Before // After
Oct 22, 2016 6:22:35 GMT -5
Post by The Mason on Oct 22, 2016 6:22:35 GMT -5
BEFORE
“Well, shindig-planning went better than I thought it would.”
Jeremy Knite said it aloud as he took a clean, hot cloth to the tabletop in his sister’s new house-- a half of a duplex that connected to that of Elena Dragomirov, or "Ellie Los Angeles" as she was better known. The move had come at Evan Harrison’s suggestion after the previous tenant left. (From Jeremy’s understanding, the ninety-nine year-old Mr. Taliaferro had died of old age somewhere in the house, but why tell Jenny? She was already here.) His voice carried out to the rear porch where Jenny stood, arms crossed, watching the embers from the grill fade away out of her peripherals, eyes drifting toward the cityscape straight ahead as it stretched out beyond the hill.
“Uh. Jen.”
Jenny turned quickly, looking at her twin brother. She wore a look of confusion at first but she quickly corrected herself.
“Sorry-- what?”
Jeremy shrugged a little. “Nothing. But uh… I thought you were gonna invite Ev here?”
Jenny slid the glass door shut behind her and shook her head as she responded. “Tomorrow would be better for something like that. No need to start anything in a brand new house, right?”
“Why are you acting so nervous?” Jeremy asked with a laugh.
“I’m not,” Jenny said, quietly.
“You’re thinking about some scary shit though, right? I see it.”
“No…”
From above, both Jeremy and Jenny’s ears perked up at the sound of Noelle’s footsteps, re-entering the house from the front after seeing the last guest off. Jenny folded her arms again, not looking up at her brother, ignoring his gaze on her as Noelle’s footsteps traveled to the staircase, her steps light and quick. She heaved a sigh but smiled as soon as her big warm eyes saw Jenny again.
“Well that’s taken care of.” A tiny squint at the twins. “What happened, hear a… something?” Definitely didn’t want to say ‘mouse’ or ‘ghost’.
Jenny smiled again and shook her head, walking over to her best friend, casting her arm up around her neck to pull her into a hug. “Thanks for helping make it the best day ever.” She gave Noelle an emphatic kiss on her cheek. “I love y--”
“Doesn’t she seem tense?” Jeremy asked, calmly meandering over toward the abandoned hors d'oeuvres table-- and promptly ignoring the glare Jenny Knite rolled his way.
“I love you too.” Noelle knew, but she wanted to say it even as her gaze moved towards Jeremy, who was acting suspect at best. “Hmm. I don’t know about tense.”
She hugged Jenny before moving more to her side, her own arm going around Jenny’s waist. “You got something you want to say, Jeremy?” Her words might seem confrontational, but her tone was soft.
Jeremy popped a potato puff into his mouth. Now slightly bigger than the frail Jeremy Wade Knite they’d known before, he hovered kind of awkwardly over Noelle as she drew nearer. Forcing his own food into his mouth as he moved toward the center of the room, his side to both women, he shrugged.
“I have to head out for a bit. Promised Megan I’d help her with some computer stuff soooo… Jen, Noelle, I’ll catch you guys later. You should have girl time or whatever females do when male presence is excluded.” He said all of this while swiftly making his way up the stairs-- and before either Noelle or Jenny could utter a word, he was upstairs and even quicker, out the front door.
Noelle shook her head, dropping her arm from around Jenny and allowing a wry look to come over her face. “I’m not surprised, girl. He probably thinks it’s unloyal.” Which was really over-simplifying things, but it was a lot better than yanking the lid off the tangled up can of worms which included Megan and Jeremy and of course her ex.
“I wanna tell you though, I didn’t for a second hesitate once I remembered your birthday was coming up. Okay? I wanted to see you, make sure you got settled proper, and hope things really work out for you with this. Which sounds like a whole bunch of easy to say things, like telling a cashier to have a nice day even though you don’t have to do anything after to make that happen… though sometimes just saying that does.” She paused. “I’m dancing around things, and here we should sit. Put your feet up! It’s your birthday sweetness.”
Jenny walked alongside Noelle toward the “family room” in the basement. Her look seemed distant for a moment until, gaze still downcast, she began to speak.
