A few hours later I was still with Jack in his apartment. We were in his bedroom, and Jack was laying down on the bed while I was sitting at the edge, looking out the window. I sighed and slumped down. Jack and I hadn't—well—gone for it a second time, but a little guilt was still festering in me about that one time.
"You feeling okay Rowena?" asked Jack without sitting up. "You've been awful quiet."
"Just thinking," I said. "What if Audrey finds out? She'll be mad at me forever."
"She doesn't have to find out," said Jack. "Look—it may have been a mistake, but don't worry about a thing. Stupid things happen. And I like you, you're a good kid."
"Thanks," I said. I looked out the window again and noticed that it was dark out. "Oh my God! It looks like it's getting late. What time is it Jack?"
Jack sat up and checked his watch. "Already passed nine," he said. "Do you have to be getting home now?"
"Yeah, I should," I said. "Audrey may have calmed down by now…but just in case she didn't, wish me luck."
"Well good luck then," said Jack. "Look, I know Audrey's pissed now, but she'll get over it. It may take her a while, but it'll pass. Even if she finds out about what happened here. Hell, she may even joke about it later on, I could see her sadistic little self doing that."
"I hope you're right," I said. "But then again, you know her better than I do at this point." I got up, but I paused, exasperated.
"What's wrong Rowena?" asked Jack, walking over to me.
"It's just…when it was happening and all, it was great, it felt right and everything," I started. "But now it just feels wrong…weird. Not just because of Audrey, but just—you know what I mean, right?"
Jack laughed. "Yeah, I do," he said. "And lemme tell you something—screw what people think about what women should do with their bodies. It's called 'feminism' and speaking as a man, it's one of the best things that could happen to this world. This is the seventies, not the seventeen-hundreds. I still respect you."
I smiled. "Thanks Jack," I said. "I was just raised differently I guess…well, I guess I'm off to Audrey."
"Rowena, it's kind of dark outside," said Jack. "Do you want me to walk you back?"
"I would but I don't want Audrey to see you," I said. "And plus, I can take a cab back."
"Then let me wait for the cab with you," said Jack. "Trust me, you don't wanna be all alone out here at night. And besides—" he flung an arm around my shoulders playfully. "I ain't the type to screw and leave."
I laughed unexpectedly. "Oh Jack," I said, shaking my head. "Do I have a choice?"
"Nope," said Jack. "I'll wait with you until the cab comes. Sound good?"
"Okay," I said. Jack took his arm off me and he walked with me outside to the front of the apartment complex. Well, he really was right—when we got outside I could see that it was very dark out and there were only a few streetlights to light the way. There would be no way I'd be able to walk back home without some trouble in this city. Soon enough, a cab pulled up and I went to get in.
"Have a safe trip, Rowena," said Jack. "And don't let the big bad Audrey get you."
"I won't," I said. "And thanks Jack. You've been a good listener."
"As have you," said Jack. He gave me a kiss on the cheek before I climbed into the cab and it drove off. I watched him out the window as the cab drove away. He was just standing there, looking pretty lonely, and he had a human concern about his face. I wondered why him and Audrey just couldn't forgive and forget already.
The cab dropped me off at the driveway to the house and as I stepped out onto the sidewalk after I paid the driver, I stood there frozen for a bit. I was never good at confrontations, and I had to admit to myself that I didn't know Audrey all that well yet, despite living with her in her room for a few weeks. My body still felt Jack, but brushing it off, I finally got the guts to enter the house. The living room was empty and all the lights were off, but I still walked slowly and kept a lookout for Audrey just in case she was the type to wait up all night for you to come home before she switched on the lights while sitting on the couch, giving you the, "Do you have any idea what time it is? Where have you been?" speech. Luckily, I didn't see her at all.
I softly crept up to the room and hoped to God that maybe Audrey was asleep, and that if I was quiet enough, I wouldn't wake her up when I got to bed. Unfortunately, I found that was not the case. In the very cliché way of things, Audrey did exactly what I thought she would do—as soon as I closed the door to the room, she clicked on the lamp, which eerily (though somewhat unaffectedly) lit half the room.
"Well," she said softly. "Have fun?"
