If Not For You

Chapter 21

Eventually the party broke up.  And Killer found his way back to Jenna.  He had come up with a story that she knew was a lie to explain where he had gone, even though she hadn’t even cared enough to ask him.  When he asked her if she was ready to go she told him that she was getting a ride with Lena because that’s where she was staying tonight.  He shrugged his shoulders and told her that he would call her tomorrow.  Ben cringed at the whole exchange.  Especially when she said she couldn’t wait.  He knew that she was planning to stay the night at Jax’s.  He had heard her discuss it with Lena shortly after they came back in from outside.  It never ceased to amaze him how flawlessly Jenna was able to lie.  He wondered how many lies do you have to tell before you become that good at it.

Within fifteen minutes the party went from raging to post apocalyptic.  Lena and Jax went to turn in upstairs and Ben and Jenna were left downstairs.  They watched some late night t.v. for a while until the movie “Teeth” came on the IFC and Jenna forced Ben to watch.

“This movie is seriously terribly bad.”  Ben couldn’t believe he just wasted 2 hours of his life watching that movie.

“Terribly bad or horribly great?  It actually had very good reviews.  I can’t decide if I like it or hate it.  Sometimes I think it’s brilliant and then other times I think it’s pretentious depending when I watch it my feeling could go either way.”  She reached for the blanket that was resting on the back of the couch.

“You mean you have watched this more than once?  That is just sad.  It was a horrible movie.  And anybody who says anything different is a moron.  I don’t know if I can sleep.  I don’t think I will ever have sex again.  If I turn celibate and have no children I am blaming you and this ‘movie’ as you call it.”  He grabbed two pillows off the chair and tossed them on the couch.  “Now let’s get some sleep.”  He laid behind where Jenna was sitting and stretched out on the couch.

“Um what are you doing?  One of us is sleeping on the floor or the chair and I would prefer that be you.  I’m not sleeping on this couch with you.”  Jenna looked down at him waiting for him to move.  The only thing he moved was his mouth.

“There is no way I am sleeping by myself after that movie you just made me watch.  You made me watch it now you can protect me.”  He pulled her down on the couch and snuggled up to her.

“I’m really not into this.  I’m not going to mess around with you at all.”  She tensed up underneath the blanket.

“Hello did you even hear what I just said.  That little movie of yours made me never want to touch another girl again.  I promise you there will be no roaming hands.  Now go to sleep, the sun will be coming up soon.”  Ben wrapped his arm around her.  He felt her body relax and her breathing became shallow.  Jenna was asleep.  Shortly after that Ben was too.

They woke up the next morning late and with 2 pairs of eyes staring at them.    Jax and Lena stood in front of the couch staring down at them.  “Good morning sleepy heads.”  Lena said smiling ear to ear.

“I’m not sure what is so good about it.  Wake me up in the afternoon.”  Jenna rolled over until her back was to Lena and Jax and she was face to face with a wide eyed Ben.

“Come on,” said Lena, “you promised to come to the mall and help me pick out a dress for Homecoming next weekend.  It’s my senior year and I want to look amazing.”

Jax nuzzled up to Lena’s neck, “You always look amazing.”

“Barf.”  Jenna said as she pushed back the blankets and sat up on the couch.  “Fine let’s get going I guess I should pick one out too.”

After hearing that both Lena and Jax looked at Ben hopeful, but Ben shrugged, indicating that Jenna may be going to the dance but she wasn’t going with him.   “Oh I didn’t know you were going.  Well let’s go Jenna.  We can go to my house and get showered to go to the mall.”

“See ya Benny.  Bye Jax.”  Jenna offered a small wave and with that the girls were gone.

“Who the hell is she going to the dance with?”  Jax looked pissed.

Ben stood up and stretched.  “Killer, who else?”  He said with no real feelings.

“I’m sorry man.  You should ask out somebody else to make her jealous.  You can pick from any girl.  You know they’ll ditch their dates if you ask them.”   Jax was listing all the girls who would drop anyone to go with Ben.

“I don’t want to make her jealous, I don’t want to hurt her and I don’t want to play games.  I’m not going to the stupid dance.”  Ben stood there looking out the window at the beautiful day it was outside.

“Man you have it bad.  I’ve never seen you like this.  What are you going to do?”  Jax again looked at Ben sympathetically.

“I don’t know.  This sucks.”  Ben sighed and made his way into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

Jax sat next to Ben at the counter and poured milk into his bowl.  They sat there eating for a few minutes and Ben could tell Jax wanted to say something but was holding back.  “What man, what do you want to say?”

Jax poured more cereal in the bowl that now only contained milk.  “It’s just that it is our Senior year.  This is your last homecoming.  I think we should all be spending it together.”  Jax shrugged as he shoved a spoonful in his mouth.  “Who knows where we will all be next year.”

Ben looked at Jax and smiled.  “You sound like a girl.  A little, moody, preteen girl.  I got to head home.  You know there will be week’s worth of chores for me to have done by tomorrow.  Let me know how excited your sister is about finally having an older sister she always wanted.” 

Jax ran Ben out to the school to get his car and watched him drive off towards his house.  He couldn’t help but feel bad for his best friend.  Ben spent most of his childhood trying to get his dad’s approval.  Jax didn’t know which was worse, Ben trying to get the approval of a man who beat him or when Ben finally realized that he was never going to get it.  Jax couldn’t believe that Ben had finally found a girl that he had feelings for and it looks like it wasn’t going to go anywhere.  Jax made a commitment to himself that he and Lena were going to do everything possible to get these two together.