Jelly Janna 4

When she got home, Janna had run up to her room, and slipped Marco's shirt over one of her pillows. Now she lay in her bed, holding it, her long hair spread out on the sheets around her, letting her mind drift. She felt almost deliriously happy, although she didn't quite know why. She had stolen Marco's shirt, and he probably thought she was really weird for that. Hell, what was she even doing, putting it over a pillow and breathing in his faint scent? She WAS weird. But she didn't care.

The wild energy, the crazy flashing images of temptation, something had seized her spirit. She had started the day in despair, but now she was certain, certain Marco could be hers. He had told her she looked really good. Maybe she should wear her hair down more often or something. Janna stuffed it in her beanie because, while she liked her hair short so it didn't get in her face while running, she was also oddly proud of the length and didn't want to cut it.

What could she do? Janna remembered that Jackie was actually going out of town this weekend. Visiting a cousin and doing some skateboard competition. It was a good opportunity to get to spend some time alone with Marco.

She buried her face in her pillow, and it felt like electricity was running through all her limbs, like her heart was on fire. She felt this way, sometimes. She didn't know where the feeling came from, where the energy came from, but when it took her, she did crazy things. Yes, she was going to spend time with him. It was certain.

Face buried into Marco's shirt, she laughed so hard that she cried.

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Marco and Star were sitting down, eating lunch, when Janna plopped her tray down next to Marco. She still had her hair down, and she wore a tank top instead of her normal shirt and overshirt combination.

"Oh, hey Janna," Marco said sarcastically. "Here to give me back my shirt?"

"Nope. It's mine now, Diaz. I use it as a pillowcase."

Star slowed her chewing and glared at Janna suspiciously while Marco simply rolled his eyes. "You're so weird. Guess you decided to give up your beanie?"

"Well, you said you liked my new look so much that I decided to keep it. It's all for you, Marco." Janna grinned and pinched his butt, causing Marco to yelp.

"What do you want, Janna?" Marco rubbed where she had pinched him.

"Well, I know Jackie's gonna be gone this weekend, and you're probably gonna be bummed about that. It just so happens that I have tickets to this cool little, offroad ATV thing. You drive down to the beach, and then you can walk around in some caves, it's a neat all-day kind of thing. Wanna go with me?"

"Oh...huh. Well, that does sound pretty cool. What about it, Star, sound good?"

Star glanced up. Marco was smiling at her, but behind him, Janna was shaking her head 'no' and mouthing the word 'please,' giving Star the most desperate puppy-dog eyes she had ever seen Janna give anyone. She frowned in disapproval, but eventually answered, "Uh, actually Marco....I just remembered I have....Mewnian....court training, this weekend. You should still go, though! It sounds like it will be a really fun playDATE." Star bit off the last word. Janna smiled sheepishly at her.

"Sounds like it's just you and me, Marco." Janna smiled. "I'll see you this weekend." Then she got up and walked away, and Marco noticed for the first time that Janna had a bit of a sway to her hips when she walked.

"You know, I still haven't figured out who it is that she has a crush on," he mused. "Have you seen her talking to anyone or hitting on anyone at all, Star? I'm kind of curious. Star? Star?" Star was looking at Marco like he was a gigantic idiot. "What is it?"

Star just shook her head. "Janna stole your brownie."

"What the hell!"

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That Saturday, Marco was woken up at six in the morning by pebbles being tossed at his window. Yawning, he got up and stumbled through his still-dark room to the window, throwing it open just in time for another pebble to hit him in the face.

"Ow! What the....Janna?"

"Hey Marco! C'mon, you gotta get ready!" Janna was grinning up at him from the backyard. Her hair was still down, and she was wearing a black tank top along with her skirt. At her side was her bike.

"What? I thought your parents were giving us a ride."

Janna's smile slipped. "I...thought so too, but uh...they may have...uh...worked too hard...and...I figured riding our bikes would be okay..."

Suddenly, Marco remembered that Janna's parents weren't always the most responsible or non-alcoholic of the bunch. "Okay, okay, yeah, that's fine. Come around front and I'll let you in. I need some time to get ready."

