This story was inspired by a great one shot called Chasing Away Storm Clouds by PuffingNoise. Please visit all of her stories after this...
"So, he was just sitting there on this empty bucket, watching people walk by with sad eyes." Jess flopped down on the stool in the kitchen, and propped her elbows on the island.
Nick leaned against the counter, sipping a beer. Did he have a box in front of him for money?"
"No Nick, I'm telling you, he's sad, like he's lost." She rested her cheek against her palm and sighed. Nick tried not to roll his eyes. Here we go again, he thought. Jessica Day caring for the world.
A part of him knew he should just agree with her that this was somehow a tragedy, but Nick found himself saying, "Jess, you're telling me that there is a guy dressed like a clown, sitting on the corner and you're…what? Worried about him?"
Nodding, she glanced up to see his incredulous look. "Well, something just doesn't seem right. He looks like he doesn't even want to talk to anyone."
"You mean because you tried to talk to him, am I right?" Before he even asked, Nick knew the answer. There is no way Jessica Day could resist a sad clown. Images of Jess trying to cheer the stranger up swamped his head. He saw her sitting there with him, dancing to cheer him, buying him an ice cream, even trying to mime something.
Who the hell just sits around wearing a clown costume? Nick thought, his protective instincts kicking into high gear. Now different images filled his head – those of horror movies where guys dressed as clowns lure gullible, beautiful women into vans. Did I just think Jess was beautiful?
She sighed. "I did talk to him. I gave him a hug and he made a little noise like he was crying." She bit her lip, and Nick reminded himself to count to 10. It was a trick Tran taught him to calm down when he wanted to scream at people for being idiots. Well, at least he thought that's what Tran was saying, or meaning when he smiled.
As nicely as he could muster, Nick said slowly, "Once again Jess, he probably whimpered because he just got a hot chick to fall for his dirty clown bit he's been doing all over town."
Okay, so I just called her hot, he thought. Maybe she won't notice.
Jess looked over at him and raised one eyebrow with a sideways smirk as well. "Nick, did you just call me a hot chick?"
The heat raced to Nick's face, and he tried to frown away his blush. He laughed quickly. "To a clown, yeah, I'd say you're hot." Smiling, she took a step toward him and watched as his eyes grew in size. "What are you doing?" he stammered.
"I was just seeing what effect I have on clowns," she said with a wink.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Oh funny, you're hilarious," he tried to scowl, but watching her laugh quickly eased his lips into a reluctant smile.
Jess reached over and squeezed his nose, "Honk! Honk," she giggled.
Laughing, he grabbed her hand from his nose and held it down by her sides. He held her there, her hand trapped in his, for just a moment, a moment too long. Jess took a deep breath and looked up at those big brown eyes. The moment his eyes locked with hers, he quickly let go, as if her hand was a hot coal.
"Nick, just come with me," she said softly, surprised at how flirtatious the words sounded. He stared at her for a moment. "to see the clown," she added quickly before she was blushing as well.
Now his scowl made a real appearance. "Fine, but we are not, under any circumstances, bringing a clown home. He's not a kitten, you understand me?"
She smiled. Nodded and grabbed her purse and they headed out the door.
Jess saw the clown still sitting on the corner, noting he still had not moved. Without telling Nick, she had packed the guy a couple of cookies she had baked that morning as well as a bottle of water.
"Jess, what's your plan when you get there?" he whispered to her.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I just wish I knew why he was sitting there."
Nick bit back a sigh. This moment was so Jess. She was always doing extra things for her students at school, stealing their extra blankets in the loft for the homeless, feeding stray cats. How in the hell does she drag me along on these things? he thought. Nick found all her kindness was sweet as hell, until he was cold at night and realized she had taken one of his blankets away.
Looking at the guy Nick now thought of as Sad Clown, he noted the costume was a good one – more Cirque de Soleil than Barnum & Bailey. The guy was younger than Nick thought at first and his eyes looked surprisingly normal. It didn't slide by him though that his shirts and his pants were velcroed and he had a boom box with him.
