22. Hence Eve Ate the Apple.

I don't know what happened in Jack's apartment that night, but the very next morning they came out in good spirits, but they were now completely at war.

Jack and I were in the routine of walking together as we headed to our jobs each morning, but this time it was different, we had Jim tagging along with us.

He seemed to watch over me and Jack, making sure Jack didn't do anything like try and kiss his 'sugar'. Jack seemed to notice this, so he walked over and put an arm around my waist as we walked.

I looked slowly down at his arm. "What are ya doin?" I asked in a whisper.

"He thinks we'ze a couple. I'm just makin his mind race all the moah."

"Yeah well don' get yoahself too comfortable wit this arrangement," I warned. Jack quickly moved away so we were only holding hands now.

"Excuse me," said Jim, breaking our hands apart and walking in between us.

"Bye Jim," Jack said, walking away from us and towards the distribution center.

"Bye Jim," I called, running in the opposite direction. When I got some ways away I looked back to see standing where we had left him, looking bewildered.

I was thankful to say that Jim disappeared for the rest of the day, I guess he decided to look for a job or something.

"So wheah is dis devil you kep tryin to run from Lo'?" Asked Mush, as we all walked home that evening.

"I don' know, he'll show up again at some point. And with moah tricks, I can guarantee you'se."

"I'd like tah meet him."

Jack and I both stopped and stared at Mush in shock.

"What?" He asked, feeling nervous under our stares.

"Okay Mushy honey, Jim is fun and all that, but he ain't yoah type." I said putting my arm around his neck. Mush glared at me and shoved my arm away.

" I don' wanna marry him, I just wanna meet him!"

Mush had the most hilarious look on his face when he said that, so I decided that maybe it would be fun to introduce him to Jim.

"Alright. Come play cards wit us tonight an' I'll let you meet 'im."

"Kay, see ya then." Mush walked off to his own apartment building, but we would see him again tonight.

When I got into my apartment, Jim was sitting at the table drinking a beer.

"How did ya get in?" I asked, hands on my hips.

"When I was snoopin yesterday I found your spare key sitting about. I figured that you wouldn't be needing it, so I took it," explained Jim.

How dare he! I remembered Jim as fun loving and strange, not a trespasser. I marched up to him and aggressively shoved my hand in front of him.

"Give me my key back."

Jim looked up at me with his 'Jim' smile. "Why? You already have a key."

"JIM!"

Jim brought the key slowly from, his pocket, it was barely visible when I snatched it from his hand, and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow. You could damage my brain by doing that."

"Jim, there is nothin that can lead me tah believe that yoah brain wasn't already damaged befoah I hit you'se."

Jim tried to give me an evil look, but he failed miserably and ended up looking more like a chicken.

"Give it up Jim. Come one, we'ze playin cards wit Jack tonight." I got Jim to follow me out of my apartment and down the hall.

"Do you go to Jack's place often?" asked Jim.

"Oh yes. Daily. Infact, sometimes it feels like I practically live theah...which isn't far from dah truth," I said over my shoulder as I walked into Jack's apartment. Jim was all stirred up now. This game would be fun.

Jack came out of his bedroom room, triumphantly holding his deck of cards that he had been searching for.

"Hey Love." Greeted Jack, "Oh hey Jim," he added. Jim looked grumpily at Jack and took a seat at the table.

"Jack, we'ze a chair short," I said pointing to the place where the fourth chair should have been.

"I'll get one from yoah place. Can I borrow yoah key?"

"Shoah. Keep it, it's a spare," I said, chucking the spare key to him, grinning at Jim as I did so.

While we waited for Jack, Jim tried to warn me, saying that Jack wasn't trust worthy. I then decided to remind him that neither was he!

"Heah's the chair," said Jack coming back in. "I also found dis rat, and I figured I'd make him play wit us as a fourth." Teased Jack, jerking his finger at Mush, who entered in behind him.

"A rat you say?" I jumped from my chair and grabbed hold of Mush's chin, making him turn his head from side to side. "This one looks clean enough too me; I guess we can let him play," I said, winking at Mush. "Now Mush, dat fellah ovah theah is Jim. Jim dis is Mush."

Jim got up and shook Mush's hand. They weren't the type of guys you'd find were best friends with each other or anything, but Jim didn't think of Mush as a man with a sweet tooth... his Sugar would be safe around this fellow.

Jack and Jim on the other hand, they were a whole different ball of candy.

"So Jimmy, you lose at cards often?" Jack asked, as we began to play.

"Nope."

"Well I'm sorry that I'm gonna change that."

Jacks bragging only got him victorious of half the rounds, Jim won the other half. Throughout the game, there was non-stop verbal abuse between the two of them, and Mush and I bailed out and watched them play instead. It was first class entertainment.

"So you're a cheater, ain't you Jack?"

"Nah. Nevah 'ave been, nevah will be."

"Oh but you are. You cheated Loki away from me!"

Mush snorted at that one, and I couldn't help snickering either.

