‹ Prequel: Dirty Journalism

In Too Deep

When It Rains

Rain splattered on the windows of Room 304, where six very solemn people sat in silence. Scooter had his arm draped around Lexi as they sat on his bed. Stella was leaning against the wall by the window, looking at her feet. Max was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, while Jackie sat at his feet and rested her chin on her knees. Jeffrey sat on the floor, his head in his hands.

No one spoke for a long time. Finally Scooter asked, “Hey Jeff… where is she?”

Jeffrey didn’t move from his position. “In her room. She didn’t want to see anyone. She didn’t want to see me.”

Stella sighed. “Can you tell us what happened, Jeffrey?” she asked softly.

Jeffrey lifted his head. “When we were all at lunch, except for Max and Jackie, Dina’s cell phone rang, remember?” Scooter, Lexi, and Stella nodded. “She left the table to take the call because she said her dad was crying on the other end. When she didn’t come back, I found her crying in the middle of the hallway. Dina’s dad told her that her mom was driving on a wet road, lost control of the car, and flipped into a ditch. They think she died on impact.”

Jackie was having trouble breathing. Wet roads… car accidents… death…

“That sucks so much,” Lexi said, sniffing. Scooter kissed her forehead.

Stella nodded sadly. “I can’t imagine how she feels. None of us can. None of us have ever lost someone close.”

Max sat up slowly, facing Jackie, who now had her arms wrapped around her middle in comfort. She tried to avoid his gaze, but found that she couldn’t. Their eyes met, and Max gave her a look of sympathy. He was still the only one who knew.

“It would almost be helpful if one of us had,” Jeffrey said sadly. “Then maybe she’d talk to someone.”

Jackie scooted off the bed and made for the door. As Max opened his mouth to speak, she said quietly, “I’m tired.” Jackie stopped briefly when she reached where Jeffrey sat. “Things will get better. Someone will talk to her,” she said, and then left the room.

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Jackie stood at the door of Room 218. Dina’s dorm. She shared with her friends Caroline and Lauren, but Jackie had seen them sitting dejectedly in the second floor lounge on her way here. Apparently Dina refused to speak them too.

Jackie knocked on the door, and was surprised when it opened slightly. Figuring Dina hadn’t closed it properly, she poked her head inside and found the dorm and the bathroom completely empty.

As Jackie walked back down the hall confusedly, she passed the glass door leading to the second floor balcony. Gazing through the wet windowpanes, she was surprised to see a figure, soaked from the rain, looking out over the railing. The figure’s hair was unmistakably blonde. Dina.

Jackie sighed and pushed open the door, stepping out into the freezing February day and allowing the cold rain to fall upon her. Cautiously, Jackie stepped across the slippery stone balcony until she stood directly next to Dina. She rested her forearms on the rail.

Neither girl said a word for several minutes. All that was heard was the constant patter of raindrops around them and the usual sounds of city traffic.

Jackie glanced at Dina’s face and saw that it was pale and blank. Oddly enough, her tears were discernable from the raindrops on her face. The image of someone so lost made Jackie want to break down herself.

“The rain feels good,” Jackie said softly, loud enough for Dina to hear. Dina nodded lightly. She understood. Jackie knew what it felt like to deal with the shock and pain of losing someone, and she found that the sensation of raindrops on her skin was the most comforting feeling.

“It would be raining,” Dana said bitterly, her voice sounding weak and miserable. “Appropriate, isn’t it?”

“When it rains, it doesn’t always have to mean bad things happen.”

Dina looked straight into Jackie’s eyes. “Did you get that out of a fortune cookie?” she asked irritably.

Jackie shook her head, but didn’t say anything. They lapsed back into silence, and Dina’s gaze went back to the sidewalk below.

“I could jump off,” Dina said, eyeing the ground. “It could be over in a second.”

“And what would you accomplish by doing that?” Jackie asked.

Dina looked at Jackie and rolled her eyes. “Sarcasm never leaves you, even when you’re trying to comfort someone.”

