Chapter Two: Miles to Go

When lunchtime rolled around, Kimberly was so very nervous. She didn't know what was going to happen. Jason was so very unpredictable. It was hard to guess if he'd come or not. She hadn't seen him since earlier in the day. Kimberly headed into the cafeteria, and she was surprised to find Jason waiting for her. She hadn't expected that. Kimberly couldn't keep away the smile that bubbled to her face. She was so glad to see him. Especially since she hadn't expected to see him. Kimberly went to the lunch line, Jason following her. She was so glad he was here. "What do you think you want to eat?" She asked, looking up at what the offerings were that day. She was thinking pizza would be good. She didn't know if much else sounded good. Kimberly was glad that Bulk and Skull seemed to be nowhere in sight, too. She didn't want to deal with them. It was still strange to her that Jason seemed to want to be friends with them. He was better than them. Kimberly picked up the pizza and put it on her tray. She wondered if Zack and the others would join them. She hoped so, she wanted them to like Jason. Kimberly didn't know for sure how that was going to go, either. But maybe it was going to be okay. They could do it.

Jason wasn't sure what had made him actually show up to lunch with Kimberly. He really thought she was beautiful. Jason knew that he had no business being with her though. Jason wasn't the kind of guy that she could take home. He couldn't help himself though. She was so beautiful. Jason thought her naivete was actually adorable. He was sure that she was a virgin, and that was kind of hot, too. Jason absolutely wasn't. He was at least safe when he did have sex. Jason wasn't about getting a disease or something. Jason shrugged as he looked over the choices. "I don't know. I am really into burgers." He said. Jason grabbed a burger and fries, putting it on his tray. They had everyone staring at them. Jason didn't much care about that. Jason was just glad that no one was starting any shit. Jason didn't have time to beat up anybody. Jason had a black belt in three different kinds of martial arts. He wasn't supposed to be violent with it. And mostly he wasn't. Jason just liked to be able to kick ass if he had to. Jason walked with her to pay. He pulled out his wallet. "I got both of these." He told the lunch lady, and Kimberly smiled and said a soft thank you.

Kimberly led them to her normal lunch table, Zack and Billy were there already, and Zack's cousin Curtis. Kimberly and Curtis had dated for five minutes in junior high. Kimberly was glad that they'd stayed friends. She said softly, "Guys, this is Jason." Kimberly said this, although she was sure that they all knew that. Rumors had been flying all over the place. Kimberly had heard a lot of them. She was sure none of them were true, though. Kimberly didn't tend to put stock in rumors. Half of the time there was no truth to them. Kimberly was surprised when Jason pulled out her chair for her. She sat down, a big smile on her face. It was really romantic of him. Kimberly had literally never been so happy, even though she wasn't sure that it would last long. She could tell that he was still fighting demons within himself. She could tell that he was fighting his urges to be a good guy instead of the bad guy he was. She really wasn't sure which ones she wanted to win. She mostly just wanted him to be happy. Clearly he wasn't sure what he wanted to be. Kimberly looked up when Aisha joined them. Now they were all here. She introduced them all. Kimberly didn't know what Jason would think of her friends, but she hoped that he'd like them. They were her best friends. And she really wanted Jason to be her boyfriend.

Jason wasn't sure what to make of her friends. They were just as naive as Kimberly, but since he didn't want to sleep with any of them, it wasn't the same. Jason took a bite of his burger, casting his glance at them all in turn. The hip hop dancy dude and his girlfriend weren't so bad, Jason thought if things were different he'd've been friends with them. The Billy dude he wasn't so sure about. He was kind of a nerd. Not that that was bad, he just wasn't someone that Jason would want to hang out with. Jason didn't chime in very often, he was usually pretty quiet.

Zack arched his eyebrows as he looked back at Jason. He felt very protective of Kimberly. Other than Curtis, she'd never have had a serious boyfriend. It's like she was waiting for the right guy. Zack wasn't sure that he thought this Jason joker was it. He knew not to believe every rumor, but there had to be some truth. Zack took a bite of his pizza. It was pretty good. He kept his brown eyes on Jason, trying to read him. He was having a hard time, this dude was super quiet. And he was friends with Bulk and Skull. That gave him strikes. He met Kim's eyes, she was glaring at him. That meant shape up and stop judging.

