Yogurt Covered Pretzels - 2/?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Katie Singer's doe brown eyes kept glancing over at her own blue ones.
"Yoink", she stated, as she grabbed another of Jessie's malted fries.
"Hey! Get your own!"
"Well - are you going to eat them? Because I've maxed out my 'emergency' credit card buying all these clothes. So, I'm just 'borrowing' your fries!"
"Yeah right", Jess mumbled good-naturedly before passing over the remaining starchies. "Finish them if you want, I'm going to get a root beer."
And Katie did just that, sprinkling a little more Cajun salt over them before nearly inhaling the lot and getting up to find her friend.
Semi-twirling near the cashier lane, she stopped abruptly, her sneaker's squealing on the mall tiles.
"Hey there, partner - how about a coke?"
Jessie grinned widely, requesting a second pop, before quickly freeing a nearby straw from its paper wrapper. Passing the beverage back to Katie, she turned on her heel and grabbed her black backpack.
"Ok. So now I have to find some sort of top for this party. You know - Lily and my Dad's first anniversary?", she clarified, at Katie's confused expression.
"Gosh - has it been a year already?"
Jessie frowned. "'Fraid so. Okay. Black jeans. Those are casual, but still can look nice with a belt and pretty top right?"
Katie laughed. "Check. And the next item up for bid is."
The petite blonde started ravaging through her belongings. "Imitation suede docks. I'm not wearing a dress, so really fancy shoes are out of the question. I also got this too - while you were wasting a year's allowance at Wet Seal."
She proceeded to show her friend a pewter necklace inlaid with light blue stone, and a belt of the same make.
"Ohhh! Me like. It looks great - matches your eyes." Katie then proceeded to blink hers for emphasis, and Jessie giggled.
Calming down she added, "So now I need a shirt - I'm thinking, umm, blue - so at least everything works. And then comes the toughy - a present for Dad and Lily. How much time do we have, by the way?"
Katie's eyes dived to her watch. "Ohhh - lots of time. Three hours."
"Well, that'll pass quicker than you'd think. Come on."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The light in here was harsh, and Jessie pulled out her purple sunglasses.
"Oh - don't be a wuss, Jessouska."
"Katie, Jessouska is NOT a Russian name. And I'm not a 'wuss'. I don't want to develop a migraine, thank you very much." Her smile belied her feigned irritation.
"Ok, what is so great about this place?"
Jessie was tenderly brushing the leaves of a stalky plant. It stood about four feet tall, and was encased in a terracotta pot.
"It's called an 'Immortal Beloved' - the consumer name given for this bamboo variety. Symbolically, and otherwise - I think a plant would make a good gift, don't you? Something living that has the capacity to grow? Something that will only grow well if it's given what it needs. Love. Attention."
"Nutrients?", Katie supplied, all at once wincing at how that sounded.
Jessie looked temporarily uncomfortable, and uttered a quiet "mhmm hmm".
She now held the base of the plant in her spindly arms, her shirt cuffs rising above the pale, bone-stretched skin of her wrist and lower arms.
Katie glanced elsewhere, concerned at the apparent relapse in her friends 'condition'.
"Need some help with that Jess?"
And Jessie nodded quickly - her face red at the minor exertion.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
The thump of footfalls on the attic stairs broke her concentration. "What are you doing, sweetie?"
Jessie had a blue terry cloth robe wrapped tightly around her body.
"Reading Carson McCullers."
"Ah - Judy's recommendation. How's his stuff?"
Jessie grinned widely. "Carson McCullers was a 'she' Dad. And her stuff is great. That's why I'm reading it."
Her head tucked back down, and one small fist crumpled up between the pocket of her chin and neck.
Rick Sammler ambled over to the bed's edge and sat down.
"Sweetie?"
"Hmm - what?", Jessie asked distractedly, still half-reading.
"Are you okay?" His voice sounded too soft. That irritated her. She wished people would just come out and ask what they wanted to know.
"What do you mean?", she asked tensely.
"Sweetie, you are eating enough lately? Be honest with me."
"Daddy-really, please don't-"
"Jessie -are you relapsing? Just tell me the truth!"
