ꕤblue waterꕤ

Chapter 11 - Endless Summer Vacation

An endless summer vacation, that's something Jessica dreamed of often. Free from school, vacations to be had, swimming to be done, but of course it had to end eventually. She'd rather enjoy what summer she had right now, anyway, rather than dreading the inevitable winter. Jessica had woken up sometime in the morning, lazing around in bed for an hour or so before putting some clothes on and heading downstairs. “Morning, father, where's dad?” She curiously asked, setting her phone down on the table. Jessica opened the door to the fridge, pulling out the orange juice.

“Hm? Oh, he's out in the backyard!” He responded, taking a large gulp of his tea. “He wanted to see if it was worth tidying up the pool again this year,” Jessica poured herself a cup of OJ, taking a drink before placing it on the table. “Is it?” She asked, turning to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard when it slid open. “Nope, not at all! Not unless we hire a godforsaken cleaner,” Her other dad said, huffing. His attempts of tidying were not appearing very effective.

“I can hire one if we need, I can't remember if that one public pool is still open,” She offered, pulling her phone out from her pocket. “It wasn't open for last summer, so I'm not entirely sure,” Both her dad's adamantly shook their heads in disapproval, something Jessica found all too familiar. “No, no, we don't want you spending your money on some sleazy pool cleaner,” Her dad said, she had almost wondered if a pool cleaner screwed him over in some way in the past.

“We'd also rather you save up your money for yourself, we can handle stuff like that! College ain't cheap, kiddo,” Her father said. Jessica sighed at that, sitting down at the table. “It isn't THAT big of a deal, I have that job at the bakery for a reason! Aside from keeping me leveled, I'd hate to become one of those rich pretentious snobs,” Jessica said. She was used to her father's worrying about her in that way.

“I mean, that IS a bit of the problem, Jessica,” Her dad said, resting his hands on the table. “You shouldn't need two jobs, you are only 17, honey! We're not constantly at the risk of going homeless anymore, you can take a chill pill,” Her dad added. Jessica went silent for a few moments, awkwardly taking a drink of her orange juice. “… That's not why I have an extra job--” How very convincing of you, Jessica. Her father's gave her a knowing look, making her groan a little. “Fine, maybe it is,” She crossed her arms.

“I just don't wanna go back to living like we were before, I'd… rather have a backup plan, even if I am making a stupid amount already.” Jessica said, ever so slightly less than pleased to have admitted that. Her father's, somewhat, already knew. Or at least they had a hunch, but they also didn't want to force it out of her. “Like he said, your dad and I are pretty fine now, in terms of jobs and money,” Her father said, setting aside his mug. “We don't want you to feel like you have to be the breadwinner here, we want you to be able to be an average teenage girl… or at least average enough, I'm still not happy about that stalker thing.”

That was fair, Jessica wasn't too thrilled about that, either. “Yeah, yeah, I guess you're right.” She sighed, looking back at them. “I don't think I'll quit until next week, considering I'd be leaving my single co-worker to fend for himself if I did,” She laughed a little. “BUT I guess you were convincing enough to change my mind… Thanks, dads. Love you.” She said, smiling gratefully. “Anytime, sweetheart. We love you, too.”

Jessica finished off her orange juice, brutally, before setting the cup down in the sink. She pulled out her phone, looking something up before putting it away. “That one indoor swimming pool in the mall is still open, want to go? The beach was nice, but I think I'd rip my skin off if I got any more sand… anywhere, really.” Her father laughed at that, nodding. “Of course! We didn't have anything planned out today, anyway,” Her dad interjected. “Aside from tonight, but that's for us only,”