The Silhouetted Leaves

The Silhouetted Leaves

Caleb A. Mertz

© 2011 by Caleb A. Mertz.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

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License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

I dedicate this book to my family for believing in me, and to Cory for his love and devotion.

Chapter 1

Every time she looked at him she just wanted to scream. Or maybe she wanted to cry. Either way it’s that look in his eyes that makes her smile. His presence fills her heart with butterflies, or maggots that will soon grow into pesky flies. No it must be butterflies, but he is a great actor, how does she know she’s not just an act. Oh, just look at him sitting there. She couldn’t be mad at him.

Jamie stood and stepped airily across to his side. He looked up, his eyebrows perfectly arching, eyes shining, and brown. Your eyes… Jamie said.

Yes? Jack asked.

They are like my morning sun and my midsummer’s moon.

Cut the shit, he laughed, Are you still mad at me?

No, I could never stay mad at you. Jamie said smiling and throwing her brown hair back. She sat on his lap facing him. The book got tossed to the floor, as Jack was never reading it in the first place. The maroon room where they sat was dressed neatly with drapes along the window. Jamie bent low and gave Jack a kiss. She held his face in her hands and admired its structure. She slowly put her hands onto his intensely tone shoulders and gripped them. He looked into her eyes and smiled. She got off of him and proceeded into her room. She turned and smiled before closing the door slowly, keeping a steady eye on him.

Jack sat now looking at the closed door. His smile quickly faded away. He knew what she was thinking, and it annoyed him deeply. She was in love with him, and she made it a point to let him know. Now she was probably horny by the way she straddled him, then looked before closing the door, Jack began to think out loud. We’ve tried that before. He stared at the tan carpet. Shrugging, he reached back for the book and began to read it. As he read, he had to memorize. He had a play coming up in the next two weeks. He was at a particularly difficult part that he began to speak aloud. He found this helped with memorizing. He repeated over and over… Your eyes are like my morning sun and my midsummer’s moon. He always said noon unless he slowed down.

Jamie’s bedroom door flew open and her head reared out angrily. Oh yeah, you’re an asshole. How are you gonna sit there and make fun of me? Jack looked over in surprise and screwed up his face at what she was saying.

I’m definitely not making fun of you. He said, raising his arms in defense.

Ya know what? Whatever! Jamie slammed the door shut. Quickly followed was an Ow! Damnit! From the other side. Jack smirked to himself because he knew what happened. She kept a crucifix above her door, and it fell down with the slightest bump. He got back to his memorizing. Starting with the line after the one she quoted, he sat studying there for a moment. Quickly becoming bored he put the script down and grabbed a towel. He marched into the shower. By now he was thinking of something other than his play.

He scrubbed his body with his deliciously manly smelling body wash. Why me? All I want is to love somebody without being ignored. Maybe one-day god will bless me with someone. I hate how every girl I see throws herself at me. They all lust, that’s not what I’m looking for. One day. What was a frown turned into a smile, with the hope of this happening. Where he stared at the blank white plastic a blurred image began to emerge. He shook it off. He stepped forward to wash this thought away, but the smile turned back to a frown. Jack would have stayed thinking, but quickly changed his thoughts and came back to the present and reality of the water hitting his skin and the smell of the body wash. He soon turned the water off and focused his thoughts on the next action he had to take.

Jamie, now in the living room, was listening to her Celtic music while passively reading. She looked up at first in anger, then in passion. She watched him put a stupid smirk on his face and walk across to his bedroom. She smiled and partially giggled to herself. She picked up a pen and began a stick figure drawing of her future life in front of her and Jack’s house. Jamie has lived with Jack for six years now. They were roommates since the summer after high school graduation. She often thinks on this, as it was the last time that she remembered feeling in love. Her and Jack making out on the couch, her mind filling with ideas and fantasies of what would take place later, which would never happen because, Jack soon passed out from drinking.

Her face changed slightly along with her position as she thought on where she found him. She remembered it was a subtle noise from behind that caught her attention. A drunken lesbian was pouring her heart out to her there on that cool patio. The red benches they sat on creaked at the slightest movement, especially when the lesbian scooted closer to Jamie. There were trees that surrounded this particular house that were swaying in the breeze making a majestic sound as if water were rushing by. There was then a noise, which was different from all of the others, that was muffled by the action of the lesbian touching Jaime’s leg. Jamie stood up quickly in disgusted surprise.

