Beating Hearts Baby

Chapter One: The Song the Jail Bird Sings.

If I learned anything from her…I learnt that the best way to deal with your problems, is to write them down. She was an amazing writer, this woman who I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with, and as time grew on, I noticed the millions of stories that fell so elegantly from her thoughts…mimicked the problems that plagued her every day life. I think her stories kept her sane. It’s funny, because she, in every way, kept me from throwing myself off a cliff when the times got tough.

So I guess I should get on with the story that has me troubled enough to write it down. I should probably start from the very beginning, when Owen brought home little miss Match maker.

It was one of those brutally hot summers- you know, the one where if you go outside you burst into flames- so my friends and I, being the ever stereotypical “I hate the sun,” kind of kids, locked ourselves in Holden and Owen’s house for the entire summer. That day was like any other day- Holden and his girlfriend Autumn were playing video games, while the other guys and gals laughed at how badly Holden got his ass whooped- and I was sitting on the comfortable recliner, completely engrossed in one of Owen’s horny comic books. Three weeks and no sex…it was getting tougher and tougher for me to go on. My girl, Taylor, and I broke up, do to irreconcilable differences (AKA we just couldn’t stand the sight of one another any longer), so I was left girlfriendless, sexless, and my hand was starting to hurt from all the masturbating.

I was just getting to the good part of…whatever horny comic I was reading, when Owen bust through the door, in dramatic fashion as usual.

“Guys, guys!” he shouted, earning at least my attention, “I have a surprise!”

“What is it now?” I rolled my eyes.

“It isn’t an it, its a,” he disappeared into the foyer, “it’s a who!”

I didn’t take him seriously- usually his human surprises consist of Barry and his gang- so I returned the comfort of my comic…hehe tentacle monsters and school girls are the best.

“Wa la! Everyone meet my new girlfriend, Jade!”

And there she was, Jade Marie Botero, a little thing standing only five foot five, with a rack made only for queens, (gosh I am pervert), with tan skin, medium length brown locks decorated with red highlights. She was cute…but she also wasn’t twenty years old.

“And how old are you little girl,” I mocked, smiling deviously at Owen. This, of all things, got everyone’s attention, and their once pleasant eyes turned into a nasty shade of red, when they placed themselves upon Jade’s slim form.

“Uh,” Jade fiddled with her thumbs nervously, looking up at Owen for support.

“Shut up Alex,” was the only help he offered her. This only meant one thing- she was jailbait.

Owen never bought jailbait home, in fact, most of his girlfriends have been a couple of years older than him. Telsa was fuckin twenty-two, and smuggled us alcohol anytime we asked her. To go from older, to a ‘go to jail’ free card…well it was pretty messed up.

“Owen, seriously, how old is she?” Holden snapped.

“Does it matter? She’s nice, she’s cool, she acts like us anyway.”

“Come on!”

He ran his fingers nervously through his short hair, looking down at his frighten girlfriend.

“Owen, come on!” Autumn decided to join in the battle- and maybe she had every right to, being that she and Holden have been going out since…well forever…she was practically family, “How old is she.”

“Look, she is standing right there,” I pointed to the little girl, who had resorted to clutching Owen’s hand. I honestly felt bad for her, walking into her twenty year old boyfriend’s house only to be attacked by everyone in the damn room, “Talk to her at least.”

Everyone looked at her, eyes narrowing, and the word “well princess?” dangling from their venomous lips. Jade didn’t know what to do with herself at this point, until her eyes locked onto mine; I am guessing I was the only one without the look of death plastered on their face.

“Well,” I said nicely, “How old are you sugar.”

She giggled, she had a cute little smile…like a baby’s smile, “Owen calls me that. Umm, I’ll be sixteen in two months.”

A loud “what” echoed through the house, shaking it’s walls violently. Everyone but me, who just flashed the poor Jade a look of pity, stared at Owen, their anger rising.

“Owen, meeting now!” Gary hissed, leading the band of merry men (and women) to the kitchen for the meeting of doom. You don’t want to be the object of a meeting, trust me, it’s just your friends, and their girlfriends, jumping down your throat…telling you how stupid you are. Our strange group of friends think “tough love” is the only way to keep everyone from ending up in jail, or six feet under. Though I hate being in the middle of one, I know the good that comes out of it.

“God Dammit,” Owen cursed. He faced his girlfriend, concern plaguing his once happy eyes, “Baby, I’ll be right back, don’t leave…okay?”

“Owen, they hate me,” she grabbed his jacket, “I should just go, I told you. The same thing happened with my friends…”

“No, don’t go, just give me two seconds, they are just freaking out because of the age difference, they will get over it.”

He gave her a peck on the lips- and how I didn’t find that disgusting was beyond me- and ran into the kitchen, to face his fate. I stayed behind, giving him a thumbs up before he fully disappeared into the kitchen- I was just too lazy to move…and I didn’t agree with the other losers in there. They had no right to treat this perfectly innocent little girl like she was invisible to the world. Idiots.

“Hey,” her sweet voice caught my attention. I turned and looked at the shy girl, “My name is Jade…”

“Hi Jade,” I forced back the perverted thoughts I was having- she was wearing a school uniform…short blue skirt, un-tucked button down shirt, an open sweater that had, “Our Lady of Sorrows,” stitched on the right corner, and knee high socks, with the standard blue shoes- yeah, and we wondered why Owen was attracted to her…that nerd. “I’m Alex, I’m Owen’s best friend.”

“Yeah, he told me a lot about you…” I slowly walked closer to me, “you’re his age aren’t you?”

“Yeah, forth oldest of the group. Tony and Gary have us beat, and Holden is only eighteen.”

“Holden, he’s the blonde one? Playing video games with his girl right?”

“The one and only. So, you know Owen is twenty years old right?”

Jade merely shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t care. I didn’t know he was twenty when we first started talking. He didn’t even know I was sixteen-”

“Fifteen,” I corrected with a smile, getting her to shyly chuckle….really cute laugh too.

“I wasn’t in my uniform when we met at the comic book store…he thought I was eighteen or something. It wasn’t until later on did we confess our ages, and by that time…I already liked him. I don’t see why it matters how old I am…”

“Uhh, jail?”

“Okay, yeah there’s that. And I broke it off with him because of that but,” she looked away, “He told me he loved me, and I love him to.”

I knew Owen, and he didn’t throw those words around freely just to get a girl- she must really be something to capture his heart so fast. But, she was going to get herself hurt in the end, that much was certain. There was so many obstacles against this relationship, one being in the kitchen, not to mention the her parents, the disapproving eyes, the risk of jail…they could put Owen away for a long time…and…

Holy shit is she smiling at me?

“What are you smiling at little girl?”

She cocked her head, as if trying to study little ol me, never loosing the pleasant smile upon her face.

“You have a girlfriend?”

“No…why?”

“I know a girl who would be perfect for you, my cousin Elena. She’s really cute.”

I would love to believe her, but that devious smile on her face didn’t fool me for a second, “Oh? And how old is Elena?”

“Ha,” she laughed, “Never mind then…she’s a year younger than me.”

“Sorry, but I won’t go for jailbait deary, no offense.”

“Well, your lost, love.”

She was right, it was my lost. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have jumped on that offer, regardless of age. Elena…there aren’t words to describe how she changed my life. And everyone can sit here, call me a disgusting pervert, a pedophile, a rapist, whatever, I was none of that. She loved me, and I loved her, more than anyone could ever love a person.

But I wouldn’t meet her, not for another year…

And she was already untouchable.