When they were finished with lunch, one that went very well, Jason offered to carry Kim's books to her class for her. Kimberly briefly wondered if Jason was going to class or if he was skipping. She was quiet on the walk, but his fingers laced through hers, and he held her hand all the way to her class. Everyone stared at them as they walked. Kimberly had to admit, that felt really good. Why, she didn't know. She guessed it was because no one had ever been that envious of her before. Kimberly tucked some of her hair behind her ear as they stopped in front of her door. Kimberly didn't really know what to say to him. Ever. She had to learn how to talk to him. They had to communicate somehow. Kimberly looked down at their entwined hands. They looked really nice. She was so glad that he was holding her hand. He was tracing the back of her hand with his thumb. She'd never had someone do that before. It felt incredibly amazing. Kimberly cleared her throat. "So, you want to go to the Youth Center after school? I have to work on my gymnastics, but then we could grab a bite at the Juice Bar." It was run by this great guy named Ernie. They all loved Ernie. Kimberly thought the place might be a little too lame for Jason, but she really hoped that he would want to go. He was so…. she just wanted to get to know him better. Kimberly wanted to know him very well.

It was so hard to say no to that heart shaped face. Jason said, "Sure, yeah, I'll go with you. Meet me by the bike rack?" He asked, and she nodded. Jason smiled and kissed her on the cheek, he'd wanted to go for the lips but he chickened out. Jason never chickened out. Mostly because he was sure that she wanted serious, and he didn't know that that would be okay. Jason ran his hand through his long hair, it was free of its ponytail. It flowed to his shoulders freely. "I'll pick you up out front then." Jason said, a touch of nervousness in his rich baritone.

"Great. Just…. you have an extra helmet, right? Because my dad will kill me if it's on a bike with no helmet." Kimberly didn't see the point in telling him that he'd kill her anyway. She didn't want to disappoint him if she didn't have to, but Jason was truly amazing. She was so going to risk her dad's anger to be with him any way that she could. Kimberly was already starting to really fall for him. He was such a complex person. That was really interesting to her. There was more to him than met the eye, and that wasn't true of most of the guys in Angel Grove. Kimberly was doing her best to behave right.

Telling her he did have a helmet, he told her that he had to go and handed her her books so she could go to class. Jason let go of her hand, a bit reluctantly. Why the fuck was he getting so damn attached to this girl? She was way too good for him. Way too good. Jason couldn't imagine going steady with anyone, let alone her. He looked back once over his shoulder to see her once more. Honestly he had to stop doing this. It was ridiculous. He had to put a stop to it. But he also couldn't imagine hurting the girl that that gorgeous face belonged to. God, this chick was turning him soft. Jason headed down the hall. He didn't know what he was going to do about all of this. Maybe he'd go and get laid or something. Although he wasn't entirely sure that he wouldn't be picturing Kimberly's face when that happened. Okay. What the hell was up with him? This place was making him soft. He got to the auditorium, where he found Bulk and Skull. He nodded at them, sliding onto the bleachers with them, taking out a joint. He didn't care if it was on school grounds. Jason was made to break rules. He lit it and lifted it to his mouth. He took a deep puff before he said anything. "What's up, losers?" He asked, not even trying to apologize for the losers remark. Jason never apologized for anything. That was something that he should care to work on.

