Dissonance - Part 3
May. 9th, 2009 11:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
surevestaTitle: Dissonance - 3
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
surevesta
Rating: PG-16
Fandom: CW RPS
Word Count: 8364 (this part)
Pairing: J2
Main Characters: Jensen, Jared, Danneel, Sandy, Kripke, Chad, Mike, Chris, Sophia, Hayden, Adair, Rainbow, Allie
Other Characters: Samantha Ferris, Samantha Smith, Tom and Jaime, Aaron, Shawn, Kristin K., Kristin B., Alexis, JDM, and an assortment of other RPS regulars and CW actors/actresses.
Betas:anyothergirl415
Disclaimer: The story and plot is mine, the characters are based off of real people and belong to themselves. The places are also based off of real places. I know almost nothing of the foster care system.
Summary: The world of High School through the eyes of violist Jensen Ackles. Life is just notes on a page, waiting to be read and interpreted.
Master Post
*****
The next couple of days passed by pretty quick for Jensen. He spent Wednesday working in the basement with Denis. His foster father wanted to work on the logistics of changing out the windows downstairs without any professional help. Jensen thought the man was hoping to be able to convert at least one of the storage rooms into viable living space. That way not all of their foster kids would have to share a room. He agreed with that logic and was happy to help, even if it meant he spent an hour digging a hole next to the foundation to test the soil. At least he didn't run into any pipes or wires.
Thursday, on the other hand, was chalked full of activities. Rain had another soccer game after school and Jensen had quartet practice. As soon as he got home Sophia had called asking if he could come into the shop for a couple hours, nine to eleven, to close as her mother had a medical emergency. He'd gone without complaint, Sophia had always been nice to him and he could use the extra hours. All the money he was making was going towards his college fund. The more money Jensen made the higher the probability was that he'd be able to afford a decent instrument for the next year.
He'd managed to catch a bus into town in time and she thanked him for his troubles with a kiss to his cheek. Jensen swore it was half an hour before the red tinge to his cheeks went away. Closing was easy for Jensen, it was something he'd been doing for over a year now. Sophia had hired him as a part time employee when he was just sixteen. She'd only been eighteen herself but was already the assistant manager. Jensen had been thankful for the work and spending money it afforded him, even if he saved it all, letting it accrue minimal interest in a small savings and checking account.
As far as Jensen knew his parents hadn't left him with anything when they died. He wouldn't find out for sure till he turned eighteen, but he wasn't about to rely on something that could happen. Since Josh had never tried to get in touch with him when he got out of the system, Jensen figured whatever life insurance or savings his parents had went to paying off debts and burial fees. Not that he had ever been to their grave, his aunt hadn't thought it was appropriate for two 'wild' boys, let alone her own kids, to attend the funeral. He wasn't even sure where they were buried. Not that he lived in the same town he'd spent his childhood in, social services had shuttled him to the largest city in the county in order to find him a 'good' home over the years. At least this city had a high school was an excellent music program.
Jensen ignored the glare several college students sent his way when he shooed them out the door. He was used to the half hearted glares and eye rolls by now. It was closing time and he wasn't going to let them stick around. Their drinks only had a cold mouthful left anyway, hadn't even been touched for the past forty five minutes at least. Like most students that came to Coffee Haven they were there to study. It wouldn't be hard for them to find someplace else, one of the college libraries stayed open to at least two am and Jensen was sure they had their own homes or dorm rooms to return to. They didn't look homeless.
As he wiped down the one of the booths a familiar face caught his eye. Jared was walking by, Sandy at his side. The girl was grinning up at him, as usual, arm hooked into his. Jensen's hand stilled in a sweeping arc, leaning far over the table to reach the end that touched the wall. The quarterback's gaze flickered up from Sandy's as she spoke, catching Jensen's gaze over the top of her head.
Hazel and green eyes met for only a second, but it felt like longer to Jensen. When Jared glanced back down to Sandy a smile was stretching over his lips. He was answering some comment the cheerleader had made. The thick paned glass of the cafe and busy street kept Jensen from hearing a single word.
He dropped his gaze to the table and scrubbed hard at some old stain, long soaked into the finish of the wood. Jensen's ears were warm, glass frames a cool line against heated skin. He couldn't figure out why the other teen could affect him so much with only a glance. For some reason he suddenly felt a great dislike for Sandy. It was odd and made him feel awkward and off kilter and even more out of place than usual.
That night Jensen took a shower before bed. It wasn't something he normally did, but it was the best time, only time, he could relieve tension without worrying about preteens knocking on the door. Leaning against the cool, old tile and grout that was overdo for its weekly cleaning, Jensen let go. His cheek rested against the wall, a chilly contrast to the warmth of the shower water cascading over his body.
Hand still wrapped around himself, Jensen let his eyes drift shut. It had never really mattered to him when it came to physical attraction. Thing was Jensen hadn't really had a crush before, as odd as that sounds. He guessed it had something to do with not wanting to get attached to people, just in case he had to move. There had been so many foster homes before this one that Jensen couldn't remember all their names or that many details about them. And with lack of time to watch television, no Internet, and lack of money for magazines, Jensen had never really had an interest in a celebrity either. At least where sex was involved.
All in all he had probably led a very sheltered life, or secluded rather. But, for some reason, Jared held an interest for Jensen, one that he really couldn't put a finger on. He thought it might be his looks, the dimples. Yeah, the dimples. Jensen liked dimples, but then Sophia, Sandra McCoy, and even Danneel had dimples. They were all cute enough but they didn't cause him to feel like a nervous wreck or lose the ability to form a fully coherent sentence. Not usually, anyway.
It was just Jared and Jensen wasn't really sure why. It wasn't as if the quarterback was really interested in Jensen outside of the stupid English assignment- hell, the guy avoided the subject for almost two straight weeks after it was assigned! The little bit of attention he'd sent Jensen's way shouldn't be affecting him that much. They weren't friends and there was no way Jared was remotely interested in Jensen in that way.
Besides, Jensen wasn't interested in involving himself in high school social circles. He had more important things to worry about, his future for one. Between working, practice, and studying he had more then enough stress to last him a lifetime. Plus Jared was dating Sandy, the head cheerleader and most popular girl in the senior class. There was no way he'd even look twice at Jensen, even if he wasn't straight as could be.
*****
Jensen's last class of the day was a twentieth century world history class. It wasn't his favorite subject, he much preferred learning about ancient civilizations, but it fit in his schedule opposite the spring semester of American Government. He could have just not taken a seventh period, but even if he hadn't he'd still be stuck on campus most days since the rest of his quartet did. When the bell rang Jensen didn't bother hurrying. Kripke had told them they didn't have to follow each other everywhere, just get the basic idea. So Jensen figured he'd watch the football practice from the old bleachers normally used for tennis matches and meet up with Jared after practice.
Normally the bleachers faced toward the tennis courts, away from the practice field, but the grounds janitors moved it periodically during the off season to mow the grass. Most of the time, during the fall, it faced the main practice field.
Crossing campus, he stopped by the Music building to pick up his instrument from the rack. Jensen passed Allie on the way, she was talking on her cell phone animatedly and just spared him a small smile. Ms. Ferris was standing behind the piano when he walked in, a trio of girls standing in front of her working through some vocal exercise. It wasn't unusual, the choir dominated the room. Mrs. Smith was only at the High School in the morning, and occasionally in the evening by appointment with a student group. In the afternoons she taught at both of middle schools. She got a lot of mileage during the day but got to do what she loved. Jensen thought that it might be fun to teach Orchestra one day, but he hoped that would be after playing as a professional for a few years. Maybe a decade or two.
There were a few other students sitting in the bleachers when he got there. One girl was sitting at the end closest to gyms, feet dangling off the edge. She was watching a small group of freshmen play a game of basketball as she listened to her head phones. Two other girls were studying and chatting animatedly. He was the only guy just sitting around.
Sighing, Jensen let his backpack drop onto the next step down and made sure his viola wasn't in danger of falling off. While he pretty much figured it'd be pretty easy to remember everything about the practice, Jensen decided to pull out a notebook to take notes. The instructions stated that they needed to give some examples of their partners social interactions over the course of the day. How they acted around their teachers, peers, and family. The whole assignment had Jensen wondering why Kripke wasn't teaching a psychology course- or anthropology.
That morning he'd had the foresight to snag a baseball cap, worn and faded with the name of the state team emblazoned on the front, to ward off the sun. While it wasn't especially hot due to it being the beginning of October, it was a clear day and Jensen was going to be sitting on metal bleachers for the next two hours. He felt kind of sorry for the athletes dressed up in their practice uniforms, wearing full padding. They had to be sweating up a storm. It wasn't that hard to decipher which one was Jared, even though the bleachers were set back a ways. The other teen was one of the tallest on the team, only Tom Welling came close to him in height.
Jensen had never played organized sports, it just was never his thing. Sure he'd played during PE or during recess as a kid, but he'd never bothered to join any real teams. The football team was going through a series of drills across the field that he could barely follow. While he watched the sport on occasion, it was the only thing Denis watched on the fuzzy antenna channels their receiver caught, it wasn't a big favorite of his. Given a choice he'd pick watching one of Rain's soccer games any day.
Leaning back, elbows resting on the step behind him, Jensen squinted behind his glasses. The sun was moving down the sky, resting at just the right angle to catch several smudges on the lens. He took a few notes over the course of the hour, mostly writing down how Jared behaved with the coaches and his teammates. Listing specific names when he knew them, but mostly just referring to a team member in general.
