Life Coach

"You two behave. We don't want any problems."

"Dear, if there's anyone I should worry about, it's you boys." Mrs. Toews told her husband.

Jon's family was over at the house before I even woke up, totally ready for their days to start. When David said that his mother would be happy to help, I thought he was just being polite...not realistic.

Mrs. Toews was standing in the kitchen, travel mug in hand, waiting for me to wake up. Jon and David just watched with amused faces as I came to realize this was actually going to happen.

"Have fun." Jon said to me after his mother went to the car.

"I hope a giant fish comes up and eats you." I said, stuffing my wallet in my bag.

"So dear, what first?" Mrs. Toews asked as I got in the car.

"Well, I want to see if I can find a cheap leather jacket. If not, I'll have to get some fabric." I explained. She nodded and put the car in reverse. The ride to the first little thrift store was quiet. I didn't really know what to say to her. Her or someone else was usually starting the conversations.

In the store, we separated in search for the jacket, coming up empty by the time we walked out.

This process repeated itself three more times.

At this point, I was ready to just give up and make the damn jacket myself. And by the look on Mrs. Toews face, so was she. "I think there's one more store. If they don't have anything, we'll think of something else." She said.

This last store was much bigger then the others. And as soon as we walked in, we spotted a section of leather. "It needs to be black and at least a large." I told her. We set out flipping through each black jacket finding a bunch of mediums and extra larges, even some smalls. The only larges were brown.

"Do you have a sewing machine?" I asked her. She nodded and I grabbed an extra large and cashed out. "I need to get to a fabric store."

"I know the best place." Now, I'm accustomed to fabric shopping at a Jo~Ann Fabrics. The store Mrs. Toews drove us too was ten times better. Though the size was smaller, the quality and price was better. "Is there anything I can help with?" Mrs. Toews asked. I pulled out my sketch book and opened to my drawing, handing the book to her.

"I need a blue fabric for the backing." She smiled and ran off.

Because I know my fabric pretty well, I had the leather all cut and ready. When I found Jon's mom, she was starring at two different shades of blue fabric.

"I can't pick. I'm not sure what kind you're looking for."

"These are both really good. I'll just get both and see what they look like." She smiled and followed me to the register after we got the appropriate length.

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Since Kara and my mom left, I couldn't help but think about how it was going. I know the only reason David suggested this was to see if mom would like Kara.

"Dude, if you like her ask her out." David and I had been on and off arguing about Kara.

"I'm not going to ask her out."

"Why not? It's obvious you like her."

"Yeah, but I doubt she likes me."

"Well you're not gonna know if you don't grow some balls and ask her."

"David..." Dad warned him.

"What? I mean seriously, are you afraid of being rejected or something?"

"No. I just don't think she likes me like that."

"But didn't you kiss her before you left?"

"...yeah."

"Have ya kissed her since?"

"I haven't had time because you guys keeping showing up. And I'm not just gonna kiss her."

"But you did at the airport."

"That's because....I don't know."

"Jon, you gotta try and get her before someone else does." I just rolled my eyes and looked out at the water.

I hate it when David's right. And right now, he was. I'm being a wuss for not asking Kara out but I just don't think she likes me like that. We're not that close...not like her and Pat.

Fucking Pat. This is all his fault. If he wasn't such a fucking idiot, I wouldn't be in this position.

Since meeting Kara, I could tell she kinda liked Pat. And he seemed to have some interest in her. Why, all of a sudden, it's different is beyond me. How could he not see that she liked him? In Vegas, at his party, he stayed with her for weeks! He had every opportunity to realize it.

It's not fair to Kara that he does that. She sits there and knows that he's taking home a girl or drinking his brain out, or at least what's left of it. If he just noticed that he's hurting Kara, he'd change and then realize she likes him then...I'm left with nothing.

Fucking Pat.

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Mrs. Toews and I had gotten back to her home a few minutes ago and we started setting up the sewing machine in the dining room. As I went about getting it ready, Mrs. Toews sat there and watched me as I worked. She watched as I laid out the leather jacket and took out the seams so I could re-size it, "Could you get my sketch book?" I asked her. She grabbed my purse and pulled out my notebook, handing it to me.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking it in to fit the actor. His sizes are in here." When I found the right page, she glanced down at it.

