(a/n: I know Jay is supposed to actually be, 13 per say, but in this story, his age will be 16 to suit the character and his emotions better to understand…anyway, on with the story!)
1: Half-Asleep
'Do you ever leave that window?'
At the sound of his voice, Pippa Vardon smiled, shaking her head. The all year round summer breeze drifted into the apartment, rustling the curtains and the papers on the table. Dogtown was in front of her, looking as best it could at night, glowing shots of gold appearing in the windows of similar apartments and houses across the streets. Above it, the sky was a wonderful midnight blue, the silver stars that lined it finally appearing for the night.
'Yes you do.' He laughed, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms out around her waist and setting his chin on her shoulder, something he usually did. 'You were at Stacy's work today with me and Sid, you came to the Pier, then to the pool-'
'Jay, I was kidding' Pippa sighed and her best friend, Jay Adams, rolled his eyes, making his way towards the couch and sprawling down on it. 'It's midnight, Jayboy.'
'I couldn't sleep.' Jay said and she turned around to find him nursing a pillow under his head, his sandy blonde hair covering his face in strings. 'Mom has some friends over…and they pulled out the alcohol.'
'I'm surprised you didn't join them.' She smiled and he looked up at her, a straight and dazed face pulled on. 'Jay…'
'Hmm?'
'Are you going to fall asleep on my couch again?' Pippa made her way over to him, climbing on the couch and sitting on his legs. For the 13 years of her life she'd known Jay, he'd been the biggest flirt, the wildest partier, the most talented surfer and skater, and her first call. After moving into the apartment with her divorced mother, Amy, at age 2, all she could remember from then on was Jay and his mom, Philane, who had babysat her whenever her mom was working.
'Maybe.' He mumbled and she rolled her eyes, rocking back and forth on his legs to annoy him.
'Mum will be home soon.' The clock above the small T.V sitting in the corner read 12:36 and her mom's shift at Lou's Diner ended around 1 o'clock in the morning…her late nights were a usual and the now fifteen year old girl was perfectly capable of taking care of her self until then.
'Hmm,' Jay said seductively, sitting up and grabbing her legs. She shrieked with laughter and he crawled on top of her, gazing into her gray eyes. 'That doesn't give us a lot of time then…'
Pippa rolled her eyes, blowing a strand of her sun-kissed hair out of her face. She knew Jay well enough to know he was only kidding around with her, like he did with most other girls.
'Cut it out, Adams.' Pippa sighed and Jay seemingly obeyed, rolling onto the couch behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist as he laughed. A silence overtook their space and the midnight sleepiness that was usually already around seemed to hang in the air.
'She took out the pot too.' Jay whispered suddenly and Pippa winced, thinking of his mom when she was high. Out of all the people she knew to get their share of bad nights, it was Jay when his mom was stalking around the house, giggling because the clock switched numbers. She rubbed her hand along the face of his, not needing to look backwards to comfort him.
'No wonder you left.' Pippa yawned and Jay lifted his head to the crook of her neck, resting his chin there. 'You're staying here the night then?'
'If I'm allowed.' She clucked her tongue at this, moving to get up. Did he really think that after 13 years together she would turn him down on this one night? 'I'll take the clicking of the tongue as a yes.' Pippa smiled, breaking from his arms to get him a blanket lounging on the armchair.
'You know me too well.' Fanning out the blanket, she set the blue sheet of cotton over him, making sure he had a pillow under his head before yawning. 'Mom will go straight to bed when she gets home, so don't bother waiting up.'
'And you were?' Jay asked, his deep blue eyes observing her in a question. Pippa shrugged, making her way to the narrow hallway off of the open living room.
'Couldn't sleep…night Jayboy." She waved and he inclined his head towards her, watching Pippa open the first door.
'Night Pip.'
……
The night was silent as Pippa pulled back the sheets of her bed, climbing in and lying down immediately on her pillow. Having being used to late nights of waiting for her mother to arrive home, she fought off and thoughts flooding to her mind and set her head against the pillow, praying to fall asleep quickly. After a few moments of pondering whether or not she should have left her mom a note that Jay was staying the night, she finally felt herself nodding to sleep when…
'Ah!' Pippa screamed, scrambling to the edge of her bed and sitting up. Something had just touched her leg and scared her to death, still she was not surprised to see Jay's impish face grinning back at her. 'Jay!'
'That would be me.' He laughed and she kicked him in his stomach, climbing back into her covers and turning on her side. 'Pippa…' She smiled mischievously, knowing only too well that he hated being ignored. 'You're breaking my heart girl.'
'Shut your mouth.' Pippa groaned and Jay shrugged, climbing beside her. 'What are you doing?'
'Sleeping.' He yawned, as if it was the most obvious and amusing thing in the world. Pippa frowned and turned to face him, her face stern and cranky. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep…yet Jay being who he was neglected that fact and still bothered her.
'Jay…you can't stay in here.'
'Why not?' She tried her hardest to glare at him, but his deep and puppy dog eyes stared right back at her.
'Because…you're a boy. And I'm a girl. Do you know the impression my mother will get when she walks in?' Jay rolled his eyes, lying down on his back. Pippa did the same, turning to look at him.
'We're best friends, Pip. To think she would make anything of this would be appalling.' His smirk was apparent as he sat up, staring down at her and she saw right through what he meant by it. 'But then again, it would save her and my mother all that time trying to hook us up, now wouldn't it?'
'Jay Adams!' She shrieked and he laughed, looking down at her.
