Disclaimer: All characters, events, and material related to The Guardians of Childhood and Rise of the Guardians are owned by William Joyce and DreamWorks Animation. Cover Art by Jake Nickleby. Currently looking for colored commissions.
Warning: This chapter contains mild language, mentions of sex, representation of both heterosexual and homosexual pairings, and description of masturbation, various styles of kissing, cunnilingus, and fingering between members of the opposite sex. Please reconsider reading this chapter if you are sensitive to these types of content. You may also skip over sections indicated by the line breaks.
Chapter One: Just Another School Day
Burgess High was in a frenzy. With the fall semester midterms coming up in two weeks, every single student was pretty wound up. Especially the junior and senior class, who were either prepping for their SATs or sending in their college applications. A lot of the midterms planned for the year were projects and essays instead of tests and interviews, so the majority of the student body were already freaking out over the assignments they were given that week. By the end of the school week, everyone was needing a breather. It gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Thank goodness it's Friday."
Jamie Bennett was certain that he was not exempt from that stressed population, but he was doing his best to keep his nerves in check. While he didn't overkill himself by signing up for AP courses, the classes he was taking were considered the more challenging subjects at school. He did, in fact, liked his schedule for eleventh grade, but because he maintained a really good GPA, a lot of people held high expectations for him. The frustration was slowly starting to get to him.
It was midday, and the students were in transit from lunch to six period. Jamie and his friends were crowded by their lockers, trading out supplies from their backpacks for their next set of classes. Well, he was with Monty and Caleb. Claude came strolling by five minutes ago, whistling smugly. He made himself scarce for nearly the entire day, and now he just showed up as if he had been with them the whole time.
"You're in a good mood today," Jamie muttered to Claude as he busied himself with his locker combination.
"Yeah, because somebody got some last night," Caleb tittered, elbowing his twin brother in the ribs. Jamie only rolled his eyes at this, saying nothing in response in hopes that the conversation would die right then and there... but then gullible Monty had to open his big mouth.
"With who?" Monty asked curiously.
"Not telling..." Claude muttered slyly, a mischievous grin forming on his lips.
"Is it Olivia, from Home Ec?" Monty guessed.
"Uh, uh," Claude rejected, shaking his head for emphasis.
"Dominique?" Monty speculated.
"Negative," Claude declined.
"Hah! I bet it was Cupcake!" Caleb joked, impressed with himself for his own wisecrack.
"Dude, no!" Claude grimaced. "She's husky! So not my type..."
"What do you think it would be like to have sex with her?" Caleb wondered jokingly.
"I bet she's a tiger in bed..." Claude speculated. He growled lustfully, clawing at the air like a wildcat. His twin laughed at the obscene joke.
"Ugh..." Jamie murmured, rolling his eyes at his friends' immature nature.
"Of course she would, with all that meat on her!" Caleb exclaimed, making obscene gestures with his hands.
"Come on, guys, knock it off..." Jamie rebuked, but no one seemed to be listening to him. Well, Monty was, but he wasn't the one who needed to hear him.
"She probably wouldn't let you dominate," Claude theorized.
"Seriously, guys?" Jamie complained. "We've known her since kindergarten!" It was just too weird to think of her that way.
"All right, all right..." Claude complied. "Let's drop the subject, for the sake of Cupcake's little knight in shining armor here." He ruffled his hand forcibly through Jamie's hair, much to the brunette's disapproval.
Jamie huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Why was he always the one that his friends picked on? Monty was, in all honesty, more of a wimp than he was. Sure, he was engaged in the twins' crude conversation, but he was still pretty ignorant. The blonde never understood any sexual joke that was directed towards him, so they gave up. It wasn't fun for them if he didn't get all riled up. Not like Jamie did, and that's what his two friends found so fun.
Monty was made out to be the innocent member of the group, but that was only half of the reason why Claude and Caleb never teased him about his lack of knowledge on sex. The other half was a taboo subject to all of them, having sworn to each other that none of them would speak of it until they graduated high school, or at least when Monty was ready to talk about it again.
While Monty was naïve to his friends' claims of sexual pursuits, he was actually the first out of the four to have lost his virginity. Back when they were fourteen and fresh-faced freshmen, Monty developed a heavy crush on a well-built senior. For their first date, they went to one of the football games, and afterwards, Monty was driven back to his empty house, where the man of his dreams made love to him that night. The following weekday morning, Monty was dumped right outside the school entrance before home period even started.
Jamie glanced sadly at the shorter male. He felt so badly for Monty. The blonde was so heartbroken that he didn't go to school for an entire week. Neither did he eat or sleep; he only laid in his bed pathetically. It took all three of them to coax him out of his depression, promising him that his life would get better. Monty felt like he had nothing else to live for.
They were worried that the boy would take a turn for the worse, especially when they weren't around to watch him. Though Monty had an overprotective mother, she didn't seem too concern about leaving him on his own for three weeks. His parents were on vacation, celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. That was the reason why the house had been empty when Monty invited the senior over.
