Rose. Part 7.

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youvedonewhat

Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
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:wave: Greetings peeps. :sexywink: Next part of Rose. Thank you for all your comments. Seems I have the format right in my writing style. :D Thank you everyone who took the time to come back to me on it. Means a lot. :hug:

Ok, next bit of our Rose. >>>

Last bit from last bit>>>

Right then I hated every inch of him. On the other side of me, Kay turned her head towards me. “Ignore it”. She said sensing my hurt. “He’s just letting go”.

“Letting go of what? And don’t make excuses for him. He’s not worth it”.

“I’m not making excuses. He’s been through a tough time with Rebecca. Leave him be. He needs to do this”.

I snorted and sulked some more. Fuck him. I hated him.


Next bit>>>

Some half hour later and Jack and the boys left to go off into town. They didn’t ask us girls to go with them so we figured it was going to be a ‘boy’s night out’. I shuddered at the thought of it as Kay brought some more drinks back to the now ‘female only’ table.

“They’re taking Jack out”. She said plonking herself down next to me.

“So?”

“He received divorce papers today so they decided to take him out”.

My ears pricked up at those two words; divorce papers. “I hope he has a good time”. I heard my mouth say a little too sarcastically.

“She’s been a bitch, Rose. He’s been through the mill with her and that’s why the guys are taking him out to let off some steam”.

“Let off some steam? Get laid and rat-arsed, you mean. I’ll make him an appointment at the Clap clinic now shall I? God knows what he’ll come back with”.

“Och, don’t be ridiculous. If you cared about him at all, you’d be only too pleased for him to have some fun”.

“I am”. I lied. “Of course I am”. But only if that fun was with me.

:-:

So, he started seeing other girls. A returned New Kid on the Block, he was very popular. And I hated seeing him with them but pride is pride and you have to hold onto it. So whenever our paths crossed and he was with one of them I’d just pretend that a) I didn’t notice and b) if I did notice it, I didn’t care.

And you know, as time wore on I came to think that he really didn’t know the truth of how I felt about him because very often he’d ask me what I thought of his latest girlfriend, like my opinion mattered or something. And me, I’d be like … duh…Ground Control to Major Jack: Do I look like I give a shit? But of course, I did. It broke my heart to see him with them but I never let it show. So I’d say; “Yeah, she seems ok”, when really I wanted to say: “No! She’s a dog! Buy her a fucking bone!”

Sometimes the bitch in me would surface and I’d be very hard pushed not to ask where the fuck he picked her up from? Was it some rescue centre for unwanted dogs; or maybe a specialist zoo? But I always managed to keep those thoughts to myself. Yep; never revealed the truth.

:-:

So, over the next few months he made the most of his new found freedom and presented our crowd with a gaggle of ugly girls. Well, most were pretty but I wouldn’t admit to it. And seeing him with them made me want to be even more bitchy than I already was.

I had to make out that I was happy for him, didn’t I; that I liked his canine friends. Fuck them whores! And sometimes you know, he’d hug me after asking my opinion and say; “Y’ know, Rose. No one’ll ever come as close as you do. You and me, well, we’ll always be friends won’t we; always have somethin’ special goin’ on. And sometimes, friends are far more important then lovers”. Yeah, that’s as maybe but why can’t I be both?

When he wasn’t out with some girl our relationship reverted to the way it was when he first came back. We were very much together; sitting next to each other, walking side by side, sometimes holding hands, sometimes even walking with our arms around each other but then he’d go and ask some bitch harpy out and I wouldn’t see him for ages.

Occasionally he’d bring one of those horse faced tarts along with him, to the pub like, to my territory; to show them off. And he’d wait you know, wait until Cow Bagz had gone to the bogs to powder her stupid face and then he’d quietly ask me what I thought of her and I’d say; ‘Oh, she seems really nice’. Did you bring her a nosebag and an apple? It really stuck in my throat but the pretense had to remain.

It was like he confided in me, like maybe he needed my approval, I don’t know. Maybe it was because I’d known him for so long. Maybe it was because he genuinely respected my views and opinions but you know, I so wished he wouldn’t do that but I couldn’t tell him, could I, else he’d know; he’d know that I didn’t like it. And then he’d know that I was jealous. And we couldn’t have that.

:-:

One night, after seeing him holding on to some slapper with large boobs, my brain suddenly kicked in and I asked myself what I was doing. Why was I wasting my time; my life? It came to me that Jack and I weren’t ever going to be an item; him and me, me and him. It was not written in the stars. And it was never going to be.

