,” he responded, pulling me up into a seated position and taking me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder.
“You’re gonna call me, right?” I sighed after a couple of minutes in the same position.
“Every day. I couldn’t go without my daily fix of Clara.”
“Good. Because if you don’t, I will quit my dream job to come find you.” Jack chuckled quietly, making his chest vibrate beneath me.
“There’s every chance I won’t call, just to see you show up out of the blue.”
“Call my bluff, Jack. I dare you.”
“Okay, okay. Breathe. I’ll call. Promise.”
“You had better,” I muttered, finally letting go of him and grabbing my phone. “So, what pizza are you getting me?”
“Okay, fine,” Jack gave in, forcing himself out of bed and throwing the now empty pizza box on the floor. I squealed with delight, grinning widely at him. “You’d have thought you were the one going away or something.”
“Please,” I snorted. “You’re doing this to make up for the fact you’re leaving for a month to fulfil one of your wildest dreams, while I’m sat at home doing absolutely nothing.” Jack smiled at me, shaking his head as he threw 10 Things I Hate About You in the DVD player. “Besides, you don’t own this DVD without ever having wanted to watch it.”
“I like having chick flicks in my apartment so girls think I’m sensitive and deep. It makes them wanna bone me.”
“Trust me, this film makes me wanna bone Heath Ledger, not you.” Jack looked at me, disgusted as he crawled back into the bed.
“Clara, he’s dead. You can’t bone him, it’s wrong.”
“But, in 1999, he was super hot. I wanna bone him in 1999.” Again, Jack pulled a disgusted face.
“You were eight, that’s just as bad.”
“Oh my God. Shut up you creep!” Jack laughed at me and held his arm out so I could regain my position by his side, with my head on his bare chest.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I get wildly jealous of how every girl I’ve ever met swoons over the man.”
“I mean, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t swoon over him in The Dark Knight.”
“Sadly, it does. Too many girls say the exact opposite.” I cringed slightly at his words, wondering just who on earth swooned over him in such a role.
“I mean, of all the Jokers, he isn’t even my favourite.”
“What?!” Jack shot up and I fell back into the mattress lightly. “How can you even say that?”
“I grew up watching the Tim Burton films and the animated series. Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill will always be my favourites.” I replied as he looked down at me, propping myself up on my elbows.
“Okay, I’ll allow Mark Hamill, but really, Jack Nicholson? Heath redefined the Joker.” I rolled my eyes at him as he hovered above me.
“I didn’t want the Joker redefining. I wanted his comedic, comic book feel to stay the same. I know that was the point, but, really, it was too dark and gritty. It’s supposed to be masked under a thin layer of childish-but-deadly pranks.”
“I can hardly even look at you right now.”
“Don’t be such a drama queen.”
“I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.”
“Because Jack Nicholson played the best Joker?”
“Yes! The girl I met in Walmart never would have said such a thing to me!”
“No, but she would try and trick you into thinking you could find a beach towel with Leto’s Joker on it.”
“Oh my God. You’re going to see Suicide Squad without me.” I snorted suddenly at his abrupt realisation.
“Yes, Jack, you are going to be on the other side of the country.”
“But, Clara, I wanted to show up dressed as the Joker and surprise you with seeing it!”
“Trust me, if you did that, I wouldn’t be going anywhere with you. Loser.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d say you’d dress up as Harley.”
“I did once. Arkham Harley was so hot.”
“Sorry, what did you just say? You went out in public dressed as slutty nurse Harley Quinn?” I nodded slowly. “I need to see pictures of this immediately.” I rolled my eyes.
“There’s only one picture left, and that’s me with Tammy dressed as Poison Ivy.”
“I need to pictures of this immediately.”
“You’re such a fucking perv.”
“Only for you,” he smiled.
“Lie down and let me watch the film.” Jack scowled at me, but laid down anyway and I rested my head back on his chest. “I’m going to miss this.” I sighed after a few minutes.
“Miss what?” He asked, absentmindedly. Clearly, Jack was actually paying attention to the film.
“You acting like a dweeb.”
“I’ll still act like a dweeb; you’ll just have to listen to it instead of seeing it. Why don’t you have an iPhone again?”
“Because they suck. But that’s not the point. I’ll miss seeing you act like a dweeb. And the way you always pretend to hate me when I call you out on it, but you still have that look in your eye like you enjoy that part most of all. I’m gonna miss you showing up in my office and embarrassing me in front of everyone and sweeping me off for five minutes to grab a coffee from the vending machine. I just… I don’t know. It’s going to be weird without you.” I sighed lightly, realising I’d said a lot more than I had wanted to. I wanted to seem like I was going to be fine without him, but I was acting like I was in love with him or something. My stomach flipped lightly at the thought, but I ignored it. “Ignore me, now I’m being the dweeb.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Clara. I’m going to miss doing all those things with you.”
“You’re going to have the time of your life, Jack.”
“I know, but that still doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss spending time with you. I just can’t wait until we’re in LA. You’ll be there, and I’ll be doing what I love with the guys I love. I just wish it could be like that the entire time.” I smiled softly into his chest, placing a quick kiss there.
“That’s fine then. I’ll count down the days.”