Chapter 3: One Step Closer…
She rolls the window down
And she talks over the sound
Of the cars that pass us by
And I don't know why
But she's changed my mind…
Evan and Jarrin: Crazy for this Girl
Xavier's School for the Gifted, Westchester, New York
January 18, 2001
James turned the key of the sleek black Jaguar, letting the engine rev. A ghost of a smile flitted across his handsome face as he heard the engine purr like a kitten. The grin on James' lips grew as he thought about Emerald, his new Tonkinese kitten. He had gotten Emerald for Christmas, along with the kitten's collar. The collar was similar to the ones Diamond and Sapphire wore; silver with jewel studs, representative of their names.
Jessie ran up to the car and opened the door. "C-can I come?" she asked, slightly out of breath. James regarded her carefully, then shrugged. Jessie jumped in. "So, where are we going?"
"I've got to go to Petsmart for cat food, then to the tack shop for some hoof oil. Phoenix's hooves are drying out for some reason." Jessie nodded, knowing that James' sorrel Arabian stallion was slightly sick. "I asked Gambit to clip his hooves( he does have those sharp playing cards, after all ), and he told me Phoenix's front ankles were swollen, so I put him on bute for the pain. He's probably got an abscess-which is just great, because I'll have to drain the stupid thing, but it's really not that bad." Jessie stared.
"What's bute?"
James looked flustered; he had obviously forgotten that Jessie hadn't the foggiest what he was talking about. "Phenylbutazone." He blushed slightly, then turned his head back towards the road.
Jessie stared in awe. James was the most intelligent man she'd ever known-he taught a class, he was able to carry on an intellectual conversation without tripping up, and when he spoke, all Jessie could do was sit and stare. She supposed that, even without the computer chip in his brain, James would easily have an I.Q. of 150 or so. Jessie turned up the radio as Crazy for this Girl, a favorite song of hers, came on. She rolled the window down, and began to chatter on about nothing, her voice raised over the noise of the passing cars.
James listened to Jessie with his subconscious, the rest absorbed in the song. It described them perfectly. The first verse, chorus—indeed, when a boy looked at Jessie, her gaze would turn to him—the second verse—that night when Jessie had stayed with him, the whole night, he'd felt as though the sky had fallen. And he loved her.
"James…James…Hey James! Are you listening to me?"
Jessie's sharp voice knocked James out of his reverie. "Uh, yeah, sure, whatever…" Jessie narrowed her sapphire-blue eyes. Being ignored was something she was used to, but when she talked to James, he always listened to her. Except this time. He seemed to have something on his mind, anyway. Jessie thought, for one wild moment, that James might have been thinking about her.
Three hours later…
James pulled the black leather bridle over Dark Angel's small, well-shaped ears. The stallion snorted. "Thinking about her again, James?" James chuckled.
"How did you know, Angel?" The huge black stallion rolled his ice-blue eyes. Lowering his beautiful head, Angel shook out his white mane.
"Well, I am psychic, you know." James sweatdropped. Of course Angel's psychic, the experiment… Indeed, Dark Angel had been experimented upon as a colt, much the same way as James had been. He wrinkled his nose.
"Is that why you're so annoying, or have you always been that way?" Angel pulled his lips into a horsey smirk. Rolling his eyes, James grabbed Angel's bit and lead him out of the stable. James snapped his fingers and, just like he'd been trained to do, Angel kneeled. Once he was sure his rider was on, Angel stood up. James pressed his legs into Angel's sides, and the horse took off. James was prepared for this, of course. Tightening his grip and bending low over the powerful neck, James closed his eyes. Angel could do the directing.
Jessie stood at the fence, watching horse and rider working together, moving as one sleek, well-muscled body. The huge black stallion's long legs were a white and black blur, and the long white tail whipped out like a flag as he galloped. The thick snow-white mane engulfed James as he clung to the great stallion's neck like a burr. His own mane of glossy blue hair streamed out behind him, making it look longer than shoulder length. Which, given that peculiar flip-do his hair had, it probably was about four inches longer. As they galloped past, James sat up slightly and gently pulled Angel up. They trotted over to where Jessie stood, Angel blowing slightly. "Hey, Jess," James said. "Did you want to talk to me?"
"No, I was just watching your gallop. You two are really fast! Where did you learn to ride like that?" James chuckled and began to explain how his parents, wanting their son to grow up to be a "proper gentleman", gave him riding lessons. James had learned quickly, learning to jump( stadium and cross-country ), gallop, and perform the fine art of dressage. In essence, James was an incredible horseman. Jessie didn't even know how to put the saddle on correctly.
Suddenly James looked away. "What's wrong?" James looked Jessie straight in the eye. "Thinking about my parents reminded me of…her." he said softly.
"Who?"
James looked down, the top half of his face shaded in. "My fiancée, Jessiebelle. She's dead now, but her voice still haunts my dreams…"
Jessie felt almost sympathetic. She knew she should, but it was hard when James had just said he still dreamed about her. "How did she die?"
James turned away. "She was…She was found frozen solid. Today is the third anniversary of her death. And…And I-I…I killed her!" A single tear rolled down his cheek.
Jessie was astonished. "Why? You seem to have loved her…"
James whipped around. "I hated her! She whipped me! I just regret it, that's all. It was a total accident, anyway. She was whipping me, so I reached up and grabbed her throat…And do you know what makes it infinitely worse?" Jessie shook her head. "Today's my eighteenth birthday." Jessie's mouth fell open.
"R-really? Sweet! So, today you're a fully-fledged adult?"
James snorted. "Yeah, I guess…Hey, then now I can draw money out of my bank account!" James licked his lips. Jessie looked up at him. She marveled at how handsome he was, especially in the light of the setting sun. His emerald eyes sparkled, full of a passionate fire that Jessie had never seen before. A light breeze began to blow, ruffling his hair. That, along with the proud look on his face, made him look almost stallion-like. Yes…the proud, fierce stallion, wild, untamable, strong…And his filly, the polar opposite, yet the two a perfect pair. Just like fire and ice. Always equal, ever-opposing forces of nature. Fire melted the ice, but the ice extinguished the fire…
Jessie felt awful for not getting James something, but then, she hadn't known. Then, she got a great idea…
Climbing up on the fence, Jessie pulled herself onto Angel's back. Facing James, she cupped his chin in her hand. "Happy birthday, James…" she whispered. Pressing her lips to his, Jessie felt him jerk slightly, obviously surprised. Then, he relaxed. The feeling of his lips on hers was wonderful. As Jessie and James were enveloped in their kiss, they never noticed Angel mutter, "Kids…" Jessie felt her heart flutter. This is just one step closer to love…
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