Mara didn't need to look in the mirror to know that she looked awful. She'd hardly moved from her bed for the past twenty four hours, and she knew it showed. Her black hair now hung knotted and limp around her shoulders, and she knew her face was probably red and blotchy from all the crying. So much crying...

Patricia had left her there. To some people, it would seem heartless to leave a friend in such a state as this, but Patricia knew Mara well enough to know that in times like these, she wanted to be alone, and she certainly didn't want to be fussed over.

It was funny, because Mara hadn't cried when Mick had broken up with her two weeks previously. It had been the worst few days of her life, but she'd managed. Every time she accidentally caught Mick's eye at breakfast, or bumped into him in the corridors at school, it took a lot of effort not to burst into tears, but somehow she'd kept a straight face, and looked away as if it hadn't fazed her at all. Though it had, but she was just good at pretending.

But yesterday, when she'd bumped into Mick, he hadn't even noticed her. All Mick saw at that moment was the blonde girl next to him, the pretty girl, the popular girl, one of the cheerleading squad most likely. It would have been worse if it had been Amber, but this was bad enough.

They'd been together for almost a year by this point, and although he probably hadn't meant it, he'd told her that he loved her, and they were both seemingly happy together. The breakup was only a surprise to Mara herself. All the other housemates had seen it coming for ages, after weeks of little snipes and angry comments between the two of them. All it took was one big blowout for Mick to realise they weren't working.

Mara had understood that they probably weren't going to be together forever, that they probably didn't have anything in common, but it had hurt none the less. But nothing had been as bad as seeing him with the new girl. The way he had his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, the way he was laughing at something that she'd said. He was over Mara, and it hadn't exactly taken long for him to get there. Two weeks. Two weeks. Almost a year, and he'd forgotten about her in two weeks. That was when she broke down, that was when all the hurt that had built up recently flooded through her at once, and that was why she was curled up in bed, still crying, not caring that she hadn't completed the latest homework assignment or eaten much for the last day or so.

Everyone else knew why Mara had been absent for meals, but Patricia had told them all to leave her be, so they were getting on with their lives. At that point, Alfie and Jerome were trying to come up with a new scheme.

"You remember that Trudy told us to hold the door open? It's because it's broken, look." Jerome said, showing Alfie the handle on the laundry room door, which was missing on the inside. "If someone goes in and the door shuts, they'll be locked in."

Jerome smiled his signature smile, the slightly devious smile, complete with an evil glint in his eye. He loved pulling these little jokes on the other housemates, mainly because it made him look powerful, it made him feel like he was in control. It made him feel less useless. He knew that everyone resented him and Alfie for the constant jokes and pranks, but it was all he had left. Sometimes Jerome worried that if he wasn't doing all these things, he wouldn't have any other reason to smile and laugh. In fact, the constant trickery was mainly a clever rouse to hide the fact that laughing was the last thing he wanted to do.

Alfie nodded approvingly at the prank idea, and then it was settled, and the two boys high fived before leaving the room, agreeing to wait for whoever went in first.

An hour passed, and nothing happened. Alfie and Jerome had practically given up of waiting for someone to go into the laundry room, and were watching a zombie film in their room. Nina and Fabian were watching a movie together, and Mara was still in her room.

"You know, you'll have to come out at some point..."

Mara jumped, she hadn't even noticed Patricia walking in the room. It was like she was an empty shell, staring into space and letting the world pass over her head. Empty. If Mara had been more herself, she would have talked to Patricia, she might have screamed in frustration...but right now, she only shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm getting you out of this room Mara..." Patricia said, marching towards her at haste. She was fed up of seeing Mara like this, it wasn't going to get much easier anytime soon, and staying in bed for days wasn't healthy.

Mara didn't try to protest when Patricia yanked her out of bed by the arm, and attempted to coax a brush through the already tangled mass of hair. It wasn't worth the energy of fighting her, because Mara knew that when Patricia wanted something badly enough, she got it.

It was only when Mara was stood upright, without the comfort of the duvet, that she realised she was cold. Freezing in fact. Tiny goose bumps were forming on her arms, and an involuntarily shiver passed over her body.

