Part 3 - Dreams Fade. (Jack & Jillian)

"Everything is a blur" Jack mutters to himself. He sits in his room, staring at the wall, hoping somehow the plan he has to win back Jillian will work. Jack needs to act now or else all is lost, but he can't seem to pull himself together. "What if it doesn't work? I'm just going to look like an idiot. I can't stand this. I need some fresh air."

Jack decides to take a walk outside, he strolls down the sidewalk, hands in pockets, looking like he just came from a funeral. He looks up at the sky, instead of a bright blue sky, instead he sees a shade of red, almost like the end of the world is upon us. "I must be hallucinating, fuck." He starts walking in the direction of the local park, everything is way too quiet for him, it's almost frightening. The trees look as if they're depressed, they hang low and the leaves are slowly falling to the ground. Jack doesn't even acknowledge the fact that the leaves shouldn't be falling until October. It's July. He ignores almost everything around him. Only one thing is on his mind, and that's winning back Jillian. That's when he hears it, Jillian's voice. Just like an angel, the sound of her voice suddenly brightens the sky, and brings the trees back to life. Jack looks thrilled and scared at the same time. Then, he sees her, and his heart sinks. "What is she doing here?" He whispers to himself.

Jillian is sitting on a park bench with her best friend, Courtney. It looks as though Jillian is upset about something. Jack decides to listen to what they're talking about, so he hides behind a tree close by and listens. "I just don't know, Courtney, i do like Brandon, but i just don't feel it like i did with Jack." Jillian says. "You mean, your best guy friend, turned boyfriend, sweetest guy in the universe Jack? Well of course you don't feel the same, Jack is probably the nicest guy I've ever met, you gave up a good thing in him." Courtney says. "Wow, it almost sounds like you should be dating him." Jillian says. "Believe me, if you weren't obviously still in love with him, I'd be all over Jack." Courtney says. "COURTNEY! That's not funny! I'm having a crisis here!" Jillian exclaims. "I'm just saying, you need to figure out what you want, do you want Brandon? or do you want Jack? Think about it, who treats you better? Who do you have the strongest feelings for? and most of all, who do you see yourself having a better future with?" Courtney says. "Well...honestly, Jack comes to mind when i think of my future, i mean, this has been eating at me since i started dating Brandon a couple weeks ago, and i can't stand not being with Jack, i am still in love with him. Oh my god, i am such a bitch! I can't believe i did that to him." Jillian says, beginning to cry. Courtney gives Jillian a big hug. "Jillian, you need to go get Jack. You need to go find him and tell him how you feel, right now." Courtney says. "I can't just do that...i am still with Brandon. I need to talk to him first." Jillian says. Jack sees Jillian stand up and start to leave. "SHIT." He says to himself, and runs off around the corner. "Did she really mean all that? Holy crap. Is she going to be the one to win me back? That's not how the movies work, though!" Jack looks around, suddenly, everything looks so much happier, almost as if the buildings are smiling at him. Jack looks up, and sees the building he is standing next to wink at him. "What...the..." He runs away, up the street and around the corner, nearing his house, suddenly, he sees Brandon, Jillian's new boyfriend, on the porch of his house which is about a block away from Jack's house. Brandon seems to be standing with a girl, but the girl is blonde. "That's not Jillian." Jack says to himself. Jack decides to walk a bit closer, he sees Brandon start to kiss this blonde girl, when suddenly, another person appears from around the corner, it's Jillian. "Oh...." Jack watches on, in shock.