“Sorry, slutty tramps can’t control themselves,” Jackie snapped. She instantly felt bad, realizing she was talking to someone whose mother had just died. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Of course you are,” Dina grumbled. “Everyone is.”

Jackie decided to ignore that statement. “Wanna know something?”

Dina sighed. “What?”

“I know exactly how fucking terrible you feel,” Jackie said, her voice cracking.

“No, you don’t–” Dina began, but Jackie cut her off.

“I had a sister. Did you know that?”

Dina stared at her. “Had?”

Jackie nodded. “Michaela Bodello. Six years older than me. When I was eleven and she was seventeen, she and her boyfriend snuck out to a party. It was raining. Their car flipped into a ditch filled with water. Her boyfriend made it out. She drowned.”

Dina’s mouth was open in shock. “Do… do people know this?”

Jackie shrugged. “You do now. And Max knows.”

“That’s it?”

“It’s not the easiest thing to share with people,” Jackie said. She could feel her eyes filling with tears just thinking about it.

“So obviously rain means bad things,” Dina insisted.

“My parents got engaged in the rain,” Jackie commented. “Michaela was born on a rainy day. My first day at James Academy, there was a thunderstorm. It was raining the day I got named editor of the paper. I like the rain.”

“It is almost comforting,” Dina admitted quietly. “But… how did you get over it?” She was referring to Michaela’s death.

Jackie frowned. “I’m not. Is that possible? Can you really ever get over something like that?”

“You can,” Dina answered instantly. Jackie was shocked by her sudden response. Dina continued. “You have to be. I have to be able to get over it. If I feel like this forever, jumping off a balcony will be the smartest thing to do.”

“Good point,” Jackie muttered.

“I’m going to get over it,” Dina said breathlessly. “It’s not going to take over my life, but I’m not going to live like it never happened.”

Jackie felt tears pour down her cheeks at this. How could Dina–annoying, self-centered, boy-crazy Dina–be able to reach a catharsis that Jackie was not? Even after telling all to Max and carving a message in the wall, she felt like something was off.

“Don’t forget her,” Jackie whispered, before turning on her heel and walking back through the glass door into the hall. She wrapped her arms around her torso and stared at the floor as she slowly made her way forward, dripping on the floors as she went.

“Jackie?”

Jackie lifted her head to see Max staring at her anxiously. She was, after all, soaking wet and crying in the middle of the hall.

Jackie didn’t even care at that moment that her shirt was probably see-through from the rain or that her eyes were undoubtedly red and puffy. She didn’t care that her hair was sticking to her neck or that there were probably streaks of eyeliner running down her cheeks. She didn’t care that Max was seeing her at her absolute worst.

With a small sob, Jackie walked forward and slammed her face into Max’s shoulder. His arms instantly wrapped around her. He didn’t seem to care much either. He didn’t care that Jackie was getting him soaking wet or that her makeup was staining his shirt. He didn’t care that she was probably getting snot all over his shoulder either.

There were footsteps around the corner and Jackie heard a few gasps. Then came Scooter’s voice. “What’s wrong with Jackie?”

Max didn’t turn around as he said, “Jeffrey, I see Dina on the balcony.”

Jeffrey instantly made his way to comfort his girlfriend, while Scooter, Lexi, and Stella stayed where they were, staring at the scene in front of them. Slowly, Max turned his head and gave the three of them a look, so they quietly turned on their heels and left the hall.

“Why can’t I just be over it?” Jackie choked out between sobs. Max knew exactly what she was talking about, but he also knew it was a question not meant to be answered, so he remained silent.

Jackie kept going. “I haven’t forgotten her. I even carved her a message. Why does something still feel wrong?” Max just shook his head, not knowing the answer.

From that moment on, not a single word was spoken as Jackie cried until there weren’t any tears left to spill.
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Hope you guys liked it. :-) Now excuse me as Claire and I devise a plan to break into Warner Brothers Studios and steal the tape of the sixth Harry Potter movie.

xoxo Dems