Sequel: Where Are We Going? ›
Cocky Brat
Jakob?
A few days later, Vanessa gets off the bus about a block away from her mother's apartment where she's staying until the start of the next school semester. As she nears the steps of the front of the building she sees a familiar figure sitting on the top step.
"Jakob?" she says furrowing her eyebrows.
"Ness!" he exclaims jumping up.
"What are you doing here?"
"Can we go inside, it's a bazillion degrees out here and I've been waiting half an hour," he says glancing around.
Vanessa sighs as she unlocks the door.
"Do you have air conditioning?" he asks distractedly, reminding Vanessa of an eight year old.
"How'd you get here?"
"Bus," he says shrugging, "I only get my driver's license in October."
"That's not what I meant, how did you find me?"
He smirks evilly, "Well Stella, Frankito and Ramona are very talented team at finding out personally info."
"Okay, but aren't you supposed to still be in Europe?"
"Well my mom had to come back because she runs Adeline, and I missed my girlfriend so I came back." He gibbers as they take the elevator up. "Joey's back too you know."
"He is?" she asks overly-casual.
"Yup, he hasn't been the same since you left."
"Uhuh." Vanessa steps out of the elevator and heads down the hall.
"Can I have something to drink?" Jakob asks as she unlocks the door and they step into the apartment. Vanessa rolls her eyes and heads over to the fridge to get him a can of coke. "Thanks."
"Cut the crap and tell me why you're really her," she says as he pops open the can. He takes a careful sip then looks her in the eye.
"Well Joey loves you, and he's really sorry."
"Why can't he tell me that himself instead of sending a messenger boy?"
"A, he didn't send me, I came on my own and B, you don't answer or return his calls and he sure as hell is afraid to come see you!"
"Afraid."
"Hey, we guys treasure our testicles and would hate to get them removed," Jakob says, followed by a few gulps of soda. "Listen, me and my brother don't really get along, we fight and stuff. I mean he once taped my eyelids shut and I've shaved off his eyebrows when he was sleeping but we still look out for each other when things get tough." Vanessa feels compelled to listen even with the voice inside her head which is screaming to kick Jakob out and have nothing to do with the Armstrong's ever again. "I've never seen him so fucking miserable and he's been dumped harshly in the past. Usually I just give him a nudey mag after a break up but that didn't work this time."
"Well, what can I tell you," Vanessa says stubbornly as she crosses her arms.
"We didn't choose our father so stop holding that against him!" Jakob yells, his voice is quite strong for a sixteen year old.
"I'm not!"
"Yes you are!" he exclaims, "With any other guy you'd give him a second chance."
"How can you say that?! You don't even know me!" she exclaims.
"Well I know Joseph!" he says standing up straight to show off all five feet and eleven inches of his height as he towers over the mere five and a half feet of Vanessa, "I know he'd never force a girl in the sack! So you had as much to do with the fucking that got you fired as he did! What the hey! Maybe you were the one that seduced him!"
"Get out!" she screams, pointing at the door.
Jakob looks her in the eye and finishes off his can of soda before placing a piece of paper on the counter. "In case he doesn't have his cell phone on." With that he silently heads out the door.
Vanessa grabs the paper and crumples it in her fist. Just as she's about to throw it in the trash she stops and opens it up.
Joseph Home Phone
(614) 555-3251
Just call him
She puts the phone number back on the counter and locks herself into the washroom to take a shower to clear her mind.
She returns to the kitchen from her long shower to see the paper is still there. She sighs and stares at it for a good twenty minutes, contemplating everything Jakob said. He was right about everything, she was being a major bitch.
She grabs the cordless phone and sits herself on the couch and dials the number. It rings five times before the answering machine comes on.
"Hey you've reached the Nesser-Armstrongs, please leave your message after the beep." To kid's voices chant. Vanessa figures it was Joey and Jakob when they were little.
"Hey Joey, it's Vanessa. I guess you're not home right now so I'll just leave you my home number-"
"Hello," the familiar male voice says.
"Joey!"
"Hi Ness," he says slowly, "Nice of you to come around."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah well you should be." This wasn't going the way she pictured it would, "You can listen to what Jakob has to say but when I try to talk to you-"
"I said I was sorry!"
"Well you've been toying with me since the day I asked you out, left me hanging, confusing the living hell out of me. Now it's my turn."
"Why are you being such a jerk?!"
