The Understorey

“Oh, well. Thank you.......This is so thoughtful,” Jules said.



“No problem. You ready?”



“Yup.”



She stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.



“Bye sweetheart,” she said, turning her eyes onto mine.



Oh, no. You’re not getting away that easily. I grabbed her, bent her backwards and kissed her like Jesse wasn’t even in the room. She resisted at first, but the electricity sizzling between us made her forget where she was and she kissed me back, really kissed me back. She removed her hands from her back pockets and wound them tightly bound around my neck.



I brought her back up for air and set her on her feet again before she was ready for me to stop. I really loved that she melted for me in front of Jesse. It was a little reminder for Jesse, just in case he got any ideas. I needed him to know the deal and I think that it worked because man did he look surprised when I finally locked eyes with him.



I slapped her on the rear, “Have a good time Jules.”



“Elliott!” She said, red faced, her left hand rubbing my hand print.



What can I say? I’m a possessive Neanderthal. I readily admit it. Never saw that coming either, always thought of myself as a progressive kind of guy. Guess not.



They left with Jules glancing over her shoulder at me. She didn’t want to leave without me. I could see it and I couldn’t have been happier about that. I just hoped that kiss would last her until he dropped her off at ten that night.



When I got home, I opened the screen door to the kitchen and heard my mom cooking or baking. She was always cooking or baking something.



“Hi baby!” She said.



“Hey,” I said, unenthusiastically.



I slumped into a kitchen table chair.



“What’s wrong with you?”



“Oh, nothing. Jules is out to a movie.”



“Well, why don’t you call up Jesse? See what he’s up to.”



“That’s who she’s at the movies with!” I almost yelled.



“What?” She asked, confused.



“Yeah, you know how Jesse isn’t the biggest fan of Jules?”



“Yeah?”



“Well, I guess I pressed him often enough to make an effort with her that he actually took me seriously and now I’m regretting that I ever did.”



“Oh baby, you’re so silly! I know that Jesse is a, what’s the word, ladies man?”



I snorted.



“Well, whatever he is, I know he isn’t the type of guy you would normally want your girlfriend to spend time with. I know he’s a ‘whatever the word is for what he is’ and it’s made you feel uncomfortable at times but you can trust Jesse honey. He’s been your best friend since you were knee high in diapers and besides, even if you couldn’t trust him, you can trust Jules.”



I softened a little bit.



“Thanks mama,” I kissed her forehead. “What ya’ makin’ here?”



Jesse brought Jules to my house at ten fifteen and I nearly burst from the kitchen door when I heard them pull through the gravel. I had stayed in the kitchen with my mom the entire time they’d been out, pretending that I wasn’t waiting for Jules. I could hear them laughing and my God did that irritate me.



“Cost you to keep me quiet,” I heard Jesse tease.



What the heck does that mean?



Jules opened the screen door and peeked her head inside.



“You’re late,” I said as coolly as possible given my extreme unexplainable rage.



“So we are,” she said, without any other explanation. “Hi Shelby!”



My mom tugged her into the kitchen and kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly as if she didn’t just see her the day before.



“Come in here Jesse boy!” She laughed and hugged him fiercely.



“Hi Shelby,” he said in his best Eddie Haskell voice.



“I’ve missed you boy!” She said. She sobered, bringing her fists to her hips, “Why haven’t you been to church lately?”



He shifted from foot to foot, “Well, you know.....”. He rubbed the back of his neck, exposing his tattoo.



“Land alive!” My mom said forgetting her question. “What is that foolish thing on your neck Jesse Thomas!” She gasped. “Does your mama know about that?”



I sat up a little.



“I got a tattoo. You don’t like it?” He asked, sheepishly.



She grabbed his chin and turned his head this way, then that way, examining it from all sides.



“Hmm, I guess it ain’t that bad,” she lied.



“What are you cooking there?” He asked her, desperate to change the subject..



“I’m not cooking baby. I’m baking. A pie. Blueberry. Want some? It’s almost done baking. I’ve got vanilla ice cream to go with it.”



“Heck yeah, I do!”



I sat in my chair and bristled while my mom showed Jesse some new kitchen contraption that he could probably have cared less about. Jules came and sat on my knee.



“Hi,” she whispered in my ear.



“Hi,” I said, trying very hard not to smile.



“Feel like explaining your kiss to me? Or maybe the slap on my bum?”



“No,” I said, defiantly. “It felt like the right thing to do. That’s all.”



“Mmm, hmm.”



She kissed my neck softly and let me know what she was thinking. Disappointed with a twinge of satisfaction.



“Liked it, did you?”



“Didn’t you catch the main feeling?”



“Yeah, but that’s not the one I’m most interested in.”



“You’re incorrigible,” she laughed.



