Rocking a Writer (close)

[musicankane]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UYTQ3MEE8LQ/TP2Mjun060I/AAAAAAAADLE/Y-NSI2odATw/s1600/AdamSethCohen4.jpg

Jake had always been in the shadow of his older sister Hailey, and of course he would be. While his sister was outgoing, athletic, talented, smart, funny, the complete and total package basically; Jake was none of those things. Well he didn't think he was. Jake was always a shy kid with shy passions, from reading books, to playing video games, to writing, everything he enjoyed he did alone in his room.

As he grew older Jake began to fall in love with creating a world of his own fantasies. He grew up reading about dragons, wizards, and the like for so long that he found his own little passion in creating his own world. He developed his own rules for magic. He wrote about the history of this world of Artica he created in his mind. Painting the landscape of his dreams onto pages and pages of journals. He even dabbled a bit in drawing, giving himself a more tangible and visual representation of these characters his mind was giving birth too.

Through out high school he developed his world and his talents. None of which really got noticed by his family, who remained enamoured by his sister's very public accomplishments. Their father and mother were both sports stars in high school and college. His father Dan, a quarterback, and his mother Marla, a volleyball super star. They were made for each other, and as a result his sister being a star athlete made her the superstar child.

Jake stayed quiet and stayed alone. Interestingly enough, that was perfectly fine with him as it gave him his own little world of creative freedom.

Yes, Jake and Hailey were very much different.

Jake sat alone in a corner booth as Hailey and her team celebrated yet another victory. Yet another trophy to add to the case in the hallway. Another chance for Hailey to shine brightly over her brother. If Jake had been any other person, he might have been jealous of her. Instead he was happy for her, and happy that nobody noticed him.

While Jake enjoyed writing and drawing and creating this world and these character stories, he was deadly afraid of having to show them to someone. He almost feared being acknowledged for his work, whether it was good or bad. He liked doing what he did, he liked putting words and pictures to his imagination fueled by a childhood of books. But unlike his sister, he feared judgement for what he had created.

Even as he sat in the booth in the pizza parlor, writing into a composition notebook, he keep his arm positioned in such a way that nobody could see what he was writing over his shoulder. Not that anyone would even take notice of him in the cloud of fame that was his sister's great victory.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png

Juno pushed the door open to her new bedroom.

It was a weird little space, something that had once been a lofted attic space built over the den extention her dad had built to his house a few years ago. He had finished it, running electrical into the walls and drywalling. It had never been painted, so you still saw the white smeared putty over the screwholes and the seams between sheets of drywall. It also still had that weird attic shape, with low ceilings that only got lower as they extended to the outer walls, and a long beam running down the center. It really only becoming a full room thanks to a single dormer with a tall window that looked out over the woods behind her dad’s house.

HER house, she reminded herself, stepping into the room, setting down her backpack and her guitar case. He had bought it five years ago when her parents had split and she had moved back to her mother’s home town of Seattle. Her dad was a great guy, but he just wasn’t much of a father. She had only seen him a few times over the years, and their relationship was much more of a friendship than a father/daughter thing. It suited them, though. Still, when her mother’s career as a sculptor really started to take off and she got the opportunity to do spend a year in Paris, studying under one of her idols, Her dad hadn’t hesitated to offer to take Juno in for her senior year. He had already moved up the taped up boxes of her stuff, but she’d probably be sleeping on the sofa in the living room until they got this bitch painted.

Sitting down on the edge of the beat-up old dresser her dad had found for her, she took out her phone, scrolling through until she found a particular number. She had unpacking to do, but all that shit could wait. She hadn’t seen Hailey since they were best friends back in junior high. If she was going to spend the rest of her senior year in this backwater, then she was going to do it with her BFF.

bak in town when are we hanging out

*send*. She watched it a second, the little buttons cycling… and then she got her reply.

fmly at giovannis. Wnt http://pix.iemoji.com/images/emoji/apple/ios-9/33/0280.png?

She grinned, and quickly sent her reply:

http://emoji.fileformat.info/gemoji/metal.png

----------------------------------------

The truck was secondhand, something her dad just kept around. He hadn’t sounded like he was cool with her claiming it, but he had acquiesced in letting her drive it today, and she already knew she’d be able to just keep doing it. She parked it in the lot outside giovanni’s pizza, taking a final drag off her cigarette as she cut the engine and hopped out, tossing her butt to the pavement. She remembered this place: She had gone here with Hailey’s family a zillion times. As she headed into the restaurant, she slowed, checking some of the posters on the bulletin board outside. She’d need to find a band that was looking for a new guitarist.

As soon as she came inside, she threw her hands up in the air, howling. Hailey squealed, covering her face with her hands. She LOVED this girl. They came together in a bear hug, Juno lifting her up in the air. “Oh my GOD! You look so awesome!”

Hailey hopped down, shaking her head. “I look awesome? Look at you! You look like a rockstar!”

Juno grinned broadly. Fucking a right she did. “That’s cause I AM a rockstar!” She said, squeezing her friend’s hand. She turned, and said hello to her parents, both of whom were very polite, if a little shocked-looking at just how much she had changed. Juno was exactly as friendly as she needed to be with them; She already knew how this would play out. Still, she knew how important family was to Hailey, she wasn’t going to do anything to alienate her folks, even if they were clearly going to wind up having a problem with her.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones at the table. Jake was much older, too, and just as much of a bookworm as ever. Even now, he had some sort of binder on the table in front of him, writing away at something.

Juno leaned forward on the table, turning her head so that she was almost on the same level as him. “Long time no see, Jake… What are you working on?”

 

[musicankane]

Jake hadn't paid attention to the girly screaming that had immediately followed Juno's arrival. He remembered her as being pretty nice, but most of the time she was hanging out with his sister and they kept themselves locked away in her bedroom. So while Jake knew her, it was almost in passing.

Though when he bothered to take a brief glance, he couldn’t help but notice the change in her. She had always been kind of....rockerish… but now she was was all in. The long semi-dreads, the punky tight-fitting shirt with the somehow loose-looking bra, the purposefully fucked-up jeans; she looked like the epitome of rocker chick. Oddly enough it suited her, but then, it had ALWAYS really suited her.

Of course, that was only a glance. Once he got an eyeful of her, he was back in his book. Juno was there for Hailey anyway, not him. There was no reason to pay her them too much attention… even if she did look pretty good. They’d just ignore him anyway.

To his surprise, Juno's voice came from right over his head. Her inquiry as to what he was working on came out of left field. Not from her specifically, but really from anyone. Nobody paid him any mind. To have someone suddenly showing even passing interest in him startled him.

He jerked at her question, turning his head up towards her, "Huh...oh nothing. I am just writing some stuff. It's not very interesting." He told her, unconsciously covering his notebook with his arm, always a little embarrassed that someone would read it.

To change the subject off himself and his work, he smiled up at her. She really did look cool. "Good to see you Juno. How was school? You went away to school right? Hailey told my parents but I only heard in passing so I might have that wrong..."

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png

She shrugged, pulling out the chair next to Hailey and opposite Jake.

"Well it's not wrong." She said, grinning at him as she reached for a bread stick. "I mean, I moved, and there was school." She took a bite, tucking her foot up under her in the chair, crashing playfully into Hailey. "So... track star! what's up with that! Tell me how you smoked everybody!"

The long-time best friends gushed over each other for a bit, talking about all of Hailey's success, about Juno's move and her music. Their parents didn't seem too enthused about it... they kept asking how her mother had felt about her playing with her band in clubs around Seattle. She just shrugged... of course it was safe! Of course we never did anything we shouldn't! I could see Hailey struggling to contain a laugh. She could tell when I was bold-faced lying to her parents.

Of course... Jake probably could spot it too, but he had dropped right back into his book. She peeked over his arm, trying to spot just what he was so into. She spotted a few words, 'demon' and 'spell', and was immediately interested... but he had clearly been pretty embarrassed when she had asked about it earlier. Maybe she'd try to ask him about it when they weren't all in a group like this. Still, He seemed awfully left out of the conversation. Instead of specifically asking him about WHAT he was writing, she reached out, playfully tapping the table in front of his book.

"What about you, Jake? You've been writing since before I left, you must have done a whole book by now, huh?"

 

[musicankane]

He was glad that Juno seemed content to go back to catching up with his sister. He was worried about her sneaking glances at his writing and calling him out on it. Once the conversation between the girls started back up, he went back to his writing. Though he found words hard to put to the page as he passively overheard Juno talking about playing in a band around Seattle. Despite himself, he actually thought that shit sounded pretty fucking cool.

He was about to just give up trying to write his way through dinner, as Juno tapped his book and jerked his attention up from the pages. Jake looked around, unable to understand why Juno was showing interest in what he was doing. But she genuinely seemed just interested in including him. It was...a different feeling.

