The Exception// Jack Avery [1]

CHAPTER 7 [the tree]

I smile looking up as well, "yeah it was my dads idea, he said when I'm feeling down I can lay on my bed and look up at the stars, the stars being the people that care for me most" I smile, Jack looks over to me, "you look so young in all these photos" he says, "yeah they're quiet old" I laugh, "is that me" he says, "what?" I stand up and look at the photo he's pointing at. It's a photo of me and Spencer a few years ago just beofre dad died. In the background you can see a curly haired boy with a beanie on, slighlty blurry, but you can just make out that it is Jack, one of the first times he permed his hair. "Yeah I think so, I've never noticed that before" I say looking at Jack who is beaming at the photo. "You do need some new ones" he says, looking back at me.

"Here we'll take a quick selfie now, that way you can print it off and replace some of these really old ones" he says pulling out his phone, "you idiot, my mum will see" I say, "come on, how often does she come in your room and look up at the celiing to stare at these photos" he says, and then I realise, "almost never" I say. "Exactly, come on get in" he says putting the phone infront of us with the camera alread on screen. "Fine" I say. I stand behind him and put my arm on his shoulder to get the perfect angle, "come on don't cover your face" he says, "I'm not, just take the photo" I say, he does so. After we take about 20 photos of us smiling and pulling faces and I don't even know what were doing in some of them.

As we look through the photos we laugh at how stupid we actually look in them. "Oh my god how do you look good and I look like a potato" I laugh, "you're right you do look like a potato" he says laughing too, "er, that's great to say to a girl" I say, "you said it first" he says in defence, "still" I laugh. After about 10 minutes of scrolling through the photos we finally choose one where, he still looks good but I don't look as much like a potato. "Okay so you're going with this one" he says, "yeah that one, now send it to me" I laugh.

I jump on my bed and pull a blanket over my legs. Jack tries to grab the blanket and pull it over him too when I snatch it back, "uh uh, get your own, this ones mine" I say pulling it tighter around myself. "Sometimes I question why we're friends, you won't even share a blanket with me" he says, "stop being sassy and get another one" I say, "sassy? I'm not sassy" he says standing up and I raise an eyebrow, "okay maybe that sounded a little bit sassy" he laughs. (A/N- shout out to this younow clip because I love it)

He grabs another blanket and joins me back on the bed. "I need food" I say getting up, "where you going" he asks, "downstairs to get snacks, want anything?" I ask, "nah I'm good" he says. I go downstairs and bring a big bag of Cheetos up with me. As soon as I open them Jack tries to take a handful, "er, hell no, you didn't want any" I say, "come on you got a big bag to yourself" he says, "yeah and I can eat a big bag to myself" I laugh, "please" he says sticking his bottom lip out. "Fine, but only because I don't hate you" I smile. He gets excited and takes a handful, "Jack bloody hell, do you not eat" I say, "you don't wanna know what I eat" he winks, "gross, ew" I say. He laughs loud and stupid, like an idiot.

After a an hour or two of us chatting away, I decide to ask him about earlier, about why he saw Tess and didn't tell me. He knows I was lying when I said she wasn't there and yet, he let my lie and I want to know why. "Hey Jack?" I start, he hums in acknowledgement whilst looking at his phone, "why did you lie earlier" I ask, and he looks up confused, "about Tess, I know you saw her come in with the group and you knew I was lying when I said she wasn't there" I say, "she was there? guess I wasn't paying attention" he says looking back at his phone, "Jack, I know you saw her" I say, looking down at my hands. "well I didn't" he says trying to brush it off, "Jack" I say and he looks up at me.

"I saw her, but I didn't want to say that I saw her because I didn't want you to feel bad about her being with them, I know how horrible they were to you before, so with your best friend being with them, I don't know, I just didn't want to see you upset like you are now" he says sitting closer to me, "thank you for trying to make sure I'd be okay, but I'd rather you be honest with me" I say, "I'm sorry Gracie, I'll know for next time" he says putting his hand on my shoulder. I sniff as Jack pulls me in for hug, "thanks Jack" I say smiling at him, "I'm sorry" he says, he pull his hand up to cup my face and I can slowly see his eyes switching from my eyes to my lips.

Just when I thought we were leaning in...BOOM, "I'm home Grace" I hear my mum shout. "Shit" I say jumping back from Jack, "fuck, errr what are we going to do" I say, "I don't know, it's not like I can go through the front door" he panics. "Erm, I could go distract her to go out to the back and then  you sprint down to the front door?" I say, "I don't know..." he says, then he turns around and quickly walks over to my window. "What?" I ask, "the tree" he says, "what?" I say, "I could climb down the tree" he says, "what if you fall and break your leg?" I panic, "I've done it before, sneaking out and in of my own house and others" he says, "I don't even want to imagine you sneaking into other girls houses" I say, "well" he laughs, "GRACE YOU HOME?" I hear my mum shout.

Crap, "quick, Jack go then" I say, I run over to the window where Jack is opening the window. "Yeah I'm home, I'll be down in a min" I shout back to my mum. Jack slowly climbs out the window and grabs onto the tree, I watch him as he makes his own way down cautiously, making sure he gets to the bottom without breaking anything. I let out a breath I didn't even realise I was holding, when he looks and smiles up to me when he's at the bottom. Thank god. He then runs out my garden and down my drive. Just then my door opens and turn spin around quick to see my mum in the door way.

"Hey mum, you're back early" I say, "yeah we had dinner earlier I tried to call you" she says, "must have been on silent" I say siting on my bed, "what were you doing at the window" she asks, "oh nothing, just looking" I say, "at what" she asks, "oh I thought the neighbours had a new car, but they don't" I smile, "oh okay" she says, "have a good day?" she asks, I see my phone light up with a message from Jack that I can just about make out that it says,

Jack: that was close ;) xx

"Yeah, great day" I say smiling back up at her.