How long?

Chapter 1

Jack

A call

'Hi are you free today?'

I looked around my room, almost dying from the heat. No one was online at the moment and my game was looking, not-so-fabulous.

'Jack?'

'Oh yeah. Sorry. Yeah, I am. You had any plans?'

'Can I come over. We could go take a walk.'

'Yeah, sure.'

Why did I accept? I had no idea. I had not seen Riley for months and was not really sure I wanted to open up that can again. I put my mouse and keyboard away and lay there on the bed. I took off my headphones, exiting the bubble I had so carefully created. Suddenly, the pressure of getting into my final year started to get to me. I became really aware of my chemistry textbook sitting in the upper left corner of my locker at school. All of it, the exhaustion, the exams, the life after, was becoming a bit too overbearing. I needed to close my eyes, speak to whoever was on the other side.

My ringtone almost startled me. It was Riley

'Jack, I'm outside.'

I ended the call fast. In that span of like ten minutes, I had forgot about Riley. I stood up and made a pit-check; not good. With little time to think I sprayed on some deodorant and flattened my hair. I grabbed my headphones on the way out. I walked through the gate and saw her, an AP physics problem, AKA, Riley.

riley

'Do you miss him?' Laura asked

'What do you think?'

'Well, I think that you haven't moved on yet'

'Yeah, and?'

'You need to clear things up with him, Riley'

'And how do you suggest I do that?'

'Please. Your seventeen. Figure it out.'

Jack's door opened up and I immediately started to regret my decision. Why was I so hung up about this guy? Maybe it was because I missed seeing how he smiled, how his hair would always stick up in a mess no matter how hard he tried to flatten it, how his freckles seemed to rearrange every time we met, how his eyes always shone a different color every time I would look. I always did get lost in him, his calm aura. I almost stared. I tried a hug. Success. His lemon deodorant brought back memories. Nostalgia, the addictive kind. The kind that got me teary. But I knew I had to pull away from him before it was too late.

'I was thinking we could go to the beach' I had to say something

'Great more heat. Unless you'll swim.'

'No, I don't feel like saltwater today?'

'Today? So, you've felt like saltwater before?'

Yes. This was my kind of person. I punched him in the arm and we started to walk. 

Jack

It was kind of weird that I had to walk with her. Last week had been a really awkward Christmas and we'd spent time actually going through the customs. I honestly did not know what happened In June. By then I had gotten bored of the constant weird replies I would get from her. She was a good person, just too insecure about herself. I mean, she was really fit and I could just about imagine any scenario with her. Time would seem to fade in these cut scenes, thinking of, probably too much. When I say she's insecure, I mean she thinks that every female friend I have is out to get me, when really, I liked her. But it became too weird for the both of us, when I posed the question.

'Riley, what are we.'

'What do you mean. We are us.'

'Yeah, that's what you think. You act like the complete opposite. You aren't the pretty, corky girl I met a few months ago. You've become desperate, Riley.' She kind of, phased out, seemingly in shock. Her eyes came back to focus on me.

'Jack, what do you mean.'

'I mean we can't be together, Riley.' This hit her. She almost lost herself. Riley didn't even look back. She just got up from the table and walked out from the restaurant. From then, we no longer spoke to each other. Now she was right next to me.

'Have you been here before?' She was pointing to a small hotel by the road

'Oh, yeah. I have.' Just not on your regular account. After Riley and I broke up, I found myself there. The 'small hotel' was big on ice cream. I came here almost every day, sad days, happy days, Riley days (branded to days that my thought process led me to her, in every way). Today was feeling like a Riley day and what other way to remind me of her...than her in person. I could feel myself shutting down and I started to pick up the pace.

'Jack?' Oh right, I was with her.

'Wanna race?' She looked puzzled and tilted her head in response.

'Uh, sure.' I had to get away from the hotel, from her, 'But aren't you the athletic one?' She asked. I looked back at her and smiled. That was the point; to run.

'No. No. You're definitely going to win this one. I can feel it.' She laughed and got into the starting position. She actually wanted to do this? Wow ok.

'On your marks! Set! Go!'