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Chapter Four
"How about her?" Jazz said as she sat with Tucker at lunch. Her lunch hour was usually earlier than Tucker's, but she's got out of her so she could consult with Tucker on finding him a girlfriend, she had plans for the afternoon.
His new look was met with a lot of surprise, mostly from Danny and Sam who thought it was a little strange. They weren't aware that he'd ordered new glasses, but they did exhibit concern. Danny teased Tucker about becoming Jazz's pet. To which Tucker simply laughed, but secretly brooded about.
Sam watched Tucker's face carefully when they spoke of Jazz, she didn't tease him, though she felt she had ever right to more than gently rib Tucker about crushing on Jazz, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
Tucker looked over at the girl Jazz was pointing out. Her name was Beth and Tucker had, like he did many girls in Amity Park, crushed on her for quite awhile. He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his PDA.
"Tucker," Jazz sighed in exasperation. "What's wrong with her?"
"Too tall," Tucker answered softly. "I don't want to date a really tall girl." Jazz gave him a strange look and sighed. This was the first time they'd had a chance to talk since the weekend. She'd gone out with Pete on Friday and Saturday, than spent Sunday alone, as she always did.
"You're making this very difficult," Jazz complained. So far he'd found a flaw with every girl she'd suggested. He'd even found fault with Paulina, not that Jazz imagined she could talk Paulina into dating, Tucker, though she'd be a fool not to jump at the chance. She began to wonder what Tucker's criteria was for a suitable girl to date. She doubted she'd fit the standard, and maybe she should be happy she didn't, but it didn't make her feel any less inadequate.
Tucker sighed as he looked up at Jazz. "You make it sound like I have my choice of who to date."
"Don't you?" Jazz asked.
"No," Tucker answered as he returned his attention to his PDA. "How was your weekend?"
"Good," Jazz said as she took the PDA out of his hands. She didn't want to talk about how when she was with Pete, she wished it was him, and when he'd given her the quick good night kiss, she wished it was him.
"I thought you'd call," Tucker said as he watched her fiddle with the PDA. Jazz shrugged one shoulder.
"We just went to the movies on Friday," she answered. "Ice skating on Saturday. It was nice. I like Pete."
Tucker sighed as he tapped the table. "So are you guys dating, dating?"
"Yeah," Jazz told him softly. "I guess we are. I like Pete…"
"So you said," Tucker replied then took the PDA from Jazz. "Then everything is okay. You're back to feeling socialized and not lonely?"
Jazz looked at Tucker a moment and shook her head. "Yeah, I'm feeling better, but I have you to thank for it." She paused. "You really are a good friend, Tuck. Danny and Sam are lucky to have you."
Tucker nodded his head. He was ready for her to tell him that they should talk less, not hang around as much. He braced himself for it, he knew they'd be friends, but….
"Are we hanging out after school," Tucker asked then watched her saddened face worriedly. He really needed time with her. He missed her. It hurt.
Jazz shook her head. "I'm supposed to meet with Pete."
Tucker's shoulders dropped in defeat. "Oh," he said sadly. "Call or something okay?" Jazz nodded her head then forced herself to pick up her spirits.
"We'll do something tomorrow. We need to run."
"No more running," Tucker groaned.
"Running is good for you," Jazz teased then began outlining all the reasons why. Tucker smiled and the tension between them dissolved and they eased back into the comfortable friendship that had developed between them.
"I have a date for you," Jazz told Tucker excitedly as she grabbed him on the way to Danny's room, Thursday after school several weeks later.
"What?" Tucker asked in bewilderment. She hadn't talked about the issue in so long that he was sure, and glad she dropped it. She'd been too busy with her boyfriend, Pete to do much else but call Tucker late at night when she couldn't sleep, which was torture in and of itself, because Tucker considered her sleepy voice extremely sexy.
