It's My Life
**Chapter 16: Fortunately Unfortunate (oxymorons rule)**
AN: Yes, I know it's been awhile. Dammit, I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! ^^;; Well, I hope you like this chapter. Serious case of writer's block. Thanks to Jon and Pheep for givin' me new ideas and shtuff, and thanks to the uberlyshibby reviewers who reviewed! ^-^ Yay! Anyways, on with the fic!!
(Thinking's between ~ and ~. You won't understand the title of this chapter until either the next chapter *or possibly the end of this chapter*. And I use damn a lot in this, but hey, we see and hear worse on TV, right?)
***
~Damn. They're still here.~ That was Dawn's first thought of the day as her alarm clock woke her at 6 am. ~It's only Summer 30th. Well, they'll be gone on the 4th. I can stand it 'till then.~ That thought got her out of bed. She chomped down a rice cake, brushed her teeth and washed her face, dressed in a button-up blue shirt and jean shorts today (*GASP!* NO OVERALLS!), and headed out the door.
She surveyed her farm with an evil eye. ~I really hafta shape this place up a bit. I HAVE to stay at this farm, I just have to. I'm NOT going back to the city...~
Three hours later, she had chopped down the remaining corn and tomato plants, and had taken care of her cow. She had found a late-blooming tomato and ate it while sitting in her hammock, watching her farm. It definitely needed shaping up--though, she had to admit, it was much nicer than it had been when she had arrived.
By that time, she realized if she didn't move it, her parents would drop by and that wouldn't be fun. So she headed out to the village. She saw Jack was talking to Popuri and Elli right at the entrance so she swung around and headed up to the mountain.
~Gah...I'm sorry, Jack...but...~ She sighed and watched the sky as she walked up past the vineyard to the base of Moon Mountain. There she ambled along and over to the Goddess' pond, where she sat down and gazed at the peaceful area with the cute little music that came from nowhere. Her mind turned over the events occuring in her new life.
~Damnit. Why did my parents have to come and visit? Things were fine. Perfectly fine. Well...I guess Jack was my rival anyway. But, why are we such rivals anyway? Why can't we just...work together or something?~ Dawn sighed heavily. ~Like hell. Wake up, Dawn, this isn't some fantasy world where everything'll be fine (contrary to what Harvest Moon 64 players like myself believe). I really should beat Jack...~
She gazed down at the pond. A cute silver fish was swimming in it. ~Wow, I didn't know fish swam in here.~ Because it was so peaceful, she nearly jumped when she heard grass and twigs crunching. Warily, Dawn looked up.
"I would've thought you wouldn't like to come over here anymore," Karen said as she sat down next to Dawn
Dawn blinked (rather stupidly) at her, then asked, "Why?"
"Well..." She turned her head and looked behind them. The forest behind them seemed shady and strangely dark. "It IS where you got lost, right?"
Dawn made a face. "Meh. Whatever. It's still nice here; that thought won't keep me away from this place." After a few moments of silence, Dawn finally asked, "Not to be rude or anything--but--why are you here?"
Karen shrugged. For some reason, she looked like a lost little girl, or someone who just found out that their life was a lie. "I wanted to make things better between us...after all, we do live in the same small town, and we'll probably be together for a long time."
~That's strange,~ the thought suddenly popped into Dawn's mind. ~I just realized I had a feeling that she was going to leave here...~ "Yeah, maybe you're right," Dawn said, smiling (somewhat forcibly) at Karen. "It's not cool to have an enemy in a town of fifty people."
Karen smiled hesitantly back.
~Jeez, she really changed a lot. I wonder what exactly happened...~
"So, I hear the Bitch and her Bitch are in town..." Karen said slyly, looking over at Dawn.
Dawn laughed. "Yes, my parents are in town. Did you hear what happened with Ann yesterday?"
Karen practically howled. "From what I hear, your mom's a total bitch and got away lucky."
Dawn and Karen started talking about their parents a bit, and then Karen had to leave.
