The Newcomer (SEMI-ON HOLD)

Chapter Twenty Nine

Hi! I'm back!
Sorry if I hadn't responded to your comments! I do read them, and I just wanna say thank youu so much! It means a lot and I really enjoy seeing your reactions!

I had a bit of a busy few weeks between writing the last chapter and this one... mostly uni related that's why I've been a bit inactive :)

I do hope you guys enjoy this chapter too! It's a tad shorter than last ones just a tad bit.

And, oh, it's mostly in Jacky's POV! Mhmm ;) in the upcoming ones, I'm really just going to dive into her relationship with Dillon and their dad and his family— y'know... some angsty stuff, perhaps hahaha

"We got it! Thanks for coming again, Charlotte." I beam, gently squeezing her shoulders.

She stiffens but manages a small smile, "Great. I'm glad I could help." I smile at her. As we walk out the office, she asks, "Hey, you think I can see those pictures?"

"I'll send you copies." I tell her. I took her silence as a end, but when I walks towards Jane, she follows behind me.

"So you spoke to that guy?" She asks me as I detach my lens. From the corner of my eye, I can see Jane looking at Charlotte with a frown. "What did he want?"

I nod. Jacky only mentioned her brother once, or twice, so I never thought I'd meet him. "Basic stuff." I simply say.

I'm just puzzled why Jacky never mentioned anything about her brother being in town— or the country! Maybe this is why she was sometimes acting weird, and always glaring at her phone. Once. One time she said they didn't talk for years. I don't know if she's shocked to see him, or furious but... all I know is she's definitely not thrilled with the situation.

"I should get going," Charlotte says, pointing down the hall. "Council meeting at my house."

I nod, smiling at her, "Thanks again for doing this."

My eyes widen and I'm not sure if it's just me but I swear I saw Charlotte... blush? "Good luck, Kim." She says before walking away.

Jane stands beside me and nudges me on the side. "I don't know what's weirder. Charlotte being nice, or her being awkward?"

I wonder which part; the fixed stares when I'm not looking, when she tenses every time I'm  standing a foot away from her, or the fact that her face turned red as a tomato just 10 seconds ago?

"Doesn't seem like her to be awkward." I don't really want to entertain the thought, though. Honestly, I don't care.

"That doesn't bother you?" She asks, looking at Charlotte again.

"No, it's just strange." I mutter distractedly trying to pack the tripod properly so no mishap like earlier happens again. "But I will take awkward Charlotte than snarky Charlotte any day."

We continue packing up. I swear, if it's Jane and I doing a shoot the cabinet in our office always looks spic and span! When it's the freshmen, they set it up for an avalanche! We really should teach them how to properly store because this is more than $10,000 worth of equipment!

With what we shot today, I couldn't wait to get home and start editing them. That's exactly what I did. Jane has the Alley shift today anyway, and Jacky's meeting with her agent so I'm on my own until she finishes a shoot this afternoon. What better way to spend that day, huh?

As usual, my house is... empty. See, this is also one of the reasons why I don't want to stay here anymore. What's the point with coming home to an empty house every day or to an awkward dinner with your dad? I sigh, dragging myself to my room to get my laptop. I go to the kitchen and fry up some eggs and toast some bread for my breakfast before setting up in the living room to do my work.