New Girl in Town Pt. 12

"Oh..." is all Jessica can say now knowing why Jake turned so red.

"Enjoy the rest of the night." The attendant calls out as the pair head off to meet up with Jessica's family.

"Well that was embarrassing." Jessica states as they walk down the midway.

"You can say that again." Jake agrees. "Not that I didn't really enjoy that because I did..."

"Oh I know that you did. I've got the sticky tissues in my purse that shows exactly how much you enjoyed it." Jessica says with a laugh. "You enjoyed that a lot."

"It really was fantastic." Jake states dreamily. "That said, what made you want to it now?"

"I've been wanting to do that ever since Staci's mom interrupted us the other night and this was a good opportunity to do it or so I thought." She tells him. "By my count, I owe you one more of those before we're even."

"Even?" He asks.

"I came three times that night thanks to you. I only got the chance to give you one before we were interrupted." She explains. "This one is number two and if I can sneak you off to a corner at this Halloween party, we'll be even."

"What if I sneak you off to a corner and take care of you first?" Jake teases.

"That's a bad idea unless the music is really loud." She tells him. "Even then I might out scream any banshee, ghost or ghoul that night."

"Well I do aim to please." Jake jokes.

"Oh you do that and then some." Jessica says giving him a squeeze. "That Jennifer girl you dated was an idiot for ever letting you get away. If she had gotten you into bed, she'd never had made that mistake. Her loss, my gain."

****

They meet up with Jessica's mom at the fencing just outside the Big Slide.

"Did you two run here?" She asks when she sees their red faces.

"Run?" Jessica asks.

"You're faces are all red." she tells them.

"Oh that, no, we didn't run. We were just laughing so hard during that ride that I guess our faces still show it." Jessica makes up.

Fortunately for her, Sarah bounds up to them all excited from from her slide.

"I won beat dad both times!" Sarah announces proudly and gets a congratulatory hug from Jessica.

"They gave me defective burlap sack." Mr. Golden argues playfully.

"Only a sore loser blames his equipment, dear." Dr. Golden tells him.

"Sore is right." He answers as he rubs his butt. "That thing is murder on ones posterior."

"Come on, Sarah, let's go ride something exciting and let dad rest his sore butt." Jessica says as she takes her hand.

The group head back to the swinging pirate ship for another ride on it. Sarah then insists that she be allowed to ride the Haunted Trail ride that Jake and Jessica rode causing the teens some worry but the attendant merely gives Jessica a knowing wink as they hand her their tickets. After that ride, Sarah begins to look a bit tired but she insists on riding the swings with a promise that afterwards, they'll get desserts and head home. Jessica talks Sarah into splitting an elephant ear with her once she sees the size the booth is serving. Jake smartly asks for a take home container with his. Dr. Golden nibbles off of Jessica and Sarah's plate while Mr. Golden goes off to purchase all the things they want to take home for later. While they await his return, Dr. Golden asks if everyone had a good time.

"I had so much fun!" Sarah exclaims then yawns.

"A little too much it looks like." Jessica jokes.

"Nuh uh," Sarah answers followed by another yawn.

"What was your favorite ride, Jake?" Dr. Golden asks.

"Yeah, Jake, what was your favorite ride?" Jessica echoes with a playful grin.

"I loved the Haunted Trail ride." Jake answers while hoping that he doesn't blush when he says it.

"Really?" Dr. Golden asks.

"I like scary things." Jake comes up with what he thinks is an acceptable answer.

"This must be your favorite time of the year then." Dr. Golden states.

She doesn't notice her eldest daughter playing footsie under the picnic table with Jake.

"It's... nice." Jake manages to answer.

"Jake just loves this time of the year." Jessica says managing to keep a straight face as her foot teases Jake's calves. "Are you sure that you want to waste a Saturday to help us get ready for the Halloween party?"

"I don't think that it'd be a waste of a Saturday, Jess." Dr. Golden answers. "It's about time I met Staci's mom face to face after only speaking on the phone so far. Besides, it's not often that I get to hang out with all of your girlfriends in one place. I think it'll be fun."

"Cleaning up doesn't found fun." Sarah comments.

"That's why you're staying home with dad, sweetie." Jessica tells her.

"Speak of the devil." Dr. Golden says as he returns with an armload of goodies.

"And the devil appears." Mr. Golden finishes the saying with a grin.

"With snacks apparently." Jake jokes as he looks over the bounty. "That's a lot of sweets."

