Chapter 22: On Edge
"I take it back! You're fun! You're so fun! You're so much fun! You're way more fun than me! Can I go home now?!" I shout, afraid as I cling onto a drunk Jay as we both stand on top of the very same cliff we went to last time, or as Jay likes to call it, 'Neptune Cliff'.
Except, this time, Jay is out of his mind crazy. He wants us to both jump. What blood pact is this? Yes, there is water below the steep cliff but the water will feel like concrete when we hit it. Hell no! I am not prepared to jump and kill myself. Jay can, but I refuse! This cliff is way too high! I'm terrified of heights -- my one and only fear other than the inevitable zombie apocalypse, the rise of the machines and alien abductions or invasions.
Jay simply laughs at my nervousness and unwraps his body from me as he takes a daring step toward the edge. "Look alive, Klutz!" he shouts, his back to the cliff and his eyes on me as he takes yet another step back. "You want fun? Let's have some real fun! The water is probably great."
"Not when the water feels like cement!" I yell in protest, gingerly reaching out to him to try and pull him away from the edge of the cliff. However, to do that I have to get close to the cliff.
"Only one way to find out!" he argues, moving a step back so that he's now standing on the very edge of the cliff.
I didn't realize that his definition of fun is death. I'm not too keen on the cliff diving experience.
"If I swear on my life that you're a zillion, trillion, bazillion times more fun than me, will you come home?!"
If he thinks that I'm that type that jumps off the cliff just because the other person does, then he needs to think again!
"Don't be such a buzzkill, Klutz," he chuckles, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement again.
"Damn it, Jay!" I run forward and grab his arm, cautiously watching my step, not expecting him to resist me, considering the current state of mind he's in. When he doesn't move, I let out a squeal of terror before sprinting back to safety. "You will fall!"
I reach for him again, only to end up running straight back to the safe zone as Jay's amused gaze remains on me. I repeat the process a few times, letting out a fearful squeal here and there, until Jay finally decides he's had enough of my poor attempts in rescuing him.
"I fell a long time ago," he says before doing the unthinkable.
I watch in horror as he salutes me before he jumps off the cliff in a backflip.
Let me back up to earlier, it all started 500 years ago when the fire nation attacked...
Sometime earlier
I'm lying across one of the leather couches, staring up at the ceiling, when Jay begins to chuckle aloud at nothing in particular.
I'm assuming the alcohol has just kicked into his system. He barely had a sip and he's already drunk. No wonder he limits his drinking.
Now's my time to get anything I want from him, starting with Grey's phone number. I grin cunningly to myself when he gives it me, no questions asked. I ignore his random outbursts of energy as I scroll through my phone's contact list. I stop at 'Mr. Grumpy' and give him a call. I end up prank calling him a few times much to his rising temper.
"For the last time, who are you and who gave you this number?!" Grey explodes from his side of the line.
"Your mom!" I shout into the phone and then realize that he asked two questions. I add, "And your dad!"
"That's funny, my dad and I don't speak anymore and my mom doesn't know me," he growls, beyond annoyed. "I'm going to trace this number and when I find out who you are I'm going to kill you."
Oh crud, I forgot he can do that!
"You can't see me!" I panic and use a John Cena line on him before hanging up.
I may have done some damage there.
I call again with the initial plan to apologize. However, the two-way call ends up becoming a three-way call.
"I have your little friend," a sinister voice says into my phone. "He's alive, partly, for the most parts. If you want to see him again, you'll give me back my big sister, and maybe you can throw in a country in my name too."
There's only one person that I know who calls his little sister his big sister...
"Troy Story!" I exclaim in shock. "Is that you?" I click, "Do you still have Max?!"
Of course, he failed to notice that Bell is back upstairs in her room.
"He's being tortured," Troy answers calmly. "He can't come to the phone right now."
"I need evidence that he's alive," I protest in anger.
"First, I'm going to give you a list of my demands," he bargains, trying to negotiate a way out of his crimes.
"I'm listening," I tell him, needing a plan to save Max's life. I don't need more collateral damage on my hands. "Your sister, right?"
"Forget her," Troy answers, changing his mind like the terrible brother he is. "I'm now holding him up for ransom. I want a ransom. I'll let the pathetic captive go for a ransom."
"What the hell is happening?!" Grey shouts over me, enraged.
How dare Troy prank call me when I'm in the middle of prank calling someone else!
"Shut up, Grey! Don't make this about yourself! I'm trying to be a hero!" I raise my voice, no longer concerned about irritating him. My priority is saving Max, that, or letting Max go in dignity.
"Try harder," I hear Grey scoff before falling silent, still intent on working out who the familiar voices belong to.
Meanwhile, there's some scuffling on Troy's line before I hear Max's voice come through.
"Hey, Aqueela, it's Max, head hostage, speaking," he says, stupidly giving my name away to Grey.
Damn him! Now he can die, and he can die as the only hostage, not as the head hostage.
"Idiot," Grey pipes up before his line goes dead. He's had enough for one day.
"I'm fine. Don't listen to Troy," Max replies calmly. "I'm fine. Everything is completely fine."
There's a thud in the background before I hear Max yelp.
"Save me, Aqueela! I'm dying!" Max suddenly feigns a pained voice.
"Tell me where he's keeping you, Max, and I'll have the place surrounded with Black Opt's in a second!" I exclaim in a panic, snapping my fingers. His life is at stake here. Troy's crazy.