~That was pretty strange...~ Dawn mused as she laid back and watched the puffy white clouds rolling by. ~But then again, she's right. Nobody wants an enemy in so small a town...~
She sighed as she mulled over her thoughts for the day. ~I really don't wanna see Ann or Popuri today...I'll just stay up here and plan for awhile. Maybe I should work harder or ... something. Starting tomorrow, I'll plant a ton of seeds of whatever's in stock for the month. It might be eggplants--oh, hell, I'll find out tomorrow. I HAVE to beat Jack...~ For a long time, thoughts and emotions consiting mostly of competition and hatred filled her brain. She didn't know why, but she had come to the conclusion that to beat Jack, she had to stop being friends with him. ~I HAVE to beat him.~
Then Dawn dozed. When she regained consciousness, she saw the sky had a reddish tint, because the sun had started to set. She also saw a face peering into her own.
"AAAH!" Dawn squealed and jumped up. The person blinked at her.
"Here you've been all day!" Ann squealed. "We were worried about you; nobody's seen you since yesterday."
"Bleh. I've just been thinking a lot." Dawn squeezed her eyes closed and rubbed them. She had a migraine coming on; probably because she was thinking too hard for a farmer.
Ann looked at her sadly. "Jack seems to think you hate him...Apparently you gave him the cold shoulder yesterday...He's worried..."
Dawn felt a twinge of guilt. ~He's my friend...right? GAH! No. We're rivals.~
Dawn yawned and stretched as she stood up. "I better get home," she said shortly. She really didn't wanna talk about this just now.
Ann looked up at Dawn worriedly. "All right. Hey, wanna come to the bar later tonight?"
Dawn blinked at her. "How often do you go to the bar?"
Ann shrugged. "Oh, not often, you should know that one. I decided I just need a break from work."
Dawn shrugged. "I'll probably be there later. I need a break t--Oh, damn, my parents will probably be there." She didn't voice her anger that Jack would, too.
Ann grinned wickedly. "That's why I'm going."
Dawn visibly paled, though at the same time started cackling. "Gah--Ann, please don't maul my mom!"
Ann made a face. "If you're not going to, one of us has to."
"Yeah, you're right. But still..."
"Later." Ann grinned and waltzed off.
Dawn went fishing for about half an hour, till the sun had nearly entirely set. Sprinting home to give her three medium fish to Tom (Er...wait...is that his name? Oh, hell, screw it.), Dawn sat down in her hammock and stared at her farm for a few moments, surveying it again. Then she pondered whether to go to the bar or not, playing with Kirby and brushing Dia.
~I guess I will,~ Dawn decided after a little while. ~It's probably a bad move, but hey, I need a drink right about now.~ With that final thought, she walked over to town.
She opened the door to the bar. Surprisingly, it was crowded. She saw Karen, Kai, Ann, Basil, Gray, two of the carpenters, the barkeeper (naturally), Karen's dad, and way at the back, her parents. She grabbed a drink from the barkeeper and paid him, then sat down with Karen and Ann. (Kai was sitting with Karen's dad, because they were having a heated discussion, and Karen was on break.) They talked for a bit, and then Michael walked up to Dawn and asked her if they could "chat".
~Stupid 'chats'. They always turn into commands.~ Dawn followed her dad over to his and Diana's deserted table, and motioned for her to sit. Dawn sat.
"Well, Dawn," Michael said, "we want to stay a little longer than we had planned to. We're going to stay until Fall the 9th, you got that? Unless you really don't want us to be there."
Dawn's automatic "Of course we want you here," came out while Dawn was still contemplating this. Mentally, she smacked herself. ~Damnit!~
Michael beamed at her. "All right, its settled then. How are things with the farm?"
Reluctantly, Dawn made small talk with her father, while her mother pointedly ignored Dawn. Dawn felt obliged to be with her parents, even though she'd much rather be with Ann and sort of with Karen. And then Jack came in.
Dawn gulped down the rest of her beer and told her dad, "Look, I have to get on home...close up a few things, put the cow away, the like." She said, "Good night," to her mother, but Diana just sneered and said nothing.
It was obviously a tiny bar, so Dawn had no way of avoiding Jack. So she tried walking past him. He stood in her way and said, "Dawn...Please wait."
Dawn felt another twinge of guilt, but she had to be strong--forget about Jack. She didn't look up at him, but said coldly, "I have to go home, Jack. Could you please move?" Besides the fact that her dad was breathing down her neck about Jack, the fact that her parents were staying even LONGER was making Dawn extremely edgy.
