When The Time Comes To Light A Fire

1: Two Years Later

1: Two Years Later“What About Your Friends” - TLC

“So What” - P!nk

Vanessa breathed in the scent of what was left of the summer sun heating the asphalt outside of the gym. It was the last cheer practice before the start of school, and she was officially one week away from having her license. No more parent drop offs, she thought blissfully as she watched her mom's Durango pull back out onto the street. She trotted easily into the gym to warm up.

“Ohmygod, thank you for being here early,” Jessi practically yelled, placing a death grip on her forearm as soon as she made it over the threshold of the gym doors.

“I'm here, I'm here, what's the deal?” Her friend's green eyes were shining, and her dark red hair was pulled into a messy bun atop her head. She was practically vibrating with anticipation over something.

“I need a favor. Like a big favor. Flavoricious. Flavorful. Favor. Please say you'll do it.”

“English. And I'm gonna need more information. Like, any information really.”

“You know that guy Josh I've been wanting to go out with forever and ever and ever?”

“From Ohio State?” Vanessa raised her eyebrows suspiciously. When Jess said “forever and ever,” it could have meant since yesterday. She really didn't remember the first time her friend had mentioned him.

“Yes! Well, he's in town for the weekend and asked me to go out, but he can't like, pick me up at my house, you know my parents would flip their tea kettles. And my car is kind of out-of-commission at the moment. You see why this is an emergency right?”

“Not particularly, no. And last time I checked, tea kettles didn't flip. Just borrow your mom's car.”

Jessi rolled her eyes. “The whole reason my Jeep is in the shop is because I curbed it so hard I popped the tired and jacked up my alignment. My parents told me I would never sit behind the wheel of either of their cars again.”

“Still unsure how this equals a flavoricious favor from me,” Vanessa let out, becoming annoyed. Always with the drama.

“Say you'll come with me.”

“I could say it, but it wouldn't be true. I am sort of missing the key components to be able to do that. Namely, a license and a car. Plus, why would I come on your date?”

“Don't be dense, he's bringing a friend. Didn't I say that?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, well he is. And aren't your parents out like playing Jenga on Friday nights or something? I'll have my mom drop me at your house this afternoon, and we can take the other car; we'll be back before they're home. I'll even drive so you're not like breaking the law.” Jessi tapped her foot impatiently as if Vanessa were somehow annoying her, and she used the phrase “breaking the law,” as if she meant “breaking a nail.”

“It's Bunco. And you've lost your mind.”

“Did I mention his friend is cute? Like Leo in Romeo and Juliet cute. You haven't been out with anyone since Michael, come on. It'll be fun. We'll just go play pool for a while and then go home, no big deal. Your parents will never even know we were gone.” It was a low blow mentioning Leo. Not good enough, she argued in her head.

“You literally just told me your own parents won't let you take their cars because you're an awful driver, but you want me to give you the okay to drive the car of one of my unsuspecting parents?” Vanessa side-stepped the red-headed devil to get to the mat and begin stretching. The conversation was getting more ludicrous by the moment, and the mention of Michael annoyed her.

“I would do it for you, but whatever. Be afraid to have any fun.” Jessi stomped past her, pouting as she warmed up her scorpion. Vanessa sighed, wishing her friend hadn't helped her out of rather sticky situations that past year. She would probably still be grounded if it weren't for Jess's ability to spin a story at the drop of a hat. It wasn't a lie; she would do it for her.

“You swear to god we'll be home before eleven?” Jessi's expression turned from glowering to elated immediately, lighting up her full lips and wide emerald eyes.

“Cross my heart. Eeeeee!!!! I love you!” Vanessa almost lost her balance with the force of Jess's hug.

* * *

There was still sweat dripping down the curve of her spine from a particularly brutal conditioning session after practice. She had headed out the door of the locker room and was rummaging in her bag for her phone when she ran face first into a wall. A human wall.

“Jesus, look where you're going,” she relayed, annoyed. She tried to fight the redness she knew was spreading over her cheeks when she realized it was a very cute, broad shouldered, grinning human wall.

“I am so very sorry for letting you run me over. How rude of me,” he retorted with amusement. From the looks of him, he was headed to the weight room. She realized, horrified, that her hand was still resting on his arm where she'd placed it trying to catch her balance. Her horror deepened when she recognized who said arm belonged to, which was the new starting wide-receiver of their football team.

“I, um, well. It's possible I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry for almost tackling you,” she managed evenly, regaining some of her composure and trying to salvage the situation. She took in his dark wavy hair and bright blue eyes. He was still smiling at her, and it didn't help her focus.

“I think I might be all right being tackled by you.” His grin widened, and she realized he was flirting with her. It also struck her that she was in gym clothes, and there was literally no part of her that wasn't sweaty. She bit her lip in uncertainty of how to react. “Just to make sure the rest of the students are safe, I think I'll walk you to the parking lot. I wouldn't want you to run over anyone else.” He changed his initial trajectory and fell in step with her in the direction of the junior lot.

“How safety-conscious of you.”