Bulk still wasn't sure what to think of Jason. Dude was a bit crazy. He wasn't sure if he wanted dude to be hanging out with them. He was into a lot more crazy stuff happening than he and Skull were. They had to stop this before it got out of hand. Skull, on the other hand, seemed delighted with the guy. Which was crazy, because Skull was still supposedly trying to get into Kim's pants. And Kim had a major crush on this dude. Whom they had no fucking clue about. All they knew was he'd moved down from San Fran. They had tried to get more, dude was Fort Knox. Bulk didn't like or trust him so far. First time they'd gone to do something with him and he'd stolen all kinds of things, none of which he needed, but of course had done so anyway. He shared, of course, but Bulk still didn't like it. That is not what he and Skull were about. They liked to do their petty pranks. They were class clowns, nothing more. Bulk gave Jason a small wave, without trying to make it look like it was a disinterested wave. Bulk was going to have to take care of this, since Skull was completely useless. At the moment, he and Jason were discussing math's use after school years. So thrilling.

Jason wasn't a bit deterred by Bulk staring at him. He just continued his conversation with Skull, he wasn't one bit worried about what he thought. Not his thing. Jason preferred what he thought of himself rather than others' thoughts. Jason liked to do things his way. Damn to hell whoever thought different. Jason loved his life. He nudged Skull. "Yo, Skullovitch, want to go to the mall?" He knew Bulk was going to say no, so it was curious as to who would be in charge. Jason knew that it would be him. He wasn't at all stupid. Jason was going to show Bulkmeijer who was Boss.

"Hell yeah, Scott, let's go." Skull agreed, a smile on his face and not looking at Bulk at all. Jason grinned. Very good sign. Skull of course didn't notice any potential tension. He was just glad to go to the mall. Jason watched Skull's face, and he watched Bulk's face. He was winning, and not by default. "You coming, Bulky?" Skull asked, as if the answer of yes should be obvious. Jason had a very triumphant look on his face. Bulk looked positively pissed. Jason could do nothing but smile cheekily. He knew he'd won. Bulk told Skull for them to go on ahead and go, and Jason and Skull got up to ditch school. That's all that he wanted to do. Especially today.

When Jason was late for their date, Kimberly wasn't surprised. She was sure that he'd ditched school all day. She did, however, wait for him like agreed. She just hoped that he would show up, like planned. He was so worth all of this. At least, she thought so. It was something that she thought she should do, be there for him. Wait, be patient. It was the right thing to do. Kimberly could tell that there was a good guy in there. He just needed someone to bring it out. Kimberly was going to do her level best. She kept her eyes peeled out for his bike, which did finally show up.

Jason pulled up in front of Kimberly and killed his bike. He got off it, pulling up the extra helmet for Kimberly to put on. He still wasn't sure what had made him show up for sure. But he was here. Jason ignored the butterflies in his stomach when their fingers touched when he handed her the extra helmet. He didn't know what this Youth Center would be like, but he would go with her since she asked. That was troubling. He would have to examine why that was so important to him later. Jason watched as Kimberly slid the helmet on over her head, thinking how hot it was. She was going to make a great old lady. Oh that wasn't good, fuck.

The silence was a lot troubling to her, but she was fast noticing that he was quiet as a rule. That was just how he rolled, apparently. She was okay with quiet, She liked to talk a lot, so it would work out perfect. She put the helmet on and then climbed on the bike behind him, holding onto him tightly. She didn't look to see if he was smiling, she was too busy being happy that she was pressed up close to him. He smelled amazing. He started up the bike, and took off, listening to Kim's directions as to where the Youth Center was. She was really enjoying herself. She hung on tightly and gleefully thought in her head how great it was.

He liked that she was so into this. Although he should be backing off, he did not do serious relationships. She was getting attached, he could tell. That was bad. Without sounding like a broken record. He had to come up with some kind of solution. They couldn't just keep going on like this. They had to come to a decision that Jason was comfortable with. Although he had a feeling that Kimberly wouldn't be comfortable with quite the same way. Jason was letting all of his defenses down. It was strange and he wasn't sure at all that he liked it. But it kept happening, the more time that he spent with Kimberly. That was why he'd been wary about spending time with her. They came to a stop at the Youth Center.

