Writer's dilemma

[HermesVoice]

Against his better judgment, Jason continued to knock back beers. It seemed to come naturally as all discussion of writing and school and work fell to the side in an increasing celebratory fervor. Uncertain at first of the new girl, he and Claire had both put their firm stamp of approval on Jenna by the time they finished their third beers. (She had won Jimmy’s instant thumbs-up when she’d laughed, kissing him on the cheek as reply to his standard opening gambit that she “take him for a spin on the dance floor.”) “She’s fun,” declared Claire breezily while she signaled for another beer. “And Denis hasn’t dated in a while. It’s good for him.”

Watching Jenna on the floor, Jason didn’t bother to point out what was patently clear to him: Jenna and Denis were definitely not a thing. It might happen, but it wasn’t happening now. He’d had few doubts anyway, bur when he saw Denis move in to kiss the girl, Jenna stopping him firmly (but kindly it appeared), he was entirely certain. When Jenna returned to the floor, Jason having bought a round for everyone with her request that he get her one, Jason lifted his bottle in silent salute to his friend (who was now paying fairly eager attention to Jenna’s friend). “Good luck, buddy,” he said aloud.

Sara, who had decided to take a break, curled more tightly into his side. “You’re nice,” she smiled.

“I am, aren’t I?” he replied with a laugh. Laughter and beer had defined the rest of the evening, and when they left the club in the early morning hours, tipsily calling for cabs, it was with the firm resolution that “club night” was now a permanent part of the W-W Meet-and-Greet repertoire.

When they arrived home, Jayson swept Sara off her feet and began drunkenly carrying her up the three flights to his apartment - nearly forgetting to pay the cabbie in his eagerness. (The man had jabbered wildly in a language that neither he nor Sara understood, but which kept them giggling like fools the entire trip upstairs.) “I wanna’ fool around,” he slurred when they reached the quiet of his place.

Sara – as always in far better shape – placed one hand on his chest with a shake of her head. “Noooooo. Long drive tomorrow. Bedtime.”

“Yesssssssssss,” he laughed. “Bedtime.”

“Save it, tiger,” she murmured sliding into his arms. “I need sleep. And so do you … I think you want your head in the right place for your first conversation with daddy. We’ll make some private time while we’re there,” she promised in answer to his grumbled acquiescence. With a kiss she spun on her heel and danced into his bedroom to strip.

“Fuck,” he groaned, watching her peel off the jeans and her t-shirt. “Oh well,” he offered the empty room with a sigh. “Distraction time.”

He decided to check Words-Worth for any first responses to the night. He knew – KNEW - Claire would have written something the instant she got home. (“Part of the job as organizer-in-chief,” she’d once told him. “Keeps everybody coming back.”) Her post, a minor variation on a consistent theme, echoed the night:

Here’s to friends old and new! Next meeting in two weeks! All those in favor of clubbing post “aye.” Any opposed … keep it to yourself. ;-)

Jason noted that there were already three “aye” votes as he added his to the list. He noted, too, that Denis had gotten home already and voted in the poll, and, he discovered, had already sent a PM. “NEW POEM” the header screamed, but he hadn’t bothered to attach a message. Still, Jason understood that it would be in the poetry forum, and, because everyone who was there tonight had watched Denis get unbelievably drunk while flirting with Jenna, he understood the poem would suck.

Hell. Denis probably knew it would suck when he wrote it. It was only upon opening it, however, that Jason realized just how far gone his friend was.

Colored red like dreams,
Vision not quite as it seems,
Spinning. Flowing. Girl.

“Rhyming haiku??” Jason burst out laughing. It was hilariously monstrous. It was pitiful beyond even his, Jason’s, reckoning, and he couldn’t keep from roaring until Sara called from the other room: “Oi! Road trip tomorrow! Bed now, sparky!”

Snickering, Jason fired back a brief reply, one from which he knew his friend would get a laugh in the morning … provided his hangover wasn’t too bad.

Writing poems drunk,
A bad 3 AM notion.
Epic. Haiku. Fail.

Still chuckling, he slid between the sheets, pulling his girlfriend tightly to him. "Your feet are cold," he complained jokingly in her ear, commentary that earned him an elbow in the ribs before she drifted to sleep.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna and Stephanie hung out with the guys, drinking and dancing until they were ready to go home. They were about to call a cab when they found a friend who lived near Jenna's house, and sat around talking with him, until he mentioned that he had gotten a ride from a friend, who'd ditched the club.

"Did you drink?" Jenna slurred, giggling.

"Nah, just danced with some hot chicks." he said, keeping himself from laughing at Jenna's drunken giggle.

"You can drive me and Steph to my house. We're both too drunk to drive."

"Awesome." Stephanie, Jenna and Rodger worked their way through the crowd, finally getting into the parking lot and found he car. Rodger took the keys from Jenna and they piled in, Jenna sitting on Stephanie's lap, starting to kiss her. She could see two guys standing outside the car, smoking, and bending down to look into the window. Rodger just shook his head, pulling out of the lot.

Stephanie and Jenna kissed a little bit, their hands rubbing each other's stomachs and sides as they drove to her house. Stephanie squeezed Jenna's tits hard through her dress and bra, and Rodger glanced into the rearview mirror, clearing his throat. He knew from experience it was harder to concentrate on driving with a boner.

"Girls, can you wait to do that until you're in bed?" Jenna quickly got off of Stephanie's lap, blushing.

"Sorry."

They got to her house, and he parked in front of the driveway, getting out and handing the keys to Stephanie, who was a little less drunk. "Thank you." she said, kissing his cheek. "Have a good night." he nodded and walked off down the block. His house was only a few streets away.

Stephanie and Jenna were on their way up the stairs when Matthew came out of his room. "What the fuck are you guys doing home so late? Jenna, go to your room." Jenna groaned and quickly made her way into her room, shutting the door. Matthew shoved Stephanie into the wall, his hands on either sides of her body, "What the hell are you doing to my sister? She's a good girl and you're corrupting her."

"If I'm corrupting her, what are you doing right now to me?" she gave him a sly grin and he looked into her eyes, realizing she wasn't as drunk as she made herself out to be, and he kissed her before she could kiss him. They stood there at the top of the stairs, kissing each other until they heard Jenna from the other side of the door,

"Steph, I'm naked. Are you coming?"

Matthew pulled away, groaning. "That's a mood killer. Get in there." he smacked her ass as she turned away and walked into Jenna's room, slamming the door.
___________________________________________________

The next morning, Jenna kissed Stephanie's bare tit, sucking the nipple softly. "Wha?" Stephanie said, waking up to her pussy dripping wet and looked into Jenna's bright eyes. "Oh, Jesus. I gotta go, babe. I'm sorry." she stroked her hair and got up, quickly getting dressed. Within five minutes, she was gone.

Jenna got out of bed, walking naked to her computer. She sat down and clicked her mouse, waking it up. She logged into Words-Worth and browsed for a few minutes. She opened two tabs, one with a poem that Denis had just posted and the other one was a post that referred to last night's event.

