Jasey Rae

ALEX

Here’s the thing about Jasey Rae Howard. She’s so fucking unpredictable. She looks one way and acts another and I’ll be damned if I ever know the right way to react. That’s just part of her charm though. It’s why she’s so damn likable. She’s full of surprises. I remember not getting the time of day from her when we first met and I’ll be shallow and admit that I was thrown off by this immediately because well… that’s not something that usually happens to me.

I was seventeen and I remember it was the fourth of July weekend. Jack’s family was having a party and everyone was there. We’d been sitting in the basement watching a game of pingpong ensue a few feet away when Jack’s older sister came over with a girl in tow. “Guys,” May said, coming over to Jack and me. “This is the new girl from next door. Her name’s Jasey Rae.” May smiled and so did the new girl. “Jasey, this is my brother, Jack and this is Alex. Those two shouting loudly at the pingpong players are Rian and Zack and they’re in their little ‘posse’ too.” Jack rolled his eyes next to me. “They’re in this band or whatever and think they’re really gonna make it somewhere or something. Mom says to just encourage him to not drop out of high school but I don’t see the point in when it’s someone as annoying as Jack.” May smirked.

“You call me annoying but you take an hour to get ready in the morning. I almost peed in the ficus last week.” Jack got up and looked Jasey in the eyes. “Don’t be fooled. May looks sweet but she’s Satan in disguise.”

“Shut up or else I’ll tell mom about the stack of Playboys I found under your bed.”

Jack shrugged. “See? Satan.”

May and Jack began arguing- something about hair in the shower drain -and Jasey smiled. I found myself smiling too in mirror of her. She looked so… happy. I didn’t realize I’d been sort of staring at her till she looked over at me.

“Hi,” I mouthed.

“Hi,” she mouthed back, still smiling.

May was a regular social butterfly. She dragged Jasey here and there introducing her to EVERYONE and basically giving her the life story of each person at the party. If I didn’t know any better I’d think May had a stack of cards in her room that had facts about all our neighbors written down.

“Kinda loud in there, huh?” I’d said, going out to the backyard where Jasey was standing. I slid the sliding glass door shut behind me and was engulfed in the calm quiet of the evening.

“Yeah. May’s a little overwhelming. She’s nice but, overwhelming.” She smiled and looked back up at the sky, which is what she had been doing before I came out.

“The Barakats are all like that. Good folks.”

“I noticed.”

I was standing next to Jasey by then, looking up with her. I couldn’t really tell what she was looking for so I asked.

She didn’t answer right away. “You can’t really see any stars in New York,” she said, still looking up. “Not unless you go upstate and I’ve only ever been up there to ski and camp. Townson’s quieter. I don’t know what to make of it yet.”

“Well…” I shrugged lightly, shoving my hands into my pockets. “It’s not too bad I guess, if you want my opinion on it. You think you’re gonna miss New York?”

“I already do,” she said, finally looking at me. She still had that soft smile on her lips. “But I guess it’ll be alright living here if I found people to help make it bearable.”

“Well, if that’s the case then let me be the first to try. Can I take you out tomorrow?” I looked over at her and smiled, waiting for her to say yes.

“Mmm…” She bit her lip lightly then smiled at me again. “No.”

“Great I’ll pick you up at- Wait. What?” No? Did she just say no? “No…?” I wasn’t sure I had heard her right. “I’m sorry I-”

She laughed. “Don’t get me wrong,” she said, the little laugh playing behind her eyes. “You’re cute but I have a feeling you do this a lot.”

I blinked, not really knowing what to say. She said no?! “I…”

“Thanks anyway though.” With that sweet little smile still on she walked away from me and went back inside, leaving me alone in the backyard.

She said no?!

I was pretty irked by this, I won’t even lie. I even went out a few weeks later to find Bridget, a girl who lived a few houses away from me and invited her over for a make out session. Maybe I’d lost my touch. I wanted to make sure I hadn’t. It was pretty low inviting Bridget over just to test things out but Jasey said no. This was… This was not normal. Maybe it’s just cause she’s from New York. Yankees are weird…

Well, as it turns out Bridget was just as shameless as I am and accepted my invite to “hang out”. It didn’t take long for her to be grinding her hips into mine while we made out on my parents’ couch and I was pretty okay with that. I mean sure this girl had a reputation that would make the Pope cringe then keel over but I had a hot blonde with a knock out rack in my lap whispering dirty things in my ear. Would you be disappointed if you were me?

Now timing is a funny thing because just as Bridget got her bra off Jack decided to walk into my house. The bastard didn’t even knock though to be fair he wasn’t in the habit to. My house was his house and his house was my house. I’d just forgotten to text him and tell him I was having company. “I hope you know I’m eating the last of your peanut bu-” Jack walked into the living room just as Bridget got the button of my jeans undone.

“Shit, man! Don’t you knock?!” I scrambled to get Bridget off my lap while Jack dropped the jar of peanut butter.

“This is the best day of my life,” Jack choked out staring at a topless Bridget.

