Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
He Talks Like a Gentleman
Another week had gone by before Jenny even looked at me. She had started skipping school to be with Andrew and it created a bad habit in her. How was she going to stay afloat in her AP courses?
Oh yeah. I was the messenger.
Friday night was spent alone, yet again. Jenny never called, never emailed, never sent a messenger pigeon. I only left the work on her porch after school, and never received a thank you.
My heart was fed up with being tricked. After much arguing inside my head, I decided to drive past Andrew's house. I knew where it was; Jenny had always talked about it. The address was written down about a million times on her notebook, along with his phone number, and Mrs. Jenny Long.
For some reason, I held my breath as I got to the mailbox. It's not like he could hear me. The lights were on in most of the rooms. I peered in the all the upstairs rooms, then the downstairs rooms. The living room was lit with the TV, but no one sat on the couches or chairs. The kitchen was lit, slightly messy from cooking a meal. The dining room.
His mother and father sat at opposite ends, Andrew on the side facing towards the street, his brother facing away from the street. No Jenny. She wasn't at her house either. I tried to be surreptitious and hunch towards the steering wheel, but he saw me and excused himself from the table.
It would have been cowardly to speed off, but I now I wish I would have gone with my gut as I look back on it. The closer he got, the angrier I was.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Looking for Jenny. I need to make sure she got her work, and if she has it, I need to run it by the school on Monday."
"Jenny's not here."
"Where is she?" I demanded, a little louder than I wanted.
"None of your business. Look, I don't even give a shit. I'm not going to stop her from running around."
"You don't care?" I yelled.
"Shut up!" he whispered fiercely. "Do you want someone to hear you?"
"I want to know where she is! You treat her like dirt! You've blinded her! She can't even see! I LOVE HER! You only want her as your punching bag!" I screamed.
"You'd better calm it down quick, you little bitch."
He stepped closer. "You want to know something?"
I smelled the spaghetti on his breath. It made me nauseous, smelling the monster.
"Look," I said, slightly calmer than before. "I just want to know why you hurt her. I need to know where she is. Please."
"It's none of your business." His hands gripped around my wrist. "And if you say a damn word, I swear to God, I'll hunt you down and slit that pretty little throat. Leave. Don't let me catch you snooping around again."
His fingers loosened and then patted the rising welts. "Have a nice night."
I wished he had come just a little closer so I could have run his foot over.
..........................................................................................
It was past midnight when Jenny called.
"Taylor, what the hell is wrong with you? What are you thinking, snooping around? Don't you know what could have happened?"
She was furious. "Jenny. Calm down. Please. Let me help you."
"I don't need your damn help! Andrew is the best that's ever happened to me! You leave us alone! Don't talk to me again! And from now on, I'll get my own work. I don't need your charity. I thought I could trust you. Thanks for nothing!"
"Jenny, I love you."
"Fuck you."
Click.
Oh yeah. I was the messenger.
Friday night was spent alone, yet again. Jenny never called, never emailed, never sent a messenger pigeon. I only left the work on her porch after school, and never received a thank you.
My heart was fed up with being tricked. After much arguing inside my head, I decided to drive past Andrew's house. I knew where it was; Jenny had always talked about it. The address was written down about a million times on her notebook, along with his phone number, and Mrs. Jenny Long.
For some reason, I held my breath as I got to the mailbox. It's not like he could hear me. The lights were on in most of the rooms. I peered in the all the upstairs rooms, then the downstairs rooms. The living room was lit with the TV, but no one sat on the couches or chairs. The kitchen was lit, slightly messy from cooking a meal. The dining room.
His mother and father sat at opposite ends, Andrew on the side facing towards the street, his brother facing away from the street. No Jenny. She wasn't at her house either. I tried to be surreptitious and hunch towards the steering wheel, but he saw me and excused himself from the table.
It would have been cowardly to speed off, but I now I wish I would have gone with my gut as I look back on it. The closer he got, the angrier I was.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Looking for Jenny. I need to make sure she got her work, and if she has it, I need to run it by the school on Monday."
"Jenny's not here."
"Where is she?" I demanded, a little louder than I wanted.
"None of your business. Look, I don't even give a shit. I'm not going to stop her from running around."
"You don't care?" I yelled.
"Shut up!" he whispered fiercely. "Do you want someone to hear you?"
"I want to know where she is! You treat her like dirt! You've blinded her! She can't even see! I LOVE HER! You only want her as your punching bag!" I screamed.
"You'd better calm it down quick, you little bitch."
He stepped closer. "You want to know something?"
I smelled the spaghetti on his breath. It made me nauseous, smelling the monster.
"Look," I said, slightly calmer than before. "I just want to know why you hurt her. I need to know where she is. Please."
"It's none of your business." His hands gripped around my wrist. "And if you say a damn word, I swear to God, I'll hunt you down and slit that pretty little throat. Leave. Don't let me catch you snooping around again."
His fingers loosened and then patted the rising welts. "Have a nice night."
I wished he had come just a little closer so I could have run his foot over.
..........................................................................................
It was past midnight when Jenny called.
"Taylor, what the hell is wrong with you? What are you thinking, snooping around? Don't you know what could have happened?"
She was furious. "Jenny. Calm down. Please. Let me help you."
"I don't need your damn help! Andrew is the best that's ever happened to me! You leave us alone! Don't talk to me again! And from now on, I'll get my own work. I don't need your charity. I thought I could trust you. Thanks for nothing!"
"Jenny, I love you."
"Fuck you."
Click.