She clicked on the second tab, and read it. Then decided not to reply, she preferred to keep it on the DL that she'd been there. Then she opened the other tab, reading it. She thought it was short, cute and....Oh my God, it was about her. She scrolled down to reply, and saw JJ's comment. Her rage took over the previous feeling,

"I thought it was beautiful, DD.

GOD, you ASS! (JJ) I haven't seen anything that you've had the balls to post up here, and the first thing you can do is attack someone else's work? Guess your girl's out of town. She's not been keeping you in line.

 

[HermesVoice]

The drive south was uneventful. Only in the hangover that kept Jason drinking bottle after bottle of water was it worth comment. Jason drove, the meditative aspects of focusing on the road usually helping with his hangovers, while Sara offered a quiet commentary on her week. They didn’t discuss Chicago. It wouldn’t help the throbbing in Jason’s head, and they both knew the routine anyway. Several blocks before arriving at her folks’ house, they would switch seats, for the car was Sara’s parents, and the Coynes - meaning Sgt. Coyne - expected her to be the only one behind the wheel. Her father would offer a faintly condescending nod and handshake as he, Jason, climbed from the passenger side. (Because of COURSE the man should drive his own car, even if he lived in the city and would never use one … even if the maintenance of a car and permanent parking required money that he didn’t have … even if … Jason sighed inwardly.)

After that, the real testing would begin. It was Jason’s hope that his offer of dinner out would lay the groundwork for an easier visit than was the usual.

“Great!” said Sara’s father, when Jason proposed taking them all out. “I know the perfect place!”

“Dan …“ It was Sara’s mother, and Jason couldn’t help noting a hint of doubt in her voice. He glanced over to Sara for some clue to what was coming, but he received only the smallest of enigmatic smiles for his trouble.

“Oh, come on, June!” her husband said heartily. “Jason will LOVE it!”

From the cop’s tone, Jason was given to understand that “loving it” was meant to be the last thing that he, Jason, would feel. When they arrived (Sara’s father having driven them all), everything became clear: Mrs. Coyne’s concern, Mr. Coyne’s unspoken challenge … and Sara’s knowing grin: Dubliners shouted the name across the face of the building.

"My favorite place," said Sara's father with relish. "C'mon."

It was only later that Jason learned the story of Vince D’Amico. Vince and Sara had dated for over a year in college, and the relationship had looked to be serious and long-term when Daniel Coyne had taken them all to Dubliners. A pub mostly for Chicago’s Finest, poor Vince had been hopelessly lost. A fourth generation Italian (although culturally as far removed from his ancestry as any great-great-grandson of immigrants could be), he’d been drowned in a sea of Donnellys, Sullivans, Roarkes, and of course, Coynes. When the talk turned to Kerry and Sligo, Purnell and Brian Boru, Vince could only sit by and smile. When the first round of stout came to the table, Vince had grimaced at the taste. When Sara joined the rest – standing in the circle of her father’s arms – crowing “The Rifles of the IRA,” Vince retreated to the men’s room, the message having been delivered: “You’re not one of us. You’re not meant for her.”

They’d broken up a month later.

Jason, however, needed no tale of failed lovers to understand why they were at Dubliners. The point was in the challenging smile on Sara’s father’s face when he ordered the twenty-dollar-a-shot Knappogue. It was in the heavy clap of a hand on Jason’s shoulder by several of Coyne’s police friends – always delivered with the chuckled, “So this is our Sara’s boyfriend.” It was in every gesture, joke, comment, and sip of whiskey.

But for Jason, this was homecoming. He was not the son of a first generation Galway firefighter for nothing, and he had sat his father’s knee in a place like Dubliners – as he knew Sara must have done on Daniel Coyne’s knee - since he could walk. The tales were familiar; the troubles twice-told; the sweet mournfulness of the songs remained the same in any building in any city anywhere in the world. As Jason joined in the jokes, bought his share of rounds, bitched about governments from Chicago municipal to the Royals, he watched Mrs Coyne's face become increasingly bright across the table. He felt Sara at his side, clutching his arm ever more tightly to her in proud possession.

He waited, though, for what he knew must come in the end. There wasn’t an Irishman in the room who didn’t know that all came of a race of poet-warriors, and that with such knowledge must come a final reckoning. Jason stood before it: the tradition of Dubliner’s men that the chosen of their daughters were brought and tested – and at the end of the night, the aspirant thrust up to the bar with the simple command, “Sing.”

How many suitors had stood where he did now, Jason couldn’t guess. Poor Vince D’Amico had been called upon to stand there and had fallen. But for Jason, well, this was home, and home was where he’d always sung. Closing his eyes at first, he gave them the first song he’d ever known, the same his mother had crooned to him since infancy.

On Raglan Road of an autumn day
I saw her first and knew
That her dark hair would weave a snare
That I might one day rue
I saw the danger yet I walked
Along the enchanted way …

Jason knew his tenor was more than passable, and as he carried the mournful tune he opened his eyes. Below him, June Coyne stood beaming, hands covering her mouth. He could see Sara in the half-light, tears in her eyes and, all around her, the quiet nod of many heads.

But he looked past them to the back of the room where stood the only man whose verdict mattered.

There at the bar, a glass in one hand, his lips joining to the words of the song, the Old Man was smiling.

 

[HermesVoice]

Had a great time on Friday!

Soooooooooo, no pressure, but a few of the people you met the other night hang together: me, Claire, Jason, Claire's sister Amy (who isn't really on W-W) ... sometimes a couple other people.

We kind of take afternoons after class at the Starbucks on 16th and Locust. You should come out! I know both Jayce and Claire thought you were cool ... and I'm okay with you, too.

D

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna moaned, rubbing her eyes. She had absolutely not had enough sleep. She smiled a little when she read Denis' message on W-W, and then instantly started to create a message to him, giggling as she did. D,

You're so cute, trying to play it cool. Where do you go? (School, I mean.)

Hehe, I'm glad they liked me, and glad you were OKAY with me! *wink*

Hmm, I'd like that. It's a date.

-Red She was about to hit send, when she noticed she was wet. She slid her hand down into her boyshorts, feeling her soaking pussy. Then she got a better idea, minusing the internet. Denis could wait. She needed something, and needed it now. She picked up her phone, dialing instantly,

"Hey...can you come over? Yay! See you soon." She got back into bed, laying on her back. She teased her pussy through her panties until she heard the knock on the door. "Come in."

Scott walked in, holding his jacket. He looked hot, fresh out of the shower, wearing a tight white t-shirt and dark jeans. "Hey, baby girl. You all ready for me? God, that's hot." he strode over to the bed, kneeling in front of her, instantly peeling off her boyshorts and cupping her tits with his hands as he kissed her stomach down to her hips. "I want to fuck your little body so badly, Jen."

"Mmm, I know. Soon."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Goddamn, Jenna. You're such a tease." he slapped her pussy lightly.

