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Author's Note: Hello everyone! How are you all doing? Hope you're doing just fine! Today I have for you another little installment for Hidden Stash Box. Thank you all for the lovely and sweet reviews that you left on the last one I'm so glad that you all enjoyed it and are looking forward to more installments to this collection! I hope you all like this one! This installment stars Jackie and Bob, it's family again, it takes place after Jackie moves in to The Pinciotii house and that's about all you have to know about this one. This mini oneshot I think is also about something a lot of us can relate to during this time of year. You'll see what I mean after you read it. But for now, thank you for reading, I hope you like, please do review if you have the chance I'd love to hear you thoughts, and as always Enjoy!
The word that inspired this mini-oneshot appears 6 times. Do you know it?
Tying his robe closed, the middle aged man walked through his living room and towards the kitchen. He was sure to be quiet as he made his journey, so that he didn't wake the others in the house. This was something he did a lot, it was nice to have a little 'Me Time' even if it was during the late hours of the night—it'd become a little tradition he had with himself. However, when he pushed the swinging door open tonight he realized there'd be a change in the ritual as soon as he saw the familiar figure sitting in the room.
"Jackie?" he called with confusion.
The petite brunette turned away from her papers and books that were scattered in front of her on the kitchen table and turned to see the man standing at the doorway.
"Hi Mr. Pinciotii." Her mouth sounded full before she swallowed her piece of beef jerky and tried to hide the bag under some notebook paper. It wasn't that she didn't want to share, but she didn't. When she was nervous she ate beef jerky and right now…well this was her jerky and no one else could have any.
Jackie cleared her throat, "I'm sorry did I wake you up?"
"No, no." Bob shook his head as he stepped into the room wearing a smile, "I'm always up at this time."
She frowned, "But it's not even morning yet."
"Oh I don't stay awake. I just wake up, get a midnight snack, and then go back to sleep." He was more than happy to explain while making his way to the refrigerator.
"But it's three o'clock in the morning." Jackie pointed out, not understanding how one could have a midnight snack if it wasn't even midnight anymore.
"No it's not." Bob said before making his top half disappear behind the now open refrigerator door; he soon reappeared with a plate covered with plastic wrap in his hands and a large grin on his face. "It's cheese o'clock in the morning." His smile grew as he uncovered the plastic to give a better look at the little yellow cheese cubes hidden underneath, "Want some?"
Jackie tried to hide her grimace as she shook her head, "No thanks."
Bob shrugged his shoulders in a sort of 'More for me' kind of way before he and his plate of cheese cubes began to approach Jackie.
"What are you doing up?" he asked then suddenly his smile fell and concern quickly appeared on his face, "Are you feeling sick? I can go next door and get Kitty…or make you some toast or…"
"Mr. Pinciotii, I'm not sick. Really." Jackie reassured the panicking father, "I'm up because I'm studying."
Bob's face showed his obvious relief and his smile popped back into place, glad to hear that the young girl who was now in his care was okay.
He took a seat in front of her and smiled more, "Oh okay. What're you studying for?"
"My SATs." She replied looking down at one of her books, trying to multitask by talking to Bob and continuing her studying.
"You're taking the SATs? And studying for them too?" asked a wide eyed Bob.
The tone of voice he used may have sounded a bit too shocked, he couldn't help it, but it didn't sit well with Jackie. Her head snapped up and she looked at her guardian with her eyes fiery with not anger, but determination.
"Yes, I'm taking my SATs and studying for them. Why does everybody react like that whenever they find out I'm actually trying to do good on this test?" She asked, explaining why she was so bothered by Bob's response, "Even Steven was surprised and couldn't believe it." she shared and then lifted her pointing finger to make a point, "I may be a very, very pretty girl but that doesn't mean I can't be smart too!"
Jackie's outburst immediately made Bob feel guilty for the way he'd responded to her news.
"Oh gee Jackie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." he said with much sincerity, "I guess I was just surprised since you're always saying ugly girls are the ones who need to worry about studying since pretty girls can get by on their good looks. I really thought you were on to something there."
