Jack rose before dawn that morning. She made herself a small breakfast of buttered toast and juice then headed outside towards the back of the apartment complex to the sternly erected ramp. She put her blades on at the top of the ramp and proceeded to stand up. She looked down at the almost vertical six-foot high edge and jumped off. Her blades hit the ramp with a thud and she did a series of simple stunts back and forth on the polished wood surface. Jack quickly advanced to the harder stuff. She was doing well up until she tried one of her more complicated moves. As she was doing a flip, she overshot and landed on her back at the bottom of the ramp. She painfully picked herself up and climbed up the ramp to try again.
Dan, on the other hand, was just waking up. He had slept on Jack’s couch that night. He stood up realizing that he was still in the same clothes as the day before. All his stuff was still at Darren’s. He made a mental note to go and pick it up later. Dan walked down the hall to Jack’s room to find her bed sheets rumpled and her pajamas in a piled on her floor. He scratched his head wondering where she could have gone.
Dan heard the incessant rolling coming from outside the balcony door and walked out to see who was making all that racket. It was then that he saw Jack still practicing her skating skills on the ramp. He stood on the balcony watching her quietly. He saw the beatings she took after every fall, but also saw how she managed to pick herself up every single time and try again.
Just before he headed back inside, Dan saw the worst fall Jack had ever taken. She fell onto her back and her head bounced up then hit the wood again. She didn’t get up this time. Dan ran down the fire escape and reached her just as she was coming to.
“Jack! You okay?” Dan asked, the concern easily showing in his voice. He helped her up when he saw her struggling.
“It never fails,” Jack mumbled, her head still spinning from the fall.
“What never fails?” he questioned, confused.
“Not being able to nail a 360 back flip,” she answered. “Usually I land on my ass, but this time I screwed up.” Jack felt the back of her head to make sure there was no blood dripping from it. As she pulled her hand back and realized there was nothing to fear, she tried standing up, only to fall back down.
“Take off your skates,” Dan suggested. He had already begun to help her unstrap them before she had time to reply. “Is that one of the worst falls you’ve ever taken?”
“Hell no. I’ve broken bones in some. This was mild compared to some of the others,” Jack said.
“Do you want me to take you to a doctor?” he inquired.
“No, I’ll be fine. I don’t have a concussion. I know what one of those feel like. I just need to get back upstairs,” she replied. Jack stood up again, but only ended up falling over. Dan picked her up in his arms and carried her back up the fire escape to her apartment where he set her down on the couch. Dan headed to the kitchen to get an ice pack. “Hey,” Jack shouted. “Get me that bottle of pills on the counter and a glass of water too.”
“Valium?” Dan asked as he read the label aloud. “Jack, why are you taking these?”
“They’re pain killers, why do you think I’m taking them?” she retorted.
Dan handed her the vile of pills, set the glass of water on the table in front of her, and placed the ice pack on the back of her head. Jack flinched as the cold feeling she had when the ice came into contact with her skin. She popped two pills into her mouth and drank them down with the water.
“You hungry?” Dan asked as he headed into the kitchen again.
“A little, but not really. I had some toast and juice before I headed out to the ramp.”
“That’s not breakfast!”
“Well, then, what is?”
“Scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles, and hot chocolate. “
“And how do you expect to make all that stuff?”
“That’s right, you’re in college, and college student’s have no concept of real food.”
“Let’s go out,” Jack suggested. “Talking about food is making me hungry.”
“Okay,” Dan replied. “I just have to give Daz a call.”
“Oh, no! You are not inviting that little prick to come along with us,” she nearly shouted.
“Don’t worry, I’m not,” he said. “I’m just calling him to tell him I’m picking up my clothes later on today.” Dan pulled out his cell phone and dialed his friend’s number as Jack sat on the couch nursing the ice pack over the part of her skull that had hit the ramp. She put the ice pack down and slowly poked at it with her finger. It still hurt, but the intensity of the pain had lessened with the medication.
“So, you ready?” Dan asked after he finished his conversation.
