Right Down Cherry Lane//Warrant •Jani Lane•

This Isn't Cinderella and You Aren't Prince Charming

After the movie was over, Carrie was passed out alseep. I quietly got up and took the movie out of the VCR. I walked over to where she was sleeping and slowly picked her up, walking to her room and putting her in her bed.

After I put a blanket over her, I turned on her night light and left. Jani was still here.

"I don't know what I was doing or thinking when I let you come here." I told him honestly in a quiet voice so I wouldn't wake up Carrie.

"Well I don't know either." He said using the same tone I did. "I don't know what to do now. I'm tired, Carrie's asleep, and you're here." I explained.

"I could...sleep on the couch and you could drop me off at my place tomorrow." Jani replied, actually saying something reasonable and not arrogant.

I nodded tiredly. "That'll work." I said as I got up and walked to my room. I turned on the light and grabbed a blanket from the closet and a pillow from my bed.

"Here." I told Jani as I walked into the living room handing them to him. "Thanks." He replied. I nodded and started walking back to my room. "Goodnight." I heard Jani say soflty and quietly.

"Goodnight." I said back. I got to my room and closed the door. Getting into bed and pulling the blanket over me. 'Why did I invite him here?' I questioned honestly.

I have no idea.

The next morning, I woke up and walked out of my room. I was surprised to see Carrie sitting on the couch, engrossed by the Bugs Bunny cartoon that was playing on the tv.

Jani wasn't on the couch anymore and Carrie doesn't wake up until after I'm up.

I furrowed my eyebrows and walked passed the couch and into the kitchen. "Uhhhh, what are you doing?" I questioned a surprisingly very awake Jani.

He was standing in the kitchen, looking through the fridge. "Looking for breakfast." He said honestly. I rolled my eyes. "Alright, but why is Carrie awake?" I asked him as I motioned for him to scoot away from the fridge so I could look for breakfast.

He shrugged as he walked over and leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, crossing his arms in front of him.

"I don't know. I was just sleeping on the couch and out of know where, small slap to the face." He laughed with a smile. I looked at him as I grabbed the eggs and shut the fridge door.

"Then you must be a really shitty sleeper if you could get woken up by a 5 year old smacking you in the face." I said just to prove some invisible point with a tight lipped smile as I walked over to the stove.

"Anyway, I found the remote, sat her on the couch, turned on some cartoons and now I'm here and you are there." He said.

"I didn't need a play by play." I said as I cracked a few eggs into a pan. He shrugged again as I started cooking. "So what are your plans today, Lori?" He questioned as he walked over and stood next to me.

"My plans are to drop you off at your house, take Carrie to my mom's house, and then go to work." I told him honestly.

"No fun?" He asked. I shook my head as I flipped the eggs. "I don't really have time for fun, Jani." I told him seriously.

"Why not?" He stated with another question.

"Between being a parent, working, and being friends with Heather and her craziness? It just doesn't happen." I said.

I don't know why but, since the movie last night and the past few minutes, it wasn't hard not fighting with Jani. Things seemed actually okay. Chill. Respectful even.

There were no sexual innuendos, belittling me, no sexist jokes, and no jackass shenanigans.

Its honestly weird, I mean given the fact that Jani and I did meet at the diner I work at and only met because he had to make a stupid joke about sex and my body.

Call me a prude, call me boring, whatever. It was just tiring hearing the same jokes about my body and sex and the same thing over and over again.

If that was the only reason females existed, was for men to belittle and all that shit, I'd do us a favor and either kill all men, or kill all of us.

That's not much of life.

"Why can't you and I hang out or go on a date?" Jani asked out of nowhere.

I walked over to the cabinet and grabbed three plates. I turned to look at him as I started putting the eggs in a plate. "Because, this isn't a princess Disney movie or whatever the fuck. This isn't Cinderella and you're not Prince Charming." I told him.

Truth be told, I did not want a relationship right now. I was trying my best to raise and focus on taking care or Carrie. Along with trying to make ends meet and save to go to college.

A relationship was far off of my radar. That and I didn't want to end up like my sister. Pregnant by 16 with a shitty boyfriend, run away at 17 and then never seen or heard from again.

"That is a very childish answer." Jani replied. I shrugged. He might not understand my logic there, but I did and that's all that mattered.

"Why not, what's the actual reason?" He questioned again. I was starting to get pissed.

"Because, I'm focused on Carrie right now. I got Carrie and-and that's all I need." I told him the truth sternly. ...or as close to the truth as I could be without falling into something I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of (a relationship with him or whatever).

"So what, you've got a kid? Carrie's chill. I'm only asking you on a date. One date." Jani pleaded. I stood there not staying anything.

"I don't see why you won't let me take you on a date. C'mon, It's not like I'm asking you to marry me Lor?!" He stated. Pleading again.

"Fucking fine!" Now take your eggs and give Carrie her's, I gotta get ready for work!" I said pissed as I walked out of the kitchen and to my room, closing the door.

What the fuck did I just get myself into?

Because I am not Cinderella and Jani is very far from being Prince Charming.

What the fuck.

(A/N: finally new chapter! I'm sorry you had to wait so long! Hopefully you won't have to wait that long on chapters since I graduate tomorrow night, so I should have some for free time on my hands. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Happy reading :) -Jaimie 🦆🤙)