"We'll need the sugar rush to get us through all the party preparations." Jessica tells him.

Mr. Golden laughs. "Do you really think all of these are going to make it all the way to the weekend? I thought you were smarter than that, dear?"

"Smart enough to know that mom will monitor your sweets intake and cut you off before you transform into a sugar cube." Jessica answers.

"Hey, I've got some peanuts in there." He argues.

Dr. Golden laughs. "Nuts is about how I'd sum up this little haul of yours."

A sleeping Sarah is coaxed into Jessica's arm so she can be carried to the car. Jake grabs the plush animals and half of Mr. Golden's goodies while he takes the rest.

"Thanks Jake." He comments as the group head towards the exits.

"No problem, sir." Jake answers as he makes sure that Sarah's plush unicorn isn't dragging on the ground.

"Will you be putting the finishing touches on your costume while we get Staci's mom's house party ready, Jake?" Dr. Golden asks.

"Maybe some tinkering but it's pretty much ready as is." he answers.

"Jake, do you think you'd have the time to take me out to this drive in you and Jess keep going to? You've had me curious about the place ever since you brought it up." Mr. Golden asks. "I'd love to have a look around it."

"He's looking for a make out spot to take mom." Jessica giggles.

"I have my own motivations, young lady." He chuckles at her. "But now that you mention it, it'd be nice to revisit the old high school days with this beautiful lady."

"Flatterer." Dr. Golden says with a smile.

"I can take you out there anytime, sir." Jake answers.

"I'm thinking Saturday morning would be good." He tells him. "You, me and Sarah could make a day of it before your party. Still sound good?"

Jake nods. "Sounds fine to me, sir. I'm looking forward to it."

****

Saturday

"We brought biscuits!" Mrs. Gibson announces as Tracy Daniels escorts her and Shelly into the backyard of her house where the rest of the cleaning crew are gathered.

"Hi, Mrs. Gibson." Jessica says as she hurries over to help her and Shelly with the bags of breakfast. "I didn't know that you were coming."

"Jake usually helps out but since this clean up party was declared a girls only event, I thought I should show up and help out." Mrs. Gibson tells her.

"Well I'm glad you're here." Jessica tells her.

"Especially since you brought Bojangles." Roxie comments as she snatches a biscuit from Jessica's hand.

"A Roxie with a full stomach is a happy Roxie, is what Jake always tells me." Mrs. Gibson jokes.

"That is one smart boy you raised, Mrs. Gibson." Roxie jokes back around the bacon and egg biscuit that's currently in her mouth.

"Thank you, dear." Mrs. Gibson tells her as she hands Jessica another biscuit. Once the food is consumed Mrs. Daniel lay's out the duties.

"All of us mom's are going to be inside working on stuff in the kitchen. That will leave you girls the outside." She tells them. "Ray and Jake were kind enough to pull the tables and chairs out of my shed the other day so all you'll have to do is set them up. Shelly, you, Jody and Roxie know where everything usually goes and I don't see any need to change it. Now, let's all thank Jake's mom for breakfast and get to work."

"Thank you, Mrs. Gibson!" The girls shout out.

"You're most welcome, ladies." She answers them. "Now we'll leave you to gossip because we're going to do the same and before you can even ask Jessica, it will most definitely be about you and my son."

"Busted!" Staci laughs.

"It's cute that you think that you won't be mentioned, sweetie." Mrs. Daniels laughs.

"I know whose names are going on the fake tombstones this year." Roxie jokes.

"Jessica Golden and Staci Daniels both died on this date from sheer embarrassment." Jody giggles. "Rest in peace, my friends."

****

"Morning, sunshine." Jake greets Sarah as she greets him at the door.

"Hey, Jake. Are we ready to go?" She asks before bounding past him towards Mr. Golden's car.

"I was about... to ask you that." He states to the spot where the pint sized bundle of energy was just standing a second ago.

"She finished up that funnel cake for breakfast and I allowed her to go a bit too heavy on the syrup." Mr. Golden states as he walks out the door still putting on his jacket. "I hope that you're ready to deal with a hyper active mini-Jess this morning, Jake."

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Jake answers as the pair head to Mr. Golden's car. "Just let me grab my bag from my car."

With his duffel bag tucked safely on the floorboard between his feet, Jake gives Mr. Golden directions while also answering Sarah's rapid fire questions about the drive in.

