Underneath It All.
Chapter 1; Inevitable.
Pairing; Kelly Collins / Jennifer Stone.
Rating; T.
Disclaimer; I do not own the characters or movie.
A/N; You'll read, just because girls in military uniforms is secretly everyone's pleasure. And, plus, another pleasure, enemies / one girl with muscles, yeah?
I think it was the moment when I could just look into her eyes and see her for what she really is, beautiful.
I know for a fact that when she's in a tank top, she seems like the most beautiful girl in the world, or when she has her hair brushed, straightened and down, she's absolutely gorgeous.
I also know that I'm the only person who sees this softer side of her, the side with a smile that can light up the room, or a touch so soft, it seems like heaven. That day when we won second place was the fourth biggest change in my life, it was the day when I glanced into her soul and saw it was beautiful. She instructed me, loud, clear and demanding that she needed to meet with me. I rolled my eyes, but met her in her room/office. She shut and locked the door, then leaned against it, head down.
In that dark, dingy room, I fell in love with her, but now that I think about it, it was inevitable. She finally looked up, my arm going sore from holding it at my forehead for a couple of minutes. She looked right into my eyes, hers were softer and I felt my body relax at the sight of them. "I'm sorry." She whispered. My eyes widened and without thinking, I moved closer to her, until I was just a breath away. That position so familiar, yet so different.
"For what?" I whispered back, not knowing why she, of all people were apologizing to me, after all I thought she thought she was always right.
"Your blanket." I rolled my eyes, then stepped back. I wasn't going to give her the luxury of forgiving her. It's probably what she wants, then she'll put that evil smirk back on and blackmail or hurt me somehow. I waved my hand.
"Yeah, whatever." I said icily, then saluted her and went for the doorknob. Her hand wrapped around my wrist and when I looked up into her eyes, I had to catch my breath.
"What it is about you, that's so different. I know you can tell me. You're good at stuff like that." I pulled my hand out of her wrist and crossed my arms.
"Stuff like that?" I asked her mockingly, she looked away, walking towards her desk and playing around with papers.
"Yeah, that whole-" She paused and I could see her visibly swallow. "Heartfelt… stuff." I laughed at the obvious fact she was trying to be deeper then she usually is. I sat down on her bed and put my hands in my lap.
To be honest, the moment I saw her, was the third biggest change in my life, it was the moment she entered it. The first was my parent's divorce and the second was my mom meeting Joe. I always had this strong emotion around her. I thought I hated her, but I was wrong, you can't hate someone so much, then want to compete with them, be around them and have everything they want, that's just an enemy. If you hate someone, you want absolutely nothing to do with them.
"I don't think I can actually answer that. It's something you have to find out for yourself, Jennifer." Her head popped up, but she didn't look angry that I used her name.
The moment I realized I didn't hate her, was the moment she said she was leaving. My heart stopped in that moment and I didn't want her gone, I wanted her here, with me. She looked back at her desk, tapping her fingers. I had to do a double take, because she looked nervous. She took a few steps towards me, then stopped, taking off her hat and playing with it in her fingers. I saw her visibly take a deep breath, before marching towards the bed and sitting down on it briskly. My mouth opened, when her fingers lightly touched my cheek and my breath stopped, again.
"Your different, Kelly. You have this power about you, it's…" She trailed off, her fingers falling from my face. I couldn't stop looking at her.
"Can I call you, Jen? I mean when it's just you and I. I respect your authority and you will be referred to as ma'am any place else, but Jennifer is such a beautiful name." She looked at me, her eyes meeting mine and nodded. I smiled, from ear to ear. "Alright, Jen. No offense, but you don't really know how to have fun. I haven't seen you off the school grounds since I got here. Drill team wasn't fun until I got here. If, with the respect to your authority, 'cause I see you think your authority is the best of you, I'd like to invite you to my house." I put my hand on her arm, softly, but with plenty of meaning and, just like the hug, something ran through me, like if I just try, I could get through to her.
"How about you come to my house?" I smirked, but didn't answer her, until I was at the door, turning the knob and could see her visibly nervous, again.
"Sure, Jen." Her shoulders relaxed and I opened the door. I saluted, standing up straight and kicking my heels together. "Is that all, ma'am?" She stood up, too.
"Dismissed!" She yelled back, then smiled at me and that's when it all started.
We met every weekend, at her empty house. Her mom died. She hasn't told me how, yet and her Dad is always gone. She'd always be wearing her uniform, because I'd be wearing my uniform. I didn't go to her house one Friday, went home, ate dinner with Joe and mom, then went to her house, with a bag over my shoulder. I was planning on staying. She opened the door, looking surprised to see me.
"Hey, Jen!" I put my bag near the door and waltzed in, like usual. "Do you mind if I stay?" I could see her out of the corner of my eye, as she went rigid.
"Um, yeah, sure." I turned around and crossed my arms. I haven't actually been in her room. Almost 7 at night and she was still in uniform, a white t-shirt and army pants, boots on.
"Alright!" I said excitedly, walking to the back porch, where we usually sit and talk. You wouldn't believe how much of a talker she is. Okay, well, she's not. She asks me questions and I answer them, about my life. She sits down next to me and I put my legs across her lap and lay my head down, smiling up at the stars.
