Looking After You

(30) Ages: 18 & 15

Ages: 18 & 15

Tap, tap, tap, was the sound of Jenny's pencil hitting the desk as she shook it from side to side between her thumb and index finger. She had been staring at geometric formulas for hours now and was squeezing the top of her head with her right hand, praying something other than nonsense would spill out onto the page. While she had been doing better ever since James had been helping her, she still had to concentrate a substantial amount in order to make any progress. The sound of shouting mixed with the cranked volume of her stereo wasn't doing her any favors. Listening to her parents fighting wasn't something Jenny found enjoyable. She hated when they fought if she was being honest with herself, but she also didn't find it alarming. They always made up and they always would, they were just like her and James in that way. They brought out the strongest part of each other. Jenny never saw it as a bad thing; it just meant they still cared enough to fight for their love. The only time Jenny found it infuriating was when she was attempting to study and not even the drum solos in her favorite songs could drown out their screaming. Eventually, Jenny gave up on studying and slammed her books closed, leaving everything in place and her number two pencil closed in the spine. Grabbing her cell phone and jacket from the dresser, Jenny began making her way down the stairs. "I'm going to eat!" She shouted over her shoulder - knowing very well they wouldn't even hear - just before stepping outside and shutting the door behind her.

~

"Hey, I was going to eat that!" Rex whined miserably as James pulled his plate out from under his raised fork.

Rolling his eyes, James placed his plate into the tub beneath his left arm. "Eat what? The five crumbs left behind after your demolition?"

"Mom always said to clean your plate. You didn't even give me a chance to lick it clean." Kiera walked by just as Rex lowered his chin to the counter, a puppy dog pout taking over his childish features.

"That's disgusting." She commented with a look of disgust before wiping down a table in the corner.

Keeping his chin glued to the table, Rex allowed his eyes to follow the young woman in silence for a moment before turning back to his friend. "That's the girl you turned down?" He asked in a whisper, his eyes widened in shock and disapproval. "She's hot and she's older, it's a win-win, man! Beer and ass."

The nearly empty restaurant was far too quiet for Rex's comments and James immediately tossed a dirty rag at his face to shut him up. "She's twenty, you idiot!" He growled and attempted to continue cleaning up despite Rex's distractions.

"Which means, she's possibly just months away from twenty-one."

"Six months, actually," Keira answered his question that was supposed to go unheard as she stepped up to the counter. With a flushed face, Rex turned to her and gave a crooked grin. He was all talk, but that was only when he was around people who didn't do confrontation. Keira wasn't one of those people. "And while you're desperation is obvious - made apparent by the drool, you should know that modesty is far more attractive. Which is why, even though James here turned me down, he's still ten times hotter than you will ever be." Patting his head, Keira gave him a condescending pout. She removed her apron and turned back to James who was practically dying of laughter. "I'm taking off. Tell beer and ass man here to find his own job when he finally hits the age of maturity." She lifted her hand as she walked into the back room where the employee lockers were kept.

James attempted to get a handle on his laughter as he opened the cash register. After the silence settles in a moment too long, James glanced back across the counter to find Rex still staring at the door with his mouth gaped slightly. "Dude...I think I'm in love."