The following week, Monty came back to school, still clearly heartbroken, but at least he was willing to move on. He ate, and slept, and did his homework, but he never found his smile for months afterwards. His brain would shut down if anyone mentioned the name of the high school graduate, but after two years, he was finally starting to recover. Slowly, he regained his smile, and even now, willingly flashed it every now and then to the cute guy he sat next to in his physics class.
Jamie didn't get a chance to ponder on the matter any further. The focus was back on him.
"Jeez, Jamie, you're so up tight!" Claude remarked. "When was the last time you got laid?"
"I haven't..." Jamie muttered.
"What?" Claude asked, cupping his ear to hear better.
"I said I haven't," he said more forcibly.
"Oh-ho, man!" Claude hollered. "You mean... you've never had sex? How did I not know this?"
Jamie bit down on his tongue firmly, trying to prevent himself from snapping back. That's exactly what Claude wanted to see, to get on his nerves. He felt his eyes turn onto Claude, losing his own battle. "Because unlike you, I don't go around telling everybody about my sex life," he criticized.
"... Or lack thereof," Caleb muttered to Monty. Jamie shot him a look.
"Come on, dude, what's taking so long? How long are you going to wait?" Claude asked in between wheezes, his hands shakily placed on his knees in order to keep himself standing.
"I bet he'll still be a virgin by winter formal..." Caleb commented.
"Winter formal, man? C'mon, he'll still be looking for a good lay until prom," Claude judged.
"Wait, are we talkin' about junior or senior prom?" Caleb questioned in a joking manner.
"Who says Jamie will still be a virgin by graduation?" Claude, speaking a little too loudly for his own good. He drew in a crowd of a couple of sophomore boys who had overheard the proclamation.
"That's seventeen months away!" Monty pointed out.
"Look who's counting..." Caleb mocked.
"Oh! Guys! I've got a new challenge!" said one of the newcomers exuberantly, waving his pale, lanky arms around to get everyone's attention. "Who bets that Jamie won't give it up before Monday?"
"Guys, cut it out!" Monty defended.
"Too easy..." Claude answered casually, ignoring Monty's plea. "How much?"
"I've got..." Caleb dug into his jacket's pocket. "Five bucks on me. You?"
"Ten," Claude answered, counting the money in his wallet. "Make that fifteen."
"Twenty-five!" one of the sophomore boys exclaimed, handing over a collection of dollar bills that he and the lanky boy put together.
"Monty, you joining in?" Caleb asked the timid blonde.
"No!" Monty reprimanded.
"Throwin' in another five!" Caleb called out.
"All right," Claude declared. "If Jamie gets lucky this weekend, then we'll chip in the fifty bucks for him." He waved the money around in the air. "But if Jamie's still a virgin by Monday, then we'll split the profit." He turned his head slightly towards the blonde freaking out to the side. "You sure you don't want to join in, Monty?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Monty said stubbornly. "Will you guys just please stop ragging on him!"
No one except for Jamie listened to Monty's plea. He gave the blonde a sympathetic look, a silent "thank you" for sticking up for him, even though it was a lost cause. Sadly, it wasn't enough for Jamie to shake off the bad mood he was already in.
"We got a deal, Jamie?" Claude asked with a sly smile.
"I'm not agreeing to this..." Jamie declared, feeling his jaw tightening a bit as he began to walk away from the group.
The warning bell rang, much to Jamie's gratitude as he sped to his six period. He had to get his friends out of his hair for a while. Unfortunately, the junior was faced with another dilemma. His next class was favorite- and usually he looked forward to it- but he shared the class with the girl his peers were making impure remarks about.
Cupcake had many amusing, thought-provoking ideas to contribute to the lectures, and his best work on collaborative projects were whenever he was partnered with her. After what his buddies told him, he just hoped that it wouldn't be weird being around her.
Cupcake was already there when he walked into class, hunched over her desk with a bunch of forms and documents scattering the surface. The black ball point pen she held in her hand scratched frantically on dotted lines and bolded boxes. Being completely engrossed with the process of filling out paperwork, Cupcake didn't even notice Jamie once he sat in the seat beside her.
"Morning, young lady," Jamie greeted playfully. That was a sure way to catch her attention, or so he thought.
Cupcake barely looked up from her work area. "Oh," she said tonelessly. "Hey, Jamie..."
Jamie leaned over the side of his desk, catching a glimpse of the dozen papers scattered over Cupcake's work surface. "College applications?" he asked.
"Yeah..." she answered distractedly. "Due in November, but the sooner I get it done, the better."
He watched her, amused at the little scowl she usually made when she was concentrating. A soft, unconscious smile formed on his lips, before he asked, "You've decided where you're going to go yet?"
"I've applied to a few places, but..." she trailed, staring intensely at the paperwork in front of her. Jamie waited patiently for her to speak again. "I think they're looking for someone different, and I don't know if I can afford anything else without a scholarship. I might end up needing to go to UoB."
Jamie nodded understandingly. It was the perk of living in a college town. A good handful of children growing up in Burgess attended the university, despite how many of them wished to get away from the small area in hopes to experience something new and exciting.
