Chapter 15
,” Sally said as she snapped her fingers in front of her friend's face.
Finally Jacque turned her head to Sally, looking quite spacey and out of it and said, “I’m in trouble.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jen asked her as she sat in the floor painting her toenails. She'd apparently found Jacques nail polish and, as always, helped herself.
“I was just talking to Fane and his voice got all sensual on me and it was like…”
Jacque didn’t know how to finish so Jen offered up, “Phone sex, virtual mind sex, I would say sex on a stick put that really only applies to Dove ice cream bars.”
“Jen, paint your toenails,” Sally ordered.
Jen stuck her tongue out , but obeyed.
“I could so fall hard for this tasty Romanian,” Jacque told them.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Just make sure it’s not a rebound from the whole Trent thing,” Sally told her honestly.
“I hear what you’re saying, Tonto,” Jacque told her with a smile.
“So what’s the plan for the whole date thing?” Jen asked.
Jacque thought about Fane’s cute description of putt-putt. She was actually looking forward to it, she hadn’t been in a long time.
“He’s picking me up at five thirty and taking me to putt-putt. I think it will be interesting to see a Romanian hottie play something he didn’t even know the name for,” Jacque told them.
“He didn’t know what putt-putt was called,” Jen laughed, “that’s awesome.”
“It’s the little things, Jen, the little things,” Sally told her.
Jacque spent the day discussing various scenarios for her evening with Fane. Naturally, all of Jen’s included vivid make out scenes and somehow always ended with their clothes off. She truly was a piece of work. You can’t help but love her, Jacque thought.
At three thirty, Sally and Jen sat Jacque down on the edge of her bed and began pulling various options of outfits to wear. She decided right away that a skirt or sun dress was out because of riding the motorcycle. Finally she was down between a pair of jeans with holes in various places and “Daisy Duke” shorts that looked worn out, only they weren’t because that was how she bought them. She had already decided on a hunter green, spaghetti strap shirt with various sparkly designs on it.
“Just go with the jeans,” Jen said. “They’re sexy in a bad ass kind of way and they'll help keep your skin intact if you're in a motorcycle wreck.” Sally glared at Jen. “What? I’m just saying,” Jen defended.
“Yeah, I think I will go with the jeans. They leave something to the imagination,” Jacque decided.
“Okay, hair up or down?” Sally asked.
“I’m thinking down for the motorcycle ride because of the helmet. It's putt-putt, Sal, no need for a French twist,” Jacque told her. “I’m just gonna wear my green flip flops.” Jacque hated wearing shoes and if they weren’t required she avoided them, just another of her weird quirks.
She took a shower while her two best friends picked out eye shadow for her to wear. When she got back to her room they had Jen’s phone hooked up to her computer speakers and were jamming to Lynard Skynard. Jacque just shook her head at them. She got dressed and then Sally pushed her down into her desk chair and went to work on her unruly hair while Jen started on her eyes. “Man, I’ve got good friends,” Jacque thought to herself, not for the first time.
By the time they were finished with it was five. Sally and Jen looked spun her in a circle to see their finished product. Then they looked at each other, bumped fists, and said at the same time, “Damn, we’re good.”
“I would have to agree, ladies. Ya’ll are fantastic. Thank you both so much,” Jacque told them.
“Oh, hell no. Don’t go getting all sentimental on us. If you mess up the work I did on your eyes I will not hesitate to kick your butt between your shoulders,” Jen said sternly.
“I love you too, Jen,” Jacque said sarcastically.
“Are you nervous?” Sally asked her.
“If I said I wasn’t I'd be lying. But I would also be lying if I didn’t say I was absolutely beyond excited,” Jacque told them.
“Why do you say that?” Jen asked in a rare moment of seriousness.
“I wish I could tell you guys this without ya’ll thinking I’m a total nut, but no matter how I put it, it’s still going to sound crazy,” Jacque admitted.
“Um, Jac, hate to point this out, but two days ago you told us you were hearing a voice in your head,” Sally told her.
Jacque looked thoughtful for a moment. “Point taken,” she agreed.
“Okay, well I don’t know quite how to explain it, but I feel like I belong with him, like I have always belonged with him. Now that I've been close to him it’s like a part of my soul was missing and now I have it back,” Jacque explained.
“That is so romantic,” Sally said dreamily.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Jen said. “Spend time with him, get to know him, and see if he feels the same way.”
Jacque and Sally looked at each other in shock. “Jen, did you just suggest something that didn’t involve wild making out, clothes coming off, and is comparable to the car scene in Titanic?” Sally asked incredulously.
