New Girl in Town Pt. 24

"Feel like I've heard... that before," Jake grinned as he lowered the bar to his chest then pressed out another lift.

"Just because you said it to me. A lot I might add," she said. "Doesn't mean that I can't ask you."

"No, it does not," Jake agreed as he pushed out another.

Antoine noticed Jake's lift was shaky so he grabbed the bar between Jake's hands and steadied it.

"I think that's enough, Jake," he told him.

"I got one more in me," Jake said.

"Save it for tomorrow then," Antoine told him as he pulled the bar back to the rack. "You don't have anything to prove on your first day back on the weights. Trust me on that."

Jake looked like he was about to argue but thought better of it and sat up. Jessica handed him his towel so he could wipe the sweat from his face.

"Thanks for watching for him, Antoine," she said. "I appreciate it."

"Aw, anytime, Wildcat," he smiled. "You know that I got my boy's back."

"And I've got his crutches," Ray stated as he placed them against the weight bench beside Jake. "I was told by Staci that I was to, and I quote, help you get Jake to your car and follow you to Mr. Fishel's place."

"She's still meeting us there, right?" Jessica asked.

"Yep," Ray answered. "She's in charge of setting up so we can eat when we get there. Bobby is bringing us food and should get there about the same time we do provided we leave here in like ten minutes or so."

"Man, it'll take Jake a half hour to shower with that cast," Antoine said as he pointed at Jake's leg.

"It's not that bad," Jake said. "You know, once I get the trash bag over it and the shower curtain in place so I don't get water all over the floor."

"And your soap and shampoo where you can reach it without stretching too far so you don't slip," Jessica chimed in.

"Okay, so maybe a half hour isn't that far off but I am trying to go faster," Jake said.

"Unless Jess is in there helping him or so I hear," Tonya giggled as she joined the group. "Our girl likes to get dirty while getting clean at least that's the rumor."

"The rumor that you started," Jessica stated as she waved her injured arm in her direction. "I've only got one good arm and Jake has one good leg. Putting us together in a shower is just asking for trouble. The painful type of trouble since I know exactly where your mind goes, Tonya."

"Oh you're no fun," Tonya said. "I'll bet that Jake is willing to risk it, aren't you, Jake?"

"I'm just counting the hours until I'm out of this thing," Jake answered as he tapped his cast. "I'm also making a list of things to do to Jess once I'm free but that's neither here or there."

"Cold shower setting, guys," Jessica told Ray and Antoine. "Someone is overheating it seems and we've still got a few hours of work to do on his new beast."

****

"Mom, I'm home," Jessica announced as she walked in the kitchen door.

"Didn't we agree on eight, Jessica?" Jessica's mom asked from the living room as she looked at the clock above the mantel that read just past eight thirty.

"I texted," Jessica defended. "We got a late start on the car."

"We?" her mom grinned.

"Yes We ," Jessica said. "Staci and I worked on cleaning while the boys finagled with wires and hoses and such."

"Is Jake's beast ready to take me for a ride now, Sissy?" Sarah looked up from her astronomy book to ask.

"Not quite yet, Sar-bear," Jessica answered. "It might take a couple of weeks before his beast will be ready but you've got my word that you get first ride privileges.

"Cool," Sarah declared.

"Have you eaten, dear?" her mom asked.

"Yes," she answered. "Bobby brought us all some food which we ate while we worked."

"I guess you did work," her mom said as she nodded toward Jessica's forehead.

She reached up and her hand came back with a smudge of grease on it.

"I had an itch," Jessica explained as she went to the nearby mirror to check she got it all. "I must have got it on my hand then I had to scratch my itch so now I need another shower it seems. Where is dad by the way? Does Mr. Greene have him working late or something?"

"He had to go back to the Charlotte office this afternoon," she told her. "He's going to let me know if he'll be back tonight or if he's just going to stay the night."

"Everything all right?" she asked.

Dr. Golden looked from Jessica to Sarah then nodded to her youngest daughter.

"Sarah, how about you go and get your pajamas on then Jess will be up to help you with your face washing," she told her.

"Ugh, fine," Sarah sighed as she got to her feet. "I am not putting my head underwater, Sissy."

"I have yet to put your head underwater," Jessica giggled, "but I might if you keep it up, Sar Bear!"

Sarah giggled as she dashed upstairs. Jessica shook her head then picked up Sarah's book and sat it back on the table as she sat on the couch.