Ann and Karen next to them looked at Dawn in shock. Reluctantly, to avoid their gazes, she looked up at Jack. His brown eyes were pleading and sad. She squeezed her eyes and walked past him outside, stepping outside and heading quickly down the steps and off towards home.
Jack followed her into the warm night. Stars were out and the moon had risen. Dawn was walking quickly, doing a good job of ignoring her stabs of anguish and keeping up her intense feeling of rivalry, bitter rivalry.
"Dawn!" Jack called. "Dawn, please wait!"
"Oh, buzz OFF, Jack!" Dawn said exasperatedly. Her feelings of rivalry had completely dominated any feelings of love she had--well, not all her feelings, it was true, but Dawn was denying that little voice, intensely focused on keeping Jack away from her so she would not have to fail. She would not allow herself any more feelings for Jack.
Jack caught up to Dawn right outside her farm and grabbed her by the shoulders, spinning her around to face him. "Dawn, please tell me what's wrong."
Dawn shrugged off his hands, giving him a cold stare. "Goodnight, Jack." She turned to go into her farm.
"What did I do WRONG!?" Jack exploded. "Was I just not good enough or something? Did everything I do nice for you have no affect on you? Did the fact that I love you make you hate me? Is it wrong that I care!?"
Dawn instantly felt horrible. She stopped in her tracks.
~What the hell's wrong with me!? Why am I doing this to him?!? He never did anything wrong at all to me! He's been so nice...It's not like I'll be a total failure, right?~ Dawn shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt so bad about being so mean to Jack. She immediately regretted all the thoughts about bringing down Jack's farm by beating him in their competition. ~He doesn't deserve any of what I'm doing to him. I don't care what my dad thinks!~
Dawn turned around. She couldn't help a few tears trickling down because of her regret. ~Crybaby,~ she scolded herself. "Oh, Jack, I'm so, so sorry..."
Jack closed the space between them, eyes locked with hers. "What is this about?" he asked calmly. His voice was not calming, however. In fact, it sounded very close to anger.
Dawn felt ashamed for having to admit what she had been thinking. "It's...it's my dad. He's so angry that we're friends. He's so mad that we're not acting as the rivals we're supposed to be. It's just...I felt like I had to impress him...or...I don't know! He makes me feel so worthless, I guess." Up until now, Dawn hadn't realized Michael had been so degrading. She saw it now in a clear light. "I've never been--good enough for him or something. I just...felt like I had to prove him wrong..." More tears streamed from her eyes as she looked into Jack's calming amber orbs. "I'm so sorry that I was shunning you like that...I tried to deny that I loved you to beat you, but ... you don't deserve to be treated like that..."
Jack cupped Dawn's chin in his hands, gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
"I understand," he said, smiling.
Tears still came, though. ~When did I become such a wussy? Aah, but he's so kind...~ Dawn smiled at him. "Thank you..."
"Dawn, I still love you. I understand how you must've felt about your parents growing up, now that I've met them. Don't worry, though...I'll always be here." He embraced Dawn in a warm hug.
"I love you, too," she mumbled into his shoulder, feeling humbled.
They stood like that for awhile. Then Dawn, sniffling, led the way in her house.
"I'll make some coffee," Dawn announced. "Sit somewhere." Rummaging in her small kitchen, she realized she had no coffee. ~What the hell is the world without coffee!?~ So instead she made hot cocoa and brought the two cups back into the main room. Jack was sitting on her bed, so she sat down next to him and handed him his cup. They both drank their hot chocolate and talked a bit.
"Jeez, what was it LIKE growing up with your parents, anyway?" Jack scowled and he took another sip.
Dawn sighed. "It really sucked, that's for sure. I had three youngers brothers, and my mom only cared for them. It was like I was a maid or something...I don't understand why she doesn't like me though..." Dawn sighed. ~Damnit, that came out wrong. I didn't mean to sound like a whiny little girl.~
Jack looked at Dawn cautiously. "Dawn...I have something to ask you..."
