My Best Friend, Jack ✓

23. Misery Loves Company

I plastered on a smile for the rest of the evening. Caleb ended up winning the first game and Nick won the second. As much as I wanted to win, I couldn't muster up the energy to really put my heart and soul in to it. I felt Mia's eyes on me the whole time but to her credit, she didn't ask me if I was okay, which I appreciated. Caleb kept smiling at me softly and draped his arm over my shoulders. I let him, but as the night drew on, I couldn't wait to go home and curl up in bed. 

After Mia's mum dropped me off home, my phone buzzed and I saw Caleb's name flash up on my screen. I pulled it out and unlocked it. 

I hope you had a good night. It was great spending some time with you. Call me if you want to talk?

I stared at the message for a minute, before shoving the phone back in my pocket. I saw Nick's dad turn round in to my road just ahead to drop off Jack. Not wanting to talk to anyone, I ran up my front path and darted inside the house, slamming the door shut behind me. I winced as the sound reverberated through the house. The hallway was dimly light by one wall light, but the rest were off. I glanced at my watch and noticed that it was almost midnight. I prayed I hadn't woken Ethan up as he would get me in to trouble with my parents. And what's more, he would enjoy doing it. 

Taking my shoes off and draping my hoodie over the bannister, I plodded in to the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard, pouring myself some water. I relished the relief as the cold water touched my lips. I set the water down and pulled my phone back out, staring at the message Caleb had sent me. The light from my screen illuminated the dark room and I leant on the island in the middle of the kitchen. I didn't notice as a dark shadow appeared in the doorway. 

"Hi, honey," my dad said, leaning against the doorframe. 

I squinted as he flicked on the light. His hair was mussed and sticking up at all ends. I noticed that more greys were appearing and his eyes looked bloodshot. I had obviously woken him up mid-sleep. I grimaced at him and put my phone on the counter. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay," he waved his hand, walking over to the counter and leaning over from the other side. "How was your night out?"

I shrugged, tracing circles on the countertop. "It was fine."

"Just fine?" He asked. I nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"That's okay," he smiled. "I can take the hint. But just so you know, I'm always here if you want to talk. Your mother, too."

"I know," I smiled, blowing out a tired breath as I placed my glass in the sink and wandered over. 

My dad opened his arms and I entered them gratefully. I snuggled in to his broad chest and wrapped my arms around him, squeezing tightly. My dad's arms also tightened and he squeezed me hard. 

"Can't. Breath," I choked out, patting him on the back. 

He released me with a small chuckle. "Get up to bed, you. It's late."

"I'm going, I'm going."

As I ran up the stairs, my phone buzzed again. I pulled it out and expected to see a text from Caleb, but Jack's name appeared on the screen instead. Pressing on the little message icon, I opened my door and wandered in to my room, trying not to make too much noise. I leant back against it and smiled when I saw Jack's words. Just six simple words:

I'm here if you need me. 

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I spent most of Saturday holed up in my room. My parents tried to coax me down with the promise of ordering pizza for lunch. I wasn't really in the mood and they sort of left me alone after that. If I ever turned down pizza, they knew that something was really wrong. Not that was per se, I just felt sorry for myself and wanted to just spend some time alone. Ever since school had started, it felt I was trying to keep everyone happy and it was exhausting. I felt extremely tired and very cranky. Even Ethan didn't try to annoy me like usual.