Hey, Audrey.
As soon as I get the text, I leap up from where I'm lying on my bed, holding my phone with my arms outstretched above me. The message is from Chris so I smile at my phone, opening our conversation on WhatsApp.
Hi! I text back. What's up?
There's silence on the other end and so I go downstairs to get food.
The house is empty because it's a Sunday morning and my dad is getting groceries and my older sister Genevieve is at her college, studying hard and probably partying harder. I miss her to death and mentally remind myself to call her soon.
Well, I guess Henry is home but he's in his bedroom playing video games, I can hear the loud noises and the sound of gunshots from a screen.
I make a makeshift quesadilla in the microwave using tortillas, cheese, leftover grilled chicken and some avocado chunks that were randomly in the fridge. It's not the best thing I've ever eaten, but I need food and I'm too lazy to wait for my dad to come home with the groceries, so I have to make do with what's here.
When I come back up to my room, having finished my snack and taken a Dr. Pepper from the fridge, Chris has texted me back.
Nothing much. You?
Wow, I have never had such an interesting and thought-provoking conversation. I suppose things are just a tiny bit awkward since we did break up after all. I'm determined to fix that at some point, because now things are weird between us.
Nothing much. I made a quesadilla.
Oh. What's that?
Um. Excuse me? I take a note out of a certain annoying teacher's book and mimic the lady who scolded my friends and I for getting Taco Bell.
Who do you think you are and why do you think you're too good for a quesadilla?
It sounds like some kind of weird bug.
Okay. One, no, it's not, it's a food, and two, YOU sound like a weird bug.
I can visualize Chris laughing over the phone, running a hand through his brown hair with his blue eyes sparkling in amusement, and a rush of tenderness passes through my chest. I hadn't let myself think it over the past week, but I really missed him while we weren't seeing each other, even though it was only a week.
Chris is a really great guy, and I genuinely like him a lot. He's funny and not to mention cute, which are both huge pluses in my book if I'm being honest, and he always cheers me up when I'm feeling upset.
Going back to where we were right before I broke up with him is harder than I expected, because it's still this elephant in the room. But I'd be lying if I said I'm not glad to have him back.
So I call him up, hearing him chuckle when he says, "Hey Aud."
The conversation continues from there, and luckily we move past the awkward formality of the whole situation. Maybe in a few weeks we will have completely forgotten the breakup and it will be like it never even happened at all. I mean every couple fights sometimes, right?
We've also known each other casually for years, not necessarily friends but he was in a lot of my classes.
No friend could ever top what Henry, Jenna, and Natalia are to me, but Chris seems like someone they would all get along with quite well. They don't know him too well despite being in many classes with him for years, but that's just because he mostly hangs out with the guys on the basketball team.
Maybe this is my chance to kind of merge the two Audreys, the one I am with Chris and the one I am with my friends. Maybe that's what went wrong with our relationship before, I didn't properly include him in my life.
So I decide to take a shot at things and say to him, "Hey, you should sit with my friends and me at lunch tomorrow."
There's a pause, then he says in a voice that seems to be reigning in how happy he really is, "That sounds great! I'll find you."
***
I have English class every single day right before lunch. It seems like a lot, but since it's considered one of my two language requirements (alongside French), it makes sense.
When I walk into school on Monday, I sit down at the same desk as on Friday, the one next to Jack.
I'm slightly surprised to see that he's even here, since he seems like the kind of guy who'd skip all his classes. Going off vibe alone, he's got that whole cliche "bad boy" thing going for him. I wonder casually if he has badass tattoos or secret piercings or maybe even a motorcycle. That would be pretty cool.
But Jack shows up despite my belief that he won't, because he probably can't resist the temptation to piss me off with his teasing and smirking.
You can't judge him yet, I remind myself. Not until you know him better.
He flops into his chair casually and I can't help noticing that he looks good, as always. I wish I always looked good.
Jack's dark hair looks artfully messy, as if he's trying to hide the fact that he needs a little bit of a haircut, but it rests on his head in soft strands. His black jeans are simple but nice and he wears a gray hoodie is left half unzipped, showing his band tee, which looks worn and comfortable but still fits his frame really well. He also wears beat up white sneakers that somehow look good despite being obviously well-used.
Also he has a good face, so there's that.
I don't look as hot as he does, I'm sure. I mean, I'm happy with the way I look, in general.
I have long strawberry blonde hair and freckles, and I'm fairly tall for a girl. Usually I just wear jeans and big sweaters with my go-to sneakers. Except for when I'm feeling fancy, in which case I wear dresses or whatever makes me happy. I make sure not to take shit about what I wear from anyone, I learned that from my older sister Genevieve.
"Hi," I greet Jack shyly as I sit down.
He doesn't look at me. "Hey," he grunts.
