FIX YOU.
꒰ real life ꒱

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ONE HOUR EARLIER !

JACKIE clocked into work with an exhausted sigh. after her argument with blake and everything, she just wants to rot in bed. she doesn't want to be working right now. and if she could choose, she'd be at the diner rather than the club. at least there, she doesn't have to deal with a load of drunken idiots.

but when she walks in to see a familiar blonde head sitting at the bar, she can't help but smile despite herself. and when the woman sees jackie, she smiles at her as well.

"mabel!" jackie says happily. "hi, how are you?"

"oh, i'm doing good." mabel answers, placing her chin in her hand as she rests her elbow on the countertop. she sits for a moment, appearing to be deciding whether or not to add something else. "actually, i'm doing pretty great compared to last time we spoke. and, honestly, i think it's mostly thanks to you."

"me?" jackie asks, confused.

"i know we've only spoken twice, but you've genuinely helped me a lot." mabel says, shyly. "i was in a super bad headspace a few days ago, and now i feel better than i have in a long time."

jackie doesn't respond. she watches mabel carefully, letting her finish her thoughts before replying.

"i think the fact that you seemed to actually care about me just changed my mindset. i dunno, it's probably stupid, but i owe you for that."

when jackie first met mabel, she was wasted. she looked like she was on the verge of collapsing with her messy makeup and even messier hair. but now, she looks like a well put-together woman. her blonde hair is neatly brushed, her makeup done in a way to beautifully highlight her sharp features.

jackie helps women out all the time. a club can be a very dangerous place if you don't know your way around it. and after almost a year of working here, jackie likes to think she knows how to handle most situations.

so she hadn't thought much of it when she started talking to mabel, letting the stranger confide in her. but the more jackie got to know her, the more determined she was to not let anything bad happen to her. not if she could help it at least.

"you don't owe me anything." jackie tells her, waving her hand as if she were wiping the idea from the air.

"no, i definitely owe you." mable says. jackie opens her mouth to argue, but mabel cuts her off again. "i insist."

jackie sighs with defeat. "fine. a tip would be nice."

mabel laughs, passing her a five dollar bill. jackie stuffs it into her top, happy to have made money so early into the night — even if she technically asked for it. but that doesn't matter. it's overall a success.

it's a friday night, which means it's going to get super busy super fast. jackie has to mentally prepare herself for what's to come, knowing that having a lot of drunk adults in a room together rarely goes very well. even in a night club.

"do you want a drink?" jackie asks, already reaching under the counter.

"i'm not drinking anymore." she declares, quickly shaking her head and appearing to be incredibly proud of herself.

"oh?" jackie questions, straightening back up.

"do you remember how i told that i'm pregnant?" mabel asks, and jackie suddenly feels guilty for even thinking to offer alcohol. she nods, shamefully. "i wasn't planning to keep it, considering who the father is. but now, i think having a baby will help me better my life. because it won't just be for me. it'll be for them."

"i'm proud of you." jackie smiles, leaning forward to place her hand on top of mabel's. "i imagine that must have been a very tough decision to make. i'll be on your side no matter what you choose."

tears begin to well up in mabel's eyes. she smiles up at jackie with all the sincerity in the world before leaning forward to pull the girl into a tight hug. "thank you."

after that, jackie and mabel fall into an easy conversation about what's happened since their last update. mabel claims that she's officially moved out of her shared flat with her ex, now living with her brother.

people come and go at the bar as the club slowly begins to become more crowded. throughout, mabel continues to speak of her life, and jackie finds herself to be very invested. see, mabel talks a lot. that's the simple truth. however, it's not like an annoying yapping. it's more like a nice, conversational talking. she asks jackie questions, involving her in the conversation rather than just listening to herself speak.

mabel asks jackie what she had been upset about when they first met, but jackie claims that she doesn't want to talk about it. her night has been going fairly well. thinking about the triplets will just ruin her mood. mabel accepts jackie's decision and moves on to another topic.

"but, i didn't know the painting was an antique!" mabel exclaims, ranting about something her mom was complaining about a few days ago. "how was i supposed to know?"

jackie bursts out laughing as she passes a glass of bourbon across the counter to a random customer. the person looks a bit discomforted, but says nothing to complain. they simply take their drink and leave.

"you burned it!?" jackie asks, watching as another customer approaches the bar and orders a shot of cognac. she obliges, preparing the drink as she's still completely focused on mabel.

"i didn't know it was painted by my great grandma!" mabel tries to defend herself, now bent over in a fit of laughter. the man who ordered the cognac stays at the bar, claiming one of the stools as he chugs it. jackie turns back to say something to mabel when she suddenly hears her name being called from a few feet away.

