Jenna POV

I knocked on Peter's door on a Saturday night, prepared for our date. We had been dating about two months now. He opened it, wearing a light blue button down shirt that looked quite good on him. I smiled brightly and he beamed back. Kissing him on the cheek, I entered the apartment. Peter led me to the kitchen, where he had set up a romantic atmosphere, candles the only light, table set with two plates and bowls of salad and spajettie. We sat down to dinner, and he told me about his experience at police training camp. I tried not to laugh internally as he complained about how grueling the physical element had been. I was trained by being air dropped in the remote corners of the world with next to nothing and expected to survive. We were expected to run six miles before breakfast. After breakfast, we learned how to kill a man using every concievable way. I didn't say anything, but it was amusing to watch him complain about it.

As he brought out dessert, he asked about my favorite movies. I told him about the first time I'd watched the 39 Steps and how much I'd loved it. "I also have a bit o' a soft spot for the Sound of Music," I confessed. "I am a helpless romantic." I added dryly, smiling. He didn't catch my sarcastic tone at 'helpless romantic' and nodded agreeably with a smile. He listened quietly, but I could tell he wasn't interested at all. I asked him about his favorite movies, and he instantly brightened. He started talking about some French film he had seen two years ago with his mother and went into a detailed summary of the cineomotography of it. I listened with fained interest and smiled and inserted a little 'oohhh' and 'uhh-huh' when necessary. Peter didn't notice, and I eventually said I needed to go to pick up my brothers. He walked me to the door, then smiled sheepishly.

"I've bored you, haven't I? I'm sorry. I had a really amazing time. You're always so nice, and kind. And you're really, really, really beautiful." He looked at his hands.

I smiled, warmed by the compliment. Peter glanced up from beneath his eyebrows, and I leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed back, and took me in his arms. Leading me back into his apartment, his mouth became more incessant, and I let him lead to the couch.

His hands drifted toward my shirt buttons, and a reluctance I hadn't felt since the first mission I'd gone on, when I had to seduce a black market arms dealer stole into my heart. I gently pulled away and smiled shyly up at him. "I'm sorry. I gotta go. I needa get home." Peter nodded and pressed another kiss to my lips.

On the drive home, I tried not to think of how dirty, how disgusted I felt.


Darry POV

I growled as I looked at the engine of my truck. I had barely made it home from work. It was smoking and a grinding sound came from it as it spluttered and died. I grabbed my toolbox from the garage and set down to fixing the engine.

An hour later, grease covered my unclothed torso, face, and arms, and more smoke suddenly erupted and I let out a string of curses. I hear Jenna's laugh from behind me, and my mood instantly brightened. I turned and she smiled at me, brilliant green eyes bright. She leaned beside me, and despite the nearly overwhelming smell of motor oil, I could catch the faint pleasant scent of Jenna, soft and clean, and vaguely of vanilla and flowers. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she rolled up her sleeves and looked at the engine.

I explained the situation. She grinned, and made a saucy comment about once putting together an engine in an hour from scraps of metal at the bottom of a Russian prison. When she told these stories, they sounded so outrageous, but I couldn't help but believe they were mostly true.

Within five minutes, Jenna had fixed it. I grinned and began to tease her about being a man's woman, but a throat clearing behind us interrupted me. I turned to see Peter, and, like a punch to the solar plexus, I remembered Jenna was not mine.

Peter was dressed nice but casually, and Jenna smiled softly at him, causing a pang of jealousy. "Ready?" Peter asked. "I needa change my shirt and wash my hands." She turned to me in explanation. "We're going to the movies." I made a sound of understanding, and she ran off to her house, leaving Peter and I standing awkwardly.

"Sooo...uhh... Jenna was trying to help you fix your engine." Peter shuffled his feet.

"Uh, yeah."

Peter cracked an awkward smile. "Women. Think that just because they read a book about it they can do it."

I found myself clenching my jaw and fists at his words. I smiled forcefully and made myself agree.