Jason watched her do her gymnastics thing. She was really good. He'd grabbed a table at the Juice Bar section, and to his surprise, that hip hop guy joined him. That was a bit odd. He looked at him, wondering if the hip hop guy would start talking to him or not. Jason hoped that he wouldn't. He didn't want to have to deal with that. Although he knew hip hop dude was very important to Kimberly. Jason gave him a polite nod, but that's all he would do. He didn't want the dude to say something. That was the last thing that he wanted. Jason did his best to keep his eyes on Kimberly working on her moves. She was really good. Jason admired her tenacity. She was going to be amazing in the professional stage. If she took it that far. Jason didn't know how she could be that good and not take it somewhere though. Jason didn't have anything like that. Unless you counted martial arts. But he was not planning on doing anything with that. It was just….. it was something that he wasn't sure that he had the stamina to deal with. Jason didn't want to look at it too closely. He wasn't really sure why. But it was something that he didn't care to know the reason why. It was just something that should have the lid kept on tight. That's how he was with everything.

When she finished, Kimberly headed over to Jason. She had showered, too, and put on her clothes. She sat down in the chair next to Jason, Zack was at the table, too. Kimberly could tell that there was a bit of tension. She wondered why. It's not as if they knew each other well. So that shouldn't be getting in the way. Kimberly looked at them both. "You guys hungry? I'm going to get some fries and a shake. I'll order for you too." Zack told her his order, but Jason insisted he was fine. She was a bit puzzled by that, but she didn't pressure him to give her one. She went up to the counter, and chatted with Ernie a bit while she gave him her orders. That's when Bulk and Skull came in. Kimberly was immediately wary. She knew that Jason and them were starting to get close. Kimberly didn't know if she liked that. Bulk had a strange look on his face, and she wondered why that was. Maybe he didn't like Jason. Kimberly wasn't sure how she felt about that if it was true. She turned to look back at Jason, to see if he'd get up and join them. He didn't, he stayed at the table with Zack. That was good, right? Kimberly kept her gaze on Bulk and Skull, curiously. She watched as Skull gave Jason a wave, before he moved on to Bulk. Kimberly hopped back to the table, and sat down, her fingers moving out to touch Jason's on top of the table. He didn't move his hand, so she laced her fingers through his. It felt really good.

When her fingers moved through his, Jason was more than a little alarmed, but he didn't pull his hand away. He wanted her to be able to feel comfortable with him. Even if he wasn't sure that he should want that. Jason felt drawn to her, she was just… so gorgeous and open, and honest. It was all the things he might have been without his life. If he had been raised differently. Jason looked at their entwined hands on the table. They looked like they belonged. That was a bit unsettling. But he liked it. He kept his hand in hers. It felt really good to hold hands with someone. Jason was going to turn soft if he wasn't careful. He finally said something. "So I thought you were really good up there on the balance beam." Jason finally looked her in the eyes. Those eyes were gorgeous. He loved them. Jason stroked the back of her hand, she had gorgeous tanned skin. Jason figured it must be from living in Southern Cali. He watched as a smile spread over her face. It was like her entire face lit up. Jason loved her smile. He was glad that he had been the one to cause that smile. It made him feel great. Jason leaned to kiss her on the lips softly. She kissed back, and he felt it all the way to his toes. It felt so good. What was happening to him? This girl…

Zack looked at them. They looked happy. Zack had to admit, Kimberly could do better. She was amazing. This guy seemed not good enough for her. Kimberly was like a sister to him. This guy….. he was broken. Zack could tell. Zack looked at Jason. "So where are you from, Jason?" Zack asked curiously. He wondered if Jason would tell him the truth. He was hoping to try and figure out who Jason really was. He seemed like a definite bad boy. She didn't need that. She needed a good guy for her first real boyfriend. Zack didn't want her to get hurt.

Jason looked over at Zack, not sure what to say to that. Tell him about San Fran or not? She didn't want to talk about it. "San Fran." He told him, his voice small and quiet. Jason hoped that Zack would let that go and not question him anymore. Although he got why he was asking. He was trying to find out who he was so Kim didn't get hurt. Jason didn't want to hurt her. He really didn't. She was so amazing and full of life, and if he hurt her that would stop. He hated to be that guy. He looked at their entwined hands again. She was too good for him. What was he doing? He had to let her go. Be her own woman. He wasn't exactly the good guy.