He shrugged and closed his book, tucking it into the bag beside him. He wasn't getting anything done anyway so there was no reason to try and force pen to paper right now. "Well, actually seven novels technically." He said carefully. He chewed his lower lip and tried to think of the best way of putting it. "I've been doing....world building I guess. I have all these ideas that I've been compiling into a timeline of events, and creating characters to put into those events. Legendary heroes of this world and shit you know? It has resulted in this ongoing series I've put together."

Jake suddenly clamped up as he looked at her. He had never spoken so much about what he was doing to anyone before, not even his family. Though, to be fair, he was never asked about it. He had never thought that when asked, his mouth would run like a faucet. Eagerly he seemed to spill information about his story like someone had opened the tap to wide.

He caught himself and blushed as he realized Juno probably wasn't that interested in hearing what he had to say, or what his imagination had conjured forth. She was merely trying to be nice and include him in her glorious return to town.

"I mean, it's still a work in progress so..." He shrugged, looking away.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png

"Well, actually seven novels technically. I've been doing....world building I guess. I have all these ideas that I've been compiling into a timeline of events, and creating characters to put into those events. Legendary heroes of this world and shit you know? It has resulted in this ongoing series I've put together."

Juno raised her eyebrows, resting both her arms on the table as she turned to face him more directly. "SEVEN? That's fucking cool, Jake!" she said, making his mom glower at her for swearing. "Seriously... it takes me three months to write a SONG. you've got to have so much in going on in there..." She turned to face Hailey, her smile broadening. "How awesome is it, is it awesome?"

Hailey didn't really reply. She shrugged, shaking her head a little. "I don't know... it's probably alright." she said, looking up at the waiter as he brought their pizzas.

Juno looked back and forth between them. The shift in Jake's demeanor was pretty pronounced. It was like he had curled in on himself. "I mean, it's still a work in progress so..." he muttered, almost like an apology, as if he was actually embarrassed about it.

"Yea, well, you know what else is a work in progress?" She asked, grabbing up a slice of the pepperoni pizza and a slice of the veggie delight and folding them over each other. "Game of Thrones. and that loser only has FIVE books." She winked at him, and took a heaping bite, chewing vigorously.

Jake's dad asked Hailey a question about her next track meet, and the conversation moved back to her. Juno chimed right in, exclaiming that she was determined to never miss another one of Hailey's meets for the rest of her life. Again, Jake had drawn right back out of the conversation. She squinted at him, trying to figure out if he was severely antisocial or just shy. He had SEEMED genuinely excited to talk about his writing, and rightly so; anything anyone spent that much time working on had to be something they were intensely enthusiastic about. It just seemed impossible that he wouldn't want to share it... but maybe that was just his deal, and he was some sort of weirdo.

Deciding to find out, She scooted her chair over a bit, leaning both of her arms on the table in front of him and resting her chin on her hands, looking up at him conspiratorially. "So you must read a ton of fantasy, to have made so much of your own... are you reading anything cool right now?"

 

[musicankane]

Jake blushed as Juno seemed genuinely interested and seriously impressed by the sheer volume of writing work he had managed to complete. He didn't think that she would have such a reaction, nobody had ever seemed impressed by what he did before. Even when Juno pointed out his accomplishments to his sister, Hailey merely shrugged and muttered something.

That was Jake's life really, a family so impressed with physical feats that they didn't know how to react to Jake and his writing. It was why he was so reluctant to try and share anything with anyone because some part of his mind assumed that everybody would react the way his family did. Unimpressed.

Despite his family's reaction to Juno's response on his work, Juno maintained a positive outlook on it. She gave him encouraging words about Game of Thrones and devoured a slice of pizza. It made Jake smile, it felt good to have someone encouraging and reacting pleasantly to him.

The conversation quickly turned back to his sister, which was expected as nothing Jake did would hold much interested with anyone. Still, for that briefest moment, it had felt good to have Juno's attention and her interest. He never would have guessed that, deep down, he wanted to open up to someone. So used to being alone, his willingness to just talk about what he did so eagerly was simply surprising to him.

He grabbed another piece of pizza and picked at the toppings he didn't like before chowing down into what became a plain cheese slice.

Juno turned to him and leaned forward to rest her face in her hands. Again giving Jake her full attention, and for a moment he realized how attractive she was. Her eyes were piercing, yet soft, creating a stunning effect when she looked at you. He stopped mid chew at her question. Saying he read a lot of fantasy was like saying that porn stars had a lot of sex.

He shrugged, "Well my book shelf probably has..." he paused to mentally count, "two hundred? Maybe not quite two hundred books, but it is pretty close I think." He told her. "Right now I'm reading the final Wheel of Time book, well I am rereading it. I am trying to get a feel for how the best writers bring their long series' to a close. I feel my own writing is on the path to be a long running series and I worry that I might be building too much. I don't want to end up with so much going on that I will never be able to create a satisfying ending. You know like Mass Effect 3?" He explained.

Again Jake was surprised how eager he felt to open up to Juno. Maybe it was those eyes of hers. She looked at him without judgement, without malice, without pity. She only seemed to provide her interest and her kindness, which was something you wouldn't get if you judged her by her overall appearance.

Yet her interest in his writing also made him curious. Jake raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you do a lot of reading? What type of stuff do you like? Vampires? Gothic Horror?" Jake was beginning to develop a weird sense of hope that Juno could be the first person ever to read one of his books. It almost excited him to think that she might read and enjoy his work, though the fear that she would hate it was also there.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png

“Well my book shelf probably has... two hundred? Maybe not quite two hundred books, but it is pretty close I think."

She nodded, turning her head sideways, still resting it on her arms, her hair spreading out along her back, half covering the tattoo across her shoulder blades that was peeking out of the top of her tanktop. “oh, is that all?” she said playfully with an impish grin.

“Right now I'm reading the final Wheel of Time book. Well, rereading it. I’m trying to get a feel for how the best writers bring their long series' to a close. I feel my own writing is on the path to be a long running series and I worry that I might be building too much.”

She sat up again, reaching for another pair of mismatched slices, setting them together on her plate and picking up the red pepper flakes, unscrewing the top and using her spoon to sprinkle them in bulk. “yea, I totally get that. Jordan’s awesome, but he builds the world so much it starts taking everything over. Sanderson writes much tighter, right? Like, Mistborn was less than a thousand pages?” She picked up her pizza, folding it into a taco. “Wheel of Time has got to be, like ‘how to deal with a huge world 101’, right?”

He was clearly excited to have someone talking to him; he was like a different person. His face brightened; he had such clear brown eyes that seemed to dart around while he was thinking, and tiny dimples when he smiled. She grinned as she took a big bite of her folded stack of pizza, regarding him for a second as he continued to talk about his work.

I don't want to end up with so much going on that I will never be able to create a satisfying ending. You know like Mass Effect 3?"

Her eyes widened. She started nodding, eagerly chewing the big bite in her mouth so she could talk, emphasising her enthusiasm by reaching across the table and playfully punching his arm.

“oh my god,” she said, finally done enough with her bite to talk, “yes, exactly. Like yeah, everything is wrapped up, but NONE of the endings actually felt like what you deserved! All I wanted was for shep and tali to get married and live in their house together!” she looked at Hailey wanting to bring her into the conversation, but she had completely tuned out, looking at her phone. What was with them? It’s like the lived in totally different universes...

“Do you do a lot of reading? What type of stuff do you like? Vampires? Gothic Horror?”

“mmm” she said, covering her mouth as she finished her favorite bite. “a little, yea… like… early ann rice, before she found religion and got boring. I’ve been on this big noir kick… like dashiell hammett, raymond chandler. I actually really got into it because I had read a whole bunch of neil stephenson,”she waved her hand in the air as she found her knife and fork, relenting to the fact that she was talking too much to eat normally “neuromancer, and whatever… and someone told me that it all ties back to those old detective novels…”

Jake’s father interrupted her, clearly not comfortable with the dominant conversation being one he didn’t have a handle on. He asked Juno about what her living situation was… it was a pretty obvious attempt to get her talking about something other than books. She looked at him with a little bit of a squint; she had wondered why Jake was so shy about his writing. She had probably just found why. She explained that she was taking the spare unfinished bedroom at her dad’s, and that she’d probably be on the sofa for at least the weekend until they had painted it. Hailey quickly got excited, insisting that Juno sleep over; they hadn't done it since they were kids. She quickly agreed… how cool would it be to have an actual slumber party?

They went back and forth, talking about all the junk food they’d need, and movies they’d have to find. Juno exclaimed that they could even try dying Hailey’s hair, which her mom clearly wasn’t keen on.

