Chapter Four
Disclaimer: I do not own Beverly Hills 90210, am affiliated with them or Fox in any way.
Thank you to all the lovely reviewers out there! Your kind words do not go by unnoticed and if anything they give me the motivation and drive to keep writing! I never thought about planning out this story for Season 4 or even Season 5 but now I'm getting all sorts of ideas.
So apparently Amanda was a senior in season 1, but in BH canon, they had Kelly, Brenda, etc be juniors in S1 and S2, so I'm just going to say that Amanda was a junior in season 1 and a senior in Season 2, which would make her only one year older than Kelly. For continuity reasons, I'll just make Amanda having had to repeat her senior year for poor attendance or something.
"Out."
Kelly feigned offense and audibly scoffed when Jake's motorcycle stopped towards the steps of West Bev. It was Wednesday and when Jake offered to give her a lift on his way to work, she jumped at the chance.
"We could play hooky." She smiled, a rebellious glint in her eye.
"It's only what, 7 hours of your life, you'll be fine. Then two more days, and we have the whole weekend to ourselves." With a reluctant nod, Kelly handed her helmet to Jake and hopped off, instantly missing the embrace that holding onto his waist provided her.
She watched as he drove away and she was left to face the day ahead.
"Giving you rides to school now? What next, he's gonna go on your college tours with you?" Dylan quipped as they walked through the front doors together.
"Are you even supposed to be talking to me? Or did Brenda let you off your leash finally?"
The two stared at each other before walking in opposite directions as the warning bell rang. Even when things were tense with Brenda, or Dylan was having trouble deciding between the two girls, they were always civil to each other. Some days it seemed like she didn't have a friend in the world, then she would remember Amanda and instantly feel bad for ever abandoning her in the first place.
Amanda and Kelly went shopping on Rodeo Drive during their lunch break. When Kelly had remarked that they could have just gone on a jog, Amanda shook her head and gave her friend a sympathetic smile.
"We burn calories while also giving our credit cards a workout, where's the downside?" She had said as they pulled out of the parking lot of West Bev and didn't look back.
It was when Kelly went to try on a dress in a fitting room that she got frustrated and the garment went flying across the room. "Dammit!"
"What's wrong now?"
"I couldn't get the zipper up."
"Maybe you just need to suck in more."
"I'm seeing Jake in two days, and I can't even try on a sexy dress without feeling like a whale."
"You don't need a new dress. You just need some new lingerie. Leave something to the imagination. And maybe try skipping dinner until you see him? And lunch wouldn't hurt." Amanda advised. "And only drink water. I know drinking seems way cool and sophisticated, but it's major calories."
"How do you know all this?"
"Like I said, I've been doing this a lot longer than you have. It's all about having willpower Kel. Do you think that Cindy Crawford or Kate Moss eat megaburgers and milkshakes every weekend and stay so slim? I highly doubt it."
"But we aren't models, we don't need to be tiny to walk down a catwalk."
"You stopped growing in the 7th grade Kelly. Be the change you want to see in the world or whatever. Didn't Tom Cruise say that in one of his films?"
"I don't think he was talking about diets."
Later that evening, Brandon stood behind the counter at the Peach Pit, trying not to stare at Andrea and Jordan in one of the nearby booths as he rang up an order.
He didn't know why the thought of Andrea with someone else made his stomach knot, but even during the summer and seeing her with Jay, he felt jealous. Yet, maybe Andrea was right and that he only seemingly wanted her when she was with someone else. He dated Nikki, but Andrea didn't seem to care. Or maybe she had gotten so used to shoving her feelings down that she was really good at hiding it. He figured he would just need to do the same thing for the sake of their friendship.
"What do you do when the girl you like is with someone else? And what if you never realized it until now just how much she means to you? Is it too late, is it selfish to want to ruin her happiness?" Brandon mused aloud as Dylan sat across from him drinking a cup of coffee.
Dylan almost laughed at how similar their predicaments were. "Well you won't get any points by only seeming interested when she's with another guy."
"But what if you always had feelings for her, and it took seeing her with someone else for you to realize what you have been missing out on? I mean come on D. Is that how you felt when you saw my sister with that Rick guy? You guys wanted to see other people, but when you did, you realized how wrong you were and that you really just wanted to be with each other?"
"Yeah, something like that." Dylan mumbled into his cup as he took a sip to avoid speaking more on the matter. At the mention of her name, it was almost like Brenda read their mind when she popped up from behind and gave Dylan a kiss on the cheek as she sat down next to him.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Brandon's eyes flickered towards the TV and he used it as the perfect excuse. "This game. I have a lot riding on my team to win."
