PICTURE THIS! jackson fuller

CHAPTER TWENTY, girl talk

Jackson chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know, maybe you decided to stay home and avoid us." He teases.

Violet laughs, and Jackson's smile grows wider. He loves making her laugh, and he would do anything to keep her smiling. "Nah, you know I'd never do that," She says, grinning at him. "You're stuck with me."

Jackson's heart skips a beat at her words, and he feels a wave of affection for her. He's never been so happy to be stuck with someone before. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He told her, his voice sincere.

Violet's cheeks turn pink, and she tries to hide her blush by glancing away, suddenly finding the floor interesting. "Good," She mumbles, clearing her throat. "Okay, I'm leaving. I'll see you later." She smiled at Jackson before turning to head out of the house, feeling a warmth in her chest at their interaction. As she walked home, she can't help but feel grateful for Jackson's presence in her life. Despite the chaos and the occasional bickering, she knows she can always count on him to be there for her. And that thought alone brings her comfort as she navigates through the ups and downs of life.

****

Later that day, she found herself hanging out with Ramona and Lola. She was going to hang out with Jackson, but some of his friends were over and she would just rather hang out with the girls instead. She had been getting more close with Lola lately. At first they weren't friends, but now they were and she was glad to have a new friend. Lola was a sweet girl and they had a lot in common.

Whenever Ramona was suddenly called into Jackson's room, the trio shared a look and each got up to walk across the hall. "What do you want?" Ramona asked.

Violet raises her eyebrows when Jackson grabbed a baseball cap to place it on his head as he smiles at Lola. "Hey, Lola." He crosses his arms. "I got a hat."

Lola looks confused, but smiles anyway. "Congratulations." Violet snickered, covering her mouth to try and hide it as she watched the scene with amusement.

Popko stands, smirking at Ramona. "So Ramona, you probably heard I'm single. Lucky you."

Violet narrows her eyes at him. She never really liked Popko at all. She found him arrogant and annoying. "And you're single so, lucky me." Popko adds. "So what do you say we hit the mall and share a Cinnabon?" He questioned, tipping his fedora at her with a smirk.

Violet was so close to wiping that smirk off his face with her fist, but held herself back. She didn't want to resort to violence. But she did want to knock him down a peg or two. "I don't think so, Popko." Ramona denied, shaking her head.

Popko looks surprised and chuckles nervously. "Perhaps I wasn't clear. You see, I just asked you on a date. You saw this, right?" He asked, tipping his fedora again.

"Yeah, and it's even weirder a second time." Violet quips. "Plus you're starting to sound desperate and it's not a good look on you." She added.

Popko shoots her a glare and she sends one right back, crossing her arms. "Yeah, but I also saw you with Bethany on the same day you kissed me, so pass." Ramona told him and turned to leave with Lola.

Violet was proud of her for not giving into his advances and sticking up for herself. Popko sighs, turning his attention back to Violet. "You could give me a chance, you know." He told her, raising his eyebrows at her.

She narrows her eyes at him and shakes her head, a disgusted look on her face. "Did you literally just ask me out after you got rejected by Ramona? Wow, you're a real class act." She scoffed. She wasn't going to even entertain his question and she quickly turned to walk away from him.

Popko groans and follows after her, not ready to give up. "Come on, Violet. Just one date."

Violet stops in her tracks and spins around to face him, her eyes narrowed into a glare. "Do you want me to break your face, Popko?" She asks, her voice laced with annoyance. "Because I've been taking Krav Maga and I'm not afraid to use it."