It was a funny quirk at first, but the more Jake kept on with it, the more concerned I got.
"'Berta, you
really don't see them? Honest to god, you don't?"
I put my hand on top
of Jake's and squeezed, "I always just assumed it was a quirky thing you
did, maybe you were trying to get attention?"
Jake looked at me,
"Now Alberta, does that sound like me?"
I punched his
shoulder, "You know I hate my full name!"
Jake leaned and spoke
over my shoulder, "She really does hate that name, though she hasn't ever
explained why."
"Stop it!"
I yelled.
I had known Jake for
nearly a decade, since we were both around the age of fourteen.
"Don't worry,
this is the just the set-up, the backstory. You'll get to the big stuff soon
enough."
I frowned at Jake,
"Who are you talking to and why are you saying that random stuff?"
He winked,
"Seriously, any time now."
In the decade I had
known him, he had always spoke to some unseen entity that he insisted on
calling the reader. In our teenager years it wasn't a big a deal, but now that
we were both in the real world it was starting to cause Jake issues with his
work. He was on his last chance at his current employer and had already been let
go by two others.
"I really don't
want to see you lose everything to this, Jake. I want your life to work out, I
want you to be successful and meet a nice girl and all that other stuff we are
supposed to do."
"You're a nice
girl, 'Berta," Jake said.
"Oh, hush
that," I blushed slightly.
"No worries
guys, this isn't romantic. It isn't going to turn sappy. Neither of us have any
kind of feelings like that," Jake said, past me.
"Damn it, Jake,
say those things to me!" I yelled.
He stopped looking
past me and looked directly into my eyes. The sudden shift in mood caught me
off guard and left me wondering if we had ever made eye contact like that
before. He always seemed to be looking off somewhere else. He had a
surprisingly piercing gaze.
"I just want you
to stop for a moment and listen to me," he said, concentrating on every
single word, "Can you trust me?"
I sighed loudly,
"We've been through this, Jake. This isn't about trust, you know I trust
you as much as I trust anyone."
"All of these
different stories in all of these different cultures say we are being watched
by someone else," Jake said. "They all claim a higher power is up
there, somewhere. You don't down those people; you don't call them crazy. It
just so happens that I see you. I don't mean you, 'Berta, I mean you, the
person reading this right now. I see you sitting there, staring at your screen,
taking in the words. 'Berta, you can see them too, I know you can if you just
really try. It isn't even that hard, they are always checking in, any time anything
interesting is happening. I know you're going to see them, 'Berta, I know it
because that is the only interesting possibility that is left for this moment.
They only stop in when something big is going to happen, and you're that
something big this time."
I stared into his
eyes the entire time he spoke, those sincere, honest eyes. My mouth was left
open for far too long and I was beginning to feel self-conscious about it.
Finally, I decided to
play along with him, "Alright, Jake, fine. Let's just say you are right.
What do I do?"
"Just narrate
it. You're writing this story."
I exclaimed,
"Jake, I don't know what the hell that means!"
He smiled,
"You've been doing it this whole time, right guys? You've heard her?
You've heard what she is thinking? Just think it."
I rolled my eyes,
"Alright, we'll see."
I thought very hard
about the reader and the way they were listening to my story, when suddenly, I
didn't feel so alone. Slowly, I peered over my shoulder, and with eyes wide
with shock, I locked gazes with you.