“You could be the World Champion, Noelle…”
Noelle watched her, a hint of curiosity in her eyes as she let her lead the way. She didn’t so much hesitate to answer as she did reflect on it a moment before she spoke. “You mean that thing, since Zero walked out? Or do you mean, that you can see me there?” A slight pause, her voice getting softer. “Sean said that to me once…” then she laughed. “He also said he’d buy me a house if I beat Tony and took his title and you saw where that got me.”
Jenny’s lips were pursed as if she were prepared to laugh, but it didn’t come out. Some of the words didn’t seem to register. She sat down on the leather couch, looking up at Noelle in silence for a few moments before she spoke.
“I mean that thing. And, like, yeah I mean I could see you there. You can do it. You always could.” Jenny’s gaze seemed to become a bit more focused as she looked at her friend. “Now it’s direct though. It could happen so fast.” Her gaze fell toward the ground again but the smile didn’t fade. “We talked about this kind of thing for so long. And it’s a tournament so I know it’s easy to take for granted-- but you could be the World Champion.” She said it as if she was still pleasantly shocked at the very prospect.
Noelle took a deep breath, a wondering tone to her voice. “I used to get in my own way, more than I guessed. Fundamentally… ha, there’s a coach word, remember when Scott Reynolds used to give those over the top lectures about it? Know how to fall on your ass and do it right or I’ll drop you on it!” Her voice lowered. “Sometimes I miss that, he was rough on us but he knew how to get through the mess and right to the point.”
Noelle looked at her feet, brows drawn down as she thought. “The guy I’ve been working with? The one that Kucci told me to go check out? I wish you still lived in New York, Jenny. He’s helped me a ton whether he thinks so or not. It’s progress… and this just comes out like I’m avoiding what you said. I’m not. I see it, I could be. It could happen. If I’m objective I know I can hang in there with guys like Johnny Cannon, because even though he beat me, you saw how close. But I have to do better than that, just hanging in there, even if they ones I do that with are the best, have already had what…” she shook her head. “I’ve got to clear the path, and stop getting in my own way.”
Jenny looked into Noelle’s eyes for a long time. She did it thoughtfully, like she was trying to piece together the next sentence with surgeon-like caution.
“You came back from this…” She raised a hand to her head while she quickly clamored for the more appropriate word, but settled on tapping her index finger against her own temple. “You came back from this and you never look scared.” She laughed a little. “You’re basically about to be the World Champion, no big deal, and you always look so composed.” And just as quickly, Jenny’s smile started to fade. “And meanwhile, I can’t help but think I might be having second th--”
She was interrupted as somebody knocked, hurriedly, against the glass at the back patio door. Hurriedly-- and confusedly-- their eyes shot toward the glass. The sun had already set completely at this point. Against the city lights in the background, Jenny could only make out the silhouette of the figure that stood in the darkness. She sighed and pushed herself to her feet.
“Over-under on this being a murderer in clown makeup?” Jenny muttered.
Noelle's eyes widened at the thought. “Should I get a knife out of the kitchen?”
Her laugh lacked substance, even as she turned Jenny's words over in her head, examining them even as she took a few steps closer. “I know I didn't order pizza.”
Jenny took a breath and took the long strides across the family room, out through the basement and to the glass door. Boldly, she gripped the handle it slid it open, taking a step back in surprise as she looked at the petite brunette that stood on the patio. Sadie Jacks, better known to the world as Sadie San Francisco, looked back at her. She held a small, neatly-wrapped box in her hands and gave Jenny her sweetest smile.
“Happy birthday,” Sadie said softly. She pushed the box into Jenny’s open hands (whether Jenny wanted to accept it or not) and stepped forward into the doorframe, poking the box once with her pinky. “From Evan.” She nodded a bit and then quickly added, “not that the rest of us weren’t thinking of you. Of course.”
“Oh.” Jenny seemed a little taken aback but gave Sadie a bashful smile. She lowered her voice, as if not wanting to broadcast it in front of Noelle. “Thanks, Sadie. Is Evan…?”
“Upstairs at Ellie’s?” Sadie finished. “No. He’s with She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You totally got screwed in this duplex deal though. How does Ellie get the double-bath and the balcony?”
“Just happy I could get a place out here, you know?” Jenny said quickly, quietly, still wearing her smile.
Sadie’s eyes drifted past Jenny and toward Noelle in the background. She angled her head a little and made this… face. It could’ve been a smirk or even a scowl, depending on who you asked, but Jenny would just refer to it as ambiguous.
