Jump | Zach Mitchell

one

SNOW – one of the many things people don't have a clue about.

That's all I can think as I sit by the living room window, staring out at the ice-covered lawn.

If you don't live somewhere that commonly gets snow, chances are that you daydream about what it would be like to wake up one morning to a wonderland of white.

Let me tell you: it's not all that it's cracked up to be.

That's probably one of the reasons why I agreed to go with Zach and his brother: to get away from the snow. For once, I'd like to be comfortable on Christmas instead of freezing to death.

Plus, I'd be getting out of shoveling snow for almost the entire winter break.

The other reason? Probably just to spend time with Zach. He's my best friend and I've caught feelings for him. Of course, he doesn't know that. Even if he did, I don't know if I would want a romantic relationship with him. He's a big flirt. Plus, about seventy-five percent of the time, he's a total dick.

Not that I'm all sugar and spice. That's kind of why we became friends: we're both mean as shit.

But Zach is a different kind of mean. He's the non-compassionate type, the kind of guy who doesn't care how much it hurts when he yanks the band-aid off.

"Sweetheart?"

I sit up quickly, banging my knee against the wall. I mutter a small curse beneath my breath, rubbing over the now-tender area.

I'm not allowed to curse at home. Of course, I hear it all the time at school – and Zach curses like there's no tomorrow – so I've picked up the mal habit. I just have to keep it under wraps so Mom doesn't find out.

She enters the room with red-rimmed eyes and a sleepy smile. I know that she's worried about me traveling half-way across the world without her, but I also know that she wants me to be able to go experience this. We don't have the money to go visit Jurassic World on our own. I'm basically getting to go for free since Zach's Aunt Claire, who works on the island, is pulling the strings.

That's one thing about my Mom: she's selfless and wants me to be happy, always. I love her for it.

"Are you almost ready?" She asks as she walks over to the couch, fluffing some of the flattened pillows. "Karen said that they'd be here soon."

"I thought Zach's Dad was taking us." I don't hint to anything. Zach made me swear to keep it a secret.

Mom and Karen, Zach's Mom, are close, though. She might know something about the big ugly brewing in the Mitchell household.

Mom shrugs. "I guess plans changed. Or maybe they're both coming along." She smooths the comforter I had lazily thrown aside this morning. "They both are going to want to see their little boys off."

I bite my lip. That's going to be one hell of an awkward car ride.

See, Zach's parents are thinking about getting a divorce. They're trying to put on nice faces for everyone else – including their youngest son and Zach's little brother, Gray – but Zach knows. And if Zach knows anything, then I know it, too.

I decide to change the subject. I don't want to risk spilling anything.

"I wish you could come too, Mom." That isn't a lie. It's more than just a diversion tactic. It's the truth.

Mom gives me a sad smile. "I wish I could come too, baby." She gently strokes my cheek with a warm hand. No matter how cold it is, Mom is always warm. "But you're going to have so much fun! Just think: in a few hours, you're going to be seeing real dinosaurs!"

I grin. Okay, maybe I am a little excited. "I'm going to take a shi-" I stop myself from saying the dirty word. "A ton of pictures, Mom. I'll probably FaceTime you too. I want you to be able to see everything."

She just touches my cheek again. "I can't wait."

Just then, a car horn blares from the driveway. "Oh!" Mom looks out the fogged window. "They're here!"

My heart pounds a little bit harder. I'm beaming now, so hard my face feels like it might break in half.

I only have one suitcase – my summer wardrobe isn't that large, believe it or not. It's still pretty heavy, so Mom helps me haul it out the front door.

Sure enough, she was right. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell both sit in the front seats. Karen waves at us while Scott inclines his head and gives us a small smile.

We manage to lift my luggage over the lumps of snow that have already gathered in the driveway. Honestly, this is ridiculous. Dad shoveled this morning before he left for work and it's already stacked up again. This is why I have to get out of here.

As soon as I open the trunk, Gray screams, "Hi Jonelle!"

I smile. Gray is always super energetic. He loves dinosaurs, so this trip has increased his enthusiasm ten-fold. "Hey, buddy." I look to the front of the car. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell." Then I turn to the dark-haired bum with giant blue headphones on. "Hey, loser." I shove the back of his head. He doesn't even bother to react.

"Don't mind him." Scott assures me. "He had a very heartfelt goodbye with what's her name."

I cringe. Gray laughs.

Once my things are successfully stowed into the car, Mom gives me a tight hug. "You be careful, okay?" She says for the millionth time. "You stay with Zach. Don't leave his side for a second. And listen to his Aunt Claire. Call me every day. And don't forget about the pictures-"

"Mom!" I laugh. "I won't forget."

She gives me a tearful smile. "I hope not." She kisses my forehead and then opens the car door for me. "All right. You're holding everyone up. Get in."

I just giggle and slide in, scooting over Gray so that I can sit in the middle.

"I love you!" Mom says.

"I love you too," I promise.

She closes the door and makes the slow trek up to the front door. I frown, seeing how lonely she is and wish once again that she could come with us.

"Ready?" Karen turns in her seat to smile back at me.

I nod. "Ready."

We pull out of my driveway and cruise down the street. I only look back once. Mom stands on the front porch until we disappear from her sight.

---

Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of Jump! It means so much to me. I spent countless hours working on this story, so it really makes me happy to know that someone has read it (and hopefully enjoyed it).

I wrote this story when I was in 10th grade. Jump is incredibly awkward at times, extremely vulgar at others, but it allowed me to navigate so much confusion and longing that comes with being 16 years old.

This fanfiction is based on the 2015 movie Jurassic World and is consistent with the science of the film franchise. There are some random movie references throughout - I tend to quote movie lines with my friends, so I thought I would give that to Zach and Jonelle, too.

This author's note was edited June 2023, six years after the original publication of this story. The other author's notes have also been edited, but my writing has not been.

Love from, RaRa.