Chapter 14- Grow Up
Author's Note- Hi everybody! Thanks for all the reviews last chapter, I love hearing from my readers. I got six reviews! That's the most I ever got for this story, so please keep reviewing. Well, this chapter takes place the next day (so the day after they skipped). Here's the chapter, enjoy! ;)
Pam was practically strutting through the hallway with Julie, Maggie, and Grace by her side. She had worn her new teal skinny jeans to school with one of the open tops that Julie had bought for her. Maggie had ended up being fine; her parents had to come get her from the police station and she was grounded for a month. The rest of the girls had felt really bad; promising that they would make the most of the time they had in school together and they would try to sneak her out for major parties and dates with Jake. By now, it had spread around the school about Maggie's run-in with the police. Yet, she and Jake were still fine and she was still on top at the school. School had just ended and Pam was hoisting her backpack on her shoulder and making her way out the door. Jim quickly stuffed the last of his homework in his backpack and dashed down the hallway. "Hey Pam! Pam!" Jim shouted, chasing after her.
Pam continued walking with her newfound friends until Grace tapped her shoulder. "I think that kid's calling your name," she said, glancing back at Jim.
Pam looked over her shoulder and spotted Jim, who was practically chasing them. "Isn't that the kid that ran out of our English class almost crying because of Roy?" Julie asked.
"He wasn't crying," Pam mumbled, feeling the need to stick up for Jim. They hadn't talked since they made up two days ago. It was the longest they had gone without talking, ever.
"Well, are you going to say something to him?" Maggie asked, shooting Jim a glare before glancing back at Pam.
Pam wasn't sure what the right thing to do in their eyes. She knew Grace probably wouldn't mind but she wasn't sure about Maggie and Julie. Before Pam could reply, Jim came racing up behind them and tapped Pam on the shoulder. "Hey," he breathed, wound up from running. "Got a second?"
Pam looked at her friends, who had all now turned to face Jim. If Jim was any bit uncomfortable with them all facing him, he didn't show it. He remained unfazed, waiting for an answer. "Um, I guess," Pam replied, almost embarrassed that he would even dare to talk to her with her friends there.
Jim nodded. "Hey, didn't you like get arrested yesterday?" he asked Maggie.
Pam's cheeks turned red, and she wanted to hide. Jim was unknowingly embarrassing Pam in front of her new friends. She couldn't believe he had really asked Maggie that. "Um, no. Get your facts straight," Maggie snapped.
Pam didn't want Maggie and Jim to argue so she spoke up. "Hey, I'm going to walk home with Jim today, you guys can go ahead."
"Okay, bye," Grace said, as she and the other girls turned away.
Jim and Pam walked out of the school building on onto the street without a sound. Jim turned to face her. "So…what's up? I didn't hear from you yesterday."
Pam looked at him. There was no way that he didn't know what happened yesterday, almost the whole grade knew. Yet, she didn't want to tell him that she had skipped school. "I'm really sorry, I should've called," Pam apologized.
"Uh, I called you…last night. Like always, on the walkie talkies," Jim admitted. "You didn't answer."
"Oh…" Pam sighed. Pam tried to remember what she was doing last night. "Oh! I was doing the dishes," she lied. She had been talking to Roy for a few hours on her cell.
"At nine-thirty?" Jim challenged.
Pam just shrugged. "Mom said."
"Okay…fine," Jim replied, a little hurt. "So, where were you exactly yesterday?"
"Oh, um, I went to the mall with Roy and some other people," Pam admitted, trying to act like this was a normal thing.
Jim raised an eyebrow. "Does your mom know?"
"No," Pam scoffed. Did he honestly think she would tell her mom that? "You're not going to tell her, right?"
"Of course not," Jim replied. The two continued walking in an awkward silence for a few minutes before Jim decided to break it. "Pam…I really don't think you should do this stuff."
"What stuff?"
"You know what I mean," Jim paused. "Skipping school, partying, hanging out with criminals."
