Jody collapsed on Tyler's bed face first, letting out a tired sigh. It was funny, really, how she could get through numerous spars without breaking a sweat but feel totally knackered after a few exams. As it happened, they were over for the week but as the common saying went, there was no rest for the wicked; she had to start revising, or rather cramming, for next week's exams as soon as possible, including maths, her weakest subject.
"Can I get someone else to sit the maths exam for me?" she asked Tyler, who'd followed her into his room. "All of them, actually."
The mattress dipped somewhere near her. "I wish, but we can't give up already. This was only the first week."
"Ugh, don't remind me!"
"These few weeks are gonna be a grind. Mum told me I have to study more on the weekends but, of course, she still wants me to help Kamal on Sundays, so that means I'm going to have to cut back on going to the radio station. Once a fortnight, she said. Can you believe it?"
Despite knowing it was selfish and petty, a rush of satisfaction went through her; Tyler would only be seeing Piper twice during the exam season, rather than the usual four or five times a month. She'd get to spend those Saturdays he usually spent with Piper with him, even if all they ended up doing with that time was study. How could she bring herself to feel bad about that?
"Well, what's more important? Your grades or the radio station?"
He answered without hesitation: "My grades."
She smiled to herself. "Well, there you go."
"But I love being down at the station. I don't know if I can stay away from there any more than you can stay away from the gym."
Her smile faltered, and not just because Tyler had made his desire to be around Piper so obvious. Simply put, her enthusiasm for going to the gym had waned. She still loved boxing, of course, which was why she forced herself to go in and do the bare minimum training, but something inside her died each time she passed her and Amabel's usual spot or made a mistake Amabel used to tease her for. She didn't know how much more of it she could take; she often felt like she was going to explode.
"How are you holding up?" Tyler asked, drawing her from her thoughts. "You've barely had time to think since exams started."
"It's hard getting used to a new sparring partner. I mean, I've only been to the gym twice this week because of Mike and May-Li's nagging but I already feel like it's not going to work out with this girl. She doesn't get me."
Not like Amabel did, or had. Sure, she'd been difficult to get to know as a person, more than difficult, really, but as boxers, she and Jody had just clicked from their very first spar. They'd been boxing soulmates, for lack of a better word, always bringing out the best in each other and pushing each other to improve, which was probably why Jody had, beyond all reason, been so sure that they were sisters. She was never going to have that again.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it. You're not still blaming yourself, are you?" She thinned her lips, knowing he wouldn't like her answer. "Jody, mental illness is hard to spot. Take it from me; I had no idea there was anything wrong with my mum until she wouldn't get out of bed one day."
She rolled on her back, looking up at him. "But you were only five. I'm ten years older than that—eleven, really—and I never even stopped to think that something like this could happen."
"Because people our age don't think about things like that. That's a job for the grown-ups."
"Who I should've told everything when I had the chance."
Sighing, he stood up and walked towards his chest of drawers. "Hold out your hand."
She blinked in confusion but sat up and complied, watching on as he closed the top drawer before taking a step in her direction and placing a small, cool object into her outstretched palm. Upon closer inspection, she realised it was a necklace: a basic silver chain looped through a silver heart-shaped pendant. Just her kind of thing, but not something she'd expected to receive from him.
"What's this for?" she asked as he sat back down next to her. Her birthday was still months away; even he hadn't turned sixteen yet. Was this for Piper? Surely he couldn't be so insensitive as to show her a gift he'd got for another girl without first telling her that he was leaving her for said girl?
"It's not for anything. It's just something I got from town last week. Right after I visited you, actually. Mum sent me to run errands for her but I was still thinking about you—about what you said—when I saw this. I thought why not? It's a nice way to remind you of who you are."
"A girl who likes jewellery...?" He smiled, shaking his head, before leaning in and turning the pendant over to reveal a capital letter 'J' in the centre of the other side of the heart. She stared at it, feeling blood rush to her ears. "Who I am? So J for Jackson?"
"No. J for Jody. Just Jody."
She bristled. "Just Jody? You know that's what Ryan called me before the trials?"
