The Jacket

The Jacket-One Shot

"Do you want your hoodie back?" Zeke asked.

"No. Just give it back tomorrow morning when we get to class." He replied.

Zeke smiled and slapped his back. "You're the best, man."

A grin spread across Jimmy Jr's face upon hearing the compliment. "No problem."

*

Tina stared at her feet on the walk home with her siblings. She was hoping to catch another glimpse of Jimmy Jr. before leaving, but he was nowhere in sight.

No problem, she thought to herself. I'll see him tomorrow.

As the Belchers were approaching home, Tina looked up and saw two figures just ahead in front of Jimmy Pesto's. It had to be Jimmy Jr. and Zeke. Tina squinted at Zeke, who was looking at Jimmy Jr. with an awfully fond expression. Tina frowned.

When Zeke started to walk away from Jimmy Jr., Tina saw a chance to ask what that was all about.

"Hey, Jimmy Jr.!"

Jimmy Jr. stopped at the door and looked up with a smile on his face that faltered upon seeing Tina. "Oh..." he murmured.

Tina rushed across the street. "Did you find your jacket? Doesn't look like it."

"Zeke is keeping it for the night." Jimmy Jr. said. If he was annoyed, Tina couldn't detect it.

"That's nice of you. Hey, you know what else would be nice? If you would come with me on Friday night to the Wonder Wharf. They're having a half off sale on tickets," Tina blurted. "It wouldn't necessarily have to be a date, but if you wanted to say it was no one's going to stop you." She smiled.

Jimmy Jr. rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess..."

"Okay, Cool! Bye, Jimmy Jr.!" Tina gave him a thumbs up before heading home, with butterflies in her stomach and a happy grin.

*

Tina walked past the door to the restaurant and straight to her home. She ran up stairs and through her door, landing face first into her pillow. She couldn't believe what just happened.

"Hun, are you okay?" Tina's mother, Linda, asked with a concerned tone. "You ran up so fast that we wondered if something was wrong. You didn't even come to the restaurant!"

Tina groaned loudly.

"That doesn't answer my question, honey," Linda said as she sat on the corner of the bed. "Did something happen at school?"

"No, mom! I asked Jimmy Jr. out on a date and he accepted!"

"What? That's great! Oh, my children are going up so fast!" Linda clapped her hands together, excitedly. "First you were biting the couch cushions and now you're going to a date to... to where exactly?"

"Wonder Wharf on Friday..." Tina muttered through the pillow. Her face was hot.

"Oh, you mean where you've already met up with him multiple ti- You know what? That's nice! I hope you have a good time with him!"

*

When Friday afternoon approached, Tina couldn't stop fidgeting. It wasn't like she had never spent one-on-one time with Jimmy Jr. before, but she always got extra excited when he was involved with her plans.

When the final school bell rang, Tina bolted out of class, leaving Gene and Louise to fend for themselves. She ran to Jimmy Jr.'s locker and struck a casual pose while trying to catch her breath.

When she saw Jimmy Jr. approaching, she smiled, but her smile immediately dropped when she saw Zeke walking beside him, Jimmy Jr.'s jacket and arm wrapped around his shoulders. She decided to back away before they saw her lurking.