I never imagined what I saw would not be an illusion. She was not scared of me, but that wasn't what bothered me, what bothered me too, was the fact that I was scared of her. It was the middle of the school year, the new semester started only a week previously, and kids had been coming in randomly. She lit up the room when she entered, that small half smile on her face, her brown hair down to her waist, her skirt far too long for my liking, her light hazel eyes smiling gently at me. Of course, this was advanced Chemistry, and I had an empty seat next to me.
I looked around the room, there were several empty seats around me, and I figured some god had to love me. It was only when I found out she would be sitting next to me as my lab partner that it hit me. She was a bombshell! Large chested, bright eyes, she was gorgeous. I blushed, and looked down. I had better things to do than get in a meaningless relationship with some girl. I had to look out for my baby brother, my company, I had to do what was right. Boy, that's the story of my life.
Beaten till I was fourteen and murdered my 'father', I took his company because it was the best for the last of my family. I ran the company as a backseat driver for four months until I figured how to work the controls, and I immersed myself in my work, my family, the only things I had left to live for. I shut myself off from my feelings, and any friends who could've gotten in the way of my work and my brother. No girls. I never felt like that before.
I vowed in my head, no girls.
"Hi, I'm Jax." The girl smiled at me, and sat next to me. "Look, the way I see things here is that you sit back, look pretty, and I do the work, and get us a good grade. It's called being partners, okay? I do the work, you smile, I present my findings, you smile and nod, and agree with what I say. The only reason I'm here is because it's the only thing even close to cooking that this school has." She said quickly and sharply. "If you so much as speak to me while I'm working, then you will no longer have the anatomy that even closely resembles a male. Got it?" She smiled sweetly. "If this agreement isn't effective, then YOU will pay the price. I'm not much for conversation, and I love my own voice, so unless you like one sided debates your sorry ass can't even hope to keep up with, then I'd expect you just sit back, smile, and nod repeatedly." She smiled kindly, and if you were more than a foot away, you'd think she was speaking softly and kindly to me.
"Uh, Jax, do you know who you're speaking to?" Jou leaned over his desk, not sure how he got in ADVANCED Chemistry when he failed Normal Chemistry. Stupid Puppy.
"Not a friggen clue, and I don't care." Jax smiled sweetly, and said it kindly to him. "Why should I? He's just another half bit kid."
"He's the smartest thing to hit this school in about seven decades." Yugi eeped, Jou's lab partner.
"Heh. Sure. Right, and I'm chopped Mushrooms in an olive-basil based stir." Jax rolled her eyes. Her eyes opened wide, and a huge smile graced her perfect lips, for only the most horrible words to be uttered out of them. "Oh! You're the boy who said he'd set me up with Honda, right?"
I think I died that instant, and suddenly found out that this was just some gods joke on me. I put my head in my hands, and thought deeply. Why did I care? Maybe because she was the most beautiful, and sassy thing that had come my way in more than sixteen years, my past life, probably. I didn't know why I cared, and I wasn't about to justify it to anyone.
"Oh! Yeah! Honda's been talking about you non-stop!" Yugi smiled. "He never said that you were in our school."
"You're the girl he's been sweet on." Jou asked, smiling, and elbowing her.
I wanted to throw up. Badly.
Jax blushed deeply. "If anything I think I'm sweet on him." Jax said embarrassedly.
I excused myself, and walked out of the room, straight out the school doors, and onto the steps leading to the roof. My only salvation. No girls. No girls. It was for the better anyhow. No girls. No girls. I was going to stab Honda in the face so many times. No girls. The bell rang, lunch hour. God. If anyone came up onto that roof, I'd murder them. He sat down, back against a wall. No Girls. I couldn't see the door where he was sitting, but I heard it open, and a bunch of clanking to follow it. I swore. Not loud enough to alert the person on the roof, but just enough so I knew it was me swearing.
There was more clanking, and it intreagued me enough to find the source. I stood, and walked to the source where I saw smoke, and heard sizzling. Jax sat infront of a small pan, and a heater-lighter she must've stolen from the Chemistry lab.
"That's probably illegal." I said.
She eeped loudly, and punched me in the leg weakly for scaring her. "I'm aware."
"Then why are you cooking up here?" I asked
"Because it's my passion." She smiled at me genuinely. "Don't you have a passion for something?"
I shook my head. "I work too much to support my little brother."
