story

Jackie and Emily were listening to one direction- and by listening we were singing at the top of our lungs to it. We were singing “what makes you beautiful” when suddenly… “Jackie? What is that racquet?” Jacob called from where he was trying to teach Harry how to play lacrosse without success. Jacob was Jackie’s husband of 5 years. I still loved him. Harry married Emily 6 years ago. She was still in love with him. “Sorry sweetie. We just LOVE one direction!” I said. We screamed. “Will you STOP referencing my old band?” Harry asked madly. 1 direction broke up a few years ago but was still in contact with each other. Jacob gave up and said, “I’m getting lemonade.” He made a start for the house but was stopped by his wife. “Let US cool you off sweetie.” I said. Emily and Jackie sprayed him with the garden hose. Harry grabbed the hose and sprayed us in retaliation. “Ha. Revenge is sweet. It so serves you right.” Jacob said. In retaliation to getting sprayed Emily and Jackie put food coloring in their underwear and sock drawers. “You did that?” Jacob asked shocked. “It serves you right,” I said. Emily and I high fived each other and ran away. I apologized later. “It’s ok. By the way Vinay’s coming over tonight.” Jacob said fake obnoxiously. It was cute how he tries to be mean. “Cool,” I said thinking of the other handball teammate I was very close with. Why didn’t I marry him? He was the one I really liked. He’s the cuter one. Jacob started kissing me. Oh right, I thought. Jacob’s a great kisser. Later that evening the doorbell rings. Jacob answers. Vinay enters with another person, Vysakh. “Sorry I didn’t warn you. Vysakh said he wanted to come at the last second,” Vinay explained obviously sorry for not warning his former handball team mate. “It’s fine,” Jacob said. “Nice to meet you Vysakh; what made you decide to come with Vinay to visit us?” Vysakh said, “Vinay mentioned that he was going to see Jackie. I thought, “Huh haven’t seen her since high school. Why not visit her too?” Jacob says, “I bet she’ll love to see you too. I think she mentioned you a couple of times.” Jacob remembered her mentioning him helping her with computer programming when she was a sophomore in high school. Jackie enters the foyer. “Vysakh, Omigod. Vysakh, you’re here! What an awesome surprise!” I run up to him and wrap my arms around him in a big (for my size) bear hug. “It’s nice to see you too Jackie. Now can you let me go so I can breathe again?” he asked. He looked like he was turning blue from lack of oxygen. “Sorry Vysakh. Here let me show you to the room you and Vinay will be crashing in for however you two are staying for,” I said getting his stuff and leading him down the hallway chattering all the way. Once out of earshot, Vinay turned toward Jacob and asked, “So, uh when did Jackie get here?” “Oh she lives here. So do I. She and I’ve been married for 5 years remember? I invited you to the wedding but you didn’t come? Any of this rings a bell?” Jacob asked incredulously. Jacob thought, duh ding a ling. I was the one who invited you. You were the idiot who choose not to come. Why didn’t you? Jackie was so upset. “Oh right. Yeah,” Vinay said with a sigh. “I still can’t believe she chose you. I guess that’s why I didn’t go to the wedding. I was still upset that she chosen you.” “No worries. Here let me” Jacob started; then suddenly the doorbell rang again. Jacob answered the door and outside was Emmett Bledsoe and Gregg Sulkin. “Can we help you?” Jacob asked. Emily ran down the stairs and said, “Don’t move. They’re my guests.” When she stopped Emily said “Hi welcome guests of Harry Styles.” Jacob asked questioningly and looking at her like what the heck, “Harry invited them while he’s in Cancun?” “Ok so I invited them. Jackie! Emmett and Gregg are here!” Emily called loudly. I ran back into the foyer with Vysakh in tow. Emily and I started drooling. I invited them in. “Emily why don’t you show them to their room.” I said. “Sure. Let’s go boys,” Emily said. Emily noticed Vinay realizing he was cute whispered to Jackie, “Who’s that?” “That’s Vinay my other team mate. Cute isn’t he?” I asked in a hushed tone. “Yeah,” Emily said as she went to go show where the stars were going to sleep. I apologized for Emily’s constant love of cute guys. I explained she how she thought a boyfriend would be good for me. I smiled and asked for their forgiveness. They all forgave me. Vysakh lead Vinay to their shared room. Jacob and I were left in the hallway. He and I had a make out session. A few hours later Jacob, Vinay and I saw each other. They had come out of the movie room. I was holding a DVD set with the word “Forensic Files” on the cover and another DVD set with the words “Bones” on it. “Hey, you guys just coming out of there? I was gonna watch forensic files if you wanted to join me.” I said. “All the forensic science you want. My friend Vince just sent me a dvd of forensic files.” Vinay said thoughtfully, “I didn’t know Vince liked that stuff. Wonder why he didn’t tell me about that. Oh well.” I said, “Yeah he’s a forensic scientist. He works down at the police station. He got a new DVD set of it He got me one as well. He knows I like it as much as he does.” Jacob said, “That’s nice of him.” He suddenly noticed Jackie was wearing a cute, low cut, semi-see