"jackie!?"

she looks up and sees two vaguely familiar faces. jackie talks to so many people per day, it's almost impossible to keep count. a decent amount of people enter the diner each morning, paired with hundreds of customers at the club. both times, she's wearing a name tag so people can easily memorize her name.

due to this, she doesn't really think anything of the fact that someone knows her name. well, until the duo gets closer and she recognizes them.

brynn and jace walk up to the bar with smiles on the face. well, brynn has a wide grin on her face while jace seems to be struggling not to frown at her terrifyingly loud voice. when he sees jackie, his mood seems to clear up a bit, but he's still not nearly as happy as his female counterpart.

"hi guys!" jackie says, cheerfully, causing mabel to follow her gaze toward brynn and jace.

"oh, i was hoping to see you again." brynn says, swinging her legs around one of the stools as she sits down a few seats away from mabel. "we leave for massachusetts soon, and i really wanted to run into you before we left."

"really?" jackie questions, trying to ignore the pain in her gut when the state is mentioned. "why did you want to see me so bad? were the pancakes that good?"

"well, yes." brynn laughs. "but there's another reason. do you remember how-"

"oh, don't listen to her." jace interrupts with an eye roll, which clearly annoys brynn. "she's just using you to win an argument."

"fine. explain the story yourself then, if you're so smart." brynn orders, crossing her arms over her chest angrily. she glances at jackie and her eyes soften as she gently says, "can i get a glass of vodka while he explains?"

"of course." jackie agrees before nodding at jace to continue.

"do you remember how she was complaining about men at the diner?" jace asks, and jackie nods. she recalls that memory pretty vividly considering it was only yesterday. "then, she called me double man because i'm gay?" again, jackie nods. "well, she thinks that you agreed with her, calling me double man. but i think you didn't say anything at all."

jackie passes the vodka to brynn as she says, "well, i definitely didn't say anything. i was too busy laughing at how childish the argument was."

they both seem taken aback, as if they've never had anyone tell them that their arguments are silly. for a moment, jackie wonders if their friends just listen to them fight without commenting. but that though is brushed when jace speaks.

"ha! see!" he exclaims. "i told you she agreed with me!"

"well, i never said that." jackie stops him.

"ha!" brynn says, mocking jace with a smirk.

"jace, you definitely don't count as a girl." jackie explains, making brynn smile. but then jackie turns to her instead. "but, brynn, he's not necessarily more of a man simply because he's into dudes. i mean, i'm into dudes but that doesn't make me half male. you're both gonna give me a headache, regardless of what percentage of man you are."

brynn and jace turn to look at each other, shrugging. they seem to accept this decision, happily. jackie knows that the only reason she can settle arguments so easily is because of a certain pair of triplets that like to fight a lot.

now that the 'double man' discussion is officially over, brynn and jace stay at the bar for a few more minutes. mabel starts another conversation with jackie, which brynn and jace insert themselves into by leaving small comments here and there. then, after a while, they decide that they need to get back to their friends.

they order a decent amount of drinks before staggering away with their hands full.

once they're gone, the conversation returns to being only between jackie and mabel. they continue to talk about whatever comes to their minds, topics jumping all over the place. this only lasts a few minutes, though, before an old man comes up to the bar.

"what can i get for you?" jackie asks him, smiling. she holds up a hand at mabel, signaling to pause their for a few moments. mabel nods, going on her phone for the time being.

"rum, my dear." he smiles. "neat."

"you've got it." she replies with a nod, pulling an empty glass from under the bar. she sets it on the counter, turning around to grab the bottle of liquor as requested.

as she's turned, she hears the man wolf whistle. she cringes but says nothing, turning back to face him. she pours the rum into the glass easily, passing the cup over to him afterward. he grabs the glass from her, causing their hands to brush ever so slightly. there are callouses on his fingertips, making his skin rough and unpleasant.

"have a nice day." she says with a kind smile, but he doesn't leave. he stays seated. she knows she shouldn't think much of it. lots of people stay at the bar. but something about this man doesn't sit right with her.

"get lost." a male voice calls out. jackie looks up at its owner. her eyes instantly widen, almost comically. "nobody wants you here, you old fuckin' weirdo."

the man shoots him a glare, but stands up and leaves with a huff. as he leaves, the purple lights catch on his greying hair. the guy who defended her takes the man's ( now ) empty seat. he looks up and smiles at her.

"oh my god." jackie breathes, her voice nearly gone out of her throat. "matt?"