“Just looking out for my fellow man,” he smirked, glancing sideways at her. She tried to flip her long blond ponytail over her shoulder and failed miserably. It just sort of flopped there, a sticky sweaty mess. Seriously. Could this not have happened any other day? “So, should I just call you blondie? Or do you have an actual name?”

“Vanessa. Roberts,” she replied tentatively.

“Good to know, Vanessa Roberts. I'm Zack. Roads,” he stated, mimicking her structure. “And tell me, why haven't I seen you around?”

“I don't know. Have you been looking?” she asked flirtatiously, not particularly wanting to say it was because she was a freshman last year. He was only a year older, but he seemed moreso. Everyone knew who he was… high school football was sort of a religion in Gem City.

“Well, I'm looking now,” he replied without missing a beat. “Will you be at Vader's bonfire next weekend?”

“Is that an invitation?” It was taking everything she had not to clap her hands and jump up and down. Vader's parties were legendary, but she had never been invited.

“It is. I'll see you there, then.”

“Sounds good. Thanks for keeping the sidewalks safe,” she mentioned as they walked through the gate to the parking lot.

“All in a day's work. I'll see you next weekend, Vanessa Roberts,” he flashed those white teeth again and headed back towards the gym. Oh.my.god. She could not wait to see her friends' faces when she told them where they were going next Saturday.

* * *

“Are we seriously doing this?” Vanessa asked incredulously while Jessi took her hair down for the tenth time. “And just make up your mind about your hair, will you? You're stressing me out.” Vanessa's own long blond hair was done in a loose fishtail braid, and she elected for a simple white t-shirt and jeans, having no expectations of anything glamorous happening that evening.

“Of course we're 'seriously doing this,' it's just playing pool, not a bank heist, V.”

“Yeah, yeah. I'll feel better once my mom's SUV is back in the garage.”

“Chill, we'll be back in a couple of hours.” She sighed, fluffed her shiny red hair one last time, and rubbed her glossed lips together. “Let's go.” Vanessa took a breath and committed to the transgression. You're all in now. Despite her friend's driving record, she figured letting the licensed driver operate the car was better than them getting pulled over with her behind the wheel.

“I swear to god if anything happens to this car-”

“Stop, we're driving like two inches.” Vanessa shook her head.

“Who is this friend I'm supposed to be entertaining anyway? Is he actually cute or was that just a carrot you wanted me to chase?”

“Ummmm.”

“Um? Jesus, Jess.”

“No, I mean, I assume he's cute because Josh is cute, I just haven't actually met him,” she replied, clicking the garage door to close.

“Awesome.”

“It'll be fun! Come on, stop acting like Kim. If I wanted someone to be a downer, I would have asked her to come.” Vanessa pursed her lips at that.

“Whatever. Kim's not bad.”

“No, no, I love her. You know what I mean, she's just all mom-ish.”

“Ok. I'll attempt to be more cheerful.” Jessi simply smiled victoriously.

They arrived at The Eight Ball without incident, and Vanessa plastered on her most charming smile as they strolled in to the pool hall, the smell of old smoke flooding her nose. Dodging a precariously placed cue on the way to a table towards the back, she watched as Jessi ran up behind a broad shouldered male and threw her arms around his neck playfully.

“Hey there,” he smiled, turning around.

“Hey yourself,” Jess replied, her eyes shining. Vanessa stood, feeling bored already, waiting to be introduced. Not at all surprisingly, she was now invisible.

“Hi. I assume you're Josh?” she interrupted the couple's hello. He was moderately attractive, but had a weak jawline. There was nothing she could see to warrant the lengths they'd gone to in order to get there.

“Oh, yes, silly me. Vanessa, Josh, Josh, this is Vanessa, or V. Whatever,” Jess giggled, flipping her hair.

“Hey, good to meet you,” Josh responded, holding out his hand. She shook it, but wasn't totally fond of the way his eyes rolled over her skin. “My buddy Matt's around here somewhere, I'm sure he'll be back in a sec. You guys wanna play?”

“Sure. I'm crap at pool though. You'll help me?” Jessi asked him. Could she be more obvious? Vanessa thought, knowing it was going to be a long couple of hours if she was already this annoyed.

“Of course babe.” Vanessa didn't really play the helpless female role very often. Being that she had a pool table in her basement, she was actually pretty decent at the game and offered to break, sinking two balls.

“Nice shot,” she heard from her right. She leaned back up, away from the green felt surface of the table, and locked eyes with a completely average looking guy. She mentally calculated his stats. Five-ten, probably one-eighty, meh hair, meh face, meh.

“Thanks,” she offered lazily. “Matt?” she asked, hoping he would say no.

“The one and only.” Charming.

“Vanessa, nice to meet you,” she said, realizing that Jess and Josh were not even pretending to play the game. “Do you feel like playing?” One hour and forty-five minutes to go.

“Yeah, cool,” he agreed, taking the stick from Josh's hand easily, as he was otherwise engaged. They played a boring round of pool, she won, and he pretended to have let her do so.

