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Jack hadn’t realized how late it was until he finally exited the garage after having spent countless hours at work. It was full dark, the outside only lit by the occasional headlights and streetlamps. He climbed into his pickup and turned on the ignition, startled that the numbers displayed on the digital clock on the dashboard, 11:05. He often left the shop late, but never before had it been this close to midnight. Sometimes under a car he forgot about the outside world and his boss did not care how much time he spent in the pit, as long as he cleaned up afterward. His best friend, David, however, wouldn’t approve of his lateness. He would need to be up by six to reach his morning classes on time, and he hadn’t bothered to finish the paper that was due in the early afternoon, either. That paper was going to be the first thing David would inquire about when he walked through the door. Well, at least Jack hadn’t been out drinking, that would have really agitated him.
It was only a short ride home, and from the driveway it appeared that most of the household had turned in for the night. The windows were dark, save for the one in the back that marked the room he shared with David, no doubt David was still studying. Another soft glow was radiating from the front room window that couldn’t count as true light; likely Shawn had left his computer on as usual.
Jack parked on the street, the driveway was already full with other vehicles; and cut across the grass to the front door. After pulling off his grease covered work boots he slipped inside, trying to remain quiet for the benefit of his roommates. Almost immediately his eyes fell towards the desk in the corner. Shawn had left his computer on, but he was still in front of it, head pillowed on one of the pages of his giant text book he had left open. He grinned, it wasn’t the first time he had found him the exact same position, but it would likely be one of the last. For a brief moment Jack contemplated waking him, but decided against it. Shawn never allowed himself to get enough sleep, and if he woke him he was just going to spend another hour, or more; trying to read over a text that he had already spent the day rigorously studying.
After leaving Shawn to his slumber Jack made his way down the hall to the room he shared with David. Light shone under the door, and he opened to find his roommate hunched over his desk, still pouring over notes.
“Late night?” David inquired, not bothering to look up.
“Yeah,” Jack replied, striping off his filthy shirt, “Looks like you’ve had one, too.”
David closed the notebook, stood and then stretched, “I always do. You see Shawn?”
Jack was rummaging for a pair of sleep pants in his dresser, fully intending to shower and change before lying down on clean sheets. The grease and dirt never bothered him while he was working, but once he had finished he had to remove it as soon as possible or it drove him mad.
He flashed David a half smile, “He fell asleep at his desk, again. Don’t know how he manages to pass any of his classes when they seem to put him to sleep so easily,” he joked.
“One of us should wake him, or he’ll be there all night,” David paused, “He mentioned he wanted to talk to you.”
Jack shrugged, “Alright,” he reached for a towel, “Just let me get the grime off first; you know it drives me nuts.”
“Deal,” David told him, yawning, “I’m exhausted, don’t expect me to still be awake when you’re done.” Without further comment he flopped onto his bed, and Jack couldn’t help shaking the feeling that he had just been dismissed from his own room as he left it.
It wasn’t until Jack had finished showering and pulled on the loose drawstring pants that he realized that David hadn’t asked him about that paper. David always asked about his schoolwork, he kept tabs on it better than Jack ever had. He ran the towel roughly through his short hair to dry it, still pondering David’s behavior. Jack hadn’t been around lately, and neither had David, not now that Emily was in his life. Had something passed between them that Jack had somehow missed? David just wasn’t David tonight, he was certain of it.
By the time he stepped out of the bathroom Jack had convinced himself that he had somehow upset David, and he wasn’t about to let it stew throughout the night. He needed sleep, hell, they all did, but finding out what had caused this rift was his new priority. The glow had disappeared from under his door; he reached for the knob, ready to turn it, when he remembered his promise to wake Shawn. It was starting to feel like a very long night.
Jack trudged back to the living room, unsure if he should be cursing or blessing this new distraction from David. Shawn was still curled up in front of his computer, goldfish swimming across the monitor. He hated the thought of breaking that slumber, but, hell, Shawn was going to be sore in the morning if he stayed there all night – and the sooner Jack woke him the sooner he could get back to his own room.
After Shawn gave him no response when he said his name, twice, Jack placed a hand on his shoulder and shook it lightly. Shawn twitched, and then seemed to jerk awake before bolting upright. He brought a hand up to his forehead, and turned his head slightly in Jack’s direction.
“Jack?”
“Who else?” he removed his hand, “You should stop studying to the point of exhaustion, it makes it harder to recall the information later when you need it.” He was grinning, hardly visible when the only light was from a screensaver, but even Jack was unsure if it had been entirely a joke.
Shawn returned the smile, “You spend more time under the hood of the car than any of us spend studying, including David.”
Jack shrugged, “I enjoy it, it hardly looks as if you are enjoying this,” he moved away from Shawn to sit on the corner of the desk, “Speaking of our friend Dave, he said you wanted to talk to me.”
“Well – yeah –” Shawn's voice broke off and he rolled the chair backwards to stand next to Jack. His fingers moved unconsciously across the wood, and Jack knew that gesture all too well. Had he somehow upset half the household? His mind ran through the past week, and all he could come up with were blank answers. He hadn’t been there.
“So?” he prompted, starting to feel like one of the animated goldfish behind him trapped in a very small bowl.
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Thank heavens there's more to come, life would be too cruel otherwise...
I really like how Jack has this sense of being absent too much, that he's got absolutely no idea of what lies in wait for him - it's so wonderfully misleading, epsecially the whole idea there's something wrong with Jack and David (but is there? It might be misleading, but it might not be false, either...)
David must usually be such a worrier, though - I feel compelled to point out, I have written an essay due in on that day that morning too many more times than I should have. Jack's going to be fine if the essay's not due in until the afternoon, LOL! ;D
Love the closing sentence. Just love.
Now, more? Please?
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I think David's worries = Jack. Oddly Emily is a bit of a mother hen herself.
And your wish is granted!
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LOL, does Emily mother David? Now words can't express just how much I want to read about that!
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