Jason Carter (jason_carter) wrote in btvsal, @ 2009-09-18 17:44:00 |
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Current mood: | tired |
A Guarantee
Who: Cassie and Jason
Where: Shooting Star Comics (and then for a drive)
When: Thursday afternoon
The only thing that sucked about owning a comics store? Things tended to be either realllly busy... or reallllly slow. This was one of those slow evenings. After what had happened at school, Cassie had been FUMING. But she decided to let it go... for now. She needed to talk to Camille. Woman to woman. But for now, she just tried not to think about it. Wearing dark green cargo jeans slung low on her hips, a clingy Broken Sunrise tee she'd gotten with her ticket to the upcoming CD Release concert, and a pair of Chuck Taylors, she sat behind the counter, reading an issue of The Flash, the stereo behind her playing an old Voivod CD.
School had been...interesting. Practice had been worse. Roy was a great running back. He was a pretty good friend, once you got to know him. But he, like Camille, was into that whole mindless we-belong-here/they-belong-there crap. He hadn't wanted to listen to reason and Jason was sporting a busted lip to prove it. It was all good. Roy had a black eye and a nice bruise on his jaw to match. Coach had made them both run until they threw up. By the time he'd showered, cleaned himself up and made it back to his locker, the majority of the crap had been cleaned up as well as it could. Apparently, it'd been inappropriate and offensive to the faculty and student body. There was no doubt who'd been behind it, either. Like he cared if Camille got pulled into the principal's office. A slap on the wrist wasn't going to deter her. For now, he just wanted to check on Cassie. He'd driven by her shop on his way home and pulled into the parking lot. Dressed in jeans and a plain white t-shirt, he was looking pretty nondescript - except for the cut on his lip. She was easy to spot as he entered and he had to grin. At least she didn't look too upset. "What's up?"
Upset? Oh. Oh dear no. There wasnowordyet that described how Cassiefelt right now. She was just damned good at hiding it when she needed to. She heard his voice, and practically dropped the comic, turning to him and blinking adorably. "Jason... oh man... I'm so sorry." She sighed, shaking her head and continuing before he could interject. "JC... I like you. A lot. I've crushed on you since last year. But I... I don't want to ruin your reputation. Make your school life as miserable as mine. Maybe... maybe you should go to school tomorrow and make a show of telling me to get lost. In front of your friends."
He would have laughed...if he'd thought it was remotely funny. Right now, it turned his stomach to hear the defeat in her. He'd done that to her. Well, not him personally, but the people he hung out with, his friends, people like them, they'd made her school life hell. And he had to admit, he'd never done anything to make it better. He'd noticed her, yeah, but like Camille had pointed out, this probably all did seem sudden, like something he was pursuing on a whim, just because he could. "The ones who are actually my friends won't give a damn who I'm hanging out with, Cassie. Camille's jealous and if you don't want to have to deal with it, I get that. But don't worry about me. The things she's doing just make her look desperate. Pathetic. She can't let go. I don't care if it gets a few laughs at my expense. I just don't like that she's dragging you into it."
"Yeah... but... you don't deserve all the crap that comes with being with me. You've got SUCH a future ahead of you... you don't need the most awesome years of your life ruined by me." She sounded so... low when she said it. "What Camille did to you was.. it made me cry, Jason. Because I know that what she said... to some people that might be what it looks like. And I'm starting to like you. Like.. a LOT. And I'm so afraid of getting attached, and THEN you decide you can't do this, and oh god, here I go again, and I can't get myself to shut the heck UP..."
Jason actually DID laugh at that. "Come on, Cassie. I've still got a future ahead of me. What's the worst Camille could do? She's a brat and she can try to make my life miserable, but she doesn't matter. Eventually...it'll get through that thick head of hers and she'll move on. Grow up." His smile died when she admitted she'd cried. Because of what Camille had done to HIM. "Hey. Don't worry about it. Really. I'm a senior. You're a senior." He shrugged. Maybe some people would say she was too young, but like he was really the first seventeen year old to ever date a fifteen year old. Not that they were dating. Not exactly. But he was enjoying it when they did get to hang out.
