Junie & Jackie - A Love Story

2

"I'll be back at 10 to get him," Jada promised me, dropping her four year old son into my arms. "Me and Cory just need some alone time."

Jada was one of my best friends, probably my best friend. We were always a quartet in school: me, Jada, Wes, and Tyra. Tyra was a genius, smarter than anyone I knew, and she got the hell out of Dodge the second she got the chance. She was studying pre-med at some fancy school out of state on a full scholarship. She didn't have a car (we're from the south side, not many people do), so we only ever saw her in person over breaks. I was so proud of her, I could cry.

Wes was practically married to a guy named Tyler, so we really only ever saw him once in a blue moon. Jada was for real married, to a guy named Cory she met at a bar we weren't supposed to be at on her 17th birthday. They really only got married because she got pregnant a few months after they met, but they were weirdly perfect for each other. They were great parents to CJ.

I saw Jada most, partly because she stayed in town after high school, and partly because I was really good with kids.

"Don't worry about it," I smiled at little CJ. "Hi, honey. Missed you."

"Missed you, Junie," he smiled back, resting his little curly head on my shoulder. He was in a red Super Mario Bros shirt and a pair of sweatpants, light up sneakers on his feet. I loved Jada because although she had impeccable fashion sense, she still dressed her kid like a kid. Kids didn't need Gucci belts; they needed clothes with cartoon characters on them and shoes that lit up a different color with each step. "Are we having a sleepover?"

"Yes," I eyed Jada, a smile growing on both of our faces. "Have fun tonight, Jada. CJ can most definitely stay with me. Wanna watch Lucas again?"

"Are you sure?" she seemed hesitant, like I didn't babysit him a couple times a week already. She was kind of a helicopter mom. She was always a stay at home mom with CJ, but recently, her dad had gotten sick and needed more help around the house. CJ was precious and his grandpa loved him dearly, but he also could be a bit of a devil child. She dropped him off with me whenever she needed the time to really focus on her father.

"One million percent," I nodded. "I watched Asshole's sister the other day. I will most definitely watch my best friend's son."

"Can't pay you," she said, and I nodded. "Three coffees. That's all I'll owe you."

"Larges," I laughed, waving her off. "Go. We'll make a pallet and have a good night. CJ loves his Auntie Junie."

I closed the door before she could argue with me.

When I was a kid, I watched Teen Mom and judged the girls, but when Jada got pregnant when we were 17, I never once doubted standing by her side. Things happen, people make mistakes. She was the perfect mother, finishing high school while pregnant and graduating just two weeks after giving birth. She devoted her entire life to CJ, and any extra energy to ensuring her relationship with Cory would stay intact.

That's what they don't often share about relationships. It takes commitment to keep them intact; love is the smallest factor.

I wasn't even sure that I believed in love at this point. I had been single my whole life. Of course, I'd been catcalled a few times and some guys had tried to get me to go home with them at last call, but no one had ever shown genuine romantic interest in me.

I wasn't positive that there wasn't anything wrong with me, but I was pretty sure. So, love didn't exist. If no one had shown any interest in actually getting to know me in my twenty one years of life, then love couldn't be real. Everyone wanted to have sex with each other, so they formed relationships. Simple as that.