"I thought that my mom was okay with him at first, but after a while, she started acting just like my dad." Jenna says while she and Lacey eat breakfast. She talked to Chris earlier this morning and she said that their parents still think that James is all wrong for Jenna. Apparently, Chris asked why mom was okay with James at first, then changed her mind. According to Chris, the woman's response was "He seems like a nice boy, but I've read stuff about him and I don't think Jenna should be with a boy like that." It's so stupid! Doesn't she know that tabloids lie? They don't know James like his family and friends do. Jenna thinks that he's a really good guy that most parents would probably be okay with.
"She'll come around in a few days." Lacey says, taking her empty boal of oatmeal to the kitchen. "Do you need me to drive you to the Palm Woods?"
"Yeah." Jenna says, taking her own bowl and putting it in the sink. She's suppose to get her drivers license soon, so she'll finally be able to drive herself around, instead of relying on Lacey or someone else to take her places. She can't wait until she can enjoy the privileges of adulthood. When she turns eighteen, she can vote, go to nightclubs, and get married (Not that she plans on it yet.) Since she's still living at home, she has her parents telling her what to do, but when she graduates, she and Lacey are going to be sharing a dorm at UCLA.
"Come on." Lacey says, grabbing her car keys. They walk out the front door and to her car, a white convertible. They get in and she backs out of the garage. Jenna just stares out the window, needing to see James and make him feel better. He sounded so sad when she talked to him on the phone, so she needs to see him in person and hug him and kiss him until he feels better. She'll do whatever it takes to make her parents see how amazing James is. They may not think that she's old enough to be in love, but she is and they're just gonna have to deal with it.
"Do you really love James?"
"Of course." Jenna says. "I love him a lot."
"Then your parents should really calm down." Lacey says, shaking her head. "I know if I was in love and my mom told me that I couldn't be with the guy, I would be really hurt. When you really love something, you don't wanna live without it. If you feel that you love James enough to have a long term relationship with him, your parents need to know that. All you told them was that you guys finally said you loved each other, but you didn't tell them just how strong that love is."
"I guess you're right." Jenna smiles.
They finally arrive at the Palm Woods. Lacey finds a space in the parking garage, then they enter the building. Jenna waves at Tyler, who is eyeing Lacey. He seems to have developed a crush on the girl. He has no chance since she's much older than him, but it's one of those crushes that a little boy would have on his hot babysitter.
Jenna gives the boy a friendly wave, while Lacey tries to ignore the stupid grin that he's giving her. They enter the elevator and Jenna leans against the wall, anxiously waiting for the elevator to arrive on the second floor. It only takes a few seconds, but it seems like forever. When they finally leave the elevator, she makes a run for it. She nearly stumbles as she rushes to apartment 2J, turning the doorknob and walking inside.
"Is James here?" She asks Logan.
"Yeah, he's in the restroom." Logan responds. "He's just working on his hair, though."
"I need to talk to him." Jenna says, walking through the kitchen and opening the bathroom door. She leans against the doorframe while she watches James run his "lucky comb" through his hair. Is it wierd that she finds his obsession with his hair sort of hot? She likes a guy that cares about his appearance. That's better than a guy that never takes a bath.
"Let me do it." She says, taking the comb from him. She makes him sit on the bathroom floor, while she sits behind him. She kisses his cheek and combs his hair, giggling when he leans back against her. She hopes that she can convince her parents to accept their relationship because she couldn't possible stand not having this boy in her life. In the few short months they've been together, James has become so important to her. She needs him. She loves him. They have something really special going on and she wants her family to support that. She would understand their concern if James were a criminal or a drug/alcohol addict, but he's not. He's a sweet and adorable guy that she has completely fallen for.
"You know I love you, right?" She asks softly. "And I won't let my parents come between us?"
"Yeah." James shrugs.
"I'm serious, Jay." Jenna says, stroking his cheek. "You and I are gonna stay together, no matter what."
No matter what? James doesn't know how that's gonna work out. Jenna's parents hate him. They'll do anything to stop him and Jenna from seeing each other. He wants to have a relationship with her, but it's not going to be easy unless her parents see that he's a good person. They already told her to stop seeing him, though, and it really hurts.