Jazz blinked at Tucker a moment. She'd seen him so little in the last few weeks that she didn't even realize he'd bought new glasses, the ones in the store she liked. Her heart fluttered as she looked into his soft green eyes. She'd hoped the distance would have deadened her feelings for him, but it had just made things worse, even so it had added a touch of nervousness to her dealings with him.
"A date," Jazz repeated as she glanced down at his shoes. He was wearing blue tennis shoes, she smiled slightly. "Friday. I found a date for you."
"Oh," Tucker replied and she looked up at him. Her breath caught at the way he was staring at her. She swallowed hard then reached up and touched his glasses.
"You got the new glasses," she said hating how breathless she sounded. She watched as his skin darkened in a blush and his breathing hitched, forcing her to the startling realization that he shared her feelings. He liked her too. She smiled.
Tucker tried not to lean into her fingers as they traced the arm of his glasses, edged around his ear, down his jaw line, and then came to rest lightly on his shoulder. He held her gaze for a moment before focusing his eyes on her mouth. She parted her lips slightly and he swallowed hard, feeling as though he'd been wandering in the hot desert sun for hours and her mouth was an oasis.
"I got them yesterday," he said hating how his voice was shaking and mentally weighing the pros and cons of just moving forward and kissing her. "I mean I went back to the mall and all. You're right it was time for a change."
"I'm glad," Jazz told him as her other hand stole onto his shoulder. All she had to do was slip her arms around his neck and lift her chin, and in fact she did, leaving their lips only inches apart as she held his gaze. Her lips tingled in anticipation and she was aware of his hands on her waist, holding her lightly, pulling her toward him.
"Tuck," she said on a sigh and was about to press her aching lips against his when someone knocked on the door.
Jazz jumped out of Tucker's arms like he was on fire, leaving Tucker's head spinning as the door opened and Danny appeared. He narrowed his eyes at Jazz.
"Tucker is supposed to be helping Sam and me with a project," he said coldly. "Not sit in here and chat about makeup or whatever crap you use Tucker for." He grabbed Tucker, whose mind was still reeling by the arm and dragged him out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Jazz stood still for a moment, looking at the door with wide eyes before putting her hands to her lonely lips then sitting on her bed and covering her hands with her face. She didn't think she loved Tucker, but she sure as hell was attracted to him, and he was to her. She swallowed hard. She reasoned that he was too young for her, two years was too much.
She turned, threw herself on her bed and buried her face in her pillows and cried. Why couldn't she just love Pete? He was her boyfriend. Why did she have to feel the way she did about Tucker?
"Damn," she whispered as she rolled over and looked at the ceiling. She still had to give Tucker the details about his date. She groaned as she sat up and rubbed her tear stained face with one hand. She didn't want to give him details. She didn't want him to date. She wanted her plain goofy little Tucker back so she didn't want him so much. She didn't want some stupid girl to realize what a find Tucker was, and have to watch them date and romance and kiss…and she was jealous. She admitted it, but she had no right to be jealous. She had no claim on him.
"There's no way it could work between us," she told herself out loud. "So just forget it Jazz, forget your feelings. Tucker is not for you." It didn't matter either, that he liked her too, it just wouldn't work.
Tucker desperately wanted to pull away from Danny's iron grip as he was pulled down the hall. He wanted to go back into Jazz's room and finish whatever it was they were doing. She was going to kiss him, or let him kiss her and he'd never wanted anything more in his life, or been more frustrated.
"Dude," Tucker said as he ripped his hand out of Danny's grip. "What's your problem?"
"I don't have a problem," Danny growled. "You have a problem. We have a project to work on. Sam and I are not going to carry you on it."
Tucker adjusted his clothes and gave Danny an odd look. "Excuse me," he said softly. "You're not going to carry me? Are you kidding me?"
"No," Danny said petulantly, feeling a little more than guilty. Tucker always had his back. "I just…I just think you should stay away from Jazz."
"And I think you should mind your own business," Tucker growled as he walked into Danny's room. Sam looked up from her spot on the floor in bewilderment. She took one look at Tucker's face then at Danny's and sat up, quietly looking between them.