"Why do you even waste your time gambling when you could do something fun that won't put you in debt?"
"I won't go into debt if I keep winning."
"Don't worry, when David gets rich and famous from his music, and after I take my cut, of course, I'd be happy to let you bask in our success." Steve spoke up from a table nearby, where he was sitting with David and Donna, the rest of the gang quickly moving to sit by him and catch up. They had just placed an order with Nat when the bell rang.
"Here comes trouble." Brandon mumbled under his breath as he saw a familiar head of blonde hair enter the diner.
"What can I get started for you Kel? You already went after my sister's boyfriend, are you trying to steal something of mine now? Like my job?" Brandon greeted coldly, a false smile painted on his face, regretting the notion that the customer is always right.
"Please, I could probably buy this diner out and you'd end up working for me." She replied snarkily, hurt only flashing across her blue eyes for a minute before she pressed her lips together in annoyance. "But since you're asking, I'll take a green tea."
"Look Kelly, can we not do this right now? I thought Donna told you that it would be in everyone's best interests if you steered clear of the Pit for a while."
"You aren't the owner Brandon. I have every right to be here." The bell rang again, and in walked Amanda and Jake. It seemed Kelly didn't go anywhere without the two of them these days. Brandon wanted to go ahead and kick all of them out, but he didn't want to cause a scene.
"Dylan is just as guilty as I am, why is he allowed here?"
"He chose Brenda. He came to his senses in the end."
"We can begin to move on from this whole triangle thing, but not if you keep showing up everywhere we turn." Brenda added her two cents, pausing to hear Brandon and Kelly's conversation as she was grabbing a few napkins on her way back to the table.
"Is this going to turn into a cat fight?" Steve asked excitedly as the group began to move closer towards the inevitable drama that was about to ensue.
"So you called dibs on the Peach Pit?"
"My brother works here. I think it's fair. At least for a little while."
"Brenda shouldn't have to be reminded of her boyfriend and best friend sneaking around behind her back everytime she wants to come here and see the two of you together."
"Well Kelly shouldn't have to be reminded of Dylan playing with her feelings like he did this past summer." David couldn't help but jump to his step-sister's defense, especially after catching them this summer and seeing the effect it had on Kelly. "He started things up with her then went running back to Brenda when she got back from Paris. He started things up with her again only to go back to Brenda."
"It's not our fault that Kelly's feelings got hurt. Life isn't fair."
"Dylan, feel free to jump in anytime here." Brandon nudged his friend, the source of all this animosity. His focus on long since waived from his task at hand and now his eyes were shifting from the cash register to his friend group.
"Yeah, why hasn't Dylan said anything?"
"Classy McKay." Amanda mumbled to Jake, a remark that didn't go unnoticed by Brenda who jumped to her boyfriend's defense.
"Oh shut up Amanda, nobody even wants you here."
"Why did you have to go after my boyfriend Kelly? You could have had anyone in school, hell you probably already did during your slutty phase."
"Hey, watch it." Jake's eyes hardened and his tone was sharp as he took a step towards Brenda, only to be blocked by a firm hand and Brandon standing in between them.
"Hey dude, don't talk to my sister that way."
"Well maybe someone should." Amanda mumbled, rolling her eyes. Part of her wanted to leave because she was bored, but another part of her wanted to stay and watch the trainwreck.
"There was never any real choice okay? Dylan and I belong together. You lost. I never even thought for one second that he would pick you over me, and if you're honest with yourself, you would agree." Brenda's words were matter-of-fact, there wasn't any malice in her voice, but she was just being honest.
Kelly couldn't help but look to Dylan to see if he would even try to defend her. He was the one pursuing her this summer after-all.
In Dylan's mind, he needed time away from Kelly. If she was mad at him, hated him even, maybe she would finally move on and he wouldn't think about her constantly. Keeping his distance from her made his stomach twist, but it had to be done. He had to be completely removed from her life in order to be okay with the choices he'd made.
"Get real Kel. You've tried to seduce like every guy in the senior class. And they still never called you back or wanted any kind of commitment. What made you think this was going to be any different?" Dylan's eyes were cold, no warmth to them as he directed his comments towards the girl that he had known practically all his life. He refused to look at her, yet there was a firmness in his tone that told Kelly everything she needed to know. If he returned her gaze, it was over for him. She would be able to see his desperation, his regret. He didn't mean a single word he was saying, but if she believed it, they all would.
