Jessie's Girl

Jennifer was sitting in her boyfriends lap laughing at some dumb shit he said. Her coffee eyes were filled with mirth. Kendrick thought his friend, Jesse, was the luckiest guy in the world. He had looks, charm, and intelligence. Not to mention Jenny. He had Jenny. He had the girl that everybody wanted. She was the "girl next door". The girl that everybody loved. She wasn't stuck up, stupid, or unbearable. She was a nice, beautiful, irresistible girl. A girl that was hardly ever single. Her laughing smile was almost permanently etched on her glowing face. 

Maybe Kendrick was just a little biased, he knew her since they were babies, he had wanted her since freshman year. She just always seemed so put together and perfect. This didn't seem to be someone you toyed with. She was wife material. 

Jessie had already been dating her for a year and a half, so Ken knew that she was completely out of bounds, but that still didn't make him want her any less. He would even settle for someone like her,but he had lost hope in finding his dream girl because he knew that she was sitting on someone else's lap. 

He went to the kitchen to escape his desires. He couldn't handle her being right in front of him and he still couldn't have her. He couldn't caress her slim curves. he couldn't brush her messy dark chocolate hair away for her face. He couldn't put his lips on her rosy, laughing lips.he couldn't do anything he wanted. He just wanted to go home. 

"Ken?" said a concerned Jenny from the entrance of the kitchen. He wouldn't look at her. There was no point. He couldn't tell her his feelings or anything he wanted to do with her, so what was a reason too? He continued to ignore as she came closer. 

"Ken, what's wrong? Why are you ignoring me?" she asked touching his dark muscled shoulder.  He finally looked at her still avoiding her expressive eyes. He shrugged even though all he wanted to do was tell her what's wrong. He wouldn't do that to Jesse though.  



Jenny couldn't understand Ken lately. She looked after him as he walked out the backdoor to his old car. He had been acting so strange, they used to be so close. 

He was the one she used to go to with all her problems and vice versa. She felt like she had lost him, but she couldn't figure out what she had done. She treated him the same as she always did.

Could it be something that he didn't trust her with? Was it really something that bad? Didn't he know that she would be the last person to judge him? He was her best friend and the last thing she wanted to do was lose him. He had helped her through so much, he was always added the rational calm to her mind. She didn't want to know what her thoughts would be like without Ken. She had to talk to him, there was no way that this could continue.

She walked back to the living room. 

"What's wrong, baby?" said Jessie opening his arms to his upset girlfriend. It wasn't a familiar sight. She accepted his leanly muscled hug.

"I think Ken's mad at me... I don't know why though..." she explained with a thick voice to his chest. "I have to go see him. He won't talk to me." she said sniffing a bit. Jessie hated seeing her like this. He hated seeing girls cry. 

"Okay baby, but let me drive you. He can drive you back to your house, but there's no way you can drive right now." she just nodded because she knew he was right. She could barely think, let alone see. It certainly wouldn't be a smart idea to drive.

The ride to Kens house was silent. Jessie was rubbing smile circles on the top of Jenny's hand as a small sign of comfort. She just kept on the look out for his house visibly getting more nervous with each block they passed.  Once they reached his apartment she hopped out of Jessie's car with hardly a second glance. 

She knocked at his door and waited. And waited. And waited.

"Kendrick Franklin! You open this door right now!" the door opened at command. Ken was staring back at her, but he wasn't being pleasant. He wouldn't move out of the door frame, his bulky muscled body blocking and entrance. His chiseled, but normally gentle face was set in stone. He looked mean. 

"Why are you being so different? Let me in!" Her sadness was morphing into frustration.  He complied, but his face was still hard. 

"What is your malfunction? What is so wrong with you that you can't tell me?" she said staring into his obsidian eyes. He just shrugged. 

"No! You can't just shrug and expect me to be okay with that! What is wrong?!" she yelled at him, throwing her open palm in his hard chest. 

"I can't tell you, Jenny." he said softly. "I'm sorry." 

She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. "Are you fucking serious? You're sorry? That's all? That's all you have to say for yourself? What can't you tell me? It can't be that big of a deal!"  She was more hurt than anything. He had always told her everything. This was stupid.

Kendrick was just looking at her, taking in his final longing glance at her perfection. Even hurt and angry she looked beautiful to him. he took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was fixing to say. 

"Jenny, I don't think we should talk anymore. I think it's for the best." Jenny's eyes widened and tears sprung to her eyes. This was more than she expected. her throat constricted and she couldn't breathe. She quickly fixed her appearance to the guarded look she gave to strangers. That's what he wanted to be anyway. A stranger. Not her best friend, not the one she trusted everything with. Just a stranger.

She jutted her chin out to give the look of royalty. "Fine. I'll see myself out." she spun on her heel and strode out the still open door. Ken followed her, leaned against the door frame, and sighed. His eyes were swimming, but he was sure he had made the right decision. 

He couldn't make her his, but he could step back and let her live her life. He could step back from the constant longing. He could just let them both heal and be happy.