"AHH! Scott!"

"No, you're always telling me 'soon'." he grabbed their handcuffs from her nightstand drawer and handcuffed Jenna to her bed. She squealed, her hips jerking as she tried to get away. "Shh, stop it! Knock it off, slut." he pinched her nipples, causing her to squeal again, louder.

"Scott, seriously. What are you doing?" he just grinned at her, reaching under her pillow, knowingly pulling out her vibrator, the one she rarely used because it was a little thicker than she was used to.

"I'm fucking you. And if you don't want my cock, little pinky here is going to do it." He grinned as he watched Jenna's pupils dilate, her body no longer squirming in protest as he rubbed the vibrator up and down her soft, wet cunt. "You're so wet, do you want this?"

"NO!" she said, protesting.

"Admit it. You want this cock inside you." he growled, getting the tip wet with her juices, before shoving it a couple of inches inside her.

"Ohhhh my God..."

"Yeah, that's right." he said, turning it on, and taking pleasure in watching her hips jerk up.
___________________________________________

Two hours later, she was kissing Scott goodbye, barely able to get out of her bed. He'd made her cum at least five times, but she'd pretty much lost count after three or four. But then again, it was the vibrator doing most of the work. She sighed, pulling her body to her computer chair. She had several assignments she had to do, plus she needed to send the message to Denis. She smiled, thinking about how she'd totally hit it off with him and impressed all of his friends.

A chill shot up her back as she read his message again, especially the part about Jason liking her. She definitely didn't mind that one bit. She clicked send, watching the page load for a few seconds, before alerting her that it had sent.

She closed the tab, getting back to her research.
___________________________________________

Jenna texted Denis a little bit over Saturday and Sunday, even when she went out with her friends. She liked his playful banter and the way that he tried to pretend he wasn't flirting with her. She hoped that her denying his kiss hadn't made him too upset.

Sunday night, Stephanie wanted to take Jenna out drinking, but she knew she would have a hangover on Monday if she did, and the last thing she needed was a hangover when she went to school and then to hang out with Denis and his friends. She politely declined.

Jenna went to sleep a little early on Sunday, she had a writer's meet at school early Monday morning. When she woke up, she felt absolutely wonderful. She took a quick shower, getting dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. She could change when she got out of school. She grabbed her keys and phone, hurrying out the door and into her car. She drove the two minutes to school, and parked in her spot, running inside. Somehow she'd gotten there late.

By the end of the school day, Jenna found herself thinking about Denis. She wondered why, because Scott was an amazing guy. But she couldn't get Friday out of her head. Maybe it wasn't Denis...maybe it was Jason. She shook her head, getting into her car and heading back home.

She ran into her brother as she pulled in front of the house. He blocked her way as she got out of the car, "Where you rushing to? You just got home from school."

"I have to be somewhere! Get out of my way."

"Are you cheating on fuck face?"

"I am not cheating on SCOTT." she pushed past him and made her way into the house and up to her room. She stripped down completely, putting on a pair of pink boyshorts and matching silky bra. She slipped a magenta top over her head. It fit her slim curves and perfect tits well, accentuating her body. She put the jeans back on, added a pair of heels that matched the top, grabbed her purse, and went to knock on Matthew's door.

"Love you."

"Love you too, sis."

She typed the address in for the Starbucks into her GPS and followed the instructions. It only took her about ten minutes to get there. She fixed her make-up after parking across the street. She fluffed her hair and walked across, entering the cafe, getting in line to order a drink.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Denis walked up behind her as she was paying for her drink, pinching her waist gently. "Hey girl."

"Hey Denis!" she finished paying, and as she walked over to pick up the drink, she accepted Denis' hug warmly, enjoying how warm he was and thinking to herself that he must work out an awful lot, because she could feel his muscles right through his shirt. "God, you feel nice." she whispered, not caring that other people were in the Starbucks cafe. Luckily his friends were outside, so didn't see Jenna hug him for longer than usual.

"Hey, thanks." he winked, "You're not so bad yourself, doll." She grabbed her drink and he grabbed her hand, and the two of them walked out into the courtyard. "Jenna's here everyone." Everyone waved at her, except Amy, who stood up and hugged her. She was obviously friendly.

The gang sat around, most of them had coffee or a muffin, and luckily none of them seemed to talk about school. The last thing Jenna needed was an awkward silence when everyone heard she was still a senior. She knew at least most of them were several years her senior, and so far she hadn't done anything to raise suspicion.

"Want one?" Denis said, offering Jenna a cigarette.

"No thanks." she smiled and watched as he lit his own, taking a long drag, blowing smoke rings up above him into the air.

"Ewww." Amy whispered, looking at Jenna, who just shrugged. She would definitely not be kissing him tonight.

Not that I would anyways...This is just innocent. Friends hanging out!

After a few hours of laughter, Amy and Jenna exchanged numbers. "I really have to get out of here, guys." Jenna said, as politely as she could.

"I'll walk you to your car. Just meet me out front in 3 minutes?" he obviously wanted to talk to his friends before they left.

"Sure." Jenna walked out to the front of the Starbucks, her heels clicking as she walked across the pavement. Denis met her a few minutes later, as promised.

"They really like you." he said quietly.

"I like them too."

"I like YOU." he said, grabbing her hand softly. She bit her lower lip, not wanting to tell him she had a boyfriend, "But that guy in the picture...he's your boyfriend, huh?" Jenna nodded, embarrassed. "Eh, I don't really care." he grinned, goofily. "I'll try to keep my hands to myself." he kissed her cheek softly, his hand on her waist, pulling her close as his mouth moved to her ear,

"See you soon?"

She nodded, her body feeling a little chill. Her ears were really sensitive. "Bye Denis." she got in her car and drove home. She was almost home, when she got a call from Maddy. She wanted her to come to a party with her. So looking down at what she was wearing, Jenna told Maddy she would be there in half an hour. She drove to the house Maddy gave her directions to, and before getting out of the car, checked her make-up and hair in the mirror.

Liking what she saw, Jenna got out of the car and entered the house, the door being held open by a tall frat guy, who winked at Jenna and slapped her ass. Jenna just giggled.

 

[HermesVoice]

At what point Saturday night bled into Sunday morning, Jason couldn’t be sure. After Dubliners, Mr. and Mrs. Coyne opting to go home, Jason and Sara had gone to an after-hours club that she remembered from her undergrad days in Chicago. As soon as they entered, Sara grabbed him by the tie and pulled him onto the dance floor with a laughed, “C’mere, hero. Your ass is mine.”

A handful of rounds followed, each drink ending with them on the floor, most often ignoring the beat of whatever techno was pounding through the speakers so that they could move quietly against each other, kissing in long, serene wonderment. Jason felt liberated. He knew he’d slain the dragon long before Sara, hilariously drunk, pulled together her eyebrows in an absurdly telling imitation of her father’s scowl and growled, her voice gruff and pitched an octave lower, “You did good tonight, Rush.”

