Blood Mates

Rain On His Parade And A Warning

asper was sitting at the kitchen table feeling jittery. Like he’d been hooked up to a car battery all night and he couldn’t sit still. William watched his son over his paper for a moment before sitting it down all together.

Jasper’s leg bounced a mile a minute and he seemed unfocused as he stared into the distance. As he played with his food, Jasper kept glancing at his phone willing it to ring making William c**k an eyebrow in concern, “You good over there son?” Jasper looked at his dad for a minute, “Oh yeah I’m fine.”

William slowly nodded, “Well good, I’m glad. So, how’re things with Alaia?” Jasper’s leg froze at just the sound of her name, “Ugh fine…why do you ask?” William shrugged a little as he admitted, “Curious about my son in his lovely little lady friend. Can’t an old man be curious about young love?”

Jasper blushed and went to clean his plate. But when he was done, he realized if he didn’t talk to SOMEONE he’d explode. “Hey dad?” William looked at his son slowly approaching him as he dried his hands.

“Yeah?” Jasper nervously asked, “When…when you had s*x for the first time, did the relationship change after?” William jerked back in shock at the question but covered his expression when his son looked up at him intently for the answer. “Sure in some ways. We were more connected; the relationship had more layers to it.”

William took a sip of coffee as he told his son gruffly, “Adding intimacy to a relationship brings a new foundation, a new level so to speak. And when done right, it can be a new way to express love and comfort. Done wrong it can lead to a lot of things you might not be ready for.”

Jasper nodded as his mind kept playing on if it had been done right. William looked at his son uneasy for a moment, “Son I know you’re like one of the most responsible kids I’ve known, but for the sake of an old heart. Can you just tell me you two are being safe and we won’t end up on some reality show?”

Turning scarlet, Jasper assured, “I promise dad, we will not.” William blew out a relieved breath. “Thank god.”

Jasper chuckled a little and William looked at his son practically glowing from the inside. It’d been a while since William had seen him so happy and felt a huge boulder lift off his stomach.

After almost 2 years, he was finally returning to the kid he used to be. And just as William started to hope his son was turning around, the phone rang. And as Jasper walked to it, William watched him darken with a look of annoyance.

Standing, William looked at the caller I.D and blanched. Because in big bold letters, there lie the reason for Jasper folding into himself.

Caller: Reservation

 Jasper was still angry when he went to school the next morning. He slammed his truck’s door hard enough to almost break the window and stormed into school with a scowl on his face.

AJ was at his side immediately and asked, “You good bro?” Jasper laughed bitterly, “Let me guess my dad called yours?” AJ nodded seeing his friend wound up tight and looking frustrated, “Yeah, said you might be on a war path today.”

Jasper knew his father was worried about him, but Jasper was more worried about his father. The look of sadness on his face had been paralyzing, the look of rejected love made Jasper hang up the phone on his mother without answering the first time.

But after she wouldn’t stop calling, Jasper answered the phone as his dad left to go and beat their punching bag in the shed out back.

The conversation between Jasper and Yasmine had been brief. She’d tried to talk to him but he’d made it clear he was not in a talking mood. But before he could get off the phone she’d asked him if he’d come to the reservation for thanksgiving break.

To which Jasper had said no thanks and hung up.

Only for her to call William this morning and tell him a bunch of B.S about how she’d go back to court. Saying how it was him keeping Jasper from her. How her visitation rights had been mandated and set.

But Jasper hadn’t given a flying f**k about the bullshit arrangement then and he didn’t care now.

So he had told his dad harshly, “If Yasmine needs me to say in front of a judge I have no desire to talk to her, then I will. I’m seventeen, I choose where I go and who I stay with. I’m staying here.”

And he left it at that.

AJ watched Jasper do everything with a hint of aggression. But it was Alaia flying into his arms that changed all that. She had been holding hands with Stella as they walked down the hall giggling and talking. But the moment she saw Jasper she was rushing him and flew into his arms.

Jasper relaxed completely in Alaia’s arms and when she went to kiss him she saw his face, “What’s wrong?” Jasper exhaled, “It’s been a day. Tell you about it later,” Cradling her cheek, Jasper admitted softly, “It’s just good to have this beautiful face to make all the pain go away.” Stella aww’d as AJ retched playfully making Jasper and Alaia laugh.

“Don’t hate because your lines aren’t as slick as mine.” Jasper taunted his friend as they all started to class. AJ snorted, “Please I’ve seen Cereal boxes with better lines than that.”

Jasper flipped him off and went to class with Alaia holding his hand.

But they were a few minutes late and their usual seats were taken. So Jasper and her ended up on opposite sides of the class, him by the kid always wearing hoodies and listening to depression crippled music.

And her by Paige.

Alaia tried to ignore the fact she was sitting in front of Paige. Her boyfriend’s ex, the first girl to break his heart, but she couldn’t when a note was dropped over her shoulder. Unfolding it, Alaia read in loopy handwriting: Meet me in the girl’s gym locker room. It’s important.

Alaia didn’t want to talk to Paige for thousands of reasons. But she decided to hear her out for the sake of not turning her back on someone who might really need her help. Or trying to help her.

After class, Alaia went to the girl’s gym lockers and waited for five minutes against a locker. Paige appeared and when she came into the awfully lit locker room making her look pale and washed out.

She felt intimidated by Alaia’s steady gaze and whispered, “Um, so the reason I asked you to come here was because I wanted you to know something.” Alaia nodded and Paige nervously licked her lips, “Donny isn’t just some bully, yeah he likes causing misery to people but he’s cracked in the head.”

Paige looked at Alaia as she admitted, “I hadn’t the best home life, dating Jasper took me away from it. Until I realized he didn’t know anything about me and I was holding on to someone who was…good. Really good, and I knew I didn’t deserve it so I let him go. And I stupidly hooked up with the biggest douche bag I’ve ever met and got an addiction to pain pills to go with it.”

Alaia watched Paige drag a shaking hand through her long dark hair. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know to not challenge him. Don’t go out of your way to provoke him.”

Shaking her head Alaia admitted, “I don’t, but he’s been seeking me out because he thinks I would ever find him appealing. As if I’d ever go there.” Paige looked at Alaia with eyes speaking of haunted truths, “Trust me, he doesn’t need you to want him. He just needs ten seconds with your guard down.”

Alaia looked at Paige concerned but the pale girl had tears in her eyes as she whispered, “I never wanted to hurt Jasper. But he was so angry with me that night because I didn’t have cash. We were desperate, but I never meant for him to get hurt! If I could do it over again, I would.”

Alaia nodded in understanding as Paige whispered, “Take care of him okay?”

And then she was gone and Alaia was left to wonder what in the hell Paige Storm had gone through at the hands of Donny.