"Jenna, how do you know that it's gonna work out?" He asks, turning around.
"Because true love can't be broken." Jenna tells him, giving him a kiss. "I'm gonna call Chris and ask her to send our parents over, so we can talk. We're going to change their minds about you."
"Will, do you think we were a little hard on her?" Mandy asks as her husband pulls into a parking space at the Palm Woods. They've been thinking about Jenna a lot since she left yesterday and Mandy is starting to have second thoughts about their behavior. Jenna obviously sees something in James that they don't see, so could it be possible that they were wrong this whole time? After all, tabloids aren't always reliable sources of information. The only way to really know someone is if you get to know them personally.
"Mandy, that boy is no good for our daughter and you know it." Will says as they get out of the car. "She needs to find someone smarter and less selfish than James Diamond. And she needs to learn that she can't throw a tantrum and walk out every time she doesn't get her way. While she's living under our roof, she needs to go by our rules."
"But Will, she's going to leaving home in a few months." Mandy argues. "Whether we like it or not, she's growing up. When she moves into her dorm, we're not gonna be able to be there for her every second of the day, telling her what to do and who she can associate with. Obviously, she really loves James and maybe we were wrong about him. You've seen how he acts when he comes over. He tries to impress us, but we've ignored him."
"Mandy..."
"Accept it, Will." Mandy interrupts. "Jenna isn't a little girl any more. She's becoming a woman and there's nothing you and I can do to change that. I mean, think about Chris. When she left for college, you were ready to have a nervous breakdown, but everything turned out okay. We've gotta trust that Jenna will make the right choices in life."
"It's not that I don't trust her." Will says, calming down. "It's just that I've been there for her since she was a baby. I taught her how to ride a bike, I helped her with math homework, I comforted her when kids were mean to her at school, and so much more. Not that you haven't done a lot, but..."
"Will, I understand that it's scary to see her grow up, but it's happening." Mandy says before they walk into the Palm Woods. She wants to have her daughter back home and if they want that to happen, they're gonna have to accept her relationship. Besides, they've accepted her friendship with Lacey, so why should James be treated any differently? They weren't always too crazy about Lacey either, but she hasn't caused Jenna any major problems. A couple of after school detentions, but that's all. It was only because Lacey would be talking during a lecture and Jenna would tell her to shut up, then the teacher would hear them and give both girls detention.
They walk to 2J and enter the apartment, since Ms. Knight told them, Chris, and Jenna that they are welcome any time. In most cases, they would knock first, but Ms. Knight told them to come right on in unless the door is locked.
"Hi!" Ms. Knight greets, shaking their hands. "James and Jenna are in his room."
"In his room?" Will whispers harshly, looking at his wife.
"Relax!" Mandy says, slapping his arm. They stop in the doorway of James's room and watch the young couple for a moment. They are laying on James's bed, Jenna has her head on her boyfriend's chest, and James has his arms wrapped around her. Will anxiously glances at Mandy before knocking on the door, succeeding in getting the attention of his daughter and her boyfriend.
"Mom? Dad?" Jenna asks tiredly.
"Chris talked to us." Mandy says gently, sitting on Kendall's bed.
"Oh."
"Princess, we want you to be happy." Will says, sitting next to Mandy. "What happened yesterday has nothing to do with that. We don't want to take your happiness away. We just want to protect you from getting hurt. We're also scared to see you grow up. Since you two started dating, Jenna, you've started growing up a lot faster than we were expecting."
"Daddy, I know, but you need to get to know James before you decide that you dislike him." Jenna says, while James nods in agreement. "I know you've heard a lot of stuff about him, but that's coming from strangers that don't even know him. He's nothing like the tabloids say. He's not a self absorbed player. He's a sweet, caring guy that I feel very lucky to have in my life. The only reason he has dated so many girls is because they all wanted to move too fast. Jay, didn't one girl start talking about getting married and moving out after graduation?"
"Yep." James nods. "I didn't want to do that."
He suddenly gets a burst of confidence, feeling unafraid of speaking out to Mr. and Mrs. Harper.