“You didn’t let me finish. Then after you get to know one another, seal the deal with a steamy make out scene on the motorcycle, like in Top Gun. Ahhh, see? There is always a time and place for lip locking, hand roaming, and good ol' fashion clean, or if you’re lucky, not so clean fun,” Jen said with a wink.
“As always, Jen, you did not disappoint,” Jacque told her.
“I aim to please, my dear,” Jen replied, completely undaunted.
Jacque looked at her watch and realized it was twenty after. Okay, she told herself, have fun, don’t worry about all the other crap going on. Jacque took one more look in the mirror and caught a glimpse of her neck and shoulders.
“Oh shite, the markings are showing!” Jacque exclaimed.
“We know,” Sally said.
“Why didn’t you remind me?”
“Because they look as cool as Hades, that’s why,” Jen piped in.
“That statement doesn’t even make sense, Jen. Hell is not cool, geez…”
“Oh, my bad. They look as hot as Hades, that’s why,” Jen interrupted.
Jacque continued, “And what should I say to my mom? ‘Hey mom, going on my date, oh don’t worry about these handy dandy marks, ya know how it is with random, mysterious markings and what not, just popping up when you least expect it'.”
“No, we were going to tell her they were the stick-on ones and that Jen insisted you wear them,” Sally said.
“The idea that I be the one to blame was completely involuntary, I will have you know.” Jen frowned.
“Seeing how thick that one is I doubt she will swallow it, but he is gonna be here…” before Jacque could finish the doorbell rang.
“So I don’t have time to change,” she finished.
“Look, you’re going to be great. Just be yourself,” Sally told her in a motherly voice.
“For goodness sakes, if you wind up not liking him, kiss him anyway for us, okay? Throw us a bone, Jac,” Jen told her.
“And if I like him but I’m not ready to kiss him, what then my little nympho?” Jacque asked her.
“If you like that gorgeous piece of meat out there and you don’t kiss him, I will personally take every bra you own and hang them on all the antennas of the cars on your street. Oh, and I'll write your name on them in black magic marker and hang two on hottie's motorcycle! How you like them apples?” Jen told her.
“Where on earth do you come up with these ideas? Is there like a website called vindictive.com, or cruel-mean-ideas.org?” Sally asked her sarcastically.
“Nope, I think of them all by my little self,” Jen answered.
The girls all turned when they heard a soft knock on Jacque’s bedroom door.
“Come in.” They all three said. Jacque looked at the other two as if to say hello, my room, but they just shrugged.
Jacque’s mom came in the room looking at the girls like they were guilty, and in truth they usually were.
“Fane’s here. He brought a helmet. Did you forget to mention you would be riding a motorcycle?” Lilly asked her.
“No, I just assumed that you knew,” Jacque said.
“Well, I did see him on one but I assumed that he would be borrowing one of the Henrys' cars.”
“Well, you know what they say about assuming,” Jen added.
Both Lilly and Jacque turned their heads to look at Jen, who simply shrugged and said, “I’m…”
“Just saying. Yeah, we know,” Sally finished for her.
Jacque decided to just go ahead and let her mom see the marks so she wouldn’t freak out in front of Fane.
“Mom, what do you think about these fake tattoos that Jen put on me?” Jacque asked, turning around so her mom could get a look at her shoulders and neck.
Jacque heard her mother take in a sharp breath. She turned to look at her and saw her mom had her hand over her mouth and there was fear, major fear in her eyes. Once again she knew her mom knew something that she wasn’t sharing.
“Are you ok, Lilly?” Sally asked Jacque’s mom.
It took a minute for Lilly to get her composure back, but as soon as she did her face went blank.
“Of course. I’m fine, it was just a bit of a shock. They look so real,” her mom told them.
Jacque turned to look at her two best friends. “What are ya’lls' plans? Staying here or going home?” she asked them.
“We’re going back to Jen’s to hang out. If you want to come over after your date and Lilly’s ok with it, that’s fine,” Sally answered.
“That’s fine with me, if you want to,” Lilly told Jacque.
Jacque couldn’t decide what she wanted. Part of her wanted to be with her friends, the other part wanted to be alone so she could talk to Fane. She would see how the night went and decide then.
“I’ll call you guys and let you know if I’m coming. I don’t know what time we are going to be home so I wouldn’t want to come over if it was really late and ya’ll were already in bed,” Jacque told them.
Sally and Jen gave her a ‘yeah, what a load of crap super sized with fries’ look. Jacque just tried to look as oblivious as possible under their scrutiny.
Jacque looked at her mom, expecting her to say something about a curfew but she never did, she just turned to go back downstairs. “I’ll be downstairs with Fane telling him embarrassing stories from your childhood, so you might want to expedite your final preparations,” Lilly told her daughter.
