A chance with Jack

JASMINE

This wouldn't be the first time I had caught Jack kissing a girl, and it definitely wouldn't be the last time either.

He was a Casanova, a big-time playboy who made out with any girl that threw themselves at him. The girls in school all knew he was a player. He doesn't date and preferred hooking up with girls, but the girls at Wilford High School didn't mind.

As long as they get to make out or have sex with Jack, they were okay with that. I guess I was the one who was selfish to want him all for myself.

I stood there watching Jack as he devoured Madelyn's lips. Madelyn was kissing him just the same way, her manicured fingers digging into his curly brown hair.

I was hurting, but still, I stood there watching them kiss, oblivious to anyone around them.

“Jazz!” Amy called my name so loudly.

Jack broke his kiss with Madelyn. He turned to look at me, but before he could get the chance to see my face, I quickly turned away from him.

“Are you okay?” Amy asked as she approached me.

“What are you looking at, Jack? Let's go,” I could hear Madelyn say.

“Sure,” Jack responded.

I turned to look at Jack again, he was already walking hand in hand with Madelyn. They were both laughing, looking like the perfect picture couple.

“Jazz?”

“You shouldn't have talked me into this, Amy. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have witnessed Jack kissing Madelyn!” I snapped at her.

“Take a pill chill, bestie. It's not like this will be the first time you would be witnessing Jack kissing a girl, neither would it be the last. He's a total playboy.”

I nodded my head to suppress the pain I was feeling.

“I guess it's all my fault for having a crush on the biggest playboy in school,” I howled, and gave her back the pack of candies she had given to me, turning on my heels to leave.

“Jazz! Where are you going?” she asked.

“I'm going home,” I answered, not attempting to stop.

“We still have classes! You can't miss biology class,” she reminded me.

I halted my feet and turned to look at her. “I would have attended biology class if you didn't lure me to watch Jack play lacrosse.”

“Jazz,” Amy lamented.

“I will be fine, Amy. Let's talk tomorrow,” I forced out a smile so she could feel less guilty.

“You're sure?”

I nodded my head before heading for the school gate.

One of the reasons I never bothered watching Jack play lacrosse was because he always kissed any girl afterward. And every time, it reminded me that I wasn’t the kind of girl he wanted.

Jack loved girls with big boobs and butts, and I was far from being a girl who had those. I didn’t even start growing boobs until I was fourteen. By then, most of the girls in my class already looked like models, and I still looked like a little kid, and even then, you needed a magnifying glass to notice them.

I was just someone he would never look at. Maybe I should just stop fictionalizing that I could have a chance with Jack. He was a total jerk, and I hated myself for having a crush on him—a feeling I couldn't stop, no matter how hard I tried.

I called my driver, asking him to come pick me up. He came in no time, and he drove me home, where I met my parents having a discussion.

They were both doctors, and they expected me to also become a doctor like them. But if you asked me, I would rather not become a doctor. I wanted something else, something my parents would never accept.

“Hi, Dad. Hi, Mom,” I smiled at them, and they gave me a puzzled expression.

“School isn't over yet, why are you back so early?” my mom asked.

“I feel a little bit sick,” I muttered.

I wouldn't want to tell them I had left school all because I was sad about my crush kissing the most popular girl in school.

“Oh my gosh, honey. Are you alright?” my parents asked at the same time as they rushed to check up on me.

I was their only daughter, and they cared about me a lot, which is why I didn't say no when they said they wanted me to become a doctor like them.

“I'm fine. I'm just tired from all the stress in school.”

“My baby is working so hard to become a doctor like her mom, isn't she?” my mom teased, ruffling my hair.

“Mom! You should stop doing that. I will be sixteen soon,” I said with a smile.

“We don't care, hon. You will forever be our little princess,” my dad touched my chin, and I smiled.

It was a blessing having parents like them. Every so often, I wonder if they would have loved me less if I wasn't their only child.

“I will just get some rest.”

“Yeah, you should, but make sure you don't skip classes again, okay? It's not healthy for your grades,” my mom reminded me, and I slightly nodded my head.

“Before I forget, a new family will be moving in this evening,” my dad announced.

“Someone moved in already?” I asked.

“Yeah. I heard they have kids who go to your school. If they're not a distraction, maybe you could be friends with them. What do you think, hon?” my mom smiled at me.

“Let's see how it goes,” I responded in a voice that wasn't so audible for them to hear.

I went into my room and collapsed on the bed, Jack kissing Madelyn replaying in my mind. He is a hot kisser, and I wondered what it would feel like if those pink full lips of his touched mine.

I shook my head, discarding the thought from my mind. It was something that would never happen.

I took my favorite book from the table, trying to get lost in the book, but I stopped halfway and tossed it aside.

I needed to grow up and stop reading stuff that pulled me out of the real world. Furthermore, I would never have a chance with Jack.

I'm just an invisible girl he would never notice. To stop myself from thinking about him, I put on my headphones and lay on the bed to sleep.

Listening to Billie Eilish had always been my therapy. Her songs were like sleeping pills.

Waking up a few hours later, I realized it was evening already. I went downstairs and met my mom cooking in the kitchen.

“Where’s Dad?” I asked, grabbing an apple from the fridge.

“He had a patient to attend to. He won’t be back until tomorrow.”

I nodded, sitting on a stool inside the cabinet area.

“Our new neighbors have already moved in. I saw them earlier. Susan seems friendly, and her son is so handsome,” she giggled.

I just nodded, uninterested. The only person who could make my heart flutter was Jack. I haven't looked at any other boy except for him.

My mom brought out some mini cheesecakes she had baked and offered them to me.

“I don't eat mini cheesecakes.”

“Who said it's for you? You should give it to our new neighbors.”

“What?!” I gasped. “There's no way I'm doing that, Mom!”

“Yes, you will. They're our next-door neighbors. It's time you made friends, honey.”

“I have Amy. I don't need more friends.”

“Jasmine.”

“Mom, please don't make me do this,” I pleaded, but she still insisted I give her mini cheesecakes to our new neighbors.

“I wouldn't know what to say to them, Mom,” I said, hoping she would change her mind.

“Just say anything, honey. You won't watch your favorite show if you don't give this cake to them,” she threatened.

“I hate you,” I frowned, and she giggled, knowing fully well I didn't mean what I had said.

“Aren't you going to change into something nice? Your hair looks messy. I just told you Susan has a handsome son.”

“I don't give a damn about her son, Mom,” I rolled my eyes at her before stepping out of the house.

The gate was open when I arrived at their house, so I just walked straight to their doorstep. I took in a deep breath before pressing the doorbell.

“Hold on a sec, I’m coming,” a familiar voice said from inside. I brushed it off, eager to get this over with.

“Who is it?” he asked as the door opened—and my eyes widened in shock.

In fact, my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw Jack standing shirtless in front of me.

“Do I know you?” he asked.

He was real.

I wasn't hallucinating.

Jack was the handsome son of Susan, who my mom was talking about.

The mini cheesecakes I was holding fell from my hand and hit the ground. I gave out a loud, thunderous scream and ran all the way back to my house.