“I don’t think we’ve actually met,” Sadie said, quietly.
One of Noelle’s natural but perfectly groomed brows rose a bit, though she didn’t change her stance or let her tone sound hostile. “No, we haven’t. It was nice of you to bring Jenny the gift.”
Being quite honest, Noelle couldn’t recall exactly if Sadie had ever even bothered to cast shade in her direction, despite the dark and volume of it that came at her from Evan’s little entourage. Part of her, the part that actually still wanted to reach out and help people almost made her say something to Sadie but she’d caught that little smugish look and kept her mouth shut, hands landing at her hips instead of allowing her arms to cross belligerently over her generous chest.
"Oh, think nothing of it!" Sadie crossed the threshold into the house, pulling Jenny into a one-armed hug which Jenny returned in an unintentionally awkward fashion. Sadie swiftly stepped past her toward Noelle, smirk still glued, arm extended. "Noelle, yeah?"
For an instant it looked like Noelle was going to shake her hand, a smile plastered on her lips when suddenly her eyes went all wide.
“Oh, uhm… Sadie? Hold still, don’t move.” With a graceful lift of her hand she took the tip of her forefinger and smoothed over Sadie’s right eyebrow and then stepped back, the hand going up to her chest. “Whew, there you are. All fixed.”
Jenny’s eyes widened at the gesture. And promptly, she closed her eyes, fading to the background as it went down. For another couple of seconds, Sadie stood there with her hand still outstretched before she finally retracted it, her smirk being traded in for an apparently humble smile.
“I can appreciate your sense of humor, Noelle.” She looked down for a moment before raising her eyes toward Noelle again. “Very endearing.”
Sadie turned toward Jenny as she made her way back toward the still-open glass door. Jenny cautiously opened her eyes.
“Thanks so much for stopping by,” Jenny said, nervously.
“Don’t mention it. Enjoy the rest of your night, gorgeous.” Sadie made her way toward the patio-- but stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. “Oh. Noelle?”
“Sense of humor? Sure thing doll.” A distinct pause, a glance going to Jenny that made Noelle’s expression significantly soften. “Look Sadie, you have a good night. If you’ve got some more sass for me? Save it, it’s Jenny’s birthday.”
Sadie blinked hard and raised her eyebrows. She nodded a bit.
“Wow. Alright.” She placed a hand against the handle and looked over at Jenny. “Didn’t uh… didn’t know it was like that. I know when I’m not wanted.” She gave Jenny a wink. “Sorry for intruding.” Sadie laughed a bit under her breath to herself, stepping out to the patio. Jenny quickly moved to shut the door but Sadie raised a finger, pivoting, leaning into the house one final time. She looked toward the carpet, but it was clear who she was speaking to: “See you around.”
“See you, when I see you.” Quiet, but very firm. She’d wait until Sadie actually left, keeping herself still despite the way her toe wanted to tap impatiently on the carpet and she knew damn well if she was sitting down her foot would have been bouncing with nervous energy. It had always been like this for her, any time part of Evan’s Entourage came up around her, even before Ruby’s little game of pick up sticks with her life. They acted like they knew her, saw right through her, or rather wished she wasn’t there in the way. Jeremy had done it, Megan had absolutely done it - and more than that, and now that Neon was back and making her intentions to harm Noelle clear? It was a really good thing for everyone she wasn’t Ruby.
Sadie gave Jenny a polite smile and stepped out onto the patio, turning and making her way back around the house toward Ellie’s, the way she came. Jenny finally pushed the door shut and sighed a bit. For several seconds she was silent… before she gave Noelle a blank look over her shoulder.
“You do realize that she’s gonna be looking in the mirror for weeks, wondering what’s wrong with her eyebrows, right? Her mind-- she’s gonna like, shave them off and get them tattooed on, and it’s one hundred and fifty percent because of you. Hope you’re really happy.”
And unable to contain it, Jenny’s lips parted and she laughed out loud at the thought. Noelle tried not to laugh, she really did, but there was a soft echo of it that blended with Jenny’s like music. “Maybe that was a little childish of me, but I’m so tired of people throwing so much shade at me that I can’t see the Sunshine anymore. I’ve finally learned that there are some people, that no matter how I try to be nice? Can’t believe it’s real. They keep looking for the payoff, they keep looking for an ulterior motive because by God and Baby Jesus they are so jaded that’s all they offer the world.” Noelle paused, and heaved a little sigh. “I can’t be like that, but I’ve sure learned how not to let them get hooks in me. But back to the important thing, baby girl. Are you… worried? About going back into the ring, for a real match?”