"In his house. I'm playing video games-" Max stops speaking when Troy whispers something to him. "I mean, I'm not sure. It's dark and I'm scared," he lies, manipulating me. "Troy's asking for a jet to flee from the Black Opts."
"That's a totally unacceptable and ridiculous demand!" I hiss, rethinking it. Maybe Max isn't worth it.
"You'll do it or I'll deliver what's left of him to you in parcels," Troy's voice returns, unfortunately. "If you ever want to see your friend again, meet me in 23 hours at a place. Come alone. If I even get a whiff of those Black Opts, he's a goner."
I'm about to answer when the phone is suddenly taken from me. "Keep him, we don't want him," Jay tells Troy, having obviously heard the back and forth. "He's not worth a jet. You'd be doing us all a favor. Keep him." He hangs up on Troy before Troy can argue.
We're terrible friends. We just sacrificed Max for the greater good for the second time in one day!
Fortunately, Jay, unintentionally distracts me from calling Troy back in order to rescue our beloved and brainless Max.
"Where are you going?" I ask Jay the second he tosses me back my phone and picks up his car keys.
There's no way he can drive drunk, no matter how good of a driver he is. I'm all up for risks, but he's just being insane now.
"To Neptune," he answers, completely serious.
I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, watching him take unsteady steps across the room. I quickly stand up to block his path when he makes for the front door.
Now I'm one hundred percent sure that he will not be driving drunk.
"As in, another planet?" I question, snatching his keys from him without him even noticing. I'm smooth like that...or sly.
"Don't be stupid, Klutz," he corrects me, taking offense for no reason whatsoever, "there's only one planet!"
"Are you feeling okay?" I ask, concerned. I should have put a stop to the pointless drinking.
"Splendid!" he reassures me with a wide grin just as he loses his balance, collapsing straight into me.
I catch his dead weight in time. I wrap my arm around his waist, trying to support him, but he only leans further into me. "Someone's drunk," I say in a sing-song voice.
His blue eyes brighten as he answers me back in a sing-song voice, "And someone should get drunk." He chuckles and taps my nose playfully.
I raise my eyebrows, stunned. This is definitely out of character for him.
"You want me to drink?" I ask, puzzled by his teasing side. I didn't realize it even existed.
"Nuh-duh," he says, rolling his eyes at me, resorting to immaturity. "That's why I said so, you Looney Tune," he concludes, flashing me a bright grin.
"Pishaw. If I'm drunk and you're drunk can you imagine what will go down here," I state, referring to the house burning down or other chaotic events occurring, but Jay has other ideas.
"I can imagine. Very much so," he insists, sending me a flirty wink.
Before I can do anything about the mischievous glint in his eyes, he's already backing me into a corner. "Now, Jay, let's think about this," I say, placing my hands on his chest in a futile attempt to get him to move away.
"You like me. My closeness shouldn't be a problem," he retorts bluntly, acknowledging my crush for the first time.
Before I can whip up a sarcastic retort, he's already leaning in closer and dropping his head so that we're on eye level. My breath hitches at the proximity. He has no idea what kind of position he's putting me in. In fact, he's exploiting my infatuation with him and he knows it and seems to be thoroughly enjoying it.
I would have reacted by now had I not been caught off guard. When I open my mouth to reprimand him, he suddenly does the unexpected and lifts me up into his arms, bridal style, before I can even process what's happening.
I let out a yelp and quickly wrap my arms around his neck, knowing that he is unsteady on his feet at the moment. "Jay, come on," I whine, "put me down."
"Loosen up a little. You're no fun," he mimics my words from earlier.
My mouth falls agape at his words. His audacity is astounding yet I can't help but feel that I deserve it. What I said really got to him. Still, the reason behind his drinking tonight runs deeper. I'm certain of that.
Jay's sees my expression and winks down at me before carrying me out the front door and to his Gallardo.
I decide to toy with him in the hopes of winning this argument. "You can't change my mind, Jay. You're no fun. Deal with it."
"I'll prove your theory wrong. I'll prove to you just how much fun I can be," he says adamantly. "Challenge accepted."
Before I can protest on anything, I am practically stuffed into the passenger seat of his car. I immediately crawl over to the driver's seat, refusing to let him drive in this state. Much to my surprise, he merely shrugs, compliant, handing me the keys before taking the passenger seat.
He slyly took the keys back from me!
"Well, at least tell me where we're going," I say as I reverse out the driveway. "I need directions to Neptune," I tell him, playing it his way.
"The location of Neptune is a surprise," he mumbles, distracted, as he glances out the car window as if unable to fathom that we're moving.
"Oooh, I love surprises!" I grin and clap my hands enthusiastically, completely forgetting the situation I'm in.
Jay takes his eyes off the scenery to send me a prideful smirk. "I know."
I hate it when he does that, when he implies that he knows more about me than I'm aware of. It makes me feel out of place. "Just focus on your scenery," I say, hoping he'd go back to staring out the window.
"How can I focus when you're in the car?" He openly hits on me, a boyish grin on his face as his gaze stays trained solely on me.
I keep my eyes on the road, ignoring the butterflies.
"How long does your drunk phase usually last?" I ask, not sure how long I will survive this amazing doofus.
"Dunno," he yawns, shooting me a lazy, half-smile.
"Fantastic," I reply in sarcasm, already predicting my inevitable doom.
Sometime now...
Did that just happen?
Did he really just leap off the edge like that?
