Through Thick And Thin
By Dimples
Disclaimers:
The characters in this story are all mine and the story is all mine. The characters may look like two of our favorite actresses that are not mine, but that's where the similarity ends.
Love/Sex/Language:
Yes to all of the above. This story depicts an explicit loving relationship between adult women. If you're under-aged or live in a place that this isn't allowed or this isn't your cup of tea, I suggest you move along and look for something else to occupy your free time.
Violence:
This story doesn't (how surprising) depict violence. I hope that's okay with all of you. ;)
Thanks:
To my wonderful, amazing friend, Stormy. Thank you for everything. I hope you know how much I care and appreciate you.
To all the readers that took the time to write to me and tell me what they thought, you encouraged me to keep on writing.
And to all the great bards around and their amazing stories that I loved reading and gave me the inspiration to start writing my own.
Author's comments and Feedback: This is an uber novel, much the same as my previous ones and I hope you'll like it. Unfortunately, the story is yet to be finished because I'm quite busy in my day to day life at the moment so I apologize ahead for the delays in my posting of the parts. I promise to try and write as fast as I possibly can. I hope you decide on reading it anyhow...
I received amazing responses on my story "So Close, So Far". I don't even have the words to begin to thank all the those sweet people that wrote to me with the encouraging, heart warming comments. You truly made my heart soar. I was asked about a sequel and I promised that I would get back to these ladies in the future. Well, imagine my surprise when this story idea popped into my head. I really didn't expect to write a sequel so soon but as I was sitting around the house, it just came to me. So here it is, sooner than expected but here nonetheless. I truly hope that you enjoy this one at least as much as you enjoyed "So close, So far." It's not necessary to read the first one but it is recommended. My other new story is still in progress and its first part will be posted soon as well.
The same as my other stories, everything in this story is meant purely for fun and I hope you find it funny (in places it was meant to be funny), dramatic (the same) and so on. I would really appreciate knowing what you think of my stories. Tell me if I'm doin' alright or if I royally suck. Some plot ideas would be very much appreciated also. Actually, come to think of it, any comment would be very much appreciated :) mailto:Dimples_2000_fr@yahoo.com
Copyright © Dimples Nov 2002. All rights reserved.
Part One
Ch. 1
After three very tiring months, Jay and Jennifer finally finished their tour. They were in Seattle and were supposed to get a few more days of rest before they went back home. They had more than a year until their next scheduled tour and they planned to take a relaxing vacation for a couple of months. Even though they enjoyed the tour tremendously, they couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief when it was finally over.
They planned on recording their next album closer to home so the next stop on their schedule would be their home town, Tucson. The reason they chose to go back home was made easier when the principal of their old high school called up their manager and asked for them to make an appearance. Apparently, they had been chosen as the recipients of an award from the city. They decided to declare January 1st as 'Double J' day. The duo brought such honor to their little town that they decided they had to give the same honor back. That same date would also be the duo's class reunion. Since the tour was over and they didn't have any other plans, they agreed whole-heartedly. The last time they came home, wasn't for a happy occasion and they wanted to make this visit memorable.
"It would be interesting to see the old school again. See what came out of all those people we knew..." Said Jay. They were in their hotel room, lounging on the leather sofa, cuddling close together.
"Yeah...It should be nice."
"Remember our final year?" asked Jay.
Jennifer smiled, "Of course, how could I forget it?"
"We went through so many ups and downs that my head is spinning just from thinking about it."
"Remember how we used to sit in my room and talk for hours? I think I loved that time the most."
"Yeah. We'd talk all through the night and then you'd barely get up in the morning. I would wake up bright and early and go to school, even though I didn't set foot in class."
"You know, I always wondered why you bothered coming on time..."
"That's because I knew no matter what you'll be there on time, so I came to see you. School never had me too interested, you however, had all my attention."