Bridget was way more composed than I am- a little too composed. She smiled and walked over to Jack with a grin. “You dropped something,” she said softly. I think Jack just about jizzed himself right there.

“I-I- You. Your shirt.”

“Here.” Bridget bent down and picked the peanut butter up for Jack handing him the jar. Her eyes didn’t unlock from his gaze once.

I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair getting up off the couch. “Bro, can you leave?”

“Fuck no,” Jack said, still staring at Bridget and her… shirtlessness. “God you’re so… blonde.”

“Alex, can Jack and I get some privacy please?” Bridget murmured, scooping up a bit of peanut butter with her finger. Jack was about to fall over while Bridget hovered her finger above his trembling bottom lip.

“This is my house!” I said, exasperated. Great. First the cute new girl refuses to go out with me and then the whore of Townson chooses my best friend over me! What the fuck? I left the house anyway, taking my older brother’s car and deciding to go for a drive. I had a feeling if I didn’t I’d witness some things I didn’t need to witness. I don’t really want to think about what happened in my living room while I was gone but all I know is I got a text from Jack later that night saying that he was finally a man. I didn’t know whether to be proud or disgusted.

I didn’t really know where I was headed. I just decided to go for a drive. What was it about me that made Jasey say no? “You’re cute but I have a feeling you do this a lot.” Fuck. I didn’t even really understand why it bothered me so much. My brother Daniel told me to stop worrying over it and that it was just one girl who’d said no and logically he was right but it got under my skin and itched at me and I couldn’t make it go away.

“Well speak of the devil…” I said to myself as I drove past the post office. Jasey Rae was coming walking out of the glass doors carrying a big box and a few envelopes. This girl was hardly over five feet tall and she was carrying an armload. What was she doing? I turned down the stereo, stopped the car next to the curb, and got out. “You need some help?” I asked, resting my elbows on the roof of the car.

Jasey’s eyebrows were furrowed as she juggled her belongings. “I’m fine, thanks.”

“Uh… you sure?” I asked tentatively. “You look like you’ve got yourself a handful. Can I at least help unlock your car?”

“I don’t have a car,” she said, piling the envelopes on top of the box. “I’m walking home. I’m fine, thanks.”

I walked over to her with a roll of my eyes. Someone’s stubborn… “You’re gonna walk for twenty five minutes carrying all this?” I took the envelopes off the box, stuck them under my arm, then took the box out of her hands.

“Hey! What’re you doing?” She ran after me as I walked over to my car.

“I’m driving you home,” I said, putting the mail in the back seat gently.

“I didn’t ask to be driven home.”

“I didn’t ask you if you wanted to be driven home,” I retorted. I walked to the passenger door and opened it. “Now get in.”

Jasey’s eyebrows furrowed more, a little crease forming between them. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Just as you can’t carry all that and walk home. The sun’s gonna set soon so you’re not walking home. Now get in before I pick you up and put you in myself. I’ll even buckle your seatbelt.”

Jasey rolled her eyes and climbed into the car and I shut the door not letting her see me smile. “For the record,” she said as I got in the car. “You couldn’t pull me into the car if you tried. I’m just letting you drive me home because I promised my parents I’d be home soon.”

I made a U-turn and headed back towards our neighborhood. She lived about seven houses down from me. “No offense kiddo but you’re kinda tiny. I could pick you up and throw you over my shoulder. What are you, five foot?”

She scowled. “Five foot one and a half.”

“See, right there. That proves my point. I’m about a whole foot taller than you, a perfect six.”

“See, right there. That proves my point,” she said glaring out of the windshield. “May told me about you. You’re just another pretty boy lead singer who gets by on his looks. You think you’re perfect. That’s why I won’t go out with you.”

I stopped the car in the middle of the street. It was early July, Sunday evening. There were no cars around. “I’m sorry, what? You won’t go out with me because of something May Barakat said? She’s Townsen’s biggest gossip!”

“Doesn’t matter because you proved her right. I wouldn’t go out with you now anyway even if May hadn’t said those things.”

I smiled and turned in my seat to look at her. “Wait, were you considering going out with me?”

“No. I never said that.” She looked out of her window away from me. “If you’re not gonna drive me I’ll get out and walk.”

I chuckled and put my hands back on the steering wheel. “You know, what you lack in height you make up for in stubbornness.”

Jasey didn’t say anything.

“Aw, come on Jase.”

“What’d you call me?” she asked, turning her head back around.

“Jase? I don’t know I just shortened your name. You don’t like it?”

“No, it’s fine.” She smiled a bit.

“See? Now you’re smiling. We’re making progress. I’m not that bad, see?”

She rolled her eyes at me again but she was still smiling a bit.

“I think we might’ve got off on the wrong foot,” I said, looking at her from my peripheral vision. “I’ll reintroduce myself. Hi. I’m Alexander William Gaskarth the first. Nice to meet you.”

“That’s a long name,” she said smiling.

“It’s very prestigious. Don’t ware it out. Now your turn.”

