Author's Note: Yeah, this sounds lame, but I want to dedicate this chapter to my cat, Cowboy. He's having surgery right now [third time] to remove a cancerous lump that's in his side. I'm sad, so I tried to write something pretty...
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Chapter Three
The moon was hidden behind the gloomy rain clouds, fragmenting the rays that should have lit up the landscape in a shadowy white. The tinted windows skewed his vision even more, making the dark night seem blacker than it actually was. As the limousine slowly came to a stop in front of the house –her house- he became more and more nervous. A brief wave of nausea passed through his body as his hand reached for the limo's door.
He uncertainly stepped out into the night and realized it was a lot cooler than he remembered. A sudden gust of wind battered through the layers of clothing he was wearing, chilling him to the bones. He shivered and tried to pull the long dress coat his father had loaned him for the night tighter around him. He hoped she was going to wear something warm tonight. There was no logic in her catching a cold simply because she refused to wear a coat because it would wrinkle her dress.
Speaking of vanity... he realized he was adjusting his dark navy tie for probably the millionth time. He would admit though, he did look pretty decent. The charcoal black suit was tailor-made of course; his parents wouldn't have it any other way. It was cut to show off his toned body, without giving off the impression that he was a thug. He'd seen too many bad gangster movies to ever want to look like that -impossibly big shoulders, a thick neck, and a wicked sneer. He was getting pretty buff, ever since he had started his new fitness program, but he was no where near the size of those goons in the American movies.
Of course, nobody would pay that much attention to how he looked; all eyes would be on her—his queen. A small smile passed across his lips as he imagined what exactly she would be wearing —before another blast of air wiped it away. He quickly shoved his hands into his coat's pockets. With a determined look on his face, he started to make his way towards her front door.
The only sound that penetrated the still night was the crunching noise his feet made as he slowly walked up the zigzagged gravel walkway that led to her house. As he got closer to his destination, his heart started to beat faster; he could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins.
When he reached her porch, he inhaled suddenly. The night's air was crisp and stung his lungs a bit. He didn't notice it though because he had, as his mother had predicted, forgotten his date's corsage. With a panicked about-face, he retreated back to the limo.
Forgoing the meandering walkway, he cut through the grass that was already moist with the night's dew. He grimaced as he realized that the sides of his glossy dress shoes were soaked. He reached the black limousine and opened the door to reveal the box right where he had left it. The two other passengers –a blond and a brunette- were passionately involved(1) and hadn't noticed his hasty return.
He mutely grabbed the box and prayed they would be done when he returned again with his date. As the girl moaned for the third time, he softly closed the door and tried to collect his thoughts.
***
A loud beeping noise ripped through his skull, pulling Jimmy out of his dreams. As he groggily came to his senses, he realized that an alarm was going off, and that he faintly smelled smoke.
When there was smoke there was usually...FIRE!!!
He hadn't turned off the oven, and grease from the meatloaf had probably caught on fire. The thought woke him all the way up and he sat up with a start. This proved to be a mistake because his lungs were instantly filled with smoke, making him practically cough up his left lung. His eyes started to burn and tear up as he realized the entire apartment was filled with smoke.
Images of a fire safety class popped into his head and Jimmy remembered that he was supposed to stay close to the ground. He rolled off the couch and hit the floor with a thud. He turned over so his stomach was on the ground and he pulled the blanket over his head. It wasn't wet, but it would help a little, at least.
He frantically tried to think of what else they had taught him in the class, but nothing else came to him. Well, nothing but the phrase "Stop, Drop and Roll!" He wasn't on fire though. Wait, was he? A furious examination proved fruitless and Jimmy relaxed just a little.
He army crawled around the couch, in the general direction of the kitchen. Jimmy couldn't see any orange flames in the darkness, but that didn't mean they weren't there. He continued his crawl into the kitchen, where he discovered a small grease fire in the oven, just as he had predicted. Smoke was pouring out the sides of the oven and a miniature inferno was glowing through the door, slightly illuminating the kitchen.
Jimmy inhaled into the blanket then held his breath. He quickly stood up and felt around for the sink. He found the nozzle and turned it on full blast. He submerged the blanket in the water until it was soaked. Jimmy fell to the floor again and breathed into the damp blanket. He coughed when some of the water went into his lungs, but shrugged it off and slid over towards the oven.
He stood up again and turned off the oven—the smart thing to do ages ago. A hesitant had reached up and grasped at the handle. Jimmy pulled it open and jammed the wet blanket into the oven. It was basic chemistry... fire needed oxygen to survive so he would smother the fire, taking away its source. And Ms Hatzilaoks said that he never paid attention..!
The fire did go out though, leaving behind a thick cloud of smoke. And the fire alarm. It had been beeping its earsplitting right the entire time, making Jimmy grimace and almost wish that it hadn't woken him up in the first place. He clapped his hands twice, turning on the apartment's stylish lighting arrangement.
Jimmy went over into the 'breakfast nook' and grabbed a chair. He set it up under the alarm and scrambled up onto it. After a few moments of aimless twiddling, he yanked the batteries out, finally silencing its blaring ring. He did the same for the other three alarms that were scattered around the apartment, until it was relatively quite again(2).
He went around the apartment again, opening windows and turning on ceiling fans. Jimmy had to get the smoke out if he wanted to breathe properly... and the stench was horrible. It would cling to his clothes and hair and follow him around until he could wash everything.
When he had finished his third task, he moved onto the fourth, and probably the worse. Jimmy walked into the kitchen and tried to survey the damage. Well... it wasn't too bad. The oven was more than a little black, but that could be fixed with some serious scrubbing. It didn't look like the fire had spread around, so Jimmy let out a small sigh of relief.
It seemed like all he did was clean, now-a-days, he thought with another, more exasperated sigh as he went over to the sink to grab a scrubber brush and a bucket that he filled with water and soap. Well, clean and not sleep...
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(1) Kissing, mind you! (2) Yeah, I know somebody would have called the cops to report the fire alarm, because apartments aren't all that sound proof. That would have been boring to write, and to read, I'm sure.
Here's where I insert my thanks to the kind reviewers...
pickledxwriter(x2): Spinner is just so fun to write... especially when he's mad/not mad at Paige! We'll just have to see with whom Jimmy hooks up with... after all, who exactly was that mysterious girl he was going to take to the dance... muhaha!
PsychoJo: Yeah! A double reviewer! But yes... J/H is really lame because they are like the only single people on the show. That's like saying 'Oh my goodness! Marco and Dylan got together! Who would have thought they would, considering they are the only gay characters?!'
sister-cousin: I agree, more Jimmy/Liberty/Terri/Hazel/Toby/Kendra/other minor character fics!
EvenAngelsFall22: Yes, can't wait until they come out with Degrassi on DVD. Then I won't be the N's slave-monkey. Seriously.
Krzyblkgurl103: Thanks for the compliment! Personally, I hate the way I write because it always takes so long to update...and I'm really lazy. But thanks for the tip, too!
StaceyF: Close, but no cigar. [The bubblegum kind, of course]
Next chapter... I'm finally going to move the plot away from the apartment! Gasp! Yes... this MonsterFic is going to meander on over to Degrassi!