"WHAT THE FUCK, BRANDON!" Jillian screams. "What? what did i do?!" Brandon says, playing dumb. "What do you mean what did you do?! YOU'RE KISSING ANOTHER WOMAN!" Jillian says. "Hey! What we had was never serious! So just shut the fuck up and get out of here you stupid whore!" Brandon says. "What?! What are you talking about?! You said you liked me! You said we were a real couple! I made sure of this before i left Jack! YOU CONVINCED ME TO LEAVE JACK! God, that was the stupidest thing i could ever do!" Jillian runs away from Brandon's house. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Brandon screams. Jillian begins to cry, she runs and runs, until she hits a wall. She falls to the ground, and looks up, the wall she ran into happens to have a name, it's Jack. "Oh my god, Jillian, are you okay?" Jack says, concerned. He kneels down next to her. "Oh Jack, did you see any of that? How long were you here?" Jillian says. "I uh...i was just passing by when...uh....yeah...i saw it all." Jack confesses. Jillian doesn't say a word in response, she just gives Jack a big hug. "Wow, Jack, doesn't this seem familiar." Jillian says, feeling more comfortable than she's ever felt in Jack's arms. "Wow, heh, yeah, it sure does." Jack says. "Only this time, it's you on the ground, seeing stars." He says. "No, Jack, i only see one star, and that star is you." Jillian says. "What? What do you mean?" Jack says. "I need you back, Jack. I need you in my life. I am so sorry i left you for Brandon, it was the biggest mistake of my life. I understand if you don't want to be with me and if you hate me because of it, but i need to try, i need to try to get you back. Please Jack, don't leave me here." Jillian kisses Jack on the lips, much like the first kiss they shared, only this one was filled with desire, the desire to be together again. Jack and Jillian both knew that they were meant to be together, and they weren't going to let anyone stop them. "Jillian, of course i will take you back. I love you, so much." Jack says, looking into Jillian's eyes, which have turned from a bright green into a soft blue, much like a mood ring. Jillian smiles like she's never smiled before. "I am so happy, Jack, i promise i will never do anything so rotten to you again. This is the last mistake i will ever make, from now on, my heart belongs to you, Jack." Jillian says, as she hands Jack what seems to be a diamond, but it's not, it's a beautiful, pink, heart shaped crystal. It's Jillian's heart. Jack holds it to his chest and watches it disappear. "Now i am yours, Jack, please, be careful with it, it's my only one." Jillian says as she smiles at Jack. Jack looks a bit startled by what had just happened, but he is too overwhelmed with happiness to ask questions. "Wow, this is amazing. You know, i had a whole romantic plan ready to win you back myself, but as it turns out, you won me back instead." Jack says. "Well you will have to show me sometime what you had planned. I promise you though, it would have worked" Jillian says. "Haha, wow really? That's a relief." Jack says, laughing. "Jack, can i tell you something? Something that I've always wanted to tell you?" Jillian says. "Yes, Jillian, you can tell me anything, what is it?" Jack asks. "Beep beep beep beep beep beep" Jillian says. "What? I don't understand." Jack responds. Jillian opens her mouth to speak again, but all that comes out are loud, crude beeps. "What the hell is going on here?" Jack says. Suddenly, Jillian fades away. "WHAT?!" Jack exclaims. Everything around him turns black and disintegrates, and all he can hear is the crude beeping noise.

BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP

"OH MY GOD!" Jack awakens, startled by his alarm clock. He looks around, dazed, and slowly turns off his alarm."What...what just happened." Jack sits up, looks around his room, everything is quiet. "Shit..." He buries his face in his hands and sighs. Jack decides to stand up and check his text messages. "Oh? a text from Jillian?" He gets excited, and reads the text:

Jillian: Hey Jack, i am so sorry i acted like a bitch last night. Things are perfect with Martin now, in fact, he asked me to marry him! Can you believe it?! You're probably still asleep, but i hope to hear from you when you wake up! Talk to you soon, best friend!

Jack stares at the message for the longest time, mouth hanging open, his heart has sunk completely into his stomach. He exits the message, and throws his phone across the room. "WHAT THE FUCK!" He exclaims. Jack's puts his hands on his head as he paces back and forth in his room. He flops down on his bed and stares at the ceiling. He sighs, and closes his eyes for a moment, before he stands up, gets his phone, and decides to text Jillian back.

Jack: Jillian, i am happy that you are happy, but let me confess something to you before you go through with this, I am in love with you, i always have been, I can't stand the way Martin treats you, and i know you can't either, so please don't go through with this, consider a life without abuse and a life without feeling like trash. You deserve so much better, you deserve to be given the world and treated like the angel you are. Give me a chance to be that guy. I needed to tell you this now, or else i would have regretted it for the rest of my life, and i don't know how well this will work, but i couldn't live with myself if i watched you get married to someone that i KNOW you don't want to spend your life with. He's manipulating you, don't you see that? Please, as your friend, i am telling you, don't do this. See what your life could be like with someone else. Someone like me. I love you Jillian, i always have, and always will.

Jack reads over his message about 3 or 4 times. He exits out of it, his phone reads: "Would you like to save this message?" He chooses "No". Jack opens up a brand new reply to Jillian.

Jack: Wow! that's great! i am so happy for you. Text me later, i want to hear all the details.

Jack hits SEND.

Message Sent.

Jack throws his phone again, sits down on his bed, and buries his face in his hands.

THE END.