Jacque turned back to her friends. “Look, I’m not going to lie. Part of me wants to stay home tonight so I can talk to Fane, but the other part of me wants to be with my girls,” Jacque told them.
“We’re totally cool with you staying home to get to know him more. There is only one stipulation and that is we get everything in living color detail. No condensing, no paraphrasing, no inconclusions, and no summaries. Every single detail!” Jen told her adamantly.
Jacque laughed at her two friends and gave them both hugs. “Thanks, chicas. You two are the best.”
“Ok, I’m ready. I’ll see you guys later,” Jacque told them.
“Have fun!” Sally and Jen said together.
“Oh look, Sal. Our little girl is growing up. Where did the time go? From teaching her to cut her Barbie doll’s hair, to cutting her own hair, and now sending her off with a hot piece of Romanian meat. I’m getting all choked up.” Jen faked tears.
Sally looked at Jen and shook her head. “You done?”
“Yeah, I’m done. Why you always gotta cramp my style, yo?” Jen asked in her best slang voice.
“’Cause that’s how I roll,” Sally answered.
“Are you two sure you can be left unattended and to your own devices?” Jacque asked them, smiling.
“Go already,” Jen said.
Jacque opened her bedroom door and walked to the top of the stairs. She took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth.
“Luna, I’ve been waiting to see you all day. Are you rethinking going out with me? Because that’s okay, I’ll just go back to the Henrys' and let you be with your friends,” Fane told her through his thoughts.
“NO!” Jacque responded, realizing a little too late that she had just incriminated herself letting him know how much she wanted to see him as well. “I’m on my way down now. Quit being so impatient, it’s not becoming,” Jacque told him.
She felt his confusion when he asked, “Becoming what?”
Jacque couldn’t stop the giggle that came out of her but she regained her composure by the time she was at the last of the stairs.
“Never mind,” she answered as she came around the corner into the living room. Her mom was sitting on the couch and Fane was sitting across from her on the antique, high winged back chair that her mom had inherited from some distant relative. It was a horrible shade of peach but Lilly loved it so the ugly lump stayed in their living room. Somehow, with Fane sitting in it he managed to make it look good. Man, I have it bad, Jacque thought to herself.
Fane must've caught that last thought because he grinned at her knowingly.
He stood up when she entered the room and, without shame, looked her up and down from her toes to her head and back again. Jacque was a tad surprised that he would do this in front of her mother and supposed because of her nerves she could be excused for having a Jen moment.
“Did you get your fill or would you like me to turn around for you too?” Jacque asked.
“Jacque, is that anyway to speak to your date?” Lilly asked, clearly not shocked that Jacque had acted with such attitude.
“Actually,” Fane started, “I would love for you to turn around so that I may admire the new addition to your already beautiful skin.”
Jacque couldn’t help but blush for two reasons: one, he had called her skin beautiful. I mean, come on. Who wouldn’t blush at that, right? And two, the way he commented about the markings seemed very possessive, like they tied her to him in some way and for some weird, messed up reason Jacque liked that. Yeah, she thought, they have a padded cell in the insane asylum just waiting for ya, babe.
Jacque didn’t miss the way her mom responded to Fane noticing the markings – she was glaring daggers at him, as if daring him to make any further comment. Jacque knew that look. It was one of the looks in her mom’s repertoire that meant if you wanted to keep your ass then you better cover it now.
So Jacque did a quick turn around and grabbed Fane by the hand. Oh, he had great hands. I mean, seriously, she thought. Does he have to have great everything? She nearly burst out laughing because she could just imagine the comeback Jen would have for that.
“Alright. We’re going, mom. Love you. Don’t wait up, I’ll wake you up when I get home. Yes, I will wear my helmet; no, I won’t be cold; no, I don’t need any money; yes, I have my house key, and yada yada yada,” Jacque answered before her mom could even ask.
They were out the front door before Lilly could get in a word.
“Was that really necessary?” Fane asked her.
“Did you not see the look my mother was giving you when you asked about these marks on my skin? Which, by the way, I know you know something about and you will be happily divulging said information tonight,” Jacque told him.
Fane acted as if he simply had not heard her and since he had not let go of her hand once they made it outside, simply pulled her along to his motorcycle. He handed her a black and dark pink helmet which, upon closer inspection, had different designs on it. It was actually pretty awesome. She put it on her head, trying not to feel too ridiculous, and waited for his instructions.
Fane looked at her and grinned a breathtaking smile, dimples and all, “You ready, Luna?” he asked her. It felt like he wasn’t just asking her about the motorcycle ride, more like he was giving her a choice, one that she had no plausible outcome for.
“Probably not, but what the hell. What’s life without a little excitement or craziness, ya know? Take your pick,” Jacque answered.