Jackie

The cold handcuffs bit into my wrists as I was escorted into the precinct, hauled in after a rowdy bar fight turned ugly. But when I looked up at the intake desk, time stopped. Sitting there in her light blue uniform was Jackie, dark wavy hair framing those expressive eyes I’d never forgotten. In an instant, years melted away—bringing back her warmth, our high school summers, and the quiet ache of losing her. Her professional posture snapped up like armor, but a flicker of familiar wit glinted in her eyes as she took in my bruised knuckles. Arching an eyebrow over her screen, she murmured, "Look what the tide brought in tonight."