Chapter XIV

"Absolutely not!" William Birkin's eyes bulged outwards towards her, "I don't want to hear of you being anywhere near that boy unless it's in school!"

Sherry's jaw went slack with shock. She had not seen her father so upset in a very long time. She could hardly speak or think as he glared at her. She sucked in a deep breath and shook her head with confusion, "but why?"

"Because I said so," he forced out, "that boy is nothing but bad news."

"Are you kidding me?" she was appalled, "you don't even know him-

"I know enough," his eyes narrowed at her and his hands trembled. Just the thought of that boy with his daughter made him feel like he was losing his sanity.

"How would you know anything about him dad? You're just being judgmental, he's nice to me, and he's respectful," she was struggling to maintain control of her voice, but her throat was tightening and wanting nothing more than to begin shouting.

"He is a hooligan who wants to use you for your body and nothing more."

"How would you know? You don't know him," her voice was shaky, she was going to lose it, "he's very nice dad. Where would you have heard anything about him anyway?"

"Sherry," William pinched the bridge of his nose, "that boy is a deviant," she rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair; she couldn't believe that he was being like this. Yes, he had heard something about Jake. That much was clear. But she couldn't stand it anyway, "you're not going out with that boy, you two are completely different. Call him and tell him the date is off. You're not going anywhere."

"I can't believe you," her incredulity was obvious as she blinked at him. Hoping, wishing, that he was going to burst into a fit of laughter and tell her that he was kidding. But the longer she stared the more serious his expression became. The knitting between his brows told her everything she had to know. He was very serious, "dad…" her voice dropped to a whisper, "please… I like him-

"I don't care. Find someone that is worthy of you, not that boy. Now, I have to read this book Sherry. You know what you need to do. Goodnight."

Astonishment, no other expression lay on her face but that one. William returned to the book in his lap and struggled to concentrate. He could feel her gaze on him. She would understand at some point. Maybe when he was gone.

Sherry shut the door to the bedroom and moved to her own room in a hurry. There was an anger building inside of her. An urge to defy her father and do nothing, but she couldn't do that to him. He was in a weak condition. He was not well; she wouldn't be able to take it if something happened to him because she was being stubborn. What if he had a heart attack out of anger? No, she couldn't risk it.

She sat on her bed and stared at the phone beside her with worry.

What do I say to him? Sherry hung her head, would he hate me more if I did it in person? Maybe I should do it after he drops me off? No, no, then it'll look like I was using him to get a ride home. But if I do it on the phone that's probably worse… I'll do it in school, yeah, right after school I'll just tell him.

And with that Sherry lay her head on her pillow and struggled to sleep.

…

Sherry was acting strange. All period she had been laughing shakily and grinning a bit too casually. Her eyes would dart around as if she didn't know what the hell to stare at, and it was annoying him.

Ever since she walked into the gym she had this weird tick in her hands, she kept messing around with her fingers and it was annoying him, especially because he knew it had to be a nervous habit.

"You okay?" He asked her as she stared distantly towards the basketball hoop.

"Yeah, I'm okay, why?" She looked to him nervously.

"Well it looks like your fingers are having seizures," he pointed out. She looked down at how she drummed her fingers against the bleachers at irregular intervals, she clenched her hands tightly.

"I'm just thinking, that's all," she smiled reassuringly at him. He narrowed his eyes but accepted this.

The rest of the class was spent on strange conversations. He learned that when Sherry was so obviously nervous about something she strained to be funny.

"Want to hear a joke?" she had told him as the teacher dismissed them, he nodded, smirking and shoving his hands into his pockets. She stared up at him with a glitter in her eyes, "what did sushi 'A' say to Sushi 'B'?"

He raised a brow.

Sherry grinned, "Wasabi. Get it?"

"Oh God," he shook his head, frowning as she laughed, "That was so bad."

"That was funny!" she giggled and skipped off to the locker room. He chuckled and went to change as well. When he came out of the locker room Chris was already walking towards him, laughing so hard that teachers were shutting their doors.

"Oh man, Jake you gotta' hear this," Chris rubbed a tear away as he came to Jake's side, "Sheva texted me this joke that Sherry just told her."

"Wasabi?"

Chris frowned, "no. You'll see when we get there."

Jake nodded.