Jennifer blushed and looked at the carpeted floor. Jay placed a finger under her chin and raised her head so she could look into her eyes, "I love it when you blush, you look even more beautiful." Then she leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on the waiting lips. Jennifer whimpered at the contact and pushed harder. Jay licked Jennifer's lips and teased her for a bit before withdrawing altogether. Jennifer whimpered in protest but then settled back into Jay's warm embrace.
"I also remember how you had to sneak into my room because my parents refused to let you in the house." said Jennifer, bitterly.
"You know, now that I think back, they had every reason to want to keep you away from me. If I were them, I wouldn't have let you come near me."
"I still managed to see you."
"And I'm so glad you did."
"Jennifer? Jennifer, wake up. You're going to be late for school." Yelled Rachel, Jennifer's mother.
Jennifer scrunched her face in distaste as the morning light filtered through the blinds in her room, that seemed to be mocking her. She rubbed her eyes, tiredly and looked at the clock on her bedside table. It was 7:15 AM and she had to be in school at 8:00 AM for her first class, math. "Ugh." She groaned. A small flicker of a smile appeared at the edge of her mouth when she remembered why she was so tired. Jay, her best friend in the whole world, had come over last night and they spent most of the night talking.
Jennifer's parents weren't too fond of her best friend. They called her a troublemaker and a bad influence but Jennifer knew better. They only had to give her a chance to see the real Jay. To understand why Jennifer thought the world of her, but they wouldn't even try. Not even for her sake. They forbade her to let Jay into their house. And so, each time Jay wanted to visit with her friend, she had to sneak in through her bedroom window, like a thief in the night. Jay didn't really mind but Jennifer fumed more every time, which didn't fare well for the relationship between her and her parents.
Jennifer and Jay would also play music together. They both sang and played instruments. It was their biggest dream, to make it into the music world, to do what they love to do and be appreciated for it. Her parents didn't even want to know about her music. They said she had to get a good education, get herself a career, a husband and start a nice little family and forget about such foolishness. Jennifer would nod and agree faintly just to get herself off the hook. But she was seething inside. She hated hiding her talent. She hated not being able to do what she loved most. But what she hated above all, was the fact that her parents tried at every opportunity to separate her from Jay.
Jennifer walked out of her room and into the bathroom. After washing up, she went to get dressed. Wearing a blue knit-sweater and blue jeans, she walked into the kitchen for some breakfast. She greeted her mother and sat down. Her father had already left for work, as usual. "Went to bed late last night?" Asked Rachel.
"No, why?" Jennifer said around a mouthful of cereal.
"You had such trouble waking up..."
Jennifer shrugged. She quickly finished her cereal, got up to rinse the bowl and kissed her mother goodbye. "Have a good day at school."
Jennifer lived a walking distance from her school, "Tucson high". Within five minutes, she saw the school's front lawn appear in her way. She entered the grounds and was greeted by students all around. Her friend Suzanne saw her from the front steps and quickly joined her, "Hey Jennifer."
"Hey Suz."
Suzanne was one of Jennifer's good friends. She had flowing dark red hair and chocolate colored eyes. She was a bit taller than Jennifer and had a compact body. She wore a pink button up blouse and black trousers that made her look like the perfect little rich girl her parents wanted her to be. It was quite understandable why Suzanne was always welcome in Jennifer's house.
Suzanne didn't get along too greatly with Jay but then again, no one really did but Jennifer. Suzanne sometimes had to ask herself what the sweet blonde saw in Jay that none other saw. And when she'd ask, she'd usually get an angry scowl and then a very straight-forward answer, 'What I see is a talented, sweet, sensitive, loving person who's had to protect herself from the world since no one would do that for her.' That would pretty much shut her up.
"So, ready for that English test?"
"Yeah...I just want to get it over with."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. This is our senior year, shouldn't we be having a little less study time and a little more party time?"
Jennifer chuckled and nodded. "It's not much longer till we graduate, so don't worry, it'll all end soon enough."
The roar of an engine made them stop and glance backwards. The sight of a black motorcycle with a leather clad rider brought an instant smile to Jennifer's face and a special spark to her eyes. "There's your friend...always has to make an entrance." Suzanne sighed.
