Jackson couldn't feel.

     He didn't understand why, but what he did understand is that he was in love with you. Obsessively in love with you. You taught him a different, new emotion. Love. You taught him how to feel.

And you didn't even know it.

 

**

 

   You woke up from a nice sleep, opening your eyes to a bright, sunlit room. You slowly sat up from your pillow and stretched out your arms, hearing a slight crack from your joints. You got out of bed and walked to your bathroom, looking at your reflection in the mirror. You then grabbed your toothbrush and ran it under the cold running water, spreading toothpaste on the brush. You stood there for three minutes brushing your teeth, and then spat out the foamy, minty liquid from your mouth. You washed it down the drain and went to go to your closet. Picking out clothes for the day wasn't always an easy task, but you decided to put on a simple shirt and some ripped skinny jeans. You slipped on your boots and made some pop tarts. While you waited for the toaster to pop your tarts, you poured yourself a glass of orange juice.

     Your parents were gone for the week to visit family members, and also to test your responsibility. It was nice to have the whole house to yourself, taking care of it. Not like there was much to take care of. You ate your pop tarts and drank your juice in silence, enjoying the quiet.

    However,  you had a sudden uneasy feeling. You felt as through you were being watched.

     You sat down your half full glass of juice and looked out the kitchen window, only to find that there was no one. You even searched around your first floor. But, there was still no one to be found. Maybe it was just too quiet and you were freaking yourself out? You stopped looking around and went back to your kitchen, ignoring the weird feeling. But, when you arrived at your kitchen, you saw something strange. 

     The glass of juice was almost empty.

     You immediately picked up the glass and studied the liquid inside. You swirled it around. Then, something caught your eye,  which was the faint stain of an outline of a person's lips on the rim. You wiped the stain on your finger and slightly smelt it. It smelled like strawberry lip balm to you. And it wasn't your own. You set the glass down softly and turned around, expecting someone to appear behind you and murder you. But, there wasn't anybody. You sighed and grabbed your backpack, wanting to get out of the house quickly. A feeling of fear sat at the bottom of your stomach, even though it was most likely yourself that was scaring you. You locked the front door of your house and quickly walked to school, shaking off what had happened in the kitchen.

     When you arrived at school, you immediately started to make your way to your class. 

     "Hey!" A happy, familiar voice came out of nowhere. You jumped at the sudden noise and quickly turned around, but it was only your friend Jackson.

     "You scared me!" You said, playfully hitting him in the shoulder. Ever since you met Jackson, he had been noticeably nicer to people, and way louder. He eventually even became one of the more well known people in this school. When junior year hit, Jackson had broken out of his shell. You smiled at him and continued to walk to your class.

     "Oh yeah, like I'm the scariest person ever, boooooooo!" He made stereotypical ghost noises at you as he walked you to your class. People always greeted him with smiles when walked with you. Heck, they probably even did that all the time since everyone seemed to like Jackson.

     "I'll see you after school." He said, smiling at you. You both waved goodbye to each other and you sat in your desk. 

 

     School eventually ended and you found yourself craving some cold pizza from your fridge. You were making your way home when Jackson suddenly jumped on you, embracing you. You were startled by the sudden affection.

     "Come on, don't I get a hug?" Jackson laughed, picking you up. You squealed slightly and hugged him back.

     "Put me down!" You shouted through your own giggles. He set you down, grinning.

     "I'll see you tomorrow, Y/N!" He said, waving goodbye and turning around. You waved back and started to walk home, your backpack slung over one shoulder. It was a nice day out, warm with thick clouds covering the sky. It felt very still, the only noise you heard was the sound of the slight breeze shaking the leaves a bit. The neighborhood seemed quiet hushed. No one was walking your way either, which made you feel, yet again, slightly uneasy. You ignored the edgy feeling until something tugged at your stomach.

     It was the same feeling of being watched. The feeling you felt in your kitchen.

     You decided to walk a little quicker. As you picked up your pace, you heard new sounds. Sounds of the crunching of leaves under a person's foot. You turned around and looked behind you, but there wasn't anybody around. Not even people walking down the street. You tried to shake off the uncomfortable feeling and sprinted to your house.

     Once you were home, you unlocked the door and stepped inside, only to lock it right after. You took the time to lock every door in your house before sitting down on your couch with the television extra loud to distract yourself from the windy noises outside. You could tell a storm was coming. 

     The time went by quickly as you ate your cold pizza and did your homework for the day. Before you knew it, it was almost ten o'clock at night, and you were already exhausted. You made your way upstairs to your room and brushed your teeth. You slid on your pajama pants and plopped down on your bed, sinking into the mattress. It didn't take very long for you to fall asleep, since today was extra torturing for you and your classes.  

**

  You began to have a nightmare. It wasn't that bad, you had nightmares often. This time it was different. It all felt a little too real. And all that was taking place in the dream was running and whispering. You know how in dreams you can't run very fast? This is exactly what was going on, and you didn't enjoy it. The inaudible whispers were getting louder and louder, until you finally heard something that you could make out.

     "You forgot your windows..." 

     You woke up with a jolt. It was thundering outside, heavy rain assaulting your window. You hesitantly got up from your bed and locked it. You also locked your door as well. You tried to turn on the lights, but it seemed as though the power went out. You grabbed your phone from the nightstand next to your bed and sat back down in it, covering yourself with your blanket for safety. The brightness of your phone stung your eyes as your turned it on, checking the time. It was two o'clock in the morning. You exhaled, wondering whether or not to text Jackson. 

     "Hey." You messaged him, waiting for a text back. 

      No response 

      You threw your phone on your bed. The rain started to grow heavier as you cuddled up into your blanket, shoving your face in your pillow to drown out the noise. You didn't get much sleep that night.