"Alright guys, I think dats enough cards foah one night," I said, grabbing the cards out of their hands. "See you tomorra. Come on Mush." I grabbed my chair and walked out of the room, with Mush following, looking very amused.

"Say anything an' you die," I warned. Mush grinned and put his hands in the air surrendering. He headed out of the building and I headed too my apartment, the sounds of Jack and Jim arguing floating after me.

And the arguing never stopped. It followed me to work, and back from work, and through the evening. I thanked God that they decided to take the time to sleep at night.

A few days later, Jim finally decided to get himself his on apartment...in the same building.

He also got a job as some bar, so it became rare that I ever saw him in the evenings.

One evening I had Jack come over and sit for me so I could draw him. He just sat casually on a chair, but he still looked great.

Jack managed to sit still for the first half hour, but after that there was no way to make him stay put.

"Alright Cowboy, lets walk it off." I put down my drawing pad and we left my room and went outside for a walk.

We walked silently; the sun beginning to slowly dip down in the sky, giving the moon its chance to show off. We found ourselves standing on the steps of a catholic church, watching the sunset.

"Loki?"

"Yah?"

"I knows we pretend tah be togedda ta tick Jim off, but 'ave you evah thought of us bein togedda...foah real?" Jack said, turning nervously towards me.

"Foah real?" My throat suddenly felt really dry and I wanted to run away.

"Yeah. I was wonderin if you wanted to be a goil."

"Um...can I get back to you'se on dat one?" We lived in the same building, so I would have to speak to him at some point.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Find out foah yoahself." I really wasn't sure if I wanted him kissing me, but I would find out when he tried. His head moved forward and his eyes closed and I knew I would let him kiss me, if only for this once.

I closed my eyes as his lips met mine. His warm lips were pressed against mine, it felt almost as though the wind had picked up and was swirling around us.

"Sinful creature!" Jack and I jumped a part, startled by a priest standing at the door looking disgusted. "It was because woman ate the apple in Eden that man has to continually suffer. Anything that comes from a woman is evil!"

Jack looked at the priest angrily, but I knew better than to be stirred up by his words.

"Why you are so right Father. But Jesus was born from a woman and so were you. I suppose that makes you evil, since you were entirely born of sin," I replied, my voice as smooth as silk.

The priest's face went bright red and he began to make huffing noises through his nose. I thought he would pass out, but he made a grunting noise and waddled back into the church again.

Jack began laughing when the priest was out of hearing. He grabbed my hand and we ran away from the church. As we ran I suddenly felt a bad feeling in my stomach, Jack was fun and a great kisser, but I wasn't sure I should have given him the right to kiss me.

When we got back, Jack decided to claim another kiss from me in the hall. This one wasn't as nice as the first, and I remembered that I hadn't told him I would be his girl.

"Stay away from my girl!" Once again our kiss was broken, but this time it was by Jim, his whole body rigid with rage. "I've told you time aftah time to stay away from me girl, Kelly!" Jim walked up and grabbed Jack by his collar, pulling him away from me.

"She ain't yoah goil, she's gonna be mine!" Jack shouted back.

"You want to fight foah her?"

"You bet I do," Jack and Jim tussled out side and began throwing punches at each other on the dirt.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" I screamed after them. They didn't hear me, and once again I was over whelmed with the memories of being ignored. Nauseated, I ran up stairs and vomited in my bathroom. I sensed some one behind me and I looked over my shoulder.

Sunny was standing at the bathroom door with a grim face, a hand resting on her pregnant belly.

"Loki. I knows you don' got feelins foah those two, and yoah finding it hard to handle 'em. I want you'se tah do something foah me."

"What?" I asked, wiping my mouth and standing up.

"I want ya tah leave. I don' care weah you go, but I knows that if ya stay heah things ah only goin to get woise," advised Sunny.

At first I thought she meant that I was a trouble maker and that she didn't want me, but when I looked into her violet eyes I realized that she was doing this for my sake, not hers.

I nodded, and quickly threw some of my things into a bag.

"Can I'se come back foah me other stuff latah?"

"Yes."

I walked to the door and stopped and looked at Sunny. A weak smile came to her face, and I smiled back, hugging her tight.

I ran down the stairs and walked cautiously out the door. Jim and Jack were still fighting, but there was a ring of people around them watching, so no one saw me leave.

I'm not sure how long I walked for, or where I was heading.

It began to rain, but I continued walking until it felt like I had rocks in my bag. I entered an apartment building for shelter, but suddenly I realized where I was.

I was standing right out side Mush's front door. I was wondering if I should knock, but it suddenly swung open.

Mush was obviously not expecting to see me there, because his mouth was hanging wide open, welcoming any flies that might be passing by.

I wasn't sure why I felt so calm, but I was, and the words just came to me.

"So do ya still get mushy with dah ladies?"

Mush nodded dumbly and made a gurgling noise as though he had choked on his tongue. I raised my eyebrow and grinned at him like I used to when I was younger.

"Prove it."

Mush smiled.

THE END

......Don't forget to read the epilogue.