“No! Why couldn’t you have listened to me in the first place?”
“I love him with all my heart mom but you know that I didn’t plan this!”
“Then why don’t you have an abortion? You don’t want a child and I bet he doesn’t either.”
“I’m not having an abortion mom! That’s taking away some-ones life.”
“Well the child would be better off not living than having a jerk like that Phil as its father.”
Elizabeth took a deep breath, seething with rage.
“SHUT UP MOM!” she yelled into the receiver.
“E, E, Elizabeth?”
“I’M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU TELLING ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY LOVE LIFE! PHIL IS A GREAT PERSON, AND JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE JEALOUS THAT YOU DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN WRECK MY LIFE!”
She slammed the receiver down, furious with her mother. She was in such a rage that she told the T.V. to ‘Shut up!’.
Still angry, she kicked the sofa. But suddenly she felt sick. She ran too the toilet, and immediately threw up in it.
“Ugh. Why does my life have to be so hard?”
She looked at the clock, which showed ten o’clock. She had to go to work in ten minutes. Being a teacher’s aid was a simple job, so it was good for Elizabeth. But still, she was only two years older than most of the people in the class she helped out. They could be pretty judgemental, and so could some of the teachers. She didn’t know how they’d react when she would have to ask for maternity leave.
Phil dialled the number of his fellow musician friend Eric. He had been thinking for some time about how he could expand. He practiced almost every day, but just practicing wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
“Hey man,” said Phil.
“Wassup dude? I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“Well I got kicked out, so I’ve been spending most of my time dealing with my sis. How’s the Mrs?”
“Dude she’s not my wife!” said Eric laughing.
“Yeah but the way you go on about her… I don’t talk about Elizabeth that much!”
“Yeah yeah, I’ve heard it all before. So hows’ you?”
“I’m alright. I’ve been thinking, you know, what can I do to get further. Get my name out there some more. I mean practicing is good, but its not gonna get me a record deal is it?”
“Woah dude that is weird! I’ve been thinking the same thing! I’ve been playing the drums for about four years, but I haven’t ever had a gig or nothin’. Maybe we should start a band or something…?” he laughed.
Phil stood still for a little bit. He hadn’t thought of starting a band. But now that he thought of it, it might be his ticket to stardom!
“Hey, it’s worth a shot,” he replied to Eric.
“What? Dude I was joking!”
“Yeah, but it ain’t that far’ fetched is it? I mean we both rock, we’re both mates. Get a bassist and a singer and we’re ready to roll!”
“So you reckon we should hold auditions for them? Dude, ain’t no-one gonna show up!”
“Well you’d be surprised. A lot of people like music and a lot of people might wanna start a band.”
Eric was silent for a moment.
“OK then dude. How about I’ll design a flyer and hang them up, and then on Saturday we can have the auditions.”
“Alright then. Have em at your place. It’s big and we won’t have my sister intruding on us all the time. I’m having my hair done. See ya mate.”
“Later dude. And maybe if it all goes well, I won’t have to buy you a birthday present!”
They hung up. Suddenly Phil felt shocked. What with all the stress he had forgotten that his own birthday was on Monday. Eric, and probably Jenny and Elizabeth had all remembered, but he hadn’t. But what was more, he and his best mate had just agreed to try and start a band. Somehow for that moment he felt like they really could do well.
“You never know I guess,” he said to himself, before walking back to his room and putting on some music.
It was his favourite band, ‘Good Men Do Nothing’. He had been thinking of buying their album, but maybe he could hint to Elizabeth that he wanted it over their date. He laughed, and sung along with the lyrics.
“Have you seen what I’ve seen? No I don’t know what you mean. It’s a dark light that I see, but you’re staring straight at me.”
He realised that GMDN must have started small; in fact he recalled reading that they had formed when they were seventeen! Maybe it wasn’t too strange, thinking about making a band. He got into the awaiting taxi and went to have his hair cut.
When Jenny got home she immediately ran to the phone and dialled Scotty’s number.
“Hey sw…”
“Don’t talk. I need to come round your place right now.”
She didn’t bother changing out of her work outfit; Jenny just started walking over to Scotty Kenta’s condo.
