What Jack Wants

Chapter Fifteen

"Jess, I have bad news." Theresa found her sister lying down, perusing social media without a care in the world. She wished she wasn't the bearer of the news that would remove the slight smirk she had on her face, probably from texting someone, but something was seriously wrong and someone had to tell her.
"Yeah? What's up?" Jess put her phone aside and sat upright.
"Well, it's just been announced that Jack lost his mother yesterday."
"Oh my goodness, are you for real?"
"I am."
"That is literally the end of my life, all of our lives." Jess was distraught for Jack but she couldn't ignore what it meant for her.
"You don't have to carry that kind of burden around sis, I understand that your heart was in the right place but it is not your duty to save us. Everyone will be alright, we'll figure it out."
"I really hope so, mom will die."
"Mom will be alright. She is overly dramatic about everything so you can expect a horrid reaction. After that, things will go back to the way they were." Tess pet her sister's hair as she spoke soothingly to her.

Jess laid down hours after her sister left, staring at nothing and waiting for the dreadful call that she knew was going to come sooner rather than later. Jack was going to call and he was going to cancel the wedding. She also didn't expect that he was going to be nice about it. He usually wasn't the nicest person and the tragedy was just going to make him worse off. She thought about calling him first but she also knew that it could go very badly if he wasn't ready and so she quickly dismissed the idea. The wait was killing her but Jack wasn't one to be pushed.

It had been three days since his mother died and Jack still didn't feel any better. He had things to do, decisions to make and a mess or two to clean up but he did not feel like doing any of that yet. He no longer felt like killing anybody that tried to call him or text him but he still was not in the mood to see or talk to anyone. Ben had been calling and texting non-stop and he knew that it was just a matter of time before his best friend since forever showed up. It should make him feel cared for and even loved, but he really didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment. He thought about going someplace where no one would find him, but that meant actually interacting with human beings and so he put that off as well. Jess was definitely waiting on a decision from him. Jack was sure that she had heard about his mother's demise; bad news travelled like wildfire. There was a funeral to plan and people to call, yet he couldn't bring himself to do anything, it simply hurt too much.

There was a loud knock at the door and Jack was jolted awake by the obnoxious intrusion. The knock came again and Jack cursed under his breath. He looked at his bedside clock and it was 7 pm, he wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it on as he walked to the door. Whoever it was, they were going to get a piece of his mind, that was for sure. He did not even bother with the peephole before swinging the door open. He wasn't prepared for who was on the other side.
"What are you doing here?" He asked once he was able to pull himself out of the initial shock.
"Ben called me..."
" Yes, well I don't need a babysitter. As you can see, I'm perfect."
"Jack, I just wanted to make sure that you're alright. He said he has been calling and texting. I sent several texts as well, when you didn't respond I decided to come and make sure that everything is okay."
"Thanks for stopping by, but I am okay. You can leave now."
" Jack..."
"Good night, Lisa." He closed the door a little more forcefully than he expected. As sad as it was, it was the first time in three days that he felt anything other than indescribable pain. He felt extremely angry at himself that even in the time of his deepest grief, Lisa could somehow still affect him. She had been beautiful and he was tempted to open the door, chase after her and lose himself in her until he no longer felt like the grief was going to kill him. But he couldn't. Now that his mother was gone, he no longer needed anyone, not even Lisa. He literally had nothing else to lose now that the one thing he valued the most was gone. She didn't want him, he was not going to accept her pity. She refused to stick by him when it mattered the most, what did it matter now?