"Audrey, what the hell's the matter with you?" I asked. "What does it matter to you if Jack and I hung out? It's not like we were plotting against you or anything."
"Rowena, you obviously don't know how this works," said Audrey. "Friends don't hang out with other friends' exes!"
"Look, I wish I could say I was sorry," I said, my voice rising. "But I can't. I happen to like Jack. Now, you're free to your own opinions, but come on, I'm sick of people here trying to rule my mind! First Henry, then you, the who knows who else?"
"Are you comparing me to Henry?" Audrey shrieked. "Henry the pervert?"
"Not in that way," I said, losing more and more of my patience. "But I don't appreciate you trying to tell me who I can and can't hang out with!"
"I can see that you obviously don't understand," said Audrey.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous of me!" I yelled. I stopped right after I said it; it had just slipped out. Audrey stood there with wide eyes and a shocked expression. I didn't know what I'd done, but I was scared to find out.
"Jealous, eh?" said Audrey after calming down a bit, a cool, sadistic look on her face as she raised an eyebrow. "I'll tell you Rowena, if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was you who was jealous of me!"
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Come on Rowena, don't be stupid," snapped Audrey. "I know you think that Daniel wants me! You see us together, and you flare up. Maybe that's why you decided to take a little walk after only ten minutes today, and maybe that's also why you went off with Jackass!"
"That's not true!" I shouted, although I damn well knew it was. Of course Audrey struck a nerve with me; I was in a rage and not afraid to show it. My palms got sweaty, I was shaking, and my body temperature rose.
"Oh, but I think it is," growled Audrey. "Why else would you wanna hang out with Jack?"
"Because he's a great guy!" I said, fuming. "Audrey, have you ever once stopped to think about why he is the way he is to you? Do you even know about his home life?"
"Yeah, I do, but what does it matter?" said Audrey, her face flushing.
"His parents abandoned him Audrey!" I said. "His life was crappy before he met you, and yes, he did jerk you around a lot, but you have to look inside a person to see why they do the things they do! He knows he did something wrong and he admits it! He's confused, sad, hurt, and all sorts of other things!"
"What do you expect me to do Rowena, take him back?" said Audrey.
"No," I said. "Just try to understand, and stop giving me crap about spending time with him."
"My God Rowena, you just don't get it, do you?" said Audrey. With that she turned on heel and walked to the door. "I'm outta here, this just ain't worth it!"
"What the hell Audrey, this is your God damned room!" I shouted after her.
"Whatever!" growled Audrey before slamming the door.
"Yeah, well—screw you too!" I yelled at the closed door. I collapsed down on the bottom bunk in exasperation and shock. How could one person get so worked up about one little thing? Audrey left her own room because of all of this! I hoped that things wouldn't stay like this, but I was too mad to really care about much right now. This was possibly the longest day since yesterday that I ever had. I just wanted it to end…hopefully Audrey was just being a bitch today and this would all blow over. At least, in a perfect world that would happen. Sighing, I climbed up to the ladder and onto the top bunk. Maybe Audrey would come to her senses and come back in. Despite the turbulence of the day, I fell asleep quickly and deeply.
The next morning I woke up and cautiously looked down at the bottom bunk, hoping to see Audrey there. To my dismay, she wasn't there. Maybe she had gone downstairs, I thought to myself. I quickly got dressed and walked down to the living room where I saw Paul and Nancy sitting at the kitchen table, but not Audrey.
"Good morning Rowena," said Paul.
"Morning," I said. "Hey…where's Audrey?"
"Oh, she went to Daniel's late last night," said Nancy. "She should be back later today."
"Okay," I said. At least I knew where she was. As pissed at her as I was, I was still a little worried about where she may have gone last night.
"Rowena, can I speak to you for a moment please?" asked Paul.
"Uh…sure," I said, my stomach dropping. Was he mad at me for getting into an argument with his daughter? Did he find out about me and Jack? Or worse—would I have to talk to him about getting together with Jack? This could possibly be worse than telling him about my past feelings for Mr. Holland. Paul and I walked into the living room while Nancy was still cooking breakfast and we sat down on the couch. "What's wrong sir?" I asked, terrified.
"Nothing's wrong," said Paul. "I didn't want to get involved at the time, but I couldn't help but notice you and Audrey having a bit of a tiff last night. Is everything okay?"