Later, with the full light of early morning glaring through the windows of the taxi, she’d curled against him purring it again, “You did good tonight, Rush.” Jason sighed in the backseat, a mixture of longing and contentment filling the sound.

God … if only we weren’t at her folks’ he mused. Sara’s words and the sleepy voice in which she’d offered them made him proud. Combined with the smooth curve of her waist under his hand, however, he was also becoming desperately horny. But he knew perfectly well that there would be no relief at the Coyne house, and so he was forced to resign himself to the thought of falling into the guest bed and trying to sleep off his erection and his desire. He might have finally shown Daniel Coyne that he was worthy to date his beloved daughter, but Jason was not ready to presume such goodwill extended to other liberties. And if Jason had harbored any doubts, Sgt. Coyne had perfectly clarified things later on Sunday.

After inviting Jason to do some shooting at the police range – “I gotta’ qualify this month anyway,” he’d explained – he casually offered the facts of life about dating a cop’s daughter. Whether it was coincidence or not, Jason couldn’t help noting that each point Coyne made was highlighted by a perfectly placed 9mm round to the head, heart, or groin of the practice target fifty yards downrange.

And so it went. Relations were finally cordial, and with the warming of her father, Jason couldn’t help but see why Sara was so devoted to the Old Man. He was funny and generous, given to huge laughter and frequent quiet insight about family and friendship. On the other hand, none of this helped the low-grade erection that Jason couldn’t seem to rid himself of through Sunday and Monday before they left for Detroit that evening. “Going hunting in a few weeks, Jason,” Coyne had said by way of farewell. “If you’re free, come down and jump on board.”

“Oh boy, you are SOOO in,” Sara laughed as they pulled out of the Coynes’ driveway and headed north.

Chuckling in reply he offered, “Yah … I think he kinda likes me. Aaaaannnnd, his blazingly hot daughter?”

“Oooooh,” she considered slowly before taking his hand on the stick shift – without comment from Dan Coyne, Jason had climbed into the driver’s side as they left – “I think his daughter kinda likes you, too.”

“You just made this drive so much easier,” he smiled. “When we get home, I’m gonna – “

“Wait, babe,” she said, cutting him off. “I gotta go back to my place.”

“Nooooooo – “

“Jayce, I just took two extra days off. I gotta be in REALLY early tomorrow to make up that time.”

So it was that Jason found himself alone and disturbingly, frustratingly awake at one in the morning, having dropped Sara off and taken her car back to his place. Dropping into his chair he sifted in his mind through various porn options while he checked his mail. Seeing one from Claire, he decided leave it unopened and simply jump to W-W to see if she was as awake as he.

Hey! he sent, noting her presence on the site.

Good weekend?

Awesome. He began running through forums before typing in, Score one for the Dragon Slayer!

Yaaaaaay! You’ll tell all tomorrow. And … speaking of “dragons.” Check your last reply to Den? From the night at the club?

Jason didn’t bother to wait. He could well imagine how many jokes his friend had received as a result of the so-called haiku, and he wasn’t wrong. There were several. None mattered, however. For there at the bottom – unresponded to by anyone – was the final post of the thread: “GOD, you ASS! (JJ) I haven't seen anything that you've had the balls to post up here, and the first thing you can do is attack someone else's work? Guess your girl's out of town. She's not been keeping you in line.”

Daniel Coyne, the weekend, the victory, even Sara went up in a rolling burst of fury.

“What a fucking CUNT!” he snarled. “Who the fuck asked YOU?”

Without thought he slammed out a reply, packing into his rage over the comment all the frustration of days of unreleased sexual tension.

Oh look! Someone’s found a little cheergirl! And as illiterate as any other I’ve known. Check around the site, Red. You’ll find my work scattered all over the place. Next time you might want to do a little reading before you submit uninformed commentary on a literary site, sweetie. You only make yourself look like the silly little twat you are when you write posts like that above

“Suck it, bitch,” Jason laughed grimly after hitting the send button. He had no idea how long it would remain before a moderator found his post and wiped it, but he prayed it would last long enough for “Ginger” to read it. As he mulled over the image of a 15-year-old brat throwing a tantrum, his phone rang.

It would be Claire, having no doubt seen the post the minute it went up, but he had no belly for her jokes or her sympathy. Instead he cracked a beer and swallowed two nighttime aspirin before crawling into bed. He didn’t bother to set an alarm. He knew already there was no way he was going to school later.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

At two in the morning, Jenna was still dancing with her friends, and talking to a few frat guys. She wasn't drunk, but she was definitely really tipsy. She'd been drunk a couple hours ago, and had made out with a guy only momentarily, before being pulled off of him by Maddy. Maddy could hold her liquor way better than Jenna could. Suddenly her phone rang and she answered it, worried. Who would call her this late? It was Matthew, he told her he had an emergency and needed her home instantly.

So Jenna asked Maddy to drive her home and Maddy said she would. Maddy had been taken to the party buy a guy who ended up sleeping with a different girl, so Maddy was planning on taking a cab home. She lived about a mile from Jenna's house, but didn't mind walking, even at this hour.

She parked Jenna's car in front of her house, kissing her cheek goodnight as Jenna rushed inside the house. Jenna hurried upstairs, finding Matthew sitting on his bed.

"What? What's wrong?!" she cried, worried. He looked up at her and laughed,

"Nothin'."

"WHAT?! You called me home for an emergency just to push my buttons?"

"Yup." he grinned, "Oh, and to tell you Steph and I are going out tomorrow night."

"ARGH! You're incorrigiable!" she stormed out of his room and into her own. She went from being in a very good mood, to being in a very bad mood-very quickly. Being horny didn't help. Denis had teased her, whether intentionally or not, Jenna didn't know. But now Jenna was cranky and horny.

She sat down at her computer, checking her email and seeing a reply to a thread on W-W, she logged in and checked it out.

"YOU FUCKING PRICK! What is your PROBLEM!?" she squealed, her temper going out the roof as she started to type a response, not giving herself even a moment to cool down first,

"Excuse me for enjoying someone's work! Illiterate, yeah right! My IQ is 143. That's anything but illiterate. Sweetie? As if. I wouldn't do you if you were the last guy on earth. And for your information, the only reason why I said anything, was because you went right out and insulted his writing He had the balls to post it and put himself out there and I think that's absolutely wonderful. Yeah, yeah. I'm glad you have your writing out there. I'm sure it's about somethin' really special, like those gay experiences you had "at camp".

D-Seriously, I really REALLY liked it. It was beautiful."

After she'd hit post, she sat back, almost growling. He really got under her skin. She didn't know how he did that, and just via the internet. She needed to get out. "I'm going for a walk." she said to her brother, and ran down the stairs, out the front door, and started to jog down the block. The sexual tension she had going on with Scott and with Steph was killing her. Plus her brother was being an absolute ass and now this Denis kid was into her and she was kinda liking the vibe he had going on.