“Hi,” she said with a little laugh. “I’m Jasey Rae Howard. Nice to meet you too.”

“See? We’re bonding. Isn’t this nice? This is the sort of conversation we should be having not you calling me a pretty boy. I mean, I know I’m a looker but words hurt.” I looked over at her and pouted.

“Keep your eyes on the road,” she said looking down with a soft smile.

“So,” I looked at the stuff in the backseat through the rearview mirror. “What’s with all the mail? Buy something?”

“No,” she said, her smile becoming broader. “It’s presents and cards from my relatives. My sixteenth is next week.”

“Sixteenth…” I pressed down on the break gently as we approached a stop sign. “That makes you about a year younger than me. Have any plans?”

Jasey shrugged. “Not exactly. The move was kinda abrupt because of dad’s work so we’ve been preoccupied with some other stuff. Thinking about a birthday is a little off priority right now I guess.”

“You had to leave all your friends right before your birthday? Damn. That sucks.”

“It’s alright I guess. It’s no big deal. What did you do for your sixteenth?”

I exhaled. “Phew uh…” I chuckled awkwardly. “I had a long talk with my father about becoming a man and it was very inspirational.” I looked over at Jasey and she had an eyebrow arched at me. “Didn’t buy that, huh?”

“Not for a second.”

“Okay truth is my brother bought me and the guys a couple of kegs of beer and we sat in the park and drank till I passed out. I woke up and my hair was tinged pink.”

Jasey didn’t speak for a few seconds. “Remind me to only ever have parties with your friends,” she laughed. “So you have a brother?”

“Oh yeah, his name’s Daniel. This is his car actually. He’s the best. Taught me and the guys everything we ever needed to know.”

“Bought you your first beer?”

“And some other stuff.” I laughed as we approached Jasey’s house. Jack was standing in the driveway of his house watching Zack do some kick-flips on his skateboard with Rian.

“Well, thanks for driving me.” Jasey said, unbuckling her seatbelt. “I appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” I said, turning to her and smiling. Neither of us spoke for a few seconds. “So… Is that still a no on that date? One date. I’ll take you out on your birthday even. We’ll do something fun.”

Jasey looked down, her eyelashes casting shadows on her cheeks. “I don’t know…”

“Look, maybe I’m not as good looking as the boys that ask you out in New York but give me a chance, huh? I’m a nice guy.”

“Boys that say their nice guys never turn out to be nice guys,” she said with a smirk.

“I pinky swear.” I held out my pinky in front of me. “I pinky swear I’ll be a good, decent, nice, guy.”

Jasey looked at my hand then at me and locked pinkies with me. “Fine. One date.”

I beamed. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

She shook her head, her long hair swishing around her shoulders. “Thanks again for the ride,” she said, opening the door. I got out of the car and ran to open the backseat door for her. She rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Can I call you sometime?” I asked, leaning on the door with a smile.

She smiled back as I moved to let her get her things from the car. “If you can get my number from May then sure.”

“That’ll only take two seconds.” I shut the door for her and we walked up towards her house.

“Bye, Alex,” she said when we got to her porch. She walked up the steps and I stayed in the walkway.

“Don’t forget. You promised one date.”

“Okay, okay.”

I smiled and gave a small wave then walked back to the car while she rang the doorbell to her house. Jack, Zack, and Rian were all in the car when I got in. “Hey, douche bags. Nice to invite yourselves over.” I backed out of the driveway slowly.

“Did you get her to go out with you man?” Rian said from the backseat.

Jack beat his hands on the dashboard. He was riding shotgun. “Who cares! Can we just talk about how-”

“Yeah we know. You said it a hundred times. You finally got laid,” Zack kicked Jack’s seat. “Now shut up before I hurt you. You stole my Gatorade today.”

“I don’t know if it counts for much that A) you lost your virginity to the village whore and B) that you were the last one in the group to do so.” I laughed at Rian’s comment.

“She’s not a whore! She’s just…”

Rian shook his head. “She’s a dirty bird, bro.”

“Whatever. Don’t be mad because I GOT SOME AND YOU DIDN’T! OH!”

“HEY! I still want my Gatorade!”

“SHUT UP, ZACK!” We all shouted in unison and I turned on some Blink to keep him quiet.

When I parked the car in the driveway Rian spoke again. “So, you didn’t answer the question. Did you finally get her to go out with you?”

I smiled. “One date. She promised one date.”

“Why do you sound like you’re not so sure if there’ll be a second one?”

“She’s kinda unpredictable, this girl.” I got out of the car. “But I like it.”

“You like anything that wears a skirt and has legs,” Zack said coming up from behind me. “That includes Jack.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Yeah, well. We’ll see.”

“Hey,” Jack said putting his arm around my shoulder. “She better not replace me as spooning buddies. I’m serious. I’ll fuck her up like I fucked up your living room carpet with my jizz.”

I punched him in the shoulder. “Fuck off man!”

“Come on,” Jack said, running ahead of us and getting to the door first. “I’ll show you guys the stain!”

We all groaned. That’s Jack for you.