"Do you have a jacket?" Patricia asked.

"Downstairs." Mara mumbled, remembering at that point that she'd asked Trudy to wash it, and it was probably still in the laundry room.

"Go and get it then. As I said, you can't stay in here forever."

Mara begrudgingly agreed, slightly terrified at the thought of bumping into other housemates. Even with brushed hair, she still looked awful, and she didn't need the fuss, she didn't need the sympathy or the 'poor you' comments.

Patricia watched her leave, proud of her achievements. She'll thank me one day, she thought.

Jerome at that point, was bored. He'd seen this film several times, but his and Alfie's film collection wasn't exactly huge, so they had to resort to re-watching films they'd already seen several times. Jerome was bored of the film, he was bored of the day, and he was bored of Mara crying over some arrogant idiot who wasn't worth her time. Impatient, he tried to find an excuse to leave the room.

"I'm just getting a snack, I'll be right back mate." He said to Alfie, flashing him another grin, and leaving the room at haste. He pretended to be sick at the sight of Nina and Fabian on the sofa, and Fabian just shot him a look in return, tutting slightly. Jerome grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the kitchen table, then remembered the shirts Trudy had been washing. Two birds with one stone, and all that.

Mara entered the laundry room only a few seconds after Jerome. Her heart was beating rapidly, as she'd already had to sneak past Fabian and Nina in order to get here unnoticed. Luckily, they were too engrossed in the film and in each other to see her scamper past rapidly. Though when she stood at the door and saw Jerome, she knew she didn't have a chance at sneaking back upstairs unseen, and she froze. He was leant over a pile of laundry with his back to her, searching for something. When he finally turned around, clutching a few shirts in his hand, he froze too.

The moment was awkward for both of them. Awkward for Mara, because she looked like a mess, she didn't want to talk to anyone, and she couldn't get her jacket until Jerome moved out of the way. And awkward for Jerome because he hadn't been alone with Mara for a very long time. He'd been avoiding it, actually. Avoiding it because a year ago, he was certain that he was in love with her, but she had Mick. It was always Mick, Mick always came first. So for the last year, he'd never attempted to start a conversation with her, he always made sure to avoid being in situations when he'd have to be alone with her, and he very painfully tried to get over it. He was unsure in this moment, looking at her like this, whether he actually had.

She was hurting, he could tell that, and he knew why. The whole house knew why, and no one expected to see much of her for the weekend. Mick had a new girlfriend, and it had made Mara feel awful. Jerome wasn't surprised that she felt like this, he knew Mara well enough to know she was faking when they just broke up. She'd tried long and hard enough to keep them together over the last year or so, so there was no way she was fine. He knew that the tear stains across her cheeks were not just the result of Mick's new girlfriend, they were a result of several weeks of arguments, as well as the breakup itself. She'd finally stopped trying to keep it in...

Mara watched him watching her, and noticed the torn expression on his face. He looked like part of him wanted to say something, to break the terrible silence that had engulfed them both...but he couldn't think of a thing to say.

Luckily he didn't have to, because the laundry door slammed shut, causing a violent clang to ring through the room.

"Jerome! I did it! I got someone!" Alfie cried from outside of the door, laughing manically. Jerome's eyes widened, remembering the initial scheme, and then groaned loudly. Mara simply looked confused.

"Alfie, I'm in here, you idiot! Let me out!"

Mara attempted to open the door, not knowing that it was impossible from this side, and her heart sank when she realised. Her plan of staying hidden in her room had obviously failed, and now she had to stay here for even longer. Let me out, he had said... Not us, she thought, realising that she was now a part of some new prank they were pulling that had gone wrong. Jerome would probably dash out, slamming the door behind him, leaving her in there.

Alfie was making his apologies at that point, and Mara and Jerome heard the constant clattering of the door as Alfie shook it violently.

"Alfie?" Jerome asked nervously, a slight look of panic arising on his face.

"Err..." Alfie said from outside, and the clattering stopped.

"What is it?" Jerome asked again.