Whoa, what's gotten into him today? No smirking? Something must be wrong...
"Would you be up for going to study "natural inspiration" outside so we can get out of class?" I suggest, mostly to cheer him up and not because that's something I would do.
He looks up at me and a faint smile appears on his face. "No, are you kidding me? She'll see right through that."
He makes a good point. Miss Spencer may be delusional to think anyone likes her class, but she isn't stupid.
I suddenly remember something I have to do and pull out my phone, masterfully hiding it under my desk so I can text Henry, Hey loser, just so you know Chris is sitting with us at lunch. Don't be weird. Don't embarrass me. You know what, just don't be yourself. Love ya.
My phone buzzes back immediately and I roll my eyes, realizing that Henry's not paying attention in whatever class he's in.
Well... I guess neither am I.
He texts me back a sad face emoji and then a middle finger one. Jeez, there are no in-betweens with my dumbass brother.
"Phones?" Miss Spencer suddenly asks from above my table and I look up sharply to see her holding out her hands towards Jack and I. I notice Jack has also apparently been texting, and I belatedly wonder who he was writing to.
"We're researching. About Iambic Pentameter," Jack says quickly, looking at me for backup.
Huh. He's a good liar.
"Yeah...we...that's what we were doing, researching about Iambic Pentameter," I say, nodding vigorously.
Huh. I'm a terrible liar.
Jack shoots me an betrayed, incredulous look that expresses something like, Thanks for nothing.
"Don't you kids have computers that you are supposed to use for research?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.
"We forgot them," I say quickly.
At the same time, Jack says, "They're broken."
Miss Spencer looks at us in disbelief as if she couldn't imagine why we might lie about something as serious as poetry. "Let me get this straight... you both broke your computers, and you both also left them at home?"
"Yeah," Jack says, and I nod in assent.
"We did," I back him up.
"And I'm supposed to believe that?"
"We left them at home because they were broken," I add, in case she doesn't understand what our argument is.
Miss Spencer sighs, rolls her eyes, and tells us, "Next time, ask before resorting to other methods. Got it?"
"Okay," the two of us say at the same time.
"In the meantime, give your phones to me. Choose a topic first and then you can start the research."
"Wait, what? C'mon," Jack complains.
Miss Spencer raises an eyebrow and takes his phone from his hands. He makes a noise of protest and then pulls his hood up in annoyance as she takes my phone as well.
"Now talk to each other like it's 1990 again. And you'd better work on your project, or I'll fail both of you," she says and leaves us with this final warning.
I turn to Jack. "Come on, let's just...do it."
"Well I certainly know I'd be down," he grins mischievously and I smack his arm lightly in annoyance.
"Shut up."
"You know you want to! Plus you offered in the first place."
"No, I did not offer. You're a dick."
He smirks and quirks an eyebrow at me teasingly, nudging my arm gently with his own. "Oh, please, Audrey you walked right into that one. There's no shame in wanting a little of this!"
I roll my eyes. "Ugh, I don't want to sleep with you! Plus, I don't think Chris would like that much..." I trail off, not really realizing what I'm saying.
Oooh, speaking of Chris, I have to text him where we're sitting at lunch. If I could just get my phone from my pocket...
I dig around in my pocket and suddenly smack my head in my hands because I'm a dumbass.
I literally just forgot what happened a minute ago, wow I'm dumb. The teacher took my stupid phone, right...
I look up at Jack who has a weird expression on his face like he didn't just see me smack my head on the table and giggle under my breath. "What do you mean, Chris wouldn't like that?" he asks sharply and I remember what I said.
Oh, he probably just doesn't know who Chris is. "Sorry, I was talking about Chris Patterson. He's my boyfriend. Hey, so for the project-"
"Actually class is ending, so..." Jack looks at me strangely and pulls his hood tighter over his head. Then he glances at me from under his hood and finishes his sentence, "...I'm done here."
Right on cue, the bell rings.
How the hell did he...
The clock in this classroom hasn't worked in two years. I don't think he's wearing a watch. How did he do that? I look at him, dumbfounded.
As he stands up to get his phone from the teacher, I might be mistaken, but I think I see the ghost of a set jaw and a stubborn glare on his face.
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Hi there.
I like this chapter, I think it's cute and there's a lot of Jack. Is it weird that I have a crush on one of my own characters that I invented? Whenever I picture him entering a room it's always in slo-mo with a sick guitar riff playing in the background.
What were your favourite parts of the chapter? I like the part where Audrey and Jack are lying to the teacher about their phones... that was definitely a relatable moment in my case. I hate getting busted for texting during class.
Anyway, please remember to comment, vote, and share "The Thing About Flip Flops" with your friends!
I love you guys, and I'll look forward to putting up the next chapter at some point in the next week!
- Celia xx