"Are we having a fight?" she asked archly.
"No," Danny said as he flopped himself down on the bed. "No fight here."
Tucker was torn. He wanted to rush back into Jazz's room, take her in his arms and kiss her silly, but figured the moment passed, and though he knew he had the courage to do it, his senses told him he was better off staying in Danny's room.
Unfortunately, he was miserable. He was hyper aware that she was just down the hall. She was so close and he loved her. His heart swelled with joy, and maybe someday he could tell her. His eyes clouded over and he knew he couldn't, his gut instinct told him that Jazz didn't want him, despite coming so close to kissing him. How could someone like her want him?
"Earth to Tucker!" Sam said as she waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello!" Tucker blinked and looked at Sam who gave him a worried look.
"Are you feeling all right?" she asked as she put her hand on his arm.
"Yeah," Tucker answered. "Jazz got me a date for tomorrow night."
Danny laughed. "How much did she have to pay them?" He laughed a little more as he considered his joke then paused as he realized Sam was looking at him grimly instead of laughing along.
"What?" he asked in bewilderment as Tucker turned his attention back to his book.
Sam threw her pencil at Danny, who winced as it bounced off his head. "You're a jerk," she spat angrily as he rubbed his forehead, a hurt look on his face.
Danny opened his mouth looked at Tucker then back at Sam. "For what? Teasing my best friend? He's had worse things to say about me!"
"That's beside the point!" Sam growled.
"Oh I see how it is," Danny started bitterly. "He defects and becomes Jazz's little pet and he's off limits for teasing. He's no longer my friend?" He slammed his book shut and stood. "Screw that!" He looked at Tuck who gave him a wide eyed look.
"Dude," Tucker said as he sat up. "Just sit down." Danny held his gaze for a minute before sitting, looking at Tucker thoughtfully.
"A date?" Sam asked almost shakily as she tried to diffuse the situation.
"Yeah," Tucker answered. "But it's no big deal." He looked at Danny. "I know I'm Jazz's project okay? I know. Can you not rub it in?"
Danny looked down sadly. "I'm sorry Tuck."
Tucker sighed. "Me too."
"Hey," Jazz said softly as she showed up at Tucker's locker the next morning. She adjusted his hat tenderly then chastised herself. Why couldn't she just keep her hands to herself?
"Hi," Tucker replied looking into her face, hoping to see even a tiny indicator that Jazz felt the same way he did. Unfortunately, Jazz was good at hiding her emotions, so she simply smiled sweetly.
"Sorry I didn't give you the deets for the date," she told him happily. "I ended out on the phone with Pete and by the time we ended the call, you'd gone home and were probably asleep." She hated how the hurt flickered in Tucker's eyes as she referred to Pete, but part of her couldn't help twisting the knife, even though she hated herself for it.
"I'm going to be out with Pete," she told him, still watching the pained emotions wash across his face. "So, you'll have to wait until Saturday, but I want you to call and tell me how things go."
"Sure," Tucker said almost flatly.
"It's just the movies," Jazz continued, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes as she smoothed her hand along his shoulder. "So you won't talk her ear off or anything."
Tucker nodded his head then looked over Jazz's shoulder to find Pete waiting. "You're boyfriend's waiting," he said almost bitterly.
"Tucker," she started then bit her lip. "I hope you have a good time."
"I'm sure I will," he said as she hugged him quickly then turned toward Pete. He smiled at her then gave Tucker a glare that said, "hands off", as he placed a kiss to Jazz's cheek,
"Jerk," Tucker said to himself then slammed his locker door shut and went to class.
Tucker cancelled his date with Amanda. He just didn't feel like going. He decided that he'd rather hang out with Danny and Sam anyway. Sam asked him several times if he was okay or if he needed to talk, but Tucker shrugged her off, not wanting to talk about his feelings for Jazz.
It turned out to be a good decision as several ghosts decided it would be a good night for banding together and attacking Amity Park, causing the three friends to drop their good time to get rid of them.
