Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV
Rating: Probably K+
Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.
Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?
Okay, I had to make up a little for this chapter. The book didn't mention Jake's work at the pizza place at all, so I had to make it up on my own. Please let me know what you think!
I stayed in my bed until dinner time. Sadly, I didn't sleep too well. I mean, it was better than no sleep, but I still couldn't seem to clear thoughts of Suze out of my head.
And don't get any ideas. They weren't weird or perverted thoughts or whatever.
Just thoughts like, "I wonder if she likes her room" or "Did her mom tell her that I helped out?" or "I wonder what she does with that gang of hers" and "I wonder how many boyfriends she's had"
That last one stopped me. I was turning into a freak. I mean, really, she was my sister, after all. And okay, she wasn't really my sister, considering we weren't like of the same DNA or whatever, but it was still WEIRD.
So, as you can see, my "sleep" was very frustrating. And then, it felt like just seconds later, dad was calling me to dinner.
You see, dinner at our house was a family thing. You didn't miss dinner unless you had a very good excuse, like lying in a hospital bed kind of excuse.
So I dragged myself out of bed, running a hand through my hair quickly. I had to make sure I didn't have any hair sticking out randomly.
I was NOT doing that because of Suze. It's just that it's rude to go out looking sloppy. That's all.
I made my way to the table, where I saw everyone was already gathered. I took my seat, which happened to be next to Suze, and I grabbed some food. I was completely starving. Not to mention that my dad's food is always so good. So I didn't really talk, I just sat and ate. And ate some more.
Plus, I didn't really want to say anything, on account of these weird thoughts I've been having. I mean, can you imagine if I accidentally let something slip?
How embarrassing would that be?
So, finally, everyone was done eating and it was time to clean up. Which, of course, no one volunteered. I mean, who actually WANTS to clean if you don't have to?
I heard mom mention something about Brad taking Suze to some party, and my attention piqued. I was going to volunteer to take her out somewhere or whatever, but I didn't get the chance. Because Brad said something that woke my memory.
"Yeah, maybe I could, if Jake wasn't working tonight," he said, throwing a look at me.
I let out a curse word and jumped up.
Work! I forgot again. I couldn't afford to keep being late like this. I guess this time my mind was just too exhausted from all of these weird thoughts.
I grabbed my jean jacket and headed for the door. Not before I heard David saying something about how I'm always late for work.
That's great. Just insult me in front of Suze, when I can't even defend myself. She already thinks I'm a freak, now she probably thinks I'm irresponsible too.
I jumped into the Ranger, put it into drive, and headed off to my favorite place (did you sense the sarcasm there?), Peninsula Pizza.
Delivering pizzas was definitely not my idea of a perfect job, but it made money. And money I definitely needed. Especially if I was going to get my Camaro.
After all, I got a lot of tip money. Granted, it was usually from teenage girls. Apparently, my floppy hair and eyelids that didn't seem to open all the way were attractive. Who would've thought? But I didn't care. If it made money, I didn't mind it.
I wonder what Suze thinks of my floppy hair….
Ok, forget that thought.
I got to work and punched in just one minute before I was late. I looked at my boss and saw her roll eyes at me and smile. She smiled a little too much, if you know what I mean. Sometimes I think her obvious crush on me was the only reason I was able to keep this job in the first place.
"Why, hello Jake. Running a little behind again, today?"
I was panting a little from running inside, but I managed to catch my breath and give her a small smile.
"Of course. Same as always," I said, smiling slightly back.
Hey, whatever. It was like job assurance, okay? And I really really wanted that Camaro.
"So, got any deliveries for me?" I asked her, yawning.
"Umm, not too many yet. Slow night so far," she said, turning to show me the two orders we had received.
"Great," I said, sarcastically. Normally, I wouldn't mind, you know, having a slow night. I could just sleep in my car. But sleep wasn't coming so easily today, and so I thought keeping busy might keep my mind a little more entertained.
"But, you know, I could think of other things to fill the time," Sadie (my boss) said, giving me a lustful look.
"You know, I'd love to. But I have to get these deliveries out. You know our 30 minute delivery policy," I said, grabbing the 'zas and heading out.
I get that she likes me and all, but she comes on a little too strong. Isn't that like sexual harassment or something?
Of course, I wouldn't say something, because I desperately needed this job. And I think she knew that, and that's why she kept at it.
It wasn't even that she was ugly or mean or anything. Actually, she was nice and fairly attractive. She had long brown hair and green eyes. But, she wasn't my type. I wasn't sure why.
Oh, not to mention that she was about 25, and I was only 18. That might have been another reason.
Besides, her hair wasn't the right color brown. It needed to be a little darker, like…
I stopped myself and groaned. I was not just comparing my boss' hair to Suze. Especially since Suze has only been in Carmel for less than a day.
What is wrong with me?! I think I'm losing it.
I was driving along, listening to the radio and heading to my first stop, when I heard my favorite song. I turned it up. I liked to keep the music loud when I delivered so that I didn't fall asleep at the wheel.
I started to hum along and then stopped when my next thought came.
I wonder if Suze would like this song? I wonder what kind of music she listens to?
I tried to clear my head and began focusing more on the lyrics.
For some reason, I couldn't do it. Every time I thought of something knew, I wondered what Suze would think. I wondered if she'd like that song or that band or that radio station or that restaurant I drove past.
It was a little obsessive, yet very very awkward.
After clearing my thoughts as much as possible and finishing those deliveries, I headed back into the pizza shop to see if we had any more orders.
I walked in to see Sadie on the phone. I tried to slide past her and get the orders before she could hang up. I wanted to avoid her, if possible. All of her unnecessary attention just made me incredibly uncomfortable.
I didn't want that kind of attention from anyone except……
Forget that thought.
I didn't want that kind of attention. Period.
But, sadly, I had no luck. She hung up the phone and grabbed my arm.
"Jake, why don't you stay for a little bit? There's only one more order, and it JUST finished. You have plenty of time before the 30 minutes is up, and their house is just down the street," she said, putting on a pouty face.
She blinked a lot, and I was thinking that maybe she was trying to be seductive. I shuddered at the thought.
"You know, that sounds really great, but the faster I get the pizza there, the better the tip," I said, yawning.
I was definitely too tired for this.
"Jake, come on…" she whispered in my ear.
Okay, really. This was definitely creepy. I mean, yeah, okay, she was sorta hot. And I guess people say it's hot to have an older woman hit on you. But, it didn't make ME feel hot at all. It just made me feel weird.
But, then again, wasn't my life feeling very weird anyway, ever since Suze came into the picture?
Luckily, I wriggled out of her grasp, grabbed the order, and left.
It was basically the same for the rest of the night. She would try to "seduce" me, if you could even call it that. I would somehow manage to get the small amount of orders we had and slip out as quickly as possible. I would deliver them, think about Suze, try to STOP thinking about Suze, and etc.
I was so happy to finally be off for the night. I headed out to my Ranger and finally headed home.
Maybe I could finally get some real sleep. I hoped.
A/N: Okay, that's it for part three. I hope you like it! Let me know how I'm doing and what you think I should change.
Please review? It makes me write faster, and I really appreciate it!