“Exactly,” Lana confirmed. “It’s free publicity.”
“Anyway,” Naya said, “let me know whatever you want to know about her and I’ll ask. I’m going to meet her tonight at the premiere.”
Tonight?! It seemed like just yesterday that I learned Jack had a movie.
“I wanted to go, too,” Lana complained. “I was hoping to hook up with some famous dude. But Ross is a jerk and didn’t bother to invite me.”
“I thought you had a boyfriend,” I reminded her.
“You said it.Had,” she replied.
Naya told me Jack hadn’t invited anyone but her, Will, Sue, and his family. The rest of the people there would be friends and family of the cast and crew, some VIPs, and the press. I have to admit, it stung a bit, getting left out like that.
After all, things had felt normal between us since that night at the movies. I looked after Jack, asked him every morning how he’d slept, ordered his favorite food when he was hungry, made sure Naya didn’t torture him with her horrible taste in TV. It was silly stuff, but I felt like it meant something to him. He helped me with my schoolwork, made the bed when I didn’t have time to, accompanied me to the laundromat, bought me groceries… And we were talking finally. Not screaming—talking.
These may have been small steps, but they meant the world to me. We might not ever be a couple again, but at least we could be friends. I had missed Jack’s company, and I didn’t really care how I had him back in my life, as long as I did. I missed him.
And I knew a day would come when we’d be calm and trust each other again, and I could finally confess to him what had actually happened a year before.
But still, I needed time. And he did, too, I’m sure. I guessed that was why he hadn’t invited me to the premiere—because in my heart I knew I mattered more to him than the people who were going.
This internal monologue went on and on, and I heard the front door open. Jack cleared his throat. Naya and Lana were suddenly horrified, and I soon knew why. Vivian’s face was still there on my laptop screen, for all the world to see.
Lana slammed my computer shut and threw it aside, causing me to panic. All my work was on there! If it hit the floor and broke, I’d be dead! I jumped and caught it, and just before Jack walked into the living room, I sat on it, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
Naya tried to strike a natural pose as she said, “There he is! He never shows up before dinner time, even when it’s his day to pick where to order from!”
Jack was wearing an old sweatshirt and spinning his key ring around his finger. He looked tired, as always, as he smiled at me wanly. Then he froze. I think he could see through our awkward attempts at being normal. Disturbed, he stepped back and asked, “Do you want to tell me why you’re all staring at me?”
“No reason!” Naya shouted. “Absolutely no reason!”
Jack turned to me. I was an easy target, and he knew it, the bastard. Plus, I was a terrible liar and hadn’t even had time to plan. I didn’t know what my face looked like just then. As soon as I opened my mouth, I’dgive myself away. I was dying of embarrassment. What kind of idiot would look at sensitive information like that right there in the living room? Couldn’t I have just held off for a moment?
“May I ask…” he said, “why you’re sitting on your laptop? You’re not exactly plus-sized, Jen, I can see it perfectly.”
“I was just…”Come on, think, brain!“I was taking notes.”
“And we were helping her,” Naya added, probably making things worse.
He was clearly unconvinced and decided to stand there in silence, waiting for a better explanation. It only got worse when Will came in, holding his cigarettes. He was about to clap Jack on the back when he noticed something wasn’t right. His smile straightened out, and he asked, “What’s up with the silence?”
“These three were up to something and they don’t want to tell me what,” Jack said.
“We weren’t doing anything wrong!” Naya fired back.
“Then you shouldn’t have any problem admitting what you were doing,” Jack responded.
“We were just showing Jenna who…” Lana blurted out, then covered her mouth. Will and Jack both narrowed their eyes.
“Keep going…” Jack said.
Lana stammered and coughed, and I realized I needed an excuse, fast. I looked around, trying to come up with something plausible, something he wouldn’t expect; something that wouldn’t make him feel mad, insecure, or jealous. I came out with the only thing that occurred to me: “We were looking for Mike’s band!”
Will looked skeptical. I tried to tell him I was just curious. Jack shook his head and said, “You didn’t get any better at lying in the year you were away.”
I stuck my tongue out, he grinned, and the tension lessened slightly. Thank God, a new interruption soon came through the door. Speak ofthe devil, it was Mike, who smirked, flopping down in an armchair and remarking, “Feels kind of tense in here. Naya, did you do something wrong?”
“Why me?” she asked, offended.
