โ eyes roll in a teasing fashion, trying to play off the unbridled warmth and bliss coursing through her.
maybe being stuck out here had resulted in one good thing, at least. maybe being away from everyone and everything was what it had taken for this to blossom between them.
Jackie chuckles, slinging both arms around the otherโs neck. sheโd always been affectionate with her best friend, but this was a little different. more sentimental โ- especially after the silent treatment sheโd been giving Shauna for days on end.
โwowza, Shipman.โ
hazel โ
it crosses her mind that she was the one who actually drowned. that couldn't be the case, right? everything in the moment felt too surreal, like this wasn't an actual reality. there was no way this was happening, good things don't happen to heโ
>
โ barely able to repress the urge to brush them against Shaunaโs skin.
โ. . since, you already have my heart, or whatever.โ
color begins to return to Jackieโs pallor, dotting blanched cheeks with a much-needed surge of warmth.
a smile slowly begins to upturn her brims โ- the first actual, genuine smile sheโs adorned in days.
โ. . well, for starters, you can have this back.โ
Jackie unclasps her necklace and drapes it around the otherโs neck, securing it in place, fingertips hovering. as if just โ
she braces herself for the worst, eyes closing again. she expects to hear a rebuttal, disgust or even the sound of the other walking away. the silence is unexpected, but it's deafening and does nothing to quell the anxiety quickly blooming.
>
โ friend. no, sheโd been far more upset about the prospect of her best friendโs heart belonging to someone else.
she understood it all now.
Jackieโs incredulous expression softens. and silently, slowly, she takes a step forward, and another. and another, until she and the โ
โ to plan their future together, to ensure theyโd never be apart.
why Jeffโs touches and kisses had never felt like enough. because somewhere deep down, sheโd been pining for someone else all along.
she hadnโt been upset that her boyfriend had cheated on her with her best โ
โ illuminates Shauna, basking her in an ethereal glow, and she can only stare. equal parts dumbfounded and mesmerized.
now it makes sense. all the times she and Shauna have exchanged lingering glances from across a room. how inseparable they were. how Jackie wanted to spend โ
โ every waking second with her โ- which is exactly why sheโd talked her into playing soccer with her in the first place. how she was the first person she wanted to talk to in the morning, and the last person she thought about before falling asleep. why Jackie had always wanted โ