Then, Juno’s face lit up. “Oh SHIT… you HAVE to come with me tomorrow night! There’s this band I want to audition for, they’re playing at Stash’s! They’re supposed to be awesome!”

Hailey started to eagerly accept, but her dad put his foot down. Absolutely not, she had a meet sunday morning! There’s no way she’s going galavanting out to a BIKER BAR downtown!

Juno exhaled, rolling her eyes, watching Haliey back down. Biker bar? Maybe, if you count a bunch of old rockers riding sixty thousand dollar midlife crisis mobiles ‘bikers'. It’s not like sons of anarchy out here. She knew the crowds in placed like that, she played there all the time; weekend bikers, tough ladies with teen sons who liked to drink, college kids too hardcore for the sports bar scene. Her people.

She gave a broad, convivial smile to their parents. “yea, you’re totally right…” she said, making big innocent eyes. Then she glanced at Jake with a mischievous sideways grin. “What do you say, Jake, want to come watch a show with me?”

 

[musicankane]

Her knowledge of fantasy novels and stories took him by surprise. A surprise that filled him with excitement as he finally had someone he could talk to about this kind of stuff. He felt that surge of excitement fill his stomach, hearing her talk about Jordan's excessive world building and Anne Rice's conversion to religious themes. It thrilled him, because he never met someone who went out of their way to try and talk to him. Not only that, but to have at least moderate levels of knowledge of what he was talking about.

Juno seemed versed and well read in the aspect of fictional books. Hope filled Jake as he realized that she might actually take the time to read his work. The idea of finally getting a second pair of eyes upon writings that he had spent thousands of hours putting together....well that was the whole point wasn't it? If only his family had given a shit, they would have read it years ago. But Juno, she would be just as good.

If he was perfectly honest about it, Juno's reading pedigree just made her even sexier in his mind. Though he dared not say that out loud.

It only got better as her face lit up upon the mention of Mass Effect 3. A gamer too!? Come on? Jake had to be dreaming, there was no way this girl was real. She read, she gamed, she rocked, and she was hot? Jake felt like he was talking to a fucking unicorn all of a sudden. A mythical creature that wasn't supposed to exist, yet there she was, combining pizza slices.

Sadly Jake's father put an end to their talks, stealing the conversation from Jake and turning onto Juno and her return. Which then of course led to the talks of Hailey going to watch Juno's band play. Which then led to the idea of a slumber party. Jake's ears actually perked up at that, not only as a silly idea of two grown ass girls spending the night together like they were twelve again, but also the idea that Juno would be at his house all night. Maybe he could get her to come to his room after everyone went to bed....too talk about books or games of course...nothing naughty.

He would love to get her eyes upon his first book, to see what someone else thought of it. The idea excited and scared him all at once. Though, if he never worked up the courage to have someone else read his work then his work was all pointless wasn't it?

Juno seemed like the best person to be his first. Reader that is. Not the naughty thing. Though he blushed anyway.

Hailey seemed excite to go out on an adventure with Juno tomorrow, but like many things Hailey tried to do her father shut it down. Which Hailey nodded with a defeated-like obedience. Juno then glanced sideways at Jake and invited him. Which brightened him up further. Nobody invited him anywhere, and it was cool for Juno to have thought of him like that.

Jake smirked, "Well, I don't have a meet so, yeah!"

His father rolled his eyes. "He doesn't have anything." To which he glanced at Juno. "Maybe you can get this kid interested in something other than his bedroom."

Hailey gave a noticeably jealous look to her brother, in which Jake just shrugged. He felt for Hailey and the iron-clad rules she suffered with. It was the price she paid for all of their parents love and adoration. Jake's price for his freedom was the feeling that his family could care less about him. Sure his parents wanted him to stay alive, and were willing to keep taking care of him until his finished college, but for the most part they were more than happy to ignore him.

Pros and cons really.

Jake looked at Hailey and Juno. "So Juno, are you staying over tonight or?" He tried very hard not to sound to hopeful for that. "Cause I mean...maybe you'd wanna come read something of mine."

"Nobody cares about your dragon stories Jake. Leave the girls alone." His father breathed.

Jake nodded and hung his head. "Great okay." He grabbed his stuff and pushed away from the table. "I, uh, yeah I think I'll walk home. Work off the pizza, or whatever." He smiled weakly and waved. None of his family tried to stop him and the pizza place wasn't far from the house only a couple of miles. It would be less than a two hour walk.

He sighed and walked out the door. Pros and cons he thought to himself.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png

Oh lord, the look on Jake’s face when she invited him to go to the show with him.

He was younger than Hailey, but not by much. If Juno remembered right, he was only a year behind them in school. When he was face down in his book and looked sullen and withdrawn he had looked like a shy teenager. But now? His face was brightening. His eyes were alert and dancing, like he was too excited to look at just one thing. And his SMILE. Those little dimples deepened, and it just got broader and lighter. He looked like an excited puppy… and it looked good on him. Juno raised her eyebrow, momentarily forgetting her tiny rebellion against Hailey’s parents. Jake was actually pretty cute.

"Well, I don't have a meet so, yeah!" He said, and She smiled right back at him. She LIKED Jake, she decided. He was a sweet kid that didn’t have any outlets for all his ideas. She’d have to read some of his stuff...

Hailey’s father spoke up, nodding at Juno. "He doesn't have anything. Maybe you can get this kid interested in something other than his bedroom."

She turned head head to look at the guy. Ahhh… what? She watched how both Jake and Hailey seemed to react to what he had said. Juno glanced at their mother, but she seemed suddenly intent on her salad. Juno cleared her throat, decided to just talk over the bullshit family awkwardness. “Awesome, I can pick you up tomorrow. I have to spend most of tomorrow painting, but I figure I can grab you around five.” She looked at their dad, talking right to him. She wasn’t about to flip the table over and flip him off because he was Hailey’s dad and she loved Hailey… but seriously. “They’re supposed to be sick...” she said as she folded her arms and leaned on the table facing him, caring less about acting proper in front of him, “Like, the Sex Pistols meet Fleshgod Apocalypse.” She actually hated that thing where people tried to communicate what bands sounding like by combining other bands. If you’re talking to a lead singer over email and you need to somehow convey what sort of sound you’re trying to make, then listing the stuff you like is a convenient shorthand. If you’re not IN the band, though, you’re basically diminishing them to their component parts.

In this case, though, she just wanted to say a bunch of stuff to freak them out.

It actually seemed to jazz up Jake a little bit. In fact, rather than needing her to lean into his field of vision to get him talking, he actually spoke up on his own. She had to stifle a giggle. His enthusiasm was charming as fuck. "So Juno, are you staying over tonight... or?"

She looked over at Hailey, who nodded, smiling herself. Sure, tonight would be awesome, she said.

Jake was picking his words pretty carefully, more than a little nervouse to let hos own excitement show. "Cause I mean...maybe you'd wanna come read something of mine."

Oh lord. He was such a puppy!

She shrugged, nodding as she lifted one of her legs up to the chair, clutching around her knee with both hands. Her bare knee peeked through the tear in her jeans, the very tip of the tattoo on her thigh peeking through. Of course she would, she thought… but this was a pretty big deal for him, she should make sure she had enough time to focus on it...

"Nobody cares about your dragon stories Jake. Leave the girls alone."

The table was silent. Juno turned her head, staring at the guy. What the FUCK. Jake was already reacting. Getting up and leaving. Fucking leaving the RESTAURANT. His dad just sat there, like this was totally normal. Juno looked at Hailey and her mom, but they just let it happen.

Oh FUCK THAT, she thought. Fuck this, and fuck him. She lowered her leg, getting ready to tell this guy exactly what a piece of shit he was for talking to his own kid like that… but then Hailey looked at her. She was mortified… embarassed that Juno was seeing her family like this, and terrified that Juno wouldn’t want to be friends anymore because of it.

Aw… Hailey... Juno couldn’t say anything to Hailey’s dad that would drive them away, because that would drive HER away. She wanted to hang out with her, to go to her meets. They were best friends.

She tood a deep breath, and smiled, leaning in to bump against Hailey playfully. “You know what? If we’re having a sleepover, I need to go open some boxes! I’m going to need my jammies! I’ll go pick up all the junk food, ok?”

Hailey’s face relaxed… relieved. Juno spun around and hopped out of her chair, going around behind her friend and wrapping her arms around her shoulders, giving her a huge best friend squeeze, leaning in and giving her a big kiss on the cheek. Hailey squealed, hugging her back. She went around the table, meeting their mom, who stood up to hug her. “Joyce, it’s SO good to see you again! Thank you SO much for having me to your family pizza party, I just love you guys so much!”

She then looked at her dad, and gave a half smile, holding out her hand. He looked up at her, his expression a little uncertain, but he took her hand, and she gave him a formal handshake.