But then this JJ guy! He was a nut! She couldn't stand him. Yet, she found herself writing back EVERY time...Jenna shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and pushed herself to run faster.

By the time it got dark, Jenna was just climbing the frontstairs, a thin sheen of sweat across her upper lip and forehead. She made her way inside and managed to get into the shower before she felt her muscles tighten up and start to ache. "Agh. Perfect." She washed up quickly, shampooing her hair, and got out. She pulled a towel around her, not bothering to dry off. She dried her hair and left the bathroom, making her way into her bedroom.

She got in bed, towel and all, and fell asleep almost instantly.

 

[HermesVoice]

The fact that the PM was expected didn’t make it easier to read.

Tone down the rhetoric, JJ. Feelings get hurt around here often enough for GOOD reasons (ie honest literary criticism). We don’t need personal grudges on top of that. If I see another post like that last one to Ginger, I’ll have to ban you for a few days.

Tom Jenkins

Jason ground his teeth. He understood where the board’s admin was coming from. Had he been in Tom’s position, he probably would have done the same. Still, looking at Ginger’s reply to his own now-erased post, he couldn’t help feeling irritated. He didn’t want to say she had it coming but, well, she DID.

“It was the ‘silly twat’ part that did it,” Claire had opined when he’d finally picked up the phone at 11:00 (having skipped his Tuesday classes).

“So what are you going to reply?” he heard Amy yell from somewhere in the background.

“Tell her ‘nothing,’” Jason growled. What would be the point? “Ginger” was a gnat. She wouldn’t just go away, and it was apparent he couldn’t control his head when she was about. A tactical retreat was all that remained … one more reason to ball his fists now, two hours after his conversation with Claire and – indirectly – her little sister.

Anger! he scrawled on the pad he kept near him always. A minute lwter, beneath the single exclamation he scribbled, Lobster-clawed Anger, dressed in robes –

Shoving the eraser of the pencil into his mouth, biting down on it to its spongy core, Jason examined what he’d written.

He liked the hardness of “lobster-clawed.” Alien. Frightening. Defensive and attackful it was. And the hint of traditional red-for-anger worked, too. The “robes” had sprung from nowhere, but as a peaceful juxtaposition, he liked it …

“Righteous anger,” he said aloud, not realizing he’d spoken to the empty apartment before saffron leaped into his head … the peacefulness of Buddhism opposing the angry robes (lobster red!) of Catholic cardinals.

He jammed saffron into the line: “dressed in robes of saffron” and just as quickly scratched through it:

Dressed in saffron robes –

“Masculine catalectic …” he murmured aloud, and with the words, the rest of Tuesday disappeared in writing.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna woke up, yawning and stretching, feeling much better. Her muscles no longer ached and she opened her eyes to see the daylight shining in throug the blinds. "Mmm..." Suddenly Matthew burst in, and thats when Jenna gathered her blankets around her. She was still naked, save for a towel.

"What the fuck?" they both said similtaneously. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" Jenna repeated, sitting up. "Why would you come into my room, to find me in bed and get surprised?"

"Uh, because it's 2:30 and I expected you to be out. What the hell happened to you last night? You're out of control lately, Jenna. It's fucking ridiculous."

"Yeah, well!" she trailed off, having nothing else to say. "Get the hell out of my room."

"No. You need to get your shit together! I saw your report card. And sorry to be really cliche, but this is unacceptable. I may not be your parent, but I'm done with my watching from the sidelines shit. I'm supposed to be taking care of you."

"My report card? What are you talking about?" she wanted to get up and get in his face, but she couldn't because of her current towel situation.

"You got a D in Science."

"Oh my God..." she thought back to the last time she'd slept in. She was supposed to bring in her assignment, which she had done, and was worthy of at least an A. "It was a stupid mistake, last time I slept in..." she was cut off suddenly,

"Whatever. Get your act together, Jenna. I'm not joking."

"God, what got up your ass?" she snarled. Her brother was really starting to annoy her, but the look on Matthew's face made her forget everything they were fighting about,

"Fuck you!" he stormed out, slamming her door so hard that it shook. Jenna sighed and got out of bed, quickly getting dressed and dropping the towel in the clothes-bin. She got on her computer and started to write. Moods like these made some of her best work.

By the end of Tuesday, Jenna had a couple of writings almost finished. She yawned, looking at the clock and decided to just get to bed. She hoped that she wouldn't sleep in again, but almost felt it wouldn't matter if she did. She fell asleep, not noticing that she had a text beeping on her cellphone.
________________________________________________

The next morning, Jenna woke up, barely in time to get dressed, grab soome cereal and drive to school. She got in her seat right as the bell for homeroom rang.

"Hey." Maddy said, sitting next to her and grabbing her hand cutely.

"Hey." she needed to talk to Maddy, and she was glad that she had a friend when things were stressful.

 

[HermesVoice]

When the paper airplane hit him on the back of the head, Jason had had enough. He stood and whirled, scanning the cafeteria and the sea of twelve- and thirteen-year-old faces. More than a few of the kids were looking at him innocently; others were giggling openly. It wouldn’t have been so bad had his mother not joined in the laughter from behind him. He rubbed the spot on his head absently and continued to glare at the broiling roomful of activity before him.

“Sit down, dear,” his mother offered. “You’re only asking for more.”

Jason turned and resumed his seat with a disgruntled “middle schoolers!” His mother, sitting across the table from him - both of them on lunchroom duty - merely smiled serenely. It was a smile that told she knew exactly who’d thrown the offending glider. “I have no idea how you put up with these dopey kids.”

It was a complaint he made every time he substituted at Harry Truman Middle School, so much so that he always considered turning down the work when the school district told him where they wanted him. The fact that he’d gone to Truman himself, and that Mrs. Rush was probably the most popular English teacher in the school, cut no mustard with the little monsters. Maybe knowing he was an alumnus and Mrs. Rush’s son only made the kids worse. Who the hell could figure how an eighth grader’s mind worked?

“Why don’t you retire, mom? Get away from this nonsense?” He’d asked it before. Dolores Rush had taught at Truman Middle School since she’d graduated college. In her mid-fifties, she’d done her time so far as her son was concerned. “You’ve GOT your full pension now.”

“Look around you, Jayce.”

He did. “Right. Chaos. Got it, mom. Like I said – “

“They’re young, dear. They’re boundless. This place is a fountain of youth, son. Now what fool would leave that?” She looked at him seriously, her brow furrowing a little. “There’s no better or more noble career, Jason.”

He knew she meant it, and in most ways he agreed. He knew the nights and weekends she put in grading, preparing lessons, researching, contacting parents, dealing with administrative paperwork, writing recommendations, chaperoning functions, and going to the games to support “her” kids. He knew the money she shelled out to make sure the kids had paper and pencils and crayons and all the rest of the crap their parents couldn't afford or the school district couldn't be bothered to purchase. He knew the time she spent huddling with guidance counselors, school psychologists, and specialist. He knew all of it and he’d always admired her, but … he couldn’t help feeling there was something greater, something more for himself. Yet how could he say any of that without demeaning the calling to which she’d devoted her life?

