Precious Things || Jensoo

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

My grandfather says nothing to me. I mustn't have overstepped those invisible boundaries that exist everywhere in our lives. He doesn't punish me or even mention Jennie in the slightest. I know he didn't like her. I could sense it. I have very attuned senses where my grandfather is concerned.

On the other hand, maybe he accepts that we were put together by fate.

I like that idea.

Fate.

Fate brought Jennie and I together. That's what I think while I lie here looking at the darkness on my ceiling. When I was a child, I wanted a four poster bed with a canopy more than anything. My father always promised me that one day he'd get me one, and I'd be his little princess.

I've had the same bed since I was five years old. It's old, wooden, and of course very plain. There will never be a four poster bed with a canopy in my life. There will be many things that will never be a part of my life.

And now Jennie isn't one of them.

No matter what happens from now on, she's been in my life. She's been in my house and we've spoken. We're not friends – I have no illusions – but, for a few hours of my meagre existence, Jennie and I have been in sync.

That makes me happy.

Happy enough that I can't sleep and I'm stuck staring at my ceiling. I have to try quite hard not to daydream. In my head I can make Jennie and I do all sorts of things. We can be FBI agents on the heels of a desperate criminal, finding love in seedy motel rooms. We can be cowgirls, watching the sun go down as we find our true love on the ranges.

It's always tempting, but it would be a bad idea to give in. Mostly, it would be a bad idea because, when I see Jennie at school tomorrow and she completely ignores my existence, I'll be disappointed. Oh, I'll try not to be, but deep down inside there will be this little frisson of sad let-down.

When I finally fall asleep, I don't know, but I do know that it must be quite late because I'm exhausted the next day. I can't let it show as I'm getting ready for school, or grandfather will question me on it. Instead I just hold it in and let it out when I get to school.

I drag myself through the first half of my day, practically falling asleep at my desk. Normally I'm pretty good at coping on a few hours sleep, so I assume I got very little. There's no clock in my room and my grandfather doesn't permit me to wear a wristwatch so I have no idea how long I lay awake.

Lunchtime finds me in the back corner of the library again, this time with my head down on the table on top of my arms. It's so quiet back here that in a few minutes I'm going to nod off, I just know it. I do hope the bell wakes me up.

Before it can come to that, I hear a discreet but obvious cough. It's one of those coughs that people make to get your attention, as opposed to someone who needs to actually clear their throat.

I look up.

It's Jennie, looking more unsure than I've ever seen her in my life.

I blink. I have no idea what she's doing here.

"You look like you had a rough night," she says with a half-amused smile.

I smile back. "I couldn't sleep."

"Looks like you're doing an okay job of it now." She takes her bag off and pulls the chair out from the other end of the table. "I was going to see if you wanted to, um, work or something, but if you're sleepy."

"No, no!" I perk up immediately. "I'm good."

I can't believe she sought me out for this.

This assignment isn't due for weeks and already we've spent a chunk of time on this. We're doing a great job. We're going way overboard.