He wasn’t going to come anywhere near me in that respect. I might as well have been a fucking penguin for all the sexual interest he’d shown in me. It was all a total waste of time. So, in my bitch addled mind I decided that I wouldn’t keep saying no to every guy who asked me out just in case Jack The Shit asked me himself. Bugger that. So I’d go out with the next guy who asked me. Oh yes. It was over between Jack and I; over, finished. He could go shite.

:-:

So, this guy called Aidan asked me out one Friday night. I’d seen him around and he seemed ok. Somehow he’d managed to infiltrate our group. I never noticed when. I saw him speaking with Jason and Keiron a few times and next thing I knew he’d become a permanent fixture at our table in the corner.

I didn’t mind although Kay didn’t much like him; smells like fried sausages, she’d said but it didn’t make any difference to me. I wasn’t interested in him enough to notice but then after witnessing Jack with yet another contestant for Crufts Dog Show I found myself laughing at some jokes Aidan was busy telling.

Course, he thought his ship had come in didn’t he; some girl laughing at his jokes. I wouldn’t mind but he wasn’t even funny. I’d just laughed in an effort to make Jack jealous. No one, but no one told jokes like Jack did. He seemed to have a gift for timing, for expressions and expressive behavior, of doing impersonations of famous people but lately he’d been way too busy exercising his trouser department to tell any jokes so I’d found myself falsely laughing at someone else’s instead.

Later that evening it seemed that to have someone laugh at one’s jokes gave Aidan reason enough to ask them out so when he did I took one look at Rat Bastard Jack with his arm round Dobbin the Donkey and said yes, Aidan. I will go out with you.

So I did. I went out with Aidan, fried sausage smell and all. To be fair he was good company but he didn’t do it for me like Jack did. I don’t know why. There was simply something missing and I knew; I knew that I’d settled for second best.

:-:

A couple of weeks later and I thought that Jack really did care for me because as soon as he found out I was seeing Aidan he suddenly showed me a lot of interest. “So, who is he?” He asked one night when he was minus a girlfriend and when Aidan had gone to the bog.

“Aidan”. I’d said a little haughtily.

“Ack! I know that! I wanna know what he’s like?”

“Why, do you want to go out with him then?”

He’d huffed and puffed at that; screwed up his face and scowled at me.

“It was only a joke!” I’d said at his grumpy expression.

“And I was only askin’ after your interests!”

“My interests?” It was the first time that we’d almost had an argument and I could feel my temperature rising.

“Duh! Er, yeah!” He said not bothering to hide his contempt. “Y’know, friends lookin’ out for friends and all that shite! Fuck! I wish I hadn’t bothered”.

I snapped back at him. “So do I!” I was angry with him for caring; angry with him for not caring enough, angry with him for not wanting me for himself.

A silence linked us in which we both sulked and then without looking at me he spoke again. “And do you like him?”

“Of course I like him. I wouldn’t be going out with him otherwise would I?”

He fell into silence, considered his big hands and began to chew the inside of his mouth. I felt the need to speak. “What?”

He didn’t answer, just continued to examine those lovely big hands of his. Then he raised one of them to his mouth and began to chew on a finger nail. I fell into silence beside him, scowling into my drink. None of it would be taking place if we were together. It was all his fault, I decided; all his fault.

Aidan came back from the bog, plonked himself back down beside me and slipped his arm round my shoulder. On the other side of me Jack let out a long, heavy sigh. I turned to look at him but he ignored me, instead focusing on some invisible stain on the carpet. I was desperately aware of his nearness; the way our thighs touched; how simple it would be for him to reach across and take my hand in his like he’d done so many times before but he didn’t. Instead he just sat there scowling and gnawing on his fingernails.

The atmosphere between the three of us grew. Nobody spoke, then, quite suddenly Jack pulled in a deep breath, lifted his ale to his mouth, drained it and then announced that he was off. “But you only just got here”. I protested not noticing Aidan scowling beside me. Jack took no notice. He stood, picked his wallet up from the table and stuffed it into the back pocket of his jeans. “Jack?” I said looking up at his back.

“I gotta go”. And he was gone; stalking across the carpet and out into the night without so much as a goodbye.

