Disclaimer – I own nothing, nada, niet, etc….
I'm having a rush of inspiration at the moment so rather than waste it; I thought I'd get this chapter out quickly.
A certain shade of green,
tell me, is that what you need?
All signs around say move ahead.
Could someone please explain to me your ever present
lack of speed?
Are your muscles bound by ropes?
Or do crutches cloud your day?
My sources say the road is clear,
and street signs point the way.
Are you gonna stand around till 2012 A.D.?
What are you waiting for,
A certain shade of green?
I think I grew a gray watching you procrastinate.
What are you waiting for,
A certain shade of green?
Would a written invitation
signed, "Choose now or lose it all,"
sedate your hesitation?
Or inflame and make you stall?
You've been raised in limitation,
but that glove never fit quite right.
The time has passed for hand-me-downs,
choose anew, please evolve,
take flight
What are you waiting for?
A written invitation?
A public declaration?
A private consolation?
-A Certain Shade Of Green / Incubus
It had been two days since Jack had driven Beth home after band practise and she was still having trouble getting that evening out of her mind. Her face hurt from smiling so much. It was a feeling she was entirely unaccustomed to but she didn't want it to end. She was a little perturbed that she hadn't seen Jack in School for the past two days but it wasn't completely unusual given that he rarely attended anyway and they hadn't had any shared classes so far this week, so she wasn't too worried.
Frankie had caught up with her earlier in the day and since Beth still hadn't seen anything of her Father since the incident last week, she hadn't been able to borrow, steal or beg for money from him. That only left one option.
Her Mother's room had remained untouched since she had disappeared without a trace over two years ago. Untouched, except for a few occasions upon which her Father had stormed in, thrown her Mom's possessions around and cursed a lot. There was even a hole in the wall behind the door that was a mould of her Father's balled up fist.
Taking faltering baby-steps inside the darkened bedroom, Beth surveyed the scene. She laughed a little, inwardly, trying to make the best of the situation, wondering what her Mom's reaction would be if she ever did come back and see this mess. She pulled on the light cord and the room shone an iridescent, artificial yellow that made it look positively seedy, the way Beth imagined gentlemen's clubs should be lit. Dim enough to hide a multitude of indiscretions, far from the prying eyes of a million wives and partners that were the under the impression their men were working late, again.
She opened the wardrobe and a musty smell hit her, full force, making her place her sleeve in front of her mouth and nose and she gagged a little. Braving it for the second time, she began rifling through racks of clothes that brought back memories of a woman she barely knew. She grabbed a handful of items and took them back into her own bedroom, checking the clock so that Frankie didn't catch her by surprise.
Once it had been established that Beth couldn't plausibly go shopping with thin air lining her pockets, she had suggested that Frankie come by her house and help her find something to wear. It hadn't been until she arrived home that Beth had even thought of raiding her Mom's closet. She had to metaphorically pat herself on the back for thinking of it; her Mother had left a wealth of clothes behind and there was bound to be something suitable for a party. The difficulty would be choosing an outfit from all that was available, not finding one.
Almost as soon as she had finished laying everything out on her bed methodically, the doorbell rang and Beth jumped before realising what it was. It had taken her a while to convince herself that it was unlikely her Dad would show up for the remainder of the week, as he so often went on hiatus, and that it would be safe for Frankie to come round.
When she opened the door, Frankie barged her way straight into the house without so much as a 'Hello' and proceeded to poke her head around each door until she was satisfied she'd seen enough of the house. Turning around and smiling at Beth, she gave her a sloppy hug and a kiss on the cheek, followed by yet another sickly sweet smile.
"So, what's the 411, chica?" Enquired Frankie.
Beth had to grit her teeth in order to prevent herself from laughing aloud. Do other girls her age really talk like this? She wondered. Frankie sounded like a badly observed character from a daytime soap opera.
"Um, well I have some of my Mom's old clothes in my room, I thought I could wear something of hers since she won't be needing them….." Beth trailed off.
She was suddenly afraid she'd given too much of herself away and that all those years of disciplining herself to hold her tongue had been in vain but Frankie didn't even seem to care.
"Mom not around? Don't worry about it sweetie. I wish mine would fuck off somewhere and never come back sometimes, y'know?" Laughed Frankie.
"Yeah," chimed in Beth, "they're a pain in the ass, right?"
"Totally!" Frankie agreed, before launching into a diatribe about how awful her parents were and what they had refused to buy her this week. Beth felt a little bewildered and at times, could only understand about half of the words that Frankie used but she kept up and nodded and smiled in all the right places, which seemed to please Frankie satisfactorily.
Both girls rooted through the pile of clothes that Beth had laid out until Frankie announced she had found the perfect thing. Brandishing a teensy denim mini skirt and a black halter top with a faded 'AC/DC' print on the front, she declared that she 'would just about die' if Beth didn't wear them to the party. Beth eyed the items with a look of horror and shook her head fervently.
