Forming Sides

Jace carried the last of Hazel’s bags into his bedroom, and glanced at her. She was sitting on his bed, back completely straight, her posture perfect as always. She had a compact mirror open and was examining her face with the mirror in one hand while texting on her phone with the other.

“That all of them?” Hazel asked, flipping the mirror closed and turning towards him.

“No, I thought I’d leave one bag in the trunk just for fun.” Jace said, setting down his own backpack. Hazel made a noise that sounded very much like she was unimpressed with his sarcasm.

“Do you have any chocolate cupcakes in this house?” Hazel asked, looking at him expectantly.

“Afraid not. Maybe you could bake some.” Jace said, and Hazel gave a disbelieving laugh.

“Right, I’ll just go into the kitchen and ‘make some.’” she said with air quotes.

“You could.” Jace pointed out, dropping down onto the bed beside her. Hazel turned towards him, setting her phone down and leaning back on her palms.

“I could also start doing chores around the house and pulling weeds. Why bother listing impossibilities?” Hazel asked, shaking her head.

“I could make them with you, if you wanted.” Jace offered. Hazel blinked at him.

“Why would I want that?” she asked in confusion.

“Uh, fun bonding activity?” Jace shrugged.

“If you want a bonding activity, I’d rather do one here in this bed than downstairs in your kitchen.” Hazel said wryly.

Jace laughed. “Maybe we can save that for tonight.”

“Mmm. Maybe.” Hazel said, smirking at him. “Now… how about those chocolate cupcakes?”

“I can run and pick some up for you if you want them from the usual place.” Jace offered.

“Yes, I suppose that’ll suffice.” Hazel sighed, checking her nails.

“Do you want to come with me?” Jace asked.

She tilted her head back and forth before shaking it. “No, I much prefer delivery.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you to not **** Dana if I leave you alone.” Jace said with a grin.

“I don’t think you could stop me even if you were present. She may look like you but she is insufferable to be around.” Hazel said distastefully.

“Are you saying I’m fun to be around?” Jace grinned. Hazel wrinkled her nose looking at him.

“You’re… tolerable.” Hazel sighed.

“High praise.” Jace laughed.

“Don’t beg for praise, it looks pathetic.” Hazel said idly. Jace gave her a two fingered salute, which made her roll her eyes.

“Anyways, yes, I don’t think I can survive a week in this house with Scotty and Dana running around. At least your mother is good company.” Hazel said.

“And me, right?” Jace asked, giving her a winning smile.

“What did I just say about begging for praise?” Hazel sighed, shaking her head.

“Not to?”

“Very good. Not to.” Hazel nodded. “At least you retain some things I tell you. It seems fashion is still lost on you, though.”

“What? I’m in shorts and a T-shirt.” Jace looked down at himself.

“Don’t remind me.” Hazel made a yuck face, which made Jace burst out laughing.

“It’s what I normally wear.” Jace shrugged, still laughing. Hazel got to her feet, crossing to the door of Jace’s closet, which she opened up. It didn’t have much due to most of his clothes being in his dorm room at the moment, but Hazel started rifling through his things, tossing things to the floor that she didn’t like, which seemed to be most of it.

“I have to get you to a store with proper clothing.” Hazel said, turning around and putting her hands on her wide hips. Jace’s eyes traveled up and down her body, enjoying the sexy girl in her ruby colored dress. “Yes, exactly. See how your eyes just drank me in? It’s because I’m dressed to perfection. My eyes aren’t drinking you in, Jace. They’re sipping you, at best.”

“That’s a weird metaphor, Hazel.” Jace said, blinking. She held up a hand, shaking her head.

“You don’t get to critique my metaphors when you’re dressed like that.” Hazel said, and Jace grinned. He stood up, walking over to her.

“Right, so what should I wear?” Jace asked, coming up to her. Hazel put her hand on his chest, looked down at the items on the floor, and back at the items still in the closet, and shoved him back a step with her palm.

“None of this.” she said sadly. “I think you’re beyond help. You need to hang up my clothes in here, brighten up this closet some.”

“I carried all your suitcases in here, Hazel, but I draw the line at hanging up your clothes for you.” Jace shook his head. Hazel made a pouty face, but Jace was resolute.

“Ugh, fine. Anything to make this closet less of an eyesore.” Hazel relented.

