Jackie lay on her back, the warm sun beating down on her.
"Can you believe that guy?"
Jackie leaned over, grabbed her shades and looked at the direction Donna was pointing.
"Someone should really tell him that he has exceeded the maximum weight capacity for his..man'kini," Donna continued.
"Oh God, please tell me that's a cardigan he's got on," Jackie shrieked as the man bent over and proceeded to stretch and flex his body.
Donna laughed. "Amazing how as men get older, the hair goes from their head to their backs."
"And how they never think they look bad. I mean look at him. When he put that rubber band on this morning, did he honestly look in the mirror and say to himself, 'Yeah, I still got it.'" Jackie asked, rolling her eyes.
"Probably." Donna looked around the pool for something else to comment on. "It's boring here. Let's go to the movies or something."
"What and miss the best tanning hours?" Jackie asked without so much as a glance in Donna's direction.
"But it's hot and sweaty here. And Smoky the Bear of the man'kini is giving me the eye."
"Well leave then."
"Come with me." Donna pleaded.
Jackie rose up on her elbow and looked at her best friend and wondered, not for the first time, just when that had happened. "What's the deal, Donna? You've been stuck to me like a present I can't exchange. Doesn't Eric need you or something?"
"Nothing's wrong. Can't I want to spend time with you before I have to leave for college in a few weeks?"
"You are a really bad liar, Donna, and if I were a less shallow person, I'd pretend to care, but I'm not so, excuse me while I get back to my very busy schedule." Jackie lay back in the chair and reached over for her Tiger Beat magazine.
Donna had long ago learned that half of what came out of Jackie's mouth was a snotty cover up. She decided to let the callous remarks slide and instead pick away at the real issue. "Busy schedule?"
"Yes, in exactly 10 minutes, I am going to flip over to my back. If you cared a little more about your appearance you'd know that it takes a precise schedule to get an even tan, Donna. You know one day someone's going to invent a way to tan in the privacy of your own home, so you won't have to sweat in public and you can lose all those icky tan lines. But that's crazy talk because then who'd get to see me in all the cute swimwear."
Donna shook her head. "The one you're wearing today seems to be a hit." Donna looked over her shoulders at the flock of high school boys, lifeguards, and several dirty old men, that were gazing in their direction. "I think some of your fan club are working up the nerve to approach you."
Jackie pretended not to be interested as she continued flipping through the magazine. "Well, I know that pink is my normal color, but something about this red bikini just seemed to be the right choice. Plus it game me the opportunity to purchase that silver anklet with the red heart that I've had my eye on."
"Don't you want to know if he's watching?" Donna asked with a smirk.
"Not particularly," Jackie lied.
Donna leaned in and whispered to Jackie, "Then I guess it won't bother you that that blonde over there is asking him to put some lotion on her back."
Jackie sprang up from her lounging position, banging her head against the tall redhead. "I'll kill him!!" Jackie screamed. She looked over to the spot she knew Hyde had been. After all, she'd picked this spot so he'd have the perfect angle to watch her. He was there all right. Shades on, shirt off, cold beer in hand. 'Danm, he looked good,' she thought to herself. His muscular arms and chest were defiantly worthy of a few poolside glances, which reminded her of the blonde bimbo he was supposed to be slathering his charm on, but there was NO blonde bimbo around him. His face was its usual Zen like mask. She could feel the heat of his stare, even with the shades covering his beautiful, intense blue eyes. Her body temperature increased 10 degrees at least and her lungs seemed to forget how to breathe. 'Wasn't that an automatic response?' she wondered to herself. 'The air goes in the nose, the lungs pump and it's done without any sort of rational thought. So she had to be breathing. Then why'd she feel faint?'
"I lied," Donna said between burst of laughter and rubbing her head.
Jackie glowered at her and tried to sit back down as inconspicuously as possible. "Great. Now I'll have a bruise all caused by your lumberjack head."
Actually she was grateful to Donna. If she hadn't spoken to her, well, she'd almost fallen back into Steven land, that nice fuzzy place that looking at him sent her, where all she wanted in the world was to be in his arms, feeling safe and protected and loved. But it hadn't been real, had it? She reached her arm out for her bottle of baby oil and iodine, the best tanning oil possible. Once she'd bought the expensive stuff with the French sounding names, but that'd been before her father had been arrested and her mom had run out on her. She'd had to settle for a few less frills in her life since then and besides, this stuff worked just as good. Before she could pour the oil in her hand, a tall, shadow crossed her path. Jackie placed her free hand in front of her face and shielded her eyes so she could see who was standing in her sun.