I’m not a lesbian! God! You’re a cool friend but God. Go hit on Melanie, I heard she’s in the closet! Jamie freaked.

Ew the chess nerd! Hell no. I want you baby, The lesbian said standing. Jamie flung out her hands in dismissal and walked away in outrage. She went around the above ground pool to hide from her.

Jamie’s eyes began to redden and tears began swelling up inside her as she sat in the living room. She remembered seeing something big at the bottom of the pool. Realizing it was a human; she screamed and flew into immediate action. She pulled Jack out from the pool, but not without scratching up his back. Remembering her tenth grade CPR class, she commenced. She will never forget, it felt like it were straight from a movie. After saying I love you, he opened his eyes. She could see the sincere gratitude in his sparkling eyes. It was only these two, no one ever knew what happened, and without her presence Jack might not be here today.

The tears were flowing stronger now as she stared into the dark kitchen. At the pool Jack sat up, drenched and now apparently sober, looking around. He hadn’t a clue of what just happened or why he was sitting there and this scared him. Pulling him into a hug Jamie began to cry. Jack, following suite but in his way seemed more pissed off than scared. But the situation was so scary that he was sure to be mad at himself.

She sat now crying, looking into that dark kitchen. Usually after the ending she thought on how great life has been with him around, and how much he made her laugh. This time she seemed to have supercharged her imagination with all the weird memories that it continued to play on. The imagination seemed to not have an off switch. She sat now staring near the floor at his shivering wet body. His white t-shirt exactly as it was that night. Blinking several times the imagination continued to play. He now looked directly at her. She blinks. I do – not – love - you. Jack huffed in between breaths. This brought on a severe depression, yet she continued to blink. I –hate you she blinks. You’re – all – money, Jack said now getting on his knees.

Stop it Jamie said aloud. She could not seem to understand why her imagination was continuing.

You’re – just – an – act! Jack said now standing up.

Stop it! Jamie now screamed. She was terrified. She knew it wasn’t real, but it felt so.

You’re just an act, he says calmly before turning to jump into the pool. For a second she was there. She felt the wood deck on her knees, heard the distant chatter of the party. She could feel the wetness on her hand. She could even taste the chlorine on her lips from resuscitating Jack. He bends his knees.

No! She screamed. She didn’t realize that she threw herself to the floor and was rolling in a fit.

Jack’s face was hovering above her when she came to. This, she knew, was real. She had just felt a tragic loss, but now she had the pure joy of knowing he was still there. He was still alive, still there with her. She cried heavily.

This is the worst yet. Jack said to her getting a glass of water and sitting her down. What happened this time? He asked hesitantly. He knew this was rough for her.

No, I don’t wanna talk about it. She said shakily taking a sip of the water. Jack reached out and rubbed her face with the back of his hand. After several moments of his condolence she felt fine enough to elaborate on what she just saw. I remembered this one time when my dad was beating my mom… she began. Jack now began rubbing her shoulder. I told him to stop, but instead he came towards me. Her eyes darted frantically to the theatre posters and masks on the wall. I could never remember this one because it is the one that gave me a concussion. Hesitating and accentuating the shuttered breath Jamie continued… But this time he picked me up and threw me on the bed. Oh God Jack! She cried now into his shoulder. He kissed her lightly and began to stroke her hair. She was so involved in the lie she had been telling for years, this too became a reality to her.

Everything is going to be okay. Jack spoke softly with these words of comfort to the woman he loved.

It felt so real, again. She choked almost blowing snot on the floor.

It isn’t babe, now go and take your med’s and call your psychiatrist, okay? Jack said holding her out not wanting to ask questions that may put her in a worse state. He knew what was best she did too.

Okay. She complied. Heading into her room, Jack began to swell with a mix of emotions. He was all she would ever need. They tried a relationship, it was too fake. Then he felt guilty because he knew what she was going through and should feel for her and yet he thought of only himself.

Are you okay? He asked upon her re-entering the room.

I’m okay, just get three bottles when you go out instead of two. She instructed.

Well I wasn’t going… Jack said looking down.

Chris can come over, because I know how much you hate going there. Study your lines and we’ll have some drinks and then go to the party. Jamie said almost back to herself, yet still shaken from this phenomenon.

Jack got right on calling Chris to come over. When the doorbell rang half an hour later Jack sprang up to answer the door. In stepped a glamorous girl in a red dress lined