“Dunno,” Jenny said quietly, once the laughter had finally faded. Her shoulders slumped but she looked her friend in the eye. “Sometimes I’m really excited. Sometimes I think it was a mistake. I think about all that time the doctors told me ‘never again’ and like, there had to be a reason.” She brought a hand up to the back of her neck. “I just wonder what could’ve changed, I guess.” She rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms, trying to hide the stress on her face. “Who the hell knows what their own limits are?”
“Hey.” She stepped up and gently touched Jenny’s shoulder while she had her hands up to her eyes. “You did the work, Jenny. You could have just stayed out, never thought about it again, and I’d bet you at least one person told you somewhere you should. But the thing is, you’re the only one that knows deep down why you do this. You obviously had some goal, when you became a wrestler. Doesn’t matter now what it is, but I remember you in the ring. It was always a real joy to watch you, and…” she trailed off, Jenny knew how Noelle had reacted when she’d gotten so hurt and Noelle damn sure wasn’t dredging that back up. “What’s messing you up right now, is the fear it could happen again. You’re trying to put the fear of getting hurt up against the fear of never doing this again like they’re gonna fight like two young bucks after your seven digits, but baby girl that’s not how this works.”
She paused, and took a real deep breath, letting it out slow. “I love you, Jenny but you can’t go into this if you lack conviction. We all know the risks, even those that pretend ain’t nothin’ going to happen to them. But I know you, you’ve got the biggest heart. Heart counts.”
Jenny looked at her reflection in the empty glass of the sliding door and then gave Noelle’s hand a squeeze as she started to turn away.
“Yeah, I…” She couldn’t find the words. She knew what she felt but she couldn’t project it. Yet. “Thanks, Noe.”
“Hey. You’d do the same… you have done the same, for me. Come on, there’s movies to watch and presents left to unwrap.” Noelle tugged Jenny by the hand back towards the living room, hiding any shadows of worry from her face…
AFTER
Jenny was shaking slightly. Trying not to-- but shaking. She held a bag of ice to the back of her neck but she smiled faintly, realizing she was still able to roll it… able to move her head from side to side…
DING… DONG!
Jenny slowly raised her head, looking out into the hallway from her bedroom, sitting at the edge of her mattress, aware that she couldn’t see person at the front door-- and vise versa-- from her location. She quickly checked off the possibilities in her mind. Evan or Ellie would’ve called ahead. Jeremy and Noelle each had a key. Which only left…
Sigh.
“Heyyyyyy, Sadie.”
Sadie Jacks waved at Jenny from the front porch. Jenny did her absolute best to force a smile but she couldn’t be sure that it translated well. Sadie grinned back at her though and moved forward, giving Jenny a cautious, gentle hug before quickly stepping away, raising a single hand as if to show good intentions.
“Just wanted to say we were watching you last night and we were really, really, really proud. I know I could’ve texted it to you or something but… I was already up at Ellie’s. I just wanted to see you for myself. Make sure you were alright.” Smile.
Jenny paused for a moment, blinking. “Yeah, Sadie. I um… I really appreciate that. Didn’t work out, but--”
“But next time, right?”
Jenny nodded. “Right.”
“Good attitude to have, Jenny,” Sadie said, softly. “Glad to see you’re okay.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey…”
“Yeah?”
Sadie took a small step forward, smile not fading, but she brought herself closer to Jenny-- a distance which Jenny, herself, didn’t find comfortable.
“Is Noelle in there?” Sadie asked in a tone that lacked emotion, in a volume that surely only Jenny could hear.
Jenny shook her head slightly. “No.”
And just like that, Sadie took a step back. “Alright then. Goodnight. Let me know if you need anything, alright?”
“Thanks, Sadie.”
“Don’t mention it.”
And she rounded the corner, making her way up the hill back toward Ellie’s section of the duplex. Jenny watched quietly as Sadie’s shadow finally vanished and her footsteps faded. With another sigh, she closed the latched the door shut behind her.