"Okay, so what's going on with dad?" Jessica asked. "You guys aren't having, like, trouble or anything right?"

"No, baby, nothing like that," her mom assured her. "He had a meeting with Mr. Greene this morning and he, for all intents and purposes, fired your dad."

"Can he do that?" Jessica asked. "I mean isn't there usually a contract or something?"

"There was an out clause in the contract," her mom explained.

"What does that mean exactly?" Jessica asked worriedly. "We're not moving back... are we?"

"No, baby, that's not on the table," She assured her. "Don't worry about that. Worry about Sarah getting water everywhere if you don't get upstairs and help her get ready for bed."

"You just had to remind me," Jessica sighed dramatically as she got up from the couch and headed for the stairs.

She paused at the bottom of them and looked back at her mom.

"You're sure that we're staying?" she asked.

"I'm positive," she answered.

"Good," Jessica nodded.

"Did you get your homework done?" her mom called out as Jessica climbed the stairs.

"Yep," she answered. "Did it as we ate. Sarah, do not turn on that faucet yet! Mom, you better bring the mop!"

"It's not that bad, Sissy!" Sarah argued as their mom got to her feet and headed for the stairs.

****

Tuesday

On the ride to school Jessica told Jake about her dad and Mr. Greene and how her dad spent the night in Charlotte.

"He's coming back today?" Jake asked.

"Should be back around lunchtime," Jessica answered him. "Mom said that he had a few meetings this morning with the other partners."

"Why does that sound ominous?" he asked.

"I was assured that everything was fine," she answered him. "Believe me, I asked a few times over breakfast just to be sure. We are not moving back to Charlotte."

"That's really good to know," Jake smiled. "So what's your dad going to do now?"

"I'm not really sure," she answered. "Mom said that the firm is advertising in the area now so he should get some jobs out of that soon. Until then, he gets to be a stay at home dad. He'll be stir crazy before the week's out."

"Think so, huh?" he chuckled.

"Totally," she nodded. "He'll be checking out all the greenways, trails and who knows what all else until he gets his next job. Probably find some great places that we can check out once you're all healed up."

"Too bad they don't make these things for off roading huh?" Jake grinned as he tapped his cast. "I still think I can manage the trail around the lake."

"Nuh uh, no way," she shook her head. "With those hills and that really rocky part near the train bridge? Nope, I am not taking you back there until after we are back from spring break at the earliest."

"I hope that I have this thing off by then," he grumbled. "I really don't want to hobble around the UCLA campus."

"I'm sure that you will be free of it by then," she assured him. "Our trip is a little over a month from now and we both have multiple appointments up to the day before we fly out there. I'm sure that we'll both be healed up enough to get out of our casts."

"Gotta love your optimism," Jake smiled. "I hope you're right otherwise Roxie is going to paint up my cast in what she's calling a California theme for the occasion."

"What's that even mean?" she asked.

"No idea," he shook his head. "Palm trees, surfboards and sun maybe."

"You should totally have her do that anyway," she said. "That sounds awesome!"

"And lose Bobby's cool S that he drew?" Jake asked as he pointed at the character on his cast.

"True, you can't lose that for some bikini clad surfer babe," she giggled.

"Wait, there's a surfer babe now?" he asked. "Bobby would totally understand if we sacrificed his art for a surfer babe."

"I'm going to tell her to paint a guy in a Speedo just for that," she said as she pulled into the school's parking lot. "An old guy in a Speedo with big beer belly."

As she laughed at the image she had conjured up in her brain Jake shook his head.

"I don't know what you're laughing about," he stated as he exited her car. "You're the one that's going to be sitting right there with me the whole flight."

"I can pretend that I don't know you," she pointed out.

"And when I start flirting with the cute flight attendant?" he smiled.

"Then I'll break your other leg and Bobby can draw his S on that one too," she answered.

"Not another speedo sporting old dude?" Jake teased as he hobbled his way towards the school doors.

"I'm thinking bikini clad old lady with saggy boobs," Jessica answered as she walked beside him. "Watch out for that puddle. I don't want you to slip and fall."

"Me neither," he agreed as he dodged around it and looked up toward the sky. "Can't believe that a little rain kept our entourages inside this morning. I felt sure that Staci would have been in the parking lot with umbrellas in each hand."