Jace went back to the bed, flopping down onto it as Hazel went to start unzipping suitcases. His phone buzzed with a text from Scotty.

My voodoo senses are tingling… is the witch doing evil stuff to a doll with my face?

That’s probably less voodoo and more the STDs you have.

Ouch! I am STD free, pal. My only diseases are the ones that witch is cursing me with.

Magically Transmitted Diseases?

Exactly! I have MTDs, not STDs!

But you do still have them?

Hey, shut up

Jace chuckled to himself.

“Something funny?” Hazel asked, taking the first opportunity she had to ditch opening suitcases.

“Just Scotty.” Jace shook his head.

“Ah. Him.” Hazel said with an unpleasant look on her face. “I assume he’s telling you how awful I am.”

“He was making sure you weren’t doing voodoo on him, actually.” Jace nodded. Hazel smirked rather wickedly.

“It’s nice to hear that he’s living in fear.” Hazel smirked. “Now hush. I need to unpack in peace and I can’t do that with you distracting me.”

“You’re the one who keeps talking to me.” Jace pointed out.

“Jace, I need complete silence while I work.” Hazel shook her head.

“You don’t put on music or something?” Jace frowned.

“Is silence that hard for you to grasp?” Hazel rolled her eyes. Jace held up his hands and laid back on his bed. Hazel unpacked for about two minutes before she groaned.

“Jace, this is so boring.” she complained.

———

“Mom, I can’t believe you actually went through with this.” Dana complained downstairs.

“I don’t know what your problem with her is!” Danielle exclaimed.

“She is a raging bitch. I hope that after this week, I never have to see her again.” Dana shot back, making a gagging face.

“She’s never really bothered me that much.” Drew Murphy spoke up. He was on the football team with Jace, but recently he and Dana had been hanging out together. Nothing romantic. Yet, anyways, but Dana did have a slight crush on him, which was part of why she’d invited him over.

“Thank you, Drew.” Danielle smiled at the handsome blonde boy, at the exact same time Dana exclaimed “Who’s side are you on?”

“Nobody’s side!” Drew held up his hands. “I just think you could give her a chance, you know?”

“Sure, I’ll give her a chance. It’s not like she won’t ruin it the first time she speaks. I don’t know what Jace sees in her.” Dana shakes her head.

“Can’t imagine a thing.” Danielle said wryly, with an exaggerated look down at her own bosom, something Dana didn’t catch but Drew did. He politely averted his eyes from looking at the married woman’s very large breasts.

“I feel itchy with such evil in this house.” Scotty announced, walking downstairs, and he had no aversions to checking out Danielle’s big tits.

“Not you too.” Danielle sighed. “Why do you two hate this girl?”

“She’s awful!” Dana exclaimed.

“Spawn of the devil!” Scotty chimed in.

“I’ve seen her make so many girls break down crying.” Dana shook her head.

“Evil voodoo sorceress!” Scotty agreed.

“She has no respect or tolerance for anybody else, and she thinks she’s some kind of angel.”

“Wicked sexy succubus.” Scotty agreed, and Dana gave him a strange look.

“C’mon, you know what she looks like.” Scotty held up his hands innocently.

“Dana’s reasons sound a lot more valid than your reasons, Scotty.” Drew pointed out.

“Our reasons are equally valid.” Scotty shook his head. “And right now she’s sinking her claws into my best friend, convincing him to sink god knows what into her!”

“I could hazard a guess.” Danielle mumbled, but nobody acknowledged that.

“I think we need to get Jace to see how horrible Hazel is.” Dana said, eyes lighting up. “The three of us might be able to get through to him, then we can kick her out back to whatever mansion she lives in.”

“Three of us?” Drew asked skeptically.

“A team up? Us?” Scotty looked at Dana in surprise.

“Don’t think it means anything.” Dana hastily said.

“No, no, of course not, you’ve got Captain America over there.” Scotty nodded towards Drew.

“Oh, Drew and I aren’t.. um, whatever, shut up, Scotty.” Dana shook her head, cheeks coloring. “Are you in?”

“I’m in. Let’s kill the devil.” Scotty grinned.

“I feel like you and I are seeing this situation very differently.” Dana blinked.

“And save Jace?” Scotty tried.

“That’s a little closer.” Dana sighed, already looking like she regretted her decision.