Fix Me, Fix You: A Jesse Pinkman Story

Chapter Six

The sun was only beginning to rise when the cab dropped Jesse off at the Quinn property a few days later. He began to make his way up the gravel road toward the shop when he saw someone on the porch of the second house. It was Jolie. She was standing on the side of the house facing away from the shop and her parent's house; she was facing away from the road. She held a cigarette between her fingers, and he could just barely make out the swirls of smoke as they floated out of her mouth.

She had the purest soul of anyone he had ever known. Sure, he didn't know her that well, but her virtues just radiated from her body in his eyes, and he was drawn to her because of it. His soul was wretched and ugly. Hers was immaculate. She was exactly the type of person he needed in his life.

"Morning," Jesse called softly as he walked over to her with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

She jumped and whipped her head around quickly, startled by his sudden presence. Her wide eyes relaxed when she realized it was Jesse.

"Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me," she breathed, placing her hand over her heart. "I thought you were my dad."

He chuckled a little. "Sorry, didn't meant to startle you," he offered as he drug his feet up the stairs to her porch.

"It's alright," she exhaled then took another drag of her cigarettes.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket.

"Not at all," she replied.

She couldn't lie to herself – she was fascinated by him. Physically, she found him attractive, with his short buzzed hair and slight facial stubble; she even liked his tall, thin stature and the way he dressed. But it was his personality she found the most alluring. He was always very kind to her, but he was vague and mysterious and dark and even a little broody. He wasn't the type of guy she was typically drawn to, but maybe that's why none of her relationships ever worked out; maybe she was going after the wrong type of guys.

Sure, he didn't have all the superficial qualities that society deemed important for a woman to seek out in a man; he wasn't rich or a businessman, he didn't have his life all mapped out for success, and he didn't drive a fancy car or have huge muscles from working out all the time, but Jesse was real and rare. He was genuine, and his heart seemed to always be in the right place. And that made him exactly the type of person Jolie wanted to be around – the type of person she wanted in her life.

Jesse perched a cigarette between his lips and lit the tip, sending a smoky trail overhead.

"Aren't you old enough to not have to hide cigarettes from your dad?" He wondered with a smirk as he leaned against the white wall of the house.

"You'd think so, but he'd still kill me," she answered. "I never smoked cigarettes before, but god damn, I can't start my day without one now."

"What changed?" He wondered as he took a long drag of his own, understanding the feeling.

"My brother and sister-in-law died a few months ago," she replied, exhaling a whirl of smoke. "It's been rough."

"Your dad told me what happened," Jesse said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Thanks," she replied sincerely, appreciating his genuine sympathy. The compassionate words didn't roll off his tongue like he memorized them from a script. It sounded like the words truly came from his heart.

"He told me you've been taking care of their kids," he added.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I went from being a single career woman to being a single mom overnight. Quit my job, dropped out of grad school, moved into their old house, and this is my life now. Hence the midlife crisis. Hence the cigarettes."