The Future Mrs Jackson

There is a bit of sweary language in this story.

‘Danny, it was a joke.’

‘I’m gonna fucking kill him’

‘Danny leave it, it was a joke.’

The voices were getting louder, echoing down the corridor. Living in student halls of residence meant there was very little privacy, the walls were as thin as supermodels and spread gossip like them too.

I recognised the voices, it was Melissa and Danny and I got the feeling the ‘him’ he was talking about was me.

You see Mel had put this lovely photo of herself on Facebook and her pale blue eyes and slightly reluctant smile made my heart beat a little faster every time I scrolled down my wall and saw it. But it was no use having a beating heart, I knew that if I ever went close to Mel, all I’d get was a beating.

I could never see what Mel saw in Danny. She always seemed so miserable when she was with him. The sparkle in her eyes when she laughed at my jokes disappeared as soon as he walked in the room. Okay, he had the three m’s - muscles, money and a motor but surely it was better to build a life around my three C’s – chuckles, cynicism and a very passable vegetarian cannelloni.

Despite knowing Danny was outside my room, the banging on my door still made me jump a mile.

‘Open the fucking door Jackson,’ he yelled, typical sportsman calling people by their surname.

So anyway I’d been looking at this photo of Melissa and Facebook suggested I tag the people in it, that is add in their name. I was in a daft mood so in the little box I typed, the future Mrs Craig Jackson.

I’d thought it was funny at the time, that time was literally 3 minutes ago. Now I was not so sure. I was trying to find an escape route from my tiny student room on the fifth floor while a rugby-playing gorilla was trying to beat down my door. I was as scared as a little piggy who’d built his house out of straw and I got the feeling Danny was about to huff and puff and blow my door down.

‘Jackson I know you’re in there, I can hear your fear.’

I nodded to myself, hear my fear, that was quite impressive I didn’t know he had a poetic side, actually to be honest I didn’t know he had any linguistic ability at all.

‘Jackson!’

‘Danny, he’s an idiot, he’s nothing, a nobody, I love you Danny. A little pip squeak like him won’t change that with his smartarse comments.’

You know what that old saying, sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me?  Well it’s wrong, very wrong. Every word was like a gorilla’s punch to the face. The girl I loved’s words degraded me more than any violence ever could. I stood up and opened the door. I was ready for a beating.

Danny looked at me and almost read the look on my face. There was pity in his eyes, pity that turned to pride as he turned around and kissed Mel right there in front of me. He’d realised this show of marking his territory would hurt far more than his fists.