‹ Prequel: Dirty Journalism

In Too Deep

Je Veux Jackie

5 January 2009. Bartolin Lycée. Paris, France.

Jackie Bodello sighed as she walked down the hall toward her dorm room. It was the first day of classes at her school after winter break, and she already had six thousand pounds of homework. I didn’t even have this much at James Academy, she thought bitterly.

Just before she turned the corner to reach her room, she heard voices.

“Er… je veux Jackie. Yeah.”

“Qui es-tu?”

“I don’t really know French all that well…”

“Who… are… you?”

“I’m a friend of Jackie’s. Uh… je suis un ami. Of Jackie. Jackie’s friend. Je veux Jackie.”

“Je m’appelle Annette. Comment t’appelles-tu?”

“Uh… bonjour? Je veux Jackie.”

“I asked… for your… name.”

“Max.”

Jackie turned the corner and stared disbelievingly at the two people in front of her. One was her slutty French roommate, Annette. Her hands were placed on the chest of a teenage boy who looked incredibly uncomfortable.

”Max?” Jackie gasped.

The two jumped and Max quickly pushed the French girl’s hands away. “Jackie!” he said desperately. “Thank God, I’m dying over here.”

Jackie walked quickly up to them. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting you?” Max said uncertainly, edging away from Annette, who was looking at him hungrily.

“Oh, Annette,” Jackie said. “Il est mon petit ami.”

Annette sighed and trudged back in the room, slamming the door behind her. Max looked confused. “What did you tell her?”

“That you’re my boyfriend,” Jackie said, shrugging.

Max smirked. “It’s kind of true…”

“It’s not,” Jackie replied, rolling her eyes. “But you looked uncomfortable with her pawing at you so I said what I had to.”

Max sighed. “Right.”

“I repeat… what are you doing here?” Jackie said after several seconds of silence.

“I repeat,” Max mocked with a cheeky grin, “visiting you.”

Jackie smiled at him for the first time. “Why?”

“JA doesn’t start back until next week. My family’s in England for winter break, and we’re spending two days in Paris. I ditched them after the third art museum, found where your school is, and came to see you!”

“And you attempted to learn French?” Jackie asked with a laugh.

Max rolled his eyes. “I haven’t taken six and half years of it. Excuse me for not being that great. But I did learn ‘je veux Jackie.’”

“’I want Jackie?’”

“And apparently your roommate interpreted that as ‘I want to date you,’ because she was checking me out!” Max flashed a jerky smile at Jackie, who snorted.

“Every male in France as been checked out by Annette, and many have experienced much more,” she said. “Sometimes in our room, and I’m unfortunate enough to have to witness it.”

“I got you beat,” Max said with a nod.

“How so?”

“Scooter and Lexi were going at it on my bed before break.”

Jackie stared at him. “Lexi… and Scooter… what?!” She screamed the last part.

Max covered his ears. “Uh… didn’t she tell you?”

“They’re dating? No, she didn’t tell me! What the hell is wrong with her? Why hasn’t Stella told me either? God damn it. Just because I live on a different continent doesn’t mean they can’t tell me when one of them starts dating the boy she’s been in love with since eighth grade. So-called best friends, really keeping me in the loop. Je déteste mes amies! Elles sont stupides! Je suis à Paris, c’est vrai, mais je veux savoir ces choses!”

“You’re angrily rambling… in French,” Max said, putting both hands on her shoulders and shaking her. “Me no comprehendo.”

“Sorry,” Jackie muttered. “I’m not used to being so disconnected from everyone. Stella and Lexi promised to tell me everything that was going on.”

“Let’s talk about something else,” Max suggested, trying to make her feel better. “Like the fact that you have yet to give me a hug after not seeing me for so long.”

“Uh… I saw you less than a month ago when I came to say goodbye, remember? Didn’t you get my angry email?”

Max rolled his eyes. “Yes. I’m sorry I told them. Yada, yada, yada. Now hug me.”

“No thanks.”

“Why not?”

“You see, I kind of hate you,” Jackie pointed out, shrugging.

“I know, and I hate you too. Doesn’t mean we can’t hug it out!” Max opened his arms wide, but Jackie just stared at him.

“What is it with you and hugs?”

“What’s wrong with trying to bring more hugs into the world?”

“Are you always going to be this immature?”

“Are you always going to be an uptight, freaky, cranberry juice obsessed bitch?”

“Je te déteste.”

Max sighed. “And there you go with the French again.”

“You no comprehendo?” Jackie mocked.

“I’ve missed your sarcastic, biting remarks. They bring me so much joy,” Max responded, shaking his head.

“How about I bring you some more joy?” Jackie asked, causing Max to smile seductively. Jackie rolled her eyes. “I meant let’s go to a café and talk. Unless you’d rather join your family at another art museum…”

Max grabbed her arm and hurried down the hall. “To the café!”
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Thanks to Serena (Dreamer399) for helping me begin this... and for dealing with my craziness when I get frustrated. :-)