"Hi" said Jess, softly. "Remember me?"
Nick rolled his eyes. How the clown could forget Jess in her hot pink dress carrying a bag with polka dots on it? She looked like a side character in a Scooby Doo cartoon.
Jess took out her bag of cookies and water and handed it to the sad man with smeared make-up under his eyes. Her caring smile said she hoped he would take it and feel better.
Reaching up with a somewhat scared look in his eyes, he stood up and took the cookies and water, nodding at her appreciatively.
Nick thought he was about 18.
The clown's phone began ringing in his jacket pocket and he grabbed it quickly answering "Hello, yeah, I told you, I'm sitting on the corner right now, ok, see you soon."
"What, you speak?" Jess sounded almost angry.
Behind them a small sporty car stopped and the clown nodded to the driver. Jess and Nick turned to watch him get in and noticed the driver wearing avatars with slicked back black hair. He pulled them down and looked over at Jess.
"Ms. Day, is that you?"
Jess leaned over trying to figure out who was talking to her.
"Tarry? Is that Tarry Pritchard?"
"Yeah, Ms. Day, it's me."
Jess walked over to the car, touching the side of it whistling at how fancy it was. "Wow, Tarry, you're doing well for yourself."
"Thanks Ms. Day, Ben and I have our own business now. It's doing really well."
"Ben?" Jess' features lighted up. "Oh my god, it's you Ben! I didn't even recognize you with the costume on."
"Ms. Day, I thought that was why you were talking to me." He looked down. "I know you hopes I would go become a doctor. I was just embarrassed with this thing on." The kid said in between bites of his cookie.
Jess patted his shoulder, accidentally flattening one of his wide collars. "Oh Ben, I think it's great you guys are in business together!" She nodded in approval. A horn hocked behind them. "Oh! We need to get you guys going. You boys take care now, ok?"
In unison they answered back "Yes Ms. Day" as if they were still in class. She waved at them as they drove off in their fancy red car.
"Nick, did you see that?"
"I did, Jess," he said chuckling under his breath.
"Isn't that great? They are bringing joy to little ones," she said with a sigh.
"Yea, joy," Nick said, his eyes sparking. At her look, he sighed. "Jess, your boy Ben there, he's a stripper. He had a job over here and he got his friend to pick him up. Or maybe his pimp, I'm not sure but he is definitely a stripper."
She gave him a light slap on the arm. "Oh Nick, he is not a stripper, he's a clown, I mean…He was just…Wait, I mean he was dressed...as...a...clown."
"Yeah Jess, he was just a guy dressed like a clown sitting on a street corner, looking sad. A clown with a velcro costume and a boom box."
Her eyes grew large. "What? Why would he do that? And why was he so sad?"
Nick rolled his eyes at her absolutely blown away anyone could be that naive and that cute. He reached over again and put his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear "I don't know, Jess, Why would anyone order a clown stripper?"
Her nose scrunched at the thought. "I don't know. There are a lot of odd people out there, Miller. Think of Schmidt." Nick nodded. She sighed. "Well, at least he's bringing joy to someone."
Seeing her disappointed face, Nick sighed. Jessica Day fails to save the world, it's Nick Miller to the rescue. "Soooooo," he said with a slow smile. "Do you wanna get some ice cream little girl?" he asked.
She looked up at him, then matched his smile. "Why sir, I'm not supposed to go anywhere with strangers!"
He took a deep breath as he caught her in a sideways glance. The sun danced on her hair, her mouth in that permanent smile. She was silly and made no sense to him, and yet somehow, she fit him like a glove.
"I am pretty sure we are not strangers," he said knowingly.
"Yeah, you're right," she slipped her arm into his. "You're right."
This story was fully, like hard core, edited by my good friend RayKay72. Anything cute, funny, sweet or interesting belongs to her. The stripper and clown belong to me, yeah, so basically the creepy bits are mine.