I picture Jack as a total dick but like a Nice Dick I love Jack

she never gives in, she just changes her mind

CHAPTER EIGHT

It was like a flashback. Valerie came home from the diner to men and women's clothing scattered on the floor. Why Jack couldn't just keep his business in his own room, Valerie had no idea. She picked it all up and tossed it outside his door. Valerie wondered if this poor girl was going to have to climb down the fire escape, too.

Valerie put her tape of Basic Instinct into the VHS player and spent about ten minutes rewinding the damn thing until she was at the beginning. The next thing she was going to save up for was definitely a DVD player. Jack had one but it was in his room. There was no way she was venturing in there right now. She turned the volume up on blast to drown out Jack's activities.

The volume almost drowned out the knock on the door.

Gina stood on the other side of the doorway. Valerie had the urge to slam it but she knew Stef would kill her.

"Hi," Gina said. She was tipping back and forth on her heels and when they made eye contact, Gina bit her lip.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to dinner at our place tomorrow night," Gina's eyes flashed down to her hand. Valerie didn't miss the shiny ring on her finger. "It's going to be special and Stef would want you there."

Valerie took a step back. "Don't tell me. You're engaged, aren't you?"

Sheepishly, Gina replied. "Stef wanted to tell you himself."

"Should've took the ring off then," Valerie snapped then instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry. I'll come to your dinner."

"Thanks. Stef will appreciate it."

Valerie slammed the door when Gina left.

"Is Stef a fucking idiot?" She screamed to herself. "He can't even legally drink and he's getting married! He's nineteen years old for another two months and he's getting married. Goddamn idiot."

She threw herself back down on the couch and tried to watch the movie but all she could feel was anger. She had to let it all out now, too. If she said anything at the dinner tomorrow, Stef would have her head. Valerie couldn't believe she had to pretend to agree with his bullshit.

"Could you be quieter?" Jack poked his head out of his bedroom door. "You're interrupting."

All her rambling had disrupted Jack. Good.

"No." She said plainly.

"Whatever." Jack shut his door again.

Jack's door opened again a little while later; only a hand made it out, to grab all the clothes. Then both him and some girl Valerie had never seen before entered the living room.

The girl saw Valerie and looked worried. "Is that your girlfriend?" She whispered.

Jack nodded, whispering back. "She is. But don't worry she's blind."

Valerie bit her lip to keep from laughing.

The girls eyes widened in horror. "You cheated on your blind girlfriend, you're sick. But if she's blind why is she watching a movie?"

"So if she wasn't blind, it'd be okay?" Jack sounded confused. "And she can hear, she's blind, not Helen Keller."

"Oh." The girl's voice dropped back to a whisper.

Jack saw the girl off with a peck goodbye. So much for that girl caring about the poor blind girlfriend being cheated on.

He tried to walk past Valerie but she called out to him.

"Why do you always have to drag me into this stuff, Jack? Can't I just be your roommate? Do you have some sick fetish about cheating that you just wanna play out?"

"It's funnier."

"You're crazy."

Jack walked back to the fridge and cracked open a beer. "Maybe. But I wasn't the one out here screaming to himself earlier. What happened, your boyfriend break up with you or something?"

"No," she crossed her arms, her eyes becoming slits. "Stef and Gina are engaged."

Jack almost dropped his beer.

X X X

Valerie and Jack attended the dinner together, for moral support. Both of them were one hundred and ten percent against this engagement.

The rest of the Vandals were there, too. Eli and Austin didn't look too happy either.

The rest of the people Valerie didn't really recognize. Jeremiah showed up. Everybody else must have been invited by Gina.

Jack grinned at the sight of his brother, pulling him in for one of those one-sided, back-patting hugs.

"What's up, Jerry?"

Jerry shrugged. "You know, same old. Takin' care of the wife and kids. How about you, little brother?"

Stef hated when Valerie called him baby brother. It seemed like Jack felt the same about being called little brother.

"Nothing, really. Just been playin' with the band. We've actually got fans now."

"Good on you."

Gina and Stef were setting the table and getting the supper prepared. It was like they were already married. Valerie could actually picture them ten years from now. In a shitty house, two kids, and Stef's bands days long behind him. She hated the picture.

"Hello, everybody." Gina smiled. "I'm sure you all know why you're here but if you don't – it's because Stef and I are engaged!"