"It's stuck."

"What?"

"It's stuck...I'll go get Trudy."

He ran away from the door, and Jerome groaned loudly. When Mara sent him a questioning look, he looked annoyed.

"Trudy's not here, looks like we really are stuck."

Mara wanted to cry again, though she particularly didn't want to in front of Jerome. In a moment or two, Alfie ran back to the door, mumbling apologies, trying desperately to open the door again, but he couldn't do it, and the two were left alone in the confined space of the laundry room.

Jerome was feeling a mix of things at that point. He still felt awkward being trapped in a room with not only Mara, but a sad Mara, and he was angry at Alfie for potentially leaving him in the laundry room all day. He took a glimpse at Mara, who had sat down on the floor, looking nervously at him, and Jerome followed suit, realising that it may be hours until they could be let out again.

It was Jerome who spoke first.

"Jeez, Mara...I know it's only the laundry room, but you could have made a little bit more of an effort."

It was supposed to be a joke. He hadn't really meant it to come out that way, but looking at her, he was distracted by her dishevelled appearance, and that was what had come out. She just looked at him, visibly annoyed. Out of all the people in the house to be stuck with, apart from Mick, Jerome was the worst. She had been waiting for the first comment about her appearance, and here it was. Not surprisingly though, given the way that she was dressed. She knew that she didn't exactly look attractive in the slightest, she knew that she looked a mess, but anyone decent would have known not to comment on it.

She could have said all of this, but she didn't.

"Shut up," was all she said, and although she wanted nothing more than for Jerome to not say another word, she still felt a small pang of guilt. After all, it was pretty out of character for Mara to be so snappy. Jerome noticed this too, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"I told you so."

He hadn't meant to say this either, but again it escaped from his mouth, and he mentally kicked himself.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"I told you so about Mick."

He was pushing his luck, but now he started he couldn't exactly stop. Mara looked at him in surprise, eyebrows furrowing into a slight glare. He had no right to comment on their relationship, no one did. It was their business.

"Jerome, I don't want to talk about it."

"But..."

"I don't want to talk about it!" she said more harshly, then bit her lip guiltily. She wouldn't have talked like that normally...just today, why today...

"Sorry," she added, but inside she was still angry.

And she had never fully understood why Jerome had stopped speaking to her. It had been a long time ago, sometime after the election, and there was a period where he avoided long conversations with her. And then he just stopped speaking to her entirely, only choosing to talk when he had to. It had been strange, but she'd gotten used to it. But now, sitting with him in a secluded laundry room, she realised quite how much had changed between them. She wasn't even sure if she knew him anymore.

As another silence passed over them, Mara became more and more conscious of her appearance. She couldn't remember whether or not she'd worn mascara yesterday, and had no way of knowing if there were black lines streaking down her face. Her pyjamas, although not too unattractive, showed more skin than she was normally comfortable with, and the tiny goose bumps across her body drew her attention to this even more.

Jerome wasn't accustomed to awkward silences. Usually, he'd be the one to break them, by coughing or making a stupid comment...anything to get the conversation up and running again. But with Mara, he honestly couldn't think of anything to say.

Well, actually, he could, but nothing polite. All he could really think of what to say was the type of things he'd usually say, the snide comments and the jokes. And unfortunately, the silence got to him before he thought of something nice.

"You do realise it's your own fault, don't you?"

She looked up in shock. Why was he still talking about it? She didn't want to talk about Mick, she couldn't talk about Mick, not with Jerome...

"Jerome, please..." she whispered, not able to conjure up anything more.

He hated himself for it afterwards, but he continued.

"I mean, as I've already said, I told you he was no good for you. And so did Patricia I suspect. You know why people were so surprised when you two got together? It was because no one thought that you'd be a good couple, no one thought you were compatible. And now, just as we all warned, he led you along, and dropped you as soon as some blonde idiot waltzed into his eye line. Surely you must realise that you should have dumped him months ago?"

"You don't understand," she said, angry again. "You didn't know anything about us, you didn't know any of the good things!"

She was struggling to contain herself, a fresh batch of tears bubbling up inside her, and it took a lot of willpower to keep them there.