THANKS AND CREDIT TO MINA FOR WRIITNG NOELLE'S PARTS!
“Well, shindig-planning went better than I thought it would.”
Jeremy Knite said it aloud as he took a clean, hot cloth to the tabletop in his sister’s new house-- a half of a duplex that connected to that of Elena Dragomirov, or "Ellie Los Angeles" as she was better known. The move had come at Evan Harrison’s suggestion after the previous tenant left. (From Jeremy’s understanding, the ninety-nine year-old Mr. Taliaferro had died of old age somewhere in the house, but why tell Jenny? She was already here.) His voice carried out to the rear porch where Jenny stood, arms crossed, watching the embers from the grill fade away out of her peripherals, eyes drifting toward the cityscape straight ahead as it stretched out beyond the hill.
“Uh. Jen.”
Jenny turned quickly, looking at her twin brother. She wore a look of confusion at first but she quickly corrected herself.
“Sorry-- what?”
Jeremy shrugged a little. “Nothing. But uh… I thought you were gonna invite Ev here?”
Jenny slid the glass door shut behind her and shook her head as she responded. “Tomorrow would be better for something like that. No need to start anything in a brand new house, right?”
“Why are you acting so nervous?” Jeremy asked with a laugh.
“I’m not,” Jenny said, quietly.
“You’re thinking about some scary shit though, right? I see it.”
“No…”
From above, both Jeremy and Jenny’s ears perked up at the sound of Noelle’s footsteps, re-entering the house from the front after seeing the last guest off. Jenny folded her arms again, not looking up at her brother, ignoring his gaze on her as Noelle’s footsteps traveled to the staircase, her steps light and quick. She heaved a sigh but smiled as soon as her big warm eyes saw Jenny again.
“Well that’s taken care of.” A tiny squint at the twins. “What happened, hear a… something?” Definitely didn’t want to say ‘mouse’ or ‘ghost’.
Jenny smiled again and shook her head, walking over to her best friend, casting her arm up around her neck to pull her into a hug. “Thanks for helping make it the best day ever.” She gave Noelle an emphatic kiss on her cheek. “I love y--”
“Doesn’t she seem tense?” Jeremy asked, calmly meandering over toward the abandoned hors d'oeuvres table-- and promptly ignoring the glare Jenny Knite rolled his way.
“I love you too.” Noelle knew, but she wanted to say it even as her gaze moved towards Jeremy, who was acting suspect at best. “Hmm. I don’t know about tense.”
She hugged Jenny before moving more to her side, her own arm going around Jenny’s waist. “You got something you want to say, Jeremy?” Her words might seem confrontational, but her tone was soft.
Jeremy popped a potato puff into his mouth. Now slightly bigger than the frail Jeremy Wade Knite they’d known before, he hovered kind of awkwardly over Noelle as she drew nearer. Forcing his own food into his mouth as he moved toward the center of the room, his side to both women, he shrugged.
“I have to head out for a bit. Promised Megan I’d help her with some computer stuff soooo… Jen, Noelle, I’ll catch you guys later. You should have girl time or whatever females do when male presence is excluded.” He said all of this while swiftly making his way up the stairs-- and before either Noelle or Jenny could utter a word, he was upstairs and even quicker, out the front door.
Noelle shook her head, dropping her arm from around Jenny and allowing a wry look to come over her face. “I’m not surprised, girl. He probably thinks it’s unloyal.” Which was really over-simplifying things, but it was a lot better than yanking the lid off the tangled up can of worms which included Megan and Jeremy and of course her ex.
“I wanna tell you though, I didn’t for a second hesitate once I remembered your birthday was coming up. Okay? I wanted to see you, make sure you got settled proper, and hope things really work out for you with this. Which sounds like a whole bunch of easy to say things, like telling a cashier to have a nice day even though you don’t have to do anything after to make that happen… though sometimes just saying that does.” She paused. “I’m dancing around things, and here we should sit. Put your feet up! It’s your birthday sweetness.”
Jenny walked alongside Noelle toward the “family room” in the basement. Her look seemed distant for a moment until, gaze still downcast, she began to speak.