This is why a rewind button for my life needs to be created.
When I hear a splash from below seconds later, I can't help but think the worst. I get on my haunches and crawl toward the edge to peek over the cliff and into the dark waters below, lit only by the moonlight.
"Jay!" I shout freely, knowing that there's no civilization around to hear...or to help, for that matter. "Jay, are you still alive?! Jay! Jay, damn it! Jay, answer me!" I screech in panic when I receive nothing but silence in turn.
If he's dead, I will kill him.
I begin to panic all the more as the different endings begin to cross my mind. It's then, in that moment, when I vaguely hear some laughter from below, that I realize he's just messing with me.
"Jay!" I shout in fury. "You scared me!" I lecture him, placing a hand over my racing heart. I swear, my world just stopped spinning there for a second. "Don't ever do that to me again!"
"I've only jumped off this cliff like a billion times, Space Walker!" he shouts back, his outline now visible.
I feel the anger burning through my veins when I hear this. He could have mentioned that before!
"Don't call me that!" I snap at him, still feeling agitated by his stunt.
"Gravity Walker?" he calls up, taking his chances.
I shake my head, forgetting that he can't see me. "No!" I protest, carefully sliding away from the edge.
He swims further out from underneath the cliff so that he can see me. He motions to me to jump. "C'mon, Jumper Walker! You know you wanna!"
That nickname makes no sense.
"No!" I stick to my guns, adamant in my choice to not be swayed by his lousy persuasion skills. "There could be crocodiles in that lake!"
"The only thing in the lake you need to be scared of is me!" he hollers playfully.
"Exactly!" I exclaim knowingly. "That's even worse."
"Please," he pleads, drawing out the word. "Please jump." He picks up on my hesitation and decides to manipulate me with his next two words. "For me," he adds, desperate.
I sigh, already knowing that I can't resist him when he's like this. It will be like kicking a puppy. For the life of me, or lack of life after this, I squeeze my eyes shut and suck in a deep breath before taking a run-up. I end up stopping myself the first time before having to do it again. Eventually, I take the literal leap of faith for him, bounding off the cliff whilst putting all fear out of mind and sight for the time being.
Splash!
My head breaks the surface and I inhale a sharp breath, surprised by my own actions. I glance around, my heart still pacing. I can't believe I just summoned the courage to do that. He really is a terrible influence on me.
Jay swims up to me with that same boyish grin still intact. "You did it," he murmurs proudly before splashing water on my face.
I break out into laughter and begin splashing him back, finally enjoying the moment and letting loose the way he does.
That was invigorating! I feel alive. Jay and I can go the distance.
"Wooh!" I fist pump the air, the sound traveling for miles out in the remote area. "This is amazing, Jay!" I say to him, ecstatic, getting carried away with the adrenalin rush. "I could just kiss you right now!"
I'm going to take full advantage of this liberating feeling bubbling within me.
"No one is stopping you." He laughs, a blissful sound that I could get used to hearing, taking me by complete surprise.
He's still clearly out of it.
I change the subject after realizing my mistake. "Like I said, this is amazing."
"No," he corrects me, "this is awesome! Everything is awesome."
I nod, agreeing, as he starts humming a tune. I recognize it immediately, glad that there's at least one thing we have in common.
I sing aloud to his humming, "'Cause everything is awesome! Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you're part of a team!"
Jay's gaze remains transfixed on me as he scans my features before sending me a true, heartfelt smile.
I gesture for him to finish the line.
"Everything is awesome when we're living our dream," he finishes for me before we sing the chorus together, "'cause everything is awesome!"
We both fall into fits of laughter despite the icy temperature of the water.
This side to Jay, this carefree side of him, would be the side to him that I adore most.
*~*~*~**~*~*~*
"Jay!" I whine while running after him, dripping with water, completely soaked. "I'm freezing!"
He chuckles from somewhere in front of me as he charges in the direction his car, just as cold as I am. The evening wind blowing is of no help either.
"It's not funny!" I halt in my running steps, needing to take a breath. Now's really not the time to be incredibly unfit.
"You should have thought of the consequences before jumping in like a wildman. That's what you get for following your instincts," he says, turning back to me with a cheeky smile pulling at the corners of his lips.
I grit my teeth in irritation. "You told me to jump!"
He walks back over to me, actually being considerate for once. "Yeah, but I didn't think you'd actually listen."
"I hate you," I huff, aggravated and cold.
"Oh, Munchkin," he pats the top of my head teasingly, drawing me to his warm, toned side, "if only that were true on your part."
He's usually not one for pet names, well, when he's sober anyway.
"Okay, that's it!" I say, quickly pulling away from him, now fed up. "When does sober Jay come back?"
"I don't want him back. Do you?" he asks suggestively, waggling his eyebrows at me playfully before thoughtlessly leaning down to nuzzle his face in my neck, his closeness bringing me temporary warmth.
"Let's get you home, m'kay?" I tell him, gently placing my hands on his chest to push him away from me.
Jay hangs his head in submission and nods, falling in tow with me as we take the long route back up the cliff to where his car is parked. He remains silent and I can't help but wonder what's running through his mind this time.
I reach for his keys on the hood of his car once we've reached the top of the cliff again. I'm about to unlock his car to get in when his voice stops me, "Do you like Mason?"
I'm caught off guard by his unusual prying. My breath hitches at the question that everyone seems to be asking me nowadays. I turn around to face Jay and shrug, giving him my honest answer, "At the moment, not really."