“Yeah, just let me get Nadia’s spare key,” she replied, standing up and walking over to the bowl of marbles beside the front door. She fished through it and found the spare key to the Durango.
“Who’s Nadia?” he questioned as they headed out the door.
“My room mate,” Jack said.
They headed to one of the many restaurants in the area and ate a wonderful meal. Sitting at one of the booths by the window, they quietly chatted about life and how it had completely changed for the both of them.
“Tell me about the band,” Jack said.
“We changed the name again,” Dan replied, drinking some of his coffee. “Darren suggested Savage Garden, and it kinda stuck.”
“Oh, my God! Savage Garden?” she nearly yelled, laughing. “Nadia listens to your CD nonstop! She drives me nuts!”
“You don’t like our music?” he asked, appalled.
“No, her constant humming! She’s always, ALWAYS, humming one of your songs. I didn’t know that was your band. I would have bought the CD, but you know me. I’ve been a hard rocker all my life.”
“Yeah. I still remember you out played that Aerosmith CD I bought you. Did you ever get another copy?”
“Of course! Do you actually think I could survive without that CD?”
Dan and Jack both laughed. They missed the time they spent together. It had been so long since either one could catch up on what the other was up to.
“So, where are we going today?” Jack asked as she took a sip of her hot chocolate.
“I don’t know. Wherever you lead, I shall follow,” Dan answered.
“I’d start with the mall, but I’m no mall rat, so we’ll check out the historical sites like Lombard Street and Alkatraz, then head for some of the museums, and finally end the day by going to Six Flags,” she suggested.
“Sounds great to me,” he replied, pulling out his wallet and paying for breakfast. They headed off to Nadia’s Durango and drove to of the nearest landmarks, Lombard Street. After taking the road downhill and admiring the many beautiful flowers in the early morning sun, it was off the island prison. After an hour long tour, they headed back to the car to explore the many museums around the area.
The rest of their day was spent driving around and getting to know each other a little more. They sped down the freeway without a worry and ended up at Six Flags. They spent the last hours of daylight riding roller coasters and playing games.
“That has definitely been the best day of my life!” Jack screamed into the cool night air outside of the park. Dan wrapped his arms around her and hung onto her neck until they reached the car.
“You really know this place,” he said.
“Yeah, I do,” she replied.
“We need to go over to Darren’s so I can pick up my stuff,” Dan remembered.
“Guide me, oh wise one,” she giggled without a care in the world. ‘As long as I don’t have to get near him, I’ll be fine,’ she thought to herself as they silently drove down the highway back to Darren’s place on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge near the edge of the water. Jack parked out in front and waited for Dan to get out.
“You’re coming with me,” he said, tugging her shirtsleeve.
“No!” Jack protested.
“I have a shit load of stuff. I can’t possibly carry it all by myself,” Dan replied, trying his best to reason with her.
“Have him help you,” Jack suggested.
“This is a three person job.”
“Grr! FINE!” Jack turned off the car and got out to help Dan. They walked up the steps and Dan rang the doorbell. Moments later, he grabbed Jack by the arm and shoved her in front of him. She was ready to slam her elbow into his stomach when the door creaked open to reveal a bouquet of flowers. Jack rolled her eyes at Darren’s attempt at an apology.
“He soon appeared at the door with a wide grin on his face. “I’m sorry,” were the first words out of his mouth.
“How sweet,” Jack replied with almost no expression.
“I’m truly sorry,” Darren began.
“Save it,” she snapped back. Darren didn’t say another word to her from that point on. They lugged Dan’s stuff to the car and drove off. She turned to him and said, “You were in on this, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, but it was for your own good. You have to stop hating Darren some time and see that he’s not all that bad of a person,” Dan answered.
“Why is it that everyone thinks what they do for me is for my own good? I’m not a fucking child anymore!” she angrily yelled. “I’m not six years old! I’m 24! Why do you have to keep treating me like this?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” Dan apologized quietly. “I just keep thinking back to the good old days when we were kids and how I used to do things that were for your own good.”
“You need to stop. I can take care of myself,” Jack softly replied.
“I will. I’m sorry,” he said.