Jennifer watched as Jay parked the bike and got off of it. She pulled the black helmet off her head and let her shiny black hair flow down onto her back. She took the keys out of the ignition and shoved them into her jeans' pocket. She wore black jeans, black leather boots and her favorite black leather jacket over a white t-shirt. A soft, genuine smile appeared on her face when she was greeted by Jennifer. "Hi Jay."
"Hey Jen." Jay smiled and put her arm across her shoulders. She then moved her gaze over to Suzanne and quirked a small, sexy smile for her, "Hey Suz." she drawled. Suzanne smiled weakly and told Jennifer that she had a class to run to and that she'd see her at lunch. Just because Suzanne didn't particularly like the tall brunette, didn't mean she didn't find her sexy. The whole school found her sexy but even more so, intimidating. That fact alone stopped any unwanted advances towards her. Not that she would take any of them seriously if there were any stupid enough wanna-be suitors to peruse her.
Jay opened the front door for Jennifer and fell into step next to her, walking her to her first class. "So, what is your first class?
Jennifer groaned slightly when she mumbled unhappily, "Math. You?"
Jay shrugged her shoulders. Jennifer stopped in front of her class and wagged a finger in Jay's smirking face, "This is our last year, Jay. Do you really want to stay back a year? Why won't you come to your classes? I'm positive none of your teachers even know what you look like."
"I have to disagree on that. They know how my back looks fairly well. They should be used to recognizing it by now." Jay tried to hold in her laughter when she saw an angry flush cover Jennifer's fair cheeks.
"Ugh! You are such a smart ass." Jennifer said through gritted teeth.
"And you are tremendously beautiful when you're angry." Jay said with a charming smile gracing her chiseled face.
"Ugh. You are impossible." She turned to enter the classroom when Jay grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"I'm sorry. I'll go to my first class, okay?" Jay tried to come up with the best pathetic look she could muster. 'Besides, I did only say, my first class...'
Jennifer bit her lip and tried not to smile but failed miserably. Her nose crinkled when she smiled up at her friend, creating a small dimple in her cheek. "Alright."
"Good. I'll see you at lunch." Jay winked at her and walked away. Jennifer shook her head as she entered the world of mathematics.
Lunch time came pretty fast for Jennifer. Her English test was on second period and she felt that she did quite well. The rest of her classes flew by as she knew that she was about to see her best friend soon. She picked up her books and her bag and walked through the flow of teenagers trying to flee the classroom as fast as humanly possible. Stopping at her locker for a minute, she quickly found the right combination for her lock and shoved her books into the open locker. A voice from behind startled her and as she turned around, she almost banged her head against the locker door. "Hey Jennifer, sorry I scared you." Said Josh. Josh Crenshaw was one of the most popular boys in their school. With his blonde, unruly hair, soft brown eyes and boyish grin, the reason was obvious. Since the time they were freshmans, Jennifer knew he had a crush on her. That fact, however, didn't stop him from dating most girls in school, yet he never stopped trying to get Jennifer on a date with him. Jennifer liked Josh but she knew he was a player and didn't want to become another one of his playthings.
"Hey Josh." She smiled briefly then turned to shut her locker.
"Do you have any plans for lunch?" He asked. "I could take you to a nice place near the school if you want."
"No thanks, Josh. I already have plans to eat here at the cafeteria."
"Oh? Anyone special?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Actually yes." She smiled, laughing evilly inside. 'Bad Jennifer, very bad Jennifer'.
"May I ask who he is?" Josh asked, curiously. He hadn't seen Jennifer around any guy lately, he had seen her hanging around that tall, scary girl though.
"Not that it's any of your business but it's a she."
"Ohhhh." He smiled and laughed in relief. "Okay well, how about some other time?"
Jennifer sighed heavily. She knew her parents would love it if she dated Josh. What could be the harm in one simple date? "Alright Josh."
Josh raised both eyebrows in surprise, he was expecting to be turned down yet again, "Really?"
