Chapter 9
Not nothing
~~~
He hesitated just for a moment before dialling the number; he needed to know what was going on.
It rang five times before she picked up.
"Hello?" she answered groggily.
"Who was on the phone that night?" he asked, not pausing for pleasantries.
"Jess? What - "
"Who was on the phone Skye?"
"For crap's sakes Jess, its," she paused, " four in the freakin' morning."
"So?" he asked, seeming to find nothing out of the ordinary for them to be talking at that time.
"So?" she asked incredulously, "can we please have this conversation later?"
"No." he insisted.
"Why the hell not?"
"Because you'll find some reason why we don't need to talk about it later."
"We don't need to talk about it now." She stressed.
"Skye - " he warned.
"Fine, it was Brandon okay, just Brandon. I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this."
"Because you were upset."
"I was not upset!" she said, fully awake now.
"You were upset." He asserted.
"Okay, so is there a point to all of this then?" she drawled sardonically.
"What did he do to upset you?"
"He didn't upset me! Geez what is with the third degree?"
"If he didn't upset you then who did?" he badgered again.
"I'm gonna hang up now."
"Skye wait -"
"One more chance Mariano." She warned.
"Was it Tristan?"
"What?" she screeched so loudly that he had to hold the phone away from his ear.
"Was it -" he started.
"Yeah, I heard you, I just can't believe you asked me that."
"Why not? It seems logical. You two were alone talking at the table and when we came back - ice."
"So?"
"There must be a reason."
"There's no reason, it's nothing Jess, absolutely nothing!"
Frustration made him want to bait her, to force her to admit that she wasn't herself and the reason behind it.
"Then 'cause it's nothing you won't mind that he'll be joining us again tonight."
He was met with silence and he could almost hear her thinking. For a moment he thought he'd finally get the truth out of her.
"Why would I mind? Sure bring him along; bring the whole damn city along while you're at it. I could care less. Now if you don't mind," she bit out, "I'm gonna get some sleep."
And with that she slammed the phone down in his ear, which just confirmed in Jess' mind that it definitely had something to do with blue blood and it was most definitely not nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How did it go?" Rory asked Jess later that morning.
"Not so good."
"Did you find out anything?"
"No, Skye was in one of her ambiguous moods."
"Which is quite frustrating I imagine." She said wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I'll say." He kissed her hair gently.
"She'll tell you what's wrong when she's ready right? You said so yourself."
"Yeah, I did but now I'm not so sure." He said sombrely.
"What do you mean?" Rory asked in confusion.
"I'm not sure if she'll tell me anything when she's ready or not."
"Jess, you and Skye, inseparable remember? Not gonna change anytime soon." She said firmly.
"I feel like things are changing and not necessarily for the better you know?"
"Talk to her but not in the early hours of the morning and I'm sure she'll be her old self."
"I just don't want her to think that I'm not there for her anymore."
"I'm sure she doesn't think that."
"Yeah, you're right."
"It'll be okay you'll see. She was there for you so maybe it's just time to return the favour, and you know I'm here to help."
"What would I do without you?"
"I don't think you're gonna have to worry about that." She vowed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She couldn't prolong it any longer; this was Jess for crying out loud - her best friend. She had no reason to be so nervous.
Skye knocked on the door and waited, her stomach a playground for the butterflies.
He opened just as she was about to walk away, his surprise evident.
"Hey you." She said weakly.
"Hey."
He stood in the doorway and she looked at him, the silence stretching on.
"If this is a bad time I could -" she started.
"No, of course not come on in." he said, standing aside to let her through.
"Thanks, where's Rory?"
"Out." He said, sitting on the bed.
So it was gonna be like that, she could handle it.
"Out where?" she pressed, sitting down beside him.
"Out with Tristan."
She purposefully ignored the shiver hearing that name brought her.
"That's nice."
"Yeah, it's absolutely marvellous." He said morosely, his tone grating on her already shredded nerves.
"Look I'm sorry okay!"
"Skye -" he said, his face softening.
"No, listen I'm trying to apologise here. I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning. I'm sorry if I've made Rory feel bad because of my attitude. I don't know what's gotten into me." She admitted dismally.
"Skye talk to me please, I feel like we're losing touch here. I don't like it at all!"
"Oh Jess." she cried, hugging him tight.
"What's going on?" he asked gently.
