Chapter 4



Kelly stood nervously by the entrance of the school, waiting for Jack and Victoria to arrive. Students surging for the warmth of the school gave her quizzical looks, surprised that she was out in front of them like this. Even though she had given up her self-destructive ways and had been trying to be more social, she wasn’t normally this out and the open. Plus… she looked good. She looked truly healthy and had regained her lost beauty. The weather was exceptionally bitter, well below freezing with a harsh wind and thick dark clouds that made it look like the sun still had not risen. As the last of the stragglers entered the school, the sound of Jack and Victoria’s voices reached her, Jack’s voice laced with its normal carefree peacefulness and Victoria’s laughs as clear as a bell.

“December has really arrived, that walk was brutal,” Victoria said with chattering teeth. She was jumping up and down and rubbing her legs to try and get some warmth burning inside her skinny-fit jeans.

“I’m sorry. I guess we could ride the bus from now on,” Jack said.

“Screw the bus, we’re juniors, I’ll drive.”

“Ah, Kelly, good morning,” Jack said, stepping into the light passing through the glass doors of the school.

Upon seeing Kelly, Victoria was defensive, wrapping her arm around Jack’s. Kelly hadn’t been in school the day before, no one knew why, and Jack hadn’t said anything. Her skepticism was understandable. However, as she got a closer examination, her look of masked territorialism was replaced with piqued curiosity, with Victoria cocking her head to one side like a cat spotting a fluttering moth. She was analyzing Kelly’s face, noting the lack of premature lines from drugs and the return of her healthy color. Something had happened between this morning and when they had lunch the other day, something that not even makeup could replicate.

“Hey, Jack… could I talk to you for a minute please?”

“Of course. Victoria, could you please wait for me inside?”

After talking with Tyler without receiving any bruises, Victoria decided to trust him. She nodded and walked past Kelly, fighting the urge to give her a second glance.

“So Kelly, what can I do for you?” Jack asked, now that they were alone.

“Jack, cut the act. The dreams I’ve been having, they are completely real. I got myself tested the other day, and while it will take some time for most of them to come out, I’ve lost several STDs and my withdrawal symptoms are gone. You cured me, you’ve been talking to me in my sleep.”

Jack took a deep breath and his smile shrank. “That is correct. And don’t worry, all your STDs are gone, as well as any internal damage caused by any abortions you might have had. I also threw in your virginity as an added gift.”

He spoke so casually that it nearly made Kelly’s knees buckle and brought tears to her eyes.

“How? How can you do these things?”

“Kelly, my birthday is on the 21st, I promise I will answer all of your questions then. I suggest you discover your Self before that day comes, trust me. I’ll give you all the help you need, after all, we’re friends, right?”

Instead of responding, Kelly leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, gratefully hugging him with all her strength. After several seconds, she let go and walked inside. About to follow her, Jack stopped as Tyler came into view, trudging through the frigid breeze.

“Ah, Tyler Deck, how are you this fine morning?”

“I’m all right, you?” he asked, coming to a stop.

“Couldn’t be better. But are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind. And I’ve been sleeping weird lately.”

“Well like you said before, you’re trying to make amends with all the people you’ve hurt. Such discomforts are expected during this personal metamorphosis.”

“Well, it’s because of you that I decided to change. Thank you, Jack. Thanks for helping me.”

“Oh of course, what are friends for? Now I suggest we go inside, if not to get out of the cold, then to at least get to class. After all, time waits for no man, man can only wait for time, as time controls everything within our existence, except how we perceive it. And yet even our perception of time may just be something inscribed in our destiny,” Jack said, holding open the door.

“Destiny, right,” Tyler muttered, thinking back to his dream and hustling inside to get out of the wind.

“By the way, Tyler, I would greatly appreciate it if you could join me and a few friends for lunch.”

“Uh… sure, ok. What are friends for?”

——————————————————

“Hey, Kelly, hold on a second,” Victoria said, leaning against a wall of lockers.

“Hey Victoria. Look, I’m sorry for what I said at lunch the other day. And I’m really sorry about Jack.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologize. I had no right to dig into your past and bring up all those rumors. Plus I overreacted when I found out about you two, I guess I can’t say you fooled around with my boyfriend when he wasn’t even my boyfriend. I swear, I’ve never been the jealous type, I don’t know what came over me.”

“You had something to protect, of course you would be defensive. I completely understand. And don’t worry, I’m not after your boyfriend. He and I are just friends and he’s helping me through some stuff. He already got me to quit turning tricks and stop using drugs. It’s been over a week and I feel better than ever in my life.”

“Wow, he told me that he was helping you, but he didn’t tell me about that. It’s amazing that you could even survive going cold turkey, I know I would just burst into flames. So since we know each other a little better now, I was hoping we could start off with a clean slate. I promise I won’t get overly protective with him. I don’t want to be the kind of girl that doesn’t let her guy have other friends. Besides, he’s helping me too, so there is no reason why we can’t help each other. Friends?”

Victoria held out her hand.

“Friends,” Kelly said, reaching out and shaking it.

“Now that that’s out of the way, I just want to say that you look absolutely fantastic! I got to know, what’s your secret? You’ve always been pretty, but now you’re stunning!”

Kelly smiled. “I thought you said you weren’t normally the jealous type. Well it’s not a new kind of makeup or a diet if that’s what your thinking. It’s just clean living and the help of a friend. Victoria, make sure you always value Jack, because you have no idea how amazing he really is. He completely saved my life.”

Victoria smiled as well. “I know he is, he saved mine too.”

——————————————————

Kelly sat in the school library, staring at a computer screen and reading the bright blaring page of the Internet site. It was about the Tree of Life, along with all of the other browser tabs. Everything that Jack had told her had been correct, at least mostly. There were a couple aspects that he paraphrased, but with how many different interpretations there were, she could understand why. Jack had given her this information for a reason and she knew she had to use it. Reading through the page, she verbally paraphrased the information in order to commit it to memory.

“The Sephirot of the Tree of Life are the ten attributes in which the Ein Sof reveals itself and continuously creates the physical realm and the chain of higher metaphysical realm.