At one point, around 4:15, they were running through different plays when the coach switched in the alternate quarterback to allow Jared time to get a drink. Jensen thought it was a good idea to have the alternates switch in with the core team, if someone got hurt you didn't want the team mechanics to be interrupted, after all. He was surprised when Jared waved at him, after take a long drink from his water bottle. Jensen nodded in acknowledgment, lifting his hand up.
At five the practice ended and the coaches dismissed the team to the locker room. Jensen sat up and stuffed his notebook into his bag, awkwardly slinging his backpack onto his shoulder while he waited. It was almost fifteen later that Jared finally exited the building, waving Sandy off with a short hug and kiss to the cheek. Jensen idly noticed that his hair was still damp; he'd probably taken a quick shower in the locker room.
Jared grinned at Jensen as he reached the bottom of the bleachers. Standing, Jensen joined him on the ground, making sure not to trip or slam his viola into anything. “Hey man, I bet you were bored out of your mind.”
“No, not exactly,” At Jared's raised eyebrow Jensen shrugged. “Well I guess. Kind of wrote an essay. For music theory, outlined it. But I did take notes, some anyway. I'm not really into football, playing it. I watch it, sometimes, with... I watch it at home, occasionally, on the television.”
He really hoped Jared would assume he sunburned easily. Awkwardly, Jensen reached up a hand and flipped his baseball cap around so the bill was at the back. Jared's eyes watched him amused.
“I get it,” The quarterback shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips. One dimple peaked out of his left cheek as he spoke. “Not everyone is obsessed with football.”
“No, I guess not,” Jensen fell into step with the taller teen. They were close enough in height that he didn't have to adjust his pace to match. If anything Jared was walking much slower than his long legs usually allotted him, and he had really long legs.
“So you got some good notes then?”
Jensen glanced up from where he was watching the blades of grass as they walked. The janitors had to keep the grass well watered for it to be that green. “I guess, I tried to do what Kripke's instructions detailed. It really wasn't that hard.”
“Good to know,” Jared grinned and that ever existent blush was back to connecting the dots of freckles across Jensen's cheeks and nose. “So, I'm giving you a ride, right? I'm going with you to work tonight anyway and your shift starts at... six?”
He blinked and absently nodded, wondering if he had mentioned the time his shift usually started when they talked a couple days ago. Glancing down at his watch he noticed it was already 5:25. Jensen really didn't have time to walk home and catch the bus. Not if he didn't want to be late to work, anyway. “Uh, that'd be great actually. I kind of need to go home first and change.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Less than ten minutes later Jared pulled his car up in front of Jensen's house. He was leaning down slightly to get a better look at it, hazel eyes squinting and almost cat like in appearance. Jensen fidgeted awkwardly before opening the passenger door.
“Should I, uh, come in?” Jared asked almost stumbling over the words. Pausing, Jensen watched him for a moment, mind momentarily blank.
“I guess? If you want... you can wait in the living room while I get changed?” Jensen's hand had stilled on the car door, just before he would have pushed it shut.
“Sure, better then waiting out here for a while.”
Jensen nodded and turned to head up the walk as he heard Jared's car door open. The taller teenager caught up easily, his long strides audible on the warmed concrete walk leading up to the house. The two story fixer upper had a nice porch that almost covered the entire front side of the house. The siding and railing were in need of a fresh coat of paint, but they weren't too bad. He could feel Jared's eyes taking in every detail of Jensen's temporary home. It made him feel oddly nervous and ten times more awkward than before.
“Not a bad place,” Jared commented as Jensen shouldered the front door open. “My Aunt has a couple of renters around here.”
Absently he nodded and motioned to the couch, about ten feet to their right in the open living room, “Why don't you sit down while I go upstairs and get ready? I'll just be a couple minutes.” Jensen didn't even wait for a verbal response before climbing the stairs two at a time, instrument case bumping his thigh awkwardly. He hoped it wouldn't leave a bruise.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Jensen slowed down. Even if he was in a hurry to get to work and get Jared out of here, Denis was still asleep. His foster father worked Monday night through Friday night and had Saturday and Sunday nights off. The usual work week, just at night instead of during the day. Personally Jensen wasn't sure how Margaret and Denis kept their relationship together so well. He supposed it might have something to do with not seeing each other constantly, but couldn't imagine a healthy marriage with someone where he barely slept in the same bed with his spouse, at the same time anyway.
Entering his room, Jensen quickly stripped, not even taking the time to get a fresh set of clothes out first. He glared at the sparse amount of clothing in the dresser and added laundry to his to do list. A fresh pair of jeans with only a little wear on the edge of the cuffs were pulled on over his hips. They were a little tight, probably a year old, and didn't quite reach the top of his shoes when he stood. He was going to have to replace them soon. Perhaps in a week or two he could volunteer to take Rain across town to Wal-mart. The kid was hitting another growth spurt and his jeans and shoes were rapidly shrinking on his frame.
He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror after pulling a shirt over the top of his head. This time he chose a light long sleeved shirt with a T-shirt on top. His hair was disheveled and glasses thrown askew. Jensen thought he looked slightly ridiculous. Snagging a comb off the dresser he ran it through his hair in an attempt to tame it while his other hand adjusted his glasses. He should probably inquire about getting an appointment with the optometrist before the end of the year. Just in case the state would be willing to pay for one more trip before they kicked him out of the foster system.
Before heading downstairs he made sure that his viola was out of the way and dirty clothes were tossed in the hamper. When he got downstairs he noticed Hayden was perched in the old arm chair, flirting with Jared. They both had a sandwich in hand and Hayden had an extra in a baggie along with a re-used water bottle, label warn and ripping, in hand. She grinned at Jensen as he hurried down the stairs and stood.
“Hey Jensen, I made you a sandwich for dinner,” She stated as he took the food and drink from her, not even sparing Jared a glance.
“Thanks Hayden, you didn't have to,” He sent her a small awkward smile and her blue eyes glittered in mirth.
“No biggie, I made Jared and myself a snack, too, so it wasn't any trouble.”
“Never is,” He grinned and nodded at her usual speech. “We better get going so I'm not late for work.”
“Nice to meet you Jared!” Hayden called after them as they left the house.
“I didn't know you had a sister,” Jared inquired, tilting his head to watch Jensen.
He averted his gaze, green eyes settling on the water bottle the preteen had given him. It wasn't like the statement was entirely false, Jensen had a sister, after all, just not one that he actually remembered. Hayden wasn't actually his sister, more like a really good friend that he'd lived with for the past several years. He could have let Jared assume she was his real sister, but that wouldn't help the other teen actually do his assignment.
“She's not,” his voice was barely audible as the climbed into the car. Jensen glanced up to meet Jared's gaze, the other teen was watching him. “Hayden's not my sister.”
*****
The car ride to down town had been filled with awkward silences. Jared had turned the radio on, tuned to some hits station that mixed all sorts of music genres together, in an attempt to fill it. Neither teen had been really sure what to say to fill the gap.
Jensen really didn't feel like sharing his life story with Jared, not yet at least. He knew that an interview where those type of questions would be asked was an eventuality, but that didn't mean he had to spill his guts now. He was rather good at keeping things inside. The therapist he went to in middle school after a particularly bad foster home experience said as much. Jensen hadn't spilled to her so he didn't think Jared would be able to pry much out of him either.
They parked a couple blocks away ten minutes before his shift was supposed to start. Not having a car to drive, Jensen hadn't been sure where Jared could park for a full five hour shift. The quarterback had easily found a parking space at a nearby church. There weren't any cars in the lot so they assumed there weren't any religious functions or meetings taking place that night.
It was odd walking next to Jared down town, the guy seemed to know half the people they passed. Or, at the very least, they recognized him. He took it in stride, greeting in return and grinning broadly at them. Jensen wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Most of the time he walked alone, to and from the bus stop, just keeping his head down. He could probably count on one hand the number of times someone had greeted him on the street in the last month.
By the time they reached the cafe Jared was practically bouncing, alive and excited, a bundle of energy so strong it made Jensen almost want to take a half dozen steps back. At the same time it was kind of exhilarating to be in the presence of someone so open, someone that seemed so happy to make small talk with people he'd never met before. Jensen was kind of dreading what Jared would be like after he ordered his coffee. Especially since he was going to be just hanging out in a coffee shop, surrounded by sugar and caffeine, for a full five hours. Once again he was wondering whether it was still feasible to switch to a regular English class.
It turned out Jensen didn't need to worry quite that much. Jared was actually pretty well behaved, outside of flirting with Sophia and random college students that walked by the small table he was sitting at. Mostly he made small talk and watched Jensen. It was kind of unnerving how avidly he watched. For someone so energetic Jared was able toe keep his attention on his task. At first Jensen thought Jared might be doodling, but when he dropped by on his break to say hi he noticed the jock had several pages full of notes.
Jared's penmanship wasn't bad, in fact it was pretty clean, but he wrote small making it hard to read upside down from across the table. He also had his chemistry book open and Jensen offered some suggestions on various problems during his fifteen minute break. Jared seemed grateful and relieved, by the time closing arrived Jared had finished his homework and Jensen had read it over. A few corrections later it was likely that Jared would receive full points on it.
It was long past dark, small groups of college students were headed to the local club or bars, when they exited the shop and Jensen locked it behind them. Jared was waiting on the sidewalk as Jensen double checked the door, hands shoved in the pockets of his letterman jacket. Glancing at his watch, Jensen realized it was only eleven fifteen and the last bus wouldn't arrive for another fifteen minutes. There was plenty of time for him to walk to the bus stop.
He shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot, breath almost visible in the dark beneath the street lights, “Did you get enough stuff? Notes for tonight?”
“I think so,” Jared nodded slightly, eyes glittering near gold in the glare of the lamps. “I did my best, I doubt I'll need to watch you work again, though.”
“Sophia'll be relieved,” a small smile crossed his lips. His manager was testy when it came to friends spending a lot of time in the cafe just drinking the same cup of coffee. Especially when they stayed there practically an entire shift.
Jared laughed, “I got the picture she wasn't too happy.”
“She just doesn't like people that loiter,” He shrugged and dropped his eyes to his jacket. There was a thin line of skin visible at his wrists between his sleeves and where they were shoved into the pockets. The contrast of temperature was noticeable.
“We should get back to the car,” Jared motioned with one hand down the street before shoving it back in the relative warmth of his coat.
“I was going to take the bus,” Jensen glanced up, suddenly unsure of that decision. The other teen was watching him still, head titled and eyebrow raised.
“There's no need to take the bus Jensen, I gave you a ride here and I can give you a ride home,” he pointed out without any fanfare. Wide shoulders shifted into a shrug, “Seems logical since I'm already here. It's not a big deal.”
“I,” Jensen paused mulling over the idea. It did sound better then riding the bus. This time of night public transportation tended to attract some pretty odd people. Like the guy with half a dozen piercings and a kilt. He'd stared at Jensen for five whole stops last week. “Alright, a ride would save me some time.”
They fell into step together, hands pushed into jacket pockets, just walking quietly through the cool night air. Jensen rolled his neck slightly, eyes following a car as it passed, headlights lighting up the sidewalk and nearby stores momentarily.
“Do you work a lot?”
He glanced up at Jared as they waited at the corner for the light to change. The other teen was watching the cross walk light. There was some lint in his right jacket pocket, probably from some scrap of paper he left in it the last time it was washed. Jensen rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.
“Thirty hours sometimes, if I work weekends,” He shrugged as the light changed and the red hand switched to a bright white stick figure caught mid step. “Depends.”
“You must have a lot of spending money, I'd kill to be able to work for some extra crash,” Jared laughed lightly and Jensen felt something tighten in his chest. He scuffed the ground awkwardly with his shoes as he walked.
“I'm saving it, for college,” The street lamp they were walking under chose that moment to flick out. “Maybe a new viola. I need one for next year, university.”
“Are they really expensive?”
Jensen glanced up, Jared was watching him again. Strands of hair falling over his eyes. For a moment, he felt like brushing them away. It was an odd feeling. He turned his attention back to counting his steps and avoiding cracks in the sidewalk. “Depends. If I want a good one.”
“You can't get your parents to chip in?”
He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, curling his fingers and breaking the lint into minuscule pieces. “They can't.”
“Oh,” It was a quiet noise, almost as if Jared felt bad about discussing the subject. “The economy's pretty bad right now, my Dad talks about it a lot. He was going to get me a car for my birthday, instead I use my Mother's. She works from home so it isn't a big deal, though. I'm going to work this summer, I should be able to get a used '97 or so before college.”
“That's nice,” Jensen looked up to find the quarterback looking at him, smiling, and felt a smile pull at his lips. “Uh, where, where are you going? To college, I mean.”
“Not sure yet,” Jared shrugged as they reached the church parking lot. “One of the state schools, probably.” He leaned one arm on the top of his car as he unlocked it. Holding the driver side door open, Jared grinned at him and dipped his shoulders in a shrug, “I guess whichever one gives me the best sports scholarship.”
“Football is pretty important to you,” Jensen settled back into the passenger seat. The seats were leather and cold, but comfortable as hell. The car was a newer model, only a year or two old.
“Well, a scholarship is better then loans. I've been playing football since elementary school, it's easy for me. Four more years playing football will be worth it in the end,” Jared settled a hand on the side of Jensen's as he looked back over his shoulder to back up. Jensen's gaze settled on it before moving up the other teens arm to study his features.
“Do you like it? Football? Playing Football?”
Jared paused as he shifted the car from reverse into drive, hand poised on the gearshift. His smile faded slightly from his lips before returning, only a quirk of the left side of his mouth. The left dimple was barely an indent in his cheek, “Yeah. I do, most of the time.” The smile broadened and he glanced over at Jensen, hazel eyes meeting green head on. “It's a fun sport, not something I plan on doing for the rest of my life, though.”
“A means to an end,” Jensen murmured. He turned his head to stare out the window, his right hand lifted to trail across the door just below where it met to window. “If you are offered the chance to go pro, after college, would you?”
“I dunno, probably not. It's good money, but there are things I'd rather do with my life,” The thumb of Jared's left hand was tapping absently on the steering wheel. Jensen leaned his head back, resting it against the seat, and turned his chin towards the other teen.
“Hey, I know you wanted me to drop you off at home,” Jared shot him a quick glance before turning his eyes back to the road, “but it's Friday and there's no game.”
Jensen's eyebrows knit together in question, “And?”
“Well, on the occasion we don't have a game some of the guys usually throw a party. Most of the time they end up being on Saturday, but since there's no game tonight...” Jared glanced over as the car rolled to a stop at a red light. “You are supposed to observe my usual behavior and all... so going to a party would fit into that, right?”
“Me? You want me to go to a party?”
“Sure, Jensen, why not? It's not like it's invitation only,” Jared laughed a little. “Lot's of people go to these shindigs, half the time I don't even recognize a quarter of the people there.” The smile was back as Jared pushed the car into a left turn, “It'll be fun.”
Right, fun. Jensen worried his bottom lip a little between his teeth and stared out the window. The lights from street lamps cascaded through the car as they drove past casting odd shadows. “Sure, I guess. I can't stay out too late, one or two. I need to head home by two.”
“Curfew,” Jared groaned and Jensen swore the guys smile was brighter than he'd ever seen it before. The play of light on his dimples making them seem like giant potholes. “I'm so happy my parents are out of town for the weekend. Visiting my Grandparents. They took my annoying little sister with them.”
It was silent for a few minutes as Jared drove towards a part of town Jensen rarely visited. It wasn't often that he went somewhere that wasn't downtown or to the high school. “Jared?”
“Yeah?”
“You're going to give me a ride? Later. I mean, back to my house after the party? At two?”
Jared glanced at him, an odd look on his face, “Yeah, man, of course I will. I wouldn't leave you out to dry.”
“Good,” Jensen nodded and dropped his gaze down to his lap. The fingers of his right hand were playing with the bracelet circling his left wrist. It was oddly comforting to feel the rough leather cord. “That's good.”
*****
It wasn't the first party Jensen had ever been to, just the first high school one. The first one with alcohol and loud music. The crowd was nothing like a chaotic group of fifth graders rough housing in the McDonald's play area. Yeah, it had been a while since Jensen last went to a party. In elementary school it had been awkward for parents to not invite all the boys in the class, especially since the school he'd gone to had a class of less than twenty. There had even been a few girls there that sequestered themselves to their own table, giggling and playing with the blobs of plastic Jensen thought had probably been mini Barbies or My Little Ponies. It had been hard to tell.
Most high school parties had a pretty open invitation, but Jensen had never been interested in going and Mike had always said that they were slightly awkward if you weren't a part of the 'popular' crowd. Read: the cheerleaders, jocks, and assortment of pretty girls who fit in with the cheerleaders. He never really questioned Mike on it, never had reason to. Plus it turned out the cellist was right, he felt pretty damn awkward.
Jared told him they were at Chad's house as the guy's parents were gone for the weekend at some conference or whatever. It was a big house with a big garage and a huge yard. Even better, it was on the edge of town. The nearest house looked to be at least a half mile away, separated by a lawn that reminded Jensen of a golf course and two rows of those tall, thin trees farmers planted to help break the wind. There was even a pool just past the back patio and it was almost the size of the one at the YMCA, diving board and everything.
He had lost Jared in the crowd about twenty minutes ago, they'd been there for almost an hour now. Jensen was leaning against the wall next to the sliding glass doors, propped open to allow easy access between the family room where the beer and snack food seemed to be littered haphazardly around, and the patio where the main party seemed to be going on. He had an opened, barely touched, can of soda in his hand. At least no one had pushed him into touching the beer. In fact the only person that had talked to him since his arrival, other than Jared, was Chad. Which had been awkward, the other teen had demanded to know why he was there before being silenced and dragged off by the quarterback towards a couple of practically naked cheerleaders. Jensen had been thankful for that, but Jared had yet to come back.
A loud splash followed closely by a shriek caught his attention. He slid around into the door to the patio, leaning against the jamb in time to see a soaking wet Alexis Bledel grip the side of the pool and heft her self up. She was cursing up a storm, clearly outraged. Her long hair was clinging to her back, make-up smudged and running, and she was clearly bra-less beneath a skimpy, mostly white, halter top. Oh.
A hand settled onto his shoulder and Jensen turned his head, tilting it up slightly to look at the face of the guy behind him. There was an amused glint in the teens eye as Jared watched the scene on the patio. One or two other splashes reached Jensen's ears, the pool was obviously a big part of the party now. He didn't turn to look at who else had joined Alexis in the, probably chilly, water.
“Having fun?” Jared grinned, tilting his chin down to look at Jensen.