Dawn looked at Jack too. They locked eyes, and Dawn had a growing sense he was about to say something very serious. He was very tense and earnest, regarding Dawn softly.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Are you going to finish your hot chocolate?"
Dawn laughed and swatted him. "You did that on purpose!"
Dawn couldn't help giggling a lot at this. One spot of happiness in a very bleak day made her pretty giddy. Jack grinned too. They locked eyes again, and leaned in for a kiss.
Dawn smiled as she kissed him. She was so happy that she had triumphed over her dad's consternation about how much of a failure he thought she was. She didn't care about what he thought anymore.
~Well, maybe that's not necessarily true...~ Dawn thought.
She realized she had her arms around Jack's neck and his arms were around her waist, each getting more out of their kiss. She leaned back onto her bed, Jack kissing her passionately, she kissing him back. His hands ran up and down her body, sort of tickling Dawn (o_o I don't write this crap often, bear with me), and he started unbuttoning her shirt. She realized she had been taking off his clothes without noticing she was.
They stopped kissing, Dawn smiling up at Jack's soulful eyes. He smiled happily back.
"I love you," she said.
Jack kissed her on her nose. "I love you too."
They started kissing passionately again, but broke off as Jack took off her shirt. (Wow, whats going on here?) As they resumed their kissing and Dawn started unbuttoning his pants, they heard a stern voice say,
"What the HELL is going on here?"
Jack instantly rolled off Dawn and they both stared, dumbstruck, at Dawn's father.
A/N: My first true cliffhanger. Sorry. It's late and I'm horrible at writing things like I just did. I hope you liked this chapter; I know it sucked, but I'm proud of myself 'cuz I wrote this all in one sitting! *cheers* I might be able to write more now, because its Christmas break. *YESSSSS!* Well everyone, Merry Christmas, and I'm gonna say Season's Greetings to you non-Christians, because I can't recall all your holiday's names. Sorry. Have a great holiday season, y'all, and keep checking cuz I might write another chapter soon!! Thanks reviewers!! ^_^
~*Mirri Night*~ ^.~
(PS: I'd like to thank Jon and Pheep once again for helpin' me out. ^_^)
**Chapter 16: Fortunately Unfortunate (oxymorons rule)**
AN: Yes, I know it's been awhile. Dammit, I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! ^^;; Well, I hope you like this chapter. Serious case of writer's block. Thanks to Jon and Pheep for givin' me new ideas and shtuff, and thanks to the uberlyshibby reviewers who reviewed! ^-^ Yay! Anyways, on with the fic!!
(Thinking's between ~ and ~. You won't understand the title of this chapter until either the next chapter *or possibly the end of this chapter*. And I use damn a lot in this, but hey, we see and hear worse on TV, right?)
***
~Damn. They're still here.~ That was Dawn's first thought of the day as her alarm clock woke her at 6 am. ~It's only Summer 30th. Well, they'll be gone on the 4th. I can stand it 'till then.~ That thought got her out of bed. She chomped down a rice cake, brushed her teeth and washed her face, dressed in a button-up blue shirt and jean shorts today (*GASP!* NO OVERALLS!), and headed out the door.
She surveyed her farm with an evil eye. ~I really hafta shape this place up a bit. I HAVE to stay at this farm, I just have to. I'm NOT going back to the city...~
Three hours later, she had chopped down the remaining corn and tomato plants, and had taken care of her cow. She had found a late-blooming tomato and ate it while sitting in her hammock, watching her farm. It definitely needed shaping up--though, she had to admit, it was much nicer than it had been when she had arrived.
By that time, she realized if she didn't move it, her parents would drop by and that wouldn't be fun. So she headed out to the village. She saw Jack was talking to Popuri and Elli right at the entrance so she swung around and headed up to the mountain.
~Gah...I'm sorry, Jack...but...~ She sighed and watched the sky as she walked up past the vineyard to the base of Moon Mountain. There she ambled along and over to the Goddess' pond, where she sat down and gazed at the peaceful area with the cute little music that came from nowhere. Her mind turned over the events occuring in her new life.