We stood about awkwardly for another few minutes, and he cleared his throat again. "Do... ahh...do you want to come with us? We're seeing some movie her brothers wanted to see."

"Sure." I heard myself saying. A bad feeling settled in the pit of my subject.


Jenna POV

I settled into the bleachers at the movies, Peter on one side, Darry on the other. Jonah sat quietly behind us, and Noah was telling Darry about his science project at school, involving the reaction sulfur has with latex. The movie flashed onto the screen, grand music occupying the opening credits. Noah leaned forward instantly, absorbing the film. Darry sat with his hands laced and elbows on his knees. I could tell he was leaning forward in feigned interest. He jaw was tensed, and ear turned slightly toward Peter and I. Darry smelled lightly of his engine and his normal muskier foresty scent, and I ignored the constant slight shivers that arose merely at his nearness.

Peter had his arm around me, and I tried to get closer to him and muffle the desire to curl into Darry's much more welcoming side.

About halfway through a scene between two guys discussing enlisting in the army, a man sat behind me when Jonah went to bathroom. Taking a sip from my soda, I felt my skin prickle with unease as the guy behind me leaned forward. His breathe, the stench of alcohol heavy on it, was sticky against my neck. "Hey baby. You wanna ditch your boys and come home with me? I guarentee a better time than these two dickheads."

I ignored him. Darry's shoulders stiffened when he heard the guy's words. Peter didn't notice, body remaining relaxed, completely absorbed in the movie.

The guy leaned forward again. "Babe, don't be like that."

Darry turned around, anger written clearly in his face. "Leave her alone."

I pulled Darry back to face the front, trying to tell him with my eyes to leave it alone. I heard then man take a swig of something from a flask, then lean forward again. "Yeah, pretty girl, tell your little pet to back down. You keep him around, string him along like all woman, while you go have your fun with someone else. All you women are like that." He sneered. Suddenly, I wanted to hit him for insulting Darry. Darry's fists were clenched in his lap.

A moment later, the guy was leaning forward again. "I'm sorry about saying that baby. I doesn't matter that you're totally screwing over muscle man over here for this other douche, I could make it all better. You've got the prettiest little tits I've ev-"

Darry fist connected with the guys mouth, a cracking sound coming from the guys jaw. I leapt up and grabbed Darry's arm as he swung his arm back for another punch. The guy clutched at his face, moaning in pain. Peter finally looked back, and immediatly turned an accusing glance on Darry.

"What the hell? You don't go around punching random guys in front of a cop."

"Peter!" I protested.

"Random guy?!" Darry said with gritted teeth, standing up and clenching his fists again, glaring at Peter and the random guy, who took one look at him and took off running.

"That random guy was hitting on Jenna!"

"I'll defend her, not you! Who the hell are you to her? What right to you have to her? I'm her boyfriend! Not you, greaser!"

Darry leapt at him in an impressive display of grace, and his left hook caught Peter in the ear.

I jumped forward, pulling at Darry's shoulders as Peter tried to land a punch on him. They managed to roll off the bleachers, landing with a painful sounding umph, and a small crowd turned from the movie to watch them. Noah looked on, scared and worried, and Jonah was hesitating, debating whether to step in or let me take care of it. I tried to get in between them, and Peter's fist almost caught me in the ribs.

I finally got a hold of both of them, pressing hard in the pressure points in their necks, and they collapsed, Darry rolling off Peter. Angry and insulted, I started yelling. "What the hell?! Neither of you need to defend my honor! I can do that myself! I'm not defenseless! I'm better equipped to defend myself then both of you! And Peter, what the fuck?! I thought you were above that! If Darry's a greaser, then I'm a greaser! So you can go to hell!"

Peter sneered at me, holding his arm. "Fuck you Jenna! That's what all of you are! Greasers! Screwups from the fucked upside of town!"

He spit at the ground on my feet and slowly limped away.

I turned to Darry. He looked up from his feet with a mournful, sorry look. "Jenna, I-"

"Please. Just don't."


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