Title: The Lake
Rating: T
Summary: She was just a girl, and he was just a boy—it was just their summer vacation, and it would be just to say that nothing would be the same. Julian had just three months of sun, lake water, sunscreen, and no Tom to get Jenny to fall for him. Forbidden Game AU, JennyxJulian.
Disclaimer: Don't own the wonderful trilogy of the FBG, but this plot is 100% mine.
A/N: I am so so so so so so sorry. Really, I am! School has been really blahhh with all of these tests and HUGE assignments so, I haven't had time to even think about writing. I will try to make it up to you, my wonderful readers, by posting several chapters this week. Some shots of JxJ summer romance would brighten up any fall day (especially Julian + sunscreen…. *melt*)!! Basically, thanks for the kind reviews, they are what got me back on to in the first place, and please keep reviewing!! Oh, and Ylandel, I don't live in St. Louis, but I have lots of friends to who do live there and I do take American Literature! Okay, on with the chapter. Please review and I might post a belated FBG Halloween one-shot!
Chapter 4: Can't Get You Outta My Mind
The black and white tiles that had before made the basement a unique, mod space were nowhere in sight by early afternoon. Leaf-tinted light threw forest fairy patterns on clothes that covered every inch of the patterned overlay. Heaps of material covered chairs, swallowed end tables, and covered lamps from one end of the large sitting room to the other; Jenny's duffel bag was empty, and still, she had nothing to wear! Julian had hinted at the possibility of seeing her that afternoon—he had saved her hours ago, and she still had not yet changed! Her parents did not yet know about her little accident, and probably never would. But they trusted her, and so she had not seen them since their arrival at the lake house. The wood structure was silent, and it was likely that her mom and dad had gone into town to buy more groceries or gasoline for the ski boat.
Jenny sighed, frustrated. She had packed almost everything from her closet in Vista Grande for this trip, and still none of her outfits seemed right. She held up a long skirt with her pinky—Tom would have loved it—but her verdict now contrasted his: it was too meek. Across from her a sparkly dress had been tossed onto one of the hooks on the wall—way too wild. She sifted through the mounds and mounds of material; cotton, linen, suede, cashmere, denim, and even polyester, but still, nothing matched her standards of what she should look like if she saw Julian that afternoon. Then she remembered.
Her Nile-green eyes shimmering in excitement, Jenny jumped off of the floor (the clothes could sit on the floor for a few more hours, she mused, as most of the garments probably wouldn't chemically decompose for another few centuries), her white dress stiff from not drying properly after her "swim" with Julian. She bolted towards the shelves above the washer and dryer—she sometimes left clothes there over the year, mostly bathing suits or cover-ups, so she wouldn't have to bring them back from California the next summer. Ripping down the whole pile of folded clothes, Jenny spread them onto the floor. Many of the swimsuits were too small for her, or were quite unflattering (Tom may have preferred her in one pieces, but was that really part of the protocol when you were trying to attract a cute guy???). [A/N: Or trying to attract Julian? Ahhh… I don't think so… though he is already in love with her…] But one of the few bikinis she saw struck a cord in her memory. The simple black bikini with a line of silver beading along the top of the bust that she held up was from last summer, the crisp white tags still dangling from it, but it had been too large for her then. Jenny excitedly changed into it as her assumptions were proven right—the modest two-piece fit exactly!
But the sixteen-year-old knew that she couldn't just start traipsing around her backyard in a black bikini—her parents would send her to an institution if they saw their little Miss I-am-modest-and-so-I-wear-a-ponytail-and-long-skirts-everywhere-to-please-my-boring-boyfriend-Tom in that type of outfit. Well, if one could consider two scraps of waterproof material an "outfit". Walking into her bedroom, she brushed a few blouses, belts, and jeans off of the top of a trunk at the foot of her bed and removed the decorated top. Inside were dozens of bolts of fabric that had belonged to her Grandma Evans. Jenny smiled fondly as she recalled blurry childhood memories of an aged, peppermint-smelling woman who had loved to sew. Jenny traced her fingertips over the soft material and pulled out the prettiest patterns. Looking in the reflection from her bedroom window, Jenny compared the materials. The first, a hippie paisley design, looked childish with her swimsuit. Let's just say that Audrey would have fainted at the sight. The second textile, which featured millions of tiny stars on a navy background, was too boring. But the last bolt of fabric, with a giraffe-like design, was perfect. Jenny folded it and wrapped it around her waist like a skirt, carefully smoothing out the bumps and wrinkles.
