"This is all your fault, director's pet. This is a play. I'm not falling in love with you, and I would never ever go out with you, Jack Garrison."
Jack and Shayna can't get through a rehearsal without fighting.
Cheerleader Shayna loathes perfect Ja...
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Rumors were worse than wildfire sweeping every corner of the school. Everyone had somehow found out so many details of Jack's situation, but I had a gut feeling the reason was spelled: S-A-M-A-N-T-H-A.
Jack hadn't come to school today. Since the festival was on Saturday, the night after the school's big bonfire where Carson's band was performing, we were all a little nervous.
Anton had texted the group exactly once yesterday. He explained that he could not continue directing until Thursday due to family issues. He said to rest tonight because Jamie Skylar would join us tomorrow to oversee our rehearsal.
I tried my best to go about my school day normally, which seemed almost impossible. Apparently, if my mother was called in to help Jack's sister, the only logical explanation was that I was dating Jack Garrison, which made me gossip ground zero despite my protests.
Somehow, I made it through my morning classes without throwing anything or yelling at the people who would rather discuss the Garrison family than read The Grapes of Wrath.
Even with Parker by my side, yesterday had been long and debilitating. Mary had gotten out of surgery that had gone well, but she was still in the hospital recovering from blood loss and the wound.
Mom had said she was lucky. Mary would need time before being discharged from the hospital, and depending on her recovery, she might even need physical therapy. The three of us got home around three in the afternoon, and Mom and I went straight to bed.
This morning, Parker had to dump a glass of water over my head and roll me into the shower to get me to school on time. Mom wanted me in school regardless of how tired I was, so she had Parker make a coffee and hot chocolate concoction for me to drink in a thermos and drop me off before the first bell.
My brother was driving back to school today. I was grateful for his coming to the hospital. Jack had been happy to see him, and I knew they'd talked before I'd gotten back to the hospital after visiting the theater.
Before school, Jack had texted me, saying that Mary was doing better and the doctors would run more tests. He had mentioned something to me about his uncle insisting he see a counselor this afternoon.
I was having a hard enough time dealing with the previous day's events myself. Parker and I had discussed what happened in-depth afterward. He'd been the only person I felt I could open up to without having a strange conversation with Jack.
It had been easier for me to live in blissful obliviousness, ignoring Jack's existence. I couldn't leave him alone after seeing him stripped down to his weakest point. No one deserves to be broken down over and over by a parent. Seeing him cradle his sister and the fear in his eyes forced me to look beyond his perfect façade and popular act.
Without the filters and his usual confidence, I saw a boy who didn't think he was worth very much. He was a young man who wanted to protect his family. He was broken and alone.