"At the moment?" he prods, keeping little distance between us when he saunters up to me in curiosity.
I bite down on my bottom lip to prevent the small smile from tugging at my lips. I shake my head and clarify, "He was just a friend, sorta."
Jay, slowly sobering up, says nothing more before stepping past me to get into the passenger seat of the car. "C'mon, Jumping Walker," he encourages, "it's time to go home now. Say goodbye to Neptune."
I stare at him in awe. Unfreakenbelievable!
"Are you gonna stand there all night or am I going to have to throw you down that cliff to break you from your stupor?" he asks with his rare mischievous grin.
He's almost sober again, that's for sure.
*~*~*~**~*~*~*
Jay's POV
I watch from the window as we pass the dark sky filled with an infinite amount of stars. It's a reminder that life is limited. The future is uncertain. Somewhere along the line, my train of thought takes me back to a place of reality as a migraine begins. I only have a vague memory of tonight's events.
I glance over at Aqueela to see her focused on her driving. I flinch when she just misses an oncoming car. I must have been really drunk to entrust not only my life into her hands but my car too.
I only relax when she finally pulls into my driveway.
"Aqueela," I yawn tiredly when she stops the car, "where did you learn to drive?"
When she doesn't answer, I shift to face her. I grin when I see her passed out against the steering wheel. Aqueela's a special breed of human. If anything, she's as infinite as the stars. On the up side, at least, there will be some peace and quiet in the house.
I get out the car and close my door silently before going to her side and opening the door. I grab my car keys and undo her seatbelt. I lift her up, careful not to wake her up, as I walk back to the house.
I open the front door just as she nestles her head against my chest. I shake my head, suppressing a grin, and walk upstairs with her to my room to let her have the good night's rest she needs but doesn't really deserve.
You can imagine my surprise when I find Oog in my bed resting soundlessly. My temper immediately spikes. I have to restrain myself from kicking him out. This is Aqueela's damn fault. The realization in itself is enough to diminish my anger like the flip of a switch.
I can at least be happy in the fact that the hobo is sleeping in a bed for the first time. I've been on the streets. I know what it's like. I guess he deserves a home for just one night -- maybe that's the way Aqueela sees it, maybe that's the way she views life. Either way, I'll have to burn my bed.
I take Aqueela back downstairs seeing as the spare rooms are not ready. I place her down onto the couch instead before getting extra blankets to cover her. Fortunately, her clothes have dried. She could have seriously injured herself tonight, knowing what a klutz she can be, and it would have been my fault.
Drinking is never the answer.
Seeing her asleep brings me to the brink of my own exhaustion. I flop down onto the recliner couch. I sigh in contemplation when I notice the faint scars on her arms again. It unnerves me. I don't ask her about it because I respect her.
I let out a groan when I realize just how much she's going to hate me when she finds out what I did, but I couldn't just sit back and leave it. I've learned, from my own experiences, that avoiding the problem doesn't remove it from your life.
Some of those scars are fresh, telling me that the abuse hasn't ended. I've taken the liberty to end it myself.
I sure as hell didn't bargain for this. I sure as hell didn't bargain for an Aqueela. Still, I'm not complaining.
*~*~*~**~*~*~*
Aqueela's POV
"She couldn't have prank called you so many times," I hear a familiar voice say as I shift soundlessly in my sleep.
"She wouldn't stop! Seventeen times! She knew I was tired and this was her way of getting revenge for me leaving her stupid plan yesterday!"
Grey.
"Aqueela is just trying to bond with you. Lighten up."
And that would be Jay.
After everything I've done, I'm surprised that he's actually defending me. I suppose that I could milk this a little longer and see where it leads.
"Well, she's got a strange way of showing it! I mean seriously, Jay, there are billions of girls in the world and you just have to pick her. You pick the craziest from all of them," Grey complains further like the grouch he is. "She's missing a few marbles."
"I didn't pick her," Jay clarifies quietly, "she picked me, and I'm kind of glad she did."
The moment is ruined when I hear something clatter from the kitchen.
"Are you kidding me? You actually let that creature sleep here. You're so far gone, it's not even funny," Grey insults Jay, unimpressed.
He better not be talking about me!
"His name is Oog," Jay clarifies yet again, his patience wearing thin. "And I didn't let him stay because Aqueela asked, I let him stay because he needed it," he replies back defensively, causing my smile to widen. He's accepting Oog.
"He just broke your toaster and you're defending him?! This girl is changing you and you don't even see it," Grey argues, wanting his old pal back, better known as his 'acquaintance'.
"I don't care. You should leave. You're really starting to annoy me," Jay replies back in a cold, detached voice.
I almost feel sorry for Grey, almost.
I hear the door bang shut before a car revs its engine from somewhere outside. Grey has finally stormed off. That guy needs to stop taking life so seriously and lighten up a little. I once said that about Jay and now look how far we've come. He's turning into a giant marshmallow of warmth and fluff.
"You can stop pretending to sleep now. He's gone," Jay retorts loudly, perceptive of my every action. My acting needs some improvement.
I sit up, grinning from ear to ear. "You defended me," I state the obvious, still trying to process it all.
Jay shrugs carelessly, averting his gaze. "Only I'm allowed to insult you."
"Grey meanie are mean to Eela," Oog speaks up as he comes to sit beside me on Jay's couch with his burnt toast as if it's the normal thing to do. You'd think he's been living here for years.