The silly look that came over Josh's face warmed Jennifer's heart a bit. She found him to be cute and charming even if a bit too persistent. The undisguised joy in his eyes made her smile. "Yes, really."
"How about this Saturday then?"
"Sounds alright."
"Great. I'll pick you up at, let's say, 7:00pm?"
"Okay." She wrote her address on a piece of paper she tore from her notebook and handed it to him. He offered to walk her to the cafeteria but when she declined, he bid her goodbye and turned to walk the opposite way, his step lighter than before.
She shook her head and headed to the cafeteria, immediately noticing Jay. "Hey." Jennifer said cheerfully.
"Hey. I hope you don't mind that I took a tray for you as well."
"No, not at all. Thank you." Jennifer noticed that Jay made sure to bring her all of the things that she liked.
"So, how was your test?"
"I think I did okay." Jennifer answered between mouthfuls.
"The way I know you, okay means another 'A'. What took you so long to get here, got stuck in traffic?"
Jennifer chuckled, "No, I ran into Josh Crenshaw."
Jay stopped chewing and concentrated on Jennifer, "Oh?"
"Yeah, he started bugging me again about going out with him."
Jay resumed chewing, "And I assume you turned him down again. Damn, does that boy never learn?"
Jennifer stopped her fork in mid-air when she said, "No actually, I said yes."
"You said yes?" Jay put her fork down and waited.
"Yeah. He was really sweet and I thought, what could be the harm in one date?"
"Jennifer, you know the guy's reputation. How could you say yes? He not only broke but trampled every single girl's heart that he dated."
"I know, but that doesn't mean he's going to do that to me... Besides, I'm sure mom and dad are going to love him."
"So you're going to date this guy just because your parents will approve?"
"No. I also think he's kinda cute."
Jay couldn't ignore what she was feeling in her heart. She had no claim on Jennifer yet she felt possessive of her. She felt her heart constrict at the news and she didn't know what to make of it. She shouldn't be having these feelings for her best friend...And so, she continued to ignore them. Jay picked up her fork and started eating again, "Fine. Do what you think is best."
"Jay..." Jennifer laid her hand onto Jay's, "I'm going to be fine. I won't let him hurt me, okay?"
"He better not." Jay said menacingly, making Jennifer chuckle as they went back to their lunch.
Ch. 2
Jay raised her feet on the sofa and pulled Jennifer in between her legs. "Comfortable?"
"Mmm, very." Answered Jennifer with a happy sigh.
"I remember that day. That was around the time I started having feelings for you. I mean, I always loved you but that was the time when I realized just how much and how deeply." Jay shook her head, chuckling softly, "Apparently not very well though if I let you go out with that creep."
Jennifer frowned and turned to look at Jay, "What do you mean, let me?"
Jay kissed Jennifer's nose and smiled sweetly, "Oh you know what I mean. I was confused---my feelings were so messed up. On the one hand, I wanted you for myself and then on the other, I was too afraid to lose you altogether if I did try something. It was a lose-lose situation for me."
"I'm sorry I made it so hard for you...But what matters is we're together now."
"Exactly." Jay leaned down and kissed the crown of Jennifer's blonde head. "A few days later, you went out on your first date, right?"
"Yeah."
"I thought I would go crazy..."
Jay was sitting cross-legged on Jennifer's neatly arranged double bed. She rolled her eyes at her friend and sighed louder with each outfit she took out of her closet and tried on, then discarded onto the growing pile of clothes on the bed. "Jen! Would you relax? It's only Josh, for God's sake."
"I want to look good and you're no help!" Jennifer threw angrily at Jay.
"You'd look good in anything." Jay replied quietly, half praying Jennifer hadn't heard ; half hoping she had.
Jennifer turned slowly to face Jay and sat on the bed next to her legs. "That is so sweet, thank you." She placed her hand on Jay's thigh and squeezed softly.
Jay shrugged her shoulders, "Don't mention it."
Jennifer smiled softly and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Jay's cheek. Jay blushed slightly and returned the smile. "Now help me pick out an outfit, okay?"