"Oh come on, you'll look killer, dude!" Encouraged Frankie. "Jack's eyes will just about pop out of his head if he see's you in this."
That was all she needed to say, her words needed no elaboration for Beth to get that dreamy look on her face and smile the way she had been for the past two days.
"Yeah?" Continued Frankie, "Come on, for me?"
Frankie pouted like a 7 year old girl that had been denied her dream of owning a pink pony and proceeded to make whimpering noises until Beth was forced to agree if only to placate her and make her stop!
When Frankie was satisfied that she'd gotten her own way, as Beth was sure she was used to doing, she sashayed out the door, waving, making kissing noises and turning back periodically with choruses of 'ciao!' and 'see you Friday, chica!'
An hour later, as it was beginning to get dark, Beth was sure she'd heard a noise outside. Investigating further, she pulled back her curtains and peered out of the window into the impending darkness.
It wasn't until she heard the noise again that could make out a figure standing on the lawn outside her bedroom window. Squinting her eyes, it took her a few seconds to recognise the figure but once she did, she smiled broadly and opened the window widely.
"Are you stalking me again Mercer?" She shouted.
"Only if you want me to be Harper," he replied cheekily.
"What the hell are you doing here? It's freezing out; you must be crazy in the head!"
"Then that means it's your cue to invite me in," he said, trying his luck.
Beth thought about it for a second before coming to the obvious conclusion that of course she'd invite him in! She ran around to the front door and unlocked it quickly, her heart beating so rapidly in her chest that she was sure he'd be able to hear it.
"What are you doing here?" She said, breathlessly.
"I was in the neighbourhood," he shrugged.
"You were in the neighbourhood," she repeated, more as a statement than a question.
"Ok, I was halfway across town and decided I wanted to see you, now stop persecuting me, damn it!" He joked, making Beth laugh.
He looked down at her fondly and tilted his head to the side, taking every inch of her in. For the first time in a couple of days, he noticed that the bruises around her jaw had faded and she had a sparkle in her eyes that he didn't remember being there before. She looked radiant and he wondered what could have brought about this change. Could it be him? He'd never even noticed how pretty she actually was. Her hair was halfway down her back in shiny, auburn tendrils and her face was perfectly laid out. Sure, she dressed like a boy and had the social skills of a toddler but the faults were what distinguished her from every other girl he'd known. That's what made her interesting. And her eyes! Her eyes hid so much behind them, they were deep and soulful and that gave her a grace he hadn't noticed before, or if he had he hadn't paid proper attention.
Beth looked back at Jack with equally fierce intent and her heart continued to pound with anticipation and nervousness. The fact that he hadn't taken his eyes off her for the past two minutes hadn't escaped her and the intensity of his gaze made her feel apprehensive but excited at the same time!
"Beth…." He said, trailing off.
He rarely addressed her by her first name, preferring to use her surname which seemed rather impersonal at times. She loved how it sounded coming from his deep, husky voice and whispered tone and it made her stomach do somersaults.
Before either of them could speak, Jack brought his mouth down to meet hers in a clumsy but tender kiss that made her head near explode. He moved his tongue against hers slowly but surely and she felt so light-headed that she thought she might faint. He furrowed his brow as the kiss became more intense and it took every ounce of willpower in his body not to throw her down on the ground and lavish her with kisses and affectionate caresses all over.
After what seemed like an eternity for them both, Jack snapped back to reality and pulled away suddenly, leaving Beth looking startled and slightly spacey. He hadn't meant to complicate things like this but it had just happened and he'd been powerless to stop it. Did he like her? Did he love her? A million questions were spinning through his head and he took a step back, almost tripping as he did.
Beth appeared too stunned and confused to utter a word and instead, just stood there trying to make sense of the situation but failing dismally.
Before either of them could do or say anything, Jack turned on his heel and ran down the steps without looking back. Beth's eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth to hold back tears of frustration but Jack was too busy opening his car in readiness to drive away to notice. He couldn't be around her right now, everything was so confusing, he had barely known who she was a week ago and now, he was entertaining the notion that he might have feelings for this girl. He had vowed never to get attached to anyone and it scared him deeply.
Jack sped away without sparing Beth a glance or even a word, he felt like his insides were about to explode and he hated himself deeply for doing it but he couldn't explain his actions, not to her or to himself.
Phew! Well, I told you it would never be smooth sailing and it's about to get a whole lot rougher so brace yourselves!!!
Thanks again to those who reviewed; Smiju, Jokerjill, caligrl14, Iris Knotwise and WhiteRabbitOnAWeedPlantation. I opened my email this morning and your reviews put a big, fat smile on my face!