"Let's get out of here. These people aren't worth your time. Look at how they are turning everyone against you." Amanda turned to Kelly and began to move towards the door.
"You're a dick." Dylan's head snapped up at the insult, Kelly's voice rising as other customers began to look in the direction of the once stable friend group.
"Well you're a tease." Kelly was instantly brought back to a few years ago. All the times that she threw herself at guys that couldn't care less about her. That first night on the ground with Ross, hearing over and over again how much she wanted it, how she was asking for it all year, the way she teased him. Her body froze, eyes burning as she tried to wipe away the tears that were forming.
"Do you feel like the big man on campus now or something? Making the strongest person I have ever known reduced to tears?" Steve barked out, red blurring his vision. He may have grown up with Dylan, but a part of him would always love Kelly. She was one of his best friends, and he and Dylan were distant even on a good day. As far as he was concerned, nobody got away with hurting her.
One by one they seemed to vacate the premises. First Kelly, then Steve, followed by David and Donna. Eventually it was just Dylan, Brenda, and Brandon who remained.
"I think we both dodged a bullet D. You, this summer, and me, at the spring dance two years ago." Brandon commented on his way towards the back room to finally go home for the night.
Kelly didn't feel Jake's tight grasp on her wrist pushing her out the door, didn't hear the engine of Amanda's car start as they pulled away from the diner, or the sound of her mom, greeting her as she walked through the door, unable to remember exactly how she made it home. The only thing she was aware of was her stomach growling as she tried to fall asleep that night. And a genuine smile finally made its way to her face. At least she was doing something right.
After school two days later, Amanda offered to come by and help Kelly get ready for her night with Jake. As far as Jackie was concerned, Kelly was eating dinner at Jake's, then Amanda would pick her up and she would spend the night at her friend's place.
Kelly stood against the mirror and then turned towards Amanda, sucking in her stomach while holding her shirt up. Her ribs were only starting to show, her stomach still had a layer of fat around it.
"Well, how am I doing so far?"
"Is it possible to gain weight just by looking at someone?" Kelly's mouth dropped open in dismay as she dropped her arms, she considered forgoing a sexy look for an oversized T-shirt, before Amanda sighed and shook her head.
"Sorry, I'm just joking, relax. But seriously, you're doing okay. You could be better though."
"When am I going to start looking like you?"
"Well not going to the Peach Pit so often might help for starters."
Kelly groaned, she hated when Amanda was right.
"I didn't even eat anything yesterday."
"What is Jake cooking for you tonight?"
"I don't know. He won't tell me anything. He wants it to be a surprise."
"Well, I'd say eat half or just enough to throw off any suspicion, and then you can always distract him with a little foreplay. I doubt he'll be hungry for food when sex is on the table."
"Amanda, you can't tell anyone about this. Jake could get into serious trouble."
"Relax, you're finally interesting, why would I want to kill the fun?"
A knock on the door made the girls pause, Donna slowly entered with a smile.
"Hey Kel, David was heading to the recording studio so I figured we could hang out tonight, do a girl's night? Brenda and Mrs. Walsh are taking self defense classes and I think it would be a great way to break the ice between you guys."
"So every-time that Brenda is hitting a dummy, she'll be picturing my face and giving me a front row ticket to it? Or better yet, pairing us up to confront our feelings and still, get knocked around under the false pretense of "learning how to defend myself"? Yeah, no thank you."
"Do you guys already have plans? Amanda, you can come too."
"Thanks, but no thanks. Our girl's got a pretty big date tonight so if Jackie asks, she's sleeping at my house."
Donna furrowed her eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean if Jackie asks?"
"I'm spending the night at Jake's, but you can't tell anyone Donna."
"Kel, why? Haven't you guys only been officially together for like a few weeks now? What's the rush? Also, don't you think that if he wanted to sleep with you, he would have done so last summer when he had the chance to?"
Both Kelly and Amanda looked at Donna in surprise, with Amanda letting out a laugh at how blunt the girl was being.
"Geez, maybe if you got laid every once in a while you'd be less uptight."
"Kelly, you know this is a bad idea. If you're doing this to try and prove that you're over Dylan or whatever, you don't need to."
One of the best things about having a boyfriend who was a bit older was the fact that Jake had his own place. Sure Dylan also lived alone, but he had his dad in his life now. As far as she was concerned, Jake had no family to speak of. No siblings to bust in or parents to give their disapproval.