"Alright."
"I remember that night...It was one of the worst nights of my life. Like I said, I knew I loved you even back then, I was just too afraid, I guess, to tell you or even let myself realize it." Jay said, a sliver of sadness tinged her voice. "Right after he came to pick you up, I went back to my house and stayed locked up in my room until the next day. I don't think I slept a wink that night. I kept gritting my teeth and imagining myself punching the lights out of the arrogant asshole." Both women laughed at that and Jennifer turned to look at Jay.
"You didn't say anything to me the next day--like nothing happened. I didn't even realize...If it makes you feel any better, I didn't exactly tell you the truth back then."
Jay frowned, "No, that doesn't make me feel better."
Jennifer laughed at the annoyed look on Jay's face, "I'm sorry, that came out all wrong. What I meant is, remember what I told you the next day?"
"Hey Jay." Said Jennifer happily to the tall sulking teenager.
"Hey." Jay's face brightened up a bit when she noticed her friend. "So, how was your date?"
"It was really nice. We went to a movie and then he bought us some ice cream, then he just dropped me off at home." Jennifer said, more cheerfully than she felt.
"That's great. I'm glad that you had fun." Jay turned to her locker, put the book she was holding inside and locked it. "Care to join me for a little ride?" Jay asked, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint.
Jennifer hesitated for a moment but that was enough to crumble Jay's confidence. Before Jennifer could even say anything, Jay raised her hand and said, "No, that's okay. Forget I asked. You probably have something better to do with Josh than come with me." She started walking away, followed closely by Jennifer.
"Hey! What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jennifer didn't understand Jay's attitude, she had hoped that by telling Jay she had a nice time last night, Jay would be happy for her and stop being so hard on Josh.
"Look, just forget it. I'm sorry that I even said anything. You probably have some important class or more important things to do than be with me, so just go do them and leave me alone." Jay said in a controlled, harsh tone before turning and walking away. Jennifer stood in the middle of the school's hall gaping at Jay's retreating form. She hadn't realized that maybe her actions were hurting Jay. She also didn't realize that maybe by accepting the date offer from Josh, it would make Jay feel neglected. That maybe spending so much time away from her friend and dedicating more time to her school work and now a boyfriend would make Jay feel out of place, like she was being pushed away--out of the blonde's life. So many maybes yet so little answers. All those things that she didn't realize then, she realized now and she regretted them. Back then, her confusion transformed itself into anger, which just caused more problems to the young friends.
"So, I don't get it. You mean, you lied to me about the date being nice?"
"Well...It's not really that I lied, It's more that I covered a bit for the disaster that was that first date."
Jay chuckled and asked, surprised, "Disaster? Then why did you continue going out with him and even became his girlfriend? And why did you feel the need to lie to me?"
"I don't think disaster is a good enough word to describe what happened that evening..."
A car pulled to a halt in front of Jennifer's house. A smartly dressed Josh stepped out of the car and started towards the front door. He straightened out his dark jacket and brushed an unseen piece of lint from his immaculately pressed black trousers before pressing the doorbell. A few seconds passed before Rachel opened the door and ushered him in. "Hello there. You must be Josh. I'm Rachel, Jennifer's mother."
Josh raised his hand, which was holding an arrangement of flowers and charmingly introduced himself as well. "Oh thank you, Josh. They're beautiful. I'll just go put them in water."
Joseph joined them a second later, offering his hand to the young man. Joseph tried to look as menacing as possible to Josh without much success since Josh stood his ground without even blinking. "I'm Joseph, Jennifer's father. You can call me Mr. Terry."
"Yes sir. It's very nice to meet the both of you. I can see where Jennifer got her good looks from." He said as he looked at Rachel and smiled. Joseph narrowed his eyes at Josh but just gritted his teeth quietly.
"Jennifer will be out in a moment, she's getting ready. Why don't you have a seat?" Offered Rachel.