"Jenna's right." He tells them. "I'm not as bad as you think. All those girls I dated either moved away or wanted to take things a lot faster than I wanted. I don't wanna get married right out of high school. As for my career, I know it doesn't seem like a real job, but it has been my dream since I was a little kid. I love what I'm doing. I have a career that I love. But I think it's great that Jenna wants to go to college and become a counselor. I completely support her and I will continue to do that. She doesn't have to be famous for me to love her."
"You see? He's amazing." Jenna smiles, kissing James's cheek.
Something in their eyes changes. Instead of anxiety and concern, Jenna sees understanding. She hopes that she's seeing that because she really wants to keep James and have her family be welcoming of him. She wants to be able to spend time with James without her parents being all "He's a distraction! He's no good for you!" She has been hearing that ever since they got together and it's driving her crazy.
"Okay." Will sighs. "You two can stay together, but James, I'm going to warn you. If you hurt Jenna, I'll hurt you. I'm a doctor, but that doesn't mean that I can't hurt you."
"Daddy!"
"Sorry, baby girl." Will says quickly.
"Jenna, please come home." Mandy pleads. "We miss you."
"Okay, I'll come home." Jenna laughs. "But can I stay here for a few more hours?"
"Of course." Mandy smiles, hugging her daughter. "And James, I apologize for our behavior. I should know how tabloids work. Most of the stuff they print out is a bunch of lies."
"I'm over it." James says, shaking their hands.
"Take care of our daughter." Will warns. "We'll pick her up at six."
"Got it." James tells them. Will gives him the "I'm watching you" gesture, then he and Mandy walk out the door. Once James and Jenna are alone, they continue their makeout session that they had been enjoying before Mr. and Mrs. Harper showed up. They're filled with nothing but relief now that they've been given permission to stay together. It would suck if they weren't allowed to date. When a couple is as happy as James and Jenna are, it's hard to be apart.
"You know, prom is next month." Jenna says, holding hands with James as they walk out to the pool area. She holds back a laugh as James pulls her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She feels so overjoyed and now that her parents have accepted James, she can start thinking about getting him to ask her to prom. He's the only guy that she wants to go with. Lacey is probably gonna go with Marcus Santiago and Brian wants to ask some cute sophomore girl. Jenna doesn't want to be the only one without a date.
"The Palm Woods School is having our prom in April." James tells her. "Wanna be my date?"
"Sure." Jenna says slowly. "Is there anything else you wanna ask me?"
Please come to my prom. Please, James, come to my prom. I promise I won't let any crazy fangirls bother you.
"Oh! Yeah." James says, facing her. He intertwines their fingers and kisses both of her hands. "I'm guessing you want me to ask you to your prom, right? I'm not even gonna give you a chance to answer because I already know. Jenna Harper, can I be your date to your prom?"
"Yes, you can." Jenna says, hugging his waist.
"The Pop Tiger Awards are also happening in mid April and I was wondering if you would be my date to that." James tells her. "You see, Pop Tiger has their very own awards show where they announce winners in different categories related to music, film, TV, reality shows, and more. Most people like to bring dates and I thought it would be the perfect first public appearance for us as a couple."
"You think we're ready for that?" Jenna asks.
"I think so, but you don't have to come if you're not comfortable with it."
"No, I wanna go." Jenna smiles. A real Hollywood Awards show...She watches the Pop Tiger Awards and the Teen Choice awards every year on TV, but she has never seen one live before. This sounds like it could be really fun. She could meet her favorite celebrities and be with her boyfriend."
"But we'll probably have to talk to some press." James says. "Think you can handle it?"
"Sure." Jenna says, sounding slightly nervous. She has never been much of a talker, but she can give it a shot. Anyway, James never said that she had to do all the talking. And he, the guys, Kelly, and Gustavo can surely show her some red carpet skills.
"You have a lot of celebrity friends now." James smiles, kissing her forehead. "We'll show you what to do at Hollywood events. Jo can probably teach you a few poses to use for all the photographers."
"Great." Jenna says, squeezing his hands. "Sounds like fun."