Painting Flowers (A Jack Barakat fanfic)

Chapter 7

I meet his eyes for a short moment and within those short few seconds, the rest of the world is a blur. The only sound that fills my ears is his laugh. I can only breathe in his scent. I don't see anything but him and his gorgeous grin. His perfect eyes. And of course his oversized nose, which we all tease him about, but I think it's just another addition to his cute features. Obviously by this point, you can tell.
I love Jack. I have the biggest crush on him. I love him.

Of course, I doubt he'll ever feel the same. I know that he's into popular girls with hot bodies and gorgeous hair. Not girls like me who are freakishly skinny with messy red hair and a ton of regrowth. He likes girls who basically wear skanky clothes and a ton of make up. Not girls like me who wear ripped jeans and oversized band shirts with eyeliner and occasionally mascara. I have no chance with him. Not the slightest whatsoever. But that's what drives me so insane about him. Knowing I can love him as much as I can and never get that feeling in return means I'll never get hurt by him. I doubt anyone as sweet as Jack would ever hurt anyone, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

When we climb off the bus, Alex does not hold my bag so I don't get squished, like he always does. Instead, he's just part of the crowd that shove the little red-haired girl around on their way out. I try to force my way through but end up falling to the floor between a few seats. I don't dare look up until I hear someone speaking to me. "You okay?" Zack asks. I look up and see him standing with Jack. I nod a little. Jack grabs my arm and pulls me up. "Thanks... I mumble. Jack wraps an arm around me and they guide me out. "Your cousin's just being a dick." Zack says. I smile a little as we enter the school grounds. Zack says goodbye to us as he departs to his locker. I smile up at Jack and we stop at my locker, which is on the way to his but nearby Rian. "Thank you, Jack." I smile up at him, thanking him like I always do for walking to my locker with me. He smiles in that dreamy way. "It's okay Kathryn." He says.

We stand there for a short moment before Jack suddenly stumbles towards the lockers. I clap a hand over my mouth in shock before I hear the laughing and see someone bend over to pick up the ball that had hit Jack. It's 2 of the guys in the basket ball team. They don't even take a second look at Jack as they walk off laughing and shouting back remarks. Rian must've seen it too because he's now helping Jack up. "You alright buddy?" he asks. Jack just nods. My hands fall from my mouth as I help Jack out by picking up his books and bag for him. "Here." I say with a grin, holding it out to him. He smiles at me a litte, obviously still embarassed by the current situation, and takes it. "Thank you Kat." he says, that little twinkle in his eye, sending those familiar chills down my spine. That feeling I always get around Jack. "I'll uh... I'll see you at lunch, right?" He says nervously. I smile warmly and nod. "Of course." I reply. "I'll see you then." I wave at him as he smiles and walks away. "Okay, see you Kat!" he calls. I smile and Rian smirks at me. I roll my eyes and bite my lip. "What?" I say, trying to sound natural. Rian chuckles and turns back to his locker. "You know what." He says. My blush becomes stronger as I shove my head in my locker as I unpack my bag. "You've got a thing for Jack." He whispers. I elbow him playfully. He laughs and hits me back with a book. I smile and close my locker. "I don't have a thing for Jack. We're just friends okay?" I say, trying to erase any other thought from his head. He rolls his eyes and nods. "Yep. I'm sure. Now c'mon or we'll be late for homeroom." he says, ushering me into our homeroom.

At lunch, I'm shocked because Alex still refuses to speak to me. Jack stands up and motions for me to follow. "C'mon. I'm bored. Lets go chill in the library." He says. I'm surprised Jack wants to go to the library. I stand up and follow him. Alex gives us a bit of a glare but Jack doesn't seem to care. I follow him to the quiet atmosphere of the library and we sit at an empty table together. "Why'd you wanna come here? You hate books, studying and the librarians." I ask. He smiles at me and looks over at one of the shelves. He pushes some of his hair from his eyes as he looks back to me. "Because I know you like the library. The librarians are nice to you and you love reading. Plus, its quiet. And its just the two of us down in this corner." He explains, I get that warm fuzzy feeling again. Jack can be so sweet. "Aw, Jack. You're too cute, Jacky." I say, pinching his cheeks as if he were a baby. He swats my hands away. "Stop." He says in an irritated voice, but he can't help but laugh. He hates it when I call him Jacky, since its such a common pet name for him. I poke my tongue out and he leans forward, squinting and shaking his head. "You're so mean, Kathy." He says. I slap his cheek playfully. I hate when being called Kathy just as much as he hates being called Jacky. It's kind of our thing. He laughs and slaps my hand. I slap him back and we begin a mini war.

"Ahem!"  an ancient voice says, ruining our fun. Jack looks up and smiles innocently at the librarian. They have a silent hate for one another. "Jack Barakat, do try to keep you hands to yourself. And you miss Gaskarth? I expected better." She spits at us. "But you are a Gaskarth, after all. I guess my standards were too high." She sighs as she walks away. Jack and I look at each other, stiffling laughs which then break free from our lips as giggles. 

The bell sounds throughout the school and everyone begins to gather their things. I stand up but Jack grabs my wrist and pulls me back. "Stay." he pouts. I smile and roll my eyes. He was so cute. It was hard to say no to him. Especially when he was asking to spend more time with me. "Jack, I can't. Neither can you." I say, getting up again. He furrows his eyebrows and goes quiet, looking away in thought before he looks back at me, wide eyed and eager for my response. "Let's skip class. Just this period." he says. I stare at him as if he's mad, but his expression is unchanging. He actually wants to skip class. I have no doubt he's done it before, but he wants to do it with me? "Jack... I don't know." I say nervously. He stands up, determined, as he grabs both my hands as if we were Peter Pan and Wendy. I can't stop the blush on my cheeks as his touch sends chills down my spine. He makes eye contact with me and says; "C'mon, Kat. We won't get caught. And if we do, I'll take the blame. I promise we'll be back in time for the buses. Please?" He's trying hard to convince me. I can tell by those gorgeous brown puppy eyes. That adorable pout. His sweet voice. I sigh, not being able to help but smile.

"Fine. I'll come."