When they entered the lunchroom they found Sheva staring at Sherry with amusement as the blonde grinned and laughed. Jake smiled, she thinks she's so funny. Billy suddenly appeared beside Jake and nodded in greeting.

"Hey," Sheva grinned at them all and waved, Chris went to kiss her and got a warning look from Sheva before he got too carried away, and Jake rolled his eyes and stared at Sherry who was snickering like a fool.

"More jokes?" He guessed.

"Tell him the one you told me," Chris smirked, "this is so good."

"Okay, what says 'Oh, oh, oh'?"

Girls while I fuck them, Jake shrugged and kept his retort inside.

"Santa walking backwards."

Billy laughed and spit water onto the table. Sheva grimaced and Sherry laughed, Jake raised a brow with an open mouthed smirk.

"You think you're so funny," he observed, she nodded and unwrapped her sandwich then she took a bite into it, "I bet I can make you all laugh."

"No you can't," Sherry and Sheva challenged at once.

"Jake, hit them with the good stuff," Chris stated seriously. Jake stared at Chris.

"Relax, this isn't war," he warned his very, competitive friend.

"Take them down, fast and hard," Chris responded.

Sheva's eyes widened and she burst into a fit of giggles, Jake looked at her with confusion, "do you seriously plan on saying that in the middle of combat or something Chris?" He asked, "it sounds like you're giving me sex tips or something."

"God knows you need 'em, girls coming out with bruises and shit," Chris mumbled and looked off, crossing his arms.

Jake rolled his eyes and thought for a joke, "Three guys go to a ski lodge, and there aren't enough rooms, so they have to share a bed. In the middle of the night, the guy on the right wakes up and says, "I had this wild, vivid dream of getting a hand job!" The guy on the left wakes up, and weirdly, he had the same dream. Then the guy in the middle wakes up and says, "That's funny, I dreamed I was skiing."

"Oh fuck!" Chris spluttered water out just as Billy's head dropped to the table with laughter. Sheva snickered despite herself and Sherry stared at Jake with confusion.

"What? Why… I don't get it."

Jake grinned devilishly at her as she stared at him with confusion. His eyes looked alight with humor, "he was giving them hand jobs –

"Oh!" She squeaked and blushed as Chris and Billy laughed at her. Jake bit his lip and looked away. He had this urge to just jump over the table and grab her head and kiss her, until she bruises, he added, I wonder if she's ever even been kissed, he tried to imagine her with someone but found it almost impossible. The vision would change to him attacking the other person.

"Okay I've got one," Chris grinned, Sheva groaned.

"Chris, you know that your jokes aren't really good right?" She teased softly; he glared at her and continued.

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?" Sheva answered with a grumble.

"Daisy."

"Daisy who?"

"Daisy me rollin', they hatin'."

"Oh wow!" Billy and Sherry burst into wild fits of laughter, Jake chuckled despite himself and Sheva shook her head at Chris with an astounded grin.

The rest of the lunch period passed this way, Jake had the dirty jokes, Sherry stuck to cheesy humor, Chris was just odd, Sheva shook her head at their sense of humor, and Billy had the entire table covered in his drink by the time the lunch period was over.

When school was over Jake walked out of the school with a dark expression on his face. No one knew however that there was excitement pooling at his stomach at the knowledge that this weekend he would have Sherry to himself. He'd be able to talk to her and see what she's like when their friends weren't around.

As he stalked over to the motorcycle he noticed Excella standing there, touching the leather seats with a long manicured fingernail. Her eyes cast their way over to him and she smiled, her red lips became coy and her stare dark and lustful.

"What do you want?" He asked as he approached the bike and stopped in front of her. She smirked at him.

Excella wore a skirt that was much too short for her. To say that she was unattractive would be a lie, and Jake knew it. She was in fact very attractive. But he just didn't care for it. If she leaned just the right way he swore that her panties would flash, the black miniskirt wasn't really doing her any favors.

"I wanted to talk to you," she leaned off the bike and placed one hand on her hip, leaning on one leg and swaying with boredom, "I see that you are hanging around that Sherry Birkin girl all the time now."

"And?" His eyes narrowed.

"Well I just wanted to know if you're dating her or something," her tone became defensive, "that would look very bad."

"Really," his mouth twisted with annoyance, "and how would that look bad?"

