Fortuitous || Jack Steele [1]

fifty three

"I'm sorry, Madd—Madelyn," Jack tries to apologise, reaching out, but it just adds fuel to the wildfire raging on the inside.

"You're sorry?!" I exclaim with a scoff, sizing him up.

He tries to move away but I just take a step forward with his every step back, not backing down. Jack doesn't just get to run from the one who he led on. Who he hurt.

Deep within my furious eyes holds a broken girl. A girl who tried so hard, for so long, to open up someone worth his weight in gold, or that's at least what she thought. Turns out it was only pyrite; fool's gold. It was only a deception, an illusion—make believe.

Jack drops his head in culpability, knowing very well that he's in the wrong. It's not like he doesn't deserve my anger.

"If you were sorry then you wouldn't have done what you did. I'm not some child's toy that you throw away when you're sick of playing with it."

A shaky cry escapes me as I glare at him. My teeth are clenched to help ground myself but it only makes me more upset. It only makes me feel more weak in his presence, reminding me that I was only a piece in his game.

My eyes fall to the teal and silver bracelet around his wrist. My bracelet.

I have no time to react when Humpty Dumpty hears the commotion and walks out of his room after realising the tension between Jack and I.

He joins my side, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder in support.

"Come on, Mads," Zak encourages, glowering at his teammate with a shake of the head. I comply with his coaxing and leave Jack with his hoodie.

My jaw aches because of the pressure from clamping down. I let it fall slack and massage under my chin as Humpty Dumpty and I enter the elevator. I sigh and he looks at me.

"He's an idiot," he comments.

"You think?" I snort. "Don't know why I even bothered."

I trace the lines in the floor with my foot, releasing another sigh. How could I let myself get into such a compromising situation? I should've known better.

It's quiet for a moment until Mr Clean breaks the silence.

"He would always look out for you. I noticed maybe a week or two before you broke your leg. I'd catch him surveying the room or space. I knew that he was looking for you. He always liked your company." Zak releases a deep breath. "I'm sorry he did this to you."

I meet Humpty Dumpty's saddened and frustrated expression with a light smile.

"You don't need to apologise, it wasn't your fault. You weren't the one who led me on," I assure him gently. He shouldn't be apologising for this. We both know who the arsonist that lit the fire was.

We walk towards the dining area together.

"I know I know, it's just Jack is my teammate and you feel responsible for one another. I feel responsible for his actions to an extent and it just shits me that he's thrown you into the dirt after everything," Zak grunts out with annoyance. I smile at how much he cares.

"Don't take the weight of his wrongdoing.
Jack," I swallow hard, "made his choice and that's on him. You're not responsible for him or his actions. He started the fire and burnt me, don't let him burn you too."

Humpty Dumpty nods, understanding where I'm getting at.

It wasn't until walking into the dining area that I realised how tired I appeared. The looks I'm receiving from the boys is shocked and concerned. Do I really look that bad in the face? I grasp a silver tray from the table and stare at my reflection.

There are tear stains on my cheeks, my eyes are somewhat red with bags hanging underneath and there's little glow in my face. I definitely don't look great.

JB walks up and engulfs me in an embrace wordlessly, already knowing what occurred. He feels responsible.

"I'm sorry," he whispers guiltily, head over my shoulder and giving me a tight squeeze.

I know what he means. He was always pushing for Jack and I, shipping us together like a teenage girl. JB opened my eyes to how I felt and what he could see between his teammate and I. He saw something and so did I. I guess it wasn't meant to be though.

"It's alright." I pat his back reassuringly with a dejected sigh, wishing that the fallout wouldn't have happened.

I step back from JB, shooting him a small smile. It's then that Jack walks into the room and I freeze, eyes avoiding him.

A few of the players glare at Jack, especially Max and Bytes. JB shakes his head with disenchantment. Others are unsure of what's going on but can feel the rising tension. They also notice how I can't even look at him. It doesn't take much to realise what happened between us.

I don't really want to endure the silence anymore. It's never really been my kind of thing so I make a swift exit and sigh as soon as I get outside.

My legs take me away from the resort and to the cliffside overlooking the ocean.

I stand there on the edge, glancing at the open waters ahead with my hair flowing back behind me.

It's a few hours after sunrise but yet the sun hits the water at the perfect angle. The saturated and clear aqua bounces back at me. It claws at past memories, bringing them to the surface.

"So what's your favourite colour?" Jack pulls a funny face at the question. "A simple, easy and childish question. I'm sure you can answer that. Or can't you?" I tease light-heartedly.

"I just didn't expect that," he insists. There's a pause as he takes a moment to think through the question. "Blue."

"Like the sky?"

Jack's face morphs into a sort of thoughtfulness.

"No, more like the blue you see when the setting sun hits peaked waves at a perfect angle. The aqua is enhanced in such a way that it makes the water look more transparent than it already is."

Frustrated tears bubble up and slip over the side.

"Argh!" I scream, hurling a rock as far as I can muster. It splashes into the waves and disappears in the deep, dark blue. Disappearing like the feelings I thought Jack Steele had for me.

No matter how hard I try to hold a strong mask, it cracks. I can stand up to Jack but in the end the spark always dies after my anger seeps away. Anger is always followed by sadness, or driven by it.

The pain is raw. The aching is there. We weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend yet it felt that way. It felt so real. My feelings for him were genuine and I was so incredibly smitten. But for him to say the kiss meant nothing when it meant everything to me, hurts the most.

I'm resentful, I'm upset but I'm most importantly heartbroken.

Doctors say that the heart is the strongest muscle in the body.

But why does it break so easily...

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A/N

MADS AHHHHH😭😭 I just want to hug her so so badly.

NOT THE HOODIE😫

Jonesy being hella supportive is what we love to see!

And not JB feeling guilty ughhhhhhhh

Sorry for no update on Sat/Sun. I kind of got lost in everything else going on!

I hope you enjoyed!

Cheers!