"That's what I used to say, Mr. Pinciotii." Jackie firmly told him, "Now I've grown up and I've realized that women can be both pretty and smart. And that's the kind of woman I want to be. I mean my favorite TV show is The Mary Tyler Moore Show…well it's my second favorite." She admitted, "First it's Charlie's Angel since those women are also pretty and smart but they have prettier hair and are much younger."
Bob nodded understandingly, "You don't have to remind me."
"I want to take my SATs and get a good score so that I can get into a good college and have a good career. This way I can be successful in not just being pretty but in everything else too." Jackie added on.
"Good for you, Jackie."
"And," she continued, "I want to prove that like everyone else I can get a higher SAT score than Eric."
"He really got a dumper of a score, huh?" Bob asked.
Jackie nodded a bit sadly as her voice of happiness toned down a bit, "Yeah, and now I'm starting to understand why. This stuff is really hard. My test is tomorrow and even though I've been studying for the past few months when I look at all this stuff now it's like I'm reading Chinese. It's too confusing and hard…I'm starting to think maybe I shouldn't take the test at all."
Seeing Jackie so discouraged saddened Bob. He's started to see her as his second daughter since she'd moved in with him and Donna and he'd never let Donna give up on one of her dreams.
"Jackie, if you wanna take the test, you should take it." he told her remembering what she'd shared with him earlier, "It doesn't matter what other people think."
"But I don't wanna fail. Burkharts don't fail." She declared.
Bob looked at her with a small comforting smile, "Jackie, honey, you're not gonna fail. You're a very smart, and very pretty girl." he made sure to add in before it upset her, "I think you're just stressing yourself out by looking over all this stuff so much. You can pass this test with flying colors and get a higher score than all the boys."
The corners of Jackie's mouth twitched as she heard his consoling words.
"I bet you get a score as high as Donna's." he went on, "Then I'll have both my girls' SAT scores hanging on the fridge."
Jackie's eyes drifted to the yellow colored fridge. As tacky as it was Jackie had to smile at the thought of one of her accomplishments being hung on display on the refrigerator door. Her parents had never done that before. Of course it wasn't because she didn't have any accomplishments; her mother thought it was something poor people did to cover up the ugliness of their fridge and her father rarely ever stepped foot in their kitchen. This would be the first time something of hers would be hung on the fridge, she was touched.
"But no matter what score you get I'll still hang it up on the fridge cuz I'll be proud of you. Because you tired your best." Bob said with his smile still in place.
Jackie grinned back at him, "Thanks, Mr. Pinciotii."
Bob nodded his 'you're welcome' and then got an idea, "You want me to fix you up a study snack?"
"No thanks." She answered as she slowly stood up from the seat she'd been sitting in for over two hours, "I'm feeling better about the test now and think maybe I should get some sleep. After all I don't want to be sleepy when I'm taking it. Or worse, have dark circles under my eyes."
He laughed in agreement as Jackie walked over to him and gave him a hug from behind and this time it was Bob who was touched. It took everything he had not to burst into tears.
"Good night, Mr. Pinciotii."
"Good night, Jackie." He replied luckily in his normal voice as he watched Jackie exit the kitchen, leaving her books and notes on the kitchen.
"She's gonna do great."Bob said to the empty room, "This stuff can't be that hard." He then reach over to turn a book in his direction, he looked at the printed material in only a matter of seconds his grin faded into horror.
His eyes scanned the page looking for something he might be able to understand but he saw nothing; but he wasn't giving up and used his eyes to search over the table of papers for something he recognized. Finally he found something that made him smile.
With a large grin on his face he lifted the notes up and retrieved the plastic bag underneath, "Oo jerky!"
Author's Note: So what did you think? Yay? Nay? A combination of both? Lemme know what you think!
And the word that inspired this mini-oneshot was…Test. Anyone get it this time? And to those of you who are still working on your test and finals I wish you all the best of luck and hang in there it's almost over and then summer break! :D
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!