"hi, jacks." he replies.

see, the thing is, she'd seen chris less than a year ago before she moved because he had insisted on staying in her life. but matt? they haven't seen each other in nearly half a decade.

over time, he's changed. his face is no longer acne ridden. his hair is grown out and cut nicely. his eyes are shaped a bit more maturely. his jaw has squared. his lips are fuller. his nose longer. his cheekbones risen.

but at the same time, he hasn't changed at all. he still has the same smile, the same easy-going nature. he still puts off that same matt feeling. the same aura to him that he'd had all those years ago.

they stare at one another for a moment, not saying anything. but after a bit, she breaks the silence and asks what he'd like to order.

"oh, right." matt says. "vodka, please."

"yeah, of course." she replies, pulling out a new glass. she turns to put the rum back and pulls the vodka out in its place. as she carries it back over to the counter, she notices how badly her hands are shaking. she wills them to stop, but they do no such thing.

she manages to pour the drink into the glass without a problem, but it's only due to luck that she hadn't shaken and spilt it all.

"it's not for me." matt says, suddenly.

"what?" jackie asks.

"the alcohol." he clarifies. "it's for my friend and girlfriend, not me. i'm the dd, of course."

she laughs, "as always."

"some things never change, i guess." he says with a smile.

jackie smiles back at him, but is quickly distracted when she notices something happening over his shoulder. a commotion is beginning to stir within the crowd. she side steps, looking out at the dance floor to see what's going on.

suddenly, she sets her eyes on brynn. she's in the middle of the floor, engaged in a heated argument with the guy from earlier — the one who had ordered the rum. without thinking, jackie quickly excuses herself from the conversation with matt. she walks over to the crowd with nothing but anger in her mind.

this guy was a complete fucking prick.

first, he whistles and bothers jackie. then, he irritates brynn. and considering how angry she is, jackie would bet money he was being touchy or weird or something along those lines.

"is there a problem here?" jackie asks, keeping her voice low as she steps between brynn and the man. she really hopes nobody can tell how her hands are still shaking from having seen matt just a few moments ago.

"yeah. there's a fuckin' problem." brynn says. her gestures are wide and chaotic, proving that she's definitely drank more than she probably should have. "this dickface is bein' a perverted asshole!"

"i'm not being perverted. i have a wife and kids at home." the man says quickly, making jackie's scowl deepen. she wonders if his wife knows where is is right now. probably not. she's probably at home watching the children while he gropes twenty year olds. "all i said was that i liked her dress!"

"yeah, then you touched me." brynn reminds him. "if you've got a family at home, why're you here? why the fuck are you touchin' girls? i'm pro'bly your kid's age. fuckin' weird bitch."

if this were a cartoon, there would be a very visible, very dark storm cloud looming over jackie's head right now. the anger settled into her chest is nearly tangible with its weight. she wants to see this man bleed. she wants to see him ache.

she takes a step forward. she would have been shorter than him if it weren't for these heels adding height, causing her to stand at eye level. for once in her life, she's eternally grateful for them.

"did you touch her?" jackie asks.

"what!?" he shouts, his breath reeking of the rum she had so kindly poured him. now, she wishes she had broken the bottle over his head. "why are you taking her side!?"

"you are aware that we have rules, right?" she asks, tilting her head feigning innocence. "rules that say you're not allowed to touch girls have your age."

"fucking hell!" the man shouts. he looks over jackie's shoulder, at brynn. she must have done something to piss him off because he then insults her. "she's a lying slut."

see, it's one thing to insult jackie. she can get over it, ignoring the words like she's simply tuning them out of her mind. but the moment someone insults someone who she cares about? there's nothing that pisses her off more.

and this guy was already running jackie down to her last fucking nerve. this was the final straw that plucked that nerve, making something snap in her mind. or, more specifically, in her patience.

she doesn't even realize what she's doing until there's a sharp pain in her fist where she'd punched the man in the nose.

everyone around her murmurs, going quiet. it's very rare for anyone to be able to hear the lyrics of the song playing. normally, it's just the beat that's audible. but right now, she could pull out every individual word that the singer speaks.

just as she's about to storm off, taking brynn with her, the man hits back. a sharp pain stings her cheek, her head snapping to the side.

she whips it back around, ready for a fight. but before she has the chance, someone else beats her to it. someone's hand grabs the man by the collar, yanking him backward with so much force that he nearly falls to the floor. but the stranger holds him up just long enough to punch him. he doesn't seem to care that jackie had already tried that.

but when her eyes finally refocus enough for her to register who this 'stranger' is, her breath catches in her throat.

chris.

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i told you that you'd hate the end of this chapter ( bc its the exact same as the last chapter )

anyway

hi