Marco let in Janna through the front door. She had a strange, excited look in her eye, some inscrutable emotion deep within. Marco dressed quickly in the bathroom while Janna sat on his bed, kicking her feet. "Hey Marco," she called out suddenly, "Do you have like, any hair elastics or anything? I forgot what a pain long hair is. Mind keeps blowing in my face when I'm riding my bike."

Marco glanced at Star's side of the bathroom. She had elastics, and he was sure she wouldn't mind Janna borrowing some. He grabbed some and handed them to Janna as he exited the bathroom. As he packed his backpack with supplies, he slowly became aware of Janna struggling and grunting in front of his mirror.

"What in the world are you doing?"

Janna had about half of her hair shoved through an elastic stretched as wide as it would go, and one small strand completely tangled in another elastic. "I....uh...look, normally I just stuff my hair up in my beanie. I don't really know how to put it up, I guess."

Marco rolled his eyes and walked over. "Hold still," he said, as he untangled Janna's hair from the elastics. "Man, your hair's so thick, it's crazy. Okay, turn around."

Janna felt Marco's hands gently gathering her hair into a ponytail, felt his fingers, his breath on the back of her neck, and shivered.

Moments later they were on their bikes. It was about a half hour ride to the ATV site. The ATVs themselves were two-seater affairs, with dirty roll cages installed, all parked in a vacant lot. When they arrived, a few older people were already there, waiting for the guide to arrive. Marco and Janna locked up their bikes and strolled through the lot.

"Oh man, I want to ride in this one," said Janna.

"What, why? Just because it's painted black?"

"AND it has a sexy demon girl painted on the side. Come on."

"Look how dinged up the roll bar is! We need one that's safe."

"I feel safe with you no matter what, Diaz."

"You're so weird!"

A sweet old lady and a potato-shaped old man, presumably her husband, smiled at the two of them. "Oh my, aren't you two precious. Are you a couple?"

Before Marco could say anything, Janna grabbed his arm and pulled him in close. He was, for some reason, oddly aware of the feeling of her chest pressed up against him. He blushed, and Janna beamed at the old couple. "That's right, we've been together for months now."

"Oh, young love...."

"Yeah, love. Plus he's great in the sack." Janna's smile never left her face.

Marco blushed even deeper as the old lady gasped and her husband let out a rasping chuckle. "This guy knows! Right old man?" Janna fist-bumped the husband.

"I guess I forgot just how much you like embarrassing me," Marco said after the old couple had walked off.

"Well, you are really cute when you blush."

Just then, the ATV tour guide arrived, a fat, apathetic, unwashed-looking man who gave a half-hour speech about how you were to never, ever, ever leave the group, and never, ever, ever drive off the beaten path that they would be following, and never, ever, ever floor the gas.

Janna listened to his speech patiently, and then jumped in the driver's seat of the black ATV with the demon girl painted on it as soon as he gave the signal to choose which vehicle to get in. Marco sighed and got in the passenger's seat next to her. The ATVs, led by the tour guide, began to file out on a dirt path in a single file line. Within ten seconds of driving, Janna abandoned the group, went off the beaten path, and floored the gas.

"Janna," Marco said, not even surprised at this point, "What are you doing?"

"They're driving down to the beach, but they're going to a spot that's all crowded and everything. I know a way to a beach where hardly anybody ever goes."

After roughly twenty minutes of rough off-road driving, being slapped with errant tree branches, they arrived at a small, secluded beach, framed by twin cliffs, isolated from the rest of the coast. At the foot of one of the cliffs was an old, dilapidated shack made out of sun-bleached cement bricks.

"What? No way," said Marco, as Janna parked the ATV and cut the ignition. "How is it that nobody knows about this?"

"Well, technically, it's on someone's property," said Janna. "But I don't think anyone's actually lived on the property for a really long time." She removed the elastic from her hair, letting it fall back down around her in waves. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm going for a dip."

