All Chapters of Jenny & Jay - Volume 1: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

“Well… I-I thought you wanted to go on a trip just the two of us,” she stammered. “I didn’t know you were planning a group vacation.”“Ohhh,” I said, pretending to be surprised. I loved how flustered she got. “I didn’t realize you wanted it to be just the two of us,” I continued. “I thought you’d be happy if we went with our friends.”“I am happy. I mean, it’s fine. I’m sure it’ll be fun,” she said quickly, almost mechanically.“Babe,” I said, pulling her into a hug. “Before you start imagining things, let’s clear something up.” I lifted her chin so she’d look at me. “Just because your gifted vacation might be a group trip doesn’t mean we won’t go somewhere alone too. Okay?”“I get it… I just don’t know if we can afford both,” she said softly.“You just got a nice paycheck,” I grinned. “And I’ll figure out my part.”“If needed, we’ll take a few shirtless photos of you too,” she laughed.“So a bunch of girls can hang posters of me on their walls?” I laughed. “I don’t need photos for th

The following week was all about preparing for the competition, so in the afternoons, Jenny and I barely had time for anything beyond the ride home. She didn’t always come with me, but I always knew where she was. Ever since our argument, she’d been careful to make sure I never had a reason to doubt her.“I’ll be at the shop with Amber today. We’re doing a bit of a redesign,” she said the morning before the competition.“Alright, Babe. Will I see you tomorrow?”“Of course. Mayoko, Diane, and Susy are picking me up in the morning—we’ll be there to cheer you on. Susy’s doing well, thankfully,” she added with a smile.“I’m glad to hear that.”“Hey,” she said, gently brushing her hand across my cheek as I parked in front of the school. “I love you. Don’t forget that.” She laughed, kissed me, and hopped out of the car.She was never one for big declarations, but she made sure I felt her love every single day.We left at dawn on Saturday.“This is the third-to-last one this year. Just stay

By Monday morning, posters announcing the date of the Spring Ball had appeared all over the school.Jenny squinted at one as she pulled books from her locker. “What’s this about?”“It’s the Spring Ball,” I said, helping her with a stack of textbooks. “They just put the posters up.”“I didn’t know that was a thing here,” she said, intrigued. “Do they do the whole prom king and queen thing too?”Brian, who had just walked up with Paul, listened as I answered. “Not exactly. A few years ago, there was a fight between the king and the queen’s boyfriend. Total mess. So they changed the rules. Now you vote for a couple, and also for a single guy or girl.”“There are some new rules this year,” Brian added. “Last time, someone cheated with the votes, so now it’s all electronic and you can only vote once. But you can’t see if you’ve been nominated.”Paul looked confused. “Why wouldn’t you be able to see that?”“To stop people from campaigning,” I explained. “That caused drama too. This way, no

"Well, here it is—your home for an entire week," I said as she kicked off her boots. "Want a tour?""It’s enough if you just show me my room," she said, her expression dead serious."Your what?" I asked."You know, the room where I’ll be sleeping," she clarified, staying perfectly composed."Oh... I just assumed you were sleeping in a room with me," I said, caught off guard. She wrapped her arms around me and finally let a smile break through."Messy, that’s also a room you have to show me," she winked. I scooped her up immediately and ran upstairs, tossing her onto my bed."Why do you have such a huge bed if you aren't allowed to bring anyone up here?" she asked."Because I used to toss and turn a lot, and I like to spread out." I stretched out beside her. "You know you actually scared me for a second, right?" I asked, my fingers tracing the line of her shoulder."I know. I could see it on your face. But you said this was your territory," she said with a touch of irony."So, you thin

The next morning, like a proper adult couple, we headed off to work. I packed lunch for both myself and Uncle Steve, then we left in separate cars. Jenny had been right—I didn’t finish early a single day that week. Still, we made it to the movie night with our friends without a hitch.But the night before our theater date, just as Uncle Steve was about to close up, the phone rang.“Johnny,” he said after a brief call, “can you stay a bit longer? They’re bringing in an injured dog, and I could use your help. But you won’t be home early.”“Of course, I’ll help,” I said without hesitation. “Just let me make a quick call.” I stepped outside and dialed my girlfriend.“Hey, Babe,” I said quickly when she picked up. “I won’t make it to the theater tonight, I’m sorry. We’ll have to cancel. There’s a dog on the way in.”“It’s okay, don’t worry. Come home when you can. I love you,” she said, then hung up. I knew she meant it—that’s one of the reasons I love her.A few minutes later, the dog arr