Kimberly gave Zack a look. She didn't want him to scare Jason off. He was a gorgeous guy and she really liked him. She could tell that he didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to pressure him. "So, Jason, there's a dance coming up. A Sadie Hawkins dance. I thought we could go together." She wondered if Jason would go with her. She really wanted to go. She hadn't gone to a Sadie Hawkins dance in years. Not since sixth grade. Mostly because she hadn't ever crushed on anyone before. Kimberly tucked some of her wet hair behind her ear. He had to say yes. Kimberly really wanted to go. It would be so great. Kimberly knew that they would be the talk of the school. She really didn't care about being popular, but it would be kind of nice to be the center of attention. Kimberly looked at their entwined hands. She really liked their hands together like that. It looked really nice. Kimberly brushed some of her caramel colored locks behind her ear. There was something about Jason that made her feel like a little giggling schoolgirl who didn't know what to say or do. She kind of liked that, she liked that head over heels feeling for someone.

Okay, see, now she was asking him to some dance. What was he going to say? Deep down, he did want to go, but if he did what would happen? He knew what would happen and he couldn't go there with her. Jason also was man enough not to hurt her feelings though. So he tried to think of a nice way to turn her down. It wasn't coming to him. The last time he'd gotten serious about someone, that girl had ended up dead. He was trying to avoid that with Kimberly. Jason thought that that was another reason that Kimberly was making him soft. "Um, I'll think about it." It was the best thing that he could think of at the moment. It was lame but it was the best that he had. He had to get out of here now. "It's been fun, but I've got to get out of here. Um, I'll see you later." Jason said, and because he knew that she wanted him to kiss her bye, he didn't, just headed out to his bike. He knew that Kim would be able to get a ride home from the others. Jason was going to go home and call up one of the random skanks here and fuck her. He wanted to just get fucked so hard that maybe Kimberly's memory would be out of his mind. He was sure that it wouldn't work, and he was going to have to do it over and over and over again. He told himself it wasn't cheating and it was for Kim's own good. And in reality, it was. He sighed. Not that that made him feel less shitty.

When Jason had left, Kimberly felt bummed out. She didn't know what to say. She shouldn't have been surprised that he left. Shouldn't be assuming that he was going to stick around just because he had been lately. Kimberly looked after his retreating back, her face falling. Kimberly avoided looking at Zack, she didn't want to know what he thought. Zack was way too overprotective, and he would say that she should be aiming higher. Kimberly didn't want to look at it that way. That she was better than Jason. Kimberly didn't think that she was, by any means. She got up then to go get a smoothie, really hoping that Zack would stay put.

He didn't though. He followed her to the counter. Zack leaned next to her, his fingers just inches from her arm. Aisha may be his girlfriend, but he and Kim were really close. Like brother and sister. Zack looked at her. "Kim, what are you doing? I mean, honestly. This dude isn't worth it. You are so much better for him than he is for you. I know that you really like him, but this isn't the way to go. You can do better." Zack could only hope that she listened. She'd do what she wanted anyway. Normally that wouldn't matter in the least. But this time, it could really get her hurt. And he didn't want that at all.

"Zack, please." Kimberly said, ordering a lime raspberry smoothie. She didn't want to hear his lectures and warnings. She brushed her hand through her caramel colored locks. Kimberly didn't know that she could handle that right now. Not after what had just gone down. Jason had kissed her, not the other way around. Why was he pushing her away already? Although that she shouldn't surprise her at all. Deep down, she knew that. "Don't do this. Don't lecture me. I know that you're just trying to protect me, but I can't do this right now." She meant it, and she hoped that he would listen. She stubbornly kept her gaze away from him. Normally Kimberly didn't mind him being that way. Right now she did. Why she couldn't exactly say. Kimberly accepted her smoothie and paid for it, stirring it with her straw, keeping quiet. Kimberly couldn't bring herself to say anything more. She took a sip of her drink, her fingers toying with her iPhone in her pocket. She kept waiting for Zack to say something more, hoping against hope that he wouldn't. Then all she could focus on was Jason, and what it was he was doing. Okay, way to go, Kim. She told herself. If she even tried to talk to him would he listen? She was very sure that it would be no. She heaved a sigh, wishing that things were less complicated. He was her first real crush.

