undisturbed
Ditching seemed like the thing to do. She was so distressed, and she was wishing she was anywhere but at school, and in the next moment she was standing in The Stage. Luckily, no one was there and since Dez hadn't freaked, it went unnoticed.
She lost herself in the music until Frick found her a few hours later. "I knew you would be off pouting."
"I knew you'd be pouting too. And by the way, it looks better on me. You're just sad."
"Since it is your fault, you can entertain me. Just none of the make-out songs."
Thanks to Kellum, they hadn't ban singing. Which was a good thing if they didn't want her going all ballistic on them. But even without a ban, the alien population around here was extremely low. More and more humans were showing up, some of them looking for the way of life they used to have. Some just out of sheer boredom.
What surprised her is that sometimes she would find Frey tucked into a corner watching. Always without the oak tree. Always trying hard to blend in. Jess knew she was waiting to hear her sing again.
And she wasn't the only one. Not all aliens were afraid to feel something. Some were in desperate need of it.
After showing Frick some keyboard action, then her talent with a guitar, she felt better so went about making him feel better.
The guy was one of those people who picked up things quickly and he became a pool shark in under an hour. He couldn't beat her, but she figured it wouldn't take him long before he could.
Which became a game of sorts. Finding things, he wasn't good at.
He won four candy bars off her playing poker. Then, Brady, Johnny, and Chris showed up and he cleaned them out. Darts, he was a master at. Dancing, he wouldn't even try. He just stared at her dancing around him.
By the time the place started getting busy they added making him try new things to the game.
He didn't share her obsession with lollypops. Beat everyone in the place in arm wrestling. The creep stole all her big red, which was all the big red she'd stolen from Julian. Beer confused him. No, he didn't get wasted. It just confused him. Why would people drink something that tasted like grainy horse piss? Good question.
Chris was so pissed that the last beer he'd been able to find had gotten wasted on Frick that he challenged him to another arm-wrestling contest.
Poor Prick didn't take losing too well, and Chris refused to give him a rematch.
"Okay, Hayley. You're up."
"I'm not complaining, mind you, but how did I get roped into this?"
"You don't have a match and neither does he."
"Because he's her guy's best friend." Laney pointed to where Brady was across the room. He was pretending to listen to something his brother and Julian were talking about, but he was just watching Laney wearing an adorable smile.
Yet another one who needed to be shot in the face.
"And I'm with him."
Lee looked around. "Are we really the only chicks in this joint?"
Now that she mentioned it.
Laney shrugged. "Hayden comes sometimes, and that red headed girl who stumbles over her words when Brady gets around her."
"You mean the one with the huge boobs?"
"Whatever. Stop stalling and get on with it." Jess ordered.
"Fine. What are we talking about here? Have him forget his own name or have him already naming our kids?"
"Blow his socks off."
"Alright then." She grinned. "I'm nothing if not a game player." She gave her hair a fluff. Dabbed on some bubble gum lip gloss then started her long-legged strut across the room.
The girl was working it. She smiled at Frick like he was the boss. Giggled over something he said and then used that as an excuse to move in closer and put her hand on his chest.
Looking impressed, she bit her bottom lip as she used her other hand to feel of his arm.
"He must still be talking about the arm-wrestling contest."
"If he's immune to all that, then there's absolutely something wrong with their kind."
Jess offered a conceited smile. "They are hard nuts to crack but it can be done."
Some more giggling and arm fondling went on then Hayley brought in the big guns. Accidently, rubbing her chest against his every time she leaned in to hear what he was saying. It didn't take much more of that before she went in for the kill and kissed him.
It took about half a second for Frick to come alive.
And if the look on his face as he watched her walk away was any indication then Lee had done her job.
"How was that?"
"You tell us."
Her grin was answer enough. Yep. He was good at that too.
He wasn't musically incline and couldn't figure out why anyone would ever be bored enough to play chess. When Lee went back for round two Jess was pretty sure she was the one who got her socks blown off this time. By the time he'd finished off his beer he was ready to give dancing another try. Basically, he smiled as her and Hayley made fools of themselves.
Then Huff brought out the rest of his snuff.
The prick spit it back out so quick that Jess laughed at him and decided to show him he was a big baby.
Not the stupidest thing she'd ever done, but close.
With him beyond green and her tossing her cookies, Julian took them both to the infirmary.
For people with magic creams and cures to save the world they weren't one iota of help with this. For some reason, Frick blamed her and went to die in the comfort of his own room.
She didn't think her stomach was ever going to stop rolling. "Tell him I'm okay. Mostly." As okay as someone could be clinging to a barf bag and smelling like the bottom of a trash bag.
At just the thought, the retching started all over again.
"I have assured him you will live. Though it would be amiss of me not to point out that tobacco is an addictive, killing substance. We have cures for most_______."
"You didn't tell him all this, did you?" Of course, he did. "Dez, sometimes I hate you."
"He is most displeased with you and cannot understand why you would consume something so______."
She had swallowed some. Did Dez have to remind her? More retching and as much as Julian loved her, he'd never had a strong stomach so after seeing her to her room he escaped.
"Believe me, I'll never do it again."
If she lived.
A couple hours later, she decided she might live after all, but she wasn't happy about it. Climbing off the bathroom floor, she headed towards her new bed.
"Human Jessalynn, you______."
"You did manage to talk him into staying, didn't you?"
"We did. It was not easy, and he is still most unhappy and promises a talk about what is appropriate when he is away and what is not."
"I'm sure we will."
"He is not the reason I was summoning you. A meeting has been called."
"Why are you telling me?"
"You are to come right away."
"You're kidding me, right? It's the middle of the night."
"We are aware."
"Why me?" She stiffened. "Kell's alright, isn't he?"
"He is unhappy but otherwise undisturbed."
Longingly, she looked at her bed.
"I would advise you to wear your candora."
"Dezrick, does Kell know about this meeting?"
"No. I have been restricted from informing him."
She was getting reprimanded. No question there. But what for? It could be a few things. A few dozen.
Her guess, her and Kell's little side trip.