'You know I was only kidding, Pip.' Pippa giggled, but the sudden seriousness that covered Jay's face hit her deep. 'Your eyes are beautiful.'
'Okay…now you really can't stay in here.' She tried to lighten the mood by cracking a joke, and for a moment she thought Jay hadn't heard her. But none the less, he jumped off her bed in an instant and responded as if nothing had happened.
'Fine, I'll leave. Goodnight.' He said stiffly as he walked out of the room, leaving Pippa completely confused.
……
The smell of warm pancakes woke Jay up, him eyes groggily opening as he rubbed them. Amy must be making pancakes. By instinct, he pushed the blanked off of him and blinked a few times until his eyes adjusted to the morning light. Someone had pulled the blinds back, allowing the sunlight to shine through the window and right into his eyes. Perfect day for skating.
'That smells delicious, Amy.' He mumbled and he heard a giggle escape from the direction of the kitchen. Shit…
'Last I remember, my name was Pippa and my mother's name was Amy.' Pippa's laugh floated to his ears and he felt the familiar feeling arise in his stomach. A feeling of nervousness and sudden worry about how he looked having just woken up filled him and Jay ran his fingers through his hair quickly. 'Pancakes Jay?'
'Of course.' He sighed, getting up off the couch. His plain white t-shirt lay in a pile with his tangled blanket and knowing the struggle set before him, he decided against putting it back on. Pippa had seen him shirtless before…several times, in fact. It wasn't a big deal. Then why are you blushing, Jay?
'Syrup?'
'Huh?'
'Syrup? On the pancakes?' Jay nodded wordlessly as he walked slowly towards the kitchen, taking his time to observe his best friend. Pippa was standing over the oven, long hair tied back in a anything-but-neat bun, spatula in one hand and a plate in the other. She seemed to be perfectly content with baking pancakes, but then again, Pippa was completely content doing anything.
'How long have you been up for?' He asked as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and setting his chin on her shoulder. She smelt like cinnamon and honey…his most favorite smell in the world.
'A while.' Pippa responded timidly, putting his plate full of pancakes down on the counter beside her. The Vardon's kitchen was small and dull looking, but more welcoming to Jay than his whole apartment was. 'Mom had a new morning job, so I got up to make her breakfast.'
'How kind of you, Pip.' He teased and she patted his right hand, gesturing towards the plate of pancakes with her spatula. 'Are those for me?'
'No, I'm sending you home hungry. Of course they're for you.' Without thinking, Jay kissed her cheek gently three times before letting Pippa go and taking his plate of pancakes. A lingering silence flowed through the air and Jay felt slightly stiff as he sat down at the steel-legged table. Why couldn't I have stopped myself one damn time?
……
'Dude! That was so gnarly!' Pippa laughed at Sid's exclamation as Wentzel Ruml crashed down on the cold sand beside them. She and Jay had quickly eaten and gotten to the P.O.P as quickly as walking could take them. Now she sat on the beach, watching the guys surf in what most people would call "the door to suicide". 'Man, you've got to teach me how to do that.'
'In time, bro.' Wentzel nodded, grinning recklessly at Pippa. 'Hey beautiful.'
'Hey Wentz.' Pippa said, her tone sarcastic but her cheeks glowing pink profusely. 'Sid's right, man. You were rockin' today.' Sid glowed with pride at being recognized, but Wentzel just shrugged it off.
'It was nothing. Just some stuff I've been working on lately an all.' He sighed and Sid jumped up, scrambling to get his wetsuit on.
'Wenztel, can I use your board man?' Sid asked eagerly and Pippa already knew the answer. No…
'Sure man. Just watch the waves, alright? Biniak smashed his board already and you know the degree of the debris.' Jay's blonde head bobbed up and down in the deep blue waters, but Pippa's attention had been snapped away from that. She stopped herself just in time from blurting out 'What!' and instead watched Sid running down to the water with Wentzel's surf board in tow.
'What was that all about?' She finally asked and Wentzel laughed, propping back onto his elbows. Pippa didn't know exactly what it was, but there was something different about Wentzel. And she wanted to know what it was. 'Wentz…you never lend out your board.'
'Change of heart, I suppose.' He shrugged. 'Sid doesn't have a board, anyway. Smashed his up a while back.' Tugging at the bottom of her worn, plaid shirt, Pippa leaned back and lay on the sand. What she would give to be surfing…but that possibility had been ruined when she'd fallen on her ankle only a few weeks back riding down Bicknell Hill. Jay had been yelling something or another and she'd tripped herself, landing hard on the pavement. 'What are ya thinking about Pip?'
'My ankle. Surfing. Your change of attitude.' Jay's change of attitude. She turned to see Wentzel staring at her and she grinned broadly.
'Do you like it?' Pippa raised her eyebrows, reaching forward and toying with a piece of his sun-dried blonde hair. 'My attitude I mean.'
'It's not much different man. You've always been a sweetie.' Pippa giggled, knowing the term would kill him. Wentzel gasped in mock horror, falling onto the sand beside her. 'But a Dogtown sweetie.'
'Thanks…that makes it so much better, Pip.' He said, rolling his eyes. The waves crashed against the aging ruins and Pippa stood up, eyeing the black, jagged pieces of wood that stuck out of the angry sea.
'Come up to the landing with me.' She asked and Wentzel jumped up immediately, an odd twinkle in his eye. He smiled, grabbing her hand and beginning to run.
'Let's go dolly.'