She sat quietly watching him, and he knew she could read his thoughts. Reaching across the lunchroom table, she took his hand, releasing him – as she always did – from any guilt he might feel for his refusal to follow in her footsteps. The soft warmth of her hand in his was his cue that she was moving on to other things.

“How’s Sara?”

The fool’s grin that so often appeared on his face when his girlfriend was brought into conversation made its appearance again as he recounted the weekend. Dolores listened attentively, smiling herself. For a small time, in the happy memories of his weekend victory, her son again took on the enthusiasm and eternal hopefulness of the children all around her. Whatever his frustrations with his life and work, he was transformed – made boyish - in those final minutes before the bell rang to end 5th period lunch duty, and with the transformation Dolores was brought hard against her nostalgia for the little boy long gone.

*****

After school as he rode the train toward campus, he talked to Sara on the phone.

“… Dallas,” he heard her say, her words garbled behind the drunken snoring of the old man seated next to him. The old guy smelled faintly of beer, piss, and grease. Sara was talking about the success of her IT team’s presentation and how it was shaping new policy at her office.

“Can we talk tonight, babe?” he murmured into the phone. “I kind of have a deal here.”

The drunk was beginning to sprawl, one arm having fallen onto Jason’s thigh. He picked it up carefully – being certain that every other passenger could see he was only extricating himself and not picking the old guy’s pocket or something.

“Ooooh. I can’t, Jayce. They need the new presentation for Franklin Industries done by tomorrow so they can fly it out.”

For whatever reason, Jason’s resigned sigh seemed to strike the drunkard. The old man grumbled and turned so that his side rested against the seat of the subway car, his face – and thus the rankness of his breath – now turned directly to Jason.

“Okay. Look, this is my stop anyway, beautiful. I gotta’ go, but I’ll call you later, ‘kay? Miss you.”

“Miss you too, Rush. Mwah.” Since the weekend, she’d taken to calling him by his last name, a small, permanent badge of honor for the weekend.

The sun above the metro was piercingly bright, a fact that conflicted with his mood. It was good to be out and away from those bratty kids (no matter how much his mom seemed to adore them), and the drunk was MORE than gratefully left behind on the subway, but the combined irritants were beyond the power of a short subway ride to heal. Not being able to see Sara was a frustrating turn that only added to his disgruntlement. He was happy for her success – God knew it was great she was a rising star at her company – but still …

“Oh well,” he muttered to no one in the crowd around him. Ahead were Starbucks and his friends, none of whom he’d seen for days. He knew that they’d be sitting outside, but he was surprised to find that it was not only Claire, Amy, and Denis who were huddled around a table. Sitting with her back to him – her red hair making her identity obvious – was the girl from the bar, Jenna.

“T’sup, guys?” he said as he approached.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna's day at school went by so slowly, she felt it would never end. Maddy and Jenna talked throughout every class they had together, whether out loud or by text. Some teachers were more lenient than others. While you could get sent to detention just for speaking up in some classes, there were others that you could sit talking, playing with your cellphone, and even walking around freely, with the teacher taking little to no notice.

Jenna preferred the latter, although she usually did pay good attention to her classes and lectures. Jenna especially liked her English class. She had a young teacher, Mr. Soul. (She guessed that wasn't his real name, but that was what he called himself and asked that the students did as well.) The teacher liked for people to be able to freely express themselves, and usually allowed them to do their own assignments. Some people didn't even come up to the low bar that Mr. Soul set, but Jenna definitely did. Mr. Soul almost always read her assignments out loud, and when he didn't, he asked for a copy to keep himself.

Many of the students thought that Jenna was secretly having an affair with Mr. Soul. (He's married to the Science teacher.) But Jenna had no interest in him like that; she was inspired to write, and that was it.

Finally the bell rang, and Jenna looked up from her notepad, slightly dazed. "Hey, lemme see that." Mr. Soul said, as the students filtered out of the classroom. She handed it to him, even though her work was nowhere near complete. She watched his expression as he read. "Wow, Jen. This is powerful. I really like it. Don't let this one go, yeah?" he took her hand seriously, waiting for the rest of the students to leave. "I'm not going to be teaching next month. But I don't want you to EVER give up on your dreams and aspirations..."

Jenna pouted, "Why?"

"We'll talk later, dear. I promise." he smiled and gestured that she should leave. They didn't need anyone getting suspicious of them. She grabbed her things and left the classroom. That's when she noticed the text from Denis, as she walked to her car.

"Yep. Be there in 20." she texted back, to his invite to meet the 'gang' at Starbucks.

"Great!" he texted back, almost instantly. She smiled, putting her phone back into her pocket and driving towards Starbucks, stopping quickly for a bite to eat. Starbucks didn't have anything healthy to eat, and she didn't really need anymore sugar as it was.

She pulled up to the parking lot 24 minutes later, getting out of her car and clicking her way across the street, entering the Starbucks and walking straight through to the courtyard. There sat Amy, Claire and Denis. "HI!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Amy and Denis got up, Amy hugging he first, and then Denis, who squeezed her ass, and whispered, "Glad you could make it, gorgeous." She blushed, waving to Claire.

"What's the topic today?" she asked, stealing a crumb of Denis' coffee cake and popping it in her mouth, unintentionally drawing his attention to her pretty mouth. His hand came to rest on her knee.

Claire was about to answer Jenna, when someone came up behind them. She knew right away. It was Jason. She didn't turn, afraid her face would be red when she did, as he addressed the group,

"We're just gettin' started here." Jenna said, in her soft, sweet voice. "Sit down." she gestured to the chair on the other side of her, which was empty. "Where's your lovely little girlfriend?" she asked, looking at him.

Her words might have sounded sarcastic or nasty, but her soft tone showed she meant what she said, and was not trying to get a rise out of anyone.

 

[HermesVoice]

Jason was taken aback for a moment, not least by the fact that their newest addition appeared to have taken command of the group while he was away. He looked to Claire only to see her cock one eyebrow and glance meaningfully toward Jenna’s leg. As he spun the chair to sit it backwards, he looked over quickly to see Denis’s hand on Jenna’s knee before looking back to Claire with a smirk.

“Hi, Jayce! Welcome home!” she said brightly before turning back to Jenna. “Sara doesn’t really hang with us during the day, Jenna. Working gal and all that.”

For his own part, Jason chewed briefly on “little girlfriend,” before deciding to chalk it up to potential nerves on the red head’s part. Whatever else might be going on, she seemed to be with Denis, and he wanted to patch things up with his friend. Getting offended with Jenna over something like this would be pointless, even if the girl actually intended the remark to offend. Anyway, they’d seemed to hit it off at the club.