"Eela?" Jay questions, confused.
"Oog can't say Aqueela so he just says Eela," I explain and then glance back at Oog who seems especially happy this morning. "Want some toast with that butter?" I wink at him, referring to all the butter he smeared on.
"Aqueela," Jay scratches his head, at a loss, "what exactly happened last night?" My eyes widen as the memory comes back to me and I automatically grin. "Why are you smiling like that?" he asks wearily. "It makes me nervous."
"You are incredibly flirty when you're drunk but you're also completely insane. On the brighter side of things, I take it back, you're a lot of fun. You should drink more often, but then again, you are quite the handful. That's all you're getting out of me," I smirk in victory, pretending to zip my mouth closed.
Bottom line, he made my night. He managed to take my mind off Bells.
Jay narrows his gaze. "Figures," he mutters, not surprised that I'm holding out on him. "You'll never see me drink again."
"Challenge accepted!" I grin enthusiastically in turn.
He sighs. "It's not a challenge, Aqueela."
"It is now!" I say, already planning ahead. For the meantime, I have bigger fish to fry.
Oog speaks up from out the blue, "Oog like here." He motions to Jay's house as if it's natural for him. "Oog stay," he says and then adds, "forever."
I chuckle, not taking him seriously, as I glance at Jay to see a look of terror on his face. "He's not serious, is he?" Jay asks cautiously, genuinely afraid.
I'm about to answer but Oog takes up the initiative instead, "Oog seriously serious."
Jay nods before pulling me aside, away from Oog's hearing range. "Aqueela, he can't stay here."
"I know," I reply in understanding.
"You do?" Jay asks as surprise flashes across his electric blue eyes.
I nod. "But I can't let him go back to living on the streets either," I say gently, trying to make him understand my part in all of this.
"Then what do you suggest?" he asks, already aware that I have an idea up my sleeve.
I grin in victory upon hearing his words.
He should never have asked.
*~*~*~**~*~*~*
"You're not serious, are you?" Jay asks, bewildered, as we stand outside in his backyard glancing up at the enormous oak tree. Before I get the chance to ask, he's already speaking again, "Why bother asking? You obviously are."
I laugh and reach up to pinch his cheeks. "Look at you getting to know me so well," I mock tauntingly.
He slaps my prying hands away. "Fine. I'll do it. But only because I don't want him living in my house."
"Yes!" I fist pump the air, excited. I turn to Oog with a wide smile. "You hear that, Oog? We're building you a tree house and you'll still be close to Jay," I tell him, knowing that he protested that he stay near Jay.
"Oog like Jay. Jay no meanie is," Oog says in earnest.
Jay will never admit it but he has a soft spot for Oog. He doesn't have the heart to send Oog back to the streets, hence Oog's sudden liking for Jay.
"I can't believe I'm actually agreeing to this," Jay mutters, frustrated, as he frowns at me.
"Is 'cause Jay love Eela and Oog," Oog insists, much to my amusement.
Jay sighs but doesn't deny it which only adds to my 'happy-go-lucky' mood this morning.
"I'll go buy the wood. You two get some helping hands and don't tell me you can't do it. I know you, Klutz, and you have a way of roping people in to do your bidding. See you in a few," Jay salutes jokingly before leaving me alone with Oog.
Mhm...who to rope in...who to rope in...
Simo is working today. Apparently, Dylan wasn't very happy that I stole him. Dylan, himself, is still angry at me. Bell needs time away from me. Troy's going through his first 'hate Aqueela' phase. Melinda hates me even more. Grey wants me dead. Mason is just too...'Masony'.
That leaves me with Benley, Max, and Blubber.
Benley agrees easily, saying he has nothing better to do. He says I'm his day's entertainment. I took it as the compliment that it is.
Blubber bribed me so now I owe him ten dollars for his assistance. Well, I should rather say that Jay owes him ten dollars.
Max, the toothpick, said 'no' because we ditched him. As a result, he was kidnapped by a psycho and then later sold out by a drunk Jay. Fortunately for him, Bells felt terrible when she got back home from Jay's house and invited him in. He's decided to spend his day with her instead.
And I'm the apparent traitor!
Who else do I know? Who else? Boss Man! He loves me, I think.
A tugging on my arm brings me out of my thoughts, "Eela, Oog have not meanies friend who can to help."
My face lightens up. "That's great, Oog! Go get them."
The crazier, the merrier!
*~*~*~**~*~*~*
"Yo, babe, who are all these peeps I'm a looking at?" Blubber asks me, glancing at the three of Oog's friends and Boss Man.
"Yeah, I'd like to know too," Benley agrees with Blubber, shockingly enough.
I glance at the freakishly tall, dark-skinned guy. He has heavy chains around his neck, sporting the typical 'gangsta' look, ranging from pants that are almost slipping off of him to a baggy shirt and sleek sneakers. He's wearing so much bling that he makes the stars look dull.
"This is Gland," I introduce him to them. "He's a pal of Oog's, helped Oog out a ditch that Oog once fell into."
"Gland?" Benley repeats, not believing me.
Gland juts his jaw out, towering over Benley in an intimidating position. "Yo, that's my name. You got a problem with that, B-dawg, or do I got to take this back to my posse and teach you a lesson on judging?"
Benley is quick to shake his head, afraid. "No, it's a wonderful name!" he lies, being extra polite, making me wonder where the angry Benley I first met went to.
"What do you do for a living?" Boss Man asks Gland, curious.