"Ugh..." Cupcake groaned, slouching in her chair. "I wish I hadn't quit dancing. I could've put it on the application..."
"Why can't you put it on the application?" Jamie asked. The college would surely still recognize her accomplishments, no matter when she stopped pursuing her athletics.
Cupcake frowned. "No-one's going to want to accept a frumpy dropout."
Now that statement made Jamie frown, but he couldn't ask her anything else about it. Their teacher was calling the class to order.
"Attention, class!"
Everyone settled in their seats, silently waiting for instructions.
"I need to explain to you about your mid-term project," the teacher announced. "It will be due in two weeks from next Monday." Secretly, all of the students mentally groaned. This thesis project was going to make up a quarter of their semester grade. Green-colored sheets of paper listing the project's requirements were passed to each student. Jamie glanced at the calendar on the board. Two weeks and a weekend to work on the project.
"You will be writing a short story with another individual on a thesis based on a literacy source we've read in class." The most recent book they read was held up as a prop. The other titles were written on the board. Hands were raised, questions were answered. "You may choose your partners this time," their teacher announced. Then she allowed the class to find partners and begin the planning stages of their project.
Jamie turned to Cupcake. "Wanna partner up?" he asked.
"Sure," Cupcake agreed.
As they brainstormed and mapped out all of the major themes in each literary source, completing all the written notes they needed to start their assignment, their teacher called time. Class was ending. All students packed up their belongings. Jamie finished packing first, then watched Cupcake attempt to shove every bit of her college applications into her binder, then subsequently, her book bag.
"Do you have plans this weekend?" the junior male asked, holding his arm out as a silent approach to help her carry something of hers, but she waved him off politely.
"I should probably get these forms done," Cupcake answered before shoving the papers away from her, and burying her face with her hands. "But I really don't think I can stand to look at one more of these documents..."
"You want to come over to my place to work on this?" Jamie offered, holding up the green sheet.
"Yeah, I think I could do that," Cupcake approved. "But I've got to help my mom with a few things first. Is four-thirty too late for you?"
"No, four-thirty is great!" Jamie accepted, perhaps a little too eagerly. Relief washed over Jamie, as he became conscious of the fact that his relationship with Cupcake remained unaffected by his friends' crude comments.
After the last dismissal bell rang, the two of them parted ways for the day. Jamie was almost reluctant to leave her side, but he let it go. Many of the underclassmen still had another period, but for most of the juniors and seniors, school was done for the day.
Jamie dropped by his locker, meeting up with Claude along the way. Considering how well his last class went, he momentarily forgiven his friend for their earlier exchange, and conversed with him as they normally did. It seemed like today could end better, after all.
Claude leaned against his closed locker. "You comin' over tomorrow?" he asked casually. Oh, Jamie thought. He couldn't believe he forgot. The four of them usually met up at the twins' house and hung out on the weekends if they didn't have anything else to do.
"Can't," Jamie declined, swinging his own locker door open. "I'm working on a project for my creative writing class."
"Just bring your work over, man!" Claude nudged.
"Yeah, with you guys around? I'll never get anything done," Jamie stated, then added, "No offense."
"None taken," Claude accepted.
"Besides, I've got a study partner coming over," Jamie added, pulling his skateboard out of his locker.
A mischievous smile crept on Claude's face. "Oh, right, your 'study partner'..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jamie asked defensively, raising an eyebrow in skepticism. Claude was always up to no good when he had that look.
"Oh, nothing," Claude answered. Then he seemingly changed the topic, "Hey, isn't this the weekend your mom and sister are going out of town?"
"Yeah, to see my grandma," Jamie confirmed. His expression softened a bit, but he still looked just as confused. Why would Claude be interested in that?
"Kind of convenient, don't you think?" Claude nudged.
"What do you mean?" Jamie still couldn't get clarity on what Claude was trying to hint.
"That you're going to be in your house alone with Cupcake?" Claude continued prodding.
"I didn't tell you that Cupcake was coming over," Jamie said expressionlessly, not realizing that he most likely just blew his cover by inadvertently admitting that the girl in question was the supposed study partner.
"When the phrases 'creative writing' and 'study partner' are paired together, it's really your secret code for Cupcake," Claude explained, a satisfied grin settling in. "And we've cracked it."
"What- No, it's not," Jamie denied, too confused to wrap his head around what just happened.
"You say it because you don't want us to mess with you," Claude analyzed. "But the fact is, we all know."
"What?" Jamie asked, unsure of his friend. "Know what?"
"James-man, it's pretty obvious you've got it bad for this girl," Claude sincerely pointed out. "And we would've been shocked if we didn't know how far she's come since the third grade."
Jamie sighed. He never outright told any of his friends of his feelings for Cupcake. Was he really that obvious?
"Here," Claude said casually, pulling a small box out of his jacket pocket. "Just take the rest of these." He tossed the box to Jamie. "You can thank me later..."
Jamie caught the box against his chest, then picked it up to get a better read of the printed text. He frowned at the realization of the box's contents, then held it by flap with only his thumb and the side of his index finger. "I'm not going to use these," Jamie stated, unamused.