:-:

I didn’t see Jack in over a month. He just vanished. He even stopped coming to our house to call on Sam and no one spoke of him. Even though I was spending a lot of time with Aidan I missed him. Alright, I know I’d scowled at his girlfriends, hated seeing him with them, loathed how pretty most of them were and sometimes even wished he was gay, but I still missed him when he wasn’t there.

Since he’d come back I’d got used to having him around. I’d grown used to him being with our group; being one of us. Before things had turned sour between us I’d grown used to him waiting for me outside the pub at the end of the night so that we could either walk home together or squeeze into the back of someone’s car.

Before he’d embarked on bedding half the town, I’d grown used to him holding out his arm so that I could take it when we walked from the car park when we went to a different pub. All things considered I missed the late night discussions on the way home; the debates, the giggles and the humour. I missed him coming into our house for late night coffees. In a way I mourned the passing of our friendship. I missed him, Jack; the boy I grew up with. Jack; the man who came back.

:-:

Of course, as I hadn’t seen him in over a month I was worried in case he’d buggered off again but Keiron assured me one night that he was still around. I’d asked how he was. I couldn’t stop myself. I had to know.

“He’s ok although he seems a bit quiet”.

“Oh?” And I wondered if it could be because he was jealous of Aidan. My heart soared momentarily but then on reflection, of course I knew it wouldn’t be because of that. He wasn’t interested in me in that way. How many times did I have to tell myself that?

One afternoon I saw him in a car. I was walking on the pavement minding my own business when I happened to glance up at a car that had pulled up alongside me to wait at the traffic lights. And there he was; sitting in the front passenger seat, blue denim jacket, hair tied back into a loose pony tail and looking very broody and dark.

I’d waved to catch his attention and he’d looked at me, his eyes lighting up momentarily but then he’d turned to the front; ignored me as the car pulled away from the traffic lights. I was gutted; heartbroken. What had I done to have him treat me in such a way?

Another day he was talking to someone on the street corner. He was dressed in denim again; blue jeans with holes, blue denim jacket, black tee; hair hanging loose. And he looked gorgeous.

His earring glinted in the sunlight as he spoke and I felt the need to run up to him, to throw myself at him, snog him half to death. He saw me as I approached but looked away. The action hurt but I weathered it.

I lowered my gaze to the pavement as I walked towards him like I hadn’t seen him. When I’d neared him I risked a glance. He was still talking. I didn’t know who to. As I drew level with him he made no effort to look at me and even less effort to speak. I was bereft.

Was all this because I was going out with Aidan because if it was all he had to do was say but then I decided that if it was to do with Aidan, his attitude wasn’t particularly fair seeing as he’d been somewhat fervent in slaking his own thirst when it came to the opposite sex. What was I to do; stay alone and single whilst he porked his way through the town and surrounding countryside? Even so, I couldn’t bear to walk by him and not acknowledge him so I spoke. “Jack?”

“Rose”.

I was nervous; me, nervous. I was nervous of Jack. How ridiculous. I’d known him all my life and yet I was nervous. I stumbled over my words, hating the hesitation building up inside. “How… how are you? I… I haven’t seen you in a while”.

He examined me before answering, his blue eyes narrowed, his fine mouth, a thin line. “I’m ok”. He said flatly. I looked across at the man he was talking to and felt that I was intruding. Jack did nothing to ease things.

“Ok,” I said quietly. “I just… I just thought I’d see if you were ok. I’m sorry to…” And I was going to apologize for intruding but then I got to thinking that it was they, who were being rude, not me for asking after a friend.

“Ok”, I said more confidently. “Well, so long as you’re ok”. Fuck the rest of us, so long as you’re ok. I moved off but not before giving Jack a cold look. How dare he blank me like that? As I walked away I felt the hot sting of tears building up behind my eyes. I was upset over him again. He was the only person on earth who could hurt me without even trying.

“Rose”. I heard my name being called. It wasn’t loud, more of a soft afterthought. I glanced round, stared directly at Jack. He gave me a wistful look then and nodded. “Thank you for asking”. I nodded back and turned away again. I wasn’t sure what I’d seen in his face just then but I knew one thing for certain; it wasn’t contempt.

:-:

As Jack seemed to be around less and less, I threw myself into my relationship with Aidan but it didn’t take long for me to realize that he was totally different from Jack. I knew I shouldn’t have compared them but I couldn’t help it.