"Yeah, but I don't see that as a bad thing. I've never saw you as a Jackson or a Gray in the first place. You've always been just Jody to me: the wild girl who bit me on her first day in care, but then quickly became my friend, and then best friend. You know, surnames don't actually mean anything; we only need them because of official papers and stuff. I wish you could see that."
In all honesty, she didn't know what to say. She knew he was right, that surnames had only started being used regularly less than a thousand years ago, but also knew that even before that, perhaps since the beginning of humanity, young women used to be referred to as so and so's daughter; she was still missing out on something by not having that, even more so now that she knew her own mother had been unsure of her paternity.
"I'm sorry," she said, lifting her gaze from the pendant to meet his. "I shouldn't have said all that crap last week. My mum didn't know who my dad was any more than your mum knows yours. My mum's actually worse because she was kind of in a relationship when I was born."
He shook his head again. "Don't worry about it. You weren't exactly wrong anyway; I don't know my dad and I never will, but I don't care either way. I've already got a family."
She nodded, though she didn't know whether he was referring to Sally and Kamal or the DG lot. Perhaps both. "So have I, I guess. Luke used to be all I needed before he started ignoring me."
Well, that wasn't strictly true, because, during that time, she'd been desperate to maintain a good relationship with her other brother too, but she knew better by now. Maybe she ought to steer clear of men named Kingsley in general, whether they be her brother or father.
"Maybe he still is."
"Maybe."
Something occurred to her just then. Just as Luke was her only family left, she was his only family left, and with their father absent, their brother incarcerated, and his friends distant, she was his only real support when it came to Millie and the child. For the first time, he needed her, perhaps more than she'd ever needed him, and considering Amabel's fate, leaving him alone with only Millie for company, for an extended period of time, was potentially catastrophic. She needed to see him again soon, undoubtedly, but when? As long as she still had exams to sit, she'd have to spend all of her free time, including weekends, to revise and keep up with her training.
"So..." Tyler suddenly said, "did you hear about Bill's promposal?"
Prom. That was it. "Err, yeah. Only he would ask someone who's already got a boyfriend to prom... It's on the Saturday after exams finish, right?"
"Yeah, the 22nd. Some girls are already complaining that there's no time to buy a dress before that."
She scoffed. It was hardly a tragedy; Grant had bought her a prom dress in one day. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not going then."
He looked surprised. "You're not?" he asked, his voice somewhat high. "Why?"
"Cos I've got to go and see Luke. Millie'll be six months along by then. It seems like a good time."
"Yeah, but you could go the day after, couldn't you?"
A day had been all it took for her to lose Amabel forever, too. "I could, but I just want it to be as soon as possible. I won't be able to see him for ages as it is."
He tipped his head to the side before nodding but regarded her in a subdued manner; he almost looked like he wanted to say something, or at least had wanted to. Looking down at her hand, at the pendant necklace, she quickly realised that she hadn't even said thanks. No wonder he was staring.
"Thanks for this," she said, running her finger over the 'J'. "I love it."
"You're welcome. I remembered what you said about liking the simple stuff."
She couldn't help but feel touched. Denise had never bothered to learn what she liked let alone keep it in mind while getting her something. This, though? This was perfect. It wasn't some horrendous rocky thing, and it actually meant something.
Just Jody. Somehow, it didn't sound so bad anymore.
.:. QK .:.
"But why?" Jody asked, whirling around to face her brother. "You're not happy with her! Anyone can see that! So what the hell is the point?!"
In the last half hour, she'd realised just how obstinate Luke could be. It shouldn't have been so surprising, considering he was her brother, but it was a side of him she rarely saw—a side that seemed to come out whenever Millie's name was mentioned—and therefore one she was ill-equipped to deal with. Even now, he refused to utter a bad word against Millie, going as far as to blame himself for her bad treatment of him. It made Jody feel ill.
"That I've got a child on the way," he answered, his eyes smiling. "And that's enough to make me happy. This is the happiest I've been in ages."
Well, he was right about that.
"Okay, so the kid makes you happy. I get that. But you can't sit here and tell me that she does as well. I'm not stupid, you know; all she does is get you down, and there's no way you're happy about that."
