Chapter 3 - First Encounter

They were told to stay away from him first.

When Jack arrived at the park, the time of the night is a little past midnight and the wind is howling. The sky is dark, the moon and the stars are vibrant and concentrated. He can sense the gentle breeze of the wind on his skin and see the lively colors of the world all around him. Searching for his starting point, he chooses to begin walking down a gravel pathway that has a clearing of trees a few hundred feet away. The night has a familiar, inviting glow and all around the gentle colors of dark green, yellow and red surround the pathway. He feels almost as if the moonlight is coming from the side, as well as in front of him, and in part creating shadows in every direction. Suddenly, he saw a bench under a big tree, and there he laid down. As he was lying down, he notices that the intensity of moonlight and stars are highest at the top of the trees and darker color tone is formed. To this highlights how the moon and its light projects from high above. The trees showing the relationship between the position of the light source, and the effect it has on the surface it touches. He looked around, and saw some couples walking holding hands and upbeat. He put his hoodie on his head so no one can notice him, it's dark anyway so he is reassured.

He suddenly felt jealous when he saw a few couples walking around in a bit far distance, because he had never experienced anything like that. He doesn't have time to date someone, and if he does, he doesn't have time to date in public places like in the parks.

And he is dreaming to go out alone without assistants, but they still follow him even if he asked to. That was the order of his mother. But even when he does, sometimes he goes out secretly, doing some escapades from entourage, but people always noticed him and he will be in big trouble. So his mother asked his entourage that always focuses their eyes on him. Jack grouch his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and he lit one of it. Looking at the moon and the stars and thinking about his good life but not normal. In those moments.

Charlotte and Candy are on the other side of that park. They were eating a hotdog sandwich and they were sitting on the bench.

"It feels good to watch your idol live in concert, its very cool!" Candy said happily.

"Yeah, it's touching while he's singing, I can feel every words of his song, he is so amazing indeed," Charlotte said with a shudder.

"Have you heard the news that he was separated from his girlfriend Kathleen Scott, I don't know if that's true, are they're still okay?" said Candy while taking a bite of her sandwich. "Yeah I heard that news too, it's sounds a good news for me," Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah, too all his fans," Candy chuckled.

"It's good that Jack doesn't have a girlfriend anymore, I'm just feeling jealous whenever I saw him with that girl," Charlotte said.

"I know, I feel jealous too, but there's nothing we can do, as long as we just admire him, there's nothing more than that, because if you always think about him, we'll just be hurt," said Candy as she giggles.

"I know right, why is it that I can fall in love with his voice?" Charlotte said with a sigh.

"Eveybody loves his songs, and falling in love with a star like him is totally insane!" Candy said as she slighly chuckled.

"Yeah, but I still love him, even only in my dream," Charlotte said as she took the last bite of the sandwich, and she threw it in the waste bin.

"Come on, let's go home," Candy said as she stands up from the bench.

"I don't think I want to go home yet," Charlotte said.

"But It's past midnight, were been here about two hours, and your mother must be waiting for you for sure," Said Candy.

"I know, but I already told her that I will go home late, so don't worry about her,"

Charlotte replied. "Okay then, so why don't you want to go home yet?" Said Candy.

Charlotte didn't answer her right away, even her, didn't know why she doesn't want to go home yet. "I don't know, but I want to feel the air, it is so fresh," Charlotte suddenly said.

"Is that so, is it okay for me to go home, can I leave you here? You know because I'm already sleepy," said Candy as she yawned.

"Hmm, it's okay, you go home first, I still have money here for my taxi fare," said Charlotte as she smiled.

"Are you sure?" Candy asked, but she knew ever since before that Charlotte always want to be alone in a park. "Yeah, you know me, right?" Charlotte replied.

"Well, ok then, but be careful, your all alone, and you know that most of the people who come here are lovers!" Candy giggles and says goodbye.

And Charlotte was left behind and sat down again in bench.

Meanwhile, Jack was still lying while smoking.

His entourage was around and everyone was watching him from the distance.

"Look at him, he is lying on the bench, he looks like thinking deeply," said one of his assistants named Bailey.

"You're not used to Jack, he's always like that," Rosy said.

"I'm just wondering, why does he always seem to want to be alone?" Said Bailey as he wondered.

"I assume he was once harm that he and Kathleen Scott broke up," Rosy said.

"I do not suppose so, Jack himself broke up with Kathleen, she always went to Jack's hotel room, but Jack informed us always not to let her in, right? So I assume he wasn't affected by their separation, Kathleen Scott is nothing to him," Bailey stated as he scoffed.

"Hmm, I bet so, but why is he like that these days?"

"Well, he's sick, possibly he's no longer completely satisfied with his life anymore," Baily said.

"Hmm, maybe," Rosy said.

…

After smoking a cigarette, he flicked the rest of the cigarette and accidentally landed it on Charlotte's head, who was meditating on the bench on the other side at that moment.

She felt something hot on her head, and she suddenly grabbed it, and she was stunned when she saw that it was a burning cigarette, she screamed in shock.

"Gracious!" Charlotte exclaimed as she immediately stands up on her seat.

"Who did this? You're responsible for me, my hair was almost burned!" Charlotte said angrily and she searched for who had done it. And she walked to look for it, and later she saw a man lying on the bench and she saw him lighting another cigarette. Her eyebrows narrowed when she saw it, she didn't realize it was Jack Armstrong.

"I knew it!" Charlotte said and she approached him.

"Hey! Are you the one who threw it away on me? Huh?" Charlotte said angrily.

And she showed him the cigarette that was still lit on her hand.

It was dark in that part so she couldn't see Jack's face.

Jack ignores her and just continue to smoke.

"Why don't you speak, won't you even apologize?" Charlotte angrily said.

His entourage saw them, but as Jack ordered before, so they didn't approached him yet, their waiting for his go signal.

Eventually, Jack stood up and still did not speak and continued smoking.

"The thickness of your face, you're the one who threw this cigarette at my head, you didn't even apologize, do you know that my hair was almost burned by what you did?!" Charlotte said angrily. Eventually Jack threw away his cigarette and finally spoke to her.

"I didn't mean to," Jack simply said and he turned away.

And as he turned away, Charlotte's gaze followed him, and she was stunned when she saw some bodyguards who were following him. "What?" She said in bewilderment.

Charlotte complied and she threw away the cigarette she was holding, and later she heard the assistant spoke.