She messed up Hailey’s hair as she went back outside. Jake had moved pretty quick. She got to her truck and started it, headed pretty far down the road before she found him. She slowed down, leaned over, and swung the door open. “So, you’re dad’s kind of an asshole, huh?” She said, reaching between the seats to find her cigarettes, setting one in her lips and pulling it out. “You really got your mind on walking the whole way home or do you want to hang out a little more?”

 

[musicankane]

Jake was upset, but not really THAT upset. This was pretty much normal for how his family treated him. Well at least his father David. Joyce, well, she kind of secretly encouraged Jake, never being outspoken about it lest her husband caused a storm. Yet she would buy Jake pencils and notebooks regularly to make sure he never ran out. On his birthday she got him a drawing table so that he would have a good place to do his sketches. It was nice that he knew she supported him in whatever quiet ways that she could.

However it would be nice if she would stick up for him once in a while too.

Oh well. Jake dismissed it because he was used to it and it didn't really matter in the long run. His father didn't approve and there wasn't a whole lot he could do to make Dad suddenly fall in love with what his son did. It was almost like Jake was gay and his father hated him for it. Though that was probably a little extreme. His father didn't hate him, he hating his hobbies and his motivations.

Jake wondered if that might be worse.

Walking didn't bother him though. The day was pleasant and he had his fill of pizza, so he had the energy to burn. Plus as he walked he often let his mind wander. Many of the best scenes in his stories where story-boarded during walks. Jake rather enjoyed it, the fresh air let the mind roam free. He often got lost in thought when he went for walks. Sometimes he would walk right by people he knew, or even his own house due to being so wrapped up in the story developing in his mind.

He didn't even notice Juno pulling beside him in her truck until she called to him and opened the passenger side door. Jake stopped and glanced towards her. It was like she suddenly appeared beside him, so lost in his own head. She dug into the mid section of the seats and pulled out a cigarette making a comment about his Dad.

Jake shrugged, and moved toward the open truck door. "Yeah, basically. I mean...he really likes what Hailey does. I think he sees her like the son that I am not. It's like he wishes our roles were reversed and she was the bookworm while I was the mighty manly man of manliness." He told her.

A slow smile crept on his face as she offered him a ride, or to "hang out" rather. "I don't know Juno, it's a beautiful evening." He teased, before climbing into the truck, dropping his bag between his legs. "Then again, I haven't seen you in forever right? I figure we are owed some hand out time." He buckled up and looked at her. "Promise me one thing though. Don't let me be a bad influence on you. I'm a real trouble maker and I wouldn't wanna see you get caught up in all my shenanigans."

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png
She had thought that Jake would be sullen and hurt, but he didn’t look like that at all. She had imagined him as being a victim of his father’s dumbfuckery, but he actually seemed totally fine.

"I don't know Juno, it's a beautiful evening."

She laughed as he climbed into her truck. He hadn’t been sulking away at all. Getting up and walking out of the restaurant had been his own way of telling his father off… a silent little ‘fuck you’. She lit her cigarette as she looked him over, pulling on his seatbelt. He was looking cooler to her all the time… walking out had actually been pretty punk rock.

"Promise me one thing though. Don't let me be a bad influence on you. I'm a real trouble-maker and I wouldn't wanna see you get caught up in all my shenanigans."

She rolled her eyes, laughing as she lit her cigarette and dropped the lighter into the door pocket before starting down the road again. Once she had caught up with traffic, she reached out to the CD player with the hand holding her cigarette, turning down the music. “You know I love Hailey, and I get that she needs to be focused on practicing to win, but it blows that she has to take that from him.” She said, exhaling a small cloud of smoke. “But I don’t know if I’d rather have him talking to me like he talked to you. That sucked.” She waved her hand in the air. “But whatever, done with him. I’m going to head out and buy the junkfood for my sleepover with your sister, do you want to come? Or do you just want me to drop you off?”

 

[musicankane]

Jake eyed the stereo as Juno turned it down, the heavy guitar riff that had been coming from her speakers actually intrigued him but he didn't say anything about turning the music back up. He was a fan of heavy rock music, often he wrote while listening to symphonic hard rock bands to get him in the mood. It worked exceptionally well when he needed to writer a battle scene or something like that. The epic sound of the music helped him picture the epic scale of the battle he was piecing together.

The brief snippet of Juno's music had caught his attention and he made a mental note to ask her about it later. Jake turned to her as she explained her feelings about the way his father treated him and his sister, brushing it aside with a shrug. There wasn't a whole lot that could be done about it, except get a job and move out or whatever. That was a work in progress for Jake, he hoped that he could get his book published and make enough off his writings to live on his own. That would be the dream.

Juno explained her plan before the slumber party and offered Jake a chance to join her. He smirked at her, "You know damn well I don't have anything better to do. Besides, you don't know what kind of Twinkee's to get." He teased her. He glanced out the window for a moment, watching the town pass by as Juno drove.

"Hey Juno?" He asked, "Are you really a reader? Or did you just say that stuff so that I wouldn't feel left out?" He looked down at his hands and shook his head, "I mean, it's cool if you're not. I appreciate that you tried to include me." He chewed his lip. "Though if you are interested, I think it would be cool if you read one of my books. I probably need to get another pair of eyes on it, and nobody at my house is going to do that so..." He shrugged.

He glanced out the window and said, "Forget it. Hey what was that band you were listening too, they sounded pretty sweet."

The more Jake had thought about it, the more he wanted someone to read his stuff. Though he feared that Juno might have been faking interest back at the pizza place just to bring Jake into conversation. His mind over thought things a lot of times. And as he sat there in her truck he realized something stupid. If she had been pretending, there was no reason for her to come find him after he had left. She couldn't be faking it, or she wouldn't have come looking for him, nor would she had continued to invite him along for stuff.

Of course this realization only made him feel stupid for even bringing it up.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png
"Hey Juno? Are you really a reader? Or did you just say that stuff so that I wouldn't feel left out?"

She looked at him, raising a single eyebrow. “You know people read, right? Like, I get that your dad thinks he’s Johnny from the Kobra Kai or something, but it’s not 1983 anymore. Being a nerd IS cool.”

He looked down at his hands, a little unconvinced. If you are interested, I think it would be cool if you read one of my books. I probably need to get another pair of eyes on it, and nobody at my house is going to do that so..." She started to say yes, but he was already brushing off his own question. MAN this kid was repressed. Hey what was that band you were listening too, they sounded pretty sweet."

She looked at him. He really had just completely pushed past his own question as if he had never asked it. She took another drag before she reached down and turned the music back up again. “Oh… it’s the Pretty Reckless. You’ve heard of them, right? They’ve been around for a bit… I didn’t have a lot of CD’s, and this thing doesn’t have bluetooth.” She grinned at him, excited to name a fun fact about a band she liked. “Remember Cindy Lou Who from the Jim Carey Grinch movie? She’s the lead singer.”

They listened for a minute, before she looked at him again. “So are you ever going to actually ask me to read any of your stuff, or are you going to keep asking and then backing down again before you finish? Because it’s cute, but it’s going to get old pretty quick, and I actually want to read it.”

She laughed out loud at his reply, turning the wheel as they approached the local save-mart.

“Okay, mister writer… we need to make a list. You have a pen on you?” She said as said as she parked the car, throwing the butt of her cigarette out the window before turning in her seat to face him, pulling her leg up to her chest. “We’re going to need four bottles of Shasta, a bottle of wine, pizza bites, nutella, nutter butters, doritos, m&ms, silly string, blue hair dye, four pints of ben & jerry’s, marshmallows, butter and some cereal… I’m thinking cocoa pebbles and froot loops… and DVD’s. We should see if they have Moulin Rouge, Goonies or Halloween.”

She reached behind her, and unlatched the door, slipping backward and onto her feet. “Got it?”

 

[musicankane]

Jake listened to the music that now blared through the car, not overly loudly, but enough to enjoy. It was pretty sweet, the guitar riffs had impact and power behind them which Jake really liked. Though it was lest orchestrated than he normally enjoyed, he could take a liking to the band though. His ears perked and turned to Juno in surprise at her mention of little Cindy Who from the Grinch. It was actually really funny that the child actor would turn around and become a heavy metal singer.

He smiled at that. Then Juno asked if she was going to get to read his stuff and Jake jerked. She had paid attention to his question after all. He was hoping to sweep it under the rug. Not that he didn't want her to read it, because he did, but he was so scared to ask. Yet Juno asked herself, and that alone should prove her interest had been genuine.

Jake nodded, "Yeah...Sorry I don't mean to be shy about it. I'm just a little nervous to finally have a person who is into the same kind of thing. I will admit, I don't really know how to react to it." He smiled at her, "Totally though. If you are down, you can read it anytime. I can even show you some of my drawings for the characters to help you get a mental picture of what I'm doing."