It wasn’t very far away, and Jenny was quite fit, so she got there in no time. She knocked on the door, and Scotty answered it, fully clothed this time. Before either of them could say anything, Jenny barged into the house. She sighed and turned to Scotty.
“I don’t know what happened the other day, or why, but… I just can’t explain it.”
Scotty rolled his eyes. He’d been expecting something like this.
“Yeah, sure,” he replied.
This response seemed to confuse Jenny, who stood there looking puzzled for a little while.
“Oh come on Jenny you loved and we both know that!” he said.
Jenny was shocked at this. She thought that Scott might have been a gentleman, and apologized it just like her. But it turned out he was just some sleazebag.
“I wasn’t in my right mind! I definitely didn’t want it to happen!”
“Maybe not, but now you’ve had a taste, you’ll be addicted.”
Jenny recoiled in horror.
“I should have known you would just be some other slime-ball that only wanted me for my looks!”
“C’mon, you love it Jenny,” he said with a sly grin.
She glared at him.
“Alright, alright. I’ll just walk over into the bedroom, and you can leave, since you’re so un-attracted to me.”
He walked off through the gap into his bedroom, and lay down on his bed. Jennifer huffed, and headed toward the door. She grabbed the handle to close it behind her, when suddenly she ran back into the condo. She flew into Scotty’s bedroom and jumped on top of him.
“Oh Scotty, you’re just so great,” she told him in between kissing.
“I know, I know” he said to himself.
Jenny tried to laugh but she had no time. She had no idea how much she loved kissing, and Scotty was certainly the man to do it with. Soon, it was going further than Jennifer had expected. Whenever she was with Scotty, it was like she had no control. Jenny soon had her very first WooHoo.
She didn’t know that Scotty had had one with practically every woman in Denville, or that he planned to have another one on that same night.
When Phil got home he knew something wasn’t right. None of the lights were on in the house, and neither was the T.V. The door was locked, which indicated that she was out. He opened it with his keys, and said “Jenny?” No-one replied, so he scanned for a note. He found nothing. It wasn’t like Jenny to just take off without telling anyone. He got the phone and rang her mobile.
When Jenny’s phone went rang she was still lying in bed with Scott.
“Ugh, why do you have to ring now?” she said to the phone.
“Just ignore it,” suggested Scotty.
“I’ll just see who it is,” said Jenny, rolling over to look at the caller identity.
“Probably just some telemarketing scammer or whatever,” replied Scotty.
Jenny laughed, but the grin was soon replaced by a look of terror. “Oh crap it’s my brother,” she said.
“Why‘s that bad?” asked Scotty.
“He doesn’t know about us and, well he can be pretty stressful even if I am older than him.”
She got out of bad and began to get dressed. Scotty smacked his head and sat up.
“It’s none of his business what you do in your spare time. Just tell him to get lost.”
“Sorry but I have to get home now anyway,” replied Jenny.
He got up and gave her a long kiss.
“See ya,” he said.
After he heard the door shut, he got up and ran out to the living room and got the phone. “Hey Sandy it’s Scotty…”
Jenny opened the door and stumbled into her house panting. Phil looked up from his book and saw Jenny.
“Where’ve you been then?” he asked mischievously.
“None of your business,” said Jenny glaring at him.
Phil’s’ grin slid of his face.
“OK calm down I was just asking. As long as you haven’t been off with Scotty Kenta…” he laughed.
Jenny bit her lip. She was very smart, but wasn’t the best liar. Phil’s eyes widened in shock.
“You have!” he shouted.
“So what? Why does it matter to you?”
“It matters to me because you’re my sister. He’ll screw you!”
“Oh no he won’t!”
Jenny wasn’t listening to reason.
“He’s just some jerk who’ll use you for a while and then throw you aside for the next good looking girl.”
Jennifer’s nostrils flared.
“So you think that he couldn’t possibly love me? That I’m just some girl who gives him a cheap thrill? That I’m such a workaholic that I can’t show a guy a good time.”
“No Jenny that isn’t what I…” he began.
“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it. Just go play some music in your room and stop bothering me!”
“Jenny I’m only trying to…”
“NOW PHIL! YOU’RE LUCKY I’M NOT KICKING YOU OUT!”