“You could be the World Champion, Noelle…”
Noelle watched her, a hint of curiosity in her eyes as she let her lead the way. She didn’t so much hesitate to answer as she did reflect on it a moment before she spoke. “You mean that thing, since Zero walked out? Or do you mean, that you can see me there?” A slight pause, her voice getting softer. “Sean said that to me once…” then she laughed. “He also said he’d buy me a house if I beat Tony and took his title and you saw where that got me.”
Jenny’s lips were pursed as if she were prepared to laugh, but it didn’t come out. Some of the words didn’t seem to register. She sat down on the leather couch, looking up at Noelle in silence for a few moments before she spoke.
“I mean that thing. And, like, yeah I mean I could see you there. You can do it. You always could.” Jenny’s gaze seemed to become a bit more focused as she looked at her friend. “Now it’s direct though. It could happen so fast.” Her gaze fell toward the ground again but the smile didn’t fade. “We talked about this kind of thing for so long. And it’s a tournament so I know it’s easy to take for granted-- but you could be the World Champion.” She said it as if she was still pleasantly shocked at the very prospect.
Noelle took a deep breath, a wondering tone to her voice. “I used to get in my own way, more than I guessed. Fundamentally… ha, there’s a coach word, remember when Scott Reynolds used to give those over the top lectures about it? Know how to fall on your ass and do it right or I’ll drop you on it!” Her voice lowered. “Sometimes I miss that, he was rough on us but he knew how to get through the mess and right to the point.”
Noelle looked at her feet, brows drawn down as she thought. “The guy I’ve been working with? The one that Kucci told me to go check out? I wish you still lived in New York, Jenny. He’s helped me a ton whether he thinks so or not. It’s progress… and this just comes out like I’m avoiding what you said. I’m not. I see it, I could be. It could happen. If I’m objective I know I can hang in there with guys like Johnny Cannon, because even though he beat me, you saw how close. But I have to do better than that, just hanging in there, even if they ones I do that with are the best, have already had what…” she shook her head. “I’ve got to clear the path, and stop getting in my own way.”
Jenny looked into Noelle’s eyes for a long time. She did it thoughtfully, like she was trying to piece together the next sentence with surgeon-like caution.
“You came back from this…” She raised a hand to her head while she quickly clamored for the more appropriate word, but settled on tapping her index finger against her own temple. “You came back from this and you never look scared.” She laughed a little. “You’re basically about to be the World Champion, no big deal, and you always look so composed.” And just as quickly, Jenny’s smile started to fade. “And meanwhile, I can’t help but think I might be having second th--”
She was interrupted as somebody knocked, hurriedly, against the glass at the back patio door. Hurriedly-- and confusedly-- their eyes shot toward the glass. The sun had already set completely at this point. Against the city lights in the background, Jenny could only make out the silhouette of the figure that stood in the darkness. She sighed and pushed herself to her feet.
“Over-under on this being a murderer in clown makeup?” Jenny muttered.
Noelle's eyes widened at the thought. “Should I get a knife out of the kitchen?”
Her laugh lacked substance, even as she turned Jenny's words over in her head, examining them even as she took a few steps closer. “I know I didn't order pizza.”
Jenny took a breath and took the long strides across the family room, out through the basement and to the glass door. Boldly, she gripped the handle it slid it open, taking a step back in surprise as she looked at the petite brunette that stood on the patio. Sadie Jacks, better known to the world as Sadie San Francisco, looked back at her. She held a small, neatly-wrapped box in her hands and gave Jenny her sweetest smile.
“Happy birthday,” Sadie said softly. She pushed the box into Jenny’s open hands (whether Jenny wanted to accept it or not) and stepped forward into the doorframe, poking the box once with her pinky. “From Evan.” She nodded a bit and then quickly added, “not that the rest of us weren’t thinking of you. Of course.”
“Oh.” Jenny seemed a little taken aback but gave Sadie a bashful smile. She lowered her voice, as if not wanting to broadcast it in front of Noelle. “Thanks, Sadie. Is Evan…?”
“Upstairs at Ellie’s?” Sadie finished. “No. He’s with She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You totally got screwed in this duplex deal though. How does Ellie get the double-bath and the balcony?”
“Just happy I could get a place out here, you know?” Jenny said quickly, quietly, still wearing her smile.
Sadie’s eyes drifted past Jenny and toward Noelle in the background. She angled her head a little and made this… face. It could’ve been a smirk or even a scowl, depending on who you asked, but Jenny would just refer to it as ambiguous.
