Of Rage And Love

Rachael jumped as the doorbell rang, and she was more than surprised to find Jimmy standing in front of her when she opened the door.

"Hey, Rach." His voice was softer than she was used to. "Can I come inside?"

"I, um -"

"This won't take long, I promise."

She stepped aside to let him through the door, and they ended up standing awkwardly in the hallway. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Rach sighed.

"Has Tunny sent you?"

"Tunny doesn't know I'm here." Jimmy admitted.

She was at a loss. "Then why are you even -"

"Because," He cut her off. "I'm not letting him leave this town until the two of you are at the very least on speaking terms."

"You do know that I could just refuse to speak to him so that he doesn't leave with you?" She pointed out.

"But I know you won't."

"How? How do you know that?"

"Because you aren't that kind of person." He said simply, his words punctuated with a shrug.

"Why do you care so much, Jimmy?"

"Because Tunny is my best friend and I can't stand to watch him tear himself up over this. And truth be told I'm pretty fond of you too, Rach."

That rendered her momentarily lost for words.

"Jimmy..."

"Will you at least come and say goodbye to him?"

Rachael's head and heart waged an internal battle until she came to a decision. It only took a matter of seconds.

"Okay."

"I just need to pick Ronnie up and then we'll go to the 7/11, alright?"

"Yeah." As he turned to lead the way out of the house, she grabbed his sleeve.

"Jimmy, I want to ask you something." There was something in her voice that made him look around again, nodding for her to continue. "The Jesus Of Suburbia is... Jimmy if you're leaving Jingletown behind shouldn't you leave him behind, too? That was the persona you created so that you could rise above the scum of this town, wasn't it?"

"I don't... It's not that easy, Rach."

"I don't think you need to be him anymore." She told him quietly, her brown eyes searching his face for some kind of response. Sensing that he was about to change the subject, she pulled him into a hug. "Jimmy... Thank you."

He didn't need to ask what for. She pressed her face into his shoulder, silently trying to convey just how grateful she was to him for coming and giving her this chance.

Before Jimmy hugged her back, the thought crossed his mind that far too many people were hugging him today. It was on the verge of becoming a habit. He would forgive Rach, though.

They left the house and drove to Ronnie's house in a silence that was much more comfortable than the one they had previously experienced. Ronnie was out of the house before Jimmy had even had a chance to stop the car.

"Let's get this show on the road!" The older boy grinned as the cliche left his mouth and he slid into the back seat with Jimmy's bag, shoving his own next to it. "Oh, hey Rach."

"Hi, Ronnie."

"You coming with?"

"No. No, I just want to say goodbye to Tunny."

"Ah, young love." He teased.

"Shut it, Ron." Jimmy smirked, stepping in as Rachael's defence.

"You are driving my car, Jimmy. Watch your attitude!" Ronnie mock-threatened him.

Rach failed to hide a smile. With Jimmy, Ronnie, Christian and Tunny gone, Jingletown would be a much less interesting place - and, let's face it, it didn't have much going for it to start off with.

The ride to the 7/11 passed in a blur of stupid jokes and bad music coming from the radio and before Rachael knew it they were pulling into the parking lot of the 7/11. The cars three occupants saw Christian and Tunny get to their feet as the car stopped a couple of feet away from them.

Jimmy jumped out of the car as soon as it had stopped. "Tunny!"

"Why are you shout- - oh." Up until that point Rachael had been hidden from view by Jimmy, but as Tunny had begun to speak the boy had stepped out of the way and letting Tunny see that his long-suffering girlfriend was climbing out of the passenger side.

"No way in hell was I letting you out of town without you fixing things with her first."

Rach hesitantly stepped around the car as Tunny closed the gap between them while Ronnie hastily slid out of the back seat and sidled over to Jimmy and Christian to give the couple some privacy.

"What did you say to her?" Christian nudged Jimmy.

The boy shrugged. "Not a lot."

Tunny didn't think he'd ever felt quite so awkward. This was on a par with the night he'd asked her to be his girlfriend, of that he was certain. Although if he took that into consideration, this conversation would go well if it didn't end with him tripping over a 'caution: wet floor' sign inside the 7/11.

"I didn't think you'd want to see me again." He admitted nervously.

"Jimmy managed to persuade me. I stand by what I've said in the past, he's the best fucking friend that you are ever gonna get."

"I can't argue with that." The corners of Tunny's mouth curled up into a small, cautious smile. "I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm sorry, too. I guess... I just... I don't want to lose you."

"I will always come back to you Rachael. Forever." He closed the last, minute gap between them so that he could press his lips to hers. She returned his kiss gratefully, thanking every deity that came into her head that they had worked things out before he left.

And yes, despite what she had said earlier, the Jesus Of Suburbia was included on her list of thank yous.