"Is it okay? You've hardly touched your plate. You kind of eat like a bird." Jake commented, eyeing his empty mess of a plate and her neatly piled portion of spaghetti and meatballs. A single candle was lit between them for a romantic ambience. "I know it's not some five-star cuisine with lobster or something."
"It's not the food, promise. It's fine. I guess I'm just nervous about being with you tonight."
"It's not-" Jake began to inquire, eyes slightly widening.
"No, no, that ship sailed a long time ago." Kelly immediately shook her head in slight amusement. "But it is the first time in a long time that it's with someone I actually care about, you know? Does that sound childish or stupid? You didn't ask to hear about my life story or my sexual history."
Jake sighed, cursing himself for ever making her feel too immature or like she couldn't be herself around him.
"Hey, I know that guy you met last year was smooth and acted too cool for anything or anyone, but let me tell you, he was a dick. And if you'd let me, I'd really like to make it up to you."
"I think that I'm hungry for something else." Kelly shoved her plate to the side as her foot ran up and down his leg. "Don't get me wrong, this is beyond sweet. But how mad would you be if I wanted to breeze past all the storybook cliches and have my way with you?"
"Do you like the water?"
"Water? I don't know. Dylan took me jet-skiing once but beyond that, I liked spending my summer days getting a tan and not ruining my hair. There's a pool on top of the Bel Age hotel, but aside from that chlorine and I don't really mix."
Jake shook his head, standing up and walking over to Kelly before scooping her up in his arms. "This is going to be fun, trust me." He smirked before a lightbulb popped in his head and he began moving towards the door.
"Aren't we going the wrong way? The bedroom is that way." He didn't stop even when the door opened and a warm breeze hit them. Ignoring Kelly's shrieks of protest, he steered them right towards the outdoor pool.
"What are you doing Jake? Jake, stop, we're gonna-" They landed in the pool with a splash and only when Kelly finally made it up for air, did she look at herself and bursted out laughing.
"Welp there goes the perfect night. My hair, my dress. Ruined."
"It was going to end up on the floor anyway." Jake gave her a pleased smile as her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist. "I know it's not July, but we live in California. It can't be that bad once you think about it."
"Do you do this with all the girls you bring home?"
"Just the ones I'm crazy about. Which when you narrow it down, only consists of you." Kelly leaned in closer to him, the warmth from his breath spreading through her as she crushed her lips onto his.
"Is anybody going to wander in anytime soon?" She asked between open-mouthed kisses.
"I don't think so, why?"
"I don't think I can wait anymore." A mischievous grin appeared on her face. Jake's fingers began to move down towards the zipper on his dress, when suddenly his movements came to a halt.
"As sexy as this would be, the idea of anyone here getting a free peep show, is kind of making me want to punch something."
"Isn't the thrill of almost getting caught part of the fun?" She almost whined, moving her heel towards his boxers. She wasn't sure if it was because of the cold water, but he was already hard and her face flushed knowing that she had brought out that response.
"Not as fun as seeing who can get out of this pool faster." With a splash in her direction, Jake began to swim towards the edge of the pool and lifted himself out, Kelly following suit as they reached his door.
Both breathing hard, Jake tucked a strand of matted wet blonde hair behind her ear, before he ushered Kelly inside.
As soon as they were both inside and away from prying eyes, Jake shoved her against the door, roughly kissing her as they stumbled further into the apartment. He held her hands above her head as his mouth explored every inch of her exposed, damn skin. Her collarbone, her cleavage, that spot near her ear that made her breath catch in her throat, he wanted to devour her.
"I would take you right here, right now, but I'm a gentleman. Or I'm trying to be one anyway." He released her from his grip, realizing that he was contradicting himself.
"And I normally would let you. But I'm trying this new thing where I convince myself that I am worth more than quickies in bathroom stalls or the couch in the middle of the living room."
"Bathroom stalls were on the table? Because we could always ditch the bedroom idea and head down to Shooters?" Jake joked, his mood remaining playful as he kissed down her neck and her fingers went to his hair.
"We can work up to it."
They were clumsy and desperate for each other, not caring what they were knocking over in their path. Wet clothes were shedded one by one, a trail beginning as they finally made it to Jake's room. Her dress. His jeans. Their lips barely separated as they collapsed onto the bed.
"Are you sure you want this?" Jake asked, his fingers were so close to freeing her from her bra. Kelly shivered at the feel of his hands on her bare skin.
