Poetry
Chapter Two: Sharing Eve's Apple

-o-

Jason leaned against the hood of his car and fingered his beaten pack of Lucky Strikes, silently debating on whether or not to light one up. Really, he'd been meaning to quit for a few years now, it was a bad habit and he knew it, but that bitter taste took the edge off just a little bit each time. Licking his lips, he flicked his eyes up to the clocktower and sighed, kicking the toe of his shoe on the curb in annoyance. Gesù Cristo, that kid couldn't ever be on time. Jason had to get him to his job, and he had a match tonight, and neither of them could afford to be late.

Shaking his head, he pulled out a cigarette and popped it into his mouth, hunting through his pockets for a lighter. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw a flash of black moving across the campus lawn. Thinking it was Tim, he pulled the cigarette out of his lips and raised his head. He started to call out, but snapped his mouth shut as he saw the pleasant sway to those round hips. That certainly wasn't Tim.

Jason rolled his tongue in his mouth and shamelessly watched the sway to her full hips, returning the cigarette to the pack. He tapped it against his thigh and smirked, his eyes sliding from her hips to her ankles and back again. Pushing himself into a standing position, he raised his hand and called out for her.

"Ma'am?"

She lifted her eyes from a slim book in her hand and looked into his face. Her eyes flicked down his body and those pale cheeks flushed bright red, which made Jason wonder if she liked what she saw. Licking his lips, he stepped forward and began to approach her, tucking the pack of cigarettes into his back pocket. "Thanks for the advice the other day. That's exactly what happened, and she runs better now."

She blinked and cocked her eyes to the side, watching him. "Oh! With the car?" She snapped the book closed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Glad I could help."

Jason stopped in front of her and smiled, looking into deep blue eyes flecked with little sparks of violet. He licked his lips and gave a short nod. "I don't suppose there's a handle that goes with that pretty brain? You know, in case I need to call for any more help."

She fingered the edges of her book. He watched as she regarded him carefully before nodding, dropping her arms to her sides. "Raven."

His eyebrows shot up. "Like the bird?"

Raven fidgeted on her feet and looked over his shoulder. "Like the bird, yes." Her eyes flicked back to his own and her eyes narrowed for a moment. "Is there anything else I can do for you…?"

"Jason," he supplied, leaning back on his heels.

"Jason." Her eyes shot down the length of him again, lips twitching as she stared at him. "You don't look like a Jason."

"Oh?" He laughed and pushed at his hair. "Then what do I look like, Miss Raven?"

"A Frankie. A Donnie. A-" She cut herself off suddenly and she looked away, her cheeks darkening in another blush.

His eyebrow shot up again. "Oh? You mean, like an Italian?"

Raven's fingers tightened on her book, and she shifted again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult."

He gave a one shouldered shrug, brushing off her faux pas. "It's not an insult. Just part of the rep I guess. I can't deny the heritage, and I'm sure others can't either."

Raven's expression softened, but she said nothing else to him. A layer of silence fell over them and there was something about it that seemed to push them farther apart. Well, Jason certainly wouldn't let that happen. He looked down at the book in her hand and smiled, his eyes moving back toward her face. "Keats?"

She picked up the book and examined the cover. "He's a-"

"There's a blush for won't, and a blush for shan't," he cut her off. "And a blush for having done it: There's a blush for thought and a blush for naught, and a blush for just begun it."

Raven's eyes widened and she licked her lips, as she simply stood there and stared shamelessly at him. Jason found himself completely fascinated with the sight of that little pink tongue sliding over her full, lower lip, and something stirred in the pit of his stomach as he watched her mouth with rapt attention. That little, sinful tongue was sure to be the center of thought for more than a few sleepless nights.

"You…" Raven trailed off, not sure what to say. A second ticked by between them before she managed to find her voice again. "You quoted Keats."

He shrugged and laughed. "I like poetry."

Raven continued to stare, her little white teeth reaching out and capturing her lower lip as she continued to stare at him. She looked positively shocked, and there was something satisfying about that, as if he managed to treat the little bird to a new lesson. Jason gave another shrug and rolled his shoulder.

"Keats isn't one of my favorite poets, but I can appreciate him."

"I'm sorry… but you don't look like the kind of person who reads poetry."

He laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, you don't look like the kind of girl who can get into an engine and fix a carburetor."

She tapped the book on her thigh as the corners of her lips turned up into a thin, almost teasing smile. "Well, I suppose appearances can be deceiving." Pause. "You are certainly proving that."

He laughed. "You too."

"Jason! Sorry I'm late, I had to discuss something with the professor… oh, Raven. Hi!"

Jason looked over to see his little brother racing up to them, adjusting his school bag on his shoulder. Tim stopped in front of them, eyes darting between them as he desperately tried to process what was happening between his brother and his classmate. The realization suddenly seemed to hit him with a grin and Jason raised an eyebrow and shook his head, as if warning him not to stick his nose into this business. Tim could be such a hassle sometimes, and if he started playing with other people's lives, it could be ten times worse.

"Are you ready to go, Kid? We're gonna be late if you keep holding me up."

"Um…"

Jason raised an eyebrow jerked his thumb at his car. "Let's go. We've got jobs tonight, right?"

"Y-yeah…" Tim smiled at Raven, his eyes brightening a bit, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. There was a flash of mischievousness hiding in his blue stare, and Jason knew that meant something bad. Tim's smile widened. "Thanks for the help with the homework last week, Raven. I did way better on that paper than I thought I would. I was expecting to fail, but you saved me."

"I'm glad I could help."

"Anyway, I was wondering if maybe we can get together and do it again? The studying? It was such a big help."

She blinked and tapped her fingers on the book again. "Of course. When were you thinking, Tim?"

He pretended to think about it for a minute, his eyes practically sparkling with some kind of secret. That could not be good. "I was thinking, maybe the same time, same place?"

Raven nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. I'll see you there." She looked up at Jason and offered another thin smile. "It was nice meeting you, Jason."

"Same, Miss Raven." He offered her a casual wave before wrapping his arm around his brother's bicep and pulling him away toward the car. Jason set his lips in a thin, tight line as he shoved his brother in the Chieftain and got in on the driver's side.

Tim opened his mouth, but Jason cut him off with a glare.

"Don't even think about it, Tim."

Tim just leaned back into the seat and smile, the plan slowly coming together.

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