Well, it's been awhile folks! And for that I am truly sorry. I would like to thanks Miss Westhoff Herself
Older…But Wiser?
…If you wanna be with me
Baby, there's a price you pay
I'm genie in a bottle, gotta rub me the right way…
Jackie eyes flew open at the sudden blast of the radio. Daisy was dancing around the room in her pink playboy underwear, singing into her prom queen sceptre. She noticed Jackie crawling out of bed and danced her, prompting her to join in.
"If you want to be with me. OOOH, I can make your wish come true,"
Jackie smiled, swatting Daisy away. "The 90's called, they want their music back," Jackie chuckled to herself.
"Say what you want, Ex-Tina is eternal," was Daisy's retort and she thrust over to the vanity mirror to practice for her music video.
Jackie made her way to the bathroom, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.
She opened the door.
"What the fuck!?" Bo shrieked as he heard the door open.
Jackie jumped about a foot. The steam from the bathroom was released into the hall and at Jackie. She blinked away the moist air, sighting Bo's head around the shower curtain.
"Luke! Piss off will y-!" The air had cleared, he had seen Jackie. "Want to see me naked huh?" He flashed a smug smile.
Jackie frowned, her blood rushing to her cheeks.
"No!" Completely embarrassed, she turned and walked briskly back to Daisy's room.
…I'm a genie in a bottle, baby.
Gotta rub me the right way, honey.
I'm a genie in a bottle, baby,
Come, come, come on and let me out…
Jackie watched amused as Daisy belted out the last lines. Daisy grabbed the bed post and did her best "Dirrrty' impression, her face showing pure ecstasy
I'm a genie in a bottle, baby
Come, come, come and let me out
Daisy pulled the air from over head down to her chest, in a very boy-bandish gesture. Jackie snorted while Daisy finished, she raised her head, smiling. Jackie was now perched cross-legged on her own bed, staring in wonder at the specimen of pure sexuality. She was astonished that such a person could be so lovely, the only beautiful people she had known had been horrible or intellectually challenged.
"What?" Daisy had caught her staring.
"Oh! Nothing, you're weird,"
"Well," Daisy picked up one of her over stuffed pink pillows, "right back ATCHA!" and whacked Jackie over the head, to which she went toppling off the bed.
"Oi!" Jackie began hitting Daisy, and the girls began a good old fashioned, girl's night in, marshmallows and rom coms pillow fight.
"And I thought I only saw this in porn,"
The girls stopped their shrieking to find Bo standing in the doorway. He had a towel around his waist and his rather chiselled torso glistened with blessed droplets of water.
Dayum
Jackie hated to admit it, but the boy was fine.
"Shower's free," he said and left the doorway.
"Sweet," Jackie gave Daisy one last hit with her pillow, and scampered out of the way to avoid Daisy's returned fire.
As Jackie let the water fall over her body she realised that this was the only time she had had to herself since she had arrived in Hazzard. It dawned on her that she hadn't really thought of what she was going to do once she had sorted out Harold's house. She was under the impression that she would sell and return back to her beloved homeland, but she had lost that at some point. Maybe it was after Pauline's mothering, or Daisy's friendship, or Luke's laugh. She wasn't entirely sure what she would be doing these days, apart from the occasional shift at the Boar's Nest. What did people her age do around here anyway?
Jackie got dressed and went down stairs to make herself some breakfast.
"Happy Birthday Jackie!"
She almost fell over.
Oh yeah…
Her entourage beamed at her as the gathered around the feast in front of them. Pancakes, hash browns, bacon, eggs and maple syrup. They even had a small handmade banner that said 'Happy Birthday Jack' across the kitchen door.
"Thanks," She said somewhat sheepishly. It's not that she had forgotten, it's that she wasn't so keen on celebrating after her mother had died.
"Thanks? It's your birthday silly!" Pauline ushered her to the table.
It had always been just her and her mother on birthdays. They had a small ritual, presents and pastries with candles stuck in them and a day of really bad movies. Once her mother was gone she had stopped celebrating them, after a while she had stopped having one altogether.
Her eyes wandered to the banner again "We're calling me Jack now?" Everyone shifted awkwardly.
"Well…" Daisy began "We had a party for Jack a few months ago and kept the banner,"
"Oh, cool!" Jackie sat down "Wow, this looks great!"
She was genuinely touched by their effort, she looked up from their display at their beaming faces and felt an emotion she hadn't experienced in a long time. She felt love.
Jackie pulled a plate towards her and began to load up some pancakes "Wait," Her head snapped up and she looked at Daisy, "You knew this whole time?"
"Well we were going to invite you over here anyway-"
"We were?" Bo piped up as he was stuffing his face with bacon, but Daisy ignored him and Pauline slapped him upside the head, knocking some bacon bits back onto his plate.
"But then you were staying with us anyway so… Surprise!"