“I don’t think we’ve actually met,” Sadie said, quietly.
One of Noelle’s natural but perfectly groomed brows rose a bit, though she didn’t change her stance or let her tone sound hostile. “No, we haven’t. It was nice of you to bring Jenny the gift.”
Being quite honest, Noelle couldn’t recall exactly if Sadie had ever even bothered to cast shade in her direction, despite the dark and volume of it that came at her from Evan’s little entourage. Part of her, the part that actually still wanted to reach out and help people almost made her say something to Sadie but she’d caught that little smugish look and kept her mouth shut, hands landing at her hips instead of allowing her arms to cross belligerently over her generous chest.
"Oh, think nothing of it!" Sadie crossed the threshold into the house, pulling Jenny into a one-armed hug which Jenny returned in an unintentionally awkward fashion. Sadie swiftly stepped past her toward Noelle, smirk still glued, arm extended. "Noelle, yeah?"
For an instant it looked like Noelle was going to shake her hand, a smile plastered on her lips when suddenly her eyes went all wide.
“Oh, uhm… Sadie? Hold still, don’t move.” With a graceful lift of her hand she took the tip of her forefinger and smoothed over Sadie’s right eyebrow and then stepped back, the hand going up to her chest. “Whew, there you are. All fixed.”
Jenny’s eyes widened at the gesture. And promptly, she closed her eyes, fading to the background as it went down. For another couple of seconds, Sadie stood there with her hand still outstretched before she finally retracted it, her smirk being traded in for an apparently humble smile.
“I can appreciate your sense of humor, Noelle.” She looked down for a moment before raising her eyes toward Noelle again. “Very endearing.”
Sadie turned toward Jenny as she made her way back toward the still-open glass door. Jenny cautiously opened her eyes.
“Thanks so much for stopping by,” Jenny said, nervously.
“Don’t mention it. Enjoy the rest of your night, gorgeous.” Sadie made her way toward the patio-- but stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. “Oh. Noelle?”
“Sense of humor? Sure thing doll.” A distinct pause, a glance going to Jenny that made Noelle’s expression significantly soften. “Look Sadie, you have a good night. If you’ve got some more sass for me? Save it, it’s Jenny’s birthday.”
Sadie blinked hard and raised her eyebrows. She nodded a bit.
“Wow. Alright.” She placed a hand against the handle and looked over at Jenny. “Didn’t uh… didn’t know it was like that. I know when I’m not wanted.” She gave Jenny a wink. “Sorry for intruding.” Sadie laughed a bit under her breath to herself, stepping out to the patio. Jenny quickly moved to shut the door but Sadie raised a finger, pivoting, leaning into the house one final time. She looked toward the carpet, but it was clear who she was speaking to: “See you around.”
“See you, when I see you.” Quiet, but very firm. She’d wait until Sadie actually left, keeping herself still despite the way her toe wanted to tap impatiently on the carpet and she knew damn well if she was sitting down her foot would have been bouncing with nervous energy. It had always been like this for her, any time part of Evan’s Entourage came up around her, even before Ruby’s little game of pick up sticks with her life. They acted like they knew her, saw right through her, or rather wished she wasn’t there in the way. Jeremy had done it, Megan had absolutely done it - and more than that, and now that Neon was back and making her intentions to harm Noelle clear? It was a really good thing for everyone she wasn’t Ruby.
Sadie gave Jenny a polite smile and stepped out onto the patio, turning and making her way back around the house toward Ellie’s, the way she came. Jenny finally pushed the door shut and sighed a bit. For several seconds she was silent… before she gave Noelle a blank look over her shoulder.
“You do realize that she’s gonna be looking in the mirror for weeks, wondering what’s wrong with her eyebrows, right? Her mind-- she’s gonna like, shave them off and get them tattooed on, and it’s one hundred and fifty percent because of you. Hope you’re really happy.”
And unable to contain it, Jenny’s lips parted and she laughed out loud at the thought. Noelle tried not to laugh, she really did, but there was a soft echo of it that blended with Jenny’s like music. “Maybe that was a little childish of me, but I’m so tired of people throwing so much shade at me that I can’t see the Sunshine anymore. I’ve finally learned that there are some people, that no matter how I try to be nice? Can’t believe it’s real. They keep looking for the payoff, they keep looking for an ulterior motive because by God and Baby Jesus they are so jaded that’s all they offer the world.” Noelle paused, and heaved a little sigh. “I can’t be like that, but I’ve sure learned how not to let them get hooks in me. But back to the important thing, baby girl. Are you… worried? About going back into the ring, for a real match?”
