Scandles and Candles Part I (standard:romance, 6500 words)
Author: River Not Crossed	Added: Jan 07 2001	Views/Reads: 5286/3254	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Seventeen-year-old Janie's past reads like a cheap grocery store novel. She is hurt, angry, and now responsible for her little brother. When Derek, an intregal part of her family's breakdown, reaches out to her, will she be able to reach back?

Janie tried very hard to think of a way out without humiliating herself.
"Look, Harrison-" she put her hands on his broad shoulders "You've got 
to stop it." 

Harrison looked down at her and the moonlight hit his face.  He was
cute, no denying that.  His blue eyes and bleached hair made lots of 
girls swoon- once.  Because in spite of being on of the cutest guys at 
Crestmore High, Harrison was kind of a jerk.  And Janie didn't take 
well to jerks. 

She had no idea why he had asked her out- most boys stayed as far away
from her as possible.  They had seen the news reports, read the 
newspapers, been told the whole grotesque, eye-catching story.  Even 
after eight years, it made an impression. 

But Harrison Williamson had asked her out anyway, and more out of shock
than anything else, she had said yes.  Her first real date, at 
seventeen.  And it had to turn out this way. 

"Why?"  he asked, his lips against her lower neck.  His hand moved to
her waist under her shirt. 

"It's our first date," she hissed, feeling the cold hardness of her
living room wall behind her as he pressed against her.  And I know you 
don't care anything about me. 

"Don't act all innocent with me, Janie Davins.  We both know you don't
come from a family of priests." 

Janie lowered her eyes in shame and allowed him to continue for a few
more seconds, then she pushed at him again.  He sighed angrily and 
grabbed his keys.  "Fine.  But don't count on a second date." 

"I wasn't," she snapped, and the door slammed. 

"Evan, if you are not down here in about three seconds stuffing your
face, I'm going to ki-"  Janie put a piece of brown hair behind her ear 
and reviewed her choice of words.  "Kiss you." 

"I'm coming,"  Evan hopped down the stairs two at a time, X-Men book bag
already on his back.  Janie scraped the rest of the fried eggs off the 
frying pan and into her brother's plate with the spatula.  She poured 
both of their orange juice, then sat down. 

"We're out of pickles, so you'll have to have a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich, like every other kid in America."  She stabbed her eggs with 
her fork.  Sticky yellow blood flooded the plate. 

"Yuck," said Evan, mouth full.  "I'll throw it away." 

"You'd better not throw it away.  We're not exactly the Gates family
here, kid."  She stuffed the rest of her egg in her mouth. "But I'm 
going to the store today, so you can go back to good old pickles and 
mayonnaise soon enough." 

"Is Dad coming this weekend?" Evan gulped his juice. 

"Your dad is coming on Saturday to take you bowling." 

"Aren't you coming?  You can be on my team."  He grinned at her, and
Janie wondered how she was going to get braces on him, without going 
bankrupt. 

"Even if I wanted to come, which I most certainly do not, I have a
project to do.  Ohmigosh, it's eight thirty-five."  She jumped up, 
sopped up the last of the egg-juice with half a piece of toast and 
crammed it in her mouth.  She tossed him his bag lunch, fed the cat, 
and put the dishes in the sink.  Janie sneaked a look in the mirror 
hanging in the living room. 

She was thin, bony even, with brown hair that fell a few inches past her
shoulders, parted slightly on the right and curling in a bit at the 
ends, with large blue eyes and freckles on her shoulders.  "Ugh," she 
said, and ran out the door to their small condominium.  Evan was 
already in the Jeep. 


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