Forbidden Love

Chapter 38

Two days before school started Joe didn't turn up to the youth centre until late afternoon.

He had told me the evening before he would see me in the morning and I was starting to worry about him and considering sending Joanne round to his house too see if he was there when he walked in.

He walked over with the biggest smile on his face and confidence in his stride, "I just got myself a job!" He announced to the group.

"That's great!" I said.

"Where?" Aaron asked.

"Garage down the road." He said smugly.

"Like cars?" Ethan asked. If it was I knew he'd be jealous. I'd been thinking petrol garage in the shop or something.

"Yep," he nodded, "fixing them up."

"How'd you manage that?" Simon asked looking a bit jealous too.

"Walked down there and asked if they were hiring." He shrugged.

"That simple?" Simon didn't look like he believed it.

"That simple. I start in the evenings after school on Monday. Every other day." He saw Simons face about to protest, "don't worry I told him about rugby practice."

"Do you get a uniform?" I asked him quietly once he had finished telling the guys all about his new job.

"I heard that!" Joanne said loudly.

Joe ignored her. "Just overalls." He said to me, "that do anything for you?"

I screwed up my face as if thinking, "I'll have to see them to decide."

"Ok." He laughed, "I'm sure I can make that happen."

Joanne was placed in the same form class as us to make her transition easier. Unfortunately that was about as often as I would see her. I had as many classes with her as I did Ethan.

"Your timetable is identical to Joe's." She accused me as we compared classes to see what overlapped.

"I know." I grinned.

"You two are so cute it makes me sick." She pretended to throw up over the desks.

I laughed.

Joanne was given a lot of homework to catch up with during the day.

"It's not fair." She pouted on the bus on the way home, "I'm new! They should be going easy on me! Not piling loads of work on!"

"The exams are coming up pretty soon." Simon reasoned.

"You sound like a teacher." Joanne gave him the side eye.

"Yeah you nerd." Joe shoved him. Simon shoved him back.

"Stop it!" I said putting my arms between them, "you two are children sometimes!" They grinned at each other.

"I'll help you with your homework." I offered Joanne. She looked relieved.

Even though we did almost none of the same subjects once we got off the bus I told Ethan to tell mum where I was and I went into Joanne's house to get started on her massive pile of homework.

I ended up eating dinner at Joanne's. We were only half way through her homework for the night when her mum announced it was ready and offered me to stay. Once we ate we got straight back to her work.

"This is too much!" Joanne said throwing her pen down about an hour after dinner, "pure child abuse, nothing else to it."

"We are almost done!"

"I can't do a single second more." She said dramatically turning her head so she wasn't looking at it.

"Ok." I laughed, "a break then."

"Ice cream!" Joanne suggested.

I couldn't say no to ice cream.

We went downstairs and Joanne got us huge bowls of ice cream from the freezer.

"This is exactly what I needed." Joanne said pointing at her bowl with her spoon as we sat down at the kitchen table.

"I always need ice cream."

We ate our ice cream happily. Just as we were finishing Joe came through the door. My back was turned so I didn't notice him.

"You not knock anymore?" Joanne said giving me a fright.

"Didn't know I had to." He said sitting down next to me and looking at my almost finished ice cream like it was heaven.

"How was work? Were they nice to you?" I asked handing him my spoon so he could finish my ice cream.

"Thanks," he took my spoons, "yes they were nice to me," he smiled at me like that was a silly question, "it was good, I really enjoyed it."

"Joe!" Carol came into the room and pulled him into a hug, "I thought I heard you! Your mother said you were at your first shift today, she's so proud! Tell me, how'd it go?"

"Really well, they're all really nice there. They let me look at some pretty fancy cars too."

"Good for you!" She smiled at him, "do you want any food?" She offered him.

He looked like he was considering the offer, "yeah." He grinned, "I'm starving."

"I'll get you something." Carol smiled and patted his back before walking into the kitchen area to make him some food.

"Tell me more." I prompted him.

"Not much to say." He shrugged, "my boss is a nice guy. He's in his 50s I'd say. Chatty guy. I probably know most of his life story and his kids life stories by now. His eldest daughter is pregnant so I'm sure I'll know the babies life story by the time it's born. They actually get some pretty cool cars in there but that's not what they need my help for, they keep their best guys for them. I got to look at them though! Im more helping with the normal cars. Nothing fancy yet but they'll show me the tricks."

"That sounds really good." I looked him up and down. I did like the overalls, especially how he had rolled the sleeves up. I just couldn't say it in front of his aunt.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I don't get paid for two more weeks though, which is annoying."

Joanne laughed, "you want paid after one shift?"

He shrugged, "well it would be nice."

"It'll let you save up a bit of money." I told him, "anyway what do you need money for?"

"Spending on pretty girls." He winked at me.

I laughed then looked at him seriously, "don't spend your money on me. Save it for something important."

"You are important."

"And you know what I meant."

Carol set some food down in front of him, "listen to her, Joe," she said, "it's rare that you find a girl who doesn't demand you spend all your money on her. Keep her."

"I'll consider it." Joe teased me taking my hand and squeezing it.

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