"Good things? Good things? Mara, he spent the whole time ditching you for sports, or asking you to do his work for him! Don't try and tell me that they were good things!"

"You don't know anything!" she shouted, fixing her eyes upon him in a fierce glare.

Jerome smiled slightly. He had slightly missed this Mara, that Mara that wasn't afraid to shout, who wasn't afraid to tell him how she really felt. It was nice to know she still had some fighting spirit left inside her. But she was still missing the point, she still didn't understand what he was saying. And then he said the one thing he'd probably always regret.

"You two were never any good together, it was no surprise he went off with that cheerleader girl."

That had done it for Mara. She looked at him, completely furious, but she had so much she wanted to scream that she couldn't get any words out. Tears were now readily flowing down her cheeks. He was wrong, she knew he was wrong. Mick and her were good together, it just didn't work out in the end, that was it, that was all. Jerome was wrong, he had to be.

Meanwhile, Patricia, who was always known to be impatient, had waited for Mara for far too long. She could imagine Mara timidly hiding in the bathroom, or somewhere downstairs, in fear of bumping into Mick again. Patricia scoffed slightly, and set off to find her. This whole thing had gone on for too long, and she was going to fix it, get the old Mara back.

"Where's Mara?" she asked Alfie vicioulsy, practically cornering him in the process. Alfie smirked slightly, but stopped. He knew better than to toy with Patricia when she was angry.

"Laundry room," he replied, hastily leaving the area.

When Patricia stumbled across the laundry room door, she was surprised to find it locked, but she knew Mara was in there due to the muffled sound of tears.

"Mara?" she called, after having banged on the door several times to no success. "Are you ok?"

"She's fine." Jerome called, and Patricia did a slight double take, and gave the door handle another shake. "You won't get it open by the way."

"Why?"

"Stuck" he said, slightly amused by the idea of Patricia's face right now. He took another hesitant glance towards Mara, who was still snivelling softly in the corner. He'd hit her where it hurt, that was for sure.

"If this is some trick that you're playing slimeball, I'd cut it out now if I were you" Patricia threatened, meaning every word.

"Look, it's Alfie you need to talk to. Otherwise, we're stuck in here till Trudy gets back."

Patricia grumbled angrily under her breath, realising now how Alfie had known where to look.

"Don't let him get to you Mara. And don't even think of hurting her, you idiot."

I already have, Jerome thought, listening to the sound of Patricia's biker boots stamping across the kitchen floor.

Back in the silence, he risked another glance at Mara. She was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, her legs brought in tightly to her chest. A few moments passed, Jerome too afraid to open his mouth in case too many more of his opinions came pouring out. She shuddered involuntarily, and Jerome noticed the shivering, and scolded himself for not having noticed it before, judging by what she was wearing.

Mara wished she was the type of person who wore tracksuit bottoms to bed, or a long sleeved shirt, or anything vaguely warm. She clutched at her legs, shivering dramatically every once in a while, and silently praying for Trudy to come home.

She heard a shuffling coming from Jerome's side of the room, but ignored it until a couple of Jerome's newly washed shirts were flung in her direction, hitting her softly in the side of her head. She glanced up, expecting to see Jerome's cruel, mocking face. But instead, his expression was soft, a slight smile upon his lips, and he nodded slightly, confirming that they were indeed for warmth.

She smiled back at him, slightly baffled by the sudden change of attitude, but that was Jerome for you. She remembered back when he was her campaign manager, how the slightest mention of his parents caused him to transcend from happy and joking to cold and silent. It was strange, but she knew that he put up walls; she knew that a lot of his actions were a front, and at that point she was reminded of the Jerome she'd known a year ago, the Jerome that occasionally showed that he was kind.

He watched her as she slung one shirt over her shoulders, and hung the other one over her legs. She looked fragile, weak, hurt. And Jerome supposed that she was, after recent events with Mick. There was not much sign of the Mara he was accustomed to, the one that talked happily, the one that would move on with her life, the one that was strong. But it looked like Mick had done his best to suck all that out of her. It was strange, because Jerome had an overwhelming urge right then to reach out and protect her, and an extreme desire to punch Mick Campbell's smug smile off his face.