Josh nodded and took a seat on the sofa. "So tell me Josh, what does your father do?" Joseph continued to question Josh for a few more minutes when Jennifer appeared in the doorway, dressed in a white flowery dress with thin shoulder straps. She had let her hair down and applied a thin layer of make-up. Josh got to his feet and smiled in the direction of Jennifer. "You look beautiful."
Jennifer blushed at the compliment and thanked him softly. Josh opened the door for her and turned to say goodbye to her parents. Before he could leave, Joseph grabbed him by the arm and said menacingly into his ear, "I want her home by ten and you better keep your dirty little paws to yourself or I'll skin ya." Josh swallowed reflexively and nodded.
Ten minutes later they were at the local cinema. Josh paid for two tickets and led Jennifer to the right hall. They quickly found their seats and sat down. "I'm going to buy some popcorn, would you like anything else?"
"Some marshmallow and a coke would be nice." Josh nodded and went to buy the snacks. By the time he got back, the movie had already started and he had to juggle the load in his hands as he moved through the row of annoyed viewers. Finally reaching his seat, he smiled and as he handed Jennifer her marshmallows, the plastic cup which was filled to the brim, spilled all over Jennifer's dress. Jennifer shrieked in surprise and jumped to her feet. Josh looked at Jennifer's dress in horror, unable to utter a word. The people that were sitting behind them yelled for them to move out of their sight and the ones sitting next to them couldn't help but laugh. The usher quickly noticed the commotion and pointed his flashlight at the couple. He motioned for them to step out of the line and then led them to the door. "I'm sorry but you'll have to leave."
Josh looked outraged, "What do you mean? I paid for the tickets and we have a right to be in there."
The usher shook his head and said, "I'm sorry but you've caused quite a commotion in there, not to mention bothered everyone else and made quite a mess of that theatre." He gazed at Jennifer's dress and said, "Even though it seems that you took the brunt of the mess." The usher laughed and walked away, leaving two very unhappy people behind. One so angry that her face turned bright red and the other clearly devastated and ashamed.
As they drove around town, Jennifer didn't utter a word and refused to meet Josh's gaze. "Jennifer, I'm so sorry. You know I didn't mean to do that..." Jennifer knew it to be the truth and turned to look at him. The pathetic look he was sporting made her reconsider the rest of their night. Even though her dress started to get sticky.
"How about we go have some ice-cream?" Josh offered.
Jennifer reluctantly agreed, she wanted to give him another chance. Her parents seemed to like him...
The ice-cream place didn't fare much better to their luck. Josh almost managed to cause another disaster with his ice-cream cone, which made Jennifer ask him to drive her home. He walked her to her door and was about to lean down to give her a small good night kiss when the front door opened and a very angry-looking father stepped out. "I think it's time for you to leave, lover-boy."
Josh looked at Joseph with wide eyes and with a swift good-bye almost ran to his car. His screeching tires could be heard miles away.
"Wow." Jay chuckled. "That bad? I almost feel sorry for that bastard---almost. Why didn't you say anything then?"
Jennifer shrugged and said, "I thought you just wanted for me to be happy, I thought you were worried that I'd go out with him and wouldn't have a good time. I just wanted to make you stop worrying and to make you see that he was an alright guy--that he wouldn't hurt me. And it did help that my parents, well my mother to be exact, liked him. That's also the reason to why I kept dating him. Actually our following dates weren't too bad."
"I guess without even knowing it, I helped pressuring you into doing things you didn't want. I'm sorry for that. But trust me, I never meant to make you go out with Josh."
Jennifer smiled and laughed softly, "I'm sure you didn't."
"You father really said those things to him?"
"Yep. Josh was a bit scared the first few days but then he came around and got back to his old arrogant self."
"You know, I have that much more respect towards your father after hearing you tell that story. I think I might just call him up and thank him."
Jennifer chuckled and slapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, stop that. So, when are we heading out?"
"Tomorrow. It's a long drive but we'll have more time to reminisce."
"Yeah..."
"So after you went out with him and we had that argument at school, we didn't speak for days. That was a really bad time. I remember feeling even worse than on the night you went out with him. You were the one that came to me, right?"
