Jack Who? (Book 1 Draft Version)

PART TWO~CHAPTER : 31

♪♫••═════ PART TWO~CHAPTER : 31  ═════••♬ ♭

 “Fuck!” The explicative carried through the hallway.

Shifting on the couch, I looked up from Tristan's tiny fingers tapping out answers on screen to a spelling game on Jack's Ipad, to see Reed storming out of the music room.

The band, and Emmagesty, and a couple of other guys I had seen at the drop party, had been holed up in the room for a couple of hours.

“Oh..sorry TJ...” Reed apologized for his curse while cutting through the den to the kitchen. The fridge opened and closed, and he continued on to the hallway bathroom.

The rest of that room began to slowly empty, the people spilling into the hall and out the front door, and once it was down to only Jack, Reed, Liz and Chris, they all grabbed their favored drinks and threw themselves down on the couch.

“So, it's day three,” Chris made the observation, and I deduced that he was counting down to the day of departure. “The usual?” With that inquiry, his gaze encompassed the rest of the group but particularly landed on Jack in some sort of speculative challenge.

“I don't know...” Jack hedged. He was relaxed on a piece of the sectional at a right angle to me, and just our feet touched.

“I knew it!” Chris suddenly livened up with a gleeful shout. “Pay up!”

“In your dreams, loser.” Jack's retort rebounded without so much as a blink.

Because the curiosity was killing me, I watched the debacle with a casualness I did not feel.

“No way, Stone. You would not let up last year when it was me. You gave me hell-o. Hello.” Chris dwindled down fast when he glanced at Tristan. “Just admit and pay up dude.”

“I said 'I don't know.' Not no.”

“Mariss is not letting you go.” Reed actually cackled as he sided with Chris.

At my name, I swung my gaze around again, and Liz's intent look drew my eyes. When I blinked curiously, the other woman moved her chin and lashes in a nod and a wink.

“Uh guys? I'm right here.” I joked to cover the irritation simmering beneath the surface.

During the last few nights, the guys had been running through a few different sets each afternoon at Chris' huge home studio. Having tagged along each time, I had begun to feel comfortable around them, and had formed the beginnings of a friendship with Liz and Chris' wife.

“This is the night we all go out. Let loose before the tour.” Chris supplied the answer and again some cryptic tone in his words hung in the air.

“Oh.” I tried to keep disappointment from coating my words. As the tour grew closer, I wanted Jack to myself every second possible. Which had been almost impossible, except for bedtime. The last few mornings, I had even quit sneaking to my own room, wanting every possible minute with Jack, even if he was sleeping. “Well I'm not going to stop him if that is what you are going on about. It's tradition right? Breaking that is just asking for trouble on tour.”

“I like how this girl thinks!” Reed declared, but Chris curved an evil grin.

“So you are going then, Stone?”

Jack was decidedly uncomfortable, but tipped his beer and seemed to shrug. “I'm down with it if Mariss goes.”

“You would go, Mariss?” Chris asked, and they all seemed too delighted with the idea, especially Liz.