Luke sighed. "Look, I appreciate your concern but you're worrying over nothing. Maybe you're too young to understand this but every family, even the happiest one out there, has their fair share of good and bad times. That's just life."
She scowled. "Yeah, I know that. Only I've never seen any of your so-called good times, unless that's what you call her yelling and you crying."
"I don't cry."
"You do on the inside. Isn't that enough? And doesn't it remind you of something?" She jerked an eyebrow. "Someone?"
"Mum was... Mum. But this is different. I love Millie, and when you love someone, you make things work. You don't just turn around and run off when things get difficult. Not like Dad did."
Oh, so that was what this was really about: not love or commitment but his deep-seated daddy issues. He'd said as much the last time they'd spoken about this yet she'd somehow forgotten. She hadn't thought it possible but she found herself hating Gray even more now; his reckless actions of the past still affected his kids to this day, more than a decade after he'd left them. He wasn't worth thinking about and yet he was always lurking around in the back of their minds, fuelling their insecurities. Would they ever be rid of him?
Not if Luke kept comparing him to himself, that was for sure.
"Who's asking you to run off?" she asked, crossing her arms. "And why do you keep bringing that idiot up? He chose not to be in our lives after Mum finished with him, but you want to be a part of your kid's life. It's not the same thing."
He shook his head. "It's not as straightforward as that. There are just too many factors involved when parents split up, and despite both parties' best efforts, everything eventually falls apart. That's why I bring Dad up; him co-parenting with Mum never would've worked because he had another family."
"So what are you saying? That he should've left his other kid to be with us?"
"No. I'm saying that he shouldn't have started a family with someone else in the first place. The only way a family can really work is if the parents stay together."
Angry tears pricked at her eyes. Amabel's parents had probably said the same stupid shit to themselves when their relationship had soured. Would her nephew or niece meet the same end because of Luke and his inability to do the right thing? It didn't bear thinking about; she'd begun to warm up to the idea of being an aunt the moment she'd laid eyes on the first sonogram. She couldn't let him or her become the next Amabel.
"My friend killed herself," she finally said.
"W—what?"
"My friend killed herself. Her parents fucking hated each other too and her life was hell because of it. Last month, she finally cracked. She was barely fifteen."
Luke only stared back at Jody with a dumbstruck look on his face, and she felt like grabbing him and shaking him by the shoulders when she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Embarrassed and horrified in equal measure, she looked away from him and hastily wiped at her eyes. But she wasn't done yet.
"You have to leave her," she continued in a wobbly voice. "She's already ruined your life. Imagine what she'll do to your kid."
"She wouldn't hurt her own flesh and blood."
She looked back at him in an instant. "We were Mum's own too, but it didn't stop her, did it?"
He recoiled as if he'd been slapped. Blinking slowly, he fell into the sofa behind him and dragged his fingers down his face. He sat there in silence for a bit, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. She could only wonder what was going through his mind.
Just when she thought the reality of his situation had dawned on him, however, he opened his mouth and shattered that notion: "I can't leave."
"What?! Are you fucking serious right now?!"
She wasn't proud of speaking to him in such a way, a way that Denise used to speak to him (and her) and Millie undoubtedly always had and continued to do so, but she couldn't help herself. She'd been patient and polite long enough. He didn't seem fazed either way. Maybe he was used to it.
"I really can't," he said. "Family courts almost always side with the mother. It's just how it is. And without any proof of her... behaviour, there's no way they'd award me full-time custody over her. In fact, I don't even think they'd grant us joint custody."
"But she's so abusive."
"They don't take emotional abuse as seriously as they do physical, even when the victim's a woman. For a man? She'd have to leave angry red marks on me for me to make a case. Anything less and she could easily turn it around on me. And I don't even have the family support that she does; her family will testify for her, but what about me?"
She flared her nostrils. "Wow. Thanks."
"You're too young to get involved in all this."
"Oh my God, stop saying that! I'm almost sixteen! I testified against Kingsley when I was ten so I can testify against Millie now! I can tell them what she is!"
"No... Forget it. I need to stay with her now more than ever. It's the only way I'll be able to protect my child."
