The Beginning of the End

by Keesha

6/14/07

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Jericho" are the creations of others and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Wipe that smile off your face, Mr. Green. Attendance in this class counts as 25 of your final grade. I guarantee you are failing attendance," the math teacher lectured as he walked back up the aisle after handing out tests he had graded the previous night.

Stanley leaned over and glanced at his best friend's exam. "98!" he exclaimed. "I come to this stupid class every single day and the best I can do is a 58! You, you come once a week and get a 98! That is so not fair."

Jake Green shrugged his shoulders and continued to smirk even though he felt bad for Stanley.

"Not fair," Stanley griped again as the bell rang. He gathered up his books and both boys rose and started for the door with Jake, as usual, in the lead.

"Mr. Green, a word please," the teacher requested.

"I'll see you in the lunch room Stan," Jake said sauntering over to the teacher's desk.

The taller boy nodded. "I'll save you a seat."

Jake arrogantly leaned against the heating unit, studying Mr. Piela. The teacher went on erasing the board waiting for the rest of the students to clear the room.

The ruggedly handsome boy already knew what this was going to be about. He'd been through this so many times that, he could give the speech himself. The teacher was an ancillary object in this farce.

Every year one of his teachers felt compelled to give him 'The Lecture' as Jake had come to think of it. He wondered if they drew straws in the break room to see whose turn it was to give the 'straighten out and fly right' speech. Jake snorted. Did these stupid teachers think they could possibility say anything that he would give a crap about?

Jake pondered as to why Mr. Piela had gotten the honor of giving the speech this year. Probably because he was the new teacher on the block, fresh out of a big city high school. Piela probably thought he knew how to handle a kid like Jake, since he was a hot-shot teacher from the big city.

When the room was empty, Piela turned around to face him. "You know Jake, you are a smart kid. If you would apply yourself and be a little more…"

Jake brusquely cut the teacher off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look Mr. Piela, I have heard this all before, more times than you can imagine. How'd it get to be your turn? Lost the vote? Draw the short straw? Leave the room at the wrong time?" he queried sarcastically.

Mr. Piela chose to ignore the snipes and forge on. "I have seen your scholastic records and…"

"Pretty impressive huh?" Jake interrupted again. "Gotta love those achievement test scores. Attendance is a bit spotty though as you already pointed out."

Mr. Piela cleared his throat valiantly plowing forward. "I know you are a senior, but it is not too late. With a little work, you could still get into a good college. I have seen it happen in my last school. You simply need to…"

"I'm not interested in college," Jake stated bluntly. "I am interested in getting the hell out of this town, flying, and going to lunch…now!"

"College would be a way out Jake," Mr. Piela volleyed.

Jake snorted. "I don't think I'm college material."

"That's not what I see. Again if you would only…"

"Enough," Jake snarled. "Look, are we done here? 'Cause I'm missing lunch and I am have been told I show talent in that area too."

The teacher sighed knowing he was getting nowhere fast. "Go."

Jake flipped him a cocky salute and hurried out of the room.

Mr. Piela went back to erasing the board shaking his head sadly. He had given it the old college try and failed miserably, just as the others had predicted. It wasn't like he hadn't been warned by the rest of the faculty members. However, Piela had thought his experience in the inner city schools would give him an edge over these small town teachers. Piela had been confident, over-confident as it now seemed, that he could reach Jake.

Piela sighed and shrugged his shoulders. Jake was a bright kid but a troublemaker. He was a kid who knew he was going down a one way street the wrong way and didn't give a damn. How do you reach a kid like that? He was confident about one thing, Jake was going to crash and burn some day and Piela couldn't help wondering if there would be anything left to rise from the ashes, like the proverbial phoenix. He brushed the chalk dust from his hands and headed for the break room speculating on how much ribbing he would have to endure from his colleagues on his failure.

2

"Hey, over here," Stanley yelled, waving his bud over to the table he had commandeered. Jake nodded in acknowledgement and strolled over. Emily was sitting at the table with Stanley and Jake slid in next to her. "Hey babe."

"Hey babe yourself. Where were you?" she asked.

"Getting 'The Lecture'," Jake answered quoting the words with his fingers in the air.

"Ah, college. Straighten up and fly right. Yadda, yadda, yadda. And how did that go?"