“Uh,” His eyes darted to the side where there was a couple making out on the couch, and then to the wall behind Jared's right ear. There was a nice painting hanging there, a sunset with a horse. Or at least Jensen thought it looked like a horse. “Yeah?”
Jared's eyes had dropped down to the can of Coca Cola, diet and too sweet, held tightly in the fingers of Jensen's right hand. “Liar,” His large hand pat Jensen's shoulder once before snaking around the bicep of his left arm. “C'mon.”
The sudden movement jostled Jensen's drink, causing it to slosh around. A few drops splashed against the side of his thumb and ran down onto his palm. He let himself be dragged along and noticed that Jared was practically bouncing on his feet. It almost brought a laugh to Jensen's lips, the giant jock bouncing like an excited puppy.
“Where are we-”
“Just in here, it's a bit quieter but still a part of the party,” Jared grinned over his shoulder as he pulled Jensen into the living room. It was much quieter, a couple of football players were playing some WII game on the big screen TV while Tom Welling and his girlfriend, Jensen thought her name was Jamie, were practically cuddling together in a lazy boy.
The hand that was wrapped around his bicep disappeared as Jared dropped onto an empty couch, kitty corner to the one facing the television. Tom said something as he sat, but Jensen didn't quite catch what it was. He stood there, awkwardly, shifting his stance from foot to foot for a moment. Jared shoved an empty bag of chips and can of soda off the couch and onto the hard wood floor. A few drops of bronze liquid twirled through the air.
“Your indecision is ruining my concentration, dude,” One of the guys, Shawn maybe, said. Jensen sighed and moved to sit down near Jared. There was half a cushion of space between them and some sort of wrapper peeking out from the crease where the back rest met the seat. From there he got a better look at the guys using the game system. Shawn and Aaron, the local identical twins. In every school he'd gone to over the years there always seemed to be at least one set. He had calculus with Aaron. Maybe he was the one that spoke, Shawn preferred sports to education. But then Jensen had never been good at telling the twins apart.
“This is a lot more fun then the rest of the party, usually,” Jared grinned at him again. “Hey, after this match let me and Jensen have a quick turn.”
The twin closest to Jared snorted, “It's only more fun because Sandy has you so wiped. There's plenty of fun to be had if you're single.” That was probably Shawn.
Jamie made a small noise and Jensen looked over in time to catch an exaggerated eye roll. She was draped across Tom's lap, legs dangling over the pillowed arm rest and one arm wrapped around his shoulders.
“Sandy doesn't have me wiped, I just think there's more to a good party than sex and drinking.”
“That and the coach will give us hell if we actually get caught drinking,” Tom was running a hand over Jamie's knee. Jensen turned his attention to the television where Shawn and Aaron's cartoonish characters were duking it out. He couldn't even figure out which guy was controlling which character.
“Where is your girl?”
Jared leaned back into the couch and tangled large fingers through his hair, “At home.” He sent Tom an odd look. Jensen really needed to figure out what that was supposed to mean. “We're not attached at the hip.”
“'Coulda fooled me,” Shawn again. Maybe, Jensen wasn't actually sure because even their voices were similar. That and his attention was on Jared again.
“Yeah, well where's your girlfriend, Aaron?” Okay, so Jensen was wrong.
Aaron glared, looking away from the game for the first time. Which, wasn't a good idea since his character died. His twin let out a 'whoop' of triumph. “She didn't want to come.”
Jared leaned over to mock whisper in Jensen's ear, “Kristin got caught by her parents after the last party. They banned her from staying out after eleven and any date they go on for the next three weeks has to be chaperoned.”
“Dude, it's not funny!” It kind of was, and everyone in the room but Aaron seemed to think so. “Man I'd like to see how you'd feel if the same thing happened with you and Sandy. See how you'd like it if parents were cock blocking you.”
“Since that's never going to happen I don't have to worry about it,” Jared didn't stop laughing for a second, just leaned over and snagged the controller. He handed it to Jensen with a wide grin, “Our turn.”
Three games later Jensen handed the controller back to Aaron. He was flushed with the embarrassment of utter defeat. It wasn't like he had much experience with the game systems... and the Wii handled completely different from the Nintendo 64 Josh had when they were little. Jared poked his shoulder with a closed fist, “S'alright man. Takes everyone a bit to get used to a new game system.”
Jensen nodded and took a sip of lukewarm coke, almost all the carbonation was gone. He watched the other three pass the controller back and forth for a while, taking turns. Even Tom and Jamie played a game or two. Jensen waved the controller away whenever Jared offered it to him, a small frown on his lips each time.
A while later his gaze caught the digital display on the dvd-vcr duo. It was a few minutes before 2:30. Shit. He glanced over at Jared, the quarterback had a look of concentration on his face, bottom lip caught between his teeth.
“Jared,” He reached out a hand and lightly touched the other teens shoulder before pulling back. “It's after two, I gotta get going.”
“M'almost done,” Jared didn't even look at him. He sighed and glanced at the screen. The characters were almost at full health and Jared was playing Shawn. The last time they played the match had lasted at least five minutes.
He glanced down at his hands and traced the contour of his bracelet against pale skin. Leaning over Jensen set his half full coke on the coffee table and pushed up. He glanced over his shoulder as he left the room. Jared's gaze didn't leave the battle playing out across the TV screen.
*****
Jensen hadn't known what to expect when he agreed to go to the party. It had been a little exciting, if nerve wracking, to be asked to join in for once. He had also been dreading it since it really wasn't something he ever did. Just wasn't his scene.
What he didn't quite expect was that he'd be walking home. Jared had promised to give him a ride back to his house, before two. It was understandable that they were late leaving the party. Jensen hadn't even realized the time, after all. But half an hour after reminding Jared that he really really needed to go the quarterback had still been focused on beating the twins.
So Jensen had left the only way he could. There was no one he could call for a ride, Chris's parents would kill him if he woke them up and Danneel wasn't allowed to drive after ten. With her driving record Jensen wouldn't want her to. So the only thing left to do was walk. It was five past three in the morning and Jensen was walking across town. At least Chad lived within a half hour walk of the High School, granted it was the opposite direction from which Jensen lived. If he was lucky he would make it home before dawn. That way he might be able to convince everyone he actually got home around two. Rain slept through practically anything and Denis was at work. The girls tended to sleep in on the weekend, even Margaret since she didn't work.
He was actually really surprised when, ten minutes into his walk, Jared's car pulled up next to him. The window was rolled down and Jared was leaning over a frown marring his features, “Dude what the hell? I said I was going to give you a ride!”
Jensen dropped his gaze to the sidewalk for a moment before looking up. He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets, “At two. It's after three.”
Jared sighed, eyes drifting shut for a moment, “I'm sorry, we lost track of time.”
“I noticed the time just after two thirty. I pointed it out and asked,” Jensen scuffed the toe of his shoe in the crease where two slabs of cement met. “Several times for a ride. You ignored me.”
“I said I was sorry, I can give you a ride now?”
He weighed his options. It was night and there was still at least fifty minutes left in his trek home. The neighborhoods weren't bad and there wouldn't be much danger of him getting mugged or attacked. Jensen stared down the street, he was almost to one where the light from the street lamps reached nearly every inch of the road. “Why?”
“What?”
Jensen leaned over to look inside the car better, “Why did you come after me?”
“Because I promised I'd give you a ride?”
“But I was gone, what if I got a ride with someone else?”
“Chace and Leighton said they saw you walking down the road.”
“I could have called for a ride-”
“Jensen, do you even have a cell phone?”
His jaw clenched and he leaned back, “Chad's house had a land line.”
“What's so difficult about this? I said I'd give you a ride and here I am,” Jared glanced down the street. “C'mon Jensen.”
“No. I'm fine and I'll be fine. You can go back to your party.”
“Why would I do that? I invited you, no reason for me to stay if you aren't there.”
He raised an eyebrow, “Right. Jared, you didn't even notice when I left.”
“I said I was sorry-”
“Typical,” Jensen sighed, hands pulling out of his jeans to gesture as he spoke. “I don't know why I even went with you, other than the damn assignment. I didn't even learn much more than I already knew about parties.”
Jared's brow furrowed, “What do you mean?”
“They're just an excuse to get drunk, goof off, and get laid. Which is generally why I never bother to go, not that I ever got invited before tonight. Hell, Chad wasn't even happy that I was there,” Jensen sighed and dropped his head, settling his chin against his chest for a moment.
“Not everyone goes there for that,” Jared pointed out. “I didn't drink and sure, I played some video games-”
“And got caught up in the fun ignoring a promise in the process. I have three people looking up to me at home, Jared. Three. When I stay out all night it gives them the impression that it's okay to do that. It's past three so I can't even use working late or missing the bus as an excuse for this,” He ran a hand tiredly through his hair. “Not everyone has the perfect life and family, Jared. Not everyone has time to spend playing video games and goofing off. Some people don't have a family to support them and have to work to afford a place to live after high school.” His knuckles clenched and fingers twisted roughly in his hair, “Spending some time at a party due to the assignment is okay, but this? Not okay. I can't afford to be so damn irresponsible.”
There was an awkward silence then, Jared just watched him silently for a minute. “You don't want that ride then?”
“No, I really don't,” He sighed and dropped his hand to his side. “But it's better than walking.”
*****
Next
A.Note: Next Part will either be up on Tuesday or Friday. Posting early because I may not have internet access Wed/Thu/Friday morning due to helping my dad train dogs and camping in his motor home in the process. At least his TV supposedly gets The CW on antenna out there...