They pulled into the Save-Mart parking lot and Jake jerked open his bag when she asked. He pulled out a notebook and a pen, flipping quickly to a blank page. Juno rattled off her list and Jake found himself dismayed at the list.

He looked at her in shock, "Are you having a slumber party, or trying to infuse Hailey with Diabetes?" He shook his head, "This is totally wrong. Look everybody knows that Captain Crunch is the best go to cereal. Jesus Juno, you should know that." He told her with a smirk, tearing the page out of the book and climbing out of the truck.

Jake met her on the other side of the truck as they headed toward the store, "Hey can I swap the Nutter Butters for Oreos? Hailey has developed a thing about peanut butter flavored things. I don't know what her problem is, but she wont touch fake peanut butter anymore." Jake explained.

He knew that Juno was and has been Hailey's best friend for a long time, but they had been apart for a little over a year now and Hailey changed a few things. Well she had been forced to change a few things. When Juno left, back then, Hailey was forced into her athletics even harder. It got to the point where diet became a big deal. The celebration at the pizza parlor tonight was merely a reward, and a cheat day. Juno couldn't know that yet, but as Jake looked at the list he worried that Juno might feel rejected by Hailey's refusal to eat a lot of what was here. Though she certainly would dabble, there was likely to be a lot of leftovers. That is, unless, Juno could put away a lot more food than it looked like she could.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png
"This is totally wrong."

She turned, standing outside the open door to her truck, looking across the cab at him. "Oh yea?"


"Look everybody knows that Captain Crunch is the best go to cereal. Jesus Juno, you should know that." He said with a smirk.

She pursed her lips, stifling a laugh, giving him a look of mock seriousness. She leaned forward over the driver's seat, her backside sticking up behind her, leaning on her arms making her cleavage stand out as she looked up at him. "Not for krispy squares, smarty pants. Besides, golden grahams are the best cereal. everyone knows that." She reached out an extended finger and poked him in his side. "But I tell you what, when you and I have a sleepover together, you'll get to pick out everything we put in our mouths. Deal?"

She hopped up, and closed the door, sliding her hands into her back pockets as she walked around to the front of her truck to meet him. He actually felt pretty solid, she thought to herself. All that walking must have him in pretty good shape.

"Hey, can I swap the Nutter Butters for Oreos?" He said as he came around the truck.

She laughed out loud as that, and punched him in the arm. "God, you don't quit, do you?"

"Hailey has developed a thing about peanut butter flavored things. I don't know what her problem is, but she wont touch fake peanut butter anymore."

She rolled her eyes. "FINE. We can grab oreos. But we're still getting nutter butters! those are my favorite!"

She grabbed a cart, and ran with it, hopping up on the crossbar and riding it toward the entrance. Inside, she started in the beauty supply aisle, hunting for the right hair-dye brand. It had been years since she and Hailey had hung out, but they talked online all the time, and she knew her best friend needed an outlet for a little rebellion.... this would be perfect. She found a nice neon blue, something that would totally make her friend's short hair explode and scream "I'M A ROCKSTAR!" She also bought a purple dye.. she wasn't planning on doing all of her hair, but a streak or two was always fun.

They found almost everything they were looking for, although they were out of nutella. Jake continued to be is particular combination of weird, shy, and then suddenly witty and remarkably sarcastic. She really liked hanging out with him. He was going to be a fun date to the concert tomorrow.

Well... date? She shrugged to herself. Sure, why not? He was cute. She could totally see herself going on a date with him... even if his family had him convinced he was a loser. Maybe he just needed someone to shake him up a bit.

They loaded up her truck with bags, and they pulled out again... driving him back to his parent's place. As he started to get his stuff together, she leaned against the steering wheel, smiling at him. "Hey... don't tell them I drove you home, ok? Let's let them them think you walked the whole way. Don't want to interfere with your 'fuck you' moment."

 

[musicankane]

Shopping with Juno turned out to be way more fun than Jake could have ever guessed. She was such a cool person to hang out with, mostly because she didn't look at him with any kind of judging glares or side-glances. When she spoke to him, she looked directly at him, and it made him feel valued. Jake found some of the shyness and tension that always seemed to weigh upon his shoulders fade away while around her. He was even telling jokes and messing around with her, something he wouldn't even think to do with his family.

It was a nice feeling.

They managed to gather all the items required from Juno's list, plus a few extra last minute additions. Juno checked out with the cashier and Jake found his gaze lingering on Juno's backside checking her out. The image of how she had leaned towards him in the truck, pressed her breasts up and together in a way that gave him a clear and obvious cleavage view. It was a pleasant image to have, Jake found Juno not only cool, but also very hot. She had that rebellious look about her that did something for him.

He jerked his eyes away as she turned from the check out counter and they pushed the cart out to the truck. Jake felt the alone time he had with Juno rapidly ticking away as they pulled up to his house. He knew that once Juno was over to hang with Hailey, that would be it for him. At least until the concert tomorrow.

He wondered what he would wear. The idea of dressing up seemed stupid because they were going to a rock show. But he also didn't want to go out with her looking like a shmuck. He would have to put more thought into it before tomorrow rolled around.

Juno warned him not to tell anyone about her giving him a ride. She didn't want to interfere with his "fuck you" moment, and that idea made him smile. Jake slipped out of the car smiling at her, "I doubt anyone would care either way. But...this was pretty fun, I mean as far as grocery shopping can be. I had a good time Juno. Thanks for the ride." He winked at her and shut the door to head back into the house.

Why the fuck did he just wink? Was that the cheesiest thing he could have done right then? Ugh, why was being cool so fucking hard? He sighed and shook his head to himself as he pushed into the house and headed upstairs before anyone could give him any shit.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png
She drove home, smoking another cigarette, thinking about Jake. First of all, she though, he IS cute. He's not some sort of adonis or anything, but he didn't NEED to be. He had a sort of naive intensity to him, which had the potential to be likable, but it was also a little irritating. It really just came down to how he was feeling. He was so used to being in his own head that he just didn't quite know what to do when he was out of it... sometimes he was downright charming. But he could also be an absolute goofball. Maybe, she reasoned as she pulled into her dad's driveway, parking the truck next to his car, what he needed was someone to yank him out of his shell. She closed her car door, tossing the but of her cigarette into the road, hopping up to the front door and opening it with her key. It might just be fun to be the one to do it.

Her dad was in the living room, playing Playstation. She came over to him, and leaned down, pulling his headset off his ear. "Hey Scott!" she said, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

He grinned, pausing his game and pulling off his headset. "Hey June... how was Hailey's family?"

She shrugged, picking up one of the can of sprite sitting on the coffee table, cracking it open and dropping into one of the chairs, and kicking up her boots on the table. "They're fine... her dad is kind of a dick, though. He's a total asshole to Jake."

Her dad tilted his head, reaching for the open can of sprite sitting on the table, taking it with him as he leaned back in his own chair. "Jake... do I know Jake?"

She nodded in the middle of sipping from her can. "mmm... yea, don't you? Hailey's little brother?"

"Oh, right. huh. I didn't know that." He said, taking a drink of his own. They were silent for a long time, both silently sipping at their beverage. Juno looked at him, and saw how he seemed to be struggling for something to say. Finally, she felt herself starting to smirk. Her dad grinned, and she started to laugh openly. "It's not funny!" He protested, ripping the tab off his can and throwing it at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, still laughing, "but you're SO bad at this!"

Soon they were both cracking up. Scott was a great friend, but he was just a terrible father. He had no idea how to talk to her like some sort of authority figure, or how to give advice. Still, even though he was more of and old guy she was hanging out with than any sort of father figure, he was a genuinely nice guy. She was lucky to have him.

She downed the last of her sprite, and hopped to her feet, setting it next to the two empty cans already on the coffee table. "I'm going to spend the night at her place. I just came by to pick up my toothbrush and shit."

He nodded, sitting up and lifting his headset again. "Cool. I'm painting your room tomorrow, you'll be here?" he asked as he held his hand up in the air.

"Yep." she said, high-fiving him as she headed back toward the stairs. She went up to the second floor and turned toward what had been attic space over the den where her new room sat waiting for her. She found her suitcase, and dug out a change of clothes for the morning. She dropped it into a backpack, and then went into the bathroom, gathering up a few essentials. She went downstairs again, waving to Scott, and then went back out to her truck, and headed back to Hailey's place.