As they got closer to the doors Staci opened them, stepped out with her hands on her hips and a glare on her face.

"You were supposed to text me when you got here, Jess," Staci told her as she reached for Jessica's books. "I had umbrellas ready to go and everything."

Jake laughed while Jessica started to explain herself.

"Staci, we have to be able to do things on our own once in awhile," she told her.

"You can do things on your own when you both are out of those casts," she told them as Ray took Jake's backpack.

"Any thoughts on when that might be?" Ray asked as he mimed nearly falling over as if Jake's backpack weighed a ton. "My back can't take much more I don't think."

"Oh stop," Staci said. "I know all your muscles so I know Jake's pack isn't that much of a burden."

"True but a little sympathy every now and again is nice, ya know?" he chuckled as they walked toward Ms. Simpson's classroom.

"If by sympathy you mean blow job then you get plenty of it from me," Staci giggled.

Jessica spotted Ms. Simpson as she walked nearby and raised her eyebrows as she passed them on the way to the school's office.

"You're going to get us expelled, Staci," Jessica sighed.

"Only if you try and blow Jake in class, Jess," Staci giggled.

"Don't give him any ideas," she shook her head then glanced at Jake's smiling face. "Okay, don't give him any more ideas or we really will run the risk of getting expelled. He'll try and talk me into sucking him off in the showers after our workout or something."

"Uh, Jess, I think that you just gave him an idea," Ray chuckled. "Gave me one too!"

"Not happening," Jessica said. "I can't speak for Staci..."

"You can in this instance, Jess," Staci interrupted. "No way am I getting on my knees in the boys shower room. Yuck!"

"So you're saying the girls shower room then?" Ray smiled. "I can go for that. Jake?"

"I'm not saying anything," Jake laughed. "I actually want another blow job before I'm thirty."

"That's one of the things I love about you, Jake," Jessica smiled. "You can be a smart man. From time to time."

****

January gave way to February and as Jake and Jessica continued to heal from the car crash everyone looked forward to Spring Break and started to make plans.

"So your beast should be ready for the road soon, right?" Staci asked as the group sat out in the stadium since it was a warmer February day.

"Give or take a week or so," Jake answered as he ate half of Jessica's tuna fish sandwich.

"She won't be on the streets until we're back from California however," Jessica stated. "She goes in to be painted a few days before we leave town and will be back the day before we are."

"Are you sticking with the blue or back in black?" Bobby asked with a grin.

"The blue she is was just a bit too Tarheels blue for me," Jake answered. "Black was an option but Jess and I talked, looked over the original colors available and decided to go with Acapulco Blue. It's darker and really sets off the black stripes."

Bobby had his phone out and a quick search with Jake pointing at the correct one had him nodding.

"Yeah, okay," he said. "I can see that being a hit out in California. What about the interior?"

"Nope, I'm putting an end to the car talk for the rest of us girls," Shelly said. "I think we should be talking prom dresses."

"Ooo, prom season is almost here so we totally need to discuss dresses," Staci jumped in. "Now I'm seeing Jess here in a red or maybe a black."

"I was thinking purple as a possibility too," Jessica shared as she nibbled on some of Jake's peanut butter covered apple slices.

"Purple would work," Staci agreed. "I'm thinking backless with a long slit that shows off those long legs of yours. Are you getting all this, Jake?"

"I'm getting a little too much of it," Jake answered. "I'm going to need Jess to walk in front of me on the way to my next class if y'all keep this up."

"Dude, I did not need to know that your sporting a chub," Bobby complained.

"After the whole hot tub thing I don't want to hear any complaints outta you, Bobby," Jake retorted then looked around the table at everyone who wasn't at Staci's that night. "He wears a Speedo and I could tell his religion if you all know what I mean."

"There was no Speedo," Bobby argued.

"Ooo, Bobby," Roxie teased. "Showing off your package huh? Was it sexy, Staci?"

"There wasn't any Speedo," Staci said. "Jake is just trying to change the subject so I can't bring up what kind of lingerie that I think Jess should wear under her prom dress. Purple would look great on you, Jess."

"Anyone know if the shower in the science room is cold water?" Jake asked. "I'm planning on dousing myself as soon as we get there."

"I would advise against that, Jake," Ray warned. "Patrick had Jamie pull that cord once and the water that came out was brown and black and smelled like death. We had to evacuate the classroom and had class in the library the next two weeks."

