Thanks for reviewing everyone (makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside)!
Really, it keeps up morale. I realised that I actually changed the main
character's name from Jen to Jane, so I've gone back, and corrected them
all to Jen.
~**~
Part Six
I had gotten home with strict instructions from Frost and Amber that I should act exactly the same as I always did. Hunh, good luck for that. We arranged another meeting for tomorrow afternoon.
"Did you have fun at Laura's?"
"Whaa?"
Mum looked at me. "You went to Laura's house, remember?"
"Oh. Yeah. Laura's." I said. "Is there any pasta bake left?" I asked. Maybe Brian was going to be nice for once.
"No." Or maybe not. "But I made another batch of potato salad because I knew you would want some. It's in the fridge."
I sat down at the bench top and watched mum prepare something for tomorrow. She was one of those people who seemed to be able to fit thirty-six hours into twenty-four. I hadn't actually seen her sleep yet. While other kids woke their mothers with breakfast in bed on mother's day, I had to make do with coming into the bedroom when my mum was reading the newspaper. Which meant she had already gotten up, went outside to get the paper, and hopped back into bed.
"What are you making?" I asked after a swallow of the divine potato salad.
"We're having some people over tomorrow afternoon. Some new friends of your fathers. They've just recently moved here temporarily from Las Vegas, and he really likes them, so he invited them over. He met them at the office. The O'Malley's. They were originally from Ireland." She opened the oven, checked whatever was in it, and closed it again. "Crème caramel," she explained. Dad works for an investing company. Whoopeedoo, what fun.
"Do they have Irish or American accents then?" I have a thing for accents, and mum knows. I stuffed some more potato salad in my mouth.
She shrugged. "Guess you'll just have to be there. Their son is coming too. He's around your age."
Translation: Jen, you don't have a boyfriend, I'm worried about you hanging around with Laura all the time, and I think you should talk to some more people your age.
"Uh, thanks mum."
She wiped her hands on the apron I gave her a few years ago (it says 'World's Greatest Chef') and smiled. "For what, honey?"
I shook my head, and continued stuffing myself with salad.
"Anyway, since they'll be talking about accounts and money and things till dinner, I though maybe you could take their son around Sullivan and show him the sites."
I swallowed the salad in one go. "What?"
"Well, why not, honey?"
Well, what if he was ugly? What if he was a nerd? What if he didn't have an accent? "I suppose I could," I said, doing a very Dawn-like thing again.
"Well, it's settled then. You take him to the park, and to the cinemas or wherever you young people hang around these days. They're only here for a month or so, and he'll be coming to Sullivan High with you."
Damn, if he was ugly, nerdy, or just plain boring, I would have to have him in tow for at least a month at school. Wasn't going to do well for my social status that was already at an all time low.
"Great," I managed to say, and finished the potato salad with one big mouthful. This was the last mouthful to be savoured.
"Remember to be here tomorrow afternoon after netball training."
Wait. Netball training in morning. Tomorrow afternoon...damn, I was supposed to go to Frost's/Amber's house.
"Uh, actually mum, I can't make it tomorrow."
"Hmm? And why not little lady?"
Quick! Think of an excuse. "I've got a boyfriend," I blurted, and then mentally smacked myself in the head.
Mum's eyebrows went up. "A boyfriend?"
"Yes," I blabbered, "his name is Deacin Frost, and when I told you that I was meeting Laura, I was actually meeting him." Damnit, now I had just gotten myself into deeper shit.
"You know we don't mind you having a boyfriend, Jen. Why did you keep it from us?"
I twiddled my fingers. "Because, uh, we'd just started going out the other day, and we weren't sure if we actually wanted to, so I was going to tell you after our relationship was a bit more stable."
"Well, dear. The O'Malley's son is only here for a month, and I've already said that you'd probably show him around. Could you postpone the date?"
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. "No. It's his birthday tomorrow." By this time, I was just about making up anything that came into my mind.
My mum wrinkled her nose and frowned. "Well, then you won't mind if the O'Malley's son comes along with you to your date."
Damn, she'd pulled the ultimatum. "Alright. Fine. I'll ring and cancel." And try not to get killed by Frost. I had told my mother that he was my boyfriend! What was I thinking? Now they'd want to meet him! Oh God, why was I cursed with the Dawn gene?
I headed for my room. What a day.
"Oh, and honey?"
"Yeah?"
"Isn't Deacin Frost a character from Blade?"
Even my mum has seen the movie.
"Uh...no. 'Night!"
I bounded up the stairs and jumped into my bed - fully clothed - and pretended I was asleep, so she couldn't ask anything else. I lay awake and stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on my ceiling. Stupid vampires, stupid Amber, stupid Night World, stupid, yet very sexy Frost...