Author:
surevestaRating: PG-16
Fandom: CW RPS
Word Count: 8364 (this part)
Pairing: J2
Main Characters: Jensen, Jared, Danneel, Sandy, Kripke, Chad, Mike, Chris, Sophia, Hayden, Adair, Rainbow, Allie
Other Characters: Samantha Ferris, Samantha Smith, Tom and Jaime, Aaron, Shawn, Kristin K., Kristin B., Alexis, JDM, and an assortment of other RPS regulars and CW actors/actresses.
Betas:
anyothergirl415Disclaimer: The story and plot is mine, the characters are based off of real people and belong to themselves. The places are also based off of real places. I know almost nothing of the foster care system.
Summary: The world of High School through the eyes of violist Jensen Ackles. Life is just notes on a page, waiting to be read and interpreted.
Master Post
*****
The next couple of days passed by pretty quick for Jensen. He spent Wednesday working in the basement with Denis. His foster father wanted to work on the logistics of changing out the windows downstairs without any professional help. Jensen thought the man was hoping to be able to convert at least one of the storage rooms into viable living space. That way not all of their foster kids would have to share a room. He agreed with that logic and was happy to help, even if it meant he spent an hour digging a hole next to the foundation to test the soil. At least he didn't run into any pipes or wires.
Thursday, on the other hand, was chalked full of activities. Rain had another soccer game after school and Jensen had quartet practice. As soon as he got home Sophia had called asking if he could come into the shop for a couple hours, nine to eleven, to close as her mother had a medical emergency. He'd gone without complaint, Sophia had always been nice to him and he could use the extra hours. All the money he was making was going towards his college fund. The more money Jensen made the higher the probability was that he'd be able to afford a decent instrument for the next year.
He'd managed to catch a bus into town in time and she thanked him for his troubles with a kiss to his cheek. Jensen swore it was half an hour before the red tinge to his cheeks went away. Closing was easy for Jensen, it was something he'd been doing for over a year now. Sophia had hired him as a part time employee when he was just sixteen. She'd only been eighteen herself but was already the assistant manager. Jensen had been thankful for the work and spending money it afforded him, even if he saved it all, letting it accrue minimal interest in a small savings and checking account.
As far as Jensen knew his parents hadn't left him with anything when they died. He wouldn't find out for sure till he turned eighteen, but he wasn't about to rely on something that could happen. Since Josh had never tried to get in touch with him when he got out of the system, Jensen figured whatever life insurance or savings his parents had went to paying off debts and burial fees. Not that he had ever been to their grave, his aunt hadn't thought it was appropriate for two 'wild' boys, let alone her own kids, to attend the funeral. He wasn't even sure where they were buried. Not that he lived in the same town he'd spent his childhood in, social services had shuttled him to the largest city in the county in order to find him a 'good' home over the years. At least this city had a high school was an excellent music program.
Jensen ignored the glare several college students sent his way when he shooed them out the door. He was used to the half hearted glares and eye rolls by now. It was closing time and he wasn't going to let them stick around. Their drinks only had a cold mouthful left anyway, hadn't even been touched for the past forty five minutes at least. Like most students that came to Coffee Haven they were there to study. It wouldn't be hard for them to find someplace else, one of the college libraries stayed open to at least two am and Jensen was sure they had their own homes or dorm rooms to return to. They didn't look homeless.
As he wiped down the one of the booths a familiar face caught his eye. Jared was walking by, Sandy at his side. The girl was grinning up at him, as usual, arm hooked into his. Jensen's hand stilled in a sweeping arc, leaning far over the table to reach the end that touched the wall. The quarterback's gaze flickered up from Sandy's as she spoke, catching Jensen's gaze over the top of her head.
Hazel and green eyes met for only a second, but it felt like longer to Jensen. When Jared glanced back down to Sandy a smile was stretching over his lips. He was answering some comment the cheerleader had made. The thick paned glass of the cafe and busy street kept Jensen from hearing a single word.
He dropped his gaze to the table and scrubbed hard at some old stain, long soaked into the finish of the wood. Jensen's ears were warm, glass frames a cool line against heated skin. He couldn't figure out why the other teen could affect him so much with only a glance. For some reason he suddenly felt a great dislike for Sandy. It was odd and made him feel awkward and off kilter and even more out of place than usual.
That night Jensen took a shower before bed. It wasn't something he normally did, but it was the best time, only time, he could relieve tension without worrying about preteens knocking on the door. Leaning against the cool, old tile and grout that was overdo for its weekly cleaning, Jensen let go. His cheek rested against the wall, a chilly contrast to the warmth of the shower water cascading over his body.
Hand still wrapped around himself, Jensen let his eyes drift shut. It had never really mattered to him when it came to physical attraction. Thing was Jensen hadn't really had a crush before, as odd as that sounds. He guessed it had something to do with not wanting to get attached to people, just in case he had to move. There had been so many foster homes before this one that Jensen couldn't remember all their names or that many details about them. And with lack of time to watch television, no Internet, and lack of money for magazines, Jensen had never really had an interest in a celebrity either. At least where sex was involved.
All in all he had probably led a very sheltered life, or secluded rather. But, for some reason, Jared held an interest for Jensen, one that he really couldn't put a finger on. He thought it might be his looks, the dimples. Yeah, the dimples. Jensen liked dimples, but then Sophia, Sandra McCoy, and even Danneel had dimples. They were all cute enough but they didn't cause him to feel like a nervous wreck or lose the ability to form a fully coherent sentence. Not usually, anyway.
It was just Jared and Jensen wasn't really sure why. It wasn't as if the quarterback was really interested in Jensen outside of the stupid English assignment- hell, the guy avoided the subject for almost two straight weeks after it was assigned! The little bit of attention he'd sent Jensen's way shouldn't be affecting him that much. They weren't friends and there was no way Jared was remotely interested in Jensen in that way.
Besides, Jensen wasn't interested in involving himself in high school social circles. He had more important things to worry about, his future for one. Between working, practice, and studying he had more then enough stress to last him a lifetime. Plus Jared was dating Sandy, the head cheerleader and most popular girl in the senior class. There was no way he'd even look twice at Jensen, even if he wasn't straight as could be.
Jensen's last class of the day was a twentieth century world history class. It wasn't his favorite subject, he much preferred learning about ancient civilizations, but it fit in his schedule opposite the spring semester of American Government. He could have just not taken a seventh period, but even if he hadn't he'd still be stuck on campus most days since the rest of his quartet did. When the bell rang Jensen didn't bother hurrying. Kripke had told them they didn't have to follow each other everywhere, just get the basic idea. So Jensen figured he'd watch the football practice from the old bleachers normally used for tennis matches and meet up with Jared after practice.
Normally the bleachers faced toward the tennis courts, away from the practice field, but the grounds janitors moved it periodically during the off season to mow the grass. Most of the time, during the fall, it faced the main practice field.
Crossing campus, he stopped by the Music building to pick up his instrument from the rack. Jensen passed Allie on the way, she was talking on her cell phone animatedly and just spared him a small smile. Ms. Ferris was standing behind the piano when he walked in, a trio of girls standing in front of her working through some vocal exercise. It wasn't unusual, the choir dominated the room. Mrs. Smith was only at the High School in the morning, and occasionally in the evening by appointment with a student group. In the afternoons she taught at both of middle schools. She got a lot of mileage during the day but got to do what she loved. Jensen thought that it might be fun to teach Orchestra one day, but he hoped that would be after playing as a professional for a few years. Maybe a decade or two.
There were a few other students sitting in the bleachers when he got there. One girl was sitting at the end closest to gyms, feet dangling off the edge. She was watching a small group of freshmen play a game of basketball as she listened to her head phones. Two other girls were studying and chatting animatedly. He was the only guy just sitting around.
Sighing, Jensen let his backpack drop onto the next step down and made sure his viola wasn't in danger of falling off. While he pretty much figured it'd be pretty easy to remember everything about the practice, Jensen decided to pull out a notebook to take notes. The instructions stated that they needed to give some examples of their partners social interactions over the course of the day. How they acted around their teachers, peers, and family. The whole assignment had Jensen wondering why Kripke wasn't teaching a psychology course- or anthropology.
That morning he'd had the foresight to snag a baseball cap, worn and faded with the name of the state team emblazoned on the front, to ward off the sun. While it wasn't especially hot due to it being the beginning of October, it was a clear day and Jensen was going to be sitting on metal bleachers for the next two hours. He felt kind of sorry for the athletes dressed up in their practice uniforms, wearing full padding. They had to be sweating up a storm. It wasn't that hard to decipher which one was Jared, even though the bleachers were set back a ways. The other teen was one of the tallest on the team, only Tom Welling came close to him in height.
Jensen had never played organized sports, it just was never his thing. Sure he'd played during PE or during recess as a kid, but he'd never bothered to join any real teams. The football team was going through a series of drills across the field that he could barely follow. While he watched the sport on occasion, it was the only thing Denis watched on the fuzzy antenna channels their receiver caught, it wasn't a big favorite of his. Given a choice he'd pick watching one of Rain's soccer games any day.
Leaning back, elbows resting on the step behind him, Jensen squinted behind his glasses. The sun was moving down the sky, resting at just the right angle to catch several smudges on the lens. He took a few notes over the course of the hour, mostly writing down how Jared behaved with the coaches and his teammates. Listing specific names when he knew them, but mostly just referring to a team member in general.