"Dad! Let me speak why don't you!" Her eyes now blazed.
The two waited in silence for the other to speak, before the teen mumbled a barely coherent, "Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm really tired."
"No Jess. This is important and I think-"
His sentence was broken off midway as the impish figure of Zoë flew up the stairs.
"Rick! Mum caught her hand in the piping. She was fixing the sink and-"
Jessie inwardly grinned, but kept her outwards physique neutral as her Dad leaned over to give her a hug, and whispered, "Tomorrow Jessie - I mean it. Before breakfast - we are discussing this."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Her hair had since dried from her shower. It stood poker straight and awkward and slightly tangled.
Jessie was wide-awake with apprehension and ill ease. Grabbing her digital alarm clock from the edge of the bed, she pulled it closer to her, and turned it around.
The bright, squared numerals glowed *5:28* in the darkened attic space, and she sighed.
She weighed her options. She could try to get an hour of sleep, before her Dad would 'wake' her - which was probably an unattainable goal anyway, and which would then result in a huge family breakfast of vegetarian omelets, fruit smoothies, rye toast and jelly, not to mention blueberry yogurt - and, on top of that, an insanely tense discussion about her reluctance to eat or-
Or she could get up now, and quickly and quietly pull her clothes from her dresser and get ready at school in the girl's bathroom. She could leave Lily and her Dad a note, grab some bottled water and change for the bus, and clear her mind on the race track for a couple of hours before first period began.
And yes, her Dad wouldn't be too happy with her. But if she got home early, she'd meet up with Eli to set up the surprise anniversary decorations, and he couldn't very well broach the subject with her then. Later that night, she'd eat a 'normal' portion of food to allay his worries, and then busy herself with Grace or Zoë until Katie picked her up for their sleepover.
With any such luck, her actions - her energy, and her snacking at the party - would cause him to drop the matter entirely.
Smoothing the thin green hoodie over her thin frame, she dashed to her third story window. Climbing out onto the roof, jean jacket and backpack securely wrapped around her, she jumped to a lowered branch, and began the familiar climb down.
Darting down the back alley, she ran up towards Eli's shed, and with note in hand, began to deposit the letter under his door.
Then she started off jogging again, but became annoyed when the movement activated garage light flicked on as she accidentally dropped her sack.
And even more annoyed when she looked upwards to see the inquisitive, concerned face of Lily mere feet from where she now was scooping notebooks, pencils and loose-leaf up from the asphalt.
"Jessie?"
She gulped - hopefully inaudibly, and all at once felt like crying.
Track pants hung from her lean frame, hair pulled up in a bun, and her eyes blackened from a night of sleeplessness.
"I was - I was just going to - go for-"
And she did start crying; it was as if her body had a mind of its own. She didn't WANT to cry, but she was crying all the same. She didn't even feel sad.
Maybe she was going crazy.
The feeling of craziness intensified as the garage door was opened, and her teenaged brother exited from its interior.
"Jess? Lily - what's going on?"
Lily spoke calmly. "It's alright Eli. I'll handle this - just go back to bed."
Eli did so - reluctantly, and with his departure, Lily moved closer to the young girl.
"Sweetie? It's 5:50 in the morning. What are you doing?"
Jessie glanced at her shoes. "Going to school", her voice was cluttered with tears.
"At 5:50 in the morning?"
"I was going to go for a run on the track first."
"Why?"
"To clear my head", and with that, she exhaled a shuddering breath.
"Honey - why don't you come inside, and we will talk."
Jessie pulled away, her back going as rigid as a board, and face steely.
"I actually was going to school earlier so I wouldn't have to talk with my Dad."
Lily sighed, and re-evaluated the situation.
"Well - why don't we talk about anything? Anything at all - your choice. I'll make us some tea, and I'll talk to your Dad. But sweetie, I don't think it's safe for you to be running off like this in Chicago when it's still dark out. Come on - come on inside."
Listening, dutifully, to her stepmother, she retreated back to the oppressive heat of the house, and felt the rotten feeling of the previous evening - the feeling that was always with her, and only ever temporarily dispelled - intensify.