"Better safe than sorry!" Claude shouted, cupping his hands to amplify his voice.
"You'll see," Jamie said pointedly. "Nothing's going to change. Come next week, it'll be just another Monday!"
Jamie turned around, and briskly walked down the halls as he heard Claude's laughter echo down the corridor. The sixteen-year-old exited the building, dropping his skateboard to the ground. Jamie had one foot on his board when he saw someone familiar sitting on the curb up ahead. He kicked himself off the ground, pushing himself on the board towards the person. The back of his skateboard scraped painfully on the sidewalk as he came to a halt. Cupcake practically clutched her chest.
"Jamie!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.
"Sorry, did I startle you?" he apologized.
"It's fine," Cupcake assured, calming her nerves. She noticed his skateboard. "Headed home?"
He nodded. "Yeah, you?"
"Just waiting for my mom to pick me up," she answered, uninterested.
Jamie stepped off his skateboard and sat down on the curb next to Cupcake. He looked at her, but she was looking somewhere else. She wasn't even paying attention to him anymore.
"Hey..." he started. His eyebrows curved up with friendly concern. "What's wrong?"
She was quiet for a while, staring out to some unseen distance. There was a distraught look settled behind her eyes. She parted her lips and breathed in deeply.
"Do you think I'll forget them?" Cupcake asked, worry eating away at her mind. "That they'll forget me?"
"Who, Cupcake?" he asked curiously.
"The Guardians..." she answered quietly.
Jamie watched her curiously. He hadn't heard anyone talk about the Guardians for a long time. He assumed that all of his friends had already forgotten about their extraordinary experience after Easter six years ago.
"I know Jack won't," Jamie affirmed. "He even asked about you the last time I saw him."
Cupcake scrunched her face up in objection. "Really? What for?"
"Just checking in on his first believers," Jamie replied casually.
"But most of them already forgot about him..." Cupcake pointed out disappointedly. "And it won't be long before I forget too..."
Jamie became curious. "Why do you think that?"
"I'm going to be eighteen in November..." Cupcake claimed. "Then by next year, I'll be in college..." she continued. "Then after that..." Cupcake got really quiet. For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence between them, save for the wind rustling through the trees across the street.
"Sometimes I try to forget," she confessed. "So that growing up won't hurt as much."
Jamie stared at her carefully, worry slowly gnawing at him. He thought of his next question carefully before asking it out loud. "So why haven't you forgotten yet?"
"Because whenever I see you, I can't!" Cupcake lamented. The distress on her face took Jamie by surprise, eyes widening for a moment. His lips parted slightly to say something back, but then closed his mouth immediately. Cupcake looked away from him. "Sorry..." she muttered. "Forget I said anything..."
"Wait, but Cupcake-" he started, not noticing the car pulling up to the curb.
"That's my ride," Cupcake cut him off, standing up abruptly. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Jamie acknowledged, slightly dejected. "See you tomorrow..."
He watched her running over to her mother's car, and hastily pull open the door on the passenger side. Before Jamie could even blink or take a breath, the car drove off down the street.
"Because whenever I see you, I can't..." he repeated her words to himself. What did she mean, him? Why him?
Jamie continued his way back home, skating along the concrete path. He didn't pay much attention to his surroundings, putting his brain on auto-pilot as his skateboard carried him home. Soon, he was walking through the front door of his red-painted house. The sound of his mother cooking in the kitchen was the first thing he heard, followed by the smell of the home-cooked meal.
"Hi, honey!" his mother greeted when Jamie walked in. He gave her a quick hug, and in return she lightly kissed him on the side of his head. "How was school today?"
"I've had better..." he mumbled.
She noticed his dispiriting tone. "You want to talk about it?"
Jamie cringed inwardly. He was grateful for having such a caring mother, and sometimes he would tell her what was wrong... but not this. There were some things that you couldn't tell a mother. Having your friends pressuring you into having sex was one of those topics. "Not really..." he answered truthfully.
"I'm here if you need someone to lend an ear," she said.
He gave her a weak smile. "Thanks, Mom..."
Jamie sulked out of the room, and trudged up the stairs. He heard his sister in her bedroom as he neared the top, so he stepped in to greet her. Sophie grunted as she struggled with her suitcase, sitting on top of it to get it to shut.
"You need help there, Soph?" Jamie offered. He pushed in the bits of clothes that poked out the corners, and snapped the suitcase shut with ease.
"Thanks, Jamie!" the blonde nine-year-old expressed her gratitude. "Are you sure you can't come with us?"
"Sorry, kiddo," Jamie apologized. He ruffled his hand through her hair and kissed her lightly on the top of her head. "Next time..."
"Please, Jamie?" she pleaded with her large, green eyes shining.
"Wish I could," he told her, patting her gently on the head. "But I've got too much schoolwork. Midterms are in two weeks. Plus, I've got a study partner coming by tomorrow."
"Study partner?" Sophie was intrigued. "With who?"
"Cupcake," he answered tonelessly.
Sophie smiled mischievously. She knew about his crush on Cupcake, and every so often, she wouldn't let him forget it.