Whereas Jack was generous, Aidan became mean and miserly; made me buy my own drinks and skipped the half decent Coffee houses for some dingy Greasy Spoon cafés. Once we’d started going out properly, the decent night life went in the bin to be replaced by dead end pubs that served cheap beer and even cheaper wine.

And so I decided it wasn’t good enough; wasn’t good enough at all.
I wasn’t happy. I was bored shitless with the guy. And, it wasn’t like sex with him was any good with him either. Even if I closed my eyes and thought of Jack, it was still crap and why, I was to keep asking myself, was my life so shite anyway? I knew there’d only ever be one bloke for me. I might as well face it; no one would match up to Jack. Mind you, I didn’t have to worry about finishing with Aidan because he saved me the embarrassment by finishing with me instead! What; he finished with ME? Bloody cheek.

The following Friday I was at the pub with my friends. It was my first time without Aidan. Jack was also there, first time in ages. He was alone; no girlfriend. I liked that but kept my emotions in check. The conversation turned to Aidan who’d stopped coming to the pub since we were no longer together.

“So, what happened?” Someone asked as I informed them that we were no longer an item. I was loathe to admit that he’d finished with me and not the other way round but I wouldn’t lie so I openly admitted that the pig binned me off. Jack looked pointedly across at me; staring at me through those intense blues.

As I couldn’t stand his long, intense stare I spoke. “What?” I hated him examining me like that.

“Nothing”. His voice was moody and without waiting for me to say anything more he shrugged and reached for his ale whilst muttering to himself. I heard what he said. “Thank fuck for that”.

“Pardon?” He annoyed me. Who did he think he was questioning my taste in men? Course, it didn’t occur to me right then that I’d been doing that very same thing since he first started going out with other girls. “What do you mean; thank fuck for that?”

“Forget it”.

“No, I won’t forget it. What did you mean?”

“Rose; I’m not gonna be arguin’ with you. Just forget it”.

“What, so you didn’t like him? Well, I didn’t like any of your girlfriends but at least I had the good grace not to comment on some of the dogs you’ve been out with”. The air around us suddenly stopped moving. Everything went quiet and I knew they were all holding their breath and waiting as Jack fixed me with his unwavering blue gaze.

“I’m sorry you feel like that Rose”. His words were cold, flat, as if he didn’t care and wasn’t sorry at all.

“Well, I’m not. And it’s got nothing to do with you who I choose to go out with”.

“Clearly not because if it had I wouldn’t have let you go out with that shite”.

“Oh and why’s that?”

“Because Rose,” He said and then made me wait whilst he took a swig at his ale before finishing his sentence. “I didn’t like him”.

“You didn’t like him”. I echoed.

“Nope”.

“I don’t give a shite if you didn’t like him”.

“He wasn’t good enough for you Rose”. The air around the table was still, a bit like the calm before the storm. Everyone considered us as we considered each other. I was furious. I stood.

“Oh and who exactly is good enough? In your eyes Jack; who is good enough?” He said nothing and we all watched as he put his empty glass on the table and sat back. I glared at him. He ignored me. “Well? Answer me. Who is good enough?”

“Anyone want another drink?” It was Jason. I hadn’t noticed him stand up holding his empty glass. All eyes swiveled in his direction and suddenly everyone was answering him. It was as though they were all relieved that someone had broken through the ice that was me and Jack.



Ok, that's all for now. Hope you liked it. More to follow. You know I see JTB every time I read this through, lol. :drool::drool:
 
:hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper:



Off to read! :D





:drool: Ohh the tension. Love it! Sounds like it's getting close to a big blowout. :D Bitchfiiiiiight!


Just one minor thing on the language, :lol: there's a serious lack of commas in this first sentence:
Was all this because I was going out with Aidan because if it was all he had to do was say but then I decided that if it was to do with Aidan, his attitude wasn’t particularly fair seeing as he’d been somewhat fervent in slaking his own thirst when it came to the opposite sex. What was I to do; stay alone and single whilst he porked his way through the town and surrounding countryside? Even so, I couldn’t bear to walk by him and not acknowledge him so I spoke. “Jack?”
 
Poor Rose. She and Jack both need a good kick in the ass. Just what I needed today!! Thanks so much.
 
Loved it! Yeah, that build up of tension is heading towards a blow up! Can't wait for the next bit...
 
Hope you had a good Christmas and that 2014 is starting out great for you!!

Wonderful as always ... moving on to chapter 8 ...
 
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