*~*~*~*~*~* TBC? Send me a review! :)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Katie Singer's doe brown eyes kept glancing over at her own blue ones.
"Yoink", she stated, as she grabbed another of Jessie's malted fries.
"Hey! Get your own!"
"Well - are you going to eat them? Because I've maxed out my 'emergency' credit card buying all these clothes. So, I'm just 'borrowing' your fries!"
"Yeah right", Jess mumbled good-naturedly before passing over the remaining starchies. "Finish them if you want, I'm going to get a root beer."
And Katie did just that, sprinkling a little more Cajun salt over them before nearly inhaling the lot and getting up to find her friend.
Semi-twirling near the cashier lane, she stopped abruptly, her sneaker's squealing on the mall tiles.
"Hey there, partner - how about a coke?"
Jessie grinned widely, requesting a second pop, before quickly freeing a nearby straw from its paper wrapper. Passing the beverage back to Katie, she turned on her heel and grabbed her black backpack.
"Ok. So now I have to find some sort of top for this party. You know - Lily and my Dad's first anniversary?", she clarified, at Katie's confused expression.
"Gosh - has it been a year already?"
Jessie frowned. "'Fraid so. Okay. Black jeans. Those are casual, but still can look nice with a belt and pretty top right?"
Katie laughed. "Check. And the next item up for bid is."
The petite blonde started ravaging through her belongings. "Imitation suede docks. I'm not wearing a dress, so really fancy shoes are out of the question. I also got this too - while you were wasting a year's allowance at Wet Seal."
She proceeded to show her friend a pewter necklace inlaid with light blue stone, and a belt of the same make.
"Ohhh! Me like. It looks great - matches your eyes." Katie then proceeded to blink hers for emphasis, and Jessie giggled.
Calming down she added, "So now I need a shirt - I'm thinking, umm, blue - so at least everything works. And then comes the toughy - a present for Dad and Lily. How much time do we have, by the way?"
Katie's eyes dived to her watch. "Ohhh - lots of time. Three hours."
"Well, that'll pass quicker than you'd think. Come on."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The light in here was harsh, and Jessie pulled out her purple sunglasses.
"Oh - don't be a wuss, Jessouska."
"Katie, Jessouska is NOT a Russian name. And I'm not a 'wuss'. I don't want to develop a migraine, thank you very much." Her smile belied her feigned irritation.
"Ok, what is so great about this place?"
Jessie was tenderly brushing the leaves of a stalky plant. It stood about four feet tall, and was encased in a terracotta pot.
"It's called an 'Immortal Beloved' - the consumer name given for this bamboo variety. Symbolically, and otherwise - I think a plant would make a good gift, don't you? Something living that has the capacity to grow? Something that will only grow well if it's given what it needs. Love. Attention."
"Nutrients?", Katie supplied, all at once wincing at how that sounded.
Jessie looked temporarily uncomfortable, and uttered a quiet "mhmm hmm".
She now held the base of the plant in her spindly arms, her shirt cuffs rising above the pale, bone-stretched skin of her wrist and lower arms.
Katie glanced elsewhere, concerned at the apparent relapse in her friends 'condition'.
"Need some help with that Jess?"
And Jessie nodded quickly - her face red at the minor exertion.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
The thump of footfalls on the attic stairs broke her concentration. "What are you doing, sweetie?"
Jessie had a blue terry cloth robe wrapped tightly around her body.
"Reading Carson McCullers."
"Ah - Judy's recommendation. How's his stuff?"
Jessie grinned widely. "Carson McCullers was a 'she' Dad. And her stuff is great. That's why I'm reading it."
Her head tucked back down, and one small fist crumpled up between the pocket of her chin and neck.
Rick Sammler ambled over to the bed's edge and sat down.
"Sweetie?"
"Hmm - what?", Jessie asked distractedly, still half-reading.
"Are you okay?" His voice sounded too soft. That irritated her. She wished people would just come out and ask what they wanted to know.
"What do you mean?", she asked tensely.
"Sweetie, you are eating enough lately? Be honest with me."
"Daddy-really, please don't-"
"Jessie -are you relapsing? Just tell me the truth!"