"Jamie and Cupcake, sitting in a tree!" Sophie sang loudly. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"Stop it, Soph!" Jamie scolded.
"Sorry," she giggled. "But I think you'd be really cute together..."
There was a tug at the corner of his lips. "Thanks, sis..." He looked away sadly, and walked through her doorway, with intentions of retreating to his own room.
She followed him out of the room. "When are you going to ask her out?"
"Never," he told her decidedly. "She doesn't like me that way."
They stopped in the middle of the hallway.
"How do you know?" Sophie asked suspiciously, a finger placed on her chin in deep thought. What a mischievous devil she could be.
"I just do, okay?" Jamie dismissed, walking back to his room.
"Did you ask her?" Sophie interrogated, following him.
"Well, no..." he admitted.
"Then you don't really know!" she proclaimed.
"Gah, Sophie!" he yelled, exasperated. "Will you just let it go?"
Jamie shut the door behind him, with Sophie's impish face disappearing from his sight. He dumped his backpack and skateboard on the floor. Pulling out the box of condoms Claude shoved on him, he carelessly tossed it onto his nightstand. Today had to turn out really shitty, didn't it? he thought bitterly. First, his friends... He tried not to think about it. He had enough for one day.
Jamie slumped down on his bed, the springs in his mattress groaning by the sudden pressure. The noise in the room dissipated once the bed settled underneath his weight, and Jamie filled void with a heavy sigh. Legs crossed over, and fingers locked over his torso, the sixteen-year-old sternly stared at his ceiling.
His friends were really great people. After all, they stuck together since they were in elementary school. He just hated how immaturely they behaved sometimes, and making fun of his crush- and his personal choices- really hit a sore spot. Jamie shut his eyes, and exhaled heavily. He let his mind wander.
With his eyes still closed, Jamie's hand dipped below the waistband of his jeans. He rubbed his thumb along the tip of his penis. A few strokes was all he needed to get his mind off of every little problem that happened today. He let out a low, throaty groan as he caressed the length of the organ. Any sense of reality was fleeting from his thoughts. No more assignments, no more juvenile friends. Just him and a fantasy. His face grew very hot.
Everything around him began to fade. "Jamie..." he heard in his mind. It was not his own, it was a female's voice. No, it was Cupcake's voice. Her face appeared vividly in his thoughts, as if she was kneeling over him on his bed. Dark hair hung down in front of him like leaves on a willow tree, brushing past her bare shoulders. Was she naked? He couldn't see... or, well, imagine... anywhere past her shoulders.
Cupcake gave him a promiscuous smile, humming his name while his penis was stroked in a slow, sensual rhythm. It wasn't his hand wrapped around himself, it was hers. She had a softer, sensual touch than his own. At least, that's what he imagined it would be like. Her honey brown eyes were half-lidded with lust.
"Jamie..." she breathed, and he changed his focus. She wasn't using her hands anymore.
"Oh, Cupcake..." he whispered back, not realizing he uttered his words aloud. Jamie pumped himself faster. He felt unbearably hot. Every stroke became stronger than the next, creating the illusion of him being inside her. Oh, she felt so good...
"Ah-Ah-" she gasped, her face twisting in pure pleasure as she rocked herself faster against him and taking him deeper into her. "Ah!"
Jamie squeezed his hand harder, and pulled tightly along his length. He was really close.
"Jamie!" she screamed.
"-cake!" he gritted through his teeth, gasping for air.
Jamie looked down to see the milky-like substance between his fingers. He sighed, letting his head hit his pillow. What was he doing? Just this morning, he wanted to go off on his friends for making lewd jokes about Cupcake. He thought it was too weird to think of her in a sexual way, after knowing her since the very start of grade school. Then he went home to have erotic fantasies about her? He was acting no better than the rest of them.
Jamie forced himself off of the bed to get himself cleaned up, then he rolled right back into it once he put on some clean, fresh pajamas. The guilt was clearly written on his face as he curled onto his side. Maybe he should sleep for the rest of the night.
Saturday came quickly enough, with the blinding white light of daybreak. Jamie had the urge to bury his head under his pillow and fall asleep again, but eventually forced himself to get up and dressed for the day. It was only a few hours later that his mother and sister were loaded in the car, ready for their weekend trip. His mother poked her head out the window as she started up the car.
"Call us if you need anything!" his mother called out.
"I will," Jamie promised, waving a farewell hand to his mother and sister.
"Bye, Jamie!" Sophie hollered through the car window.
"Have fun, Soph..." The car drove away, the sound of the engine faded out of earshot. Jamie slowly turned around, and walked back into his house.
Inside, Jamie managed to finish all other homework assignments before three o'clock. Now all he needed to do was the project with Cupcake. Then he could enjoy the rest of his weekend. His stomach growled painfully. He realized he had forgotten to eat all day.
Poking around in the fridge, he found a wrapped-up plate of last night's dinner that his mother put aside for him. He decided to warm it up for a quick meal. With lunch done, and the used dishes carefully placed in the dishwasher, he retreated to the bathroom.