Disappointment overwhelmed her; her brother had the power to change his child's future but he wasn't willing to do what needed to be done. No matter how many excuses he came up with, she knew the crux of the matter was that he was too scared. He was a far cry from the person who'd stood up to Kingsley, both at their mother's old home and in court; he'd lost all his fight and turned into a coward of sorts. But perhaps that wasn't entirely his fault. Maybe that was what happened to someone after two years of abuse.
Just then, a thought suddenly came to mind. He deemed her to be too young to help him, but what if there was someone who wasn't? She didn't like the idea, but it seemed to be the only way.
"So," Jody began, whipping her phone out, "if you had another family member, an older one, would you think about making a case?"
"Err, I—"
"There," she said, not waiting for his answer. "I sent you your dad's address. I've got his number lying around at home somewhere; I'll send it to you if I find it. You should go and ask him for his support since I'm no help."
Regarding her in shock, Luke didn't even bother to check his phone. "I only meant that you have your own life ahead of you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it your prom today?"
"Yeah, but I'm not going. I decided not to ages ago; I knew I was going to come here instead."
"That's exactly what I mean!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out. "You should be at home getting ready, not standing here and getting involved in my mess!" She glared at him, unappreciative of his ungrateful tone, and he paused, his features softening. "You can still go. There's plenty of time until it starts. It can't be earlier than seven, right?"
"Six-thirty, and I'm not going because I don't want to. Even if I did, I couldn't because all of my mates either already have dates or aren't going. I can hardly go by myself, can I?"
His eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "What about Tyler?"
Her heart lurched painfully. "He's one of the guys who's got a date."
"What? I thought—"
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong."
Thanks to her foresight, she hadn't made the same mistake; as she'd half-feared and half-expected, Tyler had asked Piper to the prom less than two weeks after the exam season had begun. Luckily, she'd heard about it through the grapevine at the DG rather than directly from him, allowing her to sulk in private and then get over it. By the time he did mention it to her, she'd been able to smile and casually change the topic.
"I don't believe it. He gave you that"—he gestured at her 'J' pendant necklace—"as a gift. That's too intimate for friends, even best friends."
"Luke, no offence, but I really don't want that sort of advice from you of all people." Her red-faced brother closed his mouth, resembling a kicked puppy. "And one other thing: I'm here because I want to be, not because I feel like I owe it to you or something. But you clearly don't want or need me. You need him."
He didn't even try to deny it, glancing at his phone where it was charging on the coffee table. "You were serious, then? About sending me his address? Did he contact you through the social services?"
"As if! Even he knows I'm probably not his."
"Then how...?"
"Does it matter? Just go and see him already and tell him everything—about Millie, the baby, and even Kingsley, if he asks... Just everything. This'll be his chance to actually be your dad, for once."
Luke immediately tore his gaze away from the phone. "No. I don't need him in my life."
Jody refrained from rolling her eyes. She knew him too well to take his words at face value; he was trying to protect her, or rather her heart, by rejecting Gray like Gray had rejected her. But she didn't need his protection. Gray's rejection no longer hurt.
"Yes, you do," she said. "You're not me. You're not Kingsley neither. You're the only one out of us who's kept on calling him Dad all this time because deep down you've always wanted him to come back."
"He'll let me down again, Jody. I can't trust him. And besides, he won't be able to do anything for me in court. He hasn't been around to witness Millie's behaviour."
She shrugged. "I don't know anything about that. You wanted family support and I gave it to you. Now it's up to you. You can get yourself and your kid away from that bitch, or you can just sit here and do nothing."
To her surprise, he didn't come up with another excuse or defend Millie. Instead, he just mumbled that he would think about it. Now, that sounded more like him.
"Fine," she said, digging her hands into her pockets. "I'll leave you to it. You never really get this place to yourself." Without her, she wanted to add, but decided against it. She'd said quite enough today.
He nodded.
She was halfway to the door when he suddenly called her name. She turned around. "What?"
"What should I do if I do see him and he asks about you?"
She forced a smile. "He won't."
.:. QK .:.
"You'll regret it forever."
"No, I won't."
Candi-Rose let out a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, you will. It's the whole point of being in high school! It's what it all leads up to!"
