Jenny & Jay - Volume 1

I tried to study and relax in the morning. Amber left home early, so during lunch, I brought up the afternoon plans to my parents.

"Mom, Dad, my study mates are coming over after lunch for the biology video."

"Alright, son, go ahead," Dad said. "I'm curious about the girl anyway."

"Me too," Mom said, smiling.

"But in the evening, can't I avoid bringing the girl in? I'll do the dishes."

"Sorry, you made a bet with Amber. Discuss the rules with her," Dad laughed.

I knew the evening would be super embarrassing, but after lunch, I quickly tidied up the guest room. My room would have taken more time.

At exactly two o'clock, the doorbell rang.

"Good afternoon, I'm not sure if I'm at the right place, but I came to see John Simmons."

"Hello, dear, he lives here. Come in," my mom said, suspiciously kind.

It was Jane. She wore her usual sci-fi T-shirt and a shredded, faded jeans. Looks like she owns two pairs. At least this one gave her a decent-looking butt-actually, quite a good one.

She introduced herself and shook hands with my parents.

"Come, sit down," my dad gestured to the couch.

Jane sat there stiffly, clearly not used to this kind of setting. My mom placed some pastries on the table.

"Homemade pastry, try it. It's a bit crumbly, but tasty," Mom said kindly.

Mom loved baking, but she wasn't good at it. The pastry wasn't crumbly-it should have been eaten with a spoon. At least it didn't taste too bad this time. That was something.

"My mom says if it's crumbly, it needs a different ratio of baking powder," Jane noted shyly.

Dad watched the girl with interest. As a psychologist, she was probably an intriguing subject.

"Who is your mother?" Dad asked.

"I don't think you know her. She's a nurse. We recently moved here. She takes care of Dr. Wenword," Jane said calmly and briefly.

"Mr. Steve? He took care of our dog, Theodore," I said, surprised.

Mr. Steve was the best vet in town. Years ago, he had agreed with Dad that I would be his intern someday, but he gave up his practice due to illness a few years ago. I had thought he had traveled somewhere after losing Theo, but I hadn't heard he had come back.

"Yes, we live on the separate entrance floor with him, so my mom is close but we don't disturb each other. Dr. Wenword helped me get into school," Jane said.

"I didn't know you lived so close. Why do you come in so early?" I asked.

"That's when the bus runs," Jane noted quietly, just as the front door slammed.

"No way? You're dating my brother?" Amber stormed in and immediately blurted out the question. "Sorry-hi, I'm Amber," she added, extending her hand.

"Hi. I doubt that. He seems a bit superficial to me. I'm Jane, just a classmate."

Now, that was the Jane I knew. She stood up, straightened herself, and shook hands with Amber. It was clear she had returned to her usual self.

"If we didn't have to make a video together, he probably wouldn't even know my name," she continued. "Honestly, I still doubt he can call me anything other than 'little girl.'"

Amber and my parents could barely hold back their laughter, while I was filled with helpless frustration. What a pretentious, loud-mouthed nerd.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't act rudely in my house," I said.

"Sorry, I was just being honest. You do call me 'little girl,' don't you?" she replied in that smart-aleck tone.

I wanted to respond, but the doorbell saved her. I opened it-it was Paul.

"Hi, come in. If you all don't mind, let's go to the guest room."

Paul quickly introduced himself, and we headed upstairs. I heard whispering from downstairs, but I didn't care.

"So, what should the video be about?" Paul asked, since neither Jane nor I had said a word.

"I was thinking about birds," he continued. "We could cover everything from nest building to hatching."

"Not good," Jane said. "It starts too late, and it's hard to film in the air."

I didn't think I'd agree with her, but she was right.

"Fish?" I suggested. "Eggs, hunting, etc."

"Not good. There's no clear pond nearby where we could observe the animals from the shore," Jane countered.

We all suggested animals, but we couldn't come to an agreement-frogs, squirrels, everything. We had been debating for almost an hour and a half, and Shannon would be arriving soon, so I needed to prepare.

"Ants," Jane finally said. "They're easy to observe, you just need a good camera, and if we're lucky, we'll find a building anthill."