"Yeah...I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't let the best thing in my life just walk away without a fight. I was angry at first because I didn't understand why you acted the way you did but then, something clicked. I thought how it might be if it was the other way around. If you were to get involved with someone and you'd want to spend time with them, how I would feel. That's when I came to your house and you sang to me a song you had written. It was so beautiful...I can't believe I didn't see through it."
"That was so beautiful."
"Just like you." Said Jay, raising a hand to Jennifer's face and tucking a fair strand of hair behind her ear. Jennifer blushed hotly and laid her hand on Jay's bent leg. Jay moved the guitar off of her lap and said, "I'm sorry for the way I acted. I was way out of line and I am glad that you had fun with Josh." She grimaced slightly when she mentioned his name, "I guess I just felt you somehow rather be with him than with me."
"Jay, you know that's not true and it will never be true. You know I love spending time with you and that you're my best friend. That will never change. Look, how about you come over to my house tomorrow after school and we spend some time together, maybe write some new material?"
"Won't your parents be mad? I mean, they would probably hear us and kick me out."
Jennifer clenched her teeth in anger because she knew that Jay was probably right, "Don't worry. My parents won't be home for a few hours so it's okay."
"Alright then, I'd like that."
Ch. 3
"You were always such a charmer." Jennifer said to Jay.
"Nah, I was, only in front of you."
"Yeah? I don't remember things exactly that way. If I remember correctly, you had found a girlfriend a few months later."
"Well since you were unavailable, I figured I'd give it a shot with someone else. It didn't last too long anyhow. I do remember however, that you, miss I'm so cool I never get jealous, got quite possessive during that period."
"Me?" Jennifer blinked her eyes in innocence.
"Yes you." Jay smiled and tickled Jennifer's sensitive sides, making her giggle. "We had a lot of good times together. It was really funny seeing you get all bothered because of---What was her name?"
"Cindy." Offered Jennifer helpfully.
"Wow, you actually remember her name?"
"Yeah." Jennifer answered bitterly. Jay pinched her butt playfully, "Oh, stop that. It was so long ago..."
"So you met someone?" Jennifer asked without much enthusiasm.
"Yes I did. She's really amazing. I think you'll like her. Her name's Cindy."
'I already don't like her. What kind of a name is Cindy, anyhow? It's nice...for a Barbie doll!' Jennifer thought on the inside but on the outside she tried to plaster a fake smile for her friend's benefit.
"That's a really nice name."
"Yeah, I think so too."
"Where did you meet her?"
"Well actually, she's not from around here. I was driving around on my bike and I saw her car stranded on the road, so I stopped to ask if she needed any help. I guess I ended up giving her a little bit more than just help."
Jennifer frowned, "You're disgusting. You are such a pig sometimes, I swear you're no better than a guy."
Jay threw her arms to the side, perplexed, "What? What did I say?"
"Ugh." Was all Jennifer said before turning around to look at the sheet of paper that was laying in front of her on her bed. "Let's just finish this song, I'm getting tired."
Jay shrugged and then kept working on the song that was in progress. An hour later, Jay left Jennifer's house, crawling quietly out of her window and Jennifer went to bed. They decided that the next day, they would all meet up, her, Jay and Cindy.
They had a few days of vacation before they started studying for their finals and they wanted to make the most out of these days.
"Jennifer, I'd like you to meet Cindy. Cindy, this my best friend, Jennifer."
Jennifer immediately disliked the woman standing in front of her. She had a possessive arm thrown around Jay's waist and looked more like a harlot than anything else. She had red hair and brown eyes. She wore a black mini skirt with a matching top. Her cheap make-up tried to conceal her real age without much success and she had piercings in too many apparent places. She didn't like this woman at all.
"Hi." She smiled and shook Cindy's hand lightly.
"Hello." Cindy didn't try to hide her dislike towards the blonde either.