“Claire’s right. And it’s nice to see you again, Jen.” As he said it, he turned slightly to the younger woman while extending his hand. (And just how old IS she? flashed the thought through his mind.) As he turned, his glance fell again to Denis’s had on her leg, and he couldn’t keep his gaze from traveling briefly up the smooth paleness her thigh to the bottom of the short skirt she wore. He couldn’t help thinking of the skirt Sara had worn last week, of their aborted attempt at anal, and suddenly he was painfully hard.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna nodded, "I understand. She's really cute." she giggled, a little nervous. She didn't really like Denis hand on her leg all that much, and suddenly, in Jason's presence, she felt like a little schoolgirl.

"Pleasure to see you again, Jason." she took his hand, pulling back almost instantly at the shock she felt run through her hand. She bit her lip, looking away. She didn't notice him glance down at her leg, her short skirt, or Denis' hand, and definitely wasn't looking at his crotch to see him get hard, but she self-conciously tugged her skirt down a couple of inches. She suddenly had felt like someone was watching her, but knew that Denis was in conversation with Claire and Amy.

"So...how have you been?" she asked, obviously referencing to the days since they last saw each other. "Hope you don't mind me saying this...but you look...tense." She hadn't meant it as a tease, but it could have acted as such, especially with her soft voice and the way she leaned over, exposing her full, pale cleavage to him.

 

[HermesVoice]

Jason’s brief Sara-centered reverie was broken by Jenna’s gesture. Pulling down her skirt only emphasized how short it was, how little of her thighs it actually covered. Glancing again at Denis’s hand on her knee, he couldn’t help wondering if Denis had slept with her, nor could he help wonder what she would be like. Nice ass, he’d thought as he watched Jenna move on the dance floor next to Sara, and the thought occurred to him again now, moving his imagination into images of …

“Oh! Wait … what?” She’d said something, something he’d only half caught and now, mortified as hell, he tried to scramble together what she’d said.

Jesus! What a fucking idiot! he cursed inwardly.

If there was no more certain evidence he needed to get laid, it was in the microsecond-long mind's-eye flash of his hand where Denis's was. Of sliding it up the inside of her thigh and beneath her skirt. Of running one finger up her clean-shaven slit before slipping it into her.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna looked at Jason curiously. He had seemed to be listening, at least some what, until all of a sudden he said, "Oh! Wait ... what?" a little bit louder than nesicary.

"Um, I was just talking about my brother. Weren't you listening?" she asked. It was an honest question, as she'd been so involved with the conversation, she hadn't noticed Jason staring at her or even that he'd drifted off.

"Anyways, I was just talking about how my brother and I rub each other the wrong way all of the time. Now that he and I are the only ones, he's on my ass about EVERYTHING." she looked at Jason, checking if he was still "with the conversation."

 

[HermesVoice]

Whatever his initial failings, Jason allowed himself points for a quick recovery as he re-focused his attention on the girl.

“Yeah,” he offered. “I’ve that heard brothers – especially big brothers – can be a pain that way. Still, he’s looking out for his sister, right? I think I’d do the same if I had a sis, younger OR older. What about your folks, though? I can’t imagine he’d be that much of a jerk with them around.”

It was only after his own words were out that he registered hers in their entirety. "On our own," she'd said.

Hoping he hadn't walked into something serious by mentioning her parents, he leaned forward slightly and offered in a ridiculously obvious stage whisper, "Be careful talking about big brothers though. If he hasn't told you yet, Denis has a kid sister."

He hoped the change in direction would mask the fact that he'd recognized too late her comment about her parents. But in leaning forward, Jason was struck by something entirely out of the realm of Jenna's brother or her parents or Denis - and his hand still on her knee. This close he had a chance to notice what he’d missed in the strobed luminescence of Electric Ladyland. The most obvious feature was the darkness of her eyes, a trait she emphasized by the dark make-up she wore around them.

This, too, reminded him of Sara.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna wasn't usually upset by people asking about her parents, but the way that Jason seemed to have blatantly ignored the fact that she'd said she and her brother were on their own...it absolutely infuriated her. She was about to open her mouth to retort, when he came out with something else.

"Oh? Nah, he didn't tell me that." she looked at him, a strange shiver running up her back. How did she feel about the fact that Denis had a little sister, much like she had Matthew? Was his sister her age? Did he get along with her? Her thoughts suddenly whirled around her.

"How old is she?" she asked the question out loud, but it wasn't directed at Denis or Jason. It just sat there, waiting for someone to answer.

After a few minutes, Jenna turned towards Jason, "And to answer your question, they're dead." She almost felt bad saying it so bluntly and rudely, but he had obviously not been listening when she'd been talking about it.

Denis' hand and fingers gripped her knee a little bit tighter, his fingers rubbing gently. It almost turned her on, except for the fact that they were with all of his friends.

"Anyone want more coffee?" Denis asked suddenly. It was so abrupt, that it had almost scared her. She glanced at him, then at Jason. Was there some code that she had missed? Did the boys want to talk?

 

[HermesVoice]

Jason couldn’t fail to miss the edge in her voice, and he mentally slapped himself. He prided himself on being a good listener. It went, he felt, with being an effective writer. And now he’d completely bungled things because he was … what? Distracted? Horny as hell?

Either way, it was no way to start a friendship. Jenna seemed a nice enough girl, and – given the squeeze Denis gave her leg – she looked to be a fixture in their group. (Or at least a part so long as she was with Denis. Which could change in three months or three hours, he thought. His friend was notoriously fickle, a fact Denis himself didn’t bother to deny and one the reason he’d taken his name on Words-worth. “Double Dragon!” he’d crowed when he came up with it. “You know! Split personality!” Jason and Claire had groaned. Amy thought it “kewl.”)

Whether she was here long or short, though, she didn’t deserve him ogling her legs, and he’d no business doing it. He had a girlfriend. And Jenna apparently had a boyfriend. And that boyfriend was one of Jason’s best friends.

As if on cue, as the thought flitted through Jason’s mind, Denis stood and offered a round. Jason nodded briefly to him before turning back to Jenna. He heard Amy and Claire break off their own conversation long enough to ask for coffees, but Jenna said nothing, merely glancing between Denis and himself.

“Oh hey, look, I’m sorry,” Jason said quietly when Denis had gone. He meant it in more ways than the words expressed. Regret for his distraction. Sympathy for her loss. Perhaps even apology for harboring the lightning-quick fantasy about her, and without thought he reached forward to touch her leg in companionship. It’s what he would have done with Claire.

“I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose one of my folks. Both … that's awful.”

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna glanced down at Jason's hand on her leg, but quickly brought her gaze back up to his face. "Yeah? It is awful. I never imagined I would be so broken up over it, but I was. I still am, obviously. It's not something that happens quickly. Not at all. My brother plays the tough guy act. That's his solution." she shook her head, "And I imagine you're a bit older than me...so I mean, I don't think it'd be quite as bad. I was still most definitely a minor when they died, leaving my brother able to make choices for me and...bullshit." her anger seemed to have faded and was just left with some sense of bitterness.