Marco found himself staring as Janna began shimmying out of her skirt, revealing a small, side-tie army green bikini bottom. He looked away quickly, blushing, then groaned. "Oh, damn it. I forgot to bring a swimsuit!"

"You should just go naked," Janna said from behind him. Marco turned back around, and tried not to stare again. Janna's bikini was much smaller than he was expecting. Janna had, in fact, chosen her most revealing swimsuit deliberately, but Marco didn't know that.

"I'm not going to do that."

Janna shrugged. "Well, I'm going for a dip. Hang out here and get a tan, I guess." And she ran off down towards the water.

"Oh man, this water is so nice and crystal clear and refreshing," she cried out as she waded into it. "It sucks that some people who are SUPPOSED to be prepared forgot their swimsuit. Oh man, I'd hate to be the suckers stuck on the beach not enjoying this amazing water." There was a groan from the beach, and then the sound of splashing from behind her. Janna spun around, a little too quickly. "Oh my god, did you actually get naked?!"

"No, I'm wearing my boxers." Marco was wading gingerly into the water. "You liar, this water's cold."

"Oh, just jump in, you big baby. You'll get used to it."

"No! I need to adjust."

"You won't adjust until you get in!"

Marco eyed Janna. Her muscles were tensing. She was looking decidedly catlike. She was getting ready to dunk him, he could tell. "You stay away from me," he warned.

Janna grinned and then dove underwater. Moments later, Marco felt her arms wrap around his legs and tug. He kept his balance. "Janna! I swear to god!"

Just that moment, a huge wave washed over them, sending them both tumbling over, tangled with each other, washed up further on the beach. When Marco's head popped up from beneath the water again, Janna was holding on to his arm, laughing. Something was odd, though. Marco looked down at her and then quickly backed away, blushing furiously. "Uh...Janna, you....lost your top," he stammered.

"Huh? Oh my god." Janna covered herself with her arms and blushed a deep crimson. "Oh my god, where is it?" She sank into the water, feeling like she could die.

"I've got it, here," Marco replied, plucking it from the water. Doing his best to navigate his way to her while not looking at her at all, he stuck out his hand to hand it to her.

"Could you....help me tie it back on? It's kind of a pain," Janna said. She took the top from him and held it against her chest, then turned her back to Marco. "It's just around the neck and shoulders."

From her tone, Marco could tell that Janna was still extremely embarrassed by what had happened. "Yeah, sure. Hey, it's no big deal, right? It's not like I haven't seen them before, you used to run around naked all the time as a little kid." Janna laughed, and some of the tension melted out of her shoulders. Her naked, smooth shoulders, above a gorgeous, naked back. Marco gulped and quickly tied off the top. "I think I'm going to, uh, go dry off," he said.

"I think I will too," Janna mumbled, watching him walk off up the beach, and then watching even more closely when she noticed exactly how much his wet boxers were clinging to him.

They both lay on the beach, quiet, awkward for a while. Finally, Janna spoke up.

"Man Marco, I keep getting all your firsts. Your first kiss, your first pair of real-life boobs..."

Marco groaned.

"If it's any consolation, we're kind of even, because I can pretty much see your junk right now."

Marco looked down at his boxers and how they were clinging to him. "Well," he said, getting up, "That didn't really count as my first real-life boob sighting, because you barely had anything there."

"Hey!"

"I'm gonna go...ring these out, I guess." Marco snapped the waistband of his boxers.

Janna nodded solemnly, slowly reached to her side, and drew out her cameraphone.

Marco rolled his eyes and stepped into the small cement shack. "Don't look!" he called out.

Janna whistled innocently for a few moments, and then, feeling mischievous, jumped up and closed the door to the shack behind Marco, trapping him in darkness.

Marco sighed, having just rung out his boxers, and pulled them back on. "Let me out, Janna," he said. His only answer was a giggle. Suddenly, the darkness seemed to be closing in on him. He felt like he was suffocating. He felt panic coursing through his veins. "Let me out," he said, a bit more nervously. And then, feeling the walls bump up against him even more, "LET ME OUT!" he lashed out at the door, punching a hole in it, letting the light flood in.