Part Six
I had gotten home with strict instructions from Frost and Amber that I should act exactly the same as I always did. Hunh, good luck for that. We arranged another meeting for tomorrow afternoon.
"Did you have fun at Laura's?"
"Whaa?"
Mum looked at me. "You went to Laura's house, remember?"
"Oh. Yeah. Laura's." I said. "Is there any pasta bake left?" I asked. Maybe Brian was going to be nice for once.
"No." Or maybe not. "But I made another batch of potato salad because I knew you would want some. It's in the fridge."
I sat down at the bench top and watched mum prepare something for tomorrow. She was one of those people who seemed to be able to fit thirty-six hours into twenty-four. I hadn't actually seen her sleep yet. While other kids woke their mothers with breakfast in bed on mother's day, I had to make do with coming into the bedroom when my mum was reading the newspaper. Which meant she had already gotten up, went outside to get the paper, and hopped back into bed.
"What are you making?" I asked after a swallow of the divine potato salad.
"We're having some people over tomorrow afternoon. Some new friends of your fathers. They've just recently moved here temporarily from Las Vegas, and he really likes them, so he invited them over. He met them at the office. The O'Malley's. They were originally from Ireland." She opened the oven, checked whatever was in it, and closed it again. "Crème caramel," she explained. Dad works for an investing company. Whoopeedoo, what fun.
"Do they have Irish or American accents then?" I have a thing for accents, and mum knows. I stuffed some more potato salad in my mouth.
She shrugged. "Guess you'll just have to be there. Their son is coming too. He's around your age."
Translation: Jen, you don't have a boyfriend, I'm worried about you hanging around with Laura all the time, and I think you should talk to some more people your age.
"Uh, thanks mum."
She wiped her hands on the apron I gave her a few years ago (it says 'World's Greatest Chef') and smiled. "For what, honey?"
I shook my head, and continued stuffing myself with salad.
"Anyway, since they'll be talking about accounts and money and things till dinner, I though maybe you could take their son around Sullivan and show him the sites."
I swallowed the salad in one go. "What?"
"Well, why not, honey?"
Well, what if he was ugly? What if he was a nerd? What if he didn't have an accent? "I suppose I could," I said, doing a very Dawn-like thing again.
"Well, it's settled then. You take him to the park, and to the cinemas or wherever you young people hang around these days. They're only here for a month or so, and he'll be coming to Sullivan High with you."
Damn, if he was ugly, nerdy, or just plain boring, I would have to have him in tow for at least a month at school. Wasn't going to do well for my social status that was already at an all time low.
"Great," I managed to say, and finished the potato salad with one big mouthful. This was the last mouthful to be savoured.
"Remember to be here tomorrow afternoon after netball training."
Wait. Netball training in morning. Tomorrow afternoon...damn, I was supposed to go to Frost's/Amber's house.
"Uh, actually mum, I can't make it tomorrow."
"Hmm? And why not little lady?"
Quick! Think of an excuse. "I've got a boyfriend," I blurted, and then mentally smacked myself in the head.
Mum's eyebrows went up. "A boyfriend?"
"Yes," I blabbered, "his name is Deacin Frost, and when I told you that I was meeting Laura, I was actually meeting him." Damnit, now I had just gotten myself into deeper shit.
"You know we don't mind you having a boyfriend, Jen. Why did you keep it from us?"
I twiddled my fingers. "Because, uh, we'd just started going out the other day, and we weren't sure if we actually wanted to, so I was going to tell you after our relationship was a bit more stable."
"Well, dear. The O'Malley's son is only here for a month, and I've already said that you'd probably show him around. Could you postpone the date?"
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. "No. It's his birthday tomorrow." By this time, I was just about making up anything that came into my mind.
My mum wrinkled her nose and frowned. "Well, then you won't mind if the O'Malley's son comes along with you to your date."
Damn, she'd pulled the ultimatum. "Alright. Fine. I'll ring and cancel." And try not to get killed by Frost. I had told my mother that he was my boyfriend! What was I thinking? Now they'd want to meet him! Oh God, why was I cursed with the Dawn gene?
I headed for my room. What a day.
"Oh, and honey?"
"Yeah?"
"Isn't Deacin Frost a character from Blade?"
Even my mum has seen the movie.
"Uh...no. 'Night!"
I bounded up the stairs and jumped into my bed - fully clothed - and pretended I was asleep, so she couldn't ask anything else. I lay awake and stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on my ceiling. Stupid vampires, stupid Amber, stupid Night World, stupid, yet very sexy Frost...