They were finally home, and she quickly found herself following the same old routines. Hailey's room was largely the same way she remembered it, just less stuffed animals and more posters and trophy's. She insisted that they start with her hair, quickly making a mess of the bathroom that she shared with Jake... within a few hours her hair was bright, florescent blue. She was absolutely ecstatic... and the mortified reaction of her parents made it even better. Hailey was SUCH a sweetheart, and she really was an amazing runner. If the push her parents were giving her was what it took for her to succeed, then it was probably worth it. but Juno just couldn't ever be cool with anyone bullying anyone. It's why god built us with middle fingers. Once Hailey's blue hair was done, and Juno had a stark shock of purple working into her jet black hair, they set to the serious business of fucking off. They made the cereal squares Juno had planned, and ate them with Shasta while they watched the scariest movies they could find... they used to watch horror movies together all the time when they were kids, but Hailey hadn't seen one since they had parted ways, and she was gloriously terrified. They talked about guys... Hailey had lost her virginity a year ago to a guy on another school's track team during all states... they weren't dating exactly, but they had gone out a few times... and evidently the last time they had actually parked, and slept together for the second time... she had even sucked his dick. Juno privately thought that Hailey's inexperience was adorable, but she didn't say anything, she just grinned and checked his Facebook page. She kind of glossed over her own experience... She had done a few things with 'a boyfriend' from her old band.

Once they started drinking their wine, Hailey wasn't long for it. She just wasn't used to staying up for the sole purpose of doing nothing. by 2 AM, she had completely passed out.

Juno, for her part, was actually a little hungry. She hadn't actually had any real food all night since the pizza, so she decided to head downstairs. Still in what was basically her pajamas; a tank top her Star Wars underwear, and socks, , she slipped out of Hailey's room. The halls were dark, and she didn't want to wake anybody, so she crept down, and opened the fridge, finding the bag of pizzabites she had bought. she dumped a big pile of them on a plate, and put it in the microwave, leaning against the counter, watching them turn, gently rocking her hips back and forth to an imagined tune in her head.

 

[musicankane]

Jake was up in his room within seconds of walking through the front door. Juno filled his mind, the girl that seemed to be so likeable and somehow into the same nerdy shit that he was. It didn't make sense that she could be so cool, and yet have the same interests. He wondered for a moment just how locked away he had kept himself because of his family. Maybe his stuff was cool, maybe his writing was good, and maybe more people would totally be into him if he just went outside more often.

That was neither here nor there. Something important was happening tonight. His online gaming clan was about to fight the biggest, baddest, hardest, most epicest boss they had ever faced. Chromagus the Arch Dragon! A boss that only the most hardcore groups had even a chance at defeating. Rumors around the internet said that just a successful fight against the boss would take four hours, the ultimate endurance test for an online gamer.

Tonight Jake would be fighting that dragon.

But first some prep. He sat at his computer and logged into the game and the Teamspeak server for his group. Sitting alone in a channel was Braxis, the main tank and probably the coolest guy Jake knew. Jake popped into the channel and said hello.

"Hey Gromkar." Braxis replied, greeting Jake by his character's name.

"So I had an interesting day." Jake informed his friend.

"Really? You didn't loot the Chains of Woe did you?" Braxis referred to an item Jake had been farming for months, a legendary belt that would give the entire raid a huge buff. Sadly the item had a .01% drop rate off very hard mobs to kill. It was a typical MMO-grind item. Jake hadn't had any luck as of yet.

But Jake grinned, "Better. I hung out with a girl today."

The smile clearly went through the headset because Braxis chuckled, "You went outside? Hold on a second, I need to go check and see if hell has frozen over yet."

"Well she kinda came to me. An old friend of my sisters is back in town, and I totally got to hang out with her." Jake said.

"She hot?"

"Oh dude. Smoking! And get this....she likes a lot of the same stuff! Like books and she wants to read my novels!"

"So she's hot, AND into fantasy stuff?"Braxis snorted. "She can't possibly be hot then."

"I swear."

"Well then, good for you man. Not gonna lie, some of the people in the guild were worried about your persistence of avoiding real life social gatherings. Kinda figures it only takes a nice set of tits to get you outside. Turns out you're human after all."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Okay don't have to be a dick about it. I'm not that shut in."

"Yeah right. Anyway you ready for tonight?"

An hour later the guild was at the dragon's lair and the fun began. It was a long and hard battle and the group died over and over again on many failed attempts. Through his headset Jake could hear his sister and Juno watching scary movies and squealing with random noises periodically. It was the most fun Jake had heard his sister having for a while now.

HE was glad for her. It seemed that Juno's return was a good thing for both of them. The girl had a way of just clicking with people it seemed. She actually made Jake want to get out, hell he was even looking forward to seeing that random band with her tomorrow night. Hailey hadn't smiled like she did when Juno walked into the pizza place in over a year.

Jake smiled and nodded to himself. Juno was great.

Hours later the raid finally gave up. They could not defeat the dragon. At best they got him down to half his life, which alone took two hours in a single try. Jake groaned and pushed away from the computer as everyone signed off for the night. It was two in the morning, and the adrenaline from the raid would keep Jake up for another hour or two at least. Perfect time to do some writing and ease himself into bed.

But first. A snack.

Everyone would be in bed so Jake wasn't timid or shy about popping down to the kitchen. Though he skidded to a halt as he didn't expect to see Juno bobbing her head to some song she was humming while the microwave blasted her pizza with light. His eyes trailed over her slim frame, lingering on the perky little ass that faced him covered only by a Star Wars theme.

Jake smirked and said, "Ah the force is strong with this one." He teased, pushing past her to open the fridge for his own serving of the leftover pizza. "What are you doing down here alone? Did Hailey fall asleep early on you?" He asked.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png

"Ah the force is strong with this one."

She turned her head, looking behind her. Jake was up. She reached up, running a hand through her hair. "Wh..what are you talking about?" she asked... she knew he was a nerd, but it still seemed odd for him to be randomly quoting star wars. She looked behind her, seeing where he was looking, and rolled her eyes. of COURSE. But, if she was honest, she kind of liked having him notice her. she turned, leaning back on the counter on her elbows. the tattoos on her hips highlighting the contours of her body. "Careful with that, your nerd is showing."

"What are you doing down here alone?" He asked, going into the fridge. "Did Hailey fall asleep early on you?"

She nodded, standing upright and leaning over the top of the fridge door. "Mm hm. our little Hailey is a delicate flower...." she lifted herself up again as he closed the door, his mission accomplished. "her hair looks fucking rad, though. Your mom hated it." she reached up, touching the new purple streak in her own hair. "You like?"

The microwave dinged, and she turned, pressing the button to open it, wiggling her butt happily, the tiny bow tattoos on the backs of her thighs drawing attention to her legs. She pulled out her plate of pizza bites, resting them on the counter to breathe. She looked back at Jake, folding her arms with a shrug. "Are you up for a while? do you want to show me your stuff?"

 

[musicankane]

Jake smirked at her response. "You are worried about my nerd showing and yet you wear Star Wars underwear. Hi Pot, I'm Kettle nice to meet you." He teased.

As Jake appreciated Juno's body as discreetly as he could, there was something about her that kept crossing his mind. Juno was extremely comfortable in her own skin. She was the kind of girl that knew who and what she was which served to give her a sense of confidence and freedom that he hadn't seen in many people before. Juno was barely wearing anything that could be called clothing, and yet she didn't seem shy or nervous about Jake's eye upon her.

Hell with the way she bounced and leaned onto the counter, Jake would have thought that she was actually trying to get his eyes to roam over her.

She nodded and called Hailey a little flower, which brought a snort from him. His gaze went to her hair and she point out the new coloring. His eyes brightened, "Oh so that was the giggling I heard so much, you were giving Hailey a new look. That should be interesting. Purple suits you." He told her with a smile.

He watched her excitedly wiggle her butt as the microwave ticked away the final seconds of her food. Jake stepped in to take over the machine once Juno's food was cooling on the counter.

He glanced at her asking about his writing. "You...really wanna read it?" He smiled slowly. "Yeah! I'm up, totally. You can come to my room and I'll let you read whatever you want." He said, with a bit of excitement.

Jake pulled his slice out of the microwave early and gestured up the stairs. "Come on!" He urged, leading Juno up to his room.

His heart hammered in his chest heavily, he was tense with eagerness to finally get her to read something. He tossed his slice onto his desk, then opened a drawer to find the right binder to give her. Everything he deemed "complete" he had printed and put into three ring binders for somewhat easy reading and reference. As much as he want Juno to see the cool shit he came up with later in the Saga of Arlice, which was what he called his series, he didn't want her to be lost.

