Chapter
10
Jessie
glanced at her watch, it was
“What
you watching?” She asked casually.
“I’m
half asleep,” he responded slowly.
“Well,
wake up,” she shouted suddenly, desperately trying not to go out of character
for what she about to do.
“Ok,
Ok!”
“Don’t
you dare talk to me like tha…I mean, doesn’t matter.”
“OK,”
James said absently, his eyes, to Jessie’s annoyance never leaving the
television screen. Instantly she grabbed the remote control for the TV and
switched to off. The room fell silent for a moment.
“I
can’t believe we were blown up in a restaurant,” laughed Jessie suddenly.
“I
know,” James said, turning his head to hers for something to focus on now the
TV was off, “luckily we survived, huh?” slightly unrealistically.
“Yeah,
luckily we survived,” Jessie said firmly, “good old Janie, she saved
us.”
“Yeah.” Jessie gulped as silence returned to the room,
this was her chance.
“James,”
she started. “You ever been in love?” He froze, not
knowing what to say. Sure, they had had countless other conversations like this
in the past, but something in her voice changed the nature of this one. He
desperately wanted to say, “yeah, sure I’m in love
right now with you, didn’t you guess!” However he couldn’t find the right words
or tone of voice. He stared into her sapphire eyes, trying to read her,
“I
have,” she said, making him jump slightly. He said nothing,
the pair just gazed at each other for a minute, almost paralysed
with confusion. Then, Jessie gave in to herself, leant in towards him and
planted a soft kiss on his lips. “With you,” she whispered. With that, he began
to kiss her back, happiness welling up inside his body, that he was finally
able to show his love for her without the fear of getting a slap. She felt the
same, and as they wrapped their arms around each other and melted into this
long over due, loving embrace.
Neither
of them heard the front door open. Neither of them noticed Janie dumping her
keys on the table in the hall. She pranced in shouting,
“Oh,
guys, you will never guess who I am staying with…” She fell silent when she saw
them. Her first instinct was to leave them to it, but instead, she continued to
shout.
“YES,
at last, it’s about bloody time.” The pair sprang apart and blankly stared at
Janie as she plonked herself on the floor and grinned
at them happily.
“Don’t
look at me like that,” Janie accused. “And don’t even think about denying
anything.”
Jessie and James folded their arms and smiled
awkwardly at the ecstatic Janie sitting of their floor.
“No
she bloody is not,” screamed Misty, the next morning. Janie had been found in
the shower by Misty ten minutes earlier and was not very popular with anyone
that morning!
“She
has no where else to go, Misty, I couldn’t just turn
her out on the street, could I?” Ash said, not for one moment intending that to
be a question.
“Yes
you could,” Misty screeched, answering the ‘unasked’ question.
“I
thought you liked Janie anyway,” Ash pointed out.
“I
did, but then I realised I was wrong, she just like
the other two.” At that moment, Janie strolled casually into the kitchen where
Ash and Misty were arguing.
“Good
morning, all,” she sung. “Shall I put the kettle on?”
Misty
shot Ash an angry look as he shrugged.
“No
then,” Janie finished as Misty disappeared through the door she had just walked
in through. “Thanks for letting me stay here,” Janie mumbled, “it’s really good
of you.”
“No problem, sorry about Misty.”
“Don’t
be, I shall enjoy crushing her…I mean being her new friend,” she said
carefully, desperate not to get thrown out. She turned her head to a framed
photograph on the windowsill and almost gasped with shock. “Why have you got a
picture of my mother here?” She asked, puzzled.
“That
my mother,” Ash responded, becoming equally as puzzled as she was. Janie looked
closely at the picture, it showed a small untidy
brunette smiling at something beyond the camera. Janie was paralysed
with fear.
“No,
this is definitely mum,” she managed, taking it in her hand.
“No,
she’s mine.”
“NO,
WHY HAVE YOU GOT A PHOTO OF MY MOTHER, ANSWER ME!” Janie screamed, refusing to
believe what she was thinking.
“SHE’S
MY MOTHER,” Ash shot back, “WHY WOULD I LIE?”
“You’re
right, why would you lie?” Janie said softly, placing the frame on the table in
front of her. “But my father was a Jouner.”
“And mine was a ketchem,”
Ash said weakly, falling into a chair behind him. “So…if we have the same mums…but different dads…doesn’t that mean…
THE END
(seriously!)