"Damn," Danny said breathlessly as he floated above his friends, putting up an ectoplasmic shield against the attacking ghosts. "We're going to need another thermos."
"Or twelve," Sam added.
"I'll go," Tucker volunteered. Sam was the faster runner, but she was also the better shot and he knew Danny preferred that she stayed within his line of sight during a battle.
"Thanks," Danny said gratefully. "The parents went to another stupid ghost hunting conference, I left the door unlocked so just run in." Tucker saluted, nodded to Sam, checked for a clear opening to run then took off for Fenton Works as fast as he could run.
He opened the door then stepped inside the dark house. Tucker hated running in the dark so he reached for the light switch, pausing at the soft moans he heard coming from the couch. He hesitated a moment, then remembered that Danny needed a thermos now. He flicked on the light and the vision he was met with made him nearly turn on his heel and run away, as fast as he could.
There she was, Jazz laying on the couch, her shirt half off, and Pete over her, kissing her neck. His world spun dizzily as his heart jerked painfully in his chest. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Disheveled hair, kiss swollen lips, blinking blindly at the light. He'd never wanted to die before, but at that moment he just wanted to find a nice rock to curl under and die.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly as he regained his wits. "I'm so sorry." He ran up to Danny's room. Stopping for a moment to catch his breath. He wanted to scream. He knew she didn't belong to him, but he loved her. Rationally she wasn't doing anything wrong, but it hurt so very badly.
Tucker stumbled for a moment then fell to his knees feeling sick as he dug several thermoses out from under the bed, then got up and ran back down stairs. He kept his eyes from Jazz and Pete who were now sitting up as he ran out the door, down the street and back to Danny, where he passed out the thermoses just in time for catastrosphere to be avoided.
Jazz had reservations about bringing Pete to her house. Her parents weren't home, and he'd become rather pushy about intimacy, complaining that short little goodnight kisses were enough, but well…
So they sat on her couch, he took her into his arm and kissed her. But, as her eyes fluttered shut in the darkness, she began to imagine Pete away and in his place was Tucker. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but want to dream.
Rationally, she knew that thing wouldn't have gone as far as they did if she'd just kept her mind on Pete instead of thinking of her sweet Tucker. She kissed him deeply, passionately with a depth of wanting that scared her as Tucker..no no..Pete pushed her back on the couch, pushing her shirt up as he roved his hands up and down her body. Jazz knew she was lost and she was beginning to panic when the light snapped on and there he was, Tucker. It was like a splash of cold water he stood there, looking at her in shock, his face reflecting pain, bitterness, jealous and lust.
"Oh god," Jazz said as she watched Tucker run up the stairs. She knew what he was after. She rearranged her clothes then looked at Pete who was blinking in shock himself.
"What the hell was that?" Pete asked as he looked around confused.
"My Tucker," Jazz replied in anguish. "I mean…I mean my brother's friend Tucker."
They watched Tucker run down the stairs and out of the house. Jazz wanted to follow him, and explain. For reasons she couldn't fathom, she felt as though she betrayed him. She wanted to cry.
"What's wrong?" Pete asked as he smoothed her hand down her back.
"I'm just embarrassed," Jazz replied as she wiped the tears from her face.
"Because of that stupid kid?" Pete questioned in irriation.
"He's not stupid," Jazz told him angrily. "Tucker is not stupid at all. He's brilliant! He's funny and brilliant and everyone underestimates him. They don't see how wonderful he is. They just think he's a dork. Well he's not! He's not a dork or a geek! He's a good friend and…"
Pete put up his hands. "Okay," he said in disbelief. "Calm down, Jazz. Sheesh!"
Jazz ran her fingers through her hair and Pete wiped away her tears. He attempted to kiss her, but she pulled away. "I think you should go home," she said. Pete opened his mouth to say something but stood instead.
"I'll call you tomorrow," he said. Jazz nodded, watched as he left then burst into tears.