Rainbows in the Night Sky

A Bandage on a Broken Heart

I awoke to a bird chirping loudly outside my window. The sunlight had made the room exceptionally warm, and I was enjoying the heat. I stumbled out of bed, realizing that I fell asleep hard. 

"Morning, Jackson," I stated as I stretched. I figured he would be up by now. He didn't respond. 

Figuring he was still mad about last night, I left to use the bathroom. Unlike my room, the bathroom was cold, and the water was even colder. I splashed my face with water from the sink to help myself wake up. In some way, it did feel good to cool down my face. 

I headed back to my room, ready to apologize to Jackson. He was turned, facing the wall. All I could see were the mound of blankets laying there on my bed. 

"I'm sorry about last night, Jack," I started. "I should've asked before I irrationally thought to bring her along. I know that stargazing is our thing." I approached to pat him on the back. 

I was shocked to find that the blankets were empty, and Jackson wasn't in them. I searched the room, looking for a note or something from him that told me where he was. I was unsuccessful in finding anything. 

I tried to figure out where he would've gone. When he said he was going home last night, where exactly was "home" to him? My house, his house? The field? Our forest hideout?

Bingo. If he went anywhere in this small town, it would be Huntson Home. He seemed so upset when we left. His childhood roots where there. Of course he would want to go back. 

I tramped through the woods and pulled aside the fern that hide this place from the rest of the forest. Like I suspected, Jackson was sitting by the old shelter, staring at the ground. Once again, he wore a hoodie, despite the sweltering summer weather. He looked up at me as he approached. 

"I figured I'd find you here," I chuckled. Jackson turned away. 

"Look, I'm sorry for last night. I don't want Grace to become a problem between us. Our friendship is my favorite thing in the world, and that could never compete with my love for that girl," I tried to apologize. 

"That's exactly whats happening, Hunter! Our "friendship" is dwindling because of Grace," He made air quotes on the word friendship. I wondered why. Maybe it was because I was spending more time with her than I was him. 

"Every night, when we look at the stars, I want it to just be us. Those moments in the field are special to me, every single one. I look forward to going down each night to spend time with you." He stated, tears starting to flow from his eyes. 

"I'll try my best not to hang out with Grace as much, if that'll make you feel better," I explained. He didn't respond. I took a seat next to him. 

"You mean the world to me, Jackson. I didn't mean to hurt you," I placed my hand on his in a sympathetic way. Although it was true, Grace was, in fact, tied with him for earning my heart. 

He looked at me, still allowing the tears to occasionally flow from his eyes. 

"Quit lying! I don't care if you'd rather hang out with that brunette. I just want you to say it to my face," He was using a lot of hand gestures as he spoke. 

"But that's not true. You're my best friend..." I started, but Jackson interrupted me. 

"I thought I could rely on you, and here you go, proving me wrong," He responded. 

"Jackson, I still want to hang out with you," 

"Uh huh, sure," He stood up. "I understand if you don't want to be friends. Go live your life, and keep me out of it, like you do everything else.