A True Parker
By Christina / Spygirl
Jarod's 3rd Day Out
As Jarod ordered his breakfast, his eyes darted around nervously, before going back to the waitress in front of him.
She was tall, with brown hair and dark brown eyes. On her face was an almost annoyingly bright smile. Jarod felt like he'd met her before, though he knew it was impossible. You've never been outside before, you know, he thought to himself.
"I'll bring it right out," she said, shaking him out of his reverie, and flashed him another smile.
"Okay," he replied quickly, studying her as she walked away. He suddenly knew why she looked familiar. Miss Parker. Obviously it wasn't her, but there were similarities. Like how she walked with a confident gait, and how her eyes shone when she smiled.
He sat back, flooded with memories, when a sudden thought hit him. I'm going to need help. I don't know a thing about this world, and she might . . . still care. He winced at the thought of her last words to him, close to two years before. "Jarod, the little play life we lived when we were children is gone. You need to grow up and face reality." Needless to say, the words had stung.
But he had to try. He needed to know for sure. "I'll just call her," he mumbled, knowing it probably wouldn't be that easy.
The waitress came back, and Jarod quickly paid for the food. Getting up, he walked outside and found a payphone. Once inside, he dialed a number he had memorized from his check through the Centre mainframe.
--------------
It had only been five minutes since she'd hung up the phone, but to Miss Parker it had already been years.
Her father's words were still ringing in her ears. Chase Jarod? Try to catch her childhood love? Her best friend? Miss Parker was all but reeling at the thought of it.
She had tried to say no, but her father had sharply cut her off with, "True Parkers don't hang on to feelings, Angel. Forget whatever you two thought you had. He's property. Always was and always will be. You should remember that." She had numbly agreed after that, slightly in shock, though she'd hidden it well.
The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She sighed as she picked it up. "What?" she snapped.
There was silence before she heard, "Miss Parker? It's me . . . Jarod."
"Jarod?" she asked hopefully before remembering herself. "What do you want?"
"You've probably heard of my . . . departure," he said tactfully.
"You ran away. And that means someone has to come and find you. Me." She gritted her teeth at the sound of the coldness in her words.
Another pause, and then Jarod took a deep breath. "I-I was hoping . . ." he fell silent again. "Will you help me, Miss Parker? Or is it truly over between us? Our friendship? Our . . . love?" he asked anxiously.
She hesitated, and her father's words once more echoed through her mind. "True Parkers don't hang on to feelings." She closed her eyes, trying hard to block them out, but it was futile. She sighed, knowing what she was supposed to do, what she had to do. She knew that more than her job depended on her answer. Something about the way her father had acted, especially when he had essentially cornered her into saying yes. She steeled herself and flatly said, "It's over."
There was a disappointed silence, but then Jarod heaved a heavy sigh. "Oh . . ."
She winced when she heard the dial tone. At least until I find a way to break free, she thought sadly to herself. Until then, Jarod, my love…
The End