through blue nightgown and ugg boots. “Hey Jackie, what are you wearing?” I looked down and said, “My pajamas and a pair of ugg boots.” Jacob said, “Are you gonna sleep in the TV room?” I said, “Maybe. I’ve fallen asleep during 48 hours before but I don’t know. Why that a problem?” Jacob thought about it and said, “Don’t start it right away. I’m gonna change. I’m gonna watch it with you. Want to watch Vinay?” Vinay said, “I’m in. give us 10 minutes and then we’ll start. Ok?” “Ok. That should give me time to set it up and make popcorn,” I said. 10 minutes later the guys were back in their pajamas and ready to watch forensic files. I asked which of the DVD set they wanted to watch. They said whatever I wanted. I put in a DVD with the one I liked. At the end of each episode I’d say, “Here comes the good part.” They would try and not gag at what I thought the “good part” was. Mostly it was what prosecutors believed. Sometimes it was gory. I fell asleep at 2 am. The guys fell asleep after 4 episodes. I laughed at them and fell asleep in a comfy couch and pulled pillows to get the “blanket” effect. The popcorn settled in my system a long time ago and I was feeling sleepy. The next morning I woke up and went to test my blood sugar in the kitchen. I saw Vinay, Vysakh and Jacob already there. Jacob saw my glucometer in my hand. “Hey, didn’t you get rid of your diabetes?” Jacob asked. “Yeah I did but I’m not feeling well. Better to check. Want to watch me test?” I asked. All 3 turned their heads and saw me test my blood sugar. I sighed. “It’s normal guys. I’m so glad it’s not insane like it was a few days ago.” “Good. Want breakfast?” Vinay asked. “I made cheesy eggs, bacon and toast. Your favorites” “Thanks Vinay” I said as I gladly accepted a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. I couldn’t believe he remembered my favorite breakfast foods from such a long time ago. “So what’s the plan for today?” “Nothing really; just getting the most out of spending time with you,” Vinay said. “Want to go down memory lane with me?” “Sure,” I said. I thought, Man why didn’t I marry this one? I like Jacob but Vinay is so much cuter. Vinay’s always the one I’ve liked. I always thought he’d had a crush on me. No offence to Jacob. If Vinay hadn’t broken up with me, I’d still be Ms. Tzou on account of me liking my last name. Why did I let Vinay go? I hope we still have the same sparks when we kiss. If not I guess it’ll be a good excuse to make out with him. Boy I hope we do. It’d be nice that we would after all this time. He was flirting with me during my senior bocce season. Saying his friend wanted to go to my bocce ball fundraiser and how his friend wanted to become a sign language interpreter, like myself. I totally saw through. I gave him the sarcastic “right” and an eye roll. I flirted back with him as well by kicking his shoe. Vinay said, “Awesome.” Vinay thought, Ok this might be my shot to get my ex-girlfriend, who I’m still crazy about back. I’ve always had a crush on her. I hope she and I have sparks when we kiss. And if not, oh well. It’ll be a good excuse to make out with her. Man, I hope we still have the same sparks we did all those years ago. It’d be nice to see her again. I was totally flirting with her during her senior bocce season saying my friend wanted to go to her bocce ball fundraiser and how my friend wanted to become a sign language interpreter like her. I think she saw through it though. She said the sarcastic “right” and did the eye roll. She tried kicking my shoe, which I didn’t like but she was probably flirting with me. Jacob asked what they were gonna do in memory lane. Look at old handball photos? We don’t have any old photos. Vinay told him they had private stuff to talk about. Jacob looked like he was about to ask when Vysakh asked if Jacob wanted to play duck bowling. Jacob agreed. I mouthed the words, thank you to Vysakh. He mouthed your welcome. That day Vinay and I rarely left is room. I tumbled out of his room and I was a mix of emotions. I decided to take a day to myself. I went to a spa and invited Emily to come. She came with me. I told her about what I had done. She told me about cheating on Harry with Emmett on great detail. Like what she was wearing (lingerie) and what they’d done (had sex and gotten drunk). I realized I was talking to the wrong person. That night I prayed to god that I’d committed adultery. I asked for forgiveness from him and Jacob. I got relief from god. From Jacob on the other hand, He already knew. I apologized saying if he didn’t want to forgive me it was ok. Jacob asked why I wasn’t forgiven. I told him I cheated on him. He told me that if I wasn’t forgiven that I’d have been kicked out of the house already. I told him that he was the best. The next day I went on a shopping spree and had a fun time. I’d come home with a trunk load of stuff; Not only for me but for the house as well. Jacob came out and gave me a stunned look as if to say, “How much did you spend?” and “is this all for us?” I told him that it was for the house and me as well. Jacob breathed a sigh of relief. He told me he was glad it wasn’t all stupid spending. I laughed and rolled my eyes. Jacob asked how much I’d spent. I told him only a few hundred. I went to thrift shops. Jacob breathed a sigh of relief. Vinay came