"I'm a professional gangster," Gland answers casually, frightening everyone in the process as they all snap daggers at me accusingly. Gland sees this and rises to his own defense, "Relax yo selves, I'm one of them good ones."
They all let out a breath of relief, not bothering to question it any further.
"Oh, and by the way, this is Boss Man, Jay's boss," I introduce Boss Man to the colorful strangers before me, aware that they've only heard about Jay.
Boss Man glances my way with an amused grin. "You realize that you don't have to call me Boss Man, right? My name is Greg-"
"Whatever, Boss Man," I wave it off before introducing the Jamaican, surfer dude with long blonde dreadlocks, flip-flops, and neon clothing. "This here is-"
"Jam!" Jam, himself, cuts me off as he greets the others with a large smile. Yeah...he's a little eccentric. "This is so gnarly, dudes! I'm so psyched to meet you all," he greets, over the top.
"You all have stupid names," Blubber, ever so rudely, points out.
I frown at Blubs, not impressed by his attitude. "You're the one to talk, Blubber," I emphasize his name, putting him in his place while the others all laugh at his expense. "Oh, and Oog met Jam ironically in a jam store in Tokyo."
"And what about Mamacita over here? Mhm?" Blubber grins flirtatiously, licking his lips, as he approaches the beautiful yet ditzy airhead of a blonde.
"I'm FeeBee," she giggles. "Oog stole my comb."
'Nuff said. That's explanation enough. I don't need to know any more to love her.
"Remind me why I agreed to this again?" Benley asks aloud, regretting his decision already.
I chuckle, ruffling his hair playfully, "Aww, don't back down now, Ley Ley. You came because I saved your life," I remind him.
"No, you didn't," he points out before scolding me, "and stop calling me Ley Ley!" he snaps, his 'old self' resurging. Well, finally!
"Fine, Ben Ben. Since you're not keen on being here, you take Oog to his old home under the bridge to gather the rest of his supplies," I say, pushing him into Oog and motioning to Oog to take him before he can protest.
"What supplies? He doesn't even own anything. He has no belongings," Benley, as predicted, complains.
"B-dawg, don't ya go talking to my bud Oog like that or I'll have to mess your pretty boyband face up," Gland threatens, overly defensive over his short-in-comparison friend.
"His cardboard box, nuh-duh. Now shoo! Go!" I order, shoving Oog and Ben away so that we can begin working.
Jay finally pitches, unloading his car with all the resources required. He's thought of practically everything. He's even bought a few things to put into the tree house like an elf-sized bed and a fridge. He's probably spent a lot of the money he has saved. He really does have a heart of gold and you wouldn't know it if you didn't know him.
He enters the backyard, seemingly unsurprised at the number of people I managed to gather. He nods at all of them, acknowledging them in his own respectful way, that is until his eyes land on his boss. "You brought my boss here?" he asks, turning to me.
Boss Man smirks in delight. "Pleasure to see you too, Taylor. C'mon, I'm practically your hero."
"Great," Jay mutters, "now I got to see you outside of work too," he kids as he greets his boss in one of those bro hugs.
"Jay?" a small, bubbly voice questions as if uncertain.
Jay seems to recognize it almost immediately as he spins around, coming face-to-face with FeeBee. "FeeBee, what are you doing here?" he asks quietly, in shock, almost as if he's seeing a ghost. He doesn't ask anything further and immediately walks up to her and embraces her tightly. "How have you been?"
Her eyes fill with tears as she returns the hug as if having truly missed him. "Good," she replies weakly, barely containing her sobs, "you?"
Jay pulls back from her. He gestures to me as he answers her, "Busy. Been preoccupied lately."
"Busy," I mock him quietly, suddenly annoyed.
He glances down at her and smiles a true, genuine smile as if truly happy for the first time in a very long time. "I can't believe you're really here." He cradles her face in disbelief before hugging her again as she wipes at her watery eyes.
I scowl in their general direction not so subtly before turning to Gland in sheer determination, "Let's get started."
"You alright there, Eela? You're looking down. Is that boy upsetting you?" He follows my gaze trained on Jay. "Don't nobody upset my girl Eela," Gland says as he lifts me up into a bear hug, thinking my name to be Eela for real. He's talking to me as if he's known me for years. He's fond of me seeing as Oog told him all about what I've done for him.
It wasn't just me who helped Oog.
"That's just Jay," I answer Gland, irritated by the obvious connection between the two of them.
"Jay, as in the man that Oog respects so much?" Gland asks and I nod. "I, myself, only got respect for that guy, he's a brother."
I roll my eyes.
Is there not one person on the face of this earth who doesn't like Jay?!
Mason...
It's then when Blubber shouts out, "Cool Guy Jay!" I scoff when Blubs takes off to Jay eagerly. Nonetheless, I can't help but be thankful when he shoves FeeBee away to hug Jay too, completely pulverizing their moment.
*~*~*~**~*~*~*
"Four hours! Four damn hours, Aqueela!" Benley complains as he finally returns with Oog, basically empty-handed.
"I was wondering why the heck you took so long. I hope you weren't mean to Oog," I lecture him, barely paying him any attention.
"How is this my fault?! You told me to go with him!" Benely retorts back stubbornly, raising his voice at me like he did when he quit his job.
Mason always says I have a gift for shifting the blame onto the innocent person, making the innocent person look guilty and myself look innocent.
