Same old Jenn

Jenn took two steps to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hey.” She said.

Scott hugged her back.

“How you doing Jenn?”

“Good, dad told me Lydia came by the shop, how did that go?”

“She took me to the Stable to get my bike, and we talked about last night a bit.” Scott didn’t know how to tell Jenn about that conversation.

“And?”

“She wants the best for us.”

“Really?”

“At least from what she said, she hoped last night helped you and I move past her.”

Jenn stood there for a minute, thinking.

“I’m sorry, I should invite you in, Scott, are you staying for dinner?”

“What are you having?”

“I don’t know, we usually get something delivered.”

“Are you okay if I cook?”

“Yeah, I doubt we have anything though.”

“Mac and cheese and hot dogs?”

“Oh god, Scott, I’m not a teenager anymore.”

Scott laughed, after her mom died Jenn’s dad would make the worst dinners, and when they were teenagers Jenn was surprised by anything home cooked that went beyond following directions on a box. He’d had hot dogs with macaroni and cheese at her house so many times he started pretending he’d already eaten when he was over.

They looked around the kitchen, and it wasn’t promising.

“We could get a few things and make chili if you want.” It’s the only thing he could see that they had half the ingredients for.

“You don’t need to cook for me, Scott.” Jenn said nervously. Scott knew she was self-conscious about a lot of the ‘traditional women’s role’ kind of stuff, she grew up without a mom and hanging out mostly with bikers. She probably ate at bars more than she did at home. Scott, on the other hand grew up with Martha and Angel who both cooked and they never had money to go out to eat. Hell, most of the best memories he had with his family was in the kitchen cooking together, it was the one place you knew Angel wouldn’t start drama, and Martha always relaxed when she was cooking. It was a weird dynamic between Scott and Jenn, Scott didn’t care, but Jenn felt insecure about it.

“I’m not going to cook for you, Jenn, I’m going to cook with you.”

“I don’t know how.”

“I didn’t either when I started.”

He looked at Jenn, he knew that face, her insecurity was telling her she wasn’t good enough and Jenn was listening to it.

“Jenn, I don’t care if you can or can’t cook, it was always a time that I spent with my family and had fun, and that’s something I want to share with you. Just give it a chance.”

“Okay.”

“Can we borrow your dad’s car?”

“Yeah, he’s not going anywhere.”

Scott drove them to the grocery store, they walked through the store together, picking up what he needed, along with some other things, Scott loved it.

They walked to the cashier, Jenn holding Scott’s arm.

“Jenn Buzek?”

“Oh my God, Mrs. McGee, how are you doing?” Scott looked and recognized their cashier, it was their High School English teacher, she’d always liked Jenn.

“Good, getting ready for the school year to start.” She looked over at Scott, he tried to smile.

“Is that Scott Williams?” Mrs. McGee said to Jenn.

“Yes, Ma’am, he just got out of the Army and came home.”

Mrs. McGee scowled at him. “Well, I hope it straightened you out, young man, this young lady deserves someone who isn’t going to get her into trouble.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Scott said. Mrs. McGee had never had a good opinion of Scott, but at least he’d earned hers. “I’m not the same as I was back then.”

“Well I hope so.” She said, she didn’t sound like she had much hope.

They paid and pushed the cart out to the truck. As soon as they were out of sight Jenn doubled over laughing.

Scott just kept walking, pushing the cart.

“I thought she was going to try and give you detention again.”

“If she only knew.”

“Yeah, you know I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for that, Scott.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I need to fix that.”

Scott smiled, “I’m open to negotiations.”

Jenn looked thoughtful, “It would have to be big, she was after you for years.”

“I got arrested.”

“Did you? You never told me that.”

“I didn’t? Yeah, they took me in for questioning but didn’t file charges.”

Jenn just looked at him, shocked, while he put the groceries in the back seat.

“What?” he asked.

“You were questioned by police and you didn’t tell?”

“I was underage, I just asked for a lawyer and my guardian. I got a good lesson in how to deal with cops from Angel. They thought I’d have to wait for a public defender, but Angel got some guy to come, he threatened them with something about harassing a minor or something and I got to go.”

He put the last bag in the car, and when he turned Jenn met him and kissed him.

“I was so scared everyone would find out, that I’d go to jail. I didn’t know you were arrested. I. . .”

“I wasn’t going to rat you guys out.”

She kissed him again.

They had done a lot of dumb stuff, but that summer, breaking into Mrs. McGee’s house so their friend Lauren could take a shit on her bed. . . that was by far the dumbest. Jenn and Lauren were drunk, and when Mrs. McGee showed up and the girls were inside Scott had distracted her while they got out. Fortunately Lauren hadn’t actually done anything, but it was clear someone had picked the lock on the back door, and Mrs. McGee knew Scott had run interference for whoever it was. There was nothing stolen or broken so he didn’t get in trouble, but man, Mrs. McGee was convinced Scott was the devil from then on.

“Jenn, it was six years ago, and all I got was a few detentions I didn’t deserve, mixed in with all the ones I earned, it’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, but I would have been in actual trouble if you had told, Scott, and my dad. . .”

“Look, Jenn, I knew I wasn’t going to get in any real trouble, so no way was I going to rat you out. And it got you to stop hanging out with Lauren, so it was worth it.”

“If I had been caught in her house, drunk, Scott, my dad would have flipped. I would have ended up in some school for troubled kids if I didn’t get in bigger trouble. It was a big deal, and I didn’t even know you were arrested for it.”

“Seriously Jenn, it’s okay.”

“No Scott, Lydia was right, I haven’t been good to you, you were great to me and I. . .”

“You were my best friend, and for a long time, my only friend.”

“I owe you Scott.”

“I’m fine with that Jenn, I have all kinds of thoughts on how you can make it up to me.”

“Really?”

He looked her over, deliberately and slowly. “So many thoughts.” He said, smiling wickedly.

Jenn’s face turned bright red, and she was quiet the rest of the way back to her house.