At one point, around 4:15, they were running through different plays when the coach switched in the alternate quarterback to allow Jared time to get a drink. Jensen thought it was a good idea to have the alternates switch in with the core team, if someone got hurt you didn't want the team mechanics to be interrupted, after all. He was surprised when Jared waved at him, after take a long drink from his water bottle. Jensen nodded in acknowledgment, lifting his hand up.
At five the practice ended and the coaches dismissed the team to the locker room. Jensen sat up and stuffed his notebook into his bag, awkwardly slinging his backpack onto his shoulder while he waited. It was almost fifteen later that Jared finally exited the building, waving Sandy off with a short hug and kiss to the cheek. Jensen idly noticed that his hair was still damp; he'd probably taken a quick shower in the locker room.
Jared grinned at Jensen as he reached the bottom of the bleachers. Standing, Jensen joined him on the ground, making sure not to trip or slam his viola into anything. “Hey man, I bet you were bored out of your mind.”
“No, not exactly,” At Jared's raised eyebrow Jensen shrugged. “Well I guess. Kind of wrote an essay. For music theory, outlined it. But I did take notes, some anyway. I'm not really into football, playing it. I watch it, sometimes, with... I watch it at home, occasionally, on the television.”
He really hoped Jared would assume he sunburned easily. Awkwardly, Jensen reached up a hand and flipped his baseball cap around so the bill was at the back. Jared's eyes watched him amused.
“I get it,” The quarterback shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips. One dimple peaked out of his left cheek as he spoke. “Not everyone is obsessed with football.”
“No, I guess not,” Jensen fell into step with the taller teen. They were close enough in height that he didn't have to adjust his pace to match. If anything Jared was walking much slower than his long legs usually allotted him, and he had really long legs.
“So you got some good notes then?”
Jensen glanced up from where he was watching the blades of grass as they walked. The janitors had to keep the grass well watered for it to be that green. “I guess, I tried to do what Kripke's instructions detailed. It really wasn't that hard.”
“Good to know,” Jared grinned and that ever existent blush was back to connecting the dots of freckles across Jensen's cheeks and nose. “So, I'm giving you a ride, right? I'm going with you to work tonight anyway and your shift starts at... six?”
He blinked and absently nodded, wondering if he had mentioned the time his shift usually started when they talked a couple days ago. Glancing down at his watch he noticed it was already 5:25. Jensen really didn't have time to walk home and catch the bus. Not if he didn't want to be late to work, anyway. “Uh, that'd be great actually. I kind of need to go home first and change.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Less than ten minutes later Jared pulled his car up in front of Jensen's house. He was leaning down slightly to get a better look at it, hazel eyes squinting and almost cat like in appearance. Jensen fidgeted awkwardly before opening the passenger door.
“Should I, uh, come in?” Jared asked almost stumbling over the words. Pausing, Jensen watched him for a moment, mind momentarily blank.
“I guess? If you want... you can wait in the living room while I get changed?” Jensen's hand had stilled on the car door, just before he would have pushed it shut.
“Sure, better then waiting out here for a while.”
Jensen nodded and turned to head up the walk as he heard Jared's car door open. The taller teenager caught up easily, his long strides audible on the warmed concrete walk leading up to the house. The two story fixer upper had a nice porch that almost covered the entire front side of the house. The siding and railing were in need of a fresh coat of paint, but they weren't too bad. He could feel Jared's eyes taking in every detail of Jensen's temporary home. It made him feel oddly nervous and ten times more awkward than before.
“Not a bad place,” Jared commented as Jensen shouldered the front door open. “My Aunt has a couple of renters around here.”
Absently he nodded and motioned to the couch, about ten feet to their right in the open living room, “Why don't you sit down while I go upstairs and get ready? I'll just be a couple minutes.” Jensen didn't even wait for a verbal response before climbing the stairs two at a time, instrument case bumping his thigh awkwardly. He hoped it wouldn't leave a bruise.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Jensen slowed down. Even if he was in a hurry to get to work and get Jared out of here, Denis was still asleep. His foster father worked Monday night through Friday night and had Saturday and Sunday nights off. The usual work week, just at night instead of during the day. Personally Jensen wasn't sure how Margaret and Denis kept their relationship together so well. He supposed it might have something to do with not seeing each other constantly, but couldn't imagine a healthy marriage with someone where he barely slept in the same bed with his spouse, at the same time anyway.
Entering his room, Jensen quickly stripped, not even taking the time to get a fresh set of clothes out first. He glared at the sparse amount of clothing in the dresser and added laundry to his to do list. A fresh pair of jeans with only a little wear on the edge of the cuffs were pulled on over his hips. They were a little tight, probably a year old, and didn't quite reach the top of his shoes when he stood. He was going to have to replace them soon. Perhaps in a week or two he could volunteer to take Rain across town to Wal-mart. The kid was hitting another growth spurt and his jeans and shoes were rapidly shrinking on his frame.
He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror after pulling a shirt over the top of his head. This time he chose a light long sleeved shirt with a T-shirt on top. His hair was disheveled and glasses thrown askew. Jensen thought he looked slightly ridiculous. Snagging a comb off the dresser he ran it through his hair in an attempt to tame it while his other hand adjusted his glasses. He should probably inquire about getting an appointment with the optometrist before the end of the year. Just in case the state would be willing to pay for one more trip before they kicked him out of the foster system.
Before heading downstairs he made sure that his viola was out of the way and dirty clothes were tossed in the hamper. When he got downstairs he noticed Hayden was perched in the old arm chair, flirting with Jared. They both had a sandwich in hand and Hayden had an extra in a baggie along with a re-used water bottle, label warn and ripping, in hand. She grinned at Jensen as he hurried down the stairs and stood.
“Hey Jensen, I made you a sandwich for dinner,” She stated as he took the food and drink from her, not even sparing Jared a glance.
“Thanks Hayden, you didn't have to,” He sent her a small awkward smile and her blue eyes glittered in mirth.
“No biggie, I made Jared and myself a snack, too, so it wasn't any trouble.”
“Never is,” He grinned and nodded at her usual speech. “We better get going so I'm not late for work.”
“Nice to meet you Jared!” Hayden called after them as they left the house.
“I didn't know you had a sister,” Jared inquired, tilting his head to watch Jensen.
He averted his gaze, green eyes settling on the water bottle the preteen had given him. It wasn't like the statement was entirely false, Jensen had a sister, after all, just not one that he actually remembered. Hayden wasn't actually his sister, more like a really good friend that he'd lived with for the past several years. He could have let Jared assume she was his real sister, but that wouldn't help the other teen actually do his assignment.
“She's not,” his voice was barely audible as the climbed into the car. Jensen glanced up to meet Jared's gaze, the other teen was watching him. “Hayden's not my sister.”
The car ride to down town had been filled with awkward silences. Jared had turned the radio on, tuned to some hits station that mixed all sorts of music genres together, in an attempt to fill it. Neither teen had been really sure what to say to fill the gap.
Jensen really didn't feel like sharing his life story with Jared, not yet at least. He knew that an interview where those type of questions would be asked was an eventuality, but that didn't mean he had to spill his guts now. He was rather good at keeping things inside. The therapist he went to in middle school after a particularly bad foster home experience said as much. Jensen hadn't spilled to her so he didn't think Jared would be able to pry much out of him either.
They parked a couple blocks away ten minutes before his shift was supposed to start. Not having a car to drive, Jensen hadn't been sure where Jared could park for a full five hour shift. The quarterback had easily found a parking space at a nearby church. There weren't any cars in the lot so they assumed there weren't any religious functions or meetings taking place that night.
It was odd walking next to Jared down town, the guy seemed to know half the people they passed. Or, at the very least, they recognized him. He took it in stride, greeting in return and grinning broadly at them. Jensen wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Most of the time he walked alone, to and from the bus stop, just keeping his head down. He could probably count on one hand the number of times someone had greeted him on the street in the last month.
By the time they reached the cafe Jared was practically bouncing, alive and excited, a bundle of energy so strong it made Jensen almost want to take a half dozen steps back. At the same time it was kind of exhilarating to be in the presence of someone so open, someone that seemed so happy to make small talk with people he'd never met before. Jensen was kind of dreading what Jared would be like after he ordered his coffee. Especially since he was going to be just hanging out in a coffee shop, surrounded by sugar and caffeine, for a full five hours. Once again he was wondering whether it was still feasible to switch to a regular English class.
It turned out Jensen didn't need to worry quite that much. Jared was actually pretty well behaved, outside of flirting with Sophia and random college students that walked by the small table he was sitting at. Mostly he made small talk and watched Jensen. It was kind of unnerving how avidly he watched. For someone so energetic Jared was able toe keep his attention on his task. At first Jensen thought Jared might be doodling, but when he dropped by on his break to say hi he noticed the jock had several pages full of notes.
Jared's penmanship wasn't bad, in fact it was pretty clean, but he wrote small making it hard to read upside down from across the table. He also had his chemistry book open and Jensen offered some suggestions on various problems during his fifteen minute break. Jared seemed grateful and relieved, by the time closing arrived Jared had finished his homework and Jensen had read it over. A few corrections later it was likely that Jared would receive full points on it.
It was long past dark, small groups of college students were headed to the local club or bars, when they exited the shop and Jensen locked it behind them. Jared was waiting on the sidewalk as Jensen double checked the door, hands shoved in the pockets of his letterman jacket. Glancing at his watch, Jensen realized it was only eleven fifteen and the last bus wouldn't arrive for another fifteen minutes. There was plenty of time for him to walk to the bus stop.
He shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot, breath almost visible in the dark beneath the street lights, “Did you get enough stuff? Notes for tonight?”
“I think so,” Jared nodded slightly, eyes glittering near gold in the glare of the lamps. “I did my best, I doubt I'll need to watch you work again, though.”
“Sophia'll be relieved,” a small smile crossed his lips. His manager was testy when it came to friends spending a lot of time in the cafe just drinking the same cup of coffee. Especially when they stayed there practically an entire shift.
Jared laughed, “I got the picture she wasn't too happy.”
“She just doesn't like people that loiter,” He shrugged and dropped his eyes to his jacket. There was a thin line of skin visible at his wrists between his sleeves and where they were shoved into the pockets. The contrast of temperature was noticeable.
“We should get back to the car,” Jared motioned with one hand down the street before shoving it back in the relative warmth of his coat.
“I was going to take the bus,” Jensen glanced up, suddenly unsure of that decision. The other teen was watching him still, head titled and eyebrow raised.
“There's no need to take the bus Jensen, I gave you a ride here and I can give you a ride home,” he pointed out without any fanfare. Wide shoulders shifted into a shrug, “Seems logical since I'm already here. It's not a big deal.”
“I,” Jensen paused mulling over the idea. It did sound better then riding the bus. This time of night public transportation tended to attract some pretty odd people. Like the guy with half a dozen piercings and a kilt. He'd stared at Jensen for five whole stops last week. “Alright, a ride would save me some time.”
They fell into step together, hands pushed into jacket pockets, just walking quietly through the cool night air. Jensen rolled his neck slightly, eyes following a car as it passed, headlights lighting up the sidewalk and nearby stores momentarily.
“Do you work a lot?”
He glanced up at Jared as they waited at the corner for the light to change. The other teen was watching the cross walk light. There was some lint in his right jacket pocket, probably from some scrap of paper he left in it the last time it was washed. Jensen rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.
“Thirty hours sometimes, if I work weekends,” He shrugged as the light changed and the red hand switched to a bright white stick figure caught mid step. “Depends.”
“You must have a lot of spending money, I'd kill to be able to work for some extra crash,” Jared laughed lightly and Jensen felt something tighten in his chest. He scuffed the ground awkwardly with his shoes as he walked.
“I'm saving it, for college,” The street lamp they were walking under chose that moment to flick out. “Maybe a new viola. I need one for next year, university.”
“Are they really expensive?”
Jensen glanced up, Jared was watching him again. Strands of hair falling over his eyes. For a moment, he felt like brushing them away. It was an odd feeling. He turned his attention back to counting his steps and avoiding cracks in the sidewalk. “Depends. If I want a good one.”
“You can't get your parents to chip in?”
He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, curling his fingers and breaking the lint into minuscule pieces. “They can't.”
“Oh,” It was a quiet noise, almost as if Jared felt bad about discussing the subject. “The economy's pretty bad right now, my Dad talks about it a lot. He was going to get me a car for my birthday, instead I use my Mother's. She works from home so it isn't a big deal, though. I'm going to work this summer, I should be able to get a used '97 or so before college.”
“That's nice,” Jensen looked up to find the quarterback looking at him, smiling, and felt a smile pull at his lips. “Uh, where, where are you going? To college, I mean.”
“Not sure yet,” Jared shrugged as they reached the church parking lot. “One of the state schools, probably.” He leaned one arm on the top of his car as he unlocked it. Holding the driver side door open, Jared grinned at him and dipped his shoulders in a shrug, “I guess whichever one gives me the best sports scholarship.”
“Football is pretty important to you,” Jensen settled back into the passenger seat. The seats were leather and cold, but comfortable as hell. The car was a newer model, only a year or two old.
“Well, a scholarship is better then loans. I've been playing football since elementary school, it's easy for me. Four more years playing football will be worth it in the end,” Jared settled a hand on the side of Jensen's as he looked back over his shoulder to back up. Jensen's gaze settled on it before moving up the other teens arm to study his features.
“Do you like it? Football? Playing Football?”
Jared paused as he shifted the car from reverse into drive, hand poised on the gearshift. His smile faded slightly from his lips before returning, only a quirk of the left side of his mouth. The left dimple was barely an indent in his cheek, “Yeah. I do, most of the time.” The smile broadened and he glanced over at Jensen, hazel eyes meeting green head on. “It's a fun sport, not something I plan on doing for the rest of my life, though.”
“A means to an end,” Jensen murmured. He turned his head to stare out the window, his right hand lifted to trail across the door just below where it met to window. “If you are offered the chance to go pro, after college, would you?”
“I dunno, probably not. It's good money, but there are things I'd rather do with my life,” The thumb of Jared's left hand was tapping absently on the steering wheel. Jensen leaned his head back, resting it against the seat, and turned his chin towards the other teen.
“Hey, I know you wanted me to drop you off at home,” Jared shot him a quick glance before turning his eyes back to the road, “but it's Friday and there's no game.”
Jensen's eyebrows knit together in question, “And?”
“Well, on the occasion we don't have a game some of the guys usually throw a party. Most of the time they end up being on Saturday, but since there's no game tonight...” Jared glanced over as the car rolled to a stop at a red light. “You are supposed to observe my usual behavior and all... so going to a party would fit into that, right?”
“Me? You want me to go to a party?”
“Sure, Jensen, why not? It's not like it's invitation only,” Jared laughed a little. “Lot's of people go to these shindigs, half the time I don't even recognize a quarter of the people there.” The smile was back as Jared pushed the car into a left turn, “It'll be fun.”
Right, fun. Jensen worried his bottom lip a little between his teeth and stared out the window. The lights from street lamps cascaded through the car as they drove past casting odd shadows. “Sure, I guess. I can't stay out too late, one or two. I need to head home by two.”
“Curfew,” Jared groaned and Jensen swore the guys smile was brighter than he'd ever seen it before. The play of light on his dimples making them seem like giant potholes. “I'm so happy my parents are out of town for the weekend. Visiting my Grandparents. They took my annoying little sister with them.”
It was silent for a few minutes as Jared drove towards a part of town Jensen rarely visited. It wasn't often that he went somewhere that wasn't downtown or to the high school. “Jared?”
“Yeah?”
“You're going to give me a ride? Later. I mean, back to my house after the party? At two?”
Jared glanced at him, an odd look on his face, “Yeah, man, of course I will. I wouldn't leave you out to dry.”
“Good,” Jensen nodded and dropped his gaze down to his lap. The fingers of his right hand were playing with the bracelet circling his left wrist. It was oddly comforting to feel the rough leather cord. “That's good.”
It wasn't the first party Jensen had ever been to, just the first high school one. The first one with alcohol and loud music. The crowd was nothing like a chaotic group of fifth graders rough housing in the McDonald's play area. Yeah, it had been a while since Jensen last went to a party. In elementary school it had been awkward for parents to not invite all the boys in the class, especially since the school he'd gone to had a class of less than twenty. There had even been a few girls there that sequestered themselves to their own table, giggling and playing with the blobs of plastic Jensen thought had probably been mini Barbies or My Little Ponies. It had been hard to tell.
Most high school parties had a pretty open invitation, but Jensen had never been interested in going and Mike had always said that they were slightly awkward if you weren't a part of the 'popular' crowd. Read: the cheerleaders, jocks, and assortment of pretty girls who fit in with the cheerleaders. He never really questioned Mike on it, never had reason to. Plus it turned out the cellist was right, he felt pretty damn awkward.
Jared told him they were at Chad's house as the guy's parents were gone for the weekend at some conference or whatever. It was a big house with a big garage and a huge yard. Even better, it was on the edge of town. The nearest house looked to be at least a half mile away, separated by a lawn that reminded Jensen of a golf course and two rows of those tall, thin trees farmers planted to help break the wind. There was even a pool just past the back patio and it was almost the size of the one at the YMCA, diving board and everything.
He had lost Jared in the crowd about twenty minutes ago, they'd been there for almost an hour now. Jensen was leaning against the wall next to the sliding glass doors, propped open to allow easy access between the family room where the beer and snack food seemed to be littered haphazardly around, and the patio where the main party seemed to be going on. He had an opened, barely touched, can of soda in his hand. At least no one had pushed him into touching the beer. In fact the only person that had talked to him since his arrival, other than Jared, was Chad. Which had been awkward, the other teen had demanded to know why he was there before being silenced and dragged off by the quarterback towards a couple of practically naked cheerleaders. Jensen had been thankful for that, but Jared had yet to come back.
A loud splash followed closely by a shriek caught his attention. He slid around into the door to the patio, leaning against the jamb in time to see a soaking wet Alexis Bledel grip the side of the pool and heft her self up. She was cursing up a storm, clearly outraged. Her long hair was clinging to her back, make-up smudged and running, and she was clearly bra-less beneath a skimpy, mostly white, halter top. Oh.
A hand settled onto his shoulder and Jensen turned his head, tilting it up slightly to look at the face of the guy behind him. There was an amused glint in the teens eye as Jared watched the scene on the patio. One or two other splashes reached Jensen's ears, the pool was obviously a big part of the party now. He didn't turn to look at who else had joined Alexis in the, probably chilly, water.
“Having fun?” Jared grinned, tilting his chin down to look at Jensen.
