Chapter 3 Broken hearts

Greg broke off as suddenly as he kissed her. He felt stupid for making out with his best friend's sister. He hadn't expected to feel this way with a minor. He got into the car, started the engine and waited for her to get in.

Vanessa stood astonished. Her skin was burning from his touch. All she could hear was her heartbeat. This was unbelievable. It was a dream come true. She had kissed the one and only Mr Gorgeous. She touched her lips which were swollen from that hot kiss. She was overjoyed. Vanessa turned to go get her bag but changed her mind and decided to get it tomorrow. She got into the car and Greg drove off. They didn't say anything to each other on the way home. In a few minutes, Greg pulled up at Vanessa's house.

"Good night," Greg said.

"Good night," Vanessa whispered her voice trembling and got out of the car.

Greg waited till she was in the house before driving off. Peter wasn't home yet so Vanessa screamed with joy immediately she got into the house. She ran to her room with Hunter after her and settled on her bed. The incident replayed in her mind. Greg had kissed her. Mr Gorgeous had kissed her. Does that mean he loved her? Of course, he did. People don't kiss except if they have feelings for each other. Greg had feelings for her. Damn, she was one lucky girl.

She sang in the shower and danced with an excited Hunter who could sense she was happy. She got into bed with Hunter who had been sleeping in her room ever since Leonard was admitted into the hospital. Vanessa fell asleep thinking about Greg. That night she dreamt about him. In her dream, Greg came to her and kissed her so passionately he set her body on fire.

At school on Monday Vanessa was "very" popular. Those who didn’t know her got to know about her because her schoolmates who were at the party had informed those who weren’t. There were different versions of what had happened. Some said Greg and Vanessa who were in a relationship had fought and Vanessa had gone off with Jake so she could make Greg jealous. Others said Vanessa wanted Jake to be her boyfriend but Greg wouldn't let her date him. And wherever Vanessa went kids stared at her making her squirm. Jacqueline looked around for Vanessa who had disappeared during recess. She found her hiding in the toilet.

"Oh my God!" Jacqueline whispered in a voice that was loud enough for others to hear.

She squeezed in with Vanessa in the toilet and shut the door. Other girls were talking about the incident in the restroom and Vanessa had been listening.

"What are you doing here?" She asked and before Vanessa could speak, added "Don't tell me you are hiding,"

"That was unbelievable!" She shrieked, her hands on her head holding her hair. "You grabbing Jake and taking him out. And then Greg beating him up,"

She busts out laughing.

"That's insane!" She whispered.

Vanessa listened to her as she rumbled on as usual. This wasn't funny at all. She heard a couple of kids call her "Greg's new pet" in the hallway.

"Vee....what's wrong?" Jacqueline asked.

Just then they heard someone say Vanessa was a whore. Jacqueline pushed the door and came out.

"Who said that?" Jacqueline asked with her hands on her hips. A couple of girls who had been talking kept quiet went about rinsing their hands and left. Jacqueline turned to Vanessa.

"Don't let anyone get to you," she said. "Besides they all wish they had Mr Gorgeous rooting for them,"

Vanessa smiled. Jacqueline was the one who had her back.

Vanessa didn't mention the incident to Leonard and didn't know if Greg told him because they never kept secrets from each other. She'd run into him several times when he came visiting at the hospital but he never said more than a hello to her. She then realized he was avoiding her. But that was the least of her problems. Things had been pretty tough lately at home. Her dad had problems at work and Leonard's medical bills had almost exhausted her parent's savings although Greg assisted financially. At this rate, she wondered if she would be able to go to college. She decided to get an after-school job.

"What kind of job do you have in mind?" Jacqueline asked.

"Well...there isn't any other job I can do until I'm older except..."

"Babysitting!" Jacqueline shrieked.

They were sitting on the old glider swing sipping soda and watching little kids play in the sandbox.

"I can't babysit,"

"I'm not asking you to,"

"Of course, I won't let you get a job without me," she said rolling her eyes."Besides I'm gonna need the experience sooner,"

Jacqueline had vowed never to give birth. She would rather adopt babies than go through the pains of childbirth. When Vanessa asked shouldn't her partner have a say in her decision, Jacqueline snorted that her partner would support her decision or she wouldn't get married.

They were hired by Vanessa's neighbour Kelly Thomas to babysit Jerry her three-year-old son.

One morning during their third week of work, Kelly’s younger brother Sam visited his sister. He was nineteen, had a long ponytail, muscles in his arm and brown eyes. He watched them as they took turns engaging his nephew with activities. He stared at Vanessa a lot making her blush.

"Let's play jigsaw puzzle," Jacqueline said to Jerry.

"Yay!" Jerry yelled and ran to his room to get it.

"I want to go pick up some stuff at the store," Sam suddenly spoke up.

"Umm," Jacqueline snorted without looking at him.

"You should come with me,"

Jacqueline glanced at him before replying. "Right now, that's not possible,"

Sam chuckled. "I wasn't talking to you,"

Vanessa blushed. Jacqueline gave him her evil eye.

"Well, as you can see she is working,"

"Let's her respond dude. You ain't her mouthpiece,"

Did he just call her dude? Jacqueline's face turned red.

"Sissy. Do you have a problem?"

Vanessa giggled. Sam stared at Jacqueline who looked like she was about to explode with her heavy dark eyeliner.

"What did you just call me?" He asked.

Jacqueline made an ugly face before responding. "Duh! Do you need hearing aids now.. cause I know I didn't speak Italian pus-sy," Jacqueline emphasized the word pussy.

Sam stared at her dumbfounded. This girl was crazy. He grabbed the keys to his truck and hurried out of the house slamming the door behind him.

Jacqueline and Vanessa busted into laughter but immediately composed their selves as Jerry came out of his room holding his jigsaw puzzle.

"Is Mama home,"

"No darling. It's your uncle Sam who left," Jacqueline spoke sweetly making Vanessa marvel at how good she was at acting.

As they walked home that day Vanessa brought up the topic.

"You're good at acting you know,"

"I'm not aware," Jacqueline said grinning. "I'm good at many things like chewing gum, face timing and quarrels,"

"And tongue-lashing," Vanessa added.

Jacqueline chuckled. "Well, some people need it. They don't understand the word 'politeness'. And I happen to be the one with their antidote.

Vanessa smiled. Jacqueline had a good sense of humour.

Two years later Vanessa got the news of Greg's great-grand aunty's death. She died at ninety-nine leaving behind her great-grandnephew Greg whom she adored and had raised as her own. Nana never married and never had children while she lived. She was a wealthy woman who had lived a quiet life. She had willed all her wealth to Greg who left Houston after her funeral and a few weeks of mourning. He frequently spoke to Leonard on the phone and sent money to settle hospital bills. Leonard had begun hallucinating despite being heavily medicated. Vanessa would sit holding his hand for hours. She missed those years when she would chase after him and Greg. Whenever they saw her coming they would groan pretending she was a real pain. She would tease them, and make them sit still while she took turns making their hair. She missed those days when she fell sick and couldn't disturb them, they would sit with her in her room, reading her books and telling her stories of Disney princesses.

She missed her mom who was always at the hospital tending to Leonard. She missed her dad who was always busy at work and had no time for her. She wished she could make Leonard well and her family go back to how they were. But wishes weren't horses.

On a cool evening, two years later, three days before Vanessa's graduation, Leonard died.