"And here I thought the point was to get a dozen GCSEs."
Tearing her eyes away from Candi-Rose, Jody twisted around on her barstool to see Ryan walking into the kitchen. She nearly fell backwards in surprise.
"Ugh, Ryan!" Candi-Rose exclaimed, as if his being in the house was still an everyday occurrence. "I was this"—she brought her index finger and thumb together so that they were almost touching—"close to getting her to go to the prom!"
Jody shot her pink friend a look before turning her full attention on Ryan. She'd last spoken to him in this very same room a month ago and although she had occasionally caught glimpses of him in the exam halls and school corridors since, she felt as if she hadn't seen him in years.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone lacking the usual accusation and/or apprehension. For the first time ever, perhaps, because she couldn't remember a time she'd felt anything other than indifference or dread at his presence.
Seemingly coming to her senses, Candi-Rose hopped out of her seat and announced she would go and fetch Chloe; Ryan stepped out of the way, letting her pass, before approaching the breakfast bar.
"Thought I'd drop in and see how everyone's doing. Just had a little chat with Mike. I heard Charlie's moving out soon."
"Yeah, next month. I think Alex won't stick around for much longer either with the way things are going with his mum, which means..."
"That you'll be the oldest."
Oldest and longest-lasting both. Whenever she thought about it, which was more often than she would've liked, she felt like her life was going nowhere, but the stark reminder that at least she still had a life unlike the girl lying dead in the local cemetery always followed, leaving her wallowing in shame for behaving like a selfish and ungrateful brat.
"Ryan!"
Chloe wheeled into the kitchen mighty fast, her jubilant grin ridding Jody of her grim thoughts. She watched on as Ryan chuckled, leaning down to hug his little sister. She hadn't even hugged Luke goodbye earlier; she'd been too annoyed by both his constant comments about her being too young to understand anything and his reluctance to leave Millie. She sort of regretted that decision now. After all, how many brothers did she really have?
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
Ryan dug his hands into his pockets. "I didn't want to make a big deal of it. If I'd told you, you would've thrown a party or something, and no one would've liked that. I didn't want to disturb the peace here."
"You wouldn't have," Candi-Rose said, walking back into the kitchen. "We all love parties. We just need an excuse, and we don't care what it is."
"Gee, thanks."
She smirked, turning to Jody. "Speaking of parties, when are you going to get ready for prom?"
Jody let out a frustrated sigh. As if Luke's horrid defence of his abuser wasn't enough crap to listen to for one day. "Not this again! I don't want to go. I've told you a million times."
"And I've told you a million times that you've got to if you don't want to regret it for the rest of your life!"
"Candi, I'm not like you and most other girls. I don't care about prom. It's not gonna be some life-changing event for me, so I won't get anything out of going. It's just a waste of time and money."
"Time you're gonna spend wrestling the remote off Alex—"
"I don't wrestle; I box."
"—or kicking a ball around with Jay."
"Sounds way better than standing in some corner for four hours watching teachers trying to be cool."
Someone snorted.
"And sitting in your room crying over Tyler being with another girl?" Candi-Rose asked. "Does that sound way better too? Because let's get real, that's exactly what you're gonna do until you next see him."
All of a sudden, Jody became aware that Chloe and Ryan were listening to this entire exchange. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she balled her fists up. "Why the fuck would I cry? He told me himself that he was going with someone else!"
"Because you didn't give him a chance!"
She wanted to ask Candi-Rose what she meant by that but Chloe swiftly cut in, telling them both to calm down. She fixed her gaze upon the breakfast bar, too humiliated to look at Ryan.
"Guys, come on, don't fight. It's Jody's choice at the end of the day, and she's right; prom might be important to people like you and me, Candi, but not to everyone. I mean, Ryan's not going either... Are you, Ryan?"
She chanced a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. "No," he murmured, appearing to be uncomfortable. "I wouldn't have anyone to go with, anyway."
Somehow, Jody knew what would happen as soon as Ryan was done speaking. And sure enough, it did. No sooner had Candi-Rose eyes lit up in exuberance than she opened her mouth and came out with the most ludicrous idea ever. If she'd said something like this a month ago, she would've instantly got a mean right hook to the face, no doubt about it. Now, though? Now Jody was just trying not to die out of embarrassment.