"They're not criminals!" Pam snapped, angrily. She was mad that Jim would even try to tell her what to do. "You don't even know Maggie or Roy or any of them for that matter!"
"I know Roy enough to know that he's not good for you," Jim muttered, as Pam gaped at him in disbelief.
"You barely know him, Jim. I'm dating him," Pam replied, lowering her voice a bit.
"I'm just trying to help, Pam." They were now on the corner of their street. "The Pam I know isn't into this stuff. You would've never skipped or partied before," Jim explained, calmly.
"You don't know that."
"Yeah, I do. I've known you for ten years Pam, longer than any of them have," Jim replied, growing frustrated.
"So? Those ten years mean nothing, it's just bad timing," Pam said, giving him a steely glare.
"What? Are you saying that the ten years you spent with me –your best friend –mean nothing? I would think that for sure you wouldn't lie to me," Jim said, quietly. He couldn't believe her words; surely she wouldn't believe the impact they had on them.
"No…what I'm trying to say is that," Pam started.
"Do you think that they would've stuck with you for ten years? Through thick and thin? Do you think they would've even noticed you last year, or five years ago, or anytime ago?" Jim cut off.
Pam looked at him and saw the little five-year-old Jim she had once known, the one who was the first boy to ever hold her hand. Pam shook the image from her head and anger took over. "Maybe not but they do now and that's all that matters."
"You're changing Pam and not for the better. They're changing you…have you even painted once since you were with Roy?" Jim explained, nicely.
Pam thought about it; she hadn't. "I-I'm changing for the better Jim! I'm cool now and I have friends and I do regular teenage things," Pam spat.
"You had friends before…I was your friend, Pam. You were cool before," Jim said, softly.
"I didn't have cool friends before Roy happened and I certainly wasn't cool. I was a quiet, artsy, nerd who no one knew," Pam cried out. They were in front of her house now but Pam wasn't going in until this was settled.
"I thought you were cool," Jim whispered. "Your art it's amazing! You have a great personality…you're funny and nice. Roy should like you for who you are."
Pam was at a loss for words, taken aback by Jim's comments. "Well, he cares about the new me," Pam uttered after a few seconds.
"He should care about the old you, the real you!"
"No one cared about the old me, Jim! No one!" Pam screamed.
"I DID!" Jim yelled. Pam blinked; she had never heard Jim yell once, ever. "Can't you see that I've cared about you all along? I'm the only one at that whole freakin' school that gives a crap about you! I've cared about you, the real you, since the day I took you into that tree house."
They both stopped for a minute and the only sound was that of the clattering leaves and wind rippling through the trees. "Exactly…only you cared about me. So, in the eyes of everyone else no one cared," Pam whispered.
"Since when did we need everyone, Pam? When we were little we used to want to run away to a world where there was only you and me," Jim said, quietly.
Pam breathed in, she did remember that. "That was when we were little, Jim."
"So? We're still the same people," Jim argued.
"No, we're not. Everyone's changing, I'm changing…you need to grow up, Jim," Pam stated, clearly. Pam was a little shocked at her own words. Not once in her entire life had she been intentionally mean to Jim…until now.
Jim swallowed a lump in his throat that he wasn't even aware was there. "I truly don't get it, Pam," Jim mumbled. "Yeah, I thought you might change a bit when you started dating Roy. But I didn't think you would change who you are for him. I didn't think you would be…mean." Jim whispered the last word as if he was cussing in front of his mother.
Pam felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes, she had never meant for this to happen. Jim looked so hurt like a puppy that had just got kicked. She even thought he might start crying. Jim turned his back and started walking towards his house. "Jim…wait!" Pam called, feeling guilty.
"I've got to go…I've got some growing-up to do," Jim replied, his voice breaking on the last word. Jim gave Pam one last glance before walking the rest of the way to his house.
So what did you think? Good or bad? Boring or interesting? I hope you all thought their fight was realistic. It was really hard to write so I'd really appreciate feedback. What do you think should happen next? Please review and I'll update soon. I will be writing that Casino Night two-shot by the way. R&R! ;)