"I don't know," she said honestly, pulling back, "things have just been weird lately. I guess that if I had to pinpoint it I would say that it started around last week. Things in the band were a bit tense when we got back from the tour but that's understandable right?"
"Right." He encouraged
"It's just - " she stopped abruptly, not exactly knowing how to continue.
"Yes?"
"Brandon's been acting really weird lately and as you know it was him that phoned the other night but for no real purpose you know?"
"Maybe he's just going through some things." He shrugged.
"Yeah, I know he is but he won't tell me and it's damn -"
"Frustrating?" he offered.
"Uh-huh." She smiled sheepishly, "Guess we both know how it feels to be shut out huh?"
"Not the most wonderful feeling is it?"
"No." she said simply, laying her head on his shoulder, "I'm really sorry Jess."
He put his arm around her, "Me too, especially me baiting you with the whole Tristan thing."
Skye stiffened involuntarily, and she knew he felt it.
"Skye?"
"Uh-huh?"
"You don't mind if he hangs out with us do you?"
She considered lying for a moment, but she couldn't - not to Jess.
She jumped up and paced for a bit, trying to put her feelings into words.
"Um, it's not that I mind, it's just that I'm not entirely sure if it is nothing."
"Explain please." He asked worriedly.
"He was asking all these questions, saying he wanted to get to know me." She conceded, slumping back on the bed.
"Ah." He said knowingly, "and so you freaked."
"I wouldn't say 'freaked' exactly."
"You freaked Skye."
"Okay so I freaked! Sue me. I'm probably just overreacting, projecting my concerns about Brandon onto the situation."
"You won't know unless you spend some time with him."
"But he's so arrogant!"
Jess laughed and soon after she joined him.
"What do you think of him?"
"My opinion doesn't count in this case." He evaded.
"Come on, he's a friend of Rory's."
"Yes he is." He said softly and Skye knew what he was trying to ask her.
"Okay, I'll try but I can't promise anything." She yielded eventually.
"But you will try for Rory's sake?" he clarified.
"Yes Jess, I will try."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: I am sorry for the lousiness of this chapter. I know nothing really happened but it was just a filler until more interesting things happen, please feel free to pass on any suggestions. Thanks.
Not nothing
~~~
He hesitated just for a moment before dialling the number; he needed to know what was going on.
It rang five times before she picked up.
"Hello?" she answered groggily.
"Who was on the phone that night?" he asked, not pausing for pleasantries.
"Jess? What - "
"Who was on the phone Skye?"
"For crap's sakes Jess, its," she paused, " four in the freakin' morning."
"So?" he asked, seeming to find nothing out of the ordinary for them to be talking at that time.
"So?" she asked incredulously, "can we please have this conversation later?"
"No." he insisted.
"Why the hell not?"
"Because you'll find some reason why we don't need to talk about it later."
"We don't need to talk about it now." She stressed.
"Skye - " he warned.
"Fine, it was Brandon okay, just Brandon. I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this."
"Because you were upset."
"I was not upset!" she said, fully awake now.
"You were upset." He asserted.
"Okay, so is there a point to all of this then?" she drawled sardonically.
"What did he do to upset you?"
"He didn't upset me! Geez what is with the third degree?"
"If he didn't upset you then who did?" he badgered again.
"I'm gonna hang up now."
"Skye wait -"
"One more chance Mariano." She warned.
"Was it Tristan?"
"What?" she screeched so loudly that he had to hold the phone away from his ear.
"Was it -" he started.
"Yeah, I heard you, I just can't believe you asked me that."
"Why not? It seems logical. You two were alone talking at the table and when we came back - ice."
"So?"
"There must be a reason."
"There's no reason, it's nothing Jess, absolutely nothing!"
Frustration made him want to bait her, to force her to admit that she wasn't herself and the reason behind it.
"Then 'cause it's nothing you won't mind that he'll be joining us again tonight."
He was met with silence and he could almost hear her thinking. For a moment he thought he'd finally get the truth out of her.
"Why would I mind? Sure bring him along; bring the whole damn city along while you're at it. I could care less. Now if you don't mind," she bit out, "I'm gonna get some sleep."
And with that she slammed the phone down in his ear, which just confirmed in Jess' mind that it definitely had something to do with blue blood and it was most definitely not nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How did it go?" Rory asked Jess later that morning.
"Not so good."
"Did you find out anything?"