Jamie was busy brushing his teeth when he heard the doorbell ring. "Jus' a min'uht!"
Hurriedly, he rinsed out his mouth with tap water. He wiped his mouth with a washcloth, and checked himself over. He hoped he looked presentable for Cupcake. The doorbell rang again, causing Jamie to run to answer the door.
"Hey!" he greeted, unable to hide the huge grin that spread across his face when he saw her. "Come on in."
Jamie extended his arms out as an offer to help her take off her jacket. He saw the simple cotton dress she wore underneath, brightly colored like the pastel shades of saltwater taffy. Multi-color pinstripes of amaranth, canary yellow, cream, and emerald green repeated in an endless pattern from the short sleeves to all the way down to the mid-thigh length of the skirt.
Jamie caught himself staring, mentally scolding himself for practically staring at the curvature of her buttocks through the fabric, and down past to her bare, shapely legs. Why was he so captivated by this dress? Any other girl could have been wearing it, or heck, even Sophie could have been wearing it, and he wouldn't have given it a second glance... Because it was Cupcake wearing it. Anything looked more attractive when a crush wore an outfit.
He cleared his head of impure thoughts. He smiled softly at her, despite that she couldn't see him with her back turned.
"You look nice today," he complimented, draping her jacket over his arm.
"Thanks," she said.
"Do you need anything to eat? Drink?" he offered.
"I'm fine," Cupcake politely declined.
"Right, so, um..." he said awkwardly. "This way..."
Jamie led her to the living room. Cupcake looked around the room as she set her books on the coffee table.
"Is three hours enough to get this all done?" Cupcake fretted.
"If we finish early, we could watch a movie," Jamie suggested, playfully teasing her.
Cupcake wasn't buying it. She was still stressed about her time management. "I'm free tomorrow if we need some extra time," she offered.
"That works," he agreed. "So... how should we start?"
"Well, I was thinking..." She paused while she pulled out her binder. "Everyone else will probably be writing something based on the most recent novel we read," Cupcake explained. "So I was thinking that we could write a collection of stories instead, similar to those we read at the beginning of the year."
"Set our project apart from the rest of the class..." Jamie realized.
"Exactly," she approved.
This was the reason why he loved partnering up with Cupcake. He was good at coming up with solutions quickly, and could think outside the box, but Cupcake had the guts to put a plan in motion. Whatever idea he created, Cupcake would be the first to dive right in.
"If we each write a story that's five-hundred words each week, then we'll fulfill the page requirement," Jamie calculated.
"So, we'll write two and a half stories," Cupcake reiterated. "Four and two halves total."
"Or five stories, if we write half of one together," Jamie suggested.
Cupcake nodded in agreement, and began drafting their first story. They finished the rough version of their collaborative piece in nearly half the time they expected to work. Jamie read through the pages for the second time, placing it down on the table in satisfaction when he finished.
"This didn't take as long as I thought, did you?" All he got for an answer was silence. He looked over to the girl, who was staring off somewhere in the room. "Cupcake?"
The senior broke out of her trance, and turned her head to face him. "Hmm?"
"Are you okay?" he asked, eyes narrowed in concern.
She grunted, reluctant to give him a straight answer.
"You just seem distracted," he pointed out.
"Sorry, I was... thinking about something," she finished, still seemingly distracted.
"About what?" he asked curiously.
"It's really stupid," she mumbled.
"You, Cupcake, have a stupid idea?" Jamie smirked. "Doubt it."
"Shut up," she muttered sharply.
"No, really!" he defended. "Since when do you think your opinions aren't worthwhile?"
"Since always," she muttered bitterly to herself, but Jamie overheard.
He watched her carefully, concerned for her. She took a deep breath, and looked him straight in the eye.
"Swear that this, what I'm about to tell you, doesn't leave this room," Cupcake said in all her seriousness.
He nodded. "I promise."
"A friend of mine recently lost her virginity..." she started, but didn't know how to explain the rest. "This is... I told you this was stupid..."
"What is, exactly?" Jamie asked curiously, encouraging her to open up.
"That I got jealous!" Cupcake bursted. "I want to know what it's like to be touched." Her expression changed from irritated to dejected faster than Jack Frost could make it snow. "I just wish I was as pretty as Pippa," she confessed, looking as miserable as she felt. "Then maybe someone would think I was good enough to make love to. I wouldn't have to worry about spending the rest of my life alone..."
"Cupcake, you're..." Jamie stopped himself mid-sentence when something that the older girl said finally registered in his mind. "Wait, Pippa?" He readjusted himself on the couch, staring at her in disbelief. "Pippa lost her virginity?"
"If you tell her..." she said threateningly, gathering the front of his shirt in her fist.
"I know, I promised!" he said, putting his hands up in defense. She unclenched her fist, and slowly let go of the fabric balled up in her hand. "Who she do it with?" He paused, thinking. "Not with Claude, did she?"
"Ew, I don't think they would go for each other..." Cupcake revolted. She drew up her legs to her chest, and rested her chin against her knee.