After most of the food was gone, and Luke was licking his and everyone else's plates clean, Jackie sat back in her chair, full and satisfied.
"Thank you, that was great, and my first all American meal as well!" Jackie leaned back as Luke did, smiling.
"I'm glad we could oblige," Uncle Jesse stood up from the table, "We have something else for the birthday girl." He looked down at her, affectionately, pulling a parcel out of his pocket. "Harold got this for you,"
Jackie took the small package and turned it over in her hands. "He did?" Jesse gave her a wink
Pauline put an arm around Jackie's shoulders,
These people knew more about her than they let on. How much had Harold told them about me?
She slowly opened the package, which had been meticulously wrapped, to find a small pink velvet box inside. Inside was a small silver locket on a long silver chain, to which she opened to find two photos side my side; on the left, the one of Harold and Diane that she had found, and on the right a photo of Diane and Jackie when she was very young. A huge rush of emotion swept over her, Jackie gripped the locket as tears threatened to fall.
"Oh now! No use crying on your birthday!" Jesse patted her in the shoulder, and Daisy gave her a hug.
Luke popped his head up from the last plate he was demolishing, "How old are you now, anyway?" To be perfectly honest, Jackie had to think about it for a moment. She wiped a tear off her cheek and spoke.
"Twenty…Six?" She squinted slightly, going over the math in her head, "yeah, twenty six,"
"Ah shoot," Luke looked slightly disappointed "you're too young for me,"
"Why?" Jackie laughed "How old are you?"
"Twenty Eight," Jackie grimaced slightly, How old was old enough for Lukey boy? Jackie shuddered.
"Yup, that's me done," Bo threw his napkin on his plate and stood up, the chair screeching across the floor made everyone jump.
"Beauregard Duke! Where do you think you're going?" Pauline asked rather sternly.
"Out on the General Lee, Pauline," He grabbed his keys off the dresser by the back door "Now that the route isn't being hi-Jackied," He shot a look at Jackie, "I can get back to training," Bo saw the look Pauline was giving him and began to argue.
"Aww come on Pauline, I did what you asked, Jackie got her birthday breakfast and I didn't complain once!"
Daisy clicked her tongue, Pauline sighed crossly and began collecting the plates.
"Well then, Bo Duke, while you're out, could you pick up them lights and table for the Hoedown? They're in Conyers" Pauline asked.
Bo's face dropped, Where the fuck is Conyers? Jackie thought, but from Duke's reaction, she gathered rather far.
"Conyers? The dance isn't for another month!" Bo eyebrows raised in disbelief "And I got a big race comin up next week! I need to train!"
"I could not give less of a damn right now," Pauline stacked the plates by the sink and went on, "Conyers Party Hire. They gave me a good deal if I could get them off their hands toot sweet" She looked at Bo "Since you're out anyway," She gave him a sickeningly sweet smile and Bo rolled his eyes.
"Sure Pauline," He said with a sarcastic tone and kicked the door open. Jackie heard the great roar of the Charger and the gravel being dislodged as Bo sped off.
"Sometimes I don't know about that boy, the nerve really?" Pauline busied herself with the dishes, but Jackie could tell she was fuming. Awkward.
"Thanks for the lovely breakfast Pauline, do you need any help washing up?" Jackie got up from the table and tried to look useful, straightening the salt and peppers shakers and folding the napkins. Pauline turned around and sighed.
"No! no, girl you are doing nothing of the sort today!" Pauline dried her hands and swatted Jackie away from the table.
"Daisy?" Daisy looked up from her magazine she had been reading, clearly unfazed by the exchange between Pauline and Bo, chewing on a piece of marmalade toast.
"Yeah?"
"Would you take Jackie out with you today?" Daisy nodded. The brunette jumped up and beamed at Jackie. "Will I ever!"
Jackie was a little afraid of how enthusiastic Daisy was, usually it meant she was up to some mischief.
"We're going shoppin!"
Jackie groaned.
..oo00oo..
Daisy had been yabbering about everything and nothing on the drive to the shopping mall. Jackie politely listened, adding a "hmmm" and a nod whenever Daisy took a breath.
It was after an hour of driving that Jackie realised they were way out of the Hazzard city limits by now.
"Daisy?" Jackie sat up and looked around "How far is this mall?"
Daisy beamed "We're here!"
"Where?" Jackie noticed a large multiplex up ahead but had no idea where exactly in the state of Georgia they had ended up.
"Heaven!" Daisy exclaimed. They parked and gathered their things and Daisy hopped out of the Jeep enthusiastically.
"Right," Jackie replied matter-of-factly, also getting out of the truck and squinted.
"You need a few new outfits with the Hoedown and the Basket auction comin up," Daisy saw Jackie's confused face but went on, "and you need a wardrobe update,"
"A wardrobe update? What's wrong with the way I dress?" Jackie pawed at her clothes.