Janna gasped as Marco's bloody fist broke through the wooden door to the shack, and he forcefully pulled it off its hinges and threw it against the shack wall, where it shattered. He looked at her with eyes full of fear and rage. "Marco...?" Suddenly, she noticed his hand, with splinters of the door stuck deep in it, pouring blood. "Marco, oh my god, why did you do that? I would have let you out?"

Marco was shaking, staring at her, but slowly, he calmed down, the anger in him fading. "I...ah, it's nothing, Janna. You couldn't have known."

"Couldn't have known what? Did something happen? Let me see your hand." Janna grabbed his arm and gasped when she noticed how bad it was. "Oh my god."

"I have a first aid kit in my bag, it's no big deal, we can just dress it up."

Janna grabbed his backpack and sat him down. "Marco, why did you do that? What don't I know?"

Marco sighed, and as Janna plucked the splinters from his hand and dressed the wound (at his direction) he told her of how he had been captured by Toffee, and almost crushed to death.

"I guess the whole thing left me with a little claustrophobia," he finished, sheepishly.

Janna was still holding his wounded hand, staring down at the ground. "So," she said, her voice thick with anger, "Star almost got you killed?"

"It wasn't Star, it was Toffee-oof!" Marco had the breath knocked out of him as Janna leapt forward to embrace him. "What are you doing?"

"You just told me you almost got crushed to death, Marco," Janna breathed into his neck. "Is that's what's going to happen? One of these days you'll just be killed on one of your adventures with Star, and I won't even know about it?"

Marco could feel her hot tears sinking into his skin. "It's...it's really okay," he said, a little unsure of what to do. "It's not like I almost die on every adventure."

Janna slowly let him go and turned away from him. She gathered up her things, putting her clothes back on.

"Janna..."

"We should go," she said softly, sniffling. "We should probably get back to the group. You can drive this time."

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The rest of the trip, although it began in silence, was significantly more light-hearted. The tour guide hadn't even noticed they had been gone. By the time they got to the caves, she was feeling cheerful again. The bats on the cave ceiling really seemed to cheer her up, and Marco found a pale, fat, weird-looking cave spider that she loved and took a bunch of pictures of. By the time they exited the caves they were laughing, and it was almost as if Janna had never been upset at all. She drove again on the way back, this time sticking with the group. Once back at the lot, they decided to grab some dinner from a small food stand by the seaside that sold fried fish and lobster rolls.

They ate as the sun went down, watching a small streamlet full of tidal life slowly empty back into the ocean, as the fireflies slowly winked to life.

"Thanks for today, Janna," said Marco. "I was a little bummed that Jackie wasn't going to be around this weekend, but today was a lot of fun."

Janna seemed to suddenly deflate a bit at the mention of Jackie. "Yeah....heh, just don't tell her what happened today."

"I don't plan on it."

Janna felt a little thrill, knowing that the two of them shared a secret like that. "Hey....Marco. Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"How come you stopped hanging out with me? When we were kids?"

Marco put down his lobster roll. "Honestly...I mean, you're probably not going to like this, but I really don't know. I do remember that you seemed really angry at me a lot, and that's why I stopped hanging out so much."

Janna gave a bitter smile. "I remember being so angry with you because you weren't hanging out with me as much anymore."

Marco shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't really matter, does it?"

"No," Janna replied softly. "I just always thought it was kind of sad. You were pretty much my best friend back then." She smiled again, though her heart didn't seem too much in it. "I guess I just always want these sorts of things to last forever."

"Well...I mean, I never stopped caring about you, Janna. I worry about you a lot, sometimes. I'd probably worry less if I didn't find you randomly breaking your hands in the forest-"

"You worry about me?" Janna laughed. "Marco, you just told me today how you were almost killed and I knew nothing about it. I should be the one worrying about YOU." Her tone turned dark, she looked away, shadows covering her face. "Maybe I should have a talk with Star."

"It really wasn't a big deal! I mean, I'm alive, right?"

