Jack and Diane

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Diane was surprised that she could hear the sound of Jack’s mustang speeding down her gravel drive over her mother’s shrill voice. “You keep this behavior up Diane and you’ll end up just like me. Tied down with kids you didn’t want, living in a rundown trailer in the middle of nowhere.” Diane was out and slamming the door on her mother’s ‘nowhere’. She bounded down the porch steps and hopped into Jack’s car. “Just go.” she told him as she leaned back into his cracked leather seats. Jack peeled out of the drive, spitting gravel out the back tire. He had the windows rolled down and Jackie waved her hand out the window, playing with the wind as he flew down the county road.

“Where ya want to go, Diane.” Jack asked as he placed a hand on her thigh. Diane, her head turned towards her window, brushed a tear away with one hand while she brushed Jack’s hand off her thigh with the other hand. Jack, slightly miffed by the brush off, placed both hands on the wheel and increased the pressure on the gas pedal. He flew past the brown state park sign and Diane yelled ‘Stop! Circle around. Let’s go take that Spring Creek trail down to the lagoon.” Jack did a u-turn in the road and headed back to the state park entrance. He still had some hope that he’d be able to put his hands on more than just Diane’s thigh, maybe even get handjob in the woods. Diane knew what Jack was thinking. She wasn’t with him because he was bright. She was with him because he was easy, simple. He was transparent in what he wanted from her and he was way out of getting stuck babysitting her little brother and sister. Diane would probably give him that handjob he was hoping for.

Jack parked his car at the trailhead parking lot and they headed down the steep trail that led to a lagoon of emerald green water. Diane was wearing a pair of sandals she’d found in the clothing donation box outside the Baptist Church. The sandals were not made for hiking this sort of trail or walking in general, but the shoes, painted silver, made Diane feel classy. She slipped several times as they made their way down the trail, each time Jack catching her before she hit the ground. Each time, grabbing some of her flesh in the palm of his hand, letting it linger there. Diane ignored it and kept on making her way down towards the lagoon and when she broke through the forest and into the clearing near the lagoon, she kicked off her fancy sandals. Diane made her way to a tree at the edge of the water. The tree had a large, thick limb that stretched out over the lagoon and bowed like a hammock. Diane was nimble and easily climbed up the tree and out onto that branch, settling herself into the bowed section. She turned her head towards the water as she heard Jack step out into the clearing. Diane smiled to herself briefly because she knew Jack couldn’t climb out on the limb with her. She could be alone without having to constantly brush off his hands.

Jack frowned when he saw Diane lounging on that tree limb. He found a large flat rock near the base of the tree and sat there, throwing pebbles into the water. Diane stared out at the green water, hearing all the things her mother always yelled at her and wondering what she was going to do after high school. She hated that her mother might be right, that she might end up in another trailer park, with a husband who spent his paychecks on meth and one too many kids running around with dirty diapers or snotty noses. Diane hadn’t said anything about taking the ACT or even let on that she was studying for it. She couldn’t bear the ridicule she’d recieve for crappy scores. Diane was surprised when the test results came back and she’d gotten good scores, like scholarship level scores. Mr. Evans, the guidance counselor, told Diane that she’d probably get into any college she wanted and that there would be scholarships and financial aid. No one in her family had ever gone to college. Diane could be the first. She could be the first to do a lot of things.

While Diane sat on that branch staring at the water, contemplating life, Jack sat on his rock, staring at Diane, contemplating his own wants and his own life.