A few people cheered. A couple people whistled. They were all Gina's friends.

"This is some bullshit." Jack said into her ear.

"For real." Valerie glared at the scene in front of her. "I can't believe they'd do this, on my birthday, too."

"What? You're joking, it's not your birthday. I'd know"

"It is," she said. "October 30th, 1985. I guess Stef forgot. Here's to being twenty."

"What about that Cole guy? I bet he's taking you out somewhere after this."

"Nope." She said. "He doesn't know."

"Your brother and your boyfriend both not with you on your birthday," Jack shook his head. "What assholes."

"Stef's definitely an asshole but like I said, Cole doesn't know. I didn't want to make a big deal of it."

Jack smirked. "Which is code for you didn't want Rich Guy to buy you something fancy. But still, let's get out of here. Stef can't be mad. He forgot your birthday."

Jack took her to the same bar as before. Valerie suggested ElectriK but Jack said there were too many snobs. She probably should have said no: her drinking with Jack got her into trouble last time, all her own fault but it was still trouble.

"Jack," Valerie said as soon as they walked in. She turned around so her back was facing the bar. "That girl from last night is here. She's gonna know you lied about me being blind."

Jack glanced at the bar and cursed. "Here take my sunglasses."

He handed her his blacked-out Ray Bans rip offs and she put them on. She actually felt blind with them on; the already dim bar was almost completely dark with them over her eyes.

"This is so stupid." Valerie whined. "This is why you shouldn't lie."

"Shut up and pretend to be blind."

"So rude," Valerie said, letting out a huff. "I don't want to it's wrong and offensive to those who-"

Jack pulled her along with him to the bar where the girl was sitting without letting her finish. Valerie didn't know how to pretend to be blind and she couldn't do it without feeling guilty - so she would just slip on the sunglasses and call it a day at being the jealous girlfriend who liked to wear sunglasses at night.

"Hi, Jessica." Jack greeted last night's fling.

Valerie sniffed at him. "Who's Jessica? Is she the bartender? Can I have an apple martini?"

Jessica looked like she wanted to get up and run but she stayed firmly in her bar stool, glaring daggers at Jack.

"No she's not the bartender, darling, she's a friend," Jack said in this sickly sweet voice, one you would use if you thought someone was an imbecile. Valerie wondered if he actually talked to his dates like that. "But I'll order you that apple martini."

"Thanks," Valerie said snottily. "But who's this Jessica? Is she some girl you're screwing? Jacky, are you cheating on me again?"

"No, I'm his – therapist," Jessica stared down Jack, silently pleading for back up. "Right, Jack?"

His therapist. That was rich. Jack wouldn't see a therapist in his life, even if he probably needed to.

"Therapist?" Valerie shrieked. The whole bar turned to look at them. Valerie pretended not to notice, having to stay in character of the jealous woman. "Why are you seeing a therapist, Jacky? Is it because you can't deal with me? You are so shallow sometimes."

An apple martini was placed in her hands by Jack and she took a sip before continuing. "I don't even know why I'm with you. There's plenty of people in this world who would respect me and not cheat on me and definitely not see a therapist behind my back!"

"I know what therapist means, Jack. I know how you really relieve all that stress."

The girl, Jessica, looked like she felt guilty as hell and Valerie almost did, too, for playing with her but Valerie was much too wrapped up with it now.

Jessica slid off the bar stool, looking completely mortified. "I'm just going to go… have a nice night…"

As soon as the door swung behind Jessica, Valerie was cackling. Full on ugly ass cackling escaping her.

"I feel so bad," she said, panting. The laughing had knocked the wind out of her. "I should not have done that. I bet she feels terrible."

Valerie flicked off the sunglasses and placed them back on the top of Jack's head. It was disorientating to get used to how much brighter the bar actually was with them off.

"You were so great." Jack tried to say with a straight face. "Thanks for helping me not get caught."

They both ended up roaring with laughter, Jack's straight face couldn't hold up very long, she felt like she was convulsing she was laughing so hard. Jack tried to take a sip of his beer and ended up spitting it everywhere. Which they thought was even funnier. Her ribs and torso ached.

"While this was a riot," Valerie said after forcing herself to calm down. "Please do not drag me into anymore of your girl drama."

"Happy birthday, Val!" Jack cheered, ignoring what she said on purpose.

The two of them drank until it was no longer her birthday.