(no subject)
So after a disgustingly long time, I finally got around to writing a fic for The Darling Rebels by Siobhan Nichols.
It's un-beta'd and I wrote it at 4 in the morning one day while I was on holiday, so I make no promises as to its quality.
Lucy was broken from her reverie by a knock at her bedroom window. It wasn’t unusual for Adam to come climbing up the trellis and into the house through her window; he did enjoy ‘adventures’ after all. But to Lucy’s immense surprise, the boy on the other side of the glad was Jack. What is he doing here? she wondered, before realising maybe something was wrong with Charlotte. She let him in so he could explain.
When she pushed the glass up, though, Jack didn’t come climbing through it like she had expected, but instead asked her to meet him at the end of her house’s front walk, so that he could take her to the woods and show her something. Lucy chuckled inwardly as she realised this was very similar to the first time Adam had taken her to see Jack.
As odd as Lucy found the request to follow Jack to the woods, she decided to go along with it. After all, she thought, what’s the worst that could happen? Charlotte had told her earlier that Jack only had a few months left to live, so maybe he just felt he needed someone else to talk to. And it wasn’t like he had a lot of options.
The pair walked quickly towards the woods, with Jack ducking out of the way whenever another person came into view. Even Lucy was used to this now, and barely batted an eye.
Once in the relative safety of the trees, Jack became much more at ease, as if this was the only place he felt vaguely normal.
“Lucy,” he began, and then stopped.
She waited for him to continue and when nothing appeared to be forthcoming, she prodded him. “Yes, Jack?”
“Well, I’ve, uh, been thinking. And I’m not sure I can stay with Charlotte any longer. Not with so little time left to live. I need to enjoy the rest of my life, you know?”
“What are you talking about?” Why would Jack break up with Charlotte now? The two were so in love it was sickening. But then again, Lucy had only ever heard it from Charlotte’s side, and maybe Jack was a better actor than she could have known. Maybe he didn’t love Charlotte at all.
But why was he telling Lucy all of this? Surely she was obligated to let Charlotte know what he’d said? But how on earth was she supposed to break her best friend’s heart?
Before she could work out the answers to any of her questions, Jack spoke again. “I think maybe what I need is someone like you burning through me. I think you’d make things all right again.”
And suddenly his arms were around her waist and his beautiful face was moving towards hers and she couldn’t think and she couldn’t breathe and then he was kissing her and it was wonderful but oh so wrong because of Adam and Charlotte and--
“Tell me I’m not seeing this.” Charlotte was there and she’d seen and what was Lucy supposed to do now? “Please, tell me I’m dreaming.”
“You’re dreaming,” Lucy replied, wanting to do whatever she could to make things better.
“Be quiet, Lucy. Nobody asked you.” Lucy cowered away from the harsh tone of Charlotte’s voice, but managed to stand her ground. None of this was her fault, after all. And from the sounds of the fighting match currently happening between Charlotte and Jack, he hadn’t meant any of what he’d said anyway.
Lucy had still been an accomplice in breaking her friend’s heart though, and she knew her guilt would be almost if not totally impossible to forget.
It's un-beta'd and I wrote it at 4 in the morning one day while I was on holiday, so I make no promises as to its quality.
Lucy was broken from her reverie by a knock at her bedroom window. It wasn’t unusual for Adam to come climbing up the trellis and into the house through her window; he did enjoy ‘adventures’ after all. But to Lucy’s immense surprise, the boy on the other side of the glad was Jack. What is he doing here? she wondered, before realising maybe something was wrong with Charlotte. She let him in so he could explain.
When she pushed the glass up, though, Jack didn’t come climbing through it like she had expected, but instead asked her to meet him at the end of her house’s front walk, so that he could take her to the woods and show her something. Lucy chuckled inwardly as she realised this was very similar to the first time Adam had taken her to see Jack.
As odd as Lucy found the request to follow Jack to the woods, she decided to go along with it. After all, she thought, what’s the worst that could happen? Charlotte had told her earlier that Jack only had a few months left to live, so maybe he just felt he needed someone else to talk to. And it wasn’t like he had a lot of options.
The pair walked quickly towards the woods, with Jack ducking out of the way whenever another person came into view. Even Lucy was used to this now, and barely batted an eye.
Once in the relative safety of the trees, Jack became much more at ease, as if this was the only place he felt vaguely normal.
“Lucy,” he began, and then stopped.
She waited for him to continue and when nothing appeared to be forthcoming, she prodded him. “Yes, Jack?”
“Well, I’ve, uh, been thinking. And I’m not sure I can stay with Charlotte any longer. Not with so little time left to live. I need to enjoy the rest of my life, you know?”
“What are you talking about?” Why would Jack break up with Charlotte now? The two were so in love it was sickening. But then again, Lucy had only ever heard it from Charlotte’s side, and maybe Jack was a better actor than she could have known. Maybe he didn’t love Charlotte at all.
But why was he telling Lucy all of this? Surely she was obligated to let Charlotte know what he’d said? But how on earth was she supposed to break her best friend’s heart?
Before she could work out the answers to any of her questions, Jack spoke again. “I think maybe what I need is someone like you burning through me. I think you’d make things all right again.”
And suddenly his arms were around her waist and his beautiful face was moving towards hers and she couldn’t think and she couldn’t breathe and then he was kissing her and it was wonderful but oh so wrong because of Adam and Charlotte and--
“Tell me I’m not seeing this.” Charlotte was there and she’d seen and what was Lucy supposed to do now? “Please, tell me I’m dreaming.”
“You’re dreaming,” Lucy replied, wanting to do whatever she could to make things better.
“Be quiet, Lucy. Nobody asked you.” Lucy cowered away from the harsh tone of Charlotte’s voice, but managed to stand her ground. None of this was her fault, after all. And from the sounds of the fighting match currently happening between Charlotte and Jack, he hadn’t meant any of what he’d said anyway.
Lucy had still been an accomplice in breaking her friend’s heart though, and she knew her guilt would be almost if not totally impossible to forget.