Blandview High Musical

83. It Would Be You

"Knock knock..." Jason pushed the bedroom door open. "Jason! Jesus Christ!" Jade shouted, grabbing the shirt that was hanging off the chair and placing it over her chest. He walked over. "Relax, you act like I haven't seen you without clothes on." He placed the cranberry juice on the vanity table. "Did you slaughter Donnie downstairs and then bring me the juice?" She asked. "No, dad wanted to talk to him." He said. "Is everything okay?" She asked. "Yeah, everything is fine." Jason said. He walked back towards the bedroom door. "You're serious?" Jade said, narrowing her eyes at him. Jason turned around. "Now, would I ever lie to you?" He asked. She scoffed. He shut the bedroom door.

            "What is this about?" Donnie asked Lawrence. "Relax Donnie, you act like we're gonna kill you or something." Lawrence said, laughing. Jason walked in from the living room and stopped at the bar. "Listen Donnie, you have assimilated into our lifestyle pretty well. You seem to make my daughter very happy and that, in turn, makes me happy." Lawrence said. Suddenly, the beer was not quenching Donnie's thirst, it was making him sick to his stomach. "So, I would like to ask you if you'd want a bigger part in this business." "What?" Donnie asked. "Someone will need to run the business when I am gone." "Yeah, 'cause I sure as hell am not sticking around to do it." Jason said, leaning against the counter and taking a drink. "Jade can't do it all by herself and she shouldn't have to. This is a man's business, and she needs a man for it. You're the man for that job, Donnie." Lawrence said. "Well, I don't see myself going anywhere for a long time, so I think we might be able to make this work." Donnie said. "Tomorrow, we'll discuss this more." Lawrence said.

            Donnie got up from the chair and headed back upstairs after the conversation was over. He took the beer with him. "Well, that was the longest beer run I think you've ever been on." Jade teased. She was sitting at the vanity without a top on, but she was wearing underwear. The glass of juice was half empty. "What happened down there?" She asked. "Did you suggest to me taking over the business because you knew your dad was going to ask about it?" Donnie asked. Jade wrinkled her brow. "No. Why?" "He asked if I would take his place after he's gone." "Did he really?" Jade asked. "Yes, he did. And...and I said yes." Donnie said. Her expression changed. "You said yes?" She asked. He walked over, leaning against the vanity. "Is that a bad thing?" He asked. She stood up, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You know what this means then. It means you're in it for the long haul." She said. "That doesn't sound threatening to me." He said, leaning forward to kiss her on the lips.

            Meanwhile, Tommy was on pins and needles waiting for Gill's response. He was almost certain she'd say yes, but he was trying to be patient and not push it. And...at the same time, Gill was sweating herself out too.

            I paced the floor in my bedroom, talking to myself. I was really thinking about Shayne. We were supposed to go to prom together. I didn't want to go with anyone else, but at the same time...I wouldn't want it to be anyone other than Tommy. He was taking up more and more space in my mind and in my heart. I had promised myself I wouldn't try to replace Shayne, but I can't help but feel like it's not a replacement. It's this new person who walked into my life and became so pivotal that it meant so much to me. Like Tommy was literally there for me. I groaned, flopping onto my bed with my face in the pillows. I rolled over onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. "It's too soon to say that I love him...because I'm beginning to question if I know what love is even." I sighed. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in..." I muttered. The door opened and my mother was there with the laundry basket. "I folded your clothes." She said, walking in. "Thanks..." I said.

            She stopped for a moment. "You okay?" She asked. "Well...I need some advice." I said, sitting up. My mother took a seat at the desk. "Alright, let's talk about it then." She said. "Well, I'm just conflicted about my feelings..." I started to explain to her how I'm really trying to move past the whole thing with Shayne because he is gone, but at the same time it feels so wrong to abandon his feelings. My mother sighed. "Alright, to start, and this isn't me being rude but simply giving you the truth: Shayne is dead. He's not coming back and therefore he's not feeling anything." She took a breath. "Secondly, you're young, Gill. Prom is like a right of passage for those of us who go through the motions. Just because you go to prom with someone else doesn't mean that you didn't ever love Shayne. It's okay that you loved him and it's alright to continue to love him even though he's gone." She said. "No, you're right." I said. "I guess I'm just still stuck on how this was gonna be us, y'know?" She got up, walking over and sitting down beside me. She placed her arm around me. "Sweetheart, Shayne would want you to move on and have a good time. As the years pass, you'll see that maybe Shayne was not the person for you and that's okay too. He was a good person while he was here with us and that's all that matters." I could feel myself getting emotional as I started to lean against her.