I own nothing unfortunately...However, I'm planning on making this in to a much longer story, so let me know what you think.

Duality

I guess I first started to feel really uneasy about the whole situation when I noticed the look on Jennifer's face as she was standing there holding my hand and star gazing at Nikolai. She'd completely ignored what I'd just told her about Low Shoulder being a bunch of perverted jerks, instead opting to practically throw herself at the evil looking lead singer. There was something seriously off about these guys, but before I could think about it anymore, they'd launched in to some tacky, yet I suppose ultimately catchy ballad and Jennifer had taken hold of my hand, which left me standing, looking between her and them and wondering what the hell was going on.

After realizing Jennifer hadn't taken in anything that I'd told her, I dropped her hand out of disappointment; I knew something wasn't right and it hurt that Jennifer would go on like everything was peachy. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a flash of bright colour and turned to see flames spreading out from Low Shoulder's electrics, growing quickly to fan out along the beams lining the ceiling of Melody Lane. I stood rooted to the spot as I watched countless people being trampled or burned, sometimes both. I couldn't stand to see it anymore, and out of a desire to not die in a human spit roast and become tomorrow's cover story, I grabbed Jennifer's hand and dragged her through to the only place I knew wouldn't be choked with broken and smouldering bodies. Clambering out the toilet window and still holding on to Jennifer, we stumbled far enough away from the now raging inferno to be safe from its flames, but even from a distance, the heat was still unbearable. Jennifer slumped to the ground, pulling me down with her, her face telling me she was in shock from what we'd just escaped from. She sat there, saying nothing and just when it looked like she finally would, Nikolai appeared out of nowhere, looking for all the world that he had not just been through what we had, and suggesting that we join him in his van.

'What?' I mean really, had he seriously just asked that? I might be too old to worry about it much anymore, but all that 'stranger danger' stuff I'd learned when I was kid seemed like it might finally be useful right about now.

'I'm in survival mode right now and I want us to get in to a familiar place and right now, I feel like that's my van', Nikolai replied matter of factly, clearly not bothered by what was going on around us. Sure, more like 'you girls seem innocent and vulnerable, why don't you come join me in my Chester mobile' mode. Jennifer was clearly in no position to be making decisions for herself, and before I could say anything, Nikolai had her on her feet, leading her towards his van. This guy was a real creeper and I knew I'd never forgive myself if I let Jennifer go with him and become pervert prey, so I sucked up all the anger I felt towards him and the situation we were in and started to follow them.

'I wouldn't go any further if I were you', I said as calmly as I could.

'Or else what, Jan Brady, you'll sprinkle magic dust on me to make me disappear?' Nikolai smirked and I could hear the rest of the band laughing behind him. Yep, this jerk-off was definitely going down.

'I would if I had any, but I think I've got something that'll work much better. My dad's a cop, he pretty much runs Devil's Kettle, and when he finds out you've kidnapped his little princess's best friend, well let's put it this way, I really wouldn't want to be you'. None of that was true of course; before he died, the closest my dad had come to being in the force was as part of a cleaning company that looked after the local station. Yeah, the truth hurts, but lies work.

I knew I'd won when I saw Nikolai's smirk fall into a frown, a look of fear plastered on his weedy face. 'Come on, there's no need for that. I was just trying to be helpful', and with that, he dropped Jennifer's hand and wheeled away from us to walk back to his van and his gawking band mates who were all leaning out of it, trying to hear what was going on. As I ran up to Jennifer, I heard Nikolai mutter something that sounded a lot like 'Bitch, more trouble than they're worth', and I turned to watch the van screech out of the parking lot, which by now was starting to become filled with sounds of sirens that were almost loud enough to drown out the fading screams and crackling flames. I turned back to Jennifer, took hold of her hand and smiled at her as I lead her towards the Sebring and out of the hellhole that had opened up around us.

The drive back to mine passed in silence; I guessed Jennifer was still too freaked out over what had happened to talk. By the time we'd trudged up the stairs to my room though, she still hadn't said anything and I was starting to get a little weirded out myself, I mean, what if something was seriously wrong with her, like she'd somehow lost the ability to talk forever. I chuckled at that, maybe sometimes having a silent Jennifer around wouldn't be such a bad thing. Once in my room, Jennifer went to sit on my bed as I went to find something smoke and ash free for us to wear. I settled on my Evil Dead t-shirt and a pair of pyjama bottoms, and gave Jennifer some sweats and one of my nicer hoodies. I turned around to change and caught sight of a picture of Chip that I keep next to my computer and made a mental note to call him first thing in the morning. As I pulled the t-shirt over my head, I swore that I heard Jennifer mumble something, but when I turned to face her again, she was back sitting on my bed, staring at her feet.

'What was that Vagasil?' I asked as I went to sit next to her, and as I did, she lifted her smoke stained face and I saw the tracks left by her mascara as it mixed with tears and ran down her cheeks.

