Ronnie waited nervously outside Sir Jack's office. She had showered and packed her bags in case she had to leave quickly. Jez had been in there for a good half an hour now but as Ronnie kept checking her watch it seemed like hours. Suddenly the door opened and Sir Jack poked his head out.
"In…" he said, pointing inside his office. Feebly she walked in and stood next to Jez, his linked his pinkie with hers to comfort her but she was shaking so much she didn't notice, "I need to know the truth Ronnie," Jack said gently, "Did Jeremy rape you?" Ronnie was taken aback.
"N-no he didn't," She stuttered. Sir Jack sighed and reclined in his seat.
"So I let you come into my house out of the kindness of my heart and I find the pair of you…" his voice trailed away
"I'm sorry," Ronnie muttered, "It's not like that…"
"Then what is it like?" Jack asked
"I love her," Jez said quickly
"You what?" Ronnie exclaimed turning to him but Jez didn't even look at her.
"I love her," he repeated
"Jeremy I don't understand you, first you say you're gay and I accept that, then you tell me you love her?" Jack asked, "Don't play with her feelings Jeremy, she's just a girl,"
"Excuse me Mr Tyler, for being so bold, I know what I want and I don't regret…" she looked up at Jez but her voice trailed away. His face was blank, leaving no emotion. She looked back at Jack, "I'm sorry," she began to cry and she ran out of the room.
"Jeremy, are you gay or not?" His dad asked
"I don't know what I am, I thought I knew but then I met her and she's unlike anyone I've ever met. She makes me feel alive, Dad," he could feel the hotness in his cheeks and the tears rising in his eyes. He clenched his jaw, exhaled sharply and left the room.
"Ronnie!" Jez cried out, checking every room. He was on the fourth floor now and there was no sign of her still. He pushed open the door of the spare room and he noticed all of Ronnie's stuff was gone, "Oh shit!" he cried out and he ran down all the flights of stairs and out into the stables.
He rummaged through some junk in an abandoned stable until he found what he was looking for, his mother's old tandem. He smiled and brushed off some of the dust. He ran back inside and bought out his iPhone and his jacket, he hopped onto the tandem and started out on his journey to find Ronnie. 'She can't have gone that far' he thought and he dialled Ronnie's number on his iPhone.
It rung a few times but went straight to voicemail. Annoyed, he put his phone back in his pocket and peddled harder up the lane to the main road. The first place he'd try would be the train station, if anything she'd be going back to Grimsby.
He pulled into his local station which wasn't more than a platform without a shelter and with a tiny ticket machine. There was a bench where Ronnie sat, drenched with the fine rain that was spitting from the skies. Jez caught his breath for a second as she hadn't noticed him; slowly he walked over to where she was sitting.
"Why did you leave?" he asked, becoming increasingly drenched as Ronnie was.
"I thought it might be easier on you and your dad if I wasn't there, making things worse," Ronnie sobbed
"You have got to stop running away when things get hard!" Jez snivelled
"And you don't?" Ronnie looked up, red eyed and puffy, "When everyone hated you cos you lied you ran away to your dad's house,"
"That was one time!" Jez cried, wagging his finger at her, "At least I can get back to Britannia High; at least I don't go all the way to Grimsby," His chest was heaving, "And how were you expecting to pay for your fare anyway?" he asked
"I dunno jump the barriers?" she spat spitefully
"And that would be sensible wouldn't it!" Jez blubbed, not able the hold back his emotions, "Why don't we just forget about all of this and you come home with me?"
"I can't face your dad," Ronnie shook her head, "Not after he's seen me naked," she turned to him and tried to hide her smile. Jez looked at her and the pair of them giggled.
"Do you regret it?" He asked, putting his arm around her
"Not a chance," she cocked her head sideways, "Anything else will be hard to top that! She rested her head on his shoulder, "Did you mean what you said in your dad's office?" she asked, "When you said you loved me?"
Jez thought for a moment, "Yeah, I think I did," he grinned, "Will you please come home with me?"
"Alright, but I refuse to leave my room, only to eat! And I wont make eye contact with your father," She cackled
"C'mon," he kissed her forehead and helped her up with his hand, "Look what I found in my stable," he cantered down the steps and round the corner
"What did you find?" she asked and there stood Jez open armed by his mother's tandem. Ronnie gave a loud laugh and hugged Jez.
"Front or back?" he asked
"Cheeky," Ronnie playfully smacked his bum and off they cycled into the distance.