Bookends | Jody & Tyler | The Dumping Ground

Water | Three

She could almost reach into the glass, let her fingertips slip into the unknown, and brush the fluff from her shoulder.

Except she was shaking like a leaf.

The woman stared back at her seemingly classy and composed if it wasn't for her brown eyes being just a fraction wider than what they usually were. This was new for her.

But somehow, in the midst of it all... she felt more comfortable than she'd ever been. Adjusting the lapels of her black blazer, she exhaled and stood just that little bit taller. 

For the first time in what felt like ages, Jody knew almost exactly who she was. And as much as this new experience brought out waves of anxiety swirling around in her stomach, she was in control.

A proper date night. 

Allowing herself a smile, she slipped her feet into some matching heels before spritzing her wrists with some perfume. 

"Mm."

Jody turned around as Sasha inspected her outfit with a growing smile emerging on her face. Her arms were placed on her hips approvingly.

"Don't wanna say 'I told you so', but..."

"Yeah, okay. You were right. This does suit me," Jody replied, before sharing a grin with her best mate.

It'd been some time since she'd gotten the chance to dress up in her finery, and with a new chapter in her life... she somehow managed to find the perfect suit to showcase exactly who she was.

Grabbing her bag, she trod carefully down the stairs as Sasha followed closely behind her and managed to reach the landing without tripping over.

Pausing, she peeked into the living room. It was movie night at the DG, and it seemed everyone was engrossed by this new action movie. 

Certainly, the place was quieter than it had ever been.

"Jody? You look stunning! Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off at the station?"

May-Li approached her with a smile; she'd been really understanding of Jody exploring another side to her sexuality especially since she herself was married to a woman.

Speaking of which...

"No, you've got to get back to Henry and Alice. I'll be fine, she's coming here so we'll get a taxi."

The care worker nodded and squeezed Jody's shoulder encouragingly, knowing all too well how she was feeling. These days, she'd grown a lot closer to Jody and was immensely proud of the way she'd handled the past year, what with her anger management, her boxing, and her general resilience.

It was no secret that Jody had made leaps and bounds in becoming a well-rounded, strong independent woman and here she was, making yet another leap into the unknown.

"Shut. Up. You looking amazing!"

Sasha shared a worried look with Jody, as the resident pink princess jumped out of her seat to greet them. 

"Where are you going again?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Just meeting up with some friends from the gym," Jody lied easily, as Sasha held her breath hoping that would be the end of the discussion.

Besides the ones who knew, Jody had decided to keep her new love interest under wraps since the last thing she wanted was a repeat of the frenzy she'd had when she'd been with Brandon and Tyler. Just once, she wanted to explore a relationship without anyone else butting into it.

Although, knowing the DG, that wasn't always possible...

"What friends?" Jay scoffed, as Bird chucked a pillow at him.