"Would you like some help with that?" came the deep, definitely male voice.
"She's perfectly able to put lotion on herself," Donna stated. "What you think because she's a midget the baby oil bottle is too heavy for her?!"
"No, it's just that unless I'm mistaken, it's time for you to flip over to your back, and unless you're a contortionist you might need a little help getting it on evenly. A nice even tan takes effort, you know?"
Jackie smiled despite herself, not that she was buying any of this, but it was fun having a hot guy flirt with you. "Derrick, I'm flattered that the quarterback would take the time out of his busy summer of football practice to concern himself with the evenness of my tan." She lifted her hair up off the back of her neck and looked over her shoulder at him, smiling coquettishly. "Daylight's wasting."
"Oh, please," Donna muttered not so quietly.
Derrick rubbed the oil into his palms and began to slowly cover Jackie's back. After a few minutes, his hands began to massage her neck and shoulders. "You've got such delicate shoulders. Much too delicate to be carrying all these knots."
"Derrick, I think you'd better leave now," Donna said.
Without opening her eyes, Jackie murmured. "I'm sure Derrick will be happy to put some on you too, Donna. Of course first you'll have to take off that lumberjack shirt your wearing. I don't know why you come to the pool, wearing a cute bathing suit and then hide it behind."
The rest of her comments died on her lips as she realized that Derrick's hands had slipped down a little too low, slipping along the edge of her bikini bottom. Her eyes sprang open.
"Get your hands off my girlfriend!"
Jackie felt Derrick move away from her. She sighed with relief and was able to turn around. Steven! She reminded herself that she was mad at him and hurt. But this was just so..romantic. She gave in and allowed herself to smile.
"I told you to go," Donna said as she grabbed Jackie's hand and started to lead her away from the pool.
"What are you doing?" Jackie demanded as her Amazon friend pulled her away.
"Removing you, before those two guys do something stupid to impress you."
"Steven called me his girlfriend. He was going to fight Derrick over me," Jackie said breathlessly, still grinning.
"I know. Can you believe that? Guys are so stupid. Like something like that could actually impress a modern woman." Donna looked over at Jackie. "Oh hell. You set the women's movement back a hundred years."
"Can you believe that guy?"
Jackie leaned over, grabbed her shades and looked at the direction Donna was pointing.
"Someone should really tell him that he has exceeded the maximum weight capacity for his..man'kini," Donna continued.
"Oh God, please tell me that's a cardigan he's got on," Jackie shrieked as the man bent over and proceeded to stretch and flex his body.
Donna laughed. "Amazing how as men get older, the hair goes from their head to their backs."
"And how they never think they look bad. I mean look at him. When he put that rubber band on this morning, did he honestly look in the mirror and say to himself, 'Yeah, I still got it.'" Jackie asked, rolling her eyes.
"Probably." Donna looked around the pool for something else to comment on. "It's boring here. Let's go to the movies or something."
"What and miss the best tanning hours?" Jackie asked without so much as a glance in Donna's direction.
"But it's hot and sweaty here. And Smoky the Bear of the man'kini is giving me the eye."
"Well leave then."
"Come with me." Donna pleaded.
Jackie rose up on her elbow and looked at her best friend and wondered, not for the first time, just when that had happened. "What's the deal, Donna? You've been stuck to me like a present I can't exchange. Doesn't Eric need you or something?"
"Nothing's wrong. Can't I want to spend time with you before I have to leave for college in a few weeks?"
"You are a really bad liar, Donna, and if I were a less shallow person, I'd pretend to care, but I'm not so, excuse me while I get back to my very busy schedule." Jackie lay back in the chair and reached over for her Tiger Beat magazine.
Donna had long ago learned that half of what came out of Jackie's mouth was a snotty cover up. She decided to let the callous remarks slide and instead pick away at the real issue. "Busy schedule?"
"Yes, in exactly 10 minutes, I am going to flip over to my back. If you cared a little more about your appearance you'd know that it takes a precise schedule to get an even tan, Donna. You know one day someone's going to invent a way to tan in the privacy of your own home, so you won't have to sweat in public and you can lose all those icky tan lines. But that's crazy talk because then who'd get to see me in all the cute swimwear."
Donna shook her head. "The one you're wearing today seems to be a hit." Donna looked over her shoulders at the flock of high school boys, lifeguards, and several dirty old men, that were gazing in their direction. "I think some of your fan club are working up the nerve to approach you."