"No, Skye was in one of her ambiguous moods."
"Which is quite frustrating I imagine." She said wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I'll say." He kissed her hair gently.
"She'll tell you what's wrong when she's ready right? You said so yourself."
"Yeah, I did but now I'm not so sure." He said sombrely.
"What do you mean?" Rory asked in confusion.
"I'm not sure if she'll tell me anything when she's ready or not."
"Jess, you and Skye, inseparable remember? Not gonna change anytime soon." She said firmly.
"I feel like things are changing and not necessarily for the better you know?"
"Talk to her but not in the early hours of the morning and I'm sure she'll be her old self."
"I just don't want her to think that I'm not there for her anymore."
"I'm sure she doesn't think that."
"Yeah, you're right."
"It'll be okay you'll see. She was there for you so maybe it's just time to return the favour, and you know I'm here to help."
"What would I do without you?"
"I don't think you're gonna have to worry about that." She vowed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She couldn't prolong it any longer; this was Jess for crying out loud - her best friend. She had no reason to be so nervous.
Skye knocked on the door and waited, her stomach a playground for the butterflies.
He opened just as she was about to walk away, his surprise evident.
"Hey you." She said weakly.
"Hey."
He stood in the doorway and she looked at him, the silence stretching on.
"If this is a bad time I could -" she started.
"No, of course not come on in." he said, standing aside to let her through.
"Thanks, where's Rory?"
"Out." He said, sitting on the bed.
So it was gonna be like that, she could handle it.
"Out where?" she pressed, sitting down beside him.
"Out with Tristan."
She purposefully ignored the shiver hearing that name brought her.
"That's nice."
"Yeah, it's absolutely marvellous." He said morosely, his tone grating on her already shredded nerves.
"Look I'm sorry okay!"
"Skye -" he said, his face softening.
"No, listen I'm trying to apologise here. I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning. I'm sorry if I've made Rory feel bad because of my attitude. I don't know what's gotten into me." She admitted dismally.
"Skye talk to me please, I feel like we're losing touch here. I don't like it at all!"
"Oh Jess." she cried, hugging him tight.
"What's going on?" he asked gently.
"I don't know," she said honestly, pulling back, "things have just been weird lately. I guess that if I had to pinpoint it I would say that it started around last week. Things in the band were a bit tense when we got back from the tour but that's understandable right?"
"Right." He encouraged
"It's just - " she stopped abruptly, not exactly knowing how to continue.
"Yes?"
"Brandon's been acting really weird lately and as you know it was him that phoned the other night but for no real purpose you know?"
"Maybe he's just going through some things." He shrugged.
"Yeah, I know he is but he won't tell me and it's damn -"
"Frustrating?" he offered.
"Uh-huh." She smiled sheepishly, "Guess we both know how it feels to be shut out huh?"
"Not the most wonderful feeling is it?"
"No." she said simply, laying her head on his shoulder, "I'm really sorry Jess."
He put his arm around her, "Me too, especially me baiting you with the whole Tristan thing."
Skye stiffened involuntarily, and she knew he felt it.
"Skye?"
"Uh-huh?"
"You don't mind if he hangs out with us do you?"
She considered lying for a moment, but she couldn't - not to Jess.
She jumped up and paced for a bit, trying to put her feelings into words.
"Um, it's not that I mind, it's just that I'm not entirely sure if it is nothing."
"Explain please." He asked worriedly.
"He was asking all these questions, saying he wanted to get to know me." She conceded, slumping back on the bed.
"Ah." He said knowingly, "and so you freaked."
"I wouldn't say 'freaked' exactly."
"You freaked Skye."
"Okay so I freaked! Sue me. I'm probably just overreacting, projecting my concerns about Brandon onto the situation."
"You won't know unless you spend some time with him."
"But he's so arrogant!"
Jess laughed and soon after she joined him.
"What do you think of him?"
"My opinion doesn't count in this case." He evaded.
"Come on, he's a friend of Rory's."
"Yes he is." He said softly and Skye knew what he was trying to ask her.
"Okay, I'll try but I can't promise anything." She yielded eventually.
"But you will try for Rory's sake?" he clarified.
"Yes Jess, I will try."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: I am sorry for the lousiness of this chapter. I know nothing really happened but it was just a filler until more interesting things happen, please feel free to pass on any suggestions. Thanks.