CHATROOM
LOVE
Chapter Nine
Jack and Rose walked back to the living room, laughing
at some joke he told her. But their laughing was cut short when they entered
the dark living room.
"Where is everybody?" Rose asked, surprised,
noticing the movie was still playing. They couldn't have gone far.
Jack thought for a moment.
"Hey, cool! Check this out, you guys!" came
Tommy's voice from the backyard.
"Oh, shit!" Jack ran to the back door, Rose
trailing after him.
"Hey, Dawson!" Tommy grinned when they
opened the door. "Looks like you aren't as poor as we thought."
Rose looked at what Tommy was referring to. A
medium-size hot tub, right on the run-down deck.
"Let's try it!" Helga started to take off
the lid with Fabrizio.
"No. Come on, you guys. We don't have any bathing
suits," Jack pointed out. "We'd get our clothes all wet!"
"We could go in our underwear," Rose
suggested.
Jack looked in shock as Rose peeled off her clothes
and sat down in the tub, his cheeks turning red as he watched everyone join
her.
"Jack, if you are just going to stand there,
could you at least turn on some music, fetch some towels for later, and get us
something to drink?" Dawn smiled sweetly.
"Yeah, sure," he groaned, heading back into
the house.
*****
"He is sure modest, isn't he?" Dawn tilted
her head to check Jack out as he walked away.
"Maybe he's just shy," Fabri suggested.
"I mean, you did move kind of fast there, Rose."
"I did, didn't I?" She sighed.
"Hey!"
Tommy, noticing what Dawn was doing, cried out,
frowning.
"Aw, isn't that cute? Tommy's jealous!"
Fabrizio laughed.
Tommy splashed Fabri.
"Am not!"
Just then, Jack came out of the house, arms full of
towels, drinks, radio, and baby monitor so he could listen to the kids.
"Anything else while I'm up, Dawn?" He
sighed.
"Nah, Dawson. Get in here!"
*****
"And that was Britney Spears new song, Lucky,
here on Power 92 FM, Edmonton's station for best hits!" the radio blared
out. "Now you can win a chance for two to see Britney live when she plays
in Las Vegas! Just visit your local HMV and pick up an entry form and answer
the question, What is the name of Britney's new album? Deadline
September thirtieth."
"Wouldn't that be so cool if we won?" Helga
exclaimed, as the radio started playing Hero.
"It would," Fabrizio admitted.
Rose yawned.
"It's getting late." She turned to Dawn.
"Do you know the time?"
"Uh...10:12." Dawn looked at her watch.
"Oh, crap! Mom is going to kill me!" Rose
grabbed a towel and started drying off as fast as she could. "Well, don't
just sit there, Dawn! I need to get home."
"I can give you a ride if you need, Rose,"
Jack said, walking out the back door with more drinks.
"Oh..." Rose looked at Dawn, who had settled
back into the hot tub.
"Go ahead." Dawn nodded, glad to not have to
leave the party so soon. Rose's mother was much more protective then Dawn's
was, so she could stay for another hour before she had to rush home.
"Thanks, Jack." Rose looked at him
gratefully, throwing on her clothes.
"You're welcome." Jack disappeared into the
house, hurrying to put his clothes on over his swim trunks.
Rose, fully dressed now, went out front to wait for
him. A moment later, he came out, his clothes clinging damply to his frame.
Rose couldn't help but take a second look, though she did so subtly, not
wanting to seem too forward.
"Come on," Jack told her. "Let's get
you home before you get into trouble."
Rose nodded. "Could you drop me off down the
street a little ways, in case my mom is watching? I kind of told her I was
going to Dawn's house, and she'd be suspicious if she saw you drop me
off."
"Sure." Jack nodded, understanding Rose's
dilemma. When his parents had been alive, they would have been upset to see a
strange girl drop him off late at night. His cousins didn't really care, but he
could see how Rose's mother would.
*****
About fifteen minutes later, they arrived back in
Rose's neighbourhood. Jack stopped at the house before Rose's to let her out,
the view blocked by shrubbery so that her mother wouldn't see who had brought
her home. It was close enough that she wouldn't have to walk far, but far
enough away that he could leave without being seen.
Rose checked her watch, breathing a sigh of relief
when she saw that it was 10:30 on the dot. "Thanks, Jack. You're a life
saver. See you in school." Giving him a grateful smile, she got out of the
car and hurried up to her house.
Jack watched her hurry away, smiling to himself. He
hadn't been so sure that he wanted to live in Canada, not that he had much
choice, but it wasn't turning out so badly after all. Granted, his cousins
seemed to think of him as a free baby-sitter, but the kids weren't so bad, and
he was making friends already. And now, best of all in his opinion, there was
Rose.