Jackie pretended not to be interested as she continued flipping through the magazine. "Well, I know that pink is my normal color, but something about this red bikini just seemed to be the right choice. Plus it game me the opportunity to purchase that silver anklet with the red heart that I've had my eye on."
"Don't you want to know if he's watching?" Donna asked with a smirk.
"Not particularly," Jackie lied.
Donna leaned in and whispered to Jackie, "Then I guess it won't bother you that that blonde over there is asking him to put some lotion on her back."
Jackie sprang up from her lounging position, banging her head against the tall redhead. "I'll kill him!!" Jackie screamed. She looked over to the spot she knew Hyde had been. After all, she'd picked this spot so he'd have the perfect angle to watch her. He was there all right. Shades on, shirt off, cold beer in hand. 'Danm, he looked good,' she thought to herself. His muscular arms and chest were defiantly worthy of a few poolside glances, which reminded her of the blonde bimbo he was supposed to be slathering his charm on, but there was NO blonde bimbo around him. His face was its usual Zen like mask. She could feel the heat of his stare, even with the shades covering his beautiful, intense blue eyes. Her body temperature increased 10 degrees at least and her lungs seemed to forget how to breathe. 'Wasn't that an automatic response?' she wondered to herself. 'The air goes in the nose, the lungs pump and it's done without any sort of rational thought. So she had to be breathing. Then why'd she feel faint?'
"I lied," Donna said between burst of laughter and rubbing her head.
Jackie glowered at her and tried to sit back down as inconspicuously as possible. "Great. Now I'll have a bruise all caused by your lumberjack head."
Actually she was grateful to Donna. If she hadn't spoken to her, well, she'd almost fallen back into Steven land, that nice fuzzy place that looking at him sent her, where all she wanted in the world was to be in his arms, feeling safe and protected and loved. But it hadn't been real, had it? She reached her arm out for her bottle of baby oil and iodine, the best tanning oil possible. Once she'd bought the expensive stuff with the French sounding names, but that'd been before her father had been arrested and her mom had run out on her. She'd had to settle for a few less frills in her life since then and besides, this stuff worked just as good. Before she could pour the oil in her hand, a tall, shadow crossed her path. Jackie placed her free hand in front of her face and shielded her eyes so she could see who was standing in her sun.
"Would you like some help with that?" came the deep, definitely male voice.
"She's perfectly able to put lotion on herself," Donna stated. "What you think because she's a midget the baby oil bottle is too heavy for her?!"
"No, it's just that unless I'm mistaken, it's time for you to flip over to your back, and unless you're a contortionist you might need a little help getting it on evenly. A nice even tan takes effort, you know?"
Jackie smiled despite herself, not that she was buying any of this, but it was fun having a hot guy flirt with you. "Derrick, I'm flattered that the quarterback would take the time out of his busy summer of football practice to concern himself with the evenness of my tan." She lifted her hair up off the back of her neck and looked over her shoulder at him, smiling coquettishly. "Daylight's wasting."
"Oh, please," Donna muttered not so quietly.
Derrick rubbed the oil into his palms and began to slowly cover Jackie's back. After a few minutes, his hands began to massage her neck and shoulders. "You've got such delicate shoulders. Much too delicate to be carrying all these knots."
"Derrick, I think you'd better leave now," Donna said.
Without opening her eyes, Jackie murmured. "I'm sure Derrick will be happy to put some on you too, Donna. Of course first you'll have to take off that lumberjack shirt your wearing. I don't know why you come to the pool, wearing a cute bathing suit and then hide it behind."
The rest of her comments died on her lips as she realized that Derrick's hands had slipped down a little too low, slipping along the edge of her bikini bottom. Her eyes sprang open.
"Get your hands off my girlfriend!"
Jackie felt Derrick move away from her. She sighed with relief and was able to turn around. Steven! She reminded herself that she was mad at him and hurt. But this was just so..romantic. She gave in and allowed herself to smile.
"I told you to go," Donna said as she grabbed Jackie's hand and started to lead her away from the pool.
"What are you doing?" Jackie demanded as her Amazon friend pulled her away.
"Removing you, before those two guys do something stupid to impress you."
"Steven called me his girlfriend. He was going to fight Derrick over me," Jackie said breathlessly, still grinning.
"I know. Can you believe that? Guys are so stupid. Like something like that could actually impress a modern woman." Donna looked over at Jackie. "Oh hell. You set the women's movement back a hundred years."