'Oh Jen, you're alright now, you're okay'. I pulled her in to a hug and as she settled in against my shoulder, I felt her body shake with sobs that I knew she was trying to hold back. As we sat there, I thought back over our friendship and how ever since the incident with the tack in the sandbox, Jen would always hide her pain, no matter how big or small it might've been, but I always saw through the wall she built around herself. I know that people can't understand why Jen and I are friends and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wondered about it too, but to be honest, we've been best friends for so long and gone through so much together that I don't bother worrying about it anymore, it just is. Sure, I might seem like the ever-eager Needy, following her superior friend around, but what friends don't help each other out? Jennifer stayed at my house every night for a week after my dad died, just holding me while I cried; people don't notice those things though, they only see the Jen she's created for public life. I don't deny that Jen can be a bitch, I mean, I've been on the end of some pretty harsh digs, but the times when we're together, when it's just us, make me forget all about those moments. I've given up on wondering whether she's just friends with me to further her own means, whatever they may be, because honestly, for someone like her, it's social suicide to be seen associating with someone of my lowly status, and it clearly hasn't done either of us any harm. Our friendship isn't perfect, but hey, it works.

After a while, I felt Jen stir against my shoulder and I turned to see her looking me right in the eyes. Her gaze was so intense it was a little off-putting and I felt myself back away from her ever so slightly. 'Hey-' I began, but she shook her head, indicating to me that it was her time to take the floor.

'Thanks for what you did back there Monistat. Really. I mean without you, all this,' she gestured to her body, 'would've ended up as a char-grilled happy meal for some wild animals or cannibal psychos or something'. I smiled at that, only Jennifer could put such an interesting spin on things.

I went to speak, but again she silenced me with a finger pressed gently to my lips. 'No, let me finish Needy. I need to get this out.' I nodded my understanding and let her continue. 'I know I haven't always been a great friend to you, God only knows why you've put up with me for so long after some of the shit I've pulled. You're so good to me, and I don't deserve half of what you do for me. You understand me the way no one else in this smear of a town does, you care about me for me, not for what I can give you. To be honest, I'm kind of jealous of you, you've got the one thing I don't have, and it's what I want more than anything else. I want what you and Chip have, that lovey-dovey, head over heels, sickly sweet thing that I pretend makes me sick. You know better than anyone that I've got a love inside me that I want to share with someone, but the guys around here are only interested in my body, not what's on the inside…'

Jennifer trailed off and I just sat there, too stunned to speak. She had never opened up to me like this before and it caught me a little off guard. I wiped away a tear that was beginning to make its way down my cheek and pulled her into my arms again. 'Jen, what kind of friend would I be if I left you with those creeps? I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to you; besides Chip, you're the best thing I've got going around here'.

Jennifer pulled back from me and she had that same intense look in her eyes that she'd had earlier, only this time it was like she was looking at me like I was something to eat. She began to move slowly closer to me, keeping her eyes fixed on mine, apart from a brief moment where I'm sure her gaze flickered to my lips. I quirked my eyebrow at her as she placed her hand on my cheek and began rubbing small circles there with her thumb, before slowly dragging a finger along my jaw and down the column of my neck, leaving a blazing trail as it passed before coming to rest on my collarbone.

'Jen, what're you do-', but again Jennifer cut me off.

'Shh, don't talk, just feel', she whispered against my ear, her warm breath sending a shiver throughout my body. As she moved back to face me, her lips were almost touching my own and my heart was thundering in my chest as she closed the gap between us with agonising slowness. The kiss was hesitant at first, but quickly grew in to something much more fierce. I placed my hand on Jen's shoulder and pushed her back so we were lying on my bed, and I felt her hands ghost over the small of my back where my shirt had ridden up. Something inside me was telling me that this probably shouldn't have been happening, but right now I couldn't care less. We'd never done this before, I'd never even thought about it, but I found myself wondering why we hadn't done it sooner, it just felt oh so right. Sure I've noticed Jennifer's looks, I'd be pretty blind not to, but having said that, she'd never had the effect on me that she was having right now. All I could think of was her, and as much as I knew this probably shouldn't be going on, I needed to hear from Jennifer why it was.

I broke the kiss and looked in to her eyes, and as clichéd as it sounds, it was like I could see straight through their sapphire depths and in to her soul. I knew then, even without asking, that she needed this, she needed me. She needed me to be there for her, to laugh with her; care for her and to love her; and to be honest, I needed this too. We might be total opposites, but in some weird, universe-aligning way, we complete each other in ways no body else possibly could. I felt like I had to say something, and so I said the only words I felt confident I could deliver without sounding like a sped and ruining the moment.

'I love you', I said, knowing that I truly meant it. For a moment I wasn't sure if Jen heard me, or if she did and didn't care, but before I could say anything else, she spoke.

'Ditto Needs, you got me', and with that she took hold of my hand and placed it on her chest, just above her rapidly beating heart, 'right here'. She spoke with a sincerity that I'd never known her to have and again brought her lips up to meet mine. As our kiss deepened with ever increasing passion, my eyes welled with tears and I smiled inwardly as I came to the realisation that this was a sandbox love that would never die.

So there it is, hope you liked it!