Oog breaks me from my thoughts when he cowers behind me, afraid of the yelling. He can't handle conflict. I pat his head, trying to calm him down before narrowing my eyes at Benley accusingly. "Look at what you're doing! You're scaring him!"
"He took me around town for four hours. I've seen the entire freaken town. I've been to the heart of the city and I've even been to the damn countryside! He couldn't remember where he lived! Then, when we finally get there, all he takes is a toothbrush. A freaken toothbrush, Aqueela! One that he doesn't use! One that he uses as a door stopper despite the fact that his cardboard box doesn't have a door!" Benley explodes, clearly agitated and exhausted.
I try to calm him down. "Ben-"
"Four hours for a toothbrush, one that he doesn't even use!"
Oog whimpers from behind me, terrified.
That's it! That's the last straw!
*~*~*~**~*~*~*
"Okay, Aqueela, I'm sorry. Can you let me out now?" Benley asks from within his wooden enclosure that Gland and Jam had made out of the goodness of their hearts. Needless to say, while Benley was distracted, I had Gland shove him in.
"What's the magic word?" I ask, cupping an ear to my hand, refusing to unlock the makeshift door.
"I'm not saying that, Aqueela. You can forget it! I've been in here for an hour and the tree house is almost finished. Plus, I really got to pee," Benley begs, still choosing not to cooperate on my terms.
"Not my problem, enjoy your new home," I say, turning my back on him and his cage as I begin walking away.
"No, no, no! Aqueela, wait!" Benley pleads, desperate.
I obey and turn around with an innocent look, wiping my victory smirk off just in time. "Yes?"
"Your Royal Highness and Majestic Legendness, can you please let me, a dire fool, out of my sublime home in spite of all the wrong I've done since birth?" Benley, at having enough, finally complies to all my wishes.
Damn, he must really need the bathroom.
I grin, flashing him a megawatt smile. "You may," I say, motioning to Gland to let him out, "but in future, please do refrain from calling me such cheesy names."
Benley glares at me the second he gets out. "But you specifically said-"
I cut him off. "Tut, tut, tut!" I say, waving my finger in his face. "Silence!" I demand. "Or else," I warn, purposely glancing back toward his cage.
Benley pretends to zip his mouth shut before rushing back into Jay's house to use the bathroom. I grin to myself, satisfied. Man, I'm good.
My smile wipes off of my face when I see Jay taking wood out of FeeBee's hand before helping her up the tree house to the roof where everyone seems to be finishing off the masterpiece that will be Oog's new home. A scowl finds its way onto my lips when FeeBee tries to nail the wood in, failing miserably. Jay gently takes the hammer out her hand, laughing along with her, before doing the job for her.
They've been like this for the past couple of hours. It's infuriating and here Benley thinks he has it bad. Nonetheless, I refuse to complain until Oog's tree house is finished. This is all about Oog.
I glance sideways to see that Blubber has used scraps of wood to create himself a pool chair. He is currently lounging shirtless on it, his literal blubber exposed to the sun. He's hoping to catch a tan. I shake my head at seeing the black shades he has on. He thinks he's cooler than the sun. He's even got Jam fanning him down with a giant palm leaf.
I stifle a laugh at seeing Blubber slowly fall asleep under the sun's rays. I'm kind of glad, he's been useless all day and whines about everything. He's been acting like royalty for goodness sake. I'm paying him to do nothing. I mean, Jay is paying him to do nothing.
Jam isn't the brightest crayon in the coloring box but he sure has a gigantic heart. When Blubber asked him to fan him with a leaf, he just did it without complaints, only once comparing the giant leaf to his surfboard back home.
I guess Blubber's blood-red skin makes up for it all. I was supposed to wake him up when he started to burn. I got distracted. He's going to be in a lot of pain when he gets up. It hurts me to just look at his red belly. That's what he gets for being lazy.
Then again, I haven't done much either. I've either been playing fetch with Oog or I've monitoring and supervising the others, telling them what they are doing wrong and making them fix it. Yeah...most aren't very happy with me right now, especially Jay since I complained about his work more than half the time. In reality, his woodwork is flawless.
Gland, on the other hand, has been doing the heavy lifting while FeeBee, Jay and Boss Man do the actual building and hammering. Or should I just say Boss Man and Jay seeing as FeeBee is completely useless? I want to hate her, I really do, but she seems so sweet that her ditzy personality doesn't really seem to bother me much.
I haven't spoken to Jay all day, not because I don't want to, but because he's been preoccupied with FeeBee.
"My arm is sore," Jam states randomly, not the least bit mad in the fact that he's been waving around a giant leaf for hours.
I offer him a gentle smile. "You can stop, Jam. Heads-up, no one listens to Blubber," I wink at him in a friendly manner.
"You alright there, kiddo?" I meet Boss Man's gaze as he swings a heavy arm around my shoulder. I feign a smile and nod, not quite buying it myself. He's obviously seen me staring at Jay in distaste. "Taylor has a terrible habit of pushing those closest to him out of his life completely, you may have noticed."
In the beginning, he did try to get rid of me on more than one occasion.
"Who are you to Jay? He mentioned once that you're his acquaintance. He said that you offered him this house and the job he has now," I prod, genuinely interested.
Boss Man smiles warmly with a shake of his head. "Only acquaintance, huh?"
I chuckle. "Jay says that about everyone he genuinely cares about. Don't take offense to it. Apparently, I'm still working my way up to acquaintance so you're in actual fact privileged," I joke.