~Damnit. Why did my parents have to come and visit? Things were fine. Perfectly fine. Well...I guess Jack was my rival anyway. But, why are we such rivals anyway? Why can't we just...work together or something?~ Dawn sighed heavily. ~Like hell. Wake up, Dawn, this isn't some fantasy world where everything'll be fine (contrary to what Harvest Moon 64 players like myself believe). I really should beat Jack...~
She gazed down at the pond. A cute silver fish was swimming in it. ~Wow, I didn't know fish swam in here.~ Because it was so peaceful, she nearly jumped when she heard grass and twigs crunching. Warily, Dawn looked up.
"I would've thought you wouldn't like to come over here anymore," Karen said as she sat down next to Dawn
Dawn blinked (rather stupidly) at her, then asked, "Why?"
"Well..." She turned her head and looked behind them. The forest behind them seemed shady and strangely dark. "It IS where you got lost, right?"
Dawn made a face. "Meh. Whatever. It's still nice here; that thought won't keep me away from this place." After a few moments of silence, Dawn finally asked, "Not to be rude or anything--but--why are you here?"
Karen shrugged. For some reason, she looked like a lost little girl, or someone who just found out that their life was a lie. "I wanted to make things better between us...after all, we do live in the same small town, and we'll probably be together for a long time."
~That's strange,~ the thought suddenly popped into Dawn's mind. ~I just realized I had a feeling that she was going to leave here...~ "Yeah, maybe you're right," Dawn said, smiling (somewhat forcibly) at Karen. "It's not cool to have an enemy in a town of fifty people."
Karen smiled hesitantly back.
~Jeez, she really changed a lot. I wonder what exactly happened...~
"So, I hear the Bitch and her Bitch are in town..." Karen said slyly, looking over at Dawn.
Dawn laughed. "Yes, my parents are in town. Did you hear what happened with Ann yesterday?"
Karen practically howled. "From what I hear, your mom's a total bitch and got away lucky."
Dawn and Karen started talking about their parents a bit, and then Karen had to leave.
~That was pretty strange...~ Dawn mused as she laid back and watched the puffy white clouds rolling by. ~But then again, she's right. Nobody wants an enemy in so small a town...~
She sighed as she mulled over her thoughts for the day. ~I really don't wanna see Ann or Popuri today...I'll just stay up here and plan for awhile. Maybe I should work harder or ... something. Starting tomorrow, I'll plant a ton of seeds of whatever's in stock for the month. It might be eggplants--oh, hell, I'll find out tomorrow. I HAVE to beat Jack...~ For a long time, thoughts and emotions consiting mostly of competition and hatred filled her brain. She didn't know why, but she had come to the conclusion that to beat Jack, she had to stop being friends with him. ~I HAVE to beat him.~
Then Dawn dozed. When she regained consciousness, she saw the sky had a reddish tint, because the sun had started to set. She also saw a face peering into her own.
"AAAH!" Dawn squealed and jumped up. The person blinked at her.
"Here you've been all day!" Ann squealed. "We were worried about you; nobody's seen you since yesterday."
"Bleh. I've just been thinking a lot." Dawn squeezed her eyes closed and rubbed them. She had a migraine coming on; probably because she was thinking too hard for a farmer.
Ann looked at her sadly. "Jack seems to think you hate him...Apparently you gave him the cold shoulder yesterday...He's worried..."
Dawn felt a twinge of guilt. ~He's my friend...right? GAH! No. We're rivals.~
Dawn yawned and stretched as she stood up. "I better get home," she said shortly. She really didn't wanna talk about this just now.
Ann looked up at Dawn worriedly. "All right. Hey, wanna come to the bar later tonight?"
Dawn blinked at her. "How often do you go to the bar?"
Ann shrugged. "Oh, not often, you should know that one. I decided I just need a break from work."
Dawn shrugged. "I'll probably be there later. I need a break t--Oh, damn, my parents will probably be there." She didn't voice her anger that Jack would, too.
Ann grinned wickedly. "That's why I'm going."
Dawn visibly paled, though at the same time started cackling. "Gah--Ann, please don't maul my mom!"
Ann made a face. "If you're not going to, one of us has to."
"Yeah, you're right. But still..."
"Later." Ann grinned and waltzed off.