"Being ignored for two weeks can have that affect on someone," he says hanging up the phone.
Vanessa hangs ups the phone and cries into her hands.
"Jakob?" she says furrowing her eyebrows.
"Ness!" he exclaims jumping up.
"What are you doing here?"
"Can we go inside, it's a bazillion degrees out here and I've been waiting half an hour," he says glancing around.
Vanessa sighs as she unlocks the door.
"Do you have air conditioning?" he asks distractedly, reminding Vanessa of an eight year old.
"How'd you get here?"
"Bus," he says shrugging, "I only get my driver's license in October."
"That's not what I meant, how did you find me?"
He smirks evilly, "Well Stella, Frankito and Ramona are very talented team at finding out personally info."
"Okay, but aren't you supposed to still be in Europe?"
"Well my mom had to come back because she runs Adeline, and I missed my girlfriend so I came back." He gibbers as they take the elevator up. "Joey's back too you know."
"He is?" she asks overly-casual.
"Yup, he hasn't been the same since you left."
"Uhuh." Vanessa steps out of the elevator and heads down the hall.
"Can I have something to drink?" Jakob asks as she unlocks the door and they step into the apartment. Vanessa rolls her eyes and heads over to the fridge to get him a can of coke. "Thanks."
"Cut the crap and tell me why you're really her," she says as he pops open the can. He takes a careful sip then looks her in the eye.
"Well Joey loves you, and he's really sorry."
"Why can't he tell me that himself instead of sending a messenger boy?"
"A, he didn't send me, I came on my own and B, you don't answer or return his calls and he sure as hell is afraid to come see you!"
"Afraid."
"Hey, we guys treasure our testicles and would hate to get them removed," Jakob says, followed by a few gulps of soda. "Listen, me and my brother don't really get along, we fight and stuff. I mean he once taped my eyelids shut and I've shaved off his eyebrows when he was sleeping but we still look out for each other when things get tough." Vanessa feels compelled to listen even with the voice inside her head which is screaming to kick Jakob out and have nothing to do with the Armstrong's ever again. "I've never seen him so fucking miserable and he's been dumped harshly in the past. Usually I just give him a nudey mag after a break up but that didn't work this time."
"Well, what can I tell you," Vanessa says stubbornly as she crosses her arms.
"We didn't choose our father so stop holding that against him!" Jakob yells, his voice is quite strong for a sixteen year old.
"I'm not!"
"Yes you are!" he exclaims, "With any other guy you'd give him a second chance."
"How can you say that?! You don't even know me!" she exclaims.
"Well I know Joseph!" he says standing up straight to show off all five feet and eleven inches of his height as he towers over the mere five and a half feet of Vanessa, "I know he'd never force a girl in the sack! So you had as much to do with the fucking that got you fired as he did! What the hey! Maybe you were the one that seduced him!"
"Get out!" she screams, pointing at the door.
Jakob looks her in the eye and finishes off his can of soda before placing a piece of paper on the counter. "In case he doesn't have his cell phone on." With that he silently heads out the door.
Vanessa grabs the paper and crumples it in her fist. Just as she's about to throw it in the trash she stops and opens it up.
Joseph Home Phone
(614) 555-3251
Just call him
She puts the phone number back on the counter and locks herself into the washroom to take a shower to clear her mind.
She returns to the kitchen from her long shower to see the paper is still there. She sighs and stares at it for a good twenty minutes, contemplating everything Jakob said. He was right about everything, she was being a major bitch.
She grabs the cordless phone and sits herself on the couch and dials the number. It rings five times before the answering machine comes on.
"Hey you've reached the Nesser-Armstrongs, please leave your message after the beep." To kid's voices chant. Vanessa figures it was Joey and Jakob when they were little.
"Hey Joey, it's Vanessa. I guess you're not home right now so I'll just leave you my home number-"
"Hello," the familiar male voice says.
"Joey!"
"Hi Ness," he says slowly, "Nice of you to come around."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah well you should be." This wasn't going the way she pictured it would, "You can listen to what Jakob has to say but when I try to talk to you-"
"I said I was sorry!"
"Well you've been toying with me since the day I asked you out, left me hanging, confusing the living hell out of me. Now it's my turn."
"Why are you being such a jerk?!"
"Being ignored for two weeks can have that affect on someone," he says hanging up the phone.
Vanessa hangs ups the phone and cries into her hands.