*Kathryn's POV*
It's been a month since I moved here to Baltimore and I've been attending the same school as Alex and his friends.
I've made more friends, but I'm still extremely close to Alex and his friends. Rian and I talk a lot in homeroom. He's really nice. Alex and I are of course still close. Zack and I are usually the first ones at our table, so we talk then. He's also got a really friendly nature.
Then there's Jack. Jack Barakat. Jack is honestly the funniest person I have ever met. He can make a joke out of just about anything. Or anyone. I tend to hang out with him and Alex most. But when it's just Jack and I, we can either have loud, stupid conversations or we can just have a sort of quiet moment, where we kind of just make small talk before small talk leads to deep thought. Other than Alex, Jack is probably my best friend, here in Baltimore.
"Alex! Kat!" Isobel calls us down earlier than usual this morning. We pull ourselves from the piles of sheets that lay on our mattresses and go downstairs. My parents stand behind Isobel and Peter, leaning on packed bags and suitcases.
My parents are leaving for a business trip in New York today. They'll be gone for about a month.
"There's been a change in our flights. We leave this afternoon." My mother informs us. I'm glad I'm able to be in the same area as my parents for an extra few hours, even if it isn't a lot and I'll probably be at school. "That means I have to drop them off at the airport while Peter is at work. Alex, Kathryn is going to have to come to band practice with you this afternoon." Isobel says. Alex wakes up immediately, his jaw dropping in shock. "What?! Are you serious?!" He exclaims, obviously upset by this. I'm a little surprised, but I guess band practice is just something Alex doesn't want to share with me. Of course, I understand that. Everyone has their boundaries. "I'm sorry, Alexander but she can't stay home alone for that long. If you were both staying, that'd be different. It's either this or you don't go at all, what would you prefer?" Isobel explains. Alex sighs heavily and stomps back up to his room. "Whatever." He mumbles grumpily. Isobel sighs and shakes her head. "He never likes to be woken early to bad news." She says. I yawn and scratch my head. "I'm going to go get dressed." I say, going back upstairs.
On the bus, Alex does not speak to me, let alone acknowledge me. He's obviously pissed off about having to bring me to practice with him, but I didn't think he'd be this ticked off. He puts his bag on my usual seat and I quickly get the message. Rian and Zack give Alex a confused look, and then me, as they watch me move and sit next to Callista, one of my other friends.
"Hey Cali." I say as I plop myself down beside her. She stares at me, surprised for a moment. "How come you're not sitting with your cousin and his friends like always?" She asks. I look further down at the boys for a moment and look at the empty seat next to Alex.
"Alex is pissed at me for some reason. He obviously doesn't want to speak to me today and I'm not going to push it." I explain. Just then, Jack climbs onto the bus. When he sees my seat empty, he scans the bus with a puzzled look, searching for me. I quickly hide my face (and hair) in the hood of my jacket. If Jack sees me and calls me down, it'll only piss Alex off even more. Unfortunately and surprisingly, Jack is smarter than he looks, and recognizes me just by my jacket. "Hey! Little Red! Get down here!" He shouts. I bite my lip, turning pink. I can't help but smile, though. "You'd better get down there, Kathryn." Cali says, nudging me. I stand up slowly and grab my bag, making my way down to Jack. When I get to him, he envelopes me in his arms, hugging me tightly against his tall, skinny figure. "Jack- Air-" I choke, knowing he purposely constricts my like this for that reaction. He laughs. "I missed you, Little Red. And I hear you're coming to band practice this afternoon?" He says as he loosens his grip and sits down, pulling me into his lap. He gently pushes my hood off my head and runs his fingers down my long hair, giving me the warm fuzzy feeling of his touch. I can't help but smile. Alex has his back to us and I can't help but stare at Alex, worrying if I've done something more. "Don't worry about him. He just doesn't want to drag his little cousin around with him all afternoon. But he needs to suck it up." Rian says with a smirk, poking Alex's cheeks. Alex swats his hand away in annoyance. "Anyway, you're coming?" Jack asks again excitedly. I giggle and nod. "Yay!" He says in that cute voice of his, hugging me again. I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him back. "Aw you guys are so cute." Zack teases. I poke my tongue out at him but Jack decides he'd rather flip him off. I laugh at him and he smiles at me.
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."