Let her get away with that or not? That was the question. Zack leaned next to her, watching her. They had known each other for a very long time. He knew her inside and out. "Kim, I know that you really like him. That's good, really. But he may be beyond any help. You might not be able to reach him and find the good. I don't want to see you hurt. You are like my sister. I know that I can't talk you out of this, but I do want you to be as careful as you can." Zack knew that Kim was stubborn and was still going to do what she wanted anyway. He just hoped that she'd keep his warning in mind. Zack didn't want to have to beat this guy for hurting Kim. She was very important to him. He kept his gaze on her so she would know that he was serious. Zack didn't like this guy, he was all kinds of trouble. All he was going to do was hurt Kim. Zack didn't want to see that from Kim's first boyfriend. She deserved to be happy. Have someone who really loved her. Zack wanted the best for her. Wow, he really did feel like her brother. Maybe he should relax. Get her to see on her own. She might consider things if it didn't seem like he was trying to tell her not to do it. Zack let out a sigh. This wasn't good.

Meanwhile, Jason was at his apartment, with a girl. He'd picked her up a couple of weeks ago. He and she were sitting on the bed, kissing feverishly. Her name was Kat. She was Australian, and gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as Kim was, but she helped get his mind off Kimberly. Jason was straddling her, holding himself up above her with his strong arms. Jason kissed her deeper, he was hoping that this mindless casual sex would help. Jason was trying to avoid hurting Kim. He was trying to be a good guy. He was failing miserably, but he was trying. Jason took off his shirt, tossing it to the floor. Kat's hands ran over his strong abs as if she was counting them. Jason reached and took off her top, tossing it to the floor, too, and his hands cupped her breasts, massaging them through the bra material. Kat's fingers moved and unhooked it, it hooked in the front, and Jason's fingers slid the cups off her full breasts. He teased and played with her nipples, she writhed under him, her hips arching up. Jason leaned down to kiss her, his hand still moving over her chest. He parted her legs with his knee, and he brushed it up against her sex gently. She moaned, her hand cupping the nape of his neck. Jason's other hand moved down to unbutton her jeans, and they both moved to take them off. She'd gone commando. He let out a grin, and pressed a couple of his fingers to the outside of her sex, running along the slick folds. She gasped and arched up into him, and they both gasped.

Kat looked up into Jason's eyes. He was so gorgeous. She really liked him. As hot as the sex was, though, she knew that this was all it was for him. Sex. Kat didn't know who the girl was, but there was one. Her hands ran along his stomach, admiring his strong abs. She arched into him, before he pulled away long enough to take off his jeans. He was going commando, too. Jason reached into his bedside table drawer and pulled out a condom, unwrapping the wrapper. He slid it onto him, hoping that when Kat had said that she was on the pill, it was true. He parted her legs more, and eased into her. It helped that she wasn't a virgin. They both let out moans, and he set his hips at a steady pace. She let out a huge moan, and his hands slid over her breasts, as he pounded into her. It was hot and sweaty, and Jason grew harder as he slid as far into her as he could go. Kat gasped out his name, her hands going to scratch his back, and then sliding down to grab his ass. She kept them there, as if she was trying to hold him in. Jason's hips moved of their own accord, and he was going to come. Jason leaned down to kiss her, they didn't do a lot of that, because sex didn't really require kissing. Especially when that's all this was ever going to be. Jason wished that he could be a stronger man, as he came, his back arching hard.