out with the cordless phone and gave the phone to me. He told me it was a guy named Fernando. Jacob and Vinay listened into what I was saying. “Hello?” I asked cautiously. I knew my husband and my ex-boyfriend was within earshot. I didn’t want to say or do anything else incriminating. Not if they could hear it or were within earshot anyways. Fernando said cautiously as though sensing that I was not alone, “Hi. Do you want to go out for dinner tonight… as friends?” I looked at Vinay and Jacob carefully and turned around. I replied, “Sure. How about 8 tonight? I’m good for anything but Italian food; remember?” Fernando said how about 8:30 that night he needed time to get ready. I agreed. I hung up and gave the phone back to Vinay and asked him to put it back on the receiver. I quickly unloaded the car and got ready for the dinner. Jacob and Vinay entered the room. Vinay asked what that was about. I told him I was going to hang out with my friend that night. Jacob was cool with the fact that I was hanging out with a male friend. He told me he’s hung out with some female friends in his time. As I drove to the Chinese restaurant I thought of Jacob’s coolness with me hanging out with Fernando. I wondered when he’d become this nice. I wonder if he’s tapped my phone or has hidden cameras hidden in every room. I thought, Nah. Jacob’s not that insane. Is he? I saw Fernando outside the restaurant. He looked cute. It totally snapped me out of my thoughts of Jacob and him being so understanding. I parked and raced into Fernando’s arms. “Wow. You look fantastic, Jackie. It’s been way too long since I saw you last,” Fernando said. He smiled at me. Man she looks hot. Why didn’t we ever date? I had a feeling she had a minor crush on me. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up on those signs. She totally liked me. I did my research. She and I could’ve been a couple. Why we didn’t ever become a couple is beyond me, Fernando thought. I went up to his cheek and kissed him. I said, “Man, Fernando you look so adorable. It HAS been a long time since we saw each other at Montgomery college right? Wow that was a long time ago. Why don’t we go in? We can catch each other up on….well…. everything we’ve missed in the last few years.” He and I had a fun time at the Chinese place. It was fun to catch up and see him after all these years. He told me about his job and I told him about mine. He was quiet after I told him I got married 5 years ago. I told him I was still in love with my husband even after all this time. Fernando got uncomfortable. I asked if he was ok. “Jackie, I have a confession to make. It’s not inappropriate or anything. I love you. I’ve loved you since I saw you in college. We’ve had the best times together. Our conversations were so good we started and would go on for hours without remembering what we started on. It wasn’t forced, which is cool. We’d been best friends and not even realized that we could’ve slipped into being boyfriend girlfriend. I hope you understand. I’m sorry this came too late. If you hate me it’s ok, but I had to tell you that. I figured out why you asked about me having a girlfriend. It’s because you liked me,” Fernando said. He sighed with relief to finally get this off his chest. It looked like he was happier without this weighting him down. It took a few minutes for me to respond. I couldn’t make eye contact with him; I kept breathing air out of my cheeks. When I finally could say something I told him I needed some time alone to think. He understood. In the bathroom it took me while to think and put it all into perspective. I called my best friend. Emily gave me an earful about love and how he and I don’t have to be tied down to Jacob if I didn’t want to. She told me I could just divorce Jacob and marry Fernando. I called Jacob and told him about Fernando’s confession. Jacob said he wasn’t surprised. I was a pretty girl. I told him I loved him. I went back out and saw Fernando looking sad. I walked back to the table. I gave him a hug and sat back down. He asked if everything was alright and if I’d thought about his confession. I told him I did. “Fernando, listen. I’ve already cheated on my husband once with an ex. I’m not going to do it again because I love him. It came too late. I’m sorry. I love you too but I’m not going to do it again. Jacob’s always been there for me. He has his quirks but I love him more than anything. I can’t be with you. I’m sorry,” I say. I tell him that after tonight he hold his feeling for me and keep them to himself. Fernando complies. We talk, eat and catch up more. At the end of the night he asks if he could kiss me. I say yes. He and I kiss for a few minutes until someone snaps me out of it. I’m shocked to my senses. Fernando is as well. We part ways. That night I get a text from Fernando saying “Jackie, I’m not sorry we made out but I AM sorry we never got to finish what was started. I love you.” I didn’t know what to do with it. In the morning I showed Vysakh and asked what he would do. “Well it seems like he’s really into you. If I were you I’d confront him,” Vysakh said earnestly. “Give it a try. He could really have fallen for you.” “Ok I will. I know I’m naturally pretty. It’s not hard to have fallen for me. Does that make me sound like I’m conceited?” I asked. “A little but