Kendall Hart checked her watch as she meandered her way through the park. Good, she still had a half hour before she had to meet Zach for lunch at the Valley Inn… if errr, the Valley Inn honored their reservation after the latest Thanksgiving Massacre. She pulled her jacket closer to her. It was unusually warm for December, but it was still a bit chilly. She really should learn to start wearing sleeves. She glanced down the path and noticed Jamie Martin sitting on a bench 20 yards away. He looked sad. Oh well. She kept walking, hoping to pass by without having to engage in small talk.
"Hey Kendall." She slowed and turned.
"Hey, I didn't see ya there Junior!" she exclaimed smiling brightly. He snorted.
"Have me confused with my brother?"
"Well let's see, there's not a giant pile of rocks falling from the sky, so no, I think you're Jamie," she replied. "Who kicked your puppy?"
"What?"
"You look horrid. And you're eating ice cream!" she exclaimed. "That's weird."
"I like ice cream," he told her. "Me and JR and Amanda used to get it all the time in winter, when we were kids."
"Why?"
"Because Dixie would never let us have ice cream before dinner and JR liked spending Adam's money."
"Sounds like JR."
"Yeah," Jamie replied glumly. Kendall sat down next to him, and sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"You don't care."
"Listen James, I'm giving you 5 minutes of venting time and considering you have an obnoxious brother, an irritating step mom, and the world's most arrogant, annoying girlfriend, believe me, 5 minutes of my time is not something I give easily, so go."
"They aren't that bad," he replied.
"Oh no?" Kendall asked, smiling slightly, as if ready for a fight.
"They're not as bad as Babe," he stated. Kendall arched her eyebrow.
"Jamie Martin, have you actually turned in your membership card to the Babe is Love fan club?" she quipped. He snorted again.
"Please don't remind me I was ever a member."
"You were the President."
"No, that job belonged to your sister," he snapped, a bit irritated at her. Kendall groaned.
"Don't remind me. My siblings have severely demented taste in women."
"Bianca likes Babe?" Jamie asked incredulously.
Kendall shrugged. "I figure the only way she could forgive that lying bitch is if she had a crush on her, right?"
Jamie nodded. "Remember how it used to be? Before she came to Pine Valley?"
Kendall squinted.
"Back then I was still the black sheep of the Kane family, desperate for any attention, and totally bitchy."
"You're still totally bitchy," Jamie told her.
"Thank you James, that was very sweet of you to say," she replied. 'You know Zach's being nice to Babe now. When did that happen?"
"Slater? Really? I never would've seen it."
"Me neither." Kendall dug her shoe into the dirt. "I'd go back to that time if I could."
"What would you do differently?"
"I'd keep myself from chasing after Ryan. Utilize my time to keep my sister from even knowing Babe Carey. Then we wouldn'tve lost all that time with Miranda. How about you?"
"I never would've slept with her, that's for sure. Or helped keep Miranda from Bianca. Or steal little Adam. Or turn my back on my brother."
"You guys used to be real close huh?"
"So did you too."
"That was before he tried to kill me."
"All in the name of Babe," Jamie spit out.
"It would be nice going back in time," Kendall commented. "I miss that JR. I mean, I can never forgive him for what he did to me and my son, but… that JR I'd be friends with. What happened to him?"
"He got consumed with jealousy and hate. A lot of it's my fault, and Tad's and Babe's… god, why did we do it all for her?"
"She's blonde and has boobs," Kendall cracked. "It's not your fault you're the inferior sex, a fluffy little Labrador retriever."
"Still, it would be nice if things could just be normal again. She's killing him you know. He hurts her too, I know he's no saint. But.. why can't they realize that they're poison for each other?"
"Because being in love can make you stupid," Kendall answered. "It's up to the people who love them to make them see that they need to just move on. Bianca and Ethan and Zach and god, even Greenlee in her totally bitchy way made me see that about Ryan. It's up to you James."
"I'm doing my best," he answered, finishing the last of his ice cream.
"If you find the old JR, let me know," Kendall said, standing up. "I better go," she told him. Jamie watched her go for a second.
"Hey Kendall?" She turned. "Thanks for never joining the Babe is Love fan club. It's nice knowing I'm not alone."
Kendall grinned and gave him a little wave before turning.
Jamie Martin blew out a breath as he entered the locker room at PV Hospital. He had just had a brutal exam, and was going to spend the afternoon shadowing his grandfather. Might as well get the extra experience, right? He pulled off his jacket, and opened the locker his grandpa had given him. There was an envelope inside. He pulled it out, and took out the contents. He grinned as he looked at the laminated business card.
Babe is Skank Fan Club
President: Kendall Hart
Vice President: James Martin
He grinned as he looked at the note she had attached: "It's laminated. This one's for keeps."