"Well," she looked amused and looked behind him before returning her eyes to him and running her red fingernail along the collar of his shirt, "I was the last one to fuck you," she lowered her voice very carefully and looked up at him with a knowing gaze, "can you just imagine what they would say about you and I if you were caught with that girl? She looks like a fucking child Jake. You're downgrading."

"Get the hell away from me," he threw her hand away from him, "you were a lame fuck anyway," he spit angrily. She smirked.

"We'll see about that when you coming running back to my house." With that she sashayed away.

Jake looked away from her towards the entrance of the school and noticed Sherry. She was staring at them both form a distance with a slight frown and a confused stare.

Slowly Sherry made her way towards him. He was leaning against the bike with one ankle crossed over the other. His eyes were on her. A shiver threatened to roll up her spine.

"Hey," she murmured quietly, the image of Excella touching him flashed through her head.

"Hey, you ready to go?" He leaned off of the bike and stared down at her. She was staring at her hands nervously, "got anymore jokes for me?" He smirked.

"Yeah," she murmured awkwardly, "why did the motorcycle stop moving?" When he waited she answered, "It was two-tired." Jake rolled his eyes and but found himself nonetheless amused at her stupid joke. He extended his arms out to her, ready to pick her up, but she stepped back and raised her gaze up to him, "Jake I have bad news."

Well, this just took a serious turn, he thought and dropped his hands to his side, "what is it?"

"I can't go out with you this weekend," she nervously removed her gaze from him and fidgeted with her thumbs, "I'm really sorry. It's just that.. .I can't-

"What?" His eyes flashed at her and he reminded himself to keep control of his temper. She doesn't have to go out with me. I've got no right to react like if she's just kicked me in the balls, but damn she might as well. He crossed his arms as she looked up at him, "why?"

"I can't explain I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Did I do something?" His eyes were narrowing and he could see the growing nervousness on her face.

"What? No, no, Jake I just think that you and I are very different and it's best if we just don't ruin our friendship, okay? Can we just leave it at that and not let this get all weird?" She was pleading with him, it was all in her face and body posture. She was squirming as if she had a bad stomach ache, "I just—

"Fine," there was anger boiling in his chest. What fucking answer is that? 'I just don't think it's a good idea?' God damn it something else is going on, she's not telling me. "Whatever, it's not a big deal. I don't care," he mounted the bike and she felt her entire body deflate of air.

"I'm sorry… I really did want to-

"Save it," he snapped at her, his eyes narrowed, "I don't need a fucking pity party."

Sherry blinked with shock, "no. Jake I wasn't trying to-

"Do you think I really give that much of a shit about a stupid little hang out? Jesus Sherry," he laughed at her even though he could hear the regret already making its way over to him, "you and I can be friends it's no big deal. I'm already over it. Now get on so I could give you a ride home."

She trembled where she stood. Then swallowed the lump in her throat, she managed a short and jerky shake of her head. He scowled, "I'll walk. It's no big deal, I need to stop at the store and get a few things anyway, bye Jake, thanks for being so understanding," she threw in there just to dig him just a bit.

"I'll drop you off at the store," he reasoned, frowning at her rejection, that's twice now.

"No, it's fine," she shook her head and began walking away from him, "bye!"

"Sherry!" He called out with frustration.

She waved with a fake smile and hurriedly made her way home. Jake stared with annoyance and let the motorcycle come to life beneath him. Fine, walk home, he grunted mentally and made his way out of the parking lot.

It wasn't until she got through the front door that she took in a deep breath. She had been taking short little pants the entire way home. Her lungs appreciated the oxygen.

Quietly Sherry approached her dad's room, when she pushed the door open she found him reading, he looked up and stared at her with surprise, "how was school?"

"It was fine," she forced out, "I spoke to Jake. I cancelled."

He nodded, "good."

She nodded once and bit her tongue against a snarky remark before she shut the door. As she looked for something to eat she turned on the TV and thought of Jake.

She was certain Excella had seen her. She had looked right at her as she ran her hands on Jake, and he had let her. He's not my boyfriend, Sherry reminded herself, knowing that her jealousy was irrational, but why didn't he push her away? She supposed that that wouldn't have been very kind of Jake to do. She shrugged and plopped onto the couch with a glass of Pepsi.

Maybe dad is right, he and I are just too different… whatever. Jake didn't care that much anyway, he said it himself.

She tried to convince herself that this didn't hurt her, and that it wouldn't affect her attitude towards him for the coming days.

*Hides from readers as they attack her*

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