"He was never a bad kid. He was just misguided. He was involved in all the wrong things. I came alongside him and walked a long journey with him. Eventually, I got him out and offered him his life back. I'm turning twenty-seven this year. Jay's like a little brother to me. I look out for him. Always will," Boss Man tells me, his explanation touching my heart. I didn't realize the two were so close. Jay doesn't speak much about him, but then again, Jay doesn't speak much about his life in general.
"You're a good person, Boss Man. I hope you know that. Thank you for saving Jay," I smile up at him in true gratitude.
He ruffles my hair and lectures me to not go all 'soft' on him.
*~*~*~**~*~*~*
The sun begins setting behind a cloud, the sky an array of colors. I snap a picture before turning around to take a picture of the completed tree house. If I do say so myself, it's magnificent. It's even furnished, thanks to Jay.
I climb up the ladder to join Oog, FeeBee, Jay and Jam.
Benley slipped out hours before without me noticing and Gland said that it was getting dark. He had to return home to his posse for gangster shiznit...whatever that means. Boss Man had to go and be a boss again -- a sad life he leads. Blubber woke up a little while ago. He screamed in my face when I sheepishly gave him his money. Apparently, it was not enough to cover the costs of his 'beautiful body'. He's going to be mad at me for a while. I think it's safe to cross him off my 'helping me' list.
I told the guy to put sunscreen on! I told him not to use aluminum foil! I told him not to fall asleep! Okay, so I didn't, but I was thinking it. That's got to count for something.
Jay and FeeBee seem to only be conversing with each other, completely ignoring the rest of us, leaving me stuck talking to Oog and Jam, not that I mind. We all bleed the same. We've got to give each other the benefit of the doubt.
Jam is probably the most laid-back guy I've ever met. He's so chill, although his surfer slang tends to get to you after a while. Hang ten this, hang ten that...why not hang nine, huh? He's biased to all other numbers. Nonetheless, he plays the ukulele, so that's a plus. His new nickname for me is 'Flower' because, apparently, I'm as beautiful as a sunset on the sea's horizon.
Oog is so grateful for his new home that he went as far as picking a flower out of Jay's garden before placing it in my hair. Truth is, I have a soft spot for people like Oog. We gotta fight for each other.
"Well, Flower, I gotta go chop some waves. It was coolio meeting you though. I hope to see you real soon," Jam says before pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. I chuckle before waving goodbye, watching him leave the tree house via the ladder.
It's then that I notice Oog sleeping rather loudly beside me as he snores deeply. Well, there goes my last companion. Fantastic!
I glance up to see Jay staring at the ladder that Jam had just used.
FeeBee senses her friend's discomfort and offers me an attentive smile as she snuggles into Jay's side as if to comfort him.
I try to return the smile but my smile falters upon seeing the close proximity between the two.
"Hi, I'm FeeBee!" she suddenly greets, her eyes on me.
I raise both my eyebrows, puzzled. "I know. We met earlier," I state, confused.
Jay clears his throat, uncomfortable. It's almost as if he feels accountable for her stupid remarks. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, trying to work out their relationship.
FeeBee grabs me from my thoughts when she twirls a blond curl around her finger as her blue eyes widen in recognition. "Oh yeah! Hey, Aquala!" She waves giddily while getting my name wrong. "I didn't recognize you with that flower in your hair."
Wow...we might as well just roll the credits now.
Something in her sentence catches Jay's attention as he finally acknowledges me with a scoff of contempt. "Did Jam give you that flower?"
I pull a face, shaking my head before explaining to him that Oog gave it to me, surprised by the sudden coldness in his voice.
"Then why does he call you 'flower'?" Jay asks, failing to mask his obvious irritation.
I shrug carelessly. "Because he said that I'm as pretty as the ocean's sunset over the horizon," I reply, truthful.
When I hear Jay snort I can't help but glance up at him with a scowl. "You fell for that?" he asks, frowning at me in disbelief.
He's really being rude today. He's acting like he was on the day I first met him.
"Fall for what, Jay? He was just being nice. If you're trying to imply that what he said is not true, then just say so!" I snap at him, standing up, my bottled up temper finally getting the best of me.
Jay, at a loss, gets up with me in an act to stop me. "Aqueela, I wasn't saying-"
"I don't want to hear it!" I cut him off abruptly. "Your opinion doesn't matter to me. Jam is right. I am gorgeous and no one will tell me otherwise!"
Jay sighs in defeat. "Yeah, Aqueela, yeah you are. I wasn't trying to tell you otherwise. I don't want to fight with you, can we just-"
I slam the door to the tree house shut as I storm off, not hanging around to hear the rest of his sentence.
His name should be Jay the jackass!
In a fit of rage, barely comprehending my surroundings or anything else for that matter, I march my way over to his house, finding myself standing just outside his family's front door. I frown to myself as I contemplate the various outcomes. I shouldn't be here. I should just walk away.
I'm about to knock but stop myself. I turn my back on the door, prepared to leave, when the door suddenly swings opens, "I hope you're not planning to leave without so much as a hello."
I turn around to face him, my regret crushed when he offers me his dimpled grin before opening the door for me, beckoning me to come inside.
At first, I'm hesitant, but then I think about how Jay's been treating me all day and suddenly I'm not so hesitant anymore.
I grin. "If you insist."
He closes the door behind me like a gentleman, following in after me, "I knew you'd come eventually and I'm really glad you did."