She gently pulled a brush through her golden tresses and slipped on some dangly earrings, as well as a pair of sandals. She looked into the mirror and let out a soft gasp. Jenny hardly recognized herself—her, the girl who always wore long skirts and modest tops, never let her hair out of its ponytail, and rarely wore jewelry, she was wearing a bikini that would have made Tom blush. Or faint. And yet, she thought, the look suited her. White teeth greeted the glass as she grinned, thinking of Tom's reaction if he were to see her attire. He would be furious. And, she thought, he would probably try to kill Julian. With a laugh Jenny walked out of her bedroom. She had thought of Julian all day, not Tom, yet the realization made her happy. Tom was hundreds of miles away, along with Vista Grande, and she was here, young, sixteen, and free, with the whole summer ahead of her. Jenny smiled again. Being a teenager was about letting go and experimenting right? Well, she couldn't truly say that she loved Tom if she didn't know what love (or lust) felt like based on her nonexistent other experiences with guys, but she was going to start. Now. She would have an innocent summer fling with Julian in Kentucky, no one would have to know about it or get hurt over her decision (as Tom would be forever ignorant if her "experimental summer" and Julian would most likely leave in September for his permanent home as well), and she could be free for once. More open. This summer, she was Jenny Thornton, and she could define that name however she wanted.
Walking back through the basement, Jenny was clearing away several paths through the clothes when spotted something unfamiliar—a navy blue towel. A pair of emerald eyes widened and her mouthed formed a small 'o'. Hmmm. That was strange. The Thorntons only kept sets of red and white towels at their lake house…unless… Jenny picked up the towel and cradled it in her arms. She must have taken it home by mistake this morning. She slowly brought it up to her face and took a whiff, stroking the sapphire terrycloth material along her tanned cheek. It smelled just like him—smoke, danger, and a little bit of mystery.
As Jenny's stomach did flip-flops over a stolen towel she wouldn't probably have to return at some point, less than thirty feet away Julian was pacing around his bedroom, trying to think up his next move. The summer heat was maddening, but they could've sworn there was something else in the sticky air along with it…
A/N: Love it? Hate it? Review and tell me what you think! As soon as I post this I will open up a new doc and start writing chapter 5, I swear. Comments are love.
--TravelerOfTheNight
PS: Here is my peace offering for updating so late: an excerpt from the soon-to-be-posted chapter 5!!!
The dark patio flickered with coins of lighting bug brightness and she smiled, shivering, as they leaned in closer. The cerulean-black of the sky, forest green-black of the grass and the silver-black of the water intertwined and sent her mind into overdrive as hot breaths swept over her collarbone. The night was perfect. He was perfect. The skygrasswater milkshake that been swirling behind her half-lidded eyes cracked back into place, physically separated by the crash Jenny heard behind her. She turned slightly and gaped in horror, watching as ruby red punch seeped into the grass among shards of glass—the remnants of her mother's favorite punch bowl. But that was not what had made her scream inside. When she looked in front of her he was gone, lost in the netted shadows of the night. She turned around. "Thorny!" he acknowledged her, pulling her into a half hug and giving her clothes a disapproving frown. If it was possible to die of shock, then this was no heaven, Jenny thought bitterly. "H-hi…" she stuttered, "What are you doing here?" More like 'why the heck did you have to show up and ruin the perfect moment?' she contemplated angrily. "I came to see you", he replied monotonously, his voice stripped of any hint or indication of the passion she had felt and heard a few minutes before. "My parents decided to drive east for a spur-of-the-moment vacation, and I decided to surprise you. They're in the hotel across the water, but I just saw your parents and they said I could stay in your guest room for a few nights! I know it's a bit late for me to come on a Friday night and all since you guys just arrived, but I'll be staying until Monday! Isn't that great Thorny?!" Jenny grumbled incoherently as he grinned like a Cheshire cat, oblivious to her anger and the vehemence in the piercing blue eyes in the shadows, as he planted a lukewarm kiss on her cheek. The feeling, compared to the sensations she was expecting to feel a number of seconds ago, would have made her blush a few days ago. Now it repulsed her. She grimaced; luckily, it was dark, and the sporadic tiki torches distorted his view of her face. "Yeah Tom." she whispered weakly, the happiness gone, leaving only sarcasm, "It's great. Reaaaalllyyyy great."
A/N: Uh-oh!!! I am sorry for the cliffy, but I hope it gets you excited about reading more of The Lake! Review and my next update will be even swifter!
—TOTN