"That's about the same size as Jon." She told me, "Maybe when we're finished, he can model it for us." I smiled just picturing Jon as a Greaser. "Do you mind if I look at this?" She nodded towards the sketch book.

"No, go ahead." She turned to the first page and slowly flipped through it. I would occasionally glance over at her as she studied the pages.

"Kara, these are very good." I smiled. "Which one was your favorite?"

"That's a hard one. Um, I liked making Belle's dress from 'Beauty and the Beast'. Some of the outfits from 'Seussical' was fun because I could make it crazy and no one would care."

"What was the hardest thing you ever made?"

"A pair of ruby slippers."

"Why?"

"Since I designed them myself, I wanted them to look as real as I could, so I hot glued individual red sequins on a pair of shoes. I at least came out with a couple burned fingers." She laughed.

"You have so many designs in here. Have you created them all?"

"No, I just draw ideas so if I actually do the show I have an idea."

"That's a very good idea."

She continued to gaze at my drawings and I pinned the alterations on the jacket before I sewed it back together again. I got in the zone once I started up the sewing machine. I was moving quickly through this process, making no mistakes.

"How long have you been costume designing?" Mrs. Toews asked. She was now just watching me, the sketch book open to the Greaser jacket.

"I learned when I was younger from my grandmother. The more I did it, the better I got and I was able to do it once I got to high school as the only student who knew how to sew."

"Did you do other stuff as well?"

"I did everything once I finished the costumes. And since I'd start early on them, I was able to do more."

"So what do you want to do when you're out of college?"

"I would love to do the traveling shows. To get out and see the country, doing the job I love." She smiled.

"You sound like Jon. Have you started looking at travel shows?"

"Yeah, I applied for one as an intern but I won't hear back for a while."

"Well dear, with the work you're doing, they'd be dumb if they didn't pick you." I smiled at her and finished up the jacket. With it sized right, I began laying out some thin paper to draw out the T-Bird on the back. "I wish I could do that. You're a very talented artist." Mrs. Toews complimented.

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"David, say it one more time and I'm going to punch you." I threatened.

"Jon, you're being an idiot. Just ask her the fuck out!" I lunged at my younger brother, ready to just shut him up.

"Boys. Enough." Dad warned as he turned the car off and got out.

"Jon I swear to god if you don't ask her out, I will." David hissed at me. I set my fishing stuff down and walked to the fridge in the garage for a bottle of water. When I turned around, my mom was walking towards me a serious look on hr face.

"Jonathan, that girl is a keeper. You better do something about it." I choked on my water.

"What?"

"You are not going to find a girl like her anywhere. And I won't be around much longer." I just starred at her. Why is my mother saying this? First David, now my mom. I walked past my mom to go into the kitchen.

"Hey Mrs Toews, do you have a sewing needle? Oo...you guys are back." Kara said coming into the kitchen. When my brother nudged me, I knew it was because I was smiling at Kara.

"Yes dear. Jonathan, we need to you to put on the jacket." My mother tells me.

"Why me?"

"Because you're the same size as the guy that's going to wear it." Kara answers. I just shrug and followed Kara into the dining room where a black leather jacket laid.

"Is this that jacket?" Kara nods and hold it up for me to put it on. I slide my arms into the sleeves and shrug it on. It fit perfectly. Kara let's out a low whistle, "You should wear that more often." I grin and wink at her. My mom came back handing Kara a small needle.

"You're not going to stab me are you?" I half joked, half unsure.

"I'll do my best." She says smiling but I notice her hand holding the needle is shaking, "Oh I'm just joking. Just hold still." She walks behind me and I can feel her poking and pulling at various spots on my back.

After a few minutes she says, "That should do it." She sets the needle and stuff down and circles around me, "How does it feel?"

"Pretty good." I answered.

"Great. Can you please put your arms over your head?" I did as she asked, "Now put your arms out?" I did, "You can bring your arms in." I did, "Can you put them back out again?" I nodded and put my arms out, "Now just shake them all about." I tilted my head as she and the rest of my family laughed. Then it clicked.