"I'm sure." She nodded, gently smiling to show him that she was ready. Hearing her agree was more than good enough for him as he reconnected their lips, shaking off the rest of the clothes that separated her body from his.
He lowered himself on top of her and soon their minds were both clear of any hesitation, fully immersed in what the other wanted and needed.
The next morning when Kelly woke up, she had to blink a few times and take in her new surroundings.
"Isn't your mom wondering where you are?" Jake was standing in the doorway, holding a cup of coffee as he watched her wake up. He was more than happy watching her sleep, but seeing her blue eyes first thing in the morning wasn't a bad sight either.
"I think she might be more interested in knowing why I reek of chlorine." Kelly sat up, eyes motioning towards the bathroom as she gave him a sly grin. "I'd rather be late and clean than hurry out of here with knotted hair."
"I'm the one that got you into this mess, it's only fair that I help get you squeaky clean." He set down his mug and lifted her out of bed. "And if we conserve water on the way, it's a plus right?"
The sheet dropped from her body as they maneuvered themselves into the bathroom, Kelly's laugh being the last thing Jake heard as steam filled the room and they got lost in each other all over again.
RATED M
Laying in Jake's bed in nothing but a loose fitting dress shirt, Kelly hummed to herself peacefully. She would miss Erin and Jackie, but if she had the chance to stay at Melrose Place on a more regular basis, she'd probably take it.
"Last night was amazing." Kelly couldn't stop the grin that was appearing. She was practically beaming. "And this morning."
"Best you've ever had?" He asked, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead as he sat next to her, only wearing a pair of jeans in case one of the other tenants needed him to fix something.
"In comparison to a bunch of horny teenage boys?"
"Yeah so, I'm your best so far?"
"Well there was Steve. The other times were all kind of a blur. I didn't have the best reputation a few years back, I was known for sleeping around. I'd go to parties, let guys do whatever they want. Most of them were just quick hookups so chances are they weren't that good anyway, nothing worth remembering."
Jake stared down at his hands as he heard Kelly talk about her past. Whatever assumptions he did have about her couldn't have prepared him for hearing the truth.
"My first time though-"
"Kel, you don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to."
"Ross Webber. That was his name." The words felt bitter on her tongue. But one encouraging nod from Jake and Kelly knew she had to get this off her chest. "I had been trying all year to get his attention. I was only a freshman after all, and he was this popular senior. We finally ended up alone one night during a party and he- well it was over pretty quick. After he finished I just laid there for a while, on the ground, with dirt on my clothes and an ache between my thighs."
"Where did he touch you?" She watched as Jake's face contorted from one of patience and understanding to anger and sadness. His fists clenched and it took her placing her hands on top of his to get him to compose himself. She had to be what, only fourteen or fifteen at the time? The thought alone made him sick, he wanted to find this punk and beat him senseless.
"Jake really, it doesn't matter now. It's been years."
"Where. Did. He. Touch. You?" His words came out harsher than intended as his hand lightly grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him directly.
"Did he touch you here?" He started out lightly kissing her jaw before moving her hair out of the way and kissing her shoulder blades and the crook of her neck. Her skin felt like it was on fire as his lips moved to her other side, kissing and nipping at her skin in all the same places. "Here?" His lips moved to her ear before trailing down to her breasts.
"How about here?" He lightly bit down on one nipple before moving on to the next, groaning in response to the whimper that escaped Kelly's lips.
"I know he never touched you here, pleased you the way you deserve." His lips trailed further and further down her body until he had disappeared under the sheets. Her knees gave out as his tongue explored parts of her that were dormant until now. He spent the next hour focusing on parts of her that had long been ignored, rerouting her body to the sensation of his touch and his touch alone. Jake would make damn sure that by the time he was done, Kelly wouldn't even remember her own name let alone that prick Ross Webber's.
A knock on the door came just as they were becoming decent again. Then several more knocks and Jake finally decided to get out of bed and see who was causing such a fuss.
"Hi Jake, bye Jake." Jake looked puzzled when Donna strolled in. "Where's Kelly?"
He pointed towards the bedroom before shutting the front door with an eye roll. "Thanks for the warm welcome, sure you can come in." He muttered under his breath, sarcasm thick in his tone. Nonetheless he stood in the doorway as Kelly immediately stood when she saw her friend.
"Donna, what are you doing here? I told you I am fine. Also how do you even know where Jake lives?"
"None of that matters Kel. There's been an accident. Dylan's dad was killed."