"Yeah, no," she said shortly, climbing out of her seat. Her gaze darted to Ryan, who was suspiciously quiet. "I won't be someone's pity date!"
Without another word, she ran off to her room, ignoring Candi-Rose's calls.
.:. QK .:.
Not ten minutes later, a knock sounded on her bedroom door. She rolled her eyes.
"Go away, Candi-Rose!" she yelled. "I don't want to try on that old dress of yours or let you do my hair and make-up!"
"Uhh, it's not Candi-Rose."
Recognising the voice, she quickly straightened up, hoping she looked respectable. She wasn't crying, at least not outwardly, but was being pathetic enough to prove Candi-Rose right. "What do you want, Ryan? Did she send you up here?"
"No. I just want to talk to you for a minute... Can I come in?"
His request for permission startled her. He'd never burst into her room like Tyler had and still did, but she'd never known him to ask before taking something he wanted.
"Go on, then," she said, swinging her legs over the side of her bed. She was sitting in her desk chair by the time he opened the door and entered, giving her a funny look. "What?"
"You were just in bed, weren't you?"
She growled, realising the evidence of her aforementioned patheticness was on open display. "If you just came here to take the piss, then you can get lost. I'm not in the mood."
"No," he agreed, leaning in the doorway, "you're not. That's why I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. I think you should go to the prom with me, cos you're not going to get anyone else."
She grimaced. "You call that sweet? Wow, it's a wonder you don't have girls falling at your feet."
"I'm serious."
"So am I. I already told you that I don't want to be someone's pity date."
"You won't be. I don't have anyone else to go with, either, remember? It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. No pity whatsoever."
"Whatever. Candi couldn't convince me to go. What makes you think you can?"
"Because she's been going about it the wrong way," he answered, coming into the room and propping an elbow up on her chest of drawers. "She's been trying to appeal to you with dressing up and other things you don't care about."
"Oh yeah? And what do you reckon I do care about? Because I'm pretty sure nothing about prom is appealing to me." She titled her head, narrowing her eyes at him. "Why do you want to go, anyway?"
"To leave school with at least one good memory. I haven't made very many friends in high school, and I want that to change once I start college, but I don't want to look back at my high school years somewhere down the line and remember it as the most miserable time of my life."
"Even if it actually is?"
"Yeah."
"Well it's not been miserable for me," she said, rapping her knuckles on the desk. "I liked Junior School better, but yeah, it hasn't been bad. I don't need any more good memories."
"So you'd rather make another bad one? Remember tonight as the night Tyler had fun with another girl while you stayed at home by yourself?"
Oh. He was good.
She scowled at him. "You really do always know what to say, don't you?" He merely shrugged as she pushed herself to her feet. "Tell Candi-Rose to come up here. I'm gonna need help."
.:. QK .:.
An hour and a half later, Jody found herself standing next to the table of soft drinks with Ryan, sipping from a glass of cola. Despite the last-minute nature of their plans, they'd arrived 'fashionably late', about half an hour ago, while the party was in full swing, seamlessly joining their peers on the dance floor. Jody had already gone 'round and chatted to most of her friends and acquaintances, most of whom had been stunned by her choice of date, especially those who knew of her (former?) dislike of him. Not wanting them to think she'd chosen him out of desperation, even if it was true, she'd laughed them off, claiming that it was a sort of DG tradition to go with a fellow resident. The fact that Alex and Charlie had gone together last year worked in her favour.
Currently, there was a lull in the celebrations, owing to an impromptu speech from the headteacher. Thoroughly bored, Jody turned to Ryan and sighed. "What did I tell you about teachers trying to be cool? Who's even listening to this?"
He smirked, swirling his drink in its plastic cup. "The kids who matter. The ones he'll be able to use as connections five, ten, fifteen years from now, like future MPs and businesspeople"
She raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You should become an MP. I heard politicians are good at lying."