"Why do you want to stay?" She asks softly, her hands dead still on my legs.
"I love talking to you. I love the way I know your listening, even if I'm in another room. The way you just keep asking questions, like my life is the most important thing. I was late today, so I need to make it up." She laughed, a little and it was music to my ears. "Actually, I want to know a little about you." She shrugged.
"What can I say? My dad's a military freak, so he's always gone. That's it." I sit up, leaning, against her, my head on her shoulder.
"So, that's why you are, too?" She jumped back, looking at me.
"What? No, I'm not a military freak. I'm nothing like him. Nothing." She looked away. "I could never be like him." I took her hand. The ice in her voice, melting my own veins.
"Jen?" She looked at me and then sighed, realizing that she just yelled.
"Can you promise me, something?" I nodded, squeezing her hand. "Right before we moved here, just last year, I was a trouble maker, smoked a couple of times, smaller drugs, stealing. I disappointed my dad, so when I tried to make it better, I just couldn't, no matter what I did, drill team, captain, he just always looked down on me. Promise me, that I can keep this a scret from him, not because he'll look down on me, but because I don't want him looking down on you." She turned to me, a breath away.
"So, you look down on everyone else, because you can't make the one person you need to make, proud." Her eyes closed.
"Yeah, I guess that's how it works." Her forehead met mine. "Until, you came along." Then her nose touched mine. "You were the one person that could soar above me. You are like an angel." Her lips met mine and my other hand grabbed her wrist, squeezing like it was my lifeline. When she pulled away, I couldn't seem to open my eyes, for fear it was a dream. She tucked hair behind my ear. "I really am sorry, for your blanket." I opened my eyes and smiled.
"Can you keep me warm, tonight?" There's that smile I love the most, the one that lights up a whole room. She stood up, pulling me with her. I walked behind her, my hand in hers. She lightly pushed a door open and flicked on a light. I knew it was her room, the moment she looked down. The first thing I saw was the picture of her and a man, both in uniform. "Your dad?" She nodded. "Am I ever going to meet him?"
She looked up, eyes full of emotion. "I don't want you to meet him. The guy I'm trying to make proud, is nothing like you. He's dirt compared to you." She looked away. I wrapped my arms around her.
It's the first time I saw her cry, silent tears. I sat with her on the bed, her arms around me, her front pushed into my back and I fell asleep. I woke the next morning to eggs and bacon and for once, her in a white tank top, with boxers.
--
Tonight she had to meet with her dad, so I went home, then came here and now I'm lounging on her bed. I heard something bang downstairs, then her pounding feet, then the door slamming open. I sat up and she sat down, her lips attacking mine. I pulled back, dazed.
"I can't stop him. I even told him how much I was in love, how I met you the beginning of last year and couldn't stop thinking about you. He doesn't understand." Her arms wrapped around me. She put her head in the crook of her neck. "But, of course I knew that. We're still leaving." My heart dropped into my stomach. I totally forgot, up until now. I hazily stroked her back, my mind going blank.
"I love you." She shot up, looking straight into my eyes. My hands were unbuttoning her military jacket and I slid it off, slinging it across the room. I climbed around her, untucking her legs and unlacing her boots. I threw one of them with the jacket, then stood up, looked at the other and angrily threw it at the wall. "When?" I asked, softly. I felt her hand grab the end of my shirt and she tugged, pulling me into her lap. I wrapped my arms around her waist and just cradled into her, her arms holding me tight. I buried my face in her neck. She put her cheek on the side of my head.
"I love you, too." We sat like that for a good hour, before I heard her sigh, so I moved my head, to look up at her. I smiled, because she was smiling back. You wouldn't think so, but she was a pretty fun girl. She could joke and she absolutely loved to dance. Did you know she actually hated Brad? He was jerk and all he cared about was the drill team. I know for a fact he only liked me, because I was a big help to his real love for the drill team. "So, you came here and you were different and the moment I saw you, I knew that. I knew you could endanger what I had going, that strong girl, which every body fears. You could possibly get to the weaker side of me." I laughed and she stopped.
"It's not weaker side of you, it's the more beautiful side of you." I poked her nose. "I already knew that. I have you figured out, remember?" She laughed. I moved from her lap. "Jen, I could ask my parents-" I held put my fingers to her lips. "Just here me out, please?" She nodded, so I moved my fingers. "I know, for a fact, my dad's not going to care. My mom might not like it, but she'll deal with it. The only problem is Joe, but he love's my mom so much and he cares for me, he'll let it slip. He won't say a word, 'cause he doesn't want to jeopardize his own job, which means you'll keep yours. You can still sleep where you always do. A new family will occupy this house, when your dad leaves, so on weekends, you'll have to stay with us, but you'll like it. I promise." She oddly smiled and then leaned in, putting her hands on either side of my face, kissing me slowly and passionately.
"Actually, babe. I was going to say, that I don't care if I stay with you, because I'll be with you. I was going to ask if you were ready, after all, you're the one with the loving family." I had to find my head first, before I tackled her with a hug, making us fall backwards.
"Yay! Yay! Yay!" She was laughing with me. "I don't know what I would do if you left." She kissed the top of my head.
"Oh, you lived once without me, I'm sure you could do it, again." I looked into her eyes.
"Yeah, but that was before I met you."