Looking After You

(31) Ages: 20 & 17

Ages: 20 & 17

“Jameson Jenson, get your sorry ass out here right now!” Keira shouted into the small apartment after graciously letting herself inside. He almost never locked his door and on the rare occasions he did, the spare key was always in the same place. She had told him numerous times that he would have no one to blame but himself if he got beat in the middle of the night by a delusional granny who assumed this was her apartment because she, too, kept her spare key hidden beneath the fire extinguisher. Tossing her bag onto the kitchen table, Keira tapped her foot impatiently on the tile floor with her hand placed on her hip. She came prepared for battle with every shot ready to be fired.

James stepped out into the living room and Keira’s face lit up, much like a child who had caught sight of her presents on Christmas Day. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a dark red waistcoat underneath that would match perfectly with Jenny’s breathtaking red dress. His brunette hair was flattened to the side in a manner Keira had never seen before and he looked nothing short of petrified.

“Damn. And I had all my best speeches prepared.” She mumbled with a false sense of disappointment before stepping forward and straightening his tie. “Nervous?”

Clearing his throat, he nodded with a solid expression. Slowly, a smile appeared and James breathed a much-needed sigh of relief. “I’m kind of excited though.”

“Just in case you’d like some more of my advice since you took to it so well the first time,” Keira led with a suspicious smirk, but it quickly faded into a more serious tone. “Don’t tell Jen whatever secret it is you’re keeping from her, at least not tonight. By all means, tell her how you feel but maybe – if this secret truly is as destructive as you say, maybe you should just let her have tonight and enjoy it.” She slapped his chest and held her hands up in defense. “Just my opinion. Do with it what you will.” James smiled back at her, feeling conflicted once again. He never really intended on telling Jenny about her father that night. It was her night and she deserved to have all of the good things that came along with it. But one thing he knew for certain, he couldn’t tell Jenny how he felt before telling her about her father. Once Jenny knew the truth it could change how she felt. He couldn’t say he honestly believed that, but he did believe she deserved to have every sliver of information before she made her choices.

~

“You still haven’t told me who the lucky guy is that’s taking you to prom,” Alison pried as she put the finishing touches on her daughters extravagant hairstyle.

“Believe me; I’m just as curious as you are,” Jenny said while staring back at her mother through the oval shaped mirror above her vanity dresser.

“You must really trust Keira to let her set you up like that. Tonight’s an important night.”

Jenny shrugged. “It’s just prom but yeah, I do trust Keira. I’ve never really had an issue with trusting people though.” Smirking at her mother, she wrapped a small chain around her neck and clasped it together. She ran her fingers along the small gold rose pendant and Alison smiled back at her briefly before quickly moving the subject along.

“Keira’s a sweet girl. A little strange but sweet, nonetheless.”

“I found it!” Denise announced loudly as she returned to the room with her hand held in the air. She stood beside Jenny and held out the small flower in her hand. It was a beautiful, red flower that matched perfectly with her dress and it was attached to a small bobby pin that would slide easily into her hair. “I was worried I had lost it but then I looked through an old jewelry box and found it in the bottom drawer. Richard gave it to me on our first date and I’ve kept it ever since.”