Emergency Medical Dad

III: 5:00 AM, present

hey lol

JORGEN

I thought I scared Jessie to death. I really did. She's a pale person but I could almost see to bone. Her blood pressure must've been running high before I even arrived for her to have such an adverse reaction to my appearance. Shock. I almost put her into shock.

She's unnerving to see here. Unnerving to watch her standing next to Kazian. Unnerving to see her in such a tattered old hoodie.

I never knew Jessica Kingston as anything other than perfect. She was the golden girl of St. B's. Her smile was always the warmest, hugs always the tightest, grades always amazing. She was the one that always had something nice to say, the one that wasn't afraid to tell someone off for being mean. She was the one that all of the boys wanted to end up with in the end. She was, without fail, perfect. Her shoes were always clean, skirt always just above the knees, tie always straight on her blouse, hair always pulled back perfectly with just two strands of hair out to frame her face .

She was my dead opposite. And it was where she belonged.

Now, she's at the Barn, for some reason. Now, her hair is a little too frizzy, her eyes a little too framed in exhaustion, hoodie too tattered, shorts faded and fraying at the edges.

The second she's out of earshot, my fingers wrap up in the front of Kazian's shirt, pulling him close to me.

"What's going on?"

"With what?"

"Don't play stupid on me, Kazian."

He sighs, "she needed a place to stay."

"Well, obviously, that's what we all needed," I study his face, "but why does Jessie fucking Kingston need a place to stay."

"Jorgen," Kazian mumbles, "there's things you need to know but I'm not the one that should tell you."

"Bullshit," I say. "How did you even meet her?"

"She works at the dentist's office I go to," he responds, trying to pry my hand off him. "That's how I came to know she needed somewhere to go."

"But why?"

"She's the one that needs to explain that to you."

"You think it's going to make me mad, don't you."

"Well, a little," he succeeds at getting my hand off. "Plus, no offense, you're fucking scary."

"Why would I be mad about one of my high school classmates living with us? I just want to know why she is. It's not like her family ever needed money."

He winces, "her family doesn't, she does."

"Why?"

"Jorgen, I can't be the one to explain this, it's gotta be her, I can't fuck with her trust like that."

I frown, leaning back on the counter, keeping my eyes on him, trying to read him. He stands idly, looking right back, arms crossed. Kazian's tattoos are different in style than mine, his are more artistic, stuff he's done himself. His hair is floppy from sleep but shaved on either side leaving a strip down the center he either puts in a ponytail or a mohawk depending on how he feels. His usual leather jacket has been dropped for sleeping attire but his collection of piercings, ears, lip, nose, eyebrow, and bridge, have all stayed in overnight, leaving a slightly spooky, almost diet-scene look behind.

"How long are you back for this summer?" He asks, breaking the silence.

"Ten days," I mutter. "Another week at the end. I'm working with Regina EMS and Fire this summer like normal."