Calinthro (G/T)

Chapter Twenty

~Three Months Later~

"Jenny! Are you ready to go? It's my first party since I've been back and I'm extremely excited!" Sophie called from the bottom of the stairs at Jenny's grandmother's house. 

"Hang on! I'll be down in just a minute!" Jenny shouted, pulling her blonde hair into a braided bun. The past few months haven't been just what she'd thought. School was horrible without her usual friend around. She didn't have too many other friends besides Sophie now. Several times, to her own surprise, she found herself missing the Calinthro. His snarky comments, playful joking, and gentle touch. But every time she found herself missing him, she would shake it off and push those feelings deep down. Their whole friendship was based on a lie.

"I don't know why you're so excited," Jenny said with a soft laugh, making her way down the stairs. "It's just a birthday dinner with Grandma, you, and me. It's not really a party." 

"Oh, close enough. Besides, it is your birthday. And you've been such a good friend to me I want to make this the best night ever!" Sophie grinned widely, taking Jenny's hands in hers. 

Jenny often noticed how much this young woman has changed. No longer was she so pale and timid. She regained color, started talking to more people, and even got a job as a store clerk when they hadn't even been back a week.  "Thank you, Sophie," Jenny said with a small smile then paused briefly, lowering her head.

Derrick had one year gotten her concert tickets to go see her favorite band for her birthday. That was probably the most fun she ever remembered having. He had been her best friend almost all her life, she'd never gone a day without seeing him. And now he was just gone. Why did she miss him so much? Why is it so painful?

"You miss him don't you?" Sophie asked gently, pulling the now seventeen-year-old into a tight hug. "I've been paying attention. Too often you look lost and confused. And that's because, like you had told me, you two had done almost everything together. So it's like there is this hole in your life now. Am I right?"

Suddenly overcome with emotion, Jenny's vision went blurry as she burst into tears. Her arms wrapped tightly around her friends back and she cried against her. She didn't know why she was so upset all of the sudden, but she couldn't say a word as she sobbed loudly.

Sophie could only rub circles into her back, trying to comfort the girl she now considers a sister. "It's okay to miss him. I bet you cared about him way more than you'd like to admit." 

"I-I should be angry with him, Sophie!" Jenny used her sleeve to wipe her eyes. "I shouldn't b-be so upset!"

"I think you loved him." She whispered, leading Jenny to the sofa and sitting with the crying teen. 

"I don't kn-know what love is Sophie. I've never been in love before." The blonde looked down at her hands that were resting in her lap. "How do I know?"

"Did you ever at one point get butterflies in your stomach looking at him? Thinking about him? Would you have done anything for him before you found out he was a demon? And would you get worried whenever something seemed off about him?" 

"N-Now that you mention it, y-yes. I would have taken a bullet for h-him. I always wanted him by my side. I never wanted to be without him." More tears began to run down her face. "B-But I don't understand why I still care."

"When you love someone, you can't get rid of those feelings so easily. Especially when you know the person as long as you and Derrick had known each other."

"S-So I do, er, did love him...but I never knew." Jenny kept her head down, her hands shaking. That's why she let herself trust him. That's why even after she found out what he was, she still wanted to be around him even if he was scary. "I loved him."

A soft mew brought both girl's attention to the doorway to the kitchen, a small, familiar gray kitten sitting on the floor with a red bow tied around its neck. "Storm?" Jenny rose to her feet, a small smile gracing her lips now. She had to leave the cat in the Underworld, how was it back now? Unless...

A figure stepped from behind the corner, it's emerald green eyes meeting her dark brown ones. A smile plain on its face, its brown hair pushed back. "Happy birthday, Jenny."

"Derrick?" The teen could only stare, now frozen in her place. "B-But you said you would leave me alone, wh-why are you here?"

"Just because I brought you back doesn't mean I could ever stop caring about you. The way I felt was too strong." A wide grin spread across his face.

"B-But it'll make you tired being here!"

"Nope. Think back to what you just said." Derrick stepped forward and stood in front of the blonde girl, reaching a hand up and pushing strands of hair out of her face.

"All I said was-" She stopped, her eyes widening. "You're human now?!" She exclaimed loudly, clasping both hands over her mouth. "I-I didn't think- I-I mean, h-how is-"

The now human teen pressed his lips into Jenny's, snaking his arms around her and pressing her into his body. When he parted, her face was a dark red and he could smile in amusement. "I told you how remember? I'm here now, I'm back. And I owe you everything. I don't have to worry about hurting anyone anymore. Also, I have a little secret to tell you that you probably need to know."

Still recovering from the shock of the kiss, Jenny just nodded her head and stared at his face.

"I know where your mom and dad are. I can tell you everything."