"Yeah, don't do that," Jessica said. "Staci will stop talking about any sort of lingerie I may or may not wear at prom. We do need to go shopping now that you've brought it up, Staci."

"As soon as you guys get back from California," Staci said then perked up. "Ooo, you can look while you're out there! They are bound to have a lot more places for sexy stuff than around here!"

"Sure, Staci, I can see me dragging my mom into some adult shops out in L.A. and asking what she thinks Jake would like," Jessica shook her head.

"All of it," Roxie laughed. "See? You don't even have to ask your mom. Jake will like all of it."

"I can't argue with that sort of logic," Jake laughed as the bell rang to end the lunch period.

****

After their after school workouts Jess and Jake got in her car and headed toward his house. She slowed as they neared the entrance to the marina and nodded at the closed gate.

"It was like that this morning too," she said. "I've never noticed it closed before. I mean it's winter but I thought that the trail was open year round."

"It usually is," Jake answered. "Do you think it being closed has anything to do with the EPA coming out?"

"Could be," she agreed. "Unless they already hired a new construction company and that's why they're closed."

"I'd suggest sneaking in for a peek but," he said as he tapped his cast. "It's a little hard to sneak with this thing on."

"You take enough liberties with that thing on as it is," she said. "No way am I letting you go wandering through the woods with it on."

"After that work out the guys just put me through, I don't even think I could attempt it," he laughed. "I think Tank wants me to be able to bench press you before prom."

Jessica's face lit up as several scenarios of how that skill could prove useful popped into her head.

"You know," she said as she patted his thigh, "I don't see that as the worst idea ever."

"Oh you don't huh?" he grinned but then changed the subject so he didn't have to walk into his house stooped over. "I wonder what is going on at the marina."

Jessica shrugged as she pulled into Jake's neighborhood.

"Maybe my dad's heard something," she suggested. "I can ask him when I get home tonight. Your mom's got all the stuff to make chili tonight right? I've had a craving for it all day."

"It doesn't seem like that's the only thing you're craving," Jake smiled as her hand stroked up and down his thigh. "You gotta stop though. I can't walk in my house like this."

Jessica glanced at his tented pants and suppressed a giggle.

"Want me to lean over and take care of him for you?" she teased.

"More than anything," he admitted then added, "but that would be a bad idea out here in my parent's driveway."

"It's a shame we came straight here and didn't swing by the drive in when there was a chance," she said. "I'm thinking that we should see if Staci's got plans this weekend. One that involves us staying over?"

"Gladly," Jake answered. "That will probably depend on what homework we get but I'm up for it."

"Yes, you are," she giggled. "Now think of cold showers so we can go into your house sometime tonight."

****

Patrick shook his head as he pulled into his driveway and saw his father's car half on and half off the driveway. This was the third day in a row that his father was home before him.

"That means that he's already started drinking," Patrick sighed as he switched off his engine and headed inside. "It's going to be another fun night."

He walked inside, placed his books on the kitchen counter then opened the fridge to get a drink. As he pushed aside the milk for a can of Coke in the back he heard his father enter the kitchen.

"Why in the hell are you in here slamming shit around?" Buck Greene half shouted half slurred as he stumbled into the kitchen. "Stop being so damn loud."

"I didn't slam anything," Patrick argued. "I put my books down and was getting a drink before I do my homework. That all right with you?"

"Don't come into my fucking house with an attitude, boy," Buck grumbled. "Slamming shit around like you own this place. I own this place!"

"Fine!" Patrick raised his voice as he snatched his books from the counter and headed toward the stairs. "I'll be in my room doing my homework."

"Yeah, you go do that," Buck slurred to the closed door. "Fucking pain in my ass."

"Asshole," Patrick muttered as he closed his bedroom door.

He put in his ear-buds then started in on his homework. After he met with the guidance counselor at his new school he knew that he needed to get his grades up if he intended to make it into college. After they learned of his role in the crash, UNC rescinded it's scholarship offer but left the door open for him to get in provided his grades improved. So now he walked the halls of his new school with his head down and spent his lunch time in the cafeteria with his nose in his books. Just like he now spent most of his nights. As he checked over his work he thought he heard shouting over the music in his ear-buds. He ignored it at first, since it had become a nightly ritual lately, but when he heard something crash he yanked his ear-buds out and headed for his door.