“Sure dude, whatever you say,” she retorted, watching the clock on the other side of the hall. She jumped when her gaze came back down and he was next to her. Too next to her. She took a step back but he caught her fingers and interlaced them with his. Ummmm, no.

“Since I let you win, I think you owe me,” he smiled, leaning in to her. He smelled like stale peanuts and faint body odor, and she resisted the urge to dry heave.

“Yeah, I don't really think-” she began, but was interrupted by his hands on her back and his mouth brushing her neck. This time she stepped back much more forcefully, her hands on his chest. “Ok, Mitt, I get that you don't know me, but I don't like hook up in dives like this. Or with complete strangers. Sorry.” So not sorry.

“Don't be such a tease,” he responded, completely ignoring her intentional name failure, pulling her wrist back closer to him. Her heart rate picked up, and she was done. Wrenching her wrist from his hand, she walked away and ignored his almost-grab of her elbow.

“Hi, we're leaving,” she stated very loudly when she found Jessi making out in some shadowy corner. God this was such a stupid idea. Gross.

“Ummm, why would we be leaving?” her friend questioned with a tight smile.

“Ummm, because this guy's awesome friend just assaulted me. So we're out.”

“Oh my god, could you be more dramatic?” Jess's eyes were shooting killer glances at her, and she could not have cared less. She pulled her friend out of Josh's earshot.

“We are leaving, Jess. I am not about to let this random nobody put his hands all over me so you can make out against some wood paneling from the 70s.”

“Really… you're insulting the décor of the pool hall? Whatever. I'm having fun. Leave if you want.” Fireworks of feminist rage were now shooting out of Vanessa's ears.

“You know I can't leave without you,” she hissed.

“Sure you can. Here are the keys,” she quipped, plopping them into her hand. “I'll have Josh drop me around the corner from my house or something and walk home.”

“You have got to be kidding me. You are unbelievable.”

“Just stick it out another half hour, I swear we can leave then,” Jess negotiated.

“Not a mermaid's chance in hell. See ya later, friend.” Vanessa turned on her black leather heel and clicked her way out of the building, a storm brewing in the back of her brain. The cooler night was a welcomed sensation. She got in the car and carefully considered the option of just waiting there until her maybe ex-friend came out and making her drive home then. This is what you get for letting her talk you into s**t, she berated herself. Her mind also raised the worry that she could be in there a while, now that she assumed Vanessa had left. Screw it. She put the keys in the ignition and adjusted the mirrors, determined to make it home without getting arrested. Hands were white-knuckled at ten and two the whole way.

Her fingers visibly relaxed when her house came into view. And then the urge to vomit came- because her mother was sitting in the rocking chair on their front porch, and her expression was not jovial. A stream of expletives rolled through Vanessa's head while she tried to come up with a plausible reason that she took the car. Someone needed help… I had to get a first aid kit… Jessi was sick and I had to take her home… dammit! She pulled the car carefully into the garage and got out, determined to make her mother actually listen this time. This is just so typical that I get caught when I actually did the right thing. With fear in her eyes, she tip-toed up the stepping-stones to the front porch as if it would help.

“I cannot imagine a story good enough to get you out of this,” her mom iterated, a humorless smile on her face. Her mom really was quite pretty. She had honey blond hair and warm brown eyes that just never seemed soft when looking at her daughter. Vanessa immediately launched into the half-baked story of Jessi not feeling well and needing to take her home, and her mother stopped her about thirty seconds in.

“Try the next story.”

Vanessa knew she could just tell her the truth, but also knew she'd probably never be allowed to hang out with Jess again. Despite her rage, she shouldn't have expected more, and didn't feel like losing her friend over it.

“I went to go play pool.”

“And in your mind, you thought breaking the law was the best way to get there?”

“No, I-”

“It really doesn't matter, Vanessa. I thought you were taking things more seriously. I thought this year would be different… you seemed to care. But now I can see that I was wrong. You're just as self-centered and impulsive as you've always been. There will be no car for your birthday. There will be no birthday, period. Or parties, or sleepovers, or television, or phone. You are grounded until I feel like ungrounding you.” Her mom rarely yelled when she was this mad. It was more of a crazy-calm. Like her head might spin around at any given moment from holding it all in. Vanessa felt tears begin to overflow.

“Mom, please just listen to me. I'll tell you everything that happened, I'm sorry I made up a story, this really isn't my fault.”

“Of course not. Nothing's ever your fault. Do me a favor and save it. Put your phone on the counter and go to your room.” Choking back an angry sob, she felt her teeth grind together and marched her way into the house, practically chucking her phone into the kitchen. That's what I get for doing the smart thing and leaving, she thought, furious at the fact that her sophomore year was shaping up to be a big fat disappointment. The tears came in a torrent once her door was slammed shut, the injustice of the whole night washing over her. Whatever, she's just been waiting for a chance to bust me anyway. Nothing I could have done would have made any difference, she argued with herself, her mom's words ringing in her ears. Makeup and pajamas forgotten, she stared at the wall with hostility until sleep finally came.