I sighed in relief. He wasn't mad—at least not yet. "I dunno," I said. "She got mad at me because…because yesterday when we were in the square selling her artwork, I took a little walk and ended up hanging out with Jack for a bit."
"I see," said Paul with a small smile.
"Look, sir, I understand if you're upset with me for it," I said. "I know Audrey's your daughter, and—"
"Rowena," said Paul, cutting me off. "I know I've never told you this, but I see you as just as much my daughter as Audrey is. And Audrey herself has told me that she sees you as a sister to her; sisters fight, it's normal. I don't disapprove of your actions—I was just concerned."
"I—thank you…" I said, flattered and embarrassed.
"What happened with you and Jack?" asked Paul.
"Nothing," I quickly lied. "We just hung out—it wasn't like we were trashing Audrey or anything, honest, I was just trying to get to know him. I actually sort of feel bad for him…I understand he jerked Audrey around a lot, but he knows what he did was wrong, and his home life has been a mess for his whole life, and—"
"Rowena, I know about it," said Paul. "And yes, Audrey is my daughter and I am protective of her in that way. I know Jack broke her heart and he's been a little too persistent at wanting to get her back, but I also understand where Jack is coming from. I knew his parents back before they left, and they weren't the best parents in the world."
"So…you're not upset with me?" I asked, confused.
"No Rowena, I'm not," said Paul. "You have the right to get to know whoever you want while you're here—that is, unless they're a crazed pervert sex-fiend." Paul ended with a smile.
"Oh, so you mean Henry?" I asked.
Paul laughed. "Man Rowena, I really don't know what's been up with him lately," he said. "I mean, he's always been a little odd, but…well, as long as I'm with you he's not gonna try and pull anything crazy."
"I trust you," I said. "I think I'm gonna go for a little walk."
"You sure?" asked Paul. "Breakfast is going to be ready soon."
"I'll grab something when I come back in," I said. I got up and went over to the door. "I just need a bit of fresh air."
"Okay then," said Paul, getting up to go back to the kitchen. "I'll see you in a little bit Rowena."
"Where are you going dear?" asked Nancy.
"Just around the corner," I said. "I'll be back in a little bit, don't worry."
"Okay dear, I'll make sure to leave you some food!" Nancy called as I made my way out the door.
"Thanks!" I said back before I closed the door. It was nice to be alone, I thought as I walked down the sidewalk. Maybe I'd get a cab and go down to the Village. Jack could be there, or maybe Daniel. But if Daniel was there, then it meant Audrey was there too, and if not Audrey, then Henry. Yeah…maybe Jack. Despite all of the crazy things that could happen, I decided to hail a cab anyway. I climbed in and told the driver, "Greenwich Village please!" and I was off to who the hell knows what. As always, the drive was short and I was on the street right by Henry's bar.
As I got out I was careful for Henry not to see me, but there he was, walking around the corner, curiously not in the bar. Daniel must have been in there running things while his uncle was on break. I tried to duck out of the way, but it was too late—Henry called me with a loud, "Hello Rowena!" and I was forced to stay put.
"Hi Henry," I said sheepishly. Well, he was my boss; maybe it was important.
"How are you honey," said Henry as he approached me.
"Doing fine," I said. "You?"
"Not too bad," said Henry. "Look, I hope you know I'm terribly sorry about my little outburst the last time we spoke—it had been a long night."
"Uh, yeah, no problem," I said, confused. There had to be something coming up soon.
"I wanted to tell you something though," said Henry. "I heard from Daniel that you were singing folk songs with him yesterday, correct?"
"I was," I said. "Is that a problem?"
"Just a little," said Henry. "You see, I could live with the jazz honey, you know I can. I'd like rock better, but you know…but folk—it's just not hot at all. You're hot, you shouldn't be singing that stuff. You want to be keeping your image Rowena, now don't you?"
"I—uh—" I stuttered, not quite knowing what to say. Normally I would have challenged Henry, but all of my anger got drained out by Audrey. But before I could say anything, I was saved.
"Henry!" called Daniel, jogging up to us from another direction. "What are you doing out here?" I felt my heart leap and my knees instantly started to knock. I guess realizing my true feelings for Daniel was going to make this happen.