When finished, he'd flopped to the bed beside her, wondering if she was going to ask him about Kim. She didn't know specifics, but she knew of her. Jason didn't know what he was going to say if she did ask. He ran his hands along his stomach, through the hair that led to the happy trail that was trailed down to his long length. She turned to look at him, leaning on a long, tanned arm. Jason looked at her, wondering what he was going to say. They were actually getting to be good friends. Jason brushed his hand through some of Kat's blonde hair. "You aren't going to ask me about her, are you?" He asked. Kat was an actual friend, unlike Bulk and Skull. Skull was someone to hang out with, and Bulk wasn't anything. Jason knew that the guy didn't like him. He brushed his hand through his brown hair. Jason didn't really want to talk about Kim with her. He didn't really know why. He just couldn't. It was like admitting that he had real feelings for Kim. Jason wasn't sure that he could do that. It was something that he was still working through himself. Jason didn't think that it was something that he was ready to examine. Mostly because he was already dealing with enough. "It's not that I don't trust you. I just…. I know that I have to walk away. It's hard for me to do." Jason didn't exactly have a history of doing the right thing. If he did, he'd be a completely different person. Jason brushed his hand through his hair again.

"You know I'm not going to force you to do anything." Kat said, watching him with an eyebrow raised. Kat knew that there was a good guy that was in there. She hoped that she would get to see more of that guy. She didn't know that she would. Jason kept himself pretty guarded. Kat wasn't sure that she blamed him. She hadn't seen his dad at any point since they'd been sleeping together. Kat got up, not even trying to hide anything. "I'm going to order pizza." She told him, and he nodded his assent. She went to get her phone, calling up the internet to go to Papa John's website. She cycled through the choices, wondering what this girl was like. Kat wasn't the type to get jealous, and she sort of had a girlfriend anyway. Kat hadn't told Jason about her yet. Kellie was an amazing girl. She lived in Stone Canyon, it wasn't far from Angel Grove. Kat didn't know what was going to happen with her. They were still in the closet. Well, Kellie was. Kat wasn't holding who she was. Kat wasn't sure that she could be with someone who was trying to stay in secret. It was too hard. Kat ordered a meat lovers with extra cheese, and got out a beer and a wine cooler from the fridge and went to the bedroom. Jason was doing some martial arts moves by the bed. Kat thought that was so sexy.

The next day at school, Jason and Kat were in front of his locker, she was playing with his long hair. Jason was letting her, mostly, so he didn't have to think about much else, and it felt good. Jason was almost hoping that Kim would see and get angry, just so she would move on. Jason knew that's how he really loved her. He knew that he wasn't good enough for her. Jason looked up as Skullovitch came up to him. "Yo, asshole." Jason said, as he closed his locker and leaned against it, looking at him. His hand almost slipped down and took the blonde's hand, but he was able to resist. "Where's Bulkmeijer?" He asked, not really caring to know the answer. Jason hoped that he wouldn't know and say so.

Before Skull could answer, Zack walked up. "Scott…. what the hell are you trying to do to my girl Kim? She's all torn up because you left her yesterday. Why would you hurt her like that?" Zack asked, folding his arms tightly. Zack would kick his ass if he had to. "You are not going to hurt her anymore. If you do, you will pay." Zack kept his glare on him. Zack just hoped that Jason would listen and he wouldn't have to fight if he didn't have to. That's how martial arts worked. Zack didn't know what he would do if Jason went with the fighting. He hadn't planned on that. But he supposed that he should have. Jason was all badass and whatnot. He eyed him, daring him to fight him.

The nerve of this guy. Jason supposed that he shouldn't be surprised though. Jason arched an eyebrow loftily as he looked at him. He knew that Zack was trying to protect Kimberly. He was actually glad that she had someone to watch her back. Jason ignored Kat's look of surprise and looked at Zack. "I am not trying to hurt her, Taylor. I am trying to save her from being hurt. I am bad news. Kimberly is a good person. I am not. And you know that. That's why you're doing this. You can't just stand by and let her be hurt. You're a good guy, too." Jason said, folding his arms tightly too.

