Painting Flowers (A Jack Barakat fanfic)

Chapter 7

*Kathryn's POV*

It's been a month since I moved here to Baltimore and I've been attending the same school as Alex and his friends.

I've made more friends, but I'm still extremely close to Alex and his friends. Rian and I talk a lot in homeroom. He's really nice. Alex and I are of course still close. Zack and I are usually the first ones at our table, so we talk then. He's also got a really friendly nature.

Then there's Jack. Jack Barakat. Jack is honestly the funniest person I have ever met. He can make a joke out of just about anything. Or anyone. I tend to hang out with him and Alex most. But when it's just Jack and I, we can either have loud, stupid conversations or we can just have a sort of quiet moment, where we kind of just make small talk before small talk leads to deep thought. Other than Alex, Jack is probably my best friend, here in Baltimore.

"Alex! Kat!" Isobel calls us down earlier than usual this morning. We pull ourselves from the piles of sheets that lay on our mattresses and go downstairs. My parents stand behind Isobel and Peter, leaning on packed bags and suitcases.

My parents are leaving for a business trip in New York today. They'll be gone for about a month.

"There's been a change in our flights. We leave this afternoon." My mother informs us. I'm glad I'm able to be in the same area as my parents for an extra few hours, even if it isn't a lot and I'll probably be at school. "That means I have to drop them off at the airport while Peter is at work. Alex, Kathryn is going to have to come to band practice with you this afternoon." Isobel says. Alex wakes up immediately, his jaw dropping in shock. "What?! Are you serious?!" He exclaims, obviously upset by this. I'm a little surprised, but I guess band practice is just something Alex doesn't want to share with me. Of course, I understand that. Everyone has their boundaries. "I'm sorry, Alexander but she can't stay home alone for that long. If you were both staying, that'd be different. It's either this or you don't go at all, what would you prefer?" Isobel explains. Alex sighs heavily and stomps back up to his room. "Whatever." He mumbles grumpily. Isobel sighs and shakes her head. "He never likes to be woken early to bad news." She says. I yawn and scratch my head. "I'm going to go get dressed." I say, going back upstairs.

On the bus, Alex does not speak to me, let alone acknowledge me. He's obviously pissed off about having to bring me to practice with him, but I didn't think he'd be this ticked off. He puts his bag on my usual seat and I quickly get the message. Rian and Zack give Alex a confused look, and then me, as they watch me move and sit next to Callista, one of my other friends.

"Hey Cali." I say as I plop myself down beside her. She stares at me, surprised for a moment. "How come you're not sitting with your cousin and his friends like always?" She asks. I look further down at the boys for a moment and look at the empty seat next to Alex.

"Alex is pissed at me for some reason. He obviously doesn't want to speak to me today and I'm not going to push it." I explain. Just then, Jack climbs onto the bus. When he sees my seat empty, he scans the bus with a puzzled look, searching for me. I quickly hide my face (and hair) in the hood of my jacket. If Jack sees me and calls me down, it'll only piss Alex off even more. Unfortunately and surprisingly, Jack is smarter than he looks, and recognizes me just by my jacket. "Hey! Little Red! Get down here!" He shouts. I bite my lip, turning pink. I can't help but smile, though. "You'd better get down there, Kathryn." Cali says, nudging me. I stand up slowly and grab my bag, making my way down to Jack. When I get to him, he envelopes me in his arms, hugging me tightly against his tall, skinny figure. "Jack- Air-" I choke, knowing he purposely constricts my like this for that reaction. He laughs. "I missed you, Little Red. And I hear you're coming to band practice this afternoon?" He says as he loosens his grip and sits down, pulling me into his lap. He gently pushes my hood off my head and runs his fingers down my long hair, giving me the warm fuzzy feeling of his touch. I can't help but smile. Alex has his back to us and I can't help but stare at Alex, worrying if I've done something more. "Don't worry about him. He just doesn't want to drag his little cousin around with him all afternoon. But he needs to suck it up." Rian says with a smirk, poking Alex's cheeks. Alex swats his hand away in annoyance. "Anyway, you're coming?" Jack asks again excitedly. I giggle and nod. "Yay!" He says in that cute voice of his, hugging me again. I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him back. "Aw you guys are so cute." Zack teases. I poke my tongue out at him but Jack decides he'd rather flip him off. I laugh at him and he smiles at me.