She smiled gently at me. She seemed to smile alot. "I know what that's like! If you ever need any financial help, I've got a good job, and I don't have anything to use the money for." She said softly, and stood. She took both of my hands in hers, and looked up at me. "Don't be afraid to ask me for help. How old's your little brother?"
"Thirteen." I said confusedly. Oh, She didn't know who I was...
"My baby bro's fourteen and growing, if you need some clothes, I won't tell anyone." Jax said, and smiled at me. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, my parents pull me around from town to town alot, I guess I just get used to slackers, and moochers." Jax paused. "We don't have much, and our place is small and homey, but if you ever need a place to crash, our garage has plumbing."
Why was she offering me this? I voiced this.
"Because before I was adopted, me and my brother were living on our own, and we struggled harder than you probably are. I understand what being in a bad finacial situation is." Jax still held my hands in hers, and they were soft, and reassuring. "I raised my brother in an alleyway living off scraps, and peoples kindness. I was hired as a dishwasher, and moved up to cooking, until I won the hearts of the owners, and they adopted us." Jax smiled. "Don't be afraid to ask, alright?"
"We're rather well off, actually." I mentioned.
Jax chuckled, and let go of my hands, getting back to her cooking. "Don't use that stuff on me. I used to tell people I lived in a huge mansion, and we had butlers, and a maze in back, with a thousand white roses blooming in the spring, three swimming pools, and maids with slutty french outfits on." Jax went on, thinking about the place she dreamed of, which ultimately was where I lived, excluding the maze and roses of course. Oh, we had 4 pools and 3 jacuzzi's, but that's it.
I wanted her to know that I would never need her money, and that if she ever needed mine, I'd give it freely to her. I had to get that across.
"I own my own business, I'm president and CEO. I manage and consult my own law firms, as well as have a booming toy line." I said adamantly.
"Look, I have to meet Honda, but honestly, if you ever need my help, I'm always around, well, until my parents get a better job offer, maybe a few months." Jax smiled at me, turned off the heater, and took the pan down the stairs with her, it held some sort of meat in it. I looked over the side, and saw her bring the pan to Honda and his friends.
I sighed. She was dense. So very, very dense. Didn't she read the newspaper? Watch the news? Know that I'm the most eligable bachelor this side of the earth? I sighed, and watched her for a few minutes. She was blushing like crazy, and embarrassedly shoved the meat in Honda's direction. Honda seemed to be overjoyed, and happily took it only to burn his hand. Maybe the Gods were on my side. She put the pan on the ground, and took his hand worriedly, dragging him off to find some water. She apologized a hundred times over, and he kept repeating:
"Daijoubu! It's okay!" Honda smiled, as she dabbed water on his hand, looking down at it shamefully. He tipped her chin up, and smiled at her, and I prayed for one second that I was in his place. No girls. No Girls. No girls. I kept reminding myself, and when he leaned in to kiss her, I looked away.
"No girls." I said outloud, and decided to head home. I only had another block an a half to go, and they understood I held their jobs in my hands.
I don't know why it mattered so much that she understand who I was, or why it mattered enough for me to care. I just don't get it. Wait! Was she looking for a job? I knew our cook was getting ready to retire, if I pay him enough for all his work and tell him that it was an honor to have him work here... Maybe he'll leave and not slash my tires like Mokuba did when I grounded him...
I ran into our cook when I got home, and smiled.
"Josh, I have decided two great things." I hoped that he understood why I was holding out the rest of his pay checks and more in my hand. "One is that you have worked far too hard for us, and far too long. This isn't you getting fired, don't worry, I just think that since you planned on retiring once you got enough money to live the rest of your life in comfort, why not just give it to you now?"
"Sir? Are you feeling alright?" Josh worried, his gray hair spliced out in every direction.
"Better than ever." I handed him his paychecks.
"This is far more than what I should have earned sir. Almost fifteen thousand too much."
"I know how to count money." I smiled at him.
"B-but sir--"
"For all the pranking, mean words, and messes we've made in your work place, I think that about compensates."
"Sir-- Thank you! My wife will be ecstatic!" Josh ran towards the enterance.
"Tell her thank you for the pies!" I called after him.
Little did he know I left ten thousand more in his car. What? Don't look at me like that! He's been the best cook we've ever had! The only one... But the best! Shut up! Don't laugh! Gosh, I try tell you my story and here you go laughing because I bribed my cook to leave without knowing if the girl was even job searching.