I liked the idea, but I didn't want to seem too enthusiastic.

"I like it," Paul said for me.

"Alright," I agreed, shrugging.

"Okay, then we can start looking for a location tomorrow. Whoever finds one, let us know," Paul said. "If you don't mind, I need to go soon. I have to get home before the movie. You're coming too, right, Jane?" He looked at Jane, and I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, I don't really think I'd fit in," she said quietly, looking at me as if she could read my mind. "I'm not on the swim team, and I don't know anyone."

"You know me, and my sister is coming too. If you come, she won't be so alone," Paul said. "You promised it on the evening at your place anyway." He smiled at her.

"Yes, I promised-I'll be there," Jane smiled at Paul before they stood up and headed out.

Great. The smart-aleck was coming with us tonight.

"Sorry, Jane, but could you help me for a minute?" Amber stepped out of her room. If I didn't know her, I'd say she had been waiting.

"Sure, how can I help?" Jane was kind to others.

"I need to sew a dress. Could you put it on while I pin it?"

Jane nodded, and Amber closed the door behind her. I escorted Paul downstairs, we quickly said goodbye, and then I went to the living room.

"How did it go?" Dad asked. "Did you find common ground?"

"Yes, we're going to film ants," I said. "I'm not like this girl says I am," I started defending myself. "She's new and doesn't even know me."

"It doesn't matter, son. We love you," Dad smiled.

I didn't understand this-my dad's riddles sometimes drove me crazy.

Jane was upstairs in my sister's room for almost an hour. Shannon would be here in less than thirty minutes-I didn't want them to meet.

The rain started pouring heavily.

"Alright, I'll call you later," Amber said as her door opened.

"Okay," Jane replied. "Thank you for the pastry, Mrs. Simmons." She immediately put on her shoes and was about to step out when my dad spoke up.

"Wait, my son will drive you home-it's raining heavily."

"Oh, it's really not necessary. It's just three blocks up, no more than ten minutes," Jane started babbling, suddenly surprised. I could barely understand what she was saying.

"That's enough to catch a cold. Johnny, please drive her home. My car is in the garage-don't let her get soaked," Dad said firmly.

"Sure, come on, little girl."

I rarely got the chance to drive my dad's car, so of course, I'd take anyone home if it meant getting behind the wheel.

Jane looked around but followed me to the garage. "Goodbye, see you, Amber."

She sat next to me, and I drove out. It was really pouring like crazy.

"I was rude in front of your family. I'm sorry," she blurted out in the silence. "Whatever I think, it's not their business. You're lucky-your parents are kind."

"No problem," I grinned. I had managed to make her retreat.

In the meantime, we almost reached her place.

"Should I pick you up for the movie tonight? If it rains like this, the bus will be slow," I said, being more polite than she had been.

"If you don't mind, yes. Thank you very much."

"No, it's no problem. I'll come for you in two hours."

"Alright, bye."

She jumped out and rushed into the house in seconds.

I would have taken a few more laps with the car, but I couldn't leave Shannon alone. I quickly got home and parked back in the garage. I was late-the kitty had arrived earlier.

"Thanks, but I already have a model," I heard Amber's cool response as I entered.

"I see you've introduced yourselves," I noted.

"Yes, your parents already told me how much they've heard about me," Shannon gushed.

If only she knew-they said that to everyone.

"That hanging dress is very nice, though it would be cuter in pink," Shannon said about one of Amber's dresses. It was some green thing.

"I'll consider it, thank you," my sister said coolly.

"Even if you're not looking for a model, I'd be happy to help design. Many people say I have very good taste."

"You do look very pretty today, darling," my mom interjected before Amber could tear her head off. "Pastry?"

"No, thank you. I'm watching my figure," Shannon said.

The whole thing was starting to get awkward, but they just wouldn't let go. I deserved it-I had a big mouth. After Jane, this girl couldn't come out well from the situation. I wondered how the new girl had become the standard.

Every conversation after that was strained. Shannon couldn't contribute meaningfully to many topics, or she said something silly-just as they suspected. But at least they were kind, and I could barely wait to leave for the movie.

The time finally came. I was relieved. We said goodbye and picked up Jane.