“Uh,” His eyes darted to the side where there was a couple making out on the couch, and then to the wall behind Jared's right ear. There was a nice painting hanging there, a sunset with a horse. Or at least Jensen thought it looked like a horse. “Yeah?”
Jared's eyes had dropped down to the can of Coca Cola, diet and too sweet, held tightly in the fingers of Jensen's right hand. “Liar,” His large hand pat Jensen's shoulder once before snaking around the bicep of his left arm. “C'mon.”
The sudden movement jostled Jensen's drink, causing it to slosh around. A few drops splashed against the side of his thumb and ran down onto his palm. He let himself be dragged along and noticed that Jared was practically bouncing on his feet. It almost brought a laugh to Jensen's lips, the giant jock bouncing like an excited puppy.
“Where are we-”
“Just in here, it's a bit quieter but still a part of the party,” Jared grinned over his shoulder as he pulled Jensen into the living room. It was much quieter, a couple of football players were playing some WII game on the big screen TV while Tom Welling and his girlfriend, Jensen thought her name was Jamie, were practically cuddling together in a lazy boy.
The hand that was wrapped around his bicep disappeared as Jared dropped onto an empty couch, kitty corner to the one facing the television. Tom said something as he sat, but Jensen didn't quite catch what it was. He stood there, awkwardly, shifting his stance from foot to foot for a moment. Jared shoved an empty bag of chips and can of soda off the couch and onto the hard wood floor. A few drops of bronze liquid twirled through the air.
“Your indecision is ruining my concentration, dude,” One of the guys, Shawn maybe, said. Jensen sighed and moved to sit down near Jared. There was half a cushion of space between them and some sort of wrapper peeking out from the crease where the back rest met the seat. From there he got a better look at the guys using the game system. Shawn and Aaron, the local identical twins. In every school he'd gone to over the years there always seemed to be at least one set. He had calculus with Aaron. Maybe he was the one that spoke, Shawn preferred sports to education. But then Jensen had never been good at telling the twins apart.
“This is a lot more fun then the rest of the party, usually,” Jared grinned at him again. “Hey, after this match let me and Jensen have a quick turn.”
The twin closest to Jared snorted, “It's only more fun because Sandy has you so wiped. There's plenty of fun to be had if you're single.” That was probably Shawn.
Jamie made a small noise and Jensen looked over in time to catch an exaggerated eye roll. She was draped across Tom's lap, legs dangling over the pillowed arm rest and one arm wrapped around his shoulders.
“Sandy doesn't have me wiped, I just think there's more to a good party than sex and drinking.”
“That and the coach will give us hell if we actually get caught drinking,” Tom was running a hand over Jamie's knee. Jensen turned his attention to the television where Shawn and Aaron's cartoonish characters were duking it out. He couldn't even figure out which guy was controlling which character.
“Where is your girl?”
Jared leaned back into the couch and tangled large fingers through his hair, “At home.” He sent Tom an odd look. Jensen really needed to figure out what that was supposed to mean. “We're not attached at the hip.”
“'Coulda fooled me,” Shawn again. Maybe, Jensen wasn't actually sure because even their voices were similar. That and his attention was on Jared again.
“Yeah, well where's your girlfriend, Aaron?” Okay, so Jensen was wrong.
Aaron glared, looking away from the game for the first time. Which, wasn't a good idea since his character died. His twin let out a 'whoop' of triumph. “She didn't want to come.”
Jared leaned over to mock whisper in Jensen's ear, “Kristin got caught by her parents after the last party. They banned her from staying out after eleven and any date they go on for the next three weeks has to be chaperoned.”
“Dude, it's not funny!” It kind of was, and everyone in the room but Aaron seemed to think so. “Man I'd like to see how you'd feel if the same thing happened with you and Sandy. See how you'd like it if parents were cock blocking you.”
“Since that's never going to happen I don't have to worry about it,” Jared didn't stop laughing for a second, just leaned over and snagged the controller. He handed it to Jensen with a wide grin, “Our turn.”
Three games later Jensen handed the controller back to Aaron. He was flushed with the embarrassment of utter defeat. It wasn't like he had much experience with the game systems... and the Wii handled completely different from the Nintendo 64 Josh had when they were little. Jared poked his shoulder with a closed fist, “S'alright man. Takes everyone a bit to get used to a new game system.”
Jensen nodded and took a sip of lukewarm coke, almost all the carbonation was gone. He watched the other three pass the controller back and forth for a while, taking turns. Even Tom and Jamie played a game or two. Jensen waved the controller away whenever Jared offered it to him, a small frown on his lips each time.
A while later his gaze caught the digital display on the dvd-vcr duo. It was a few minutes before 2:30. Shit. He glanced over at Jared, the quarterback had a look of concentration on his face, bottom lip caught between his teeth.
“Jared,” He reached out a hand and lightly touched the other teens shoulder before pulling back. “It's after two, I gotta get going.”
“M'almost done,” Jared didn't even look at him. He sighed and glanced at the screen. The characters were almost at full health and Jared was playing Shawn. The last time they played the match had lasted at least five minutes.
He glanced down at his hands and traced the contour of his bracelet against pale skin. Leaning over Jensen set his half full coke on the coffee table and pushed up. He glanced over his shoulder as he left the room. Jared's gaze didn't leave the battle playing out across the TV screen.
Jensen hadn't known what to expect when he agreed to go to the party. It had been a little exciting, if nerve wracking, to be asked to join in for once. He had also been dreading it since it really wasn't something he ever did. Just wasn't his scene.
What he didn't quite expect was that he'd be walking home. Jared had promised to give him a ride back to his house, before two. It was understandable that they were late leaving the party. Jensen hadn't even realized the time, after all. But half an hour after reminding Jared that he really really needed to go the quarterback had still been focused on beating the twins.
So Jensen had left the only way he could. There was no one he could call for a ride, Chris's parents would kill him if he woke them up and Danneel wasn't allowed to drive after ten. With her driving record Jensen wouldn't want her to. So the only thing left to do was walk. It was five past three in the morning and Jensen was walking across town. At least Chad lived within a half hour walk of the High School, granted it was the opposite direction from which Jensen lived. If he was lucky he would make it home before dawn. That way he might be able to convince everyone he actually got home around two. Rain slept through practically anything and Denis was at work. The girls tended to sleep in on the weekend, even Margaret since she didn't work.
He was actually really surprised when, ten minutes into his walk, Jared's car pulled up next to him. The window was rolled down and Jared was leaning over a frown marring his features, “Dude what the hell? I said I was going to give you a ride!”
Jensen dropped his gaze to the sidewalk for a moment before looking up. He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets, “At two. It's after three.”
Jared sighed, eyes drifting shut for a moment, “I'm sorry, we lost track of time.”
“I noticed the time just after two thirty. I pointed it out and asked,” Jensen scuffed the toe of his shoe in the crease where two slabs of cement met. “Several times for a ride. You ignored me.”
“I said I was sorry, I can give you a ride now?”
He weighed his options. It was night and there was still at least fifty minutes left in his trek home. The neighborhoods weren't bad and there wouldn't be much danger of him getting mugged or attacked. Jensen stared down the street, he was almost to one where the light from the street lamps reached nearly every inch of the road. “Why?”
“What?”
Jensen leaned over to look inside the car better, “Why did you come after me?”
“Because I promised I'd give you a ride?”
“But I was gone, what if I got a ride with someone else?”
“Chace and Leighton said they saw you walking down the road.”
“I could have called for a ride-”
“Jensen, do you even have a cell phone?”
His jaw clenched and he leaned back, “Chad's house had a land line.”
“What's so difficult about this? I said I'd give you a ride and here I am,” Jared glanced down the street. “C'mon Jensen.”
“No. I'm fine and I'll be fine. You can go back to your party.”
“Why would I do that? I invited you, no reason for me to stay if you aren't there.”
He raised an eyebrow, “Right. Jared, you didn't even notice when I left.”
“I said I was sorry-”
“Typical,” Jensen sighed, hands pulling out of his jeans to gesture as he spoke. “I don't know why I even went with you, other than the damn assignment. I didn't even learn much more than I already knew about parties.”
Jared's brow furrowed, “What do you mean?”
“They're just an excuse to get drunk, goof off, and get laid. Which is generally why I never bother to go, not that I ever got invited before tonight. Hell, Chad wasn't even happy that I was there,” Jensen sighed and dropped his head, settling his chin against his chest for a moment.
“Not everyone goes there for that,” Jared pointed out. “I didn't drink and sure, I played some video games-”
“And got caught up in the fun ignoring a promise in the process. I have three people looking up to me at home, Jared. Three. When I stay out all night it gives them the impression that it's okay to do that. It's past three so I can't even use working late or missing the bus as an excuse for this,” He ran a hand tiredly through his hair. “Not everyone has the perfect life and family, Jared. Not everyone has time to spend playing video games and goofing off. Some people don't have a family to support them and have to work to afford a place to live after high school.” His knuckles clenched and fingers twisted roughly in his hair, “Spending some time at a party due to the assignment is okay, but this? Not okay. I can't afford to be so damn irresponsible.”
There was an awkward silence then, Jared just watched him silently for a minute. “You don't want that ride then?”
“No, I really don't,” He sighed and dropped his hand to his side. “But it's better than walking.”
*****
Next
A.Note: Next Part will either be up on Tuesday or Friday. Posting early because I may not have internet access Wed/Thu/Friday morning due to helping my dad train dogs and camping in his motor home in the process. At least his TV supposedly gets The CW on antenna out there...
