How far would you go? (Currently Editing)

Jessica

Outside, the temperature had dropped, and the days were become shorter. Some days could be dark and grey, other days could be sunny and clear. Today was one of those sunny days. The autumn air was cold, but the sky was crystal clear. Not a cloud in the sky. Luke had been staring out of the window for a while. He studied the faces of people as they walked down the road. They looked happy. It was amazing how sunshine could lift people's moods, and they smiled and laughed, walking casually down the street, not a care in the world. Luke wished he felt happy. The sunshine had done nothing for him, and he still felt depressed and fed up. Ever since learning about Russell's betrayal, Luke had given up. Everyone was against him, and everyone had lied to him.
Staring at happy, smiling faces, Luke wondered what he had done to deserve this. Somehow, he had failed, and was suffering because of it. Was the universe against him?

The phone blinked rapidly, indicating numerous voice messages, which Luke ignored. He had heard the distant voices of his parents checking up on him, the feminine tone of Louise, Jessica's sister, and finally, his boss. That voice had sounded more serious, and Luke guessed his boss was asking when Luke would be back to work. It had been a month now, and he should have gone back to work a few weeks ago. He could not face it. All Luke wanted was to crawl into a hole and never come out. Worst of all, Luke hated those smiling, happy faces, of people enjoying the sunshine. He pulled the curtains shut and ignored the sunshine.

Despite his mood, he had not wasted his time. In his frustration, Luke had pulled all of Jessica's clothes from the drawers and wardrobes. The entire bed was covered in garments. Dresses, jeans, sweaters, blouses. Every piece of clothing you could imagine. Also, shoes. Jessica had lots of shoes, and they covered the floor around the bedroom. It had been therapeutic. Removing Jessica's things gave him a sense of discarding his old life and moving into a new one.

Staring at the vast amount of clothing, Luke did not feel renewed. Jessica's clothes reminded him of his life. The times he had spent with his wife; happy, smiling, and laughing, like the people outside, enjoying the sunny day.

Everything looked bare. Empty hangers dangled loosely from the rail, and dust lingered in the air. Luke frowned, wondering what he was going to do with all of this. He could not throw the clothes away, and he could not look at it. Luke decided he would shut the door and never come back into this room again. He had made downstairs his bedroom, and was happy to sleep of the long, soft sofa.

After a day of therapy, sorting out Jessica's things, Luke shut the door, barely glancing back to look at the mess one more time. He stopped when he came to the empty wardrobe and felt a wave of sadness come over him. This room had been full of life. Jessica getting dressed, while humming some awful pop song she had heard. Luke would give her a gentle squeeze and they would laugh together. All he heard was the sound of his own breathing.
He tried to pull away, but noticed a floral box on the floor, tucked away toward the back of the wardrobe. It looked familiar, but he was sure he had never seen the box before. It was decorated in pink flowers and was the size of a shoebox. Confused by its presence, Luke pulled the box out and sat on the bed, crushing some dresses, and jeans under his weight.

Inside were stacks of small books. Diaries. Dated many years ago. Black, blue, purple. Journals of assorted colours filled the small box, and Luke sensed a familiar feeling when looking at Jessica's memories. He picked one up. The gold lettering of the year was two years before he met Jessica. Should he really be reading Jessica's personal thoughts? He hesitated and then delicately open to the first page. Luke grimaced at Jessica's words.

'Alan finally asked me out of date. I've been dropping hints at work and flirting with him, and now he got the hint. It's a bit weird going on a date with your boss who is also the headmaster, but he is so cute, and funny. We are going to that fancy place in town. Can't wait. I'll have to go shopping and get a new dress. A black number. I need to impress him.'

Luke stopped reading at stood up, staring at the clothes on the bed. Had he read this before? Impossible. Luke did not even know Jessica had kept a diary. Mixed amongst the assortment of garments was a black dress. Short, revealing and the exactly like the dress Jessica had described in her diary. He remembered their first date. She had worn that dress and told him she had bought it for him. What a liar! He picked up the soft fabric and threw it across the room, sat back down and continued reading.

'The date was amazing. Alan is such a gentleman. He might be a headmaster, but he is nothing like a boring headmaster. We laughed all evening, and he walked me home, and even gave me a goodnight kiss. It was a dream. I'm going to see him again tomorrow. We are going to watch a film. Can't remember the name, but I don't care.'

Luke felt sick. Jessica sounded like a love-sick teenager. He stopped reading and flipped through the rest of the diaries. He stared at a small purple book and looked intently at the gold numbers on the front. It was the year Jessica met Luke. He flicked through the months until he reached April. That was the month he met Jessica, at the party of a mutual friend. He started to read the entries and his mind drifted off to the night when his life would change forever.

Jessica sat in the corner of the room, dressed in a red top and tight blue jean. She wore ankle boots and fiddled with a gold pendant that hung from her neck. She was drinking a pint of beer, which was un-lady-like, but she did not care. Luke had been watching her from the other side of the room for a while. It was getting creepy, but he could not look away. He had been invited to a party by someone called Matt. An old friend of a friend who he had lost contact with and this was supposed to allow him to re-connect with his old acquaintance. Luke had not spoken to Matt yet and could not even remember what Matt looked like. Instead, his attention had been diverted toward Jessica. It was her smile. The way she laughed, and then smiled, lit up the room. It was beautiful.

The music blared from large speakers and people jumped up and down when the song change.
'Come on mate,' said Russell, shouting into Luke's ear. 'Let's party. And stop staring at that girl. It's weird.'
Russell grabbed Luke's arm and pulled him into the centre of the room. The crowd were jumping madly to 'Jump', by House of Pain. Good song and great for parties. It got everyone moving, and soon Luke found himself jumping up and down like a lunatic, waving his arms from side to side and singing along. The speakers pounded and drowned out his awful singing.
Jump around.
Jump around.
Jump up and get down.

'Why don't you go and talk to her?' asked Russell, when the song was over. Another loud song was blasting through speakers, and Luke shouted into Russell's ear.
'Look at her. She's out of my league.'
'You're right, Mate. She's too good for you. Go on. Don't be such a wimp.'

It was Russell's encouragement that forced him to approach the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was out of his league, but he had to try. All Luke could remember from the evening, he was enchanted by her appearance.

Luke felt the tears rolling down his cheek as he read Jessica's words. She had written it after the party, and he stiffed the page. Even after all this time he could smell the perfume she wore that evening.

'Met a hot man this evening. I think his name was Luke. Funny, sweet, and good-looking. We danced all night. I haven't stopped laughing how bad a dancer he was. Still makes me laugh now. I gave him my number and we are going out tomorrow. I'm going to tell Alan its over. There is something about Luke. I got this vibe. He could be the one.'

Jessica's words touched Luke, and all that rage and anger evaporated. He could not believe she thought he was the one, from the moment they had met. He suddenly felt guilty that he had thought so badly of Jessica. She wanted to break up with Alan. Had he been the one to chase her, refusing to leave her alone, even though Jessica had broken up with him?

He wiped the tears away and found the diary from the year they got married. The first words he read crushed his heart and tore away any feelings of regret. Jessica had betrayed him, and her words proved it.