"Sarah honey, slow down just a little bit." Mr. Golden says as he makes the turn onto the dirt road. "You have to give Jake at least a second to answer one question before you hit him with another one."

"What question do you want answered first, Sarah?" Jake asks.

"How did you find this place?" She asks.

"My grandparents used to talk about this place a lot." Jake answers. "Did you know that my grandpa told me that they used to take turns sneaking their friends in by hiding them in the trunk?"

"Why'd they do that?" Sarah asks.

"It was the thing to do back then." Mr. Golden answers. "You had to pay by how many people were in your car so if you were able to sneak a friend or two in, you could split the cost of entry."

"Or make them pay for the snacks." Jake adds. "That was my grandpa's big scheme. He'd sneak kids in then they'd have to buy him popcorn or candy from the snack bar."

"Sounds like your grandfather is a savvy negotiator." Mr. Golden comments.

"He certainly is that." Jake remarks then points to a spot of fencing that pops out the underbrush. "You can pull up right there, sir."

Mr. Golden pulls his car to a stop and the group get out. Jake grabs his bag from the floorboard at his feet and steps out in the crisp morning air while Mr. Golden helps Sarah out of car seat.

"Where is it?" Sarah asks looking all around.

Jake hefts Sarah up in into his arms then points towards the woods. "If you look right through those two big trees right there, you can see the top edge of the screen." He points out.

"Cool!" She answers.

Mr. Golden opens the trunk of his car and pulls out a camera bag. "I want to get some shots of the place." he explains as he slips the strap over his shoulder.

Jake nods then lifts his own bag to his shoulder before leading the pair through the hole in the fencing then through the small patch of woods before it opens up into what used to the parking area for the drive in.

"Wow!" Sarah exclaims looking up at the big screen that looms before them.

"Wow is right, Sarah." Mr. Golden comments as he snaps a few pics. "How old is the place, Jake?"

"It was built in the fifties." Jake answers. "I did a paper on it for history class last year. It made it all the way into the early nineties before the new bypass killed it off."

"Shame." Mr. Golden says then begins walking towards the graffiti covered snack bar / projection booth still snapping photos as he goes along. "Have you been in here before, Jake?"

"Once and that was a while back." Jake answers. "I wouldn't recommend trying it now. This place wasn't built to last. The floors of the snack bar were half caved in when I was last in there and there's some kind of basement below the snack bar and it was half full of water."

Mr. Golden nods, snaps a few more pictures then turns back to the big screen. "But you are sure that going up in the screen itself is safe?"

Jake nods. "I wouldn't take anyone up in it, especially Jess or Sarah if I didn't think it wasn't." He answers.

"I wasn't implying that you would, Jake." Mr. Golden assures him. "I'm just being a worrisome father."

"I understand completely, sir. I'm a little cautious myself when it comes to this place." Jake answers as he sits his bag on the ground and opens it. He proceeds to pull out the headlamps and a box of paper breathing masks. He hands one to Mr. Golden then kneels before Sarah.

"Jake, do I gotta wear this?" Sarah asks.

"Do as Jake says, honey." Mr. Golden tells her. "I'll help you with yours in a sec."

"Jake's got it." Sarah announces.

Mr. Golden turns and watches as Jake checks over the fit of Sarah's mask.

"Make sure that covers your mouth and nose all the way to the top okay, Sarah." Jake tells her.

"Do I gotta?" She asks again.

"You gotta if you want to climb all the way to the top like a big girl." Jake tells her. Sarah nods but sighs as Jake works to make sure the mask is tight enough on her little face.

"Sarah, listen to Jake and don't pout." Mr. Golden tells her as he pulls his own mask on.

"She's not going to are you, Sar-bear?" Jake asks as he gives her a wink. "Because big girls who don't pout get to wear their very own headlamp."

"I do?" Sarah asks as excitement lights up her eyes.

"Yep." Jake answers as he pulls the hood of her jacket over her head, making sure to tuck her braided ponytail inside it. He then adjusts the headlamp strap to Sarah's size then, once satisfied that it won't fall off, he shows her how to turn it on and off.

"Got it." She tells him as she clicks the button to turn it off.

Jake hands the other headlamp over to Mr. Golden.

"Thanks, Jake." He says taking it and placing it over the baseball cap that he's wearing.

Jake pulls out a flashlight for himself, closes the bag then tosses it over his shoulder. After making sure that everyone is ready for the climb, Jake leads them into the base of big screen.

****

From their vantage point in the kitchen, the three mom's watch the group of teenage girls work at getting the tables set up for the party.

