Kylie & Jack 1: Humble Beginnings

3. Home Time, Chrissy Style

Dec. 18th, 11:32 PM

Finally, it was home time for Kylie. She had jumped the fence and wandered through her parents' backyard to say goodnight to her parents, finding her dad, John sitting under the air con at his desk, reading the paper and sucking on a cola flavoured Zooper Dooper. Kylie strolled through the back door, saying 'g'day' as she passed him, heading through the kitchen and finding her mum, Janelle watching SeaChange in the living room.

"G'day," Kylie said when Janelle looked up.

"Shit, you're leaving it a bit late, aren't ya?" Janelle said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Well, there was only me and Jack to pack everything up, so it took twice as long. Mind you, it was only us settin' up too. Anyways. We'll be headin' off soon. Gotta take Jack home before I can go home, then pick him up again in the morning to come back out and hand out all the book prizes."

"Yeah, why didn't you just let them all take their books home tonight?"

"Because the casual we had for today was supposed to stick the little – you know, award labels – in the front of all the books so we knew who was getting what and didn't. All she had done was put a sticky note on the covers with only their names, not the award they were getting the book for, which means we have to come back tomorrow, stick all the bloody things in the books and run all over town giving them back to the kids. Honestly, I'm so grateful at least that Jack was at school while I was away, 'cause I hate to think what else wouldn't've been done. Anyways ..." Kylie sighed, glancing at the TV, where Sigrid Thornton and John Howard were having a manic argument.

"Love that show. I'll have to borrow it off ya when you're finished with it." Janelle nodded.

"Alright, I'm off." Kylie waved goodnight to her mum and turned to leave when John thundered through the bright kitchen, stopping in front of Kylie and jabbed his thumb over his red shoulder.

"Someone's here for ya."

"Yeah, it'll be Jack. Righto, see ya's later."

"Yeah, bye."

Jack was standing on the dark veranda, thumbs dug into his pockets, Kylie's car idling nearby in the driveway.

"Ready?" Kylie said to Jack, closing the gauze door behind her. Jack winked with a short flick of his head. Kylie took the wheel, while Jack folded his six foot one tall, lean figure into the passenger seat beside her.

"What shall we listen to, to keep the roos away?"

"Anything but Christmas music." Jack smirked, pulling on his seatbelt. Kylie laughed.

"Seconded. I love Christmas, but I think I can safely say that I've heard enough today." She selected something she was sure Jack would appreciate.

"Niiiiiiice!" Jack said, putting the window down and resting his elbow out of the window, nodding in time with AC/DC's Thunderstruck. Kylie turned it up as loud as it would go, reversing out of her parents driveway and heading for the dirt road that would lead them to the highway and back to Wangarra, where they both lived – Jack in the new Rosella development and Kylie in the older, but popular George's Park suburb.

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Dec. 19th, 12:13 PM

Kylie and Jack languidly sipped cans of soft drink, eating a large bowl of buttered popcorn, listening to a random Spotify playlist on the interactive whiteboard. They were sitting on the floor, gluing in the award labels of all their students' book prizes in Kylie's classroom. The ceiling fans wafting a cool breeze over their aching necks and backs while they chatted. Just five more books and they would be finished, ready to deliver them to their students.

Sixteen presentations of books, sixteen photos with Kylie and Jack; each and every property and home they visited, started and ended with the kids running out to greet her car, hearing a Christmas carol being blasted from within. They had just pulled up to their last student's home, a small property on the outskirts of the town, the sound of Six White Boomers announcing their arrival: Six white boomers, snow white boomers, racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun, six white boomers, snow white boomers on his Australian run! Kylie and Jack watched their student's two younger siblings hopping around the prickly garden under the sprinkler, like kangaroos, yelling "six white boomers! Six white boomers!"

"Y'know, that'd be a good item to do for next year –" Kylie started to say, watching the kids hopping around the garden.

"– Let's at least detox last night from our systems before we start thinking about next year!" Jack cried out.

"Grinch." Kylie teased, getting out of the car to present the student with their prizes and have a quick chat with the mum, Kez.

**************

12:48 PM

"I'm knackered and starving ... I need something more substantial than popcorn. Fancy some Maccas?" Kylie asked, as she drove them out of the school gate, having locked up the school for the last time that year.

"Sounds like a plan, Stan." Jack replied. After singing along and laughing to more music, Ariana Grande's Love Me Harder blasted throughout the air conditioned car, making Kylie blush hard as she skipped it to the next song, a Jimmy Barnes classic.

"Sorry ..." Kylie muttered, cheeks hot and eyes steadfastly glued to the road. Jack smirked, looking out the window.

"Nah, don't be sorry. It's a good song ..."

"You – you know Love Me Harder?" Kylie asked Jack, absolutely incredulous. Jack turned to face her, "it's a pretty good sex song, right? That's what my roommate's girlfriend says."

"Um ... well, whatever floats her boat, I guess. I just like the song." Jack laughed at Kylie, picking up the slight elevation in her voice.

"I bet you do." Jack teased. Kylie gripped the steering wheel a little harder. It was verging dangerously on inappropriate behaviour, especially as she was his boss – temporarily. She cleared her throat and asked him what he was doing for Christmas. Jack took the hint with a quiet smile and went with the new flow.

2:09 PM

Kylie flopped down on her chaise, duck egg blue lounge, the ceiling fan turning slowly above her. She had dropped Jack off at his place and finally, was able to close her eyes and bathe in the silence of her flat. She was alone in her empty flat; no students, no teachers, no family members, not even a pet to disturb her right now. She fished through her handbag beside her and found her iPod and headphones. Sure, she loved the silence, but she loved the tranquillity of being alone more right now. The first song to play was The Dame Says by Ivy Levan and the volume was turned right up, so the beat thundered in her ears, pumping the rhythm right through her body, despite how tired she felt and soon, she was fast asleep.