She paused in horror for a moment, thinking he would seek revenge for the comment, but he merely huffed in amusement before telling her that the speech was finally over. She blinked in shock, just as one of the teachers announced that it was time for slow-dancing. As expected, a few, mostly male groans went around the room, but couples, including some of the teachers present, proceeded to fill up the floor nonetheless.
"Come on," Ryan said, holding a hand out towards her. "We might as well."
She hesitated. There was nothing unfamiliar about the dance as she'd done it at home plenty of times, mostly in jest, but only ever with Tyler; the fact that he was now dancing that same dance with someone else hurt. But what was the point of running away and hiding? One of these days, she had to accept the truth.
So she took Ryan's hand.
Halfway through the dance, however, Ryan suddenly let go of her hand and left her in the middle of the floor, asking someone if he could 'cut in'. Hot anger blew through her. So, he was back to his old ways, no doubt taking revenge from her for the slight she'd dealt him earlier. She should've known that his nice guy act was never going to last. Ready to take him to task, she snapped her head towards him, only to find that he was standing in front of Tyler and Piper, both of whom were looking right at her. The latter was sporting an especially sour expression on her face, one that only became more so when Tyler muttered what could only be his assent to Ryan.
Jody wrapped her arms around herself as he approached, effectively preventing him from asking for a dance. "Just because Ryan took your date, doesn't mean you have to take his."
He shrugged. "I had no idea he liked her. Or you. Since when did you two become so close, anyway?"
"Around the same time you and Piper did, I guess."
She scowled. Just what was so great about Piper that not only Tyler but Ryan also wanted her? Sure, she looked pretty in her dark green designer dress, one that no care kid, not even Candi-Rose, could even dream of saving up for, whereas she was wearing an old cast-off of Charlie's, but that was no excuse. Of course, Tyler was no less than his date. Unlike Ryan who had to shoulder his own costs as a recent care-leaver and was, therefore, clad in an ill-fitting two-piece he'd borrowed off his flatmate, he looked more like someone who came from a similar family background to Brandon rather than anyone else in his crisp white and clearly expensive suit.
He suddenly frowned. "Wait... are you angry with me?"
"What?" she asked, momentarily startled. She quickly gathered herself. "No. Why would I be?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you've been giving me the evils this whole time. And I don't just mean now; I mean the whole evening."
She tightened her hold on herself, irritated. "This is the first time I'm looking at you today."
"Oh, sure."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"That you're lying."
She barely stopped herself from growling. Who did he think he was, calling her a liar? He was the one who hadn't had the guts to tell her that he liked someone else; he'd had an entire month to admit it, from the time he'd asked Piper to prom up until now. He still didn't. Instead of saying what needed to be said, here he was, playing some manner of mind game with her. She wouldn't stand for it. Without another word, she shook her head and walked off towards the drinks' table. She wasn't exactly surprised when she heard him follow.
Grabbing herself another drink, she kept her back turned to him as she asked, "What do you want?"
"To find out what exactly it is that you want. Jody, you confuse me."
She spun around at that, nearly spilling her drink. "I confuse you?"
"Yes!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out. "So much. Sometimes, you act like you like me—"
"I do like you, Tyler."
"—but other times, you act like I'm just another one of your bros, like Alex or Finn."
An uncomfortable laugh erupted from her throat. "What? No, I don't."
He gave her a pointed look, which for some reason made her feel awkward. "Take prom, for example. You told me you couldn't go because you were going to see Luke today but here you are, with Ryan of all people."
"I thought you and Ryan were tight."
"You know that's not the point."
"Look," she began, putting her untouched drink down on the table. "I really did go and see Luke today. I just ended up leaving earlier than I thought I would; we don't exactly see eye to eye these days. Anyway, Ryan randomly visited the DG afterwards and asked me to come here with him. I didn't see any reason to say no. Do you?"
"I guess not... but there's still the fact that you had no reaction when I told you I was taking—bringing—Piper to prom. You literally said whatever and then started talking revision. If you really liked me as more than a mate, you wouldn't have done that."
"Oh, so you asked her to make me jealous? Is that what this is all about?"
He sighed. "What? No..."