"Oh! Nothing hun! It's just, it doesn't do much for your…er… features," Daisy had lead them through the sliding doors and onto the escalator by this time. Jackie stood on the stair below and cocked her head sideways. "Features?" she asked.
"Yeah. Like I said, you got great legs honey, you need to flaunt it,"
"Right," Jackie said again.
"So what am I looking for? What's the basket auction?"
"I swear I haven't answered so many questions since high school!" Daisy flashed an assuring smile, Jackie blushed. "The basket auction, darling, is the charity auction we hold every year," Daisy led them into a store called "Glitt-her" and began sifting through the racks, handing Jackie hangers as she spoke.
"All the girls in Hazzard make a lunch basket filled with anything you like. Some girls make the same things every year, others change it up. I like to make whatever I feel like eating, the guys never seem to complain,"
"The guys?"
"Oh, yeah! You make a basket and decorate it and then the guys in town bid on your basket. If they win your basket, you two have lunch!" Daisy finished and Jackie froze.
"That seems a little…chauvinistic?"
"It's for charity, all the money goes towards the elementary school or the church," Daisy handed Jackie another hanger and sent her into the change rooms…Which is where Jackie spent most of her day.
Daisy insisted Jackie try everything on that she had personally picked out. By the end Jackie was exhausted, but the endless perusing didn't seem to affect Daisy, who was carrying all their bags from each of the stores with a spring still in her step.
They eventually clambered back into the Jeep as the sun was setting and began the long journey home.
Jackie watched the clouds changing colour as they hit the highway. She noticed she could see further out onto the horizon, a nice change from urban living. The landscape got darker and darker and Jackie was about ready for bed when Daisy piped up.
"I'm glad you're here Jackie."
"You are?" Jackie asked hopefully.
"Of course! It's always been me and Bo and Luke. Just us, and everyone we went to school with. It's the same old, you know?" Daisy took her eyes off the road briefly to look at Jackie.
"Some people don't realise there's this whole world outside of Hazzard, that they don't have to stay here all their life. I mean, there's really only a few of us who have plans of leaving. I'm glad you're here, I've needed a friend like you,"
Jackie was touched that Daisy even considered her a friend, she was unsure what to say so stayed silent. It was probably better, it was a nice moment.
The Jeep rolled onto the gravelled driveway of the Duke farm just as Pauline was calling Jessie in for dinner.
"Ahh girlies! How'd it go?" She asked, ushering them into the kitchen where yet another 3 course meal was set out on the dining table. I could definitely get used to this!
"Jackie's got all she needs for the next couple of weeks, even the basket auction," Daisy set the bags down in the living room but kept a large blue one and handed it to Jackie "Put the red one on! I want you to show Pauline!" "Oh yes!" Pauline added.
Jackie took the bag and looked at the two women beaming at her expectantly. "Alright,"
She wasn't completely annoyed by this. Although she was extremely tires, the day had reminded her of the time her and her mother would spend together. They would always come home and try on the things they had bought, too, sometime spending the whole night in clothes with the tags left on. Jackie smiled reminiscently as she zipped up the red dress and stepped into the living room.
The look on Pauline's face assured her that Daisy had successfully "highlighted her features".
"You look prettier than a glob of butter melting on a stack of wheat cakes! Any particular occasion-?"
Pauline was cut off by the General roaring to within earshot. Pauline went to the window and peered out at the car.
"That boy better have those damn lights or I'll skin his hide," She muttered.
Sure enough, Bo came in carrying a heavy looking box yelling "Pauline! I got them lights!"
Bo set the box down on the counter and came into the living room, looking for Pauline, and stopping short as she sighted Jackie. He gave her the up and down and Jackie wondered why, until she realised she was wearing her new dress.
No one spoke for a second. All eyes were on Bo, Daisy and Pauline looking proud and Jackie scowling. She smoothed the material at her stomach nervously.
"I see you got the lights" Jackie said finally.
"I see Daisy took you shopping," He retorted and turned to retreat into the kitchen.
Jackie realised her heart was beating quite fast and laid a hand on her chest.
"It's ok," Pauline said reassuringly "That's a compliment coming from him,"
Jackie nodded. The screen door screeched again and Jesse strolled in, taking of his hate and hanging it by the door.
"Hey Jackie! You look mighty purdy!" He gave her a wide grin and she instantly felt better. "Thanks Jesse," she smiled back.
Jesse nodded and turned to Bo who was washing his hands at the sink. "Bo! You get those lights?" Bo sighed and Jackie sniggered. He shot Jackie a look and wiped his hands on the frilly pink kitchen towel, "Yes Jess,"
"Good to hear! Now," Jesse went to wash his own hands "You ready for next Saturday?"
Jackie rolled her eyes. She knew the two would start talking about valves and intake and whatever else to assert their alpha male status, and so she moved upstairs to change for dinner.