"I'm just asking because the timing matched up," Jamie stated. Cupcake shrugged. "Then... Who was it?"
"Does it even matter?" she sighed bitterly. "The fact is, Pippa copulated. And so did Claude, apparently."
Jamie awkwardly stayed silent. He wasn't sure what to say next.
"I hate myself for feeling this way..." she muttered miserably, a trace of tears surfaced at her bottom eyelids.
"Cupcake..." Jamie started, never looking more serious than he had in his entire life. "You don't have to give up your virginity to prove your own worth."
She must have known that, but she still looked lost. It was like she had run out of options for herself, and the sense of hopelessness led her to believe that she had only one choice left to validate herself.
"You're already amazing the way you are." He tried to say something that wasn't so generic-sounding. He had to let her know that he wasn't spewing random inspirational junk to cheer her up. But he couldn't help it if he really felt that way about her. How else would he say it? "Any guy would be lucky to have you..." Even if most of them don't deserve you...
"What did you say?" Cupcake's voice snapped through the quiet room, sounding a bit confounded by his assertion. In return, Jamie felt a little bewildered by her interrogation.
"Any guy would be lucky to have you..." he repeated.
"No, no..." she objected, eyeing him suspiciously. "After that."
Damn... He guess that last part wasn't silent after all. Jamie swallowed, and consciously repeated the words out loud. "They don't deserve you, Cupcake," he told her. "None of them do."
"Why?" she asked, eyeing him skeptically. His words got caught up in his throat, not sure what to say or what to do with himself.
"The things they say about you, Cupcake... It's disgusting. You deserve someone who cares about you."
"Like you?" she asked as soon as he finished. Her response caught him by surprise, that he couldn't find the words to answer back. Only his wide eyes were given as a reply. "You deserve to have me..." she said quietly.
Before he made sense of anything else, Jamie found himself leaning in close to Cupcake, and she closed the gap between them by placing her lips vigorously on his. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, using her hold on him to pull him down on the couch. Jamie's eyes flew open wide by the sudden, bold move, but eased himself into the action. Extending his arms out to prop himself up against the upholstered armrest, he hovered over the girl settling into the cushions.
A few tender pecks on the lips were given, with each one lingering longer than the last. It was sweet, yet fervent. Jamie was content with this exchange, but then Cupcake started to suck lightly on his bottom lip. His eyebrows furrowed together at the unexpected, passionate gesture. A small, throaty groan unintentionally escaped from him as he allowed Cupcake to continue to suck on his lip. He felt her mouth part, feeling her hot breath against his lips, so he opened his mouth to mirror her own actions.
Cupcake suddenly pulled her head back, and Jamie cracked his eyes open in confusion. She smiled at him playfully, but Jamie could only stare back bewilderedly. Was she... teasing him? He didn't have time to decide before Cupcake resumed the sweet, lingering pecks. Jamie eased himself into her kiss until she started sucking again, though it was his top lip this time. Soon, he felt her open her mouth again.
Afraid that she would tease him again, Jamie ended up pulling his head back, breaking the kiss. He watched her hesitantly, but Cupcake only gave him an amorous smile before lifting her head to reach lips. With her lips on his, she parted her mouth just enough for the tip of her tongue to flick over his lips. She was silently asking for entry, and Jamie opened his mouth as acceptance.
Their lips locked together, and Jamie carefully touched Cupcake's lower mouth with the tip of his tongue. She reciprocated by slipping hers into his mouth, tracing the top row of his teeth with the tip. They explored each other, slowly and gently rubbing their tongues together, before returning to their sensual, closed-mouth kisses.
Cupcake's grip around Jamie's shoulders was released, her hands traveling to his face. The tips of her fingers firmly pressed down on his neck, sending a jolt of pain in his nerves. He winced at the sensation, but tried to not make it obvious. Instead, Jamie took her hand and guided it down to his waist. Cupcake noticed anyway. "Sorry," she whispered between two kisses.
"S'all right..." he murmured back, combing his fingers through her rich, dark chocolate-colored locks. His hand ran up the skirt of her multicolored-striped dress, fingertips grazing the silky surface of her thigh. He broke the kiss. "Is this okay?" She nodded, light pants escaping her lips.
"Jamie, just kiss me," she pleaded breathlessly. He complied, slipping his hand further up her dress until it rested on her hip. His thumb hooked underneath the waistband of her panties, stroking the skin beneath. "Jamie..." she urged. "Go..."
Jamie pushed the delicate fabric down her legs, and Cupcake kicked the material off her feet, letting it fall onto the carpet. He wasn't sure how this was supposed to go, but he decided that letting his head be in control of the show wasn't the way to go. It only built up his anxiety. He let his fear go.
The heel of his hand pressed down on her pelvis, rubbing his fingers against her crotch. Cupcake withdrew herself slightly and quietly made a noise to express discomfort. Jamie stopped moving. "Does that hurt?"
"Not so hard, okay?" He nodded.
With his thumb, Jamie rubbed continuously along the edge of her vaginal lips in a gentle, vertical pattern. His finger touched a little inside her, progressively going deeper with each stroke. Cupcake's breathing became gradually heavier, and Jamie felt moisture at the tip of his thumb.
