missing | gilinsky

9

"Nadia, what's your problem?" Sam giggles, watching me squirm around in my seat. I bite onto my lip, looking around the coffee shop that's just down the block from Westside. I was definitely not being late to healthy livings today, especially since I was with Sammy. 

"Problem?" I frown. "I don't have a problem." Lie. Big fat lie. My problem was that I was waiting for Jack to pop up out of nowhere but I know he's not going to, not after what happened yesterday. I'm still scolding myself for it. 

"You've been acting really weird lately," Sam complains, taking a huge bite out of his bagel. Cream cheese slathers all over his chin. I hand him a napkin, but he ignores the gesture, taking another bite.

"How have I been acting weird?"

"You're always on edge," he tells me. "Is it because of that Jack Gilinsky guy?" 

I take a sip out of my water and start playing with the cap, not wanting to answer Sam's question. He can tell when I'm lying so I'd rather not go down that path. Being on edge isn't even the half of how Jack makes me act. 

"So it is because of that Jack Gilinsky guy." He smirks. "Did he hit it and quit it?"

"Shut up," I banter, staring down at the table. Sam can be so inconsiderate at times.

"Do you need me to beat him up?" 

"Sam, shut up, if you should beat anyone up it should be me," I clarify. 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He sort of has the idea that I was only talking to him to get information of Jack's whereabouts," I say, putting the cap back on my water. 

"You mean your brother Jack?"

I roll my eyes. "No, Jack Frost."

"Alright, alright," Sam laughs. "Calm down, it's fine."

"No it's not fine, he's never going to talk to me again."

"Why does it matter? You still got Hannah and me to talk to," he reminds me, finally wiping the cream cheese off his chin.

I shake my head, tapping my hand on the table. He didn't get it. There are so many reasons why it matters. I'm so used to just being around Hannah and Sam. It was nice to see a new face everyday, have a new friend. Although he could be a little much at times, Jack was fun to be around.

"Do you like him?" Sam coos. 

I click my tongue on the roof of my mouth and lean forward over the table to smack him on the shoulder. He erupts with laughter. I hate him. 

"Let's go, it's getting late," I say, standing up from my seat.

"Alright, Juliet," he jokes. 

"I'm going to punch you," I warn, stalking out of the building. Sam follows close behind.

"Did you say something to Jack yesterday?" Hannah asks as soon as I walk into Healthy Livings. I can't get away from my mistake, everywhere I go someone has to mention it. 

"Yeah," I grumble, taking a seat next to her. "Why?"

"He just seems distant," she tells me, leaning on her elbow. He seems distant? How would Hannah know if he was being distant or not? Did I really cause him to stop talking to her too?

"All I want to do is find Jack, okay? That's what I've been trying to do for over a month and I'm not getting anywhere. I'm sorry if Jack felt like I was using him but that's not all of the reason why I was talking to him. Can you let him know that?" I babble. 

Hannah furrows her eyebrows, trying to make sense of everything I just said. It's getting really rough having two Jack's in my life. I can't tell if she knows that I'm talking about my brother as well as Gilinsky, but I think she figures it out. She nods, slipping out her phone. 

"Are you texting him now?" I question. 

"Yes," she says. 

A part of me wonders how Hannah and Jack got so close within these few days. It's like they've known each other forever. They're acting like best friends. They're acting like how Sam and I act. That's sort of confusing because Hannah isn't normally the type to make friends like that, especially a friend that's a guy. I feel like something else is going on, but I advise myself to keep quiet about it. 

When the late bell rings Mrs. Murrey prances into the room, Hannah quickly places her phone in my hands. I look up at our teacher and watch as she starts writing stuff on the smart board, then let my eyes wander to Hannah's screen. 

So Nadia just told me that Johnson isn't the only reason she's been talking to you

Again with the 'Johnson' thing. Is it easier than just calling him Jack? I mean wouldn't it be obvious that Hannah was talking about my brother and not him?

Is that so?

Yeah, she says it's more than that. I'm 100% sure she's telling the truth

Okay well that's great and all, but I do have some stuff about Jack that I think she should know..

Goosebumps instantly rush over me. He has some stuff? What kind of stuff? 

Are you mad at her?

No not at all, I just felt a little used but I was getting over it I just needed time. I do think she deserves to find him and I understand where's she's coming from. I'd do the same if I were her

That's great then

Yeah, sure

When are you gonna talk to her about it

Idk, probably soon

That was the end of the messages. I try to control my breathing, handing Hannah's phone back to her. Mrs. Murrey has finished writing on the board and has started talking, but I can't hear anything she's saying. My ears are ringing. Probably soon.

So he's not mad at me and he's not necessarily ignoring me. He just needed time to adjust to what I had told him. Damn. I was stressing for nothing. I continue to zone Mrs. Murrey out as I think about all the possibilities of what Jack would know about my brother. He really has information about him. Is it useful information? What if I end up finding him this month? The thought excites me. 

"You guys are good?" Hannah whispers, smiling at me. 

I smile back. "Yeah, I think so."

"Cool," she says. "Now stop thinking about it and pay attention, I am not letting you get another detention."

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hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! I'm gonna start getting more into the actual plot now that I've set up the find of friendship/relationship between Nadia and Jack. feel free to comment any questions or suggestions! and don't forget to vote if you'd like! 

-gilinskyshigh