So with a deep breath he pulled out the first binder and turned toward her. "Okay, this is book one. Obviously I don't expect you to read it all, but here." He held the binder out toward her with the 490 page manuscript inside. "I hope you enjoy." He said biting on his lower lip.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png

She hadn’t been sure exactly what she had been expecting when she followed him into his bedroom, but the second the door opened, she immediately knew it really couldn’t have looked any other way. The walls were actually a dark wood paneling, but you could barely tell. He had shelves everywhere, stacked with books and books and books and books and books and books and books. He had heavy curtains over the windows, so she doubted it ever got too bright in here even in the daytime; for now it was actually lit by a string of christmas lights that ran along the opposite wall. His single bed was nestled away in a corner, his sheets thrown aside and disheveled. She didn’t think she’d EVER seen a guy that made his own bed. His computer table sat butted right up against his bed, an older wooden desk with thick drawers. He had been playing some sort of MMO she was unfamiliar with, his gaming chair and keyboard pulled forward on the table.

She stepped in, looking around, discovering that there was more than just books on his shelves. He had an expensive-looking sword hanging on the wall above a drawing table that was lit by a swinging table lamp, a large piece of paper pinned to it. She walked forward, looking at his art, and nodded appreciatively. It wasn’t bad at all. His closets had sliding slatboard doors that were open and looked like they always were, but his clothes were actually hanging up. The room was actually clear of any piles of laundry or that persistent laundry stank so common to teenage boys rooms, but she already knew that had less to do with him and more to to do with… she turned, and saw what she was looking for. He had a laundry shoot in his room just like Hailey did. His laundry didn’t sit here long enough to make a smell.

Of course, she thought as she crossed the room and sat on his bed… that probably wasn’t the only thing that happened in here that might make a smell. She felt his sheets under her bare legs, and breathed a sigh of relief that they were relatively fresh. She’d hate to have to come in here with a blacklight.

He pulled out a three ring binder, clearly a bundle of nerves. He handed it to her, and she turned it over. There were a few of his drawings on the inside of his binder, pictures of characters and some maps. It seemed really well imagined. She smiled at him, opening the binder and resting it on her lap. “Well, we’ll see, right?”

She started to read, and after a second, she lifted her legs up onto the bed, and lay back on his pillow, resting the binder on her chest, and absently rocked her legs back and forth as she turned pages. She asked him questions occassionally, but it actually read really well. She got through three chapters fairly quickly, and was soon nodding, rolling over onto her side, laying a hand across her body.

“This is, REALLY good… but you're right, it feels way too big for me to really take in with just a quick read." She said, closing the binder. "I don’t think want to have to put it down. Do you have a copy I can take with me?”

She hopped up to her feet, looking around the room, and down at him sitting in his chair. This room was his whole world, she thought. She wondered… was she the first person he EVER invited in here? He was so awkward, she thought. I was like he was so convinced of his own weirdness he didn’t give anyone a chance to see how cute he could be. And yea, he was weird sometimes, but he also seemed like someone who had the potential to be a cool guy.

She rested her hand on her hip, curious. “So, Jake… has anyone ever sucked your cock in here?”

 

[musicankane]

Jake had been so eager to show Juno his work, that the thought of bringing someone into his room for the first time did not even cross his mind. Once she was settled on his bed with the binder in her arms, his eyes began to roam. He realized that he hadn't dusted his bookshelves in weeks and probably were a little dusty.

Thankfully there was a laundry chute in his room that allowed him to keep thing fairly stink free. Laundry was routine in the house every Tuesday and Saturday, which also meant his sheets has been slept in but we're still new enough to feel fresh. Sadly he hadn't thought about making the bed.

He sighed softly to himself. It wasn't clean but it didn't stink so at least there was that. Juno didn't seem uncomfortable as she read through the pages. Every once in a while she would ask a question about the lore or the setting, which Jake answered and then made mental notes to go back and possibly rework details to make things a little clearer.

She read through three whole chapters almost eagerly. Every time she turned a page Jake got more and more excited. Clearly she was enjoying the story. After all, she could have stopped at chapter one and gave it back. But she pressed on.

Alas it was far too long of a story to read in a single sitting. Eventually Juno had to close it. She told him that she really enjoyed it and even asked for her own copy so she could read through it. Jake beamed with a huge smile at her response. He had been so nervous about her reading it, that it was a huge joyous relief that she enjoyed it. So much so, that she wanted more.

"Uh, sure!" He replied happily. He took the binder back from her and filed it away. "I have to get some more paper before I can print another copy though." He explained.

Then he turned back toward her and smiled his biggest smile. He felt incredibly happy that she enjoyed his work. It was a huge load off knowing that someone else was willing to read and even enjoy what he had spent so much time creating.

"I'm really excited and happy you liked it so far. I can't wait until you get into the meaty action of it all." He told her.

She hoped off the bed and seemed to once again analyse his room. Though she didn't seem to be judging, it was almost as if she was trying to get a better understanding of who he was.

Then she shifted and rested her hand on her hip, looking at him quizically.

The question she asked dropped his jaw.

Had she really asked that? It didn't even sound weird out of her mouth. Such an extreme question left her mouth the same way someone would ask if you had seen a certain television show the other day or something like that.

He blinked and kind of shook his puzzled head. Then the redness rose to his cheeks as the intimacy of the question filled his mind.

"I uh...." He started, trying to figure out the best thing to say. "I uh...you are....I mean...you are the first person I've brought here....so you know....uh...no." He said with a frown.

 

[kaitlyn_sun]

http://i.imgur.com/jg7FXaz.png

"I uh… I uh… you are… I mean… you’re the first person I've brought here… so you know… uh.. No."

She didn’t mean to laugh, but she couldn’t really help herself. If his enthusiasm about finally having someone read his story was puppy like, his response now was decidedly sad-puppy. She chuckled, leaning down with her arms folded. “It’s not a big deal if you haven’t Jake.” She said, crossing her bare legs. “I was just asking.”

She looked around the room again, thinking about the space, and how it was Jake’s entire world. More than that, there were whole worlds IN here. She had only skimmed the surface of his book, but it was intensely good, full of life and magic and promise. It had a sense of hopefulness and wonder, and full, living, breathing characters. What was even better, it made her hungry for more. She wanted to indulge even more of whatever vision was fueling him. It was just an uncomplicated kind of sexy. As weird and alone as he was, he was building something really cool, and it was just an old-fashioned kind of hot to find out someone was really good at something.

Plus… he was clearly a virgin, and the idea of showing him the ropes just seemed fun.

She shrugged, nodding at his printer. “Tell you what, why don’t you get some paper, and sit down, and we’ll see if we can kill two birds with one stone?”

She laughed out loud as he went to get paper, sitting on his bed. She picked up his book again, rolling over onto her tummy and picking up where she left off, playfully wiggling her rear end as she read, still brandishing a wicked little smile at the thought of what she was planning to do.

Once he was back and loading the machine, she rolled over onto her side, watching him. He sat in his chair and got the story printing… and she stood, put a hand on the back of his chair, and turned it to face her as she stood over him, grinning. “There we go. You want me to do this for you?” She asked, leaning forward and resting her hands on his knees. She bent her own knees, lowering herself down to the carpet between his legs as she slid her hands up his thighs. She wasn’t imagining that he had a TON of stamina, so while she ran her fingers over the front of his jeans for a second, she didn’t linger for long…

Still… she raised an eyebrow, looking up at him. He was already hard as fuck, and she could hardly blame him, but… “Huh.” she said, smiling up at him as she slid her fingers upward to unfasten his belt. “You’re a little bigger than you let on, aren’t you, Jake?” She said, pulling back his belt and popping open the button on his jeans. Her long fingers found the top of his zipper and used both hands to tug it down. She worked her fingers inside the elastic of his underwear, sliding them around his sides as she sat back a bit, nodding to him. “Cm’on, up… let’s get these off you.”

As he lifted himself up, she slid her hands down over his hips, and around his naked backside, pushing his pants and underwear down to his thighs. As he sat again she pulled them down to his knees, and was promptly whacked in the cheek as his cock sprung up to say hello. She squealed, and broke out laughing, putting her hand on her face where she had been struck, finding a tiny smear of pre-cum, working his pants down with her opposite hand, letting them sit at his feet. “Oh, lord…” she said, lifting up one hand, sliding her fingers around his shaft, tracing it with her fingertips, getting a sense of his shape. “You need to warn a girl, buddy!”

Her second hand slid up his naked thigh, reaching between his legs to cradle his balls as she snaked her fingers around his cock, beginning to slide over his length in long, slow, unhurried strokes, feeling completely different than it felt when he did it himself. She leaned forward, parted her mouth, and wrapped her lips around his head, starting to slide him into the hot, wet recesses of her mouth. She moved without rushing, just enjoying the sensation of slowly getting him wetter, sliding her hand through the saliva she left around his head, her head working up and down, taking a tiny bit more of him into her each time, the tiny stud in her tongue tracing along the underside of his cock as her tongue started to wriggle playfully each time she pulled back…

Finally, she was working her entire head, up and down, in time with her now slick strokes, feeling his cockhead bluntly strike the back of her throat. She looked up at him, letting go of his shaft and resting her hand on his thigh, and took a big gasping swallow, pushing herself forward… and with a guttural ‘gulp’, pushed him back into her tight throat. She clutched him there for a second, but couldn’t keep him there for long, yanking away with a gasp, taking a sloppy breath, streamers of saliva and precum running from his cock to her mouth as she started stroking him with both hands.