"Touch me..." Cupcake murmured.
Jamie lowered himself to her legs, pushing her skirt up to expose more of her legs. A trail of kisses went up her inner thighs, causing her to sigh deeply at the sensation. His lips gotten close to the junction of her legs. Cupcake squirmed, almost startling him. Did he hurt her? He pulled away, cheeks flushing with embarrassment, but then he heard her giggle.
"S-sorry! It tickles!" she laughed. An apologetic smile was flashed his way while she calmed her body.
He returned the smile nervously, tentatively asking her, "Do you want me to keep going?"
Cupcake smiled eagerly. "Yes, Jamie, I want you to..."
Jamie lowered himself again to her crotch. It was strange to look at a girl this way, almost wrong of him to be doing something like this. He tried to avert his gaze, but he kept sneaking glimpse at her sex.
"Jamie?" she called dazedly, curiously lifting her head to see why he stopped.
"Cupcake..." he said nervously. "Can I, well..."
"What?" she encouraged.
Jamie gulped. "Can I... kiss you...? Down there?"
Cupcake stared, a curious approval twinkled in her eye. Jamie noticed traces of a smile on her slightly parted lips, and a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She nodded. "Please, Jamie..."
Jamie pulled himself closer to her, hesitating from closing off the gap between them. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and pressed his lips against her entrance. He felt himself relax a bit, and he deepened the kiss. Parting his lips, he ran his tongue over her opening. Soft moans escaped her full lips, so he tried it again. His tongue swirled in changing patterns along the surface, easing them both into this new experience.
Cupcake guided his hands onto her thighs, trailing along the inside of the warm, pale surface. She let go, running her fingers through his chestnut hair as he continued to stroke up and down her soft legs. Jamie dipped his tongue into her, tasting the wetness she produced. He prodded the area a few times, feeling Cupcake's hips jerk upward at each thrust, then he placed his partially closed lips against the surface.
"Ah!" Cupcake moaned in excitement as Jamie sucked on the sensitive part of her skin.
"Jamie..." she breathed. "Jamie, I need..."
Jamie continued to draw her into his mouth while waiting patiently for her new instruction.
"I need to feel it now..."
Promptly, Jamie slipped in two fingers in her. He heard her squeal at the feel of his digits moving inside. Her hips squirmed from underneath, heels digging into the couch cushions. Her arms flew up around him, gripping his shirt so tightly, Jamie thought in his half-distracted mind that she would literally rip it off him.
"Ngh!" a strangled tone of pleasure resounded from Cupcake's throat. "Jamie!"
Cupcake's hips continued to push against his twitching fingers. Her breathing increased into short, frequent bursts, and her cries gradually became louder. Jamie kept sliding his fingers along her lining until she shrieked in pleasure and her body tensed, using every limb to hold onto him tightly. Her vaginal muscles contracted against his slender limbs, and her hips gradually rolled in a slower, fluid motion. Jamie pumped his fingers in a few more times while Cupcake steadily came off her high.
Jamie watched Cupcake sink further into the deep dent they formed on the couch, her eyes closed with rapture. He was enthralled by her ecstasy, never before seeing her look like this. Studying every little detail as to not forget how she looked in this very moment, and regret burned in his chest when he thought about how she usually looked- rueful and lonely. That wasn't the face he wanted to remember, but the one he saw right now was. This, what he saw in front of him, was what an angel looked like.
Slowly, Cupcake opened her brown, angular eyes. Dark, long eyelashes batted against her glowing cheeks. Jamie smiled and exhaled deeply, dropping his head down in satisfaction. He didn't notice her turning her head towards the clock mounted on the wall.
"Shit," he heard Cupcake whisper. Sitting up abruptly, Cupcake hastily said, "It's almost eight o'clock! I told my mom I'd be home half an hour ago!" She pulled her underwear back on and started gathering her books and jacket in a messy pile in her arms, facing away from the boy sitting next to her. She stood up, ready to leave.
"Wait..." Jamie said, reaching out to her to capture her attention. His hand barely touched her forearm, and he nearly had to jump out of his seat to retain the girl's interest. "Did you really mean what you said? That we deserve each other?"
Her eyes flashed towards him, and all of the guilt he ever felt before flooded his system when he saw regret glisten in her apologetic eyes. "You deserve to have me," she said in a low voice, solemnly adverting her gaze from his. "But I don't deserve to have you..."
Cupcake ran out of the house, leaving Jamie to sit in his silent house alone.
He knew that he went too far...
End of Chapter One
Author's Note: This probably will be my most controversial story yet, because of its sexual themes. I'm honestly terrified of the backlash this may receive, but I've been dedicating myself to this project since March 5th 2013, and I'm really enthusiastic about it, so I'm willing to take the risk. There's a lot of Bennefrost smut out there, and I realized that if I wanted one, just one, with Jamiecake, then there must be at least one other person out there who wants to read a Jamiecake smut fic as well. Or, hey, maybe I should kick myself out of the fandom...
3 January 2014