with a good reason,” Vysakh said well naturedly. He smiled at me sweetly. That afternoon I called Fernando up. I asked him if he wanted to meet up. He said, “Yes” immediately as if he was waiting for this call his whole life. I told him to meet me at the park in 20 minutes. I saw him holding a bunch of flowers. I had a small freaked out expression like when Evan had flirted with me back in sophomore year. Only difference no one could save me this time. I walked up to him and gave him a hug. He gave me the flowers. I told him it was sweet. I thought how am I going to explain flowers to Jacob? Well my mom bought flowers constantly. I guess I could say I bought them. We talked. I confronted him on the text. He explained he did love me. I told him I loved him but now I was married to my husband. He was sad. I walked away. I went to the track. I ran until my feelings were gone. “Looking good Jackie,” a friend called out. I looked. It was my former gym teacher. I realized I was northwest high school’s track. I stopped running and took in my surroundings. I was shocked that I’d wound up back to my former high school. I started running again. I needed to burn off my nervous energy. It took me 7 laps to realize I wasn’t going to get rid of this by running. By this time several other students came and were watching me run around the track. Some of them didn’t even go to northwest. A couple teachers came to watch as well. The track team was down there. They were working on their stuff. It didn’t bother me that I was running with them. Mr. Youngblood came up to me to ask if I was ok. He told me he’d never seen me run over 2 miles on the track before. He’d never actually seen me run this fast before. I’d not run. The most he’d seen me is in team handball. He’d asked me if I needed help with anything. I shook my head. I walked up to the stadium and left. When I left I headed over to the shopping center. I was meeting a friend there for sushi from happy uncles. It was fun. My friends never showed up but I had fun solo. I saw Jacob. He said he’s had to pick up a few things from his parents’ house. He asked how he knew he’d find me at a Chinese place. I told him because I’m Chinese through my biological father. I told him he knew I was Chinese. He said, true. I asked him if he wanted sushi. He said no. I shrugged and started in on my 3rd plate of unagi. “Jackie is this healthy? This looks carby, starchy and unhealthy,” Jacob told me. He was worried I’d my diabetes back. I told him that it’s brown rice. Brown rice is very healthy. He told me he trusted me. He was eyeing the way I was devouring the sushi. I got seaweed salad and miso soup to go along with it. After that I was done with lunch. He told me that the bill was probably going to be huge. I said, not really. I told him it was a lunch special. I paid and Jacob and I left. I stretched and then went back to the school where I’d left my porche. I slipped in and told Jacob I’d see him later. I’d only gotten home and realized Emily was standing outside with Vysakh, Harry, Emmett and Gregg. Emily’s eyes widened when she saw me. “Vysakh told me about Fernando’s text. How did it go?” Emily asked me. She brought me in closer and whispered, “Did you two get far?” She seemed intrigued. They all looked at me expectantly. I sighed. “I told Fernando I wasn’t going to cheat on Jacob again. I already cheated on him with Vinay. No way am I going to cheat on Jacob. Not again,” I said matter of factly. I walked into the house with the flowers. I called out, “Fernando got me these.” Emily walked into the kitchen where I was fixing the flowers. Emily gave me a knowing smile. “Why are you fixing flowers if you don’t like a guy?” she asked. She knew that I liked him just a little bit. She liked the flowers as well. They looked beautiful. He had some taste in flowers as well as girls. Fernando was a sweetie and a cutie. No wonder she’d fallen for him back in high school. His soft brown eyes, dark brown hair and easy demeanor made him a perfect person to crush on. It was hard not to think of him as cute at least. “It was a nice thing for someone to get me. So why not take care of them? Plus they are very pretty and I like pretty things. Mainly because I’m pretty,” I told her absentmindedly arranging them in a pretty pattern. “These look ok?” I asked without really wanting a reply. I put them in a glass vase my parents gave me as a wedding present. I put water in the vase and set it where it could be seen beautifully. Emily teased me, “Jackie likes Fernando. Jackie likes Fernando. You like him. He likes you too.” She knew I had a crush on him. What she didn’t know was that that crush ended up being a brief hook up. Now he and I are friends again. I guess he actually loved me as well. Now I knew about him being in love with me. I wondered if he really liked me back in college or that was a joke. Jacob walked into the room and asked about the flowers. I told the truth and told him Fernando had bought me the flowers when I saw him this morning. He said, “Oh.” I noticed a bruise on his neck. “Hey Jacob what’s that on your neck? Is that a hickey?” I asked him. It was very visible and so obviously a hickey looking bruise. He told me he was seeing someone else so he was OK with me seeing my guy friends over the last couple of days.