"Well, believe it or not, I heard Jay telling Floss that you told him—or was it Alex?—that you asked Piper to prom like a whole week before you finally told me. What did you expect me to do? Cry and beg you to take someone else? Or go with your mates instead? I was never gonna do that; I knew that you wanted to go, and that all of your mates, except Bill maybe, already had dates. I wasn't going to stop you. It's not like I'm your girlfriend."
"Not yet."
The corners of her lips twitched involuntarily, but she controlled herself. So he didn't want Piper for a girlfriend, a fact that she was glad for, but there were other obstacles in their way.
"Maybe that's a good thing," she said, clasping her hands together. "I mean, look at us: we're not even a couple yet, and we already can't stop fighting."
"C'mon, we get along like ninety per cent of the time."
"But we used to get along way more. Back when we were just friends."
"Jody, what is this really about?" he asked, placing a hand on her arm. "I know that you know we only fight when we hide things from each other. And that's not because of our feelings; it's always been like that. It can't be bothering you that much."
He was right. They'd always settled disputes easily in the past and, deep down, she knew that they always would. So what was the issue? Somehow, she knew the answer to that as well. Insecurity. The belief that Tyler was too good for her and that there would always be another girl he'd find preferable to her, one that wasn't plain-faced or prone to rages.
Could she admit that, though?
Piper decided for her, popping up out of nowhere and taking away the hand Tyler had placed on her arm.
"Tyler, come on," she whined, her voice barely audible over the re-mix playing in the background. "I love this re-mix, and I want to dance."
"Yeah, one second," he replied, looking back to Jody.
Jody jumped on the balls of her feet, her face growing red. She didn't want to admit it, didn't want to admit to her fear of him finding a better girl, especially when one such girl was standing right in front of them. Her eyes suddenly fell on Ryan who was standing behind his one-time dance partner, giving her some sort of wide-eyed gesture.
Then, all of a sudden, for whatever reason, she blurted the words out: "You're right!"
He smiled, despite his initial surprise. "I am?"
"Yeah. Something is bothering me, but I'm sure we'll work it out." She glanced at Piper whose calculating gaze was sliding between her and Tyler. "I'll tell you later. You should go and dance with your friend, now."
Tyler nodded, clearly content. Piper? Not so much.
"Date," she corrected, through gritted teeth.
Jody grabbed her 'J' pendant and twirled it through her fingers, drawing all three pairs of eyes towards it. "Sure," she said, finally smiling at Tyler. He smiled back, and she caught Piper watching their exchange with displeasure.
As the pair walked off and her own date beckoned towards the dance-floor, she basked in contentment. Piper had been put in her place, but most importantly, she and Tyler finally knew theirs too—together.
A/N: This chapter is disgustingly overlong and kinda fluffy but that's what happens when you set yourself a limit on chapter numbers. I know this has been way too long of a wait but two assignments due very close together coupled with writer's block will do that. That second assignment still needs a lot of work, so don't expect Chap 60 before Christmas. Here's hoping this fic will be done before 2020!
I just want to point out that I've uploaded this the day before the 7B finale comes out. Any resemblance this prom storyline bears to the one in the show is coincidental; ever since I started this story back in March, months before the 7B trailer came out, I knew prom would be featuring in it somewhere towards the end.
My prediction for what'll happen tomorrow? Mike will decide to move to Ireland, to be close to his brother and birth mother. As for Jyler, I believe I've said this somewhere before, but I'll say it again: Jody will either give off the impression she doesn't want to go to prom or will flat out reject Tyler, which is why he'll go with Piper (probably her idea more than his), but then Jody will change her mind and get ready for prom, assuming Tyler will go with her, by which point it'll be too late. For whatever reason, Tyler will also doubt his relationship with Jody (maybe due to a fight) and ask her to give him some time to think about it, proceeding to consider Piper as a potential girlfriend.
If anyone happens to review before the episode airs, please tell me how you think it'll go. Speaking of reviews, thanks very much to Charlie and yourfire for those long(ish) reviews! I appreciate them! To answer your question, yourfire, Jody's paternity is still in doubt. What she figured out after talking to Luke was that Denise had strong reason to believe that she might not be Gray's; Denise 'cheated' on Gray around the time of Jody's conception.