Cassie smiled as he spoke... knowing right then what she HAD to do at school the next day. She realized, as he spoke... that even if he did decide eventually that she wasnt worth his time, that one way or the other... she cared too much for this beautiful boy to let what Camille did to him go unpunished. "You know what.... hold on." She ran to the back, and grabbed a huge stack of back issues of 'Punisher War Zone', bringing them back and putting them on the counter. "Sorry. For after you leave. Gotta get some studying of my OWN in." Hey... nothing put you in the mood for payback like some Frank Castle violence. "So. Anyway. Anything I can do? To make you forget today?"
"Seriously? YOU'RE asking ME what you can do?" He chuckled again and ran his hand through his hair. "No. That's supposed to be my job. I'm supposed to be the one cheering YOU up." He eyed the stack of comics, confusion written across his face, but he didn't ask. He wasn't sure he'd understand. "Think you could get out of here for a few?"
Cassie just smiled, talking in a sweetly sarcastic tone. "Oh, so we can go have a makeout session or something?" She was teasing, because of all the PDA's he and Camille had had back when they were together. She couldn't even PICTURE him being like that with her.
"Is THAT what's on your mind?" She wanted to tease? Two could play that game. Leaning over the counter, he rested his arms against the top and didn't stop until he almost was close enough to kiss her. His smile was slow...though it stung just a bit...and his gaze dropped all-too-knowingly to her mouth. "Would you stop me if I tried?"
Oh my GOD. He sounded serious. Only one thing she could do now. Be professional, and do what any good owner would do. "BETTTTTTTE!!!! TAKE THE FRIGGIN' COUNTER!!!!!" and then she hopped over it like one of the Duke boys getting into the General Lee. "Take me to your leader!"
He laughed - loudly - as he pushed away from the counter and watched her leap over it. With a shake of his head, he looked her over. "Why do I get the feeling you're TRYING to be a bad influence on me?" He nodded to the front door and rested his hand on the small of her back as they walked out. The Lexus was parked outside and he opened the door for her. See? He wasn't such a bad guy all the time.
It took all she had not to squeal when he touched her. She had to at least TRY to be cool, right? She got into the car, smiling brightly at him. "For the record? I kinda wouldn't stop you. At all."
When she said that, it left him momentarily speechless. "I...I'll definitely keep that in mind. You shouldn't tell that to too many guys. They might take advantage of you." He was grinning with the last part and shut her door before rounding the front of the car. As soon as he was behind the wheel, he revved the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, heading somewhere away from the usual places. Radiohead was playing on the stereo, though he'd lowered the volume to the point that it was almost inaudible. "I am sorry about what Camille did to you, Cassie."
"Don't be. And don't... don't even mention her again today, seriously." She reached over, letting one of her hands rest on his free hand. "However much time I have with you... I want it to be memorable. I want it to be about us." She heartbreaking part was, she meant it. She fully expected this to be fleeting on his part. Hell... Cassie had seen the girl's he'd been with before her. She wasn't even in their league.
"I can promise not to mention her, but it won't make me any less sorry. It's my fault. I just never thought she'd - " He stopped and glanced at her. "Right. Okay, I won't mention her, but you have to agree to do something for me, too."
"I can try my hardest..." the little blonde held him in such obvious reverence... it was enough to make anyone want to be a better person, seeing someone think so obviously high of you.
"Stop," Jason told her. "Stop thinking like this thing has an expiration date on it." Yeah, he was observant enough to have picked up on it. They were in the Hills now, Mulholland Drive area. Old money. If this was where he lived, it was obvious he didn't REALLY need a scholarship to go to college. "I'll be honest with you. I don't know where this is going. I like you. I like hanging out with you. I can't promise you forever, but I can promise that I'm not just going to ditch you because of what other people might think. I want to get to know you." There was a note of truth to his words. He was being straight with her. "I can't say that about a lot of girls."
"Ok." She had thought about it the entire time he was talking, and for once... she tried to not look at him like some unattainable prize. "It's a deal. For now... I'll try to remember that you WANT to be with me. No matter what... we're gonna have a great time together... I guarantee."