"That's mean."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." She said in between laughing.

"That was mean. Now you owe me." I told her as she helped me out of the jacket.

"What?"

"Yeah, you owe me."

"Alright, What do I owe you?" She asked smirking.

"Go to dinner with me?"

"We have dinner every night."

"That's not what I meant. I mean you and I go out to dinner." Kara stopped putting stuff away and looked at me like she was expecting me to say I was joking or something. When I didn't budge, her cheeks turned pink.

"You want to go out to eat?"

"Yes." She can't leave me hanging. We've been hanging out all week. She can't not say no."

"Sure." She shrugs.

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His grin grows into a smile when I agree to go to dinner with him. I honestly wasn't expecting that question or his reaction but...I wasn't expecting mine either.

I'm not quite sure why I agreed. Jon and I are pretty good friends. So maybe this dinner will be just two friends going to get something to eat. It wasn't anything more.

"There's this really good place I always go to, I'll go make reservations." Reservations?

"What kind of a place is this?" I asked.

"Nothing really fancy, but's is nice." He answered. So this is just two friends going to a 'nothing really fancy but is nice' kind of place...great.

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"Jonny, quit putting your make-up on. Let's go!" I yelled from the front door.

"You don't understand how hard it is to look this good." He said walking down the hallway towards. If this man wasn't a hockey player, he could be a fucking model. His simple polo and jeans just helped his look. Jon could wear sweats and still be hot.

"....Right. It's a hard life for you." I said mono tone. My hand started to vibrate, signaling my phone going off, Patrick's name appearing on the screen, "Hold on Jon, someone's calling me....Hello?" Music blasted on the other side and loud voices were singing off key to whatever was being played, "Hello?" I asked again.

"Kara is that you?"

"Patrick?" I notice Jon's forehead scrunch, his serious face showing.

"Kara, I haven't talked to you in forever!" If it wasn't for the sounds coming from behind Patrick, it was his slurring words that gave him away.

"Patrick what are you doing?"

"I'm talking to the most amazing girl in the world."

"Okay, what were you doing before that?"

"I was...drinking tequila from a girls belly botton."

"Seriously Pat? You're just waiting for someone to catch you. You need to go home."

"But I like it here."

"It's for your own good Pat."

"Yeah? Well I think you should go home!" He retorted.

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you still with Jon?" I glanced back at Jon who was now closer to me trying to hear Patrick.

"Yes."

"Then maybe I'll stay here and drink until you go home."

"What does that have to do with you drinking?"

"We both don't like it." That is what this is about? Me being with Jon? That's why he hasn't talked to me all week? He's mad?

"You've got to be fucking kidding me?" I hissed walking to me room but I know Jon is just going to follow me.

"You don't like me drinking. I don't like you at Jon's. So once you go home, I'll go home."

"Patrick Kane, you better get your ass home or I swear to--"

"What? What the fuck are you going to do about it?" He was starting to get mad, just like I was.

"Pat please, just go home."

"I can do whatever the fuck I want."

"Pat....please. You need to go home, please." He was quiet but the music continued on.

I sat down on the bed holding my head in my hands. As pissed as I am, the last thing I want is for something bad to happen to him. He needs to go home. He's becoming an angry drunk and he's taking it out on me. The last thing I want is for him driving or whatever.

"Fine." He finally said. I released a grateful sigh.

"You'll text me when you get home?" I requested.

"...Yeah."

"Thank you Patrick."

"...Yeah." And the phone went silent.

The spot beside me sunk down and Jon put his hand on my back, "I don't understand." I mumbled.

"I never understand him."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. He called you."

"I know it just doesn't make sense."

"We don't have to go out if you don't wanna." Jon said after a couple tense minutes of silence. I gave him a small smile.

"We're already dressed up and you worked so hard to look nice, we don't want that to go to waste." I joked. Jon smiled and took my hand, helping me up.

Jon has been great. I'd be an idiot if I didn't have some feelings towards Jon. He's everything a gal would want.

But why is it that my heart seems to reach for someone else?