"Talking to Rowena," said Henry. "Wait—Daniel, weren't you at the bar?"
"No," said Daniel, frowning. "I thought you were!"
"Ah geez—" said Henry. "We'll talk later Rowena!" And with that he darted off, cursing, to the bar.
Daniel looked at me, smirking. "You're welcome," he said, and then walked away.
"Wait!" I called, running after him. I wasn't going to let him get away that easily.
Daniel turned around. "Mmhm?"
"Thanks," I said. "Were you really not at the bar?"
"Oh, I was at the bar," said Daniel. "But when I saw you with Henry I snuck out the back; you looked a little bewildered. What was he harping on about anyway?"
"He was a little upset about me singing the folk songs with you yesterday," I said, very flattered that Daniel would pull such a stunt to save me from his big, bad uncle.
"I see," said Daniel. "Oh well, won't stop you will it? He's just a dick."
"Yeah," I said. "Hey…is Audrey still at your house?"
"Yeah, she is," said Daniel.
"How is she?" I asked.
"Still kind of pissed," said Daniel. "I'll tell ya, you really did a number on her."
"All I did was talk to someone new," I said. "Is she really that bad?"
"Oh, she'll get over it," said Daniel, swatting his hand. "She's just a little jealous is all. She doesn't want Jack back or anything, she just wants you completely on her side. Plus you getting attention from her ex boyfriend is putting her off too."
"Ah," I said. "It's just that—"
"You feel bad for Jack," said Daniel. "I get it. Yeah, I personally think he's a prick, but to each their own. Audrey is overreacting."
"But—she'll get better though, right?" I asked.
"She will," said Daniel. "Trust me, you didn't lose her. If I may ask—what did you and Jack and up doing yesterday after Audrey and I split?"
"Well," I said, wondering just how to tell this story to the guy I was finding such intense feelings for. "We took a walk down to this café…went back to his apartment and hung out."
"Did you now?" asked Daniel with a smirk that frightened me. Did he know something?
"Yeah," I said quickly, trying to hide it. Could I trust Daniel with the information, or would he just go running to Audrey with it? Personally, I was itching to tell someone, but I didn't think I could trust anybody with it.
"Tell me Miss Rowena," said Daniel, rubbing his chin. "What did you two do back at his apartment? Watch TV?"
"Yep," I said. "We watched TV!"
"Really now?" said Daniel, once again making me feel very uncomfortable. "Because something is telling me that you guys were doing something else."
"W—what's telling you?" I stammered. Oh boy…was my face giving it away?
"Between you and me," said Daniel, looking like he was about to crack up. "There is a little hickey on your neck that your hair was doing a pretty decent job of hiding until the wind started blowing."
"Oh shit!" I hissed, pressing both sides of my hair to my neck.
"Rowena, it's no use, I saw it already," said Daniel, laughing softly.
"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch," I groaned.
"Yeah, Audrey and I will help you," said Daniel. "So…Miss Rowena…"
"Yes?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest, dreading what question that may come next from the guy I was crushing hard on.
"Did he fuck you?" Daniel asked, outright. I felt my stomach drop and goosebumps crawled all over my skin. I felt my face get hot, but all my insides get cold. So much for a well-kept secret…maybe Audrey saw the hickey too and didn't say anything! And if she didn't, Daniel might tell her! Of course, I didn't need to say anything, because my reaction gave everything away.
Daniel was cracking up by now. "Oh, Miss Rowena!" he said. "Whatever man, it sure as hell ain't the sixties anymore, but it is in Jack's head! Love is free sister."
"Don't tell Audrey," was all that I could muster to say.
"Of course I won't," said Daniel, putting an arm around my shoulder. "I promise."
"Thanks Daniel," I said.
"No problem," said Daniel. "So…how was it?" I elbowed him in the ribs and walked off. Laughing hysterically, he caught up to me and we walked down the street. It was nice to know that Daniel wasn't as turbulent as Audrey. I knew at least I had one true friend in town that I hadn't gone and made awkward yet. But I could tell that was just around the bend. Not that I cared anyway. I was just going to enjoy now before I went and loused things up.
