All Chapters of Jenny & Jay - Volume 1: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“No. Did someone actually apply?” I asked, excitement bubbling up. If Amber had agreed, she must be someone impressive—cool enough to wear my sister’s designs.“No, I asked her yesterday afternoon to be my model, so she’ll be coming over a lot soon. Of course, I’ll pay her the rate mentioned in the ad, and we agreed to share the revenue from the photoshoot. There are no specifics yet since there’s no revenue,” Amber grinned. “I might ask her to work with me long-term.”“Who is the girl?” I asked curiously.I hoped she wasn’t talking about Shannon—that would be too much of her outside of school.“Bro, get ready for Jane to be around more often.”“The new girl is your clothing model?” I was genuinely surprised.“Yes, she has a great figure and isn’t a typical dumb chick. I asked her yesterday to do the photoshoot. I don’t have time to find another model, and she agreed.”“I think she’s a bit short for a model,” I said dryly.“I’ll have to alter some clothes, that’s true,” my sister said

The next morning, Brian and I set off together. His car had broken down, so his younger brother came with us. Frankie resembled Brian, but he had brown eyes and kept his hair short. He was barely a year younger than us, but he played basketball and didn’t like swimming.I figured out who to invite.“Do you guys want to go to the movies this weekend? Just the four of us, and we’ll watch the sci-fi we missed on Saturday.”“Who’s the fourth?” Brian’s voice hinted at his unease.“The new girl. I promised her yesterday that I’d make up for the missed movie on Saturday.”“You could make it up to everyone!” he snapped. Even if my statement surprised him, he didn’t show it.“Alright, if you come with us, I’ll cover your tickets too.” I’d have to beg my parents.“And the drinks,” said little Frank. “So, is the girl nice? Does she have a boyfriend?”“Not really, and no,” I replied.“She’s very hot—you’re blind if you don’t see it, buddy,” Brian corrected.“So, let me get this straight—no one is

“I know about the movie too. She’s a sweet, naive girl. It’d be nice if you didn’t take advantage of her. She doesn’t see anything in it, but I’m a guy too—I know how we think.”“First of all, she’s not your little sister. Second, the movie isn’t a date—we’re not going alone. I’m just making it up to her for the last week,” I said.“Alright then, I’m coming too on Saturday,” Paul declared, in a fatherly tone.“As you wish,” I noted.My friendship with Paul wasn’t going too well, and Saturday was starting to make me feel really uneasy.Jane was waiting for me outside the locker room. Brian was just introducing Frankie when I arrived. We headed home.“We’re going to the movies together, did you hear?” Frankie asked excitedly once we were in the car.Frankie was a bit scatterbrained and often spoke before thinking. He was born with a condition and went to a special school as a kid, but he’d since caught up—only the impulsiveness remained.“Well, now I know who I’m going with,” Jane laugh

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Shepherd. I’m John Simmons, the gardener. Thank you,” I said, taking one. It was much better than my mom’s and didn’t fall apart.“Nice to meet you. Just call me Mrs. Julie,” she said, then returned to the kitchen.“Hi, I’m Mike,” the boy said, walking over after setting down his plane and offering a very grown-up handshake. I shook his hand.Uncle Steve led me to the back door and out to the garden shed. I didn’t have much time to look around the house.The shed was an old wooden structure in the back corner of the garden, filled with every necessary—and unnecessary—gardening tool. On one side was a shelf unit, and I even spotted a box of rusty nails.“Here’s the shed key and a gate key,” he said. “If no one’s home, you can still come in and take care of the garden. There’s the lawnmower, rake, everything you might need. If it’s hot and dry, it’d be good to water the plants at least every three days. I’ll leave the mowing schedule up to you. I can pay you weekly

Jane dressed more stylishly with each passing day. More and more people waved to her at her locker—some even stopped to chat. When she smiled, she practically lit up the hallway. I hoped she wouldn’t start dating anyone; then I wouldn’t be able to fluster her as easily.Quietly, I started observing what Jane had said earlier—and it seemed she was right.Every morning, Brian and Mayoko disappeared together. If no one was paying attention, it wasn’t obvious. At lunch, Brian would glance at her now and then—and she did the same.My own gaze often drifted to Jane and Paul—and their dessert. After the first day, people stopped bothering her much, so she could eat and read in peace, sitting at the edge of the bench. On Paul’s other side, there was always some girl—some of whom I even knew. He was actively part of the conversation, but he and Jane would exchange a few quiet words now and then, which I unfortunately couldn’t hear.“What do you think, little girl?” I asked, trying to pull her