His hand was still on her leg, but it felt warm, and she didn't want it to move.

"I appreciate what you said. I guess you were distracted? But at least you're man enough to step back a little, right? Listen, Jason...I...uh..." she trailed off, then gained her composure, "Um, I just wanted you to know that--." she'd been right in the middle of a sentance when Denis came back with the drinks. Jenna just smiled and took her drink from him. He'd known what she wanted, and this made her smile even wider. "Thanks sweetie."

 

[HermesVoice]

It was only Denis’s arrival that made Jason realize how far toward Jenna he was leaning, and it was only his friend’s downward glance after handing Jenna her latte that made Jason aware that his hand was on her knee. He had enough awareness of mind to understand that snatching it from her leg would only make him look guilty, so he merely leaned back and smiled at his friend, removing his hand from Jenna’s leg to take the coffee that Denis was handing toward him. The glower on his friend’s face boded no good will toward Jason at this moment.

Just friends, Den, he thought, hoping his face carried his claim of innocence. It didn’t matter at the moment anyway. While his own fuse ran pretty short (a fact that had gotten him in trouble more than once), Jason knew Denis, though pretty big, was slow to anger. He would more likely climb to the top of Starbucks and whip out his dick than start a fight in front of Jenna or just about any girl other than Claire and Amy.

“Thanks, Den,” he said simply, before trying to push the conversation into something obvious and innocent. “So Jenna and I were just talking abou-”

But Denis had already turned away from him to hand drinks to Amy and Claire. Fortunately neither of the sisters seemed to have noticed their exchange, but there could be no doubt that Jenna would have missed it.

He looked back to her and shrugged apologetically. “Did I just overstep?” he asked quietly.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna shrugged, in a similar manner as Jason. She wasn't too concerned about what had happened, though she'd noticed the look on Denis' face when he looked at Jason. Jason had tried to remove his hand smoothly, but he might as well have been groping her tits, because Denis was now ignoring him.

"Hey, Jenna?" he asked quietly. Jenna turned towards him,

"Yeah?"

"Can you go get some straws?"

She raised her eyebrows. Why wouldn't he have gotten the straws himself? But she just nodded knowingly. "Sure, no problem." She got up and walked into the Starbucks, walking to the other end of the store where the straws were. She stood there for a few minutes, taking the time to check her phone. She knew that Denis just wanted to talk to Jason, and she figured she'd give them a few minutes.

 

[HermesVoice]

Jason watched Jenna walk away and then turned to his friend. Denis sat across from him and said nothing.

“Well?” Jason asked, noting too well the irritated grate in his voice.

He wished he could have more patience with his friend. Had anyone asked at the club (and Claire had late that night) Jason would have gladly admitted he was wrong when he’d flirted with Jenna upon meeting her. This time was different, though. They’d been talking, nothing more … and his thoughts about her legs … well they were about Sara and missing her, not about Denis’s girlfriend. If Denis couldn’t see that …

“Don’t be an idiot, Den. You sent Jenna away for a reason. If you have something to say, spit it the fuck out.”

By now both Claire and Amy had noticed the tension between their friends and had swiveled in their seats. As Denis continued simply to glare Jason, Amy chirped, “They’re fighting over Jenna.”

Claire whirled on her sister. “Why don’t you shut up, Amy? Jason has NO interest in Jenna. You’re here because you’re my sister, not because you’re a writer, and if you can’t keep your remarks to yourself, you can leave!”

Amy, clearly stung at her sister’s angry vehemence, fell into shocked silence while Claire turned back to Denis, thrusting one finger at him. “And YOU, Denis! Get your head out of your ass. You’ve been acting like a mental patient for more than two weeks now! I’m SICK of your moods. I’m SICK of you acting all pissy. And I’m SICK of your whole goddam happy-boy-to-woe-is-me routine.”

From the corner of his eye, his attention fixed almost entirely on Claire, Jason saw Denis wince and slump lower in his seat while Claire continued. “If YOU can’t be as secure in your relationships as JASON is in his, take it somewhere else and STOP taking it out on your friends. Got it?”

Jason sat a little lower, too, and drank from his cup, studiously ignoring Denis, whio was, he was certain, nodding glumly. If there was any doubt, they were dispelled when Claire went on, “Good! Now Jenna’s coming back in a minute, and I want peace, friendship, and happiness. HAPPINESS, goddamit!”

Silence reigned for a meager few seconds before Jason burst out laughing. Amy joined almost immediately, and, looking over to his friend, Jason was relieved to see a meek smile on his face. Claire glowed triumphantly when Jason raised his coffee in salute to her, and she joined in the laughter when Amy and Denis followed their friend's example, raising their own cardboard cups.

 

[ilikeitlikethat18]

Jenna came back, not carrying any straws, hoping now would be a good time. She returned to everyone laughing, and for a moment thought they might all be laughing at her, but brushed away the thought as soon as it had come into her mind.

"Did I miss something?"

 

[HermesVoice]

"Nothing at all, Jen. Claire was just laying down some club rules."

Jason was relieved it was Denis who'd spoken, and he turned to smile gratefully at Claire. Everything she'd said had been on his mind, but there was no way he could have gotten away with saying to Denis what needed saying. Even if Denis didn’t already harbor some fucked up suspicions about he and Jenna, Jason didn’t have the temperament for a peaceful showdown. And Amy … well Amy was clueless half the time and much more interested in the gossip of a social group than she was in maintaining its dynamics.

“That’s right,” Claire laughed in boast. “And I’ll kick the next ass that aggravates me.”

The next few hours went smoothly and well, and Jason couldn’t help noticing Jenna more frequently. She glowed life and that intensity showed in her work. Against his better judgment, and not because it wasn’t good, he spoke enthusiastically about the villanelle she’d been working on: the girl knew how to string words. It was Denis’s potential response to his compliments that gave Jason pause. In the end though, the quality of the piece was so obvious to all of them that it would have been stranger NOT to say something about it. She had technical strength sufficient to make Jason wonder again how old she was. (He noted, though, the vaguely elusive way she handled his references to her experience … like she was hiding something. Strange, he’d thought as he watched Jenna deep in conversation with Claire over a single word in the poem. She has to know Amy is an undergrad and that we don’t hold that against her …)

He would have liked to push further into the mystery that was their new friend, but Claire and Amy decided to leave. “Class tonight,” Amy said. For effect she added, “And I neeevver miss professor Jenkins’ class.”

Claire rolled her eyes in response. Well known to all was Amy’s pursuit of the grad assistant who was running her seminar on “Sustainable Horticulture.” It had become a running joke among them, one that Amy took with equitable good humor and usually a flippant, “We’ll see who’s laughing at semester’s end.”

Jason would have liked to stay, but he usually made a point of walking the sisters home … to say nothing of the fact that he had no desire to play the third wheel in the impending Jenna/Denis date that would no doubt begin once they left.

It was only later, laying in bed after talking to Sara on the phone, that he went over the events of the evening considering again, who WAS this girl?