"Same as usual," Jake answered as he reached across the table to snag some of Stanley's ketchup-covered fries. Stanley pretended to scowl as he slid the plate of fries and a cheeseburger across to his friend.

"Thanks," Jake acknowledged as he picked up the burger and took a bite.

"No problem," Stanley said unable to maintain he charade. A big grin broke out across his face as he produced a second plate of food from the bench and happily consumed it.

Jake swallowed and laughed. "Two plates Stan?"

"Hey I maybe dumb, but I ain't stupid. I know you Jake."

"Yeah, that's what Piela thought too. Was gonna save me from myself," Jake said thinking back on his conversation as he absentmindedly twirled a fry between his fingers.

"You don't wanna be saved Jake," Emily said, half-jokingly. "You like being the bad boy."

"Ya think?" he replied quirking an eyebrow at her.

Emily nodded.

Leaning over, Jake gave her a kiss. "And you like hanging with the bad boy don't you?" he whispered in her ear. "Wanna hang tonight?"

Emily blushed as she giggled.

Jake leaned back to include Stanley in the conversation. "No, seriously. What's say we all go out to Tanner's? You know they don't card there."

"How are we going to get there oh brilliant one?" Stanley asked, looking about the table for more food since he had finished everything on his plate. The strawberry–blonde had to settle for stealing some fries back from Jake's plate.

Jake gave him a 'hey' look but Stanley gave him a toothy grin and kept right on eating the fries.

"I'll drive," Jake tossed out.

Stanley mumbled around the food in his mouth. "Aren't your driving privileges currently parentally revoked after your latest stunt?"

A slow sly grin slid across Jake's face. Oh yeah but it had been worth it. Jake, flying his Grandpa's crop duster had buzzed the football hero and then let loose a little fertilizer on the convertible the boy had been driving. Unfortunately, the stupid kid got so flustered he drove off the road into a drainage ditch. The star quarterback had hurt his knee in the crash and was now sidelined for the rest of the season. Needless to say, Jake wasn't the most popular guy with the football team at the moment.

He also was not on the top ten list at home either. In fact, he'd prefer to forget his father's reaction to the whole situation. It involved numerous loud lectures that cumulated in a no fly, no drive, grounded for life edict.

The only person in his family who seemed to find any amusement in the stunt was his Grandfather. He'd been sitting in the plane at the time of the event egging Jake on, not that the old coot would admit it in public. In front of his daughter and son-in-law, i.e. Jake's Mom and Dad, his Grandpa had given Jake a stern lecture. But later, in private, his Grandpa had slapped him on the back and given him pointers on how to do it better next time.

"Yeah, well, but look," Jake said returning to the present, "I know how to get around the transportation problem. Mom and Dad are going to my Aunt Rose's party tonight and they aren't going to be home until sometime tomorrow. Dad will drive, he'll take his truck and that leaves us Mom's car."

"What about keys? I don't think your folks are just gonna leave the keys laying around, especially since you are not suppose to be mobile," Emily pointed out.

"Not an issue," Jake returned.

"You have a set of your Mom's keys?" she inquired.

"No, but ya know, that is not a bad idea. I could get a hold of them and con Joe over at Fisher's hardware to make me a spare set. Great idea Em," he praised while leaning over and giving her another kiss. "But for tonight, we'll just hotwire it."

"When did you learn how to hotwire a car Johnston Jacob Green?" Stanley said in a mock-stern voice.

"Junior," Jake added.

"Junior," Stanley dutifully repeated.

Emily's features darkened. "I don't know when but I know where, at the compound. I don't like you hanging out there Jake."

Jake brushed a stray blond hair back from Emily face. "Don't worry babe. It's fine."

"But Jake…"

"Shush," he replied, sealing the command with another kiss.

"What about your brother Eric. Won't he rat you out?" asked Stanley.

Jake swung his leg over the bench. "I can handle Eric. So it's a deal? Tanner's tonight?"

Stanley and Emily nodded their concurrence.

"Excellent. Let's meet at my house, say 8:30." With that, the next period bell rang. Emily and Stanley gathered up their trash and headed for the door leading into the hallway. Jake, on the other hand, made a beeline for the door that lead to the outside.

"Where you going Jake?" Stanley queried.

"Home to take a nap. Got a big night planned," and with that he disappeared out the door.

Emily and Stanley stared at each then shrugged.

"Jake," Stanley said.

"Jake," Emily repeated.