CHAPTER SIX
Jackie walked out the back door and put the empty bottles into the trash.
As she replaced the lid on the trash can she heard some strange noises coming from the garage. She crept through the side door to investigate. She saw her car parked in the center of the garage. Then, she noticed two muscular legs sticking out from under it.
"What's going on in here?" she yelled.
She heard a loud bump and then someone yelled "Ouch!" It sounded like whoever was under her car just hit their head on the undercarriage.
Jason crawled out from under the car. He was covered in grease and he had a big bump on his head.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Well, you said your car wasn't working, so I thought I would take a look. I'm pretty good with my hands."
Her face softened. She had to admit he looked pretty cute in his dirty jeans all covered in grease. His muscles bulging out of his tight t-shirt...
"Oh......that's really nice of you. Is your head o.k.?" she asked.
"I'll be fine."
"Can I get you something a drink or something? I think we have some lemonade."
"Yea, that'd be great. I'm almost done here."
She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses.
"Ok! Jason said as soon as he saw her. "Let's see if we can get her started." He leaned into the car through the driver's window and turned the key. RRRRRR! The engine roared.
"You did it!" Jackie exclaimed.
Jason smiled at her. "Let me check a couple of things before you get to excited," he said playfully as he opened the hood of the car.
She really had misjudged him when they first met. She saw a good looking guy with a great body and thought 'Kelso!' before she had even given him a chance. 'Actually, he was even better looking than Kelso..." she thought. But that was not why she liked him. He was smart and funny and really nice. He seemed so much more mature than the other guys at her high school. Not that she liked him, liked him, she was just glad he was her friend. And that he got her mom off her back. Her mom loved Jason. Not that she cared what her mom thought. It was just nice to not be yelled at once in a while and her mom never yelled in front of Jason. So, he was invited over a lot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Later that night*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jackie was waiting on her front porch for Steven. The dance started a half an hour ago.
'Where is he?' she kept asking herself.
She heard a car coming down the street. She craned her neck to see if it was him. It was a black car! It's.....no, it was just Jason.
A few minutes after he pulled into his driveway she saw him walking across the yard.
"What are you still doing here? I thought you'd be at the dance by now."
She stared at the ground. She could feel the tears forming, but she fought to hold them in.
"I am about to find out," she said firmly as she marched toward the house.
He followed her inside and sat on the couch as she picked up the phone.
She let it ring at least 20 times before she gave up. A terrible thought crossed her mind. What if he got into an accident? What if he was lying on the side of the road all dressed up in a suit with blood running down...
Instantly, she was dialing Donna's number. "Hello?" a girl answered. Jackie could tell it wasn't Donna.
"Is Donna there?"
"No."
"Is this Annie?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"This is Donna's friend Jackie."
"Oh right! You're the cheerleader that's dating that Hyde guy."
'Geez Donna had a big mouth,' she thought.
"Yes, that's me. Do you know where she is?"
"Yea, she went to a party with Eric and Hyde and two weird guys, Kelso and George, I think."
"She went to a party with HYDE? Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure. Curly hair, bad attitude, right? I'm going to meet up with them after I get off work."
Jackie inhaled sharply. "Thank you Annie. You have been very helpful."
She whirled around and saw Jason still sitting on the couch.
"He's not coming, is he?" he asked sympathetically.
She couldn't hold back the tears this time. He walked over and put his arm around her, trying to comfort her.
"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding," he said. "He wouldn't do this to you on purpose."
She looked into Jason's sparkling green eyes and tried to believe him.
"You know what?" he said suddenly. "I'm not going to let you just sit home. That dress is too pretty to waste. I'll take you."
Jackie stopped crying. She was about to agree when it occurred to her that it was strange that he, one of the most popular guys in school, was not at the dance.
"Why don't you have a date anyway? I can think of at least 20 girls that were dying to go with you."
"Oh. Well, it's like you said. If you've been to one dance, there all kind of the same after a while. Besides, I prefer more.....mature company. Most of the girls at school are just that, girls. All they care about is cheerleading and dances and crap." He stopped himself, worried that he'd said too much.