Dawn went fishing for about half an hour, till the sun had nearly entirely set. Sprinting home to give her three medium fish to Tom (Er...wait...is that his name? Oh, hell, screw it.), Dawn sat down in her hammock and stared at her farm for a few moments, surveying it again. Then she pondered whether to go to the bar or not, playing with Kirby and brushing Dia.
~I guess I will,~ Dawn decided after a little while. ~It's probably a bad move, but hey, I need a drink right about now.~ With that final thought, she walked over to town.
She opened the door to the bar. Surprisingly, it was crowded. She saw Karen, Kai, Ann, Basil, Gray, two of the carpenters, the barkeeper (naturally), Karen's dad, and way at the back, her parents. She grabbed a drink from the barkeeper and paid him, then sat down with Karen and Ann. (Kai was sitting with Karen's dad, because they were having a heated discussion, and Karen was on break.) They talked for a bit, and then Michael walked up to Dawn and asked her if they could "chat".
~Stupid 'chats'. They always turn into commands.~ Dawn followed her dad over to his and Diana's deserted table, and motioned for her to sit. Dawn sat.
"Well, Dawn," Michael said, "we want to stay a little longer than we had planned to. We're going to stay until Fall the 9th, you got that? Unless you really don't want us to be there."
Dawn's automatic "Of course we want you here," came out while Dawn was still contemplating this. Mentally, she smacked herself. ~Damnit!~
Michael beamed at her. "All right, its settled then. How are things with the farm?"
Reluctantly, Dawn made small talk with her father, while her mother pointedly ignored Dawn. Dawn felt obliged to be with her parents, even though she'd much rather be with Ann and sort of with Karen. And then Jack came in.
Dawn gulped down the rest of her beer and told her dad, "Look, I have to get on home...close up a few things, put the cow away, the like." She said, "Good night," to her mother, but Diana just sneered and said nothing.
It was obviously a tiny bar, so Dawn had no way of avoiding Jack. So she tried walking past him. He stood in her way and said, "Dawn...Please wait."
Dawn felt another twinge of guilt, but she had to be strong--forget about Jack. She didn't look up at him, but said coldly, "I have to go home, Jack. Could you please move?" Besides the fact that her dad was breathing down her neck about Jack, the fact that her parents were staying even LONGER was making Dawn extremely edgy.
Ann and Karen next to them looked at Dawn in shock. Reluctantly, to avoid their gazes, she looked up at Jack. His brown eyes were pleading and sad. She squeezed her eyes and walked past him outside, stepping outside and heading quickly down the steps and off towards home.
Jack followed her into the warm night. Stars were out and the moon had risen. Dawn was walking quickly, doing a good job of ignoring her stabs of anguish and keeping up her intense feeling of rivalry, bitter rivalry.
"Dawn!" Jack called. "Dawn, please wait!"
"Oh, buzz OFF, Jack!" Dawn said exasperatedly. Her feelings of rivalry had completely dominated any feelings of love she had--well, not all her feelings, it was true, but Dawn was denying that little voice, intensely focused on keeping Jack away from her so she would not have to fail. She would not allow herself any more feelings for Jack.
Jack caught up to Dawn right outside her farm and grabbed her by the shoulders, spinning her around to face him. "Dawn, please tell me what's wrong."
Dawn shrugged off his hands, giving him a cold stare. "Goodnight, Jack." She turned to go into her farm.
"What did I do WRONG!?" Jack exploded. "Was I just not good enough or something? Did everything I do nice for you have no affect on you? Did the fact that I love you make you hate me? Is it wrong that I care!?"
Dawn instantly felt horrible. She stopped in her tracks.
~What the hell's wrong with me!? Why am I doing this to him?!? He never did anything wrong at all to me! He's been so nice...It's not like I'll be a total failure, right?~ Dawn shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt so bad about being so mean to Jack. She immediately regretted all the thoughts about bringing down Jack's farm by beating him in their competition. ~He doesn't deserve any of what I'm doing to him. I don't care what my dad thinks!~
Dawn turned around. She couldn't help a few tears trickling down because of her regret. ~Crybaby,~ she scolded herself. "Oh, Jack, I'm so, so sorry..."
Jack closed the space between them, eyes locked with hers. "What is this about?" he asked calmly. His voice was not calming, however. In fact, it sounded very close to anger.