That threw Zack a little. He hadn't expected Jason to readily agree. But he was glad that he had. Zack was still on edge with him, but he did relax a little on the inside. Zack wasn't sure what to say. He had lost a little bit of steam when Jason had agreed with him about not hurting Kimberly. "So you think that being an ass is the way to go? Instead of being honest with her? You could do something other than look like you're blowing her off?" Zack's tone was a bit incredulous. He supposed that he shouldn't be surprised about that, either. Zack didn't doubt that kind of behavior from Jason. He was a bad dude after all.

"In retrospect, it might have been the wrong way to go. But she has to know that I'm bad news. What better way than to be an asshole to her?" He asked. Jason knew that there was going to be a discussion with Kat later about this. Jason wasn't looking forward to that. He knew that he wouldn't be able to shake those off with vague answers. Jason brushed one of his hands through his long hair. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say now. Jason wasn't going to explain anything to Kimberly. He wasn't that guy. Jason had never been that way. Maybe once upon a time, he'd had the potential to be, but not anymore. Life had happened. "I'm not going to explain to her, Taylor. I don't want to give her the good impression." He said. Jason was rapidly falling in love with her, and he had to pull away. That's how he knew that he really did care about her. Jason didn't break his brown eyed gaze from Zack. He could win in a staring contest, definitely. Jason wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to get Taylor to step off. Jason was done with this conversation. Jason didn't see that they were going to agree on anything. He would be surprised if they did. Jason honestly was ready to be done with this day entirely, he was thinking about just skipping the rest of the day. Do something useful, it's not as if he cared about getting good grades in math class. What the hell.

That's when Kimberly happened on them, having heard the commotion. She brushed some of her long caramel colored hair behind her ear. "Jason?" She asked, looking from him to Zack, and then her eyes settling on Kat. She had seen Kat, there were a lot of rumors flying around about her. Kimberly didn't put much thought in rumors. Kimberly wasn't sure what was going on, but she could tell that something was. She wondered if Zack had said something to Jason. Kimberly held her books in her arms, and looked at him. "Jason, I don't know if Zack said anything to you, but I didn't ask him to." She said firmly, Zack would pay later.

Sighing, Jason took her arm, and led her down the hall a bit, to talk to her alone. How the fuck did he get himself into this situation? He brushed his hand through his long brown hair behind his ear. "Kim, you know that I don't want to hurt you. At least, not intentionally." He started, not sure what else to say. Jason didn't know how to do this without being an asshole. Jason brushed his hand on his chin, he had a few days' stubble. Jason sighed and decided he had to get mean. "Kim, nothing more is going to happen with us. Okay? I've been fucking someone else." The sad part is, it was true. Kimberly's eyes were filling up.

This had to be a joke, right? Kimberly's eyes were full of tears. She hated herself for that, in that moment. Kimberly didn't want to show weakness. She looked up in his eyes. "Please tell me that you're kidding." She said, her tone full of unshed tears. Kimberly wasn't sure if she could hear this right now. She was having a hard time just standing without collapsing. This hurt more than it should, after all, they hadn't even been official. So it's not as if she actually had a reason to be angry. She knew that she didn't. But that didn't make it hurt any less. Kimberly was starting to feel like she couldn't breathe. She wondered what was going to happen now as she fainted.

Jason caught her on the way down, setting her gently on the floor, cradling her head. There was no doubt that he felt like shit about this. He looked up as Zack came up, and he let Zack take her, getting up and walking off, not even grabbing Kat on the way. He didn't want to explain. It was bullshit and he didn't want to deal with it. Any of it. He just kept walking until he was outside. Jason slid his leather jacket on and headed for his motorcycle. He climbed on, and put on his helmet, taking off. Jason didn't even care where he was going. Jason had to get out of there. Jason was really wishing that he could go back to San Fran. If he had the money, he would. Jason hated this town.

That evening, Kimberly had gotten really drunk. She was that upset about Jason. She had lost her virginity to some guy, and now she was on her way home on the bus. Kimberly knew that she shouldn't have gone out by herself…. but it was too late now.

Author's note: Sorry it's been so long! I hope ya'll liked, and let me tell you that it's going to get more angsty before it gets better. Just fyi. Review if you want!