"You Gave me a Beer"
Disclaimer: I don't own Lifetime, I don't own any of the characters, I just thought it'd be fun to do this! r/r!
"Jinny, stop kicking me!" twelve-and-a-half year old John Exstead Jr glared at his sister in the darkness.
"I'm not kicking you! It's Casey!" eleven-year-old Virginia - "Jinny", a nickname to fit her not-so-feminine ways - snuggled deep down into her sleeping bag and refused to look over at her brother. When John was angry, he was angry.
"Yes, you are! Casey's asleep -- you're kicking me!"
"No, I'm not!"
"You are!"
"I'm NOT!"
"You ARE!"
"I'm NOT kicking YOU!"
"Mom, Jinny just kicked me again!"
"Hey! Mom, John just punched me in the leg!"
Her mother looked up from her sleeping bag out in the corner, where she was silently trying to get three-year-old Casey to sleep. "Both of you, go to bed," she instructed, "I meant it a half hour ago. John, get over here and sleep by me. I can't trust the two of you to sleep by each other during a camping trip. Virginia..."
"Mom, it's 'Jinny', not Virginia."
"Jinny, then, you stay right where you are and if you kick him again I'll tell your father. Shh, shh, Cas, it's okay." Ending her conversation with the two older kids, she moved onto comforting little Casey.
Jinny gave one final glare in her brother's direction, and then feeling the bruise on her leg for a minute, slowly drifted off to sleep, her hand still on her leg.
"Jinny." Her father's voice woke her up, and Jinny, a bit blurry-eyed, looked around. John Exstead Sr had been outside watching the fire all night, and he smelled of smoke. "Where's John?" he asked.
"Over by mom," she answered, "he punched me."
Her father laughed. "That's nothing new," he answered, used to the war between John and Jinny, "come on, John, come on, let's go. I want to talk to you two for a few minutes outside."
The air still smelled like smoke as Jinny sat down on a log. "Isn't this beautiful?" her father asked, "isn't it so unlike the city? The stars, the mountains, the peacefulness..."
"Hardly peacefulness," Jinny said, examining the purple bruise on her leg.
Her father laughed again. "How about a drink?" he asked.
Jinny nodded. "Any Coke or Sprite left in the cooler?" she asked.
"I-I mean a drink, Jinny," her father said, pausing before going on. "A real drink."
"I'm only eleven." Jinny said this quickly, as she knew her father drank a lot and thought she could prevent this from happening to her.
"You only live once though."
"But I can live without drinking!"
Her father took a can of beer from the cooler. "Just a sip."
"I'll get drunk on it."
"Not on a sip, Jinny-girl," he said, handing her the beer. Jinny reluctantly took a sip, trying it. It tasted awful, but she tried again. Somehow it tasted better.
"Well?"
"I-It's weird," she said, "but okay."
"I thought you'd like it. Just don't tell your mom, okay? That goes for you too, John. If you tell mom, she'll kill me."
Jinny nodded and looked up at the stars. It was nice out here. Peaceful. Calm. The way the rest of her life might never be.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lifetime, I don't own any of the characters, I just thought it'd be fun to do this! r/r!
"Jinny, stop kicking me!" twelve-and-a-half year old John Exstead Jr glared at his sister in the darkness.
"I'm not kicking you! It's Casey!" eleven-year-old Virginia - "Jinny", a nickname to fit her not-so-feminine ways - snuggled deep down into her sleeping bag and refused to look over at her brother. When John was angry, he was angry.
"Yes, you are! Casey's asleep -- you're kicking me!"
"No, I'm not!"
"You are!"
"I'm NOT!"
"You ARE!"
"I'm NOT kicking YOU!"
"Mom, Jinny just kicked me again!"
"Hey! Mom, John just punched me in the leg!"
Her mother looked up from her sleeping bag out in the corner, where she was silently trying to get three-year-old Casey to sleep. "Both of you, go to bed," she instructed, "I meant it a half hour ago. John, get over here and sleep by me. I can't trust the two of you to sleep by each other during a camping trip. Virginia..."
"Mom, it's 'Jinny', not Virginia."
"Jinny, then, you stay right where you are and if you kick him again I'll tell your father. Shh, shh, Cas, it's okay." Ending her conversation with the two older kids, she moved onto comforting little Casey.
Jinny gave one final glare in her brother's direction, and then feeling the bruise on her leg for a minute, slowly drifted off to sleep, her hand still on her leg.
"Jinny." Her father's voice woke her up, and Jinny, a bit blurry-eyed, looked around. John Exstead Sr had been outside watching the fire all night, and he smelled of smoke. "Where's John?" he asked.
"Over by mom," she answered, "he punched me."
Her father laughed. "That's nothing new," he answered, used to the war between John and Jinny, "come on, John, come on, let's go. I want to talk to you two for a few minutes outside."
The air still smelled like smoke as Jinny sat down on a log. "Isn't this beautiful?" her father asked, "isn't it so unlike the city? The stars, the mountains, the peacefulness..."
"Hardly peacefulness," Jinny said, examining the purple bruise on her leg.
Her father laughed again. "How about a drink?" he asked.
Jinny nodded. "Any Coke or Sprite left in the cooler?" she asked.
"I-I mean a drink, Jinny," her father said, pausing before going on. "A real drink."
"I'm only eleven." Jinny said this quickly, as she knew her father drank a lot and thought she could prevent this from happening to her.
"You only live once though."
"But I can live without drinking!"
Her father took a can of beer from the cooler. "Just a sip."
"I'll get drunk on it."
"Not on a sip, Jinny-girl," he said, handing her the beer. Jinny reluctantly took a sip, trying it. It tasted awful, but she tried again. Somehow it tasted better.
"Well?"
"I-It's weird," she said, "but okay."
"I thought you'd like it. Just don't tell your mom, okay? That goes for you too, John. If you tell mom, she'll kill me."
Jinny nodded and looked up at the stars. It was nice out here. Peaceful. Calm. The way the rest of her life might never be.