Dawn felt ashamed for having to admit what she had been thinking. "It's...it's my dad. He's so angry that we're friends. He's so mad that we're not acting as the rivals we're supposed to be. It's just...I felt like I had to impress him...or...I don't know! He makes me feel so worthless, I guess." Up until now, Dawn hadn't realized Michael had been so degrading. She saw it now in a clear light. "I've never been--good enough for him or something. I just...felt like I had to prove him wrong..." More tears streamed from her eyes as she looked into Jack's calming amber orbs. "I'm so sorry that I was shunning you like that...I tried to deny that I loved you to beat you, but ... you don't deserve to be treated like that..."
Jack cupped Dawn's chin in his hands, gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
"I understand," he said, smiling.
Tears still came, though. ~When did I become such a wussy? Aah, but he's so kind...~ Dawn smiled at him. "Thank you..."
"Dawn, I still love you. I understand how you must've felt about your parents growing up, now that I've met them. Don't worry, though...I'll always be here." He embraced Dawn in a warm hug.
"I love you, too," she mumbled into his shoulder, feeling humbled.
They stood like that for awhile. Then Dawn, sniffling, led the way in her house.
"I'll make some coffee," Dawn announced. "Sit somewhere." Rummaging in her small kitchen, she realized she had no coffee. ~What the hell is the world without coffee!?~ So instead she made hot cocoa and brought the two cups back into the main room. Jack was sitting on her bed, so she sat down next to him and handed him his cup. They both drank their hot chocolate and talked a bit.
"Jeez, what was it LIKE growing up with your parents, anyway?" Jack scowled and he took another sip.
Dawn sighed. "It really sucked, that's for sure. I had three youngers brothers, and my mom only cared for them. It was like I was a maid or something...I don't understand why she doesn't like me though..." Dawn sighed. ~Damnit, that came out wrong. I didn't mean to sound like a whiny little girl.~
Jack looked at Dawn cautiously. "Dawn...I have something to ask you..."
Dawn looked at Jack too. They locked eyes, and Dawn had a growing sense he was about to say something very serious. He was very tense and earnest, regarding Dawn softly.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Are you going to finish your hot chocolate?"
Dawn laughed and swatted him. "You did that on purpose!"
Dawn couldn't help giggling a lot at this. One spot of happiness in a very bleak day made her pretty giddy. Jack grinned too. They locked eyes again, and leaned in for a kiss.
Dawn smiled as she kissed him. She was so happy that she had triumphed over her dad's consternation about how much of a failure he thought she was. She didn't care about what he thought anymore.
~Well, maybe that's not necessarily true...~ Dawn thought.
She realized she had her arms around Jack's neck and his arms were around her waist, each getting more out of their kiss. She leaned back onto her bed, Jack kissing her passionately, she kissing him back. His hands ran up and down her body, sort of tickling Dawn (o_o I don't write this crap often, bear with me), and he started unbuttoning her shirt. She realized she had been taking off his clothes without noticing she was.
They stopped kissing, Dawn smiling up at Jack's soulful eyes. He smiled happily back.
"I love you," she said.
Jack kissed her on her nose. "I love you too."
They started kissing passionately again, but broke off as Jack took off her shirt. (Wow, whats going on here?) As they resumed their kissing and Dawn started unbuttoning his pants, they heard a stern voice say,
"What the HELL is going on here?"
Jack instantly rolled off Dawn and they both stared, dumbstruck, at Dawn's father.
A/N: My first true cliffhanger. Sorry. It's late and I'm horrible at writing things like I just did. I hope you liked this chapter; I know it sucked, but I'm proud of myself 'cuz I wrote this all in one sitting! *cheers* I might be able to write more now, because its Christmas break. *YESSSSS!* Well everyone, Merry Christmas, and I'm gonna say Season's Greetings to you non-Christians, because I can't recall all your holiday's names. Sorry. Have a great holiday season, y'all, and keep checking cuz I might write another chapter soon!! Thanks reviewers!! ^_^
~*Mirri Night*~ ^.~
(PS: I'd like to thank Jon and Pheep once again for helpin' me out. ^_^)