“FUCK you have a big cock!” She said, smiling, running her tongue around her mouth, almost admonishing him as she reached up with her opposite hand to wipe the goo from her face.

 

[musicankane]

Jake felt like he got punched in the gut really. Her first reaction to his reply of whether he had ever gotten head before, was to laugh. Though it wasn't done in a mocking way, more of a reflexive outburst of laughter, it still hurt him...sort of. After all it was really to be expected. Any normal guy his age would have at least some experience with girls, or at least should be expected to have had something. Yet Jake was far from what could be considered normal, and as such he had never even kissed a girl before, let alone have put his penis into one's mouth. That was like skipping at least five or six steps.

Juno insisted that it wasn't a big deal. Her question was merely because she was curious and nothing more. Her excuse didn't really make him feel better, but he also wasn't about to get upset about it either. He needed Juno, he needed her to read his story, he needed her to be his friend. If the afternoon had taught him anything it taught him that he really really wanted some face-to-face interaction with a friend. He didn't have any friend outside of his MMO game, and spending time with Juno made him realize how much he yearned for companionship. She was a walking, talking answer to that.

Hell she was pretty cool too, and Jake didn't feel like he was forcing himself to try and make friends...it was...easy with her. She never seemed to judge him, even in her teases it was always light-hearted. He liked that, and he hoped that he could spend as much time with her and she would allow.

She gestured to his printer and suggested getting some paper. Something about two birds with one stone. Though he didn't know what that meant. "Err...wouldn't that be one? Nevermind, I uh...I guess I could just borrow paper from my parent's office downstairs. I was going to ask for paper soon anyway. Shouldn't be a big deal." He said pushing out of his chair and heading out of the room.

Two birds with one stone? What birds? He couldn't imagine what she was talking about. He was out of paper to print, so that must be the one bird right? Then she needed a copy of his book to read for herself, which would be the second bird. So two birds in one stone was him getting paper, because he would no longer be out of paper and he could get her a copy of the book.

It made perfect sense. He was completely wrong, but it at least made perfect sense to him at the time.

Upon return to his room, a ream of paper in his hand, Juno had dove back into his book. She lay on her belly, wiggling her butt as she continued the story. Jake smirked and moved to load the printer. He didn't know what he liked more, the fact that Juno had gone to read more of his work on her own, or the way she wiggled her butt on his bed. She had a great little butt, firm and tight looking. He enjoyed the way her tattoos seemed to playfully hint at her sexy parts, like butt, hips, even her.....flower. It all worked for her, because it was all perfectly Juno. The petite, beautiful, rocking, yet all around down to Earth girl.

Jake realized in that moment that he really liked her. In like a sexy way. The swelling in his pants was proof of that.

He flopped into his chair and scrolled through his computer to start the printer up and get it to start printing her a copy of Book One: The Corruption of Arlice. He smiled at the screen as the pages began to spit from the machine.

Juno grabbed the back of his chair and spun it towards him. The smile on her face made Jake's breath catch in his throat. It was a look that he had never seen on anyone's face before, except in one place. Adult movies. “There we go. You want me to do this for you?” She asked him, her hands moving to caress over his thighs.

If he wasn't hard in his pants before, her touch upon his thighs finished that deal quickly. Jake's heart began to pound in his chest, his pulse racing as he opened his mouth to say something, but unable to do anything but watch as Juno very deliberately lowered herself to her knees before him.

"Oh god." He breathed slowly. Was this finally happening to him? Was he about to do sexy time with Juno? Even though they hadn't spent much time together, Jake really liked her. But he never thought he would be about to have such a intimate experience with her so soon. His imagination ran ahead of the events happening before him, causing his cock to surge and throb mightily in his pants.

Everything in his being was panicking, the shy nerd in him fighting to stop this. But the man in him, the instinct that screamed in his head to let the girl do whatever she wanted to him, simply overwhelmed the nerd. While the nerd was too scared to let this happen, the man in him knocked that fucking nerd out because the man wanted a motherfucking blowjob.

Jake watched her fingers move over his crotch. His cock trembled as he felt her hands working him through the material of his pants, well working to open his pants rather.

She let out a "huh" and smirked up at him, her fingers working open his belt. She made a comment about his size and he blushed, "I never said anything about my..." DUDE SHUT THE FUCK UP! The man inside him screamed. Just say you don't like to brag. He cleared his throat. "I didn't want to brag you know." He tried to play it cool, but it just came out.....stupid sounding.

Her fingers curled into his pants and his underwear at the same time. Jake lifted his hips at her instructions. He said a silent prayer that she wouldn't laugh once she saw his penis for the first time. He didn't think he could take that. The first time a girl sees his penis and she laughs? No that would total ruin him for life.

Juno made a grunt as she yanked his pants down and away. The cool air rushed through his loins, and something warm and soft smacked his penis as it sprang free. Jake's eyes went wide as he jerked his gaze down and realized that the warm softness had been her face. Oh god! The first time she was going to see his cock and he smacked her in the fucking face with it!

She squealed in response, laughing at him. Jake turned beat red and frowned, thinking that he done fucked it up. She wiped her cheek and he realized that he had been leaking a little pre-cum in his excitement. Great. He hit her face with his dick and left a sticky little gift too. Can't get any better than that.

Yet Juno wasn't bothered. Her smiled dared to suggested that she was pleased with him. “You need to warn a girl, buddy!” She teased, her fingers coming up and wrapping around his shaft.

Jake inhaled sharply at her touch. "Oh damn." He hissed softly as she stroked him quizzically. Her hand made a pass over him, stroking his length as if studying his shape. The way she looked at his dick suggested that she was memorized by it. No sign of disappointment in his size or shape or anything like that. If he didn't know any better, he might actually think she liked his cock.

But to be honest, it was hard for him to think about anything right now. Her hand stroking him was like a completely different world from when he did that to himself. Her grip was different, her skin was softer, the angle and speed in which she pumped his cock was completely unique to anything he had done to himself before.

Then her other hand cradled his balls, just a warm cupping of her hand upon his sack made him gasp. "Juno." He breathed. Her touch on his sack was so gentle, so pleasing that he swore he felt his nuts tighten up in reflex.

Juno shift her weight and leaned her face forward, Jake watched with wide eyes as her lips parted and his cock began to disappear into her mouth. Well the tip first. It was like an explosion of pleasure shooting through him. The overwhelming sensation of her hot, soft lips, plus the wet heat of her mouth. It radiated through him, zipping down his cock, up his spine, bursting in his brain and then shoot back down through him again only to repeat the process over and over.

Jake's hands tightened their vice-like grip on the arm rests of his chair. Juno's wet spit began to leak from her mouth, as well as the way she introduced his cock to her tongue. Her hot spit slid down his cock, only to be rapidly cooled by the room temperature. Her rough textured tongue caressed and teased the underside of his cock as she moved his cock deeper and deeper into her mouth.

"Holy fuck!" He gasped, "No wonder this is all guys think about. It's like sticking your dick in magic." He whispered.

Juno built a little rhythm, moving his cock in and out of her mouth, her face stroking his base enough to coat him heavily with her spit. Her saliva acting like a lube that just made everything she did feel slippery and fun. He watched her head move up and down, bobbing on his cock.

Until she pushed deep and his mushroom bashed at the back of her throat. Jake gasped and looked at her. There was a pause as she put her hands upon his thighs and looked up at him. With a gasping inhale she took a deep breath and pushed.

"GAAHH!!!" Was the sound he made as he felt his cock force open her soft throat tunnel. Her body gagging on his shaft, fighting her, fighting what was being forced into it. Jake couldn't believe what he was feeling, her fucking throat quivered and squeezed on his tip, milking him in a way.

Then she backed off of him with a coughing gasp that showered his already wet crotch with thick globs of her spit. It was the hottest fucking thing he had ever seen.

“FUCK you have a big cock!” She gasped, wiping her hand across her mouth.

"Juno you are fucking amazing." He told her. His cock pulsed, and his balls trembled as they were eager to release everything that he had built up. His shaft was swollen and ready, it wouldn't take much for him to pop off now. "Juno I'm gonna cum any moment." He warned her. "I have tissues if you don't want any on you." He said gesturing towards the box at the top of his desk.