"Yeah, no big deal, Diaz. I mean, now you're just so afraid of small spaces that you'll lacerate your hand punching your way out of them, but no big deal. Suddenly, she grabbed his hands. Marco looked at her, in the dying light, her face framed by her hair, eyes large, wide, the winking lights of the fireflies reflected in them, an almost perfect warmth enveloping them. "I...I want to be able to know that you'll always be there, Diaz. Alright? It would really break my heart if you were gone. Promise me that won't happen."

"I....I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that one. I really am."

Janna looked at him in her odd, mysterious way again. For a moment, it seemed as if she was tensing up for something, almost as if she was going to pounce, but then she sighed and relaxed. "We should get going." She smiled again. "I had lots of fun today, too."

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Hope's parents had been fighting yet again when Janna texted her to ask how she was doing. It was amazing how Janna could discern, just from Hope's text responses, that her parents were fighting again. Janna had invited her over. So Hope had gone out the kitchen door, her parents oblivious to their teenage daughter disappearing into the darkness of the night as they screamed at each other, and trudged over to Janna's house. Janna greeted her at the door, groggily. Her parents were nowhere to be found. Janna herself seemed to be a bit off, a bit wobbly as they walked to her room. Once they got there, Hope discovered why: Janna had been drinking a bottle of her mother's wine.

"Janna..." Hope said, worried.

"Don't worry. I'm not having a lot. Just a bit. You want some?"

Hope hesitated, then shrugged and poured herself a glass. She had never drank wine before. To her, it tasted a bit like bad juice. But the numbing fire in it was enjoyable.

They sat in silence on Janna's bed for a while, sipping the wine. "I'm a bad friend," Janna said suddenly, miserably.

"No...Janna, no you're not, you're a fantastic friend-"

"No I'm not," Janna replied miserably. "Jackie's my friend and she's out of town and I pretty much took her boyfriend on a date today."

Hope didn't really have an answer for that one, so she decided to change the subject. "So, how did the date go...?"

Janna downed another glass of wine quickly. She was swiftly becoming very drunk. "Oh, it went great. He saw my boobs."

"WHAT?!"

"It was an accident, an accident....my top came off when I was swimming." Suddenly Janna sniffled. "Poor Marco."

"Poor Marco? I mean, Janna, I doubt he felt all that bad about seeing you topless..."

"No, no, that's not it. He...uh, well..."

And so while they drank, Janna told her the story of Marco's reaction in the shack, and the story of how he had nearly been crushed to death. By the time she was finished, Hope was definitely feeling tipsy. Janna herself was clearly wasted. "Thas' why poor Marco," Janna slurred. "He's all messed up now. Thanks to STAR."

Hope wrapped her arms around her sad friend. "It's okay. It's okay. Star's not a bad person, you know?" Janna just snorted. "So did anything else happen?"

"I almost kissed him," said Janna. "Right there, at the end of the night. I wanted to, so bad. I should have. No...I shouldn't have. Or maybe I should have. Damn it, I really should have. You know? If you want to kiss someone, you should always just kiss them. You know? Screw consequences. Screw permission. Life's too short. If you feel the spirit of the moment, you should always just go with it. Why not? Just kiss them! I-"

Just then, Hope leaned in and kissed Janna.

Janna's eyes widened with shock. Hope's lips were a bit numb from the wine, but it still felt like heaven feeling Janna's lips beneath hers.

"H-hope!" Janna cried, breaking the kiss. "What?!"

"I was just feeling the spirit of the moment," said Hope.

"But I-"

Hope silenced her with another kiss, this time, one much more forceful. And this time, after an initial moment of shock, Janna grabbed her face and kissed her back, fiercely. Hope gasped, and gasped again once Janna broke the kiss and playfully bit her lip.

"You think you can out-kiss me," Janna slurred. "I'm a great kisser. You don't know anything. I'll kiss your brains out, you-"

And then Janna fell back in her bed, snoring, completely passed out.

Hope looked at her ruefully, then tucked her in beneath the covers and climbed into bed next to her.