"Dad! Let me speak why don't you!" Her eyes now blazed.
The two waited in silence for the other to speak, before the teen mumbled a barely coherent, "Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm really tired."
"No Jess. This is important and I think-"
His sentence was broken off midway as the impish figure of Zoë flew up the stairs.
"Rick! Mum caught her hand in the piping. She was fixing the sink and-"
Jessie inwardly grinned, but kept her outwards physique neutral as her Dad leaned over to give her a hug, and whispered, "Tomorrow Jessie - I mean it. Before breakfast - we are discussing this."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Her hair had since dried from her shower. It stood poker straight and awkward and slightly tangled.
Jessie was wide-awake with apprehension and ill ease. Grabbing her digital alarm clock from the edge of the bed, she pulled it closer to her, and turned it around.
The bright, squared numerals glowed *5:28* in the darkened attic space, and she sighed.
She weighed her options. She could try to get an hour of sleep, before her Dad would 'wake' her - which was probably an unattainable goal anyway, and which would then result in a huge family breakfast of vegetarian omelets, fruit smoothies, rye toast and jelly, not to mention blueberry yogurt - and, on top of that, an insanely tense discussion about her reluctance to eat or-
Or she could get up now, and quickly and quietly pull her clothes from her dresser and get ready at school in the girl's bathroom. She could leave Lily and her Dad a note, grab some bottled water and change for the bus, and clear her mind on the race track for a couple of hours before first period began.
And yes, her Dad wouldn't be too happy with her. But if she got home early, she'd meet up with Eli to set up the surprise anniversary decorations, and he couldn't very well broach the subject with her then. Later that night, she'd eat a 'normal' portion of food to allay his worries, and then busy herself with Grace or Zoë until Katie picked her up for their sleepover.
With any such luck, her actions - her energy, and her snacking at the party - would cause him to drop the matter entirely.
Smoothing the thin green hoodie over her thin frame, she dashed to her third story window. Climbing out onto the roof, jean jacket and backpack securely wrapped around her, she jumped to a lowered branch, and began the familiar climb down.
Darting down the back alley, she ran up towards Eli's shed, and with note in hand, began to deposit the letter under his door.
Then she started off jogging again, but became annoyed when the movement activated garage light flicked on as she accidentally dropped her sack.
And even more annoyed when she looked upwards to see the inquisitive, concerned face of Lily mere feet from where she now was scooping notebooks, pencils and loose-leaf up from the asphalt.
"Jessie?"
She gulped - hopefully inaudibly, and all at once felt like crying.
Track pants hung from her lean frame, hair pulled up in a bun, and her eyes blackened from a night of sleeplessness.
"I was - I was just going to - go for-"
And she did start crying; it was as if her body had a mind of its own. She didn't WANT to cry, but she was crying all the same. She didn't even feel sad.
Maybe she was going crazy.
The feeling of craziness intensified as the garage door was opened, and her teenaged brother exited from its interior.
"Jess? Lily - what's going on?"
Lily spoke calmly. "It's alright Eli. I'll handle this - just go back to bed."
Eli did so - reluctantly, and with his departure, Lily moved closer to the young girl.
"Sweetie? It's 5:50 in the morning. What are you doing?"
Jessie glanced at her shoes. "Going to school", her voice was cluttered with tears.
"At 5:50 in the morning?"
"I was going to go for a run on the track first."
"Why?"
"To clear my head", and with that, she exhaled a shuddering breath.
"Honey - why don't you come inside, and we will talk."
Jessie pulled away, her back going as rigid as a board, and face steely.
"I actually was going to school earlier so I wouldn't have to talk with my Dad."
Lily sighed, and re-evaluated the situation.
"Well - why don't we talk about anything? Anything at all - your choice. I'll make us some tea, and I'll talk to your Dad. But sweetie, I don't think it's safe for you to be running off like this in Chicago when it's still dark out. Come on - come on inside."
Listening, dutifully, to her stepmother, she retreated back to the oppressive heat of the house, and felt the rotten feeling of the previous evening - the feeling that was always with her, and only ever temporarily dispelled - intensify.
*~*~*~*~*~* TBC? Send me a review! :)