"If you had told me a year ago that my Staci would be out there helping set up for this party, I'd have called you crazy but now look at her." Mrs. Daniels says proudly.

"She certainly looks like she's having a ball out there." Mrs. Gibson comments.

"They all do." Dr. Golden says. "Who knew setting up tables and chairs could be so much fun. I'm surprised they don't look more worried about us all being in here together and talking about them."

"Tell me about it." Mrs. Daniels states. "I thought they'd be worried about me telling you both about how I came home and caught them in here half naked."

"You what?" Mrs. Gibson asks.

"Who was half naked?" Dr. Golden asks.

"Oops, I guess I just let that particular cat out of the bag, huh?" Mrs. Daniels asks.

"I'll say that you did, Tracy, so spill." Mrs. Gibson tells her.

Mrs. Daniels explains the events of the post Homecoming festivities that she walked in on just a week prior.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but since they are both of age and, at least according to Jessica, they're being safe about it." Mrs. Daniels tells them. "I surely don't mind them using my place for it but I can't abide them sneaking around your backs. I hope you won't be too harsh with your punishments of them. They really are two of the best kids I know."

"I want to be livid with Jessica but as you said, she's with Jake and after all they've been through already, I can't bring myself to be mad at either of them. Pam, your thoughts?"

"They echo yours." Mrs. Gibson admits. "I think they've been through enough already this year for us to pile on with some punishment over them wanting some alone time. I'm sure that getting literally caught with his pants down, Jake learned his lesson pretty well."

"I told them they couldn't try and pull anything like that again here unless I had both of your permissions and you knew that they would be here together." Mrs. Daniels explains.

"So you don't have any problem with Ray being here with Staci and staying the night?" Mrs. Gibson asks.

"After having her sneaking around with Patrick and that bunch for most of her high school career? No, I have no problem with her and Ray. He's a nice young man and they're being safe about things. Frankly, I'd rather her be here instead of out at some party where god knows what could happen." She shares. "I had her tested at her last physical and she's been on the pill since her freshman year. Ray has also been tested and just to be a bit overbearing, I followed up with his mother just to be sure."

"That must have been quite the conversation." Dr. Golden laughs.

"Oh it was but it turned out she was having similar concerns herself. She adores Staci however and was relieved that she didn't have to sit down with Ray and have a similar conversation since I had already done it for her." She tells them.

"Well it looks like Pam and I need to have our own conversations with our kids just to be on the safe side ourselves." Dr. Golden says.

"We'll want to set ground rules for them to abide by when they're at each of our houses. While I remember what it was like when I was their age, I don't want to run the risk of walking in on them."

"Yes, we need to make our houses off limits. I can't imagine having to explain what's going on to Sarah of she were to catch them." Dr. Golden answers.

"Val, I want you to know that I am glad that if he's going to be doing anything, I'm very glad that it's with your Jessica." Mrs. Gibson states. "She is the sweetest thing and has changed Jake for the better this year."

"Thank you, Pam." Dr. Golden beams at the praise. "And I want you to know that if I had to choose anyone to be with my Jess it would certainly be your son. Jess told me just before school started that she didn't want to date anyone this year but I knew as soon as I saw the two of them together that was one promise that she was going to break. He's already been worlds better for her than her previous boyfriend and he truly makes her happy. Plus, if I tried to break them up I believe my little Sarah would kick my butt!"

****

"That is one serious looking conversation." Staci comments after glancing at the kitchen window and seeing the mom's all gathered together. "I wonder what they could possibly be talking about. Any idea, Roxie?"

"Hmm, I don't think I have any clue as to what Jake's mom would have to say to Jess's mom. Add your mom to the mix and I am completely stumped." Roxie answers.

"Ha Ha, very funny." Jessica states. "Let me know when you two decide to take this act on the road. I'll welcome my much needed vacation from you two."

"Using that rapier wit of yours as a defense mechanism won't change that conversation, naughty girl." Staci teases.

"Don't I know it." Jessica answers. "I'm about to be grounded, I can feel it."

"Nah, your mom's cool." Roxie assures her.

"She'll probably give you the not in my house talk and all that but she won't ground you." Staci predicts.

"Yeah, I can't see your mom grounding you unless she hears about the Haunted Trail ride thing." Shelly giggles. "That deserves some punishment."

"I think finding out that the attendant saw the whole thing is punishment enough." Jessica states as she blushes from the memory.