Jackie walked out the back door and put the empty bottles into the trash.
As she replaced the lid on the trash can she heard some strange noises coming from the garage. She crept through the side door to investigate. She saw her car parked in the center of the garage. Then, she noticed two muscular legs sticking out from under it.
"What's going on in here?" she yelled.
She heard a loud bump and then someone yelled "Ouch!" It sounded like whoever was under her car just hit their head on the undercarriage.
Jason crawled out from under the car. He was covered in grease and he had a big bump on his head.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Well, you said your car wasn't working, so I thought I would take a look. I'm pretty good with my hands."
Her face softened. She had to admit he looked pretty cute in his dirty jeans all covered in grease. His muscles bulging out of his tight t-shirt...
"Oh......that's really nice of you. Is your head o.k.?" she asked.
"I'll be fine."
"Can I get you something a drink or something? I think we have some lemonade."
"Yea, that'd be great. I'm almost done here."
She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses.
"Ok! Jason said as soon as he saw her. "Let's see if we can get her started." He leaned into the car through the driver's window and turned the key. RRRRRR! The engine roared.
"You did it!" Jackie exclaimed.
Jason smiled at her. "Let me check a couple of things before you get to excited," he said playfully as he opened the hood of the car.
She really had misjudged him when they first met. She saw a good looking guy with a great body and thought 'Kelso!' before she had even given him a chance. 'Actually, he was even better looking than Kelso..." she thought. But that was not why she liked him. He was smart and funny and really nice. He seemed so much more mature than the other guys at her high school. Not that she liked him, liked him, she was just glad he was her friend. And that he got her mom off her back. Her mom loved Jason. Not that she cared what her mom thought. It was just nice to not be yelled at once in a while and her mom never yelled in front of Jason. So, he was invited over a lot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Later that night*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jackie was waiting on her front porch for Steven. The dance started a half an hour ago.
'Where is he?' she kept asking herself.
She heard a car coming down the street. She craned her neck to see if it was him. It was a black car! It's.....no, it was just Jason.
A few minutes after he pulled into his driveway she saw him walking across the yard.
"What are you still doing here? I thought you'd be at the dance by now."
She stared at the ground. She could feel the tears forming, but she fought to hold them in.
"I am about to find out," she said firmly as she marched toward the house.
He followed her inside and sat on the couch as she picked up the phone.
She let it ring at least 20 times before she gave up. A terrible thought crossed her mind. What if he got into an accident? What if he was lying on the side of the road all dressed up in a suit with blood running down...
Instantly, she was dialing Donna's number. "Hello?" a girl answered. Jackie could tell it wasn't Donna.
"Is Donna there?"
"No."
"Is this Annie?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"This is Donna's friend Jackie."
"Oh right! You're the cheerleader that's dating that Hyde guy."
'Geez Donna had a big mouth,' she thought.
"Yes, that's me. Do you know where she is?"
"Yea, she went to a party with Eric and Hyde and two weird guys, Kelso and George, I think."
"She went to a party with HYDE? Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure. Curly hair, bad attitude, right? I'm going to meet up with them after I get off work."
Jackie inhaled sharply. "Thank you Annie. You have been very helpful."
She whirled around and saw Jason still sitting on the couch.
"He's not coming, is he?" he asked sympathetically.
She couldn't hold back the tears this time. He walked over and put his arm around her, trying to comfort her.
"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding," he said. "He wouldn't do this to you on purpose."
She looked into Jason's sparkling green eyes and tried to believe him.
"You know what?" he said suddenly. "I'm not going to let you just sit home. That dress is too pretty to waste. I'll take you."
Jackie stopped crying. She was about to agree when it occurred to her that it was strange that he, one of the most popular guys in school, was not at the dance.
"Why don't you have a date anyway? I can think of at least 20 girls that were dying to go with you."
"Oh. Well, it's like you said. If you've been to one dance, there all kind of the same after a while. Besides, I prefer more.....mature company. Most of the girls at school are just that, girls. All they care about is cheerleading and dances and crap." He stopped himself, worried that he'd said too much.