Funny, Jerome thought as he glanced at her again. Funny how you could spend a year under the pretence that you were over a person, and in reality, deep down, you felt the same way about them that you always did.

For someone who didn't usually get bothered by silence, Mara was suddenly desperate to say something. Jerome had done something kind, and although part of her was still deeply resenting the fact that he made her cry, she wanted to say something.

"Thanks." She said. "For the shirt."

It was too late for a thank you, but it was only thing she could immediately think of. He smiled again, looking slightly unnerved.

"Well, it's cold in here. Three outside walls and all that."

Jerome mentally kicked himself. But, like Mara, he was struggling to think of things to say. It's hard, getting back into a conversation with someone that you not only haven't spoken to properly for a year, but also someone that you had a habit of seriously upsetting.

"Do you know when Trudy will be back?" he asked. Not because he wanted to leave particularly, but he sensed that Mara may do, and again, their current situation was at least one thing they had in common and could talk about.

"Not till late. Patricia told me she was out with Fabian's uncle."

It surprised Mara slightly that she had picked this up from a passing comment that Patricia had made that morning, but at least she knew what she was in for. She didn't know what the time was, but she guessed it was around mid-afternoon judging by the light coming from the small, laundry room window.

"So, what's new with you?" Jerome asked, desperately racking his brains for some form of conversation starter. "Apart from Mick."

It took a while, but eventually, the awkward silences shortened, and the two of them began to talk like they used to. It took approximately half an hour until Mara laughed for the first time in days, and Jerome realised instantly that this was the case, taking great joy in the way her eyes glistened when she did so. Jerome was also noticing how as the time went by, Mara would contribute more and more to the conversation, starting out with only small, mumbled responses, but then she began to ask questions herself, retell stories from the past.

Jerome couldn't be happier, simply because he was making a difference. He was making her better.

An hour later, and Mara was feeling surprisingly calm around Jerome, and in herself. She was animatedly telling a childhood story of when she got lost in a shopping arcade, and had almost forgotten why she had been upset in the first place, she almost forgot to think about when they would be released. It was only when a huge shiver engulfed her body that she was forced to remember, forced to snap out of the ignorant bliss she'd been somewhat experiencing.

Jerome noticed this instantly as well. It was like he was suddenly attuned to her every move, her every expression. He could have just offered her another shirt, or someone else's clothes...but he didn't think of that till afterwards. Instead, Jerome slid gracefully across the linoleum floor, and placed an arm gently around Mara's shoulders. When she didn't push him away, he drew her closer towards him.

Mara would have thought she would have protested. Because it was Jerome, it would be weird to be in this situation, wouldn't it? But she needed the warmth, and Jerome's body was radiating valuable heat. And as well, she felt oddly comforted. The arm that gripped her shoulder was gentle, and she felt protected. She felt safe. Mara remembered the times when Mick had put his arm around her, and she felt a slight twinge at the thought of his name, but not as badly as before. When her and Mick had sat like this, his arm would just be resting on her shoulder, like she was an armrest, and she would feel uncomfortable having his usually sweaty armpit pressed up against her. Jerome however, was lightly gripping her shoulder, and she had to admit to herself that she hadn't expected to feel this way sitting with Jerome.

"Jerome?" she asked softly, slowly leaning her head so it rested lightly on his shoulder. She didn't know why, it just felt right.

"Yes, Mara?" he replied with a slight smile, desperately trying to hide the fact that his heart was beating faster than normal. Because even after a year, he still felt the same deep down. Mara Jaffray wasn't someone you'd get over quickly.

"Was Mick treating me like he should have done?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, well, I've never had a boyfriend before Mick..." she said, blushing slightly at having to admit this. "Does every boyfriend treat their girlfriends like that?"

Jerome paused for a second, slightly afraid of answering. He didn't want to cause another scene, start her off crying again...but somehow Jerome knew that wouldn't happen. Her tone had changed dramatically, and now she talked about Mick more calmly.