“Well, I’m gonna’ head out,” Jesse said suddenly.



“Not staying for pie?” My mom asked.



“Nah, I’ve got a friend I’d told I’d meet and I don’t want to keep them waiting.”



“Okay, if you have to, son. It was good to see you. Don’t be such a stranger!”



He nodded then turned to Jules.



“Julia, it was fun. We should do it again sometime.”



“Of course,” she said, tossing her head toward me, “but next time I think we should bring a certain someone with us.”



“Oh, I couldn’t possibly. I’m too old to tag along with y’all,” my mom chimed in.



I drove Jules home that night and could no longer postpone my curiosity. She knew I wanted to know how the ‘date’ went but she also knew I didn’t want to ask about it first, my pride in the way. I wanted her to volunteer the information but she refused my game. Eventually I caved. What can I say? I’m a weak man, a weak, jealous, hopelessly in love, Neanderthal apparently.



“Just tell me already!”



“Tell you what Elliott?”



“Don’t play coy with me Julia Jacobs! My patience are at an all time thin.”



“Man, I’ve never seen you so jealous before Elliott. Green is a good color on you.”



I shot her a look of disbelief.



“I’m serious,” she said. “It gives a girl encouragement to see her man squirm at the end of her hook. It makes quite the impact.”



“Stop toying with me!”



“Okay, okay.” She laughed. “He was the perfect gentleman and we had a surprisingly good time.”



“How good?”



“My God Elliott! We saw a film, we talked about you, and then he took me to your house! It wasn’t quite the debauchery you were expecting. Which I resent by the way! What kind of girl do you take me for!”



I grabbed her hand.



“I’m just a big fool Jules.”



That was enough of an apology, I guess, because she just smiled at me.



“He is an incredible kisser though,” she teased.



“Jules!”



“I’m only joking! Jeez, lighten up! Will ya’?”



I kissed her hand, deciding I didn’t need to kill Jesse after all.



The following Monday, at school, we got all kinds of reactions to Jules defensive action on the football field, some of disgust, some with humor, and some with awe. Funnily enough, even Taylor Williams decided it was a good idea to leave Jules alone for awhile and Jules said she lived peacefully without Taylor’s cruelness for at least two days.



“That’s a record,” Jules said, laughing. “I think I might have scared Taylor.”



“Yeah, I think so too,” I agreed. “Who knew you were a lion masquerading as a mouse.”



“Very funny. Listen, I’m not proud of myself but after enduring the fight at Tanen’s, after the knot it made in my stomach, I promised myself I’d never have to see something like that again and not at least try to do something about it.”



“Well thanks Jules, but next time a two hundred and fifty pound lineman socks me one, it might be best your skinny butt stays out of it.”



“Try and stop me,” she joked.



We both chuckled as we walked to AP English together. It was an exceptionally exciting day, not because of Friday’s game, but because Mr. Cray would be handing out our packets for our trip to London. Jules was all giddy as she sat in her seat and I couldn’t help but be affected by her happiness.



“I’ve got the packets you’ve all been waiting for. It’s taken me a bit longer than it would normally this year because we were short two adult chaperons and we finally found two volunteers. You wouldn’t believe how unenthusiastic people can be about a trip of a lifetime when they find out it’s with sixty eighteen year olds.”



We all laughed.



That evening Jules and I sat sprawled out on my living room floor in front of the television sifting through the packet and reading its fine print.



“I feel like a million bucks Elliott,” said Jules.



She dramatically rolled over the papers spread out on the floor and I laughed at her.



“You’re an idiot,” I joked.



“Takes one to know one,” she replied, facing the ceiling, staring at me through ornery eyes.



We grinned at each other. I leaned over her beautiful face and kissed her lightly.



She whispered, “I love you,” but paused, “despite your being an idiot.”



I pinned her shoulders to the ground and kissed her neck aggressively. She frantically laughed and tried to squirm away. My mom came in and cleared her throat.



“Oops, sorry mom,” I said.



“Sorry Shelby,” said Jules, red as a lobster.



We knew she wasn’t stupid. We just didn’t want to offend her.



“Yeah, yeah,” my mom said. “Next time, I’ll make a shuffling noise with my feet.”



All three of us howled with laughter.



My dad got home thirty minutes later and my mom asked if Jules wanted to stay for dinner. All five of us squeezed around our little kitchen table and only Maddy complained. There was more room in the dining room but we never ate there. Too stuffy. We preferred homey and overcrowded, I guess.



“Hush your mouth Maddy Gray unless you’re interested in going to bed hungry,” my dad threatened.



Jules ignored it. For some reason she loved Maddy even though she was such a brat to her. We prayed over the meal and dug in. My mom made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and rolls with cinnamon butter.