Jay smiled and led them to a small diner that was right on the corner of their street. She opened the door, the sound of the ringing bell making their presence known to the other patrons and then walked in. Jennifer quickly pushed her way on the red vinyl seat next to Jay, forcing Cindy to take the opposite side. When Jay looked at her quizzically and Cindy shot at her menacing glares she said, "I just thought you'd rather sit in front of each other."
Jay accepted that reasoning and settled more comfortably against the back-rest.
"So...What are you doing here?" Jennifer asked, a bit more harshly than she intended. She received another glare from Cindy and another confused look from her friend. Jennifer just shrugged and added, "I meant, what brings you to this town? Jay told me she found you on the road, where were you heading?"
"I was on my way north when my car broke down. I didn't really have a destination in mind and when Jay stopped to help me, I couldn't turn away. I'm not sure for how long I will be staying though." Cindy answered, aiming the last remark straight at Jennifer.
"How nice. Where are you from?" Jennifer asked casually as she placed her hand on Jay's thigh. Jay was startled for a moment but then immediately caught on to what was going on with the blonde. 'She's jealous. I can't believe it. I wonder where she'll take this...'
"I'm originally from Texas. Now enough about me. How did you two meet?"
Jennifer felt that Cindy was avoiding her questions and couldn't help but wonder why. She told her of the way she had met her best friend and then their lunch arrived, stopping all conversation. During the meal, Jennifer would do everything in her capacity to irritate Cindy. She would offer Jay food from her plate and then feed it to her and then ask for something in return. To anyone watching, they looked like the perfect couple...With an audience of one extremely annoyed woman.
After lunch, Jay asked Jennifer to meet up with her in an hour at their usual meeting place. There was a solitary grove a few miles from their home that they loved to frequent. Jay drove Cindy to her motel and came back as fast as she could.
"Would you like to tell me what that was all about?" Jay asked, startling the blonde from her musings. Jennifer was standing with her back to Jay, looking in the distance and waiting for her friend to appear. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, you know perfectly well what I mean. Since when do you act all possessive of me like that? You could have really ruined my chances with Cindy, if you haven't already."
"Oh please! What do you even know about her? How old is she? Why did she leave Texas? If that's even where she's really from. You know nothing about her."
"What's it to you?! I know plenty."
"You know damn well what it is to me. Now don't start. I care about you and I don't want to see you hurt." Jennifer's tone gentled.
Jay inched her way closer to Jennifer and said, "I know you care and so do I, but I need someone too..."
"I know..." Jennifer sighed and then put her arms around Jay. They stood in the middle of the quiet grove, holding each other, inhaling each other's scents. "But couldn't you have looked for someone younger?" Asked Jennifer teasingly.
Jay chuckled softly, not bothered by Jennifer's teasing, "She's not that old."
"I think she's around forty, Jay."
"Yeah well, you know what they say about older women..." They both chuckled and Jay kissed Jennifer's hair softly before letting go.
"That whole thing didn't last too long. I think I found out the truth about her around two weeks after we had that chat." Said Jay. Approximately two hours earlier, they decided to move their conversation to their bed. Their muscles were sore from all that sitting and it was getting pretty late. They had a long, hard drive the next day and had to be at least well rested to get a good start.
"What did she do? I can't recall."
"What didn't she do is more accurate. She was running from the law or something. She was to be convicted for arson and grand theft auto and had too many unpaid tickets to count, so she just split before the trial started. As soon as I started asking too many questions, she packed her bags and split yet again in the middle of the night. And she was forty-three by the way."
"How do you know?"
"I accidentally saw her driver's license. Yikes, is all I can say. She didn't look too good without all that make-up on. Her real name was Courtney or something."
Jennifer laughed and soon after Jay joined her. "How about enough reminiscing for one night and we get some sleep?"
"Sounds good." Agreed Jennifer.
"Great. Good night, baby."
" 'Night, Jay." Jay kissed Jennifer's crown as Jennifer cuddled closer into Jay's warm body. With her head propped on Jay's shoulder and Jay's arm wound around her protectively, they fell into a deep sleep.