"No. Not at all. Mick was running around, treating you more like his personal homework completer than a girlfriend. Any decent guy would treat his girlfriend better than that. He would be kind, he wouldn't blow up over silly things, he wouldn't demand things off you. And look at how he broke up with you? No one who really liked you would break up with you like that and then move on so quickly. You're an amazing person Mara, and you deserve someone better than that."

Mara blinked in surprise, smiling.

"Thank you Jerome. Really, it means a lot."

"Well, you know me..." he said with a flash of his signature smile. "Always the charmer and all that."

Mara nudged him playfully, and for a second they just laughed together. It was only when their eyes met that Mara felt something change. It was then that she realised that the feelings of comfort and protection were not due to the position they were in, or the recent events with Mick. It was him. It was Jerome. She flicked her eyes over his face, examining his messy dirty blonde hair, the crystal blue eyes that were locked onto hers in a piercing gaze. At that point, she became more aware of the weight of his arm around her, the warmth of his body as she sat there, and she felt a slight jolt running through her body. A familiar jolt, one that grew in intensity the more she thought about it.

She only wondered why she hadn't seen it before.

As he looked at her, he wondered whether it would be foolish to try and kiss her. It would be too easy for her to slap him across the face, scream at him for using her when she was upset over Mick, and then she may never speak to him again. It would be easy to ruin everything, but they were staring at each other intently, and it would be so easy...

At that point, Mick Campbell was barging through the house, searching desperately for his favourite pair of running shorts. He reached the laundry room door, and upon finding it locked, tugged at the handle repeatedly, as if hoping for a miracle.

Mara opened her mouth to speak, to tell him it was locked, not realising who it was behind the door, but Jerome placed a finger lightly upon her lips, silencing her. Mick continued pounding and banging the door, swearing angrily when he realised it was impossible. The whole house heard him yelling for Trudy, and then when he heard about Alfie's involvement with the door, the whole house heard that argument as well. Mara simply listened in silence, pondering upon the boy she had once claimed to be in love with. It seemed slightly silly thinking back on it.

"You were right," she said when his shouts had subsided. "I should never have gone out with him in the first place."

He smiled at her, before giving her a hug. He would have never guessed how quickly she'd realise he was speaking the truth.

And once again, after they had pulled back slightly, they found themselves staring back at each other, locked in each other's gaze. Mara's heartbeat accelerating as she realised this was what she wanted, this was what she had probably wanted for a while, but hadn't let herself admit it.

"Mara, I..." he started, knowing exactly what he wanted to say but found he was at a loss for words.

He looked at Mara, who was smiling softly, and he didn't need to say anything. Jerome's lips met hers milliseconds later, and pretty soon both of them forgot they were in a laundry room. Mara wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, relishing every second of this perfect moment. Jerome could tell she wasn't still upset about Mick, that she wasn't kissing him for the hell of it. She was pouring everything into that one kiss, and he did the same. He needed her to know how he felt, he needed her to know it was love.

As they pulled back, Mara grinned at Jerome, and he grinned back. Her heart was beating uncontrollably, and she was slightly awestruck at the sheer emotion and intensity from that one, single kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that for months," Jerome said softly.

"I wish you had..." she whispered back, and he smiled again, pressing another soft kiss to her lips. The moment was perfect, and nothing could ruin it now.

Three hours later, Trudy was met by a rather frantic Alfie at the front door, and was told the whole story. It took a screwdriver and a fair bit of force, but eventually the door was open. Inside the room, Jerome and Mara slept, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, soft smiles on both of their faces. No one had the heart to disturb them.

The next day, Jerome would pretend to still be slightly angry over the laundry room incident, just to make Alfie feel guilty. Truth was, he would never be able to thank him enough.

The End.

Thank you for reading, I was desperately wanting to write something else, but was stuck for ideas on a long story, so decided a one shot would fulfil some Jara needs until I come up with a new storyline :)

I do hope you enjoyed it, 3rd person isn't my usual style so I wanted something slightly different.

JARA FOREVER.

Love from Pip :)