Dissociative Psyche ✦ J. Riley | ✓ [book 2]

6~ To Be Bought

"I don't want expensive gifts; I don't want to be bought. I have everything I want. I just want someone to be there for me, to make me feel safe and secure."

~ Princess Diana

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The next morning, Jenna woke up, finding herself in an empty bed...

Again.

She saw it coming; she heard Jake crawl in some time after four, and just his luck he was called out again. No matter, he had his hectic life, and she had hers. Jenna rolled out of bed and went to get herself ready for another day at school. She hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of yesterday; trying to focus on the psychosexual tendencies of serial killers and erratic violent outbursts when the whole campus was clouded with gloom.

After she finished getting dressed and fixing her hair, she went over to Quentin's room, which was shut with the door. 

"Quentin," she knocked three times, "Time to get up," she waited, but she didn't get a response. So, she knocked harder, "Quentin! Up and at 'em, time for school!" she said. Still no response.

"If you're seriously still sleeping, I will pour a bucket of water over you," she said. Still nothing. She groaned in frustration and knocked again.

"Quentin!"

"Yeah?" that didn't come from his room. It came from the kitchen. Curiosity leading her, she went down and into the kitchen, smelling the fresh, sizzling waft of fresh eggs and bacon. In the kitchen, she was surprised to see Quentin already dressed and eating a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. Even more surprising? Jake was cooking breakfast.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, "Aren't you supposed to be at work? Don't you want to sleep?"

"Sleeping is overrated these days. I made breakfast! Eat up!" he then slid a plate of eggs and bacon over to her. Jenna chuckled back.

"And you got the super soldier up?" she asked.

"He helped me crisp the bacon," he replied.

"It's easier than I thought," Quentin said.

"He just has to know to stand a few inches back or he's going to get really bad oil splatter," Jake said. Jenna couldn't believe what she was hearing -- not out of surprise, out of humour.

"Well, maybe I'll leave breakfast to you boys more often, then," she said between bites. They suddenly heard a rumble outside, then a car honk.

"That's the bus, I gotta go," Quentin then zipped away from the table, and in a split second, he was at the door, "Love you guys!" 

"Love you too!"

"Work hard!"

The door shut, and they were alone. Jenna was about to continue eating, but she suddenly got a good look at Jake;

He had a black eye.

"Oh my God!" breakfast was quickly forgotten as she went over to him. Jake's smile then went away, and she started fussing over him, "What happened to you? Does it hurt?"

"No," he shook his head, "Well... it's tender. But it's fine,"

"Weren't you wearing your helmet?" she asked.

"I was, then a radical knocked it off me and I got a slug to the eye," he replied.

"That's it though, right?" she asked, "You're not internally bleeding anywhere or have broken ribs or anything?"