“Dunno,” Jenny said quietly, once the laughter had finally faded. Her shoulders slumped but she looked her friend in the eye. “Sometimes I’m really excited. Sometimes I think it was a mistake. I think about all that time the doctors told me ‘never again’ and like, there had to be a reason.” She brought a hand up to the back of her neck. “I just wonder what could’ve changed, I guess.” She rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms, trying to hide the stress on her face. “Who the hell knows what their own limits are?”
“Hey.” She stepped up and gently touched Jenny’s shoulder while she had her hands up to her eyes. “You did the work, Jenny. You could have just stayed out, never thought about it again, and I’d bet you at least one person told you somewhere you should. But the thing is, you’re the only one that knows deep down why you do this. You obviously had some goal, when you became a wrestler. Doesn’t matter now what it is, but I remember you in the ring. It was always a real joy to watch you, and…” she trailed off, Jenny knew how Noelle had reacted when she’d gotten so hurt and Noelle damn sure wasn’t dredging that back up. “What’s messing you up right now, is the fear it could happen again. You’re trying to put the fear of getting hurt up against the fear of never doing this again like they’re gonna fight like two young bucks after your seven digits, but baby girl that’s not how this works.”
She paused, and took a real deep breath, letting it out slow. “I love you, Jenny but you can’t go into this if you lack conviction. We all know the risks, even those that pretend ain’t nothin’ going to happen to them. But I know you, you’ve got the biggest heart. Heart counts.”
Jenny looked at her reflection in the empty glass of the sliding door and then gave Noelle’s hand a squeeze as she started to turn away.
“Yeah, I…” She couldn’t find the words. She knew what she felt but she couldn’t project it. Yet. “Thanks, Noe.”
“Hey. You’d do the same… you have done the same, for me. Come on, there’s movies to watch and presents left to unwrap.” Noelle tugged Jenny by the hand back towards the living room, hiding any shadows of worry from her face…
AFTER
Jenny was shaking slightly. Trying not to-- but shaking. She held a bag of ice to the back of her neck but she smiled faintly, realizing she was still able to roll it… able to move her head from side to side…
DING… DONG!
Jenny slowly raised her head, looking out into the hallway from her bedroom, sitting at the edge of her mattress, aware that she couldn’t see person at the front door-- and vise versa-- from her location. She quickly checked off the possibilities in her mind. Evan or Ellie would’ve called ahead. Jeremy and Noelle each had a key. Which only left…
Sigh.
“Heyyyyyy, Sadie.”
Sadie Jacks waved at Jenny from the front porch. Jenny did her absolute best to force a smile but she couldn’t be sure that it translated well. Sadie grinned back at her though and moved forward, giving Jenny a cautious, gentle hug before quickly stepping away, raising a single hand as if to show good intentions.
“Just wanted to say we were watching you last night and we were really, really, really proud. I know I could’ve texted it to you or something but… I was already up at Ellie’s. I just wanted to see you for myself. Make sure you were alright.” Smile.
Jenny paused for a moment, blinking. “Yeah, Sadie. I um… I really appreciate that. Didn’t work out, but--”
“But next time, right?”
Jenny nodded. “Right.”
“Good attitude to have, Jenny,” Sadie said, softly. “Glad to see you’re okay.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey…”
“Yeah?”
Sadie took a small step forward, smile not fading, but she brought herself closer to Jenny-- a distance which Jenny, herself, didn’t find comfortable.
“Is Noelle in there?” Sadie asked in a tone that lacked emotion, in a volume that surely only Jenny could hear.
Jenny shook her head slightly. “No.”
And just like that, Sadie took a step back. “Alright then. Goodnight. Let me know if you need anything, alright?”
“Thanks, Sadie.”
“Don’t mention it.”
And she rounded the corner, making her way up the hill back toward Ellie’s section of the duplex. Jenny watched quietly as Sadie’s shadow finally vanished and her footsteps faded. With another sigh, she closed the latched the door shut behind her.
THANKS AND CREDIT TO MINA FOR WRIITNG NOELLE'S PARTS!