All Chapters of Jenny & Jay - Volume 2: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

“Thank you,” I said once the room had settled.“Some of you may not know me,” I began, ”so let me quickly introduce myself. My name is John Simmons, but my friends call me Jay.”“I asked the newlyweds for a few minutes because I have a confession to make.” Jenny almost stood up, but Daniel gently stopped her, and she stayed seated. The crowd began to pay attention.“About a year ago, I made a bet—which, as most of you probably guessed, I lost.” Laughter rippled through the room. Dad started watching Jenny, but her face gave nothing away.“At the time of that bet, I had someone by my side—my perfect match. She always brought out the best in me. But eventually, my fears got the better of me. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t have the courage to face my real feelings, and I pushed her away. Then rumors started—completely unfounded ones—that only drove her further from me. For a long time, I believed I could control every part of my life. But now I know—I don’t even want to mak

I waited for the next afternoon like I had before our movie date—nervous, dressed up, and right on time. I drove to Tony’s. I arrived before she did, but Tony greeted me enthusiastically.“Eating alone today, Jay?” he asked after our handshake.“Not exactly,” I said.“No way,” he grinned. I nodded.“I’m trying to fix what I broke. Does she come here often?”“A few times a month. Always alone. Always sits there.” He pointed to our usual spot just as Jenny’s car pulled into the lot.I sat down and waited for her to come in and take the seat across from me. She was wearing the same outfit she had on during our movie night.“Thanks for coming,” I said as she sat down.“You were right—one dance’s worth of time is fair,” she said. ”Or one burger,” she laughed.Tony brought her usual burger without asking, and mine too. I waited for him to leave. “There’s something I want to say,” I began carefully.“Go ahead,” she said with a soft smile.“I want to apologize for how I acted,” I said. She d

The next morning, I woke up early again. I went down to the newly renovated pool for a swim and made it back home in time for breakfast. Dad was already downstairs, and Mom joined us soon after in the kitchen.“Good morning, sweetheart,” Mom said. ”Looks like you’re getting back in shape.”“Jenny chose friendship,” I said while eating. ”I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand why she made that choice.”“I’m glad you do,” Dad said, sitting down beside me. ”I figured she’d choose what felt safest.”“There’s something I need to tell you both—but I’d rather Jenny didn’t find out. It’s important.” I could tell from Dad’s expression that he already knew what I was about to say, but he stayed quiet.“I’ve transferred to the nearby university,” I said. ”I’ve already been informed that I’ll need to retake all my exams at the end of summer. So by fall, we’ll know if they accept me.”“Why don’t you want her to know? It would make her happy,” Mom asked.“Because until I’m officially accepted,

The motorboat started. I had never skied before and had no idea if that even mattered, but staying upright was harder than I expected. I glanced sideways to see how Jenny was doing—and that was the moment I lost my balance and wiped out.“Dude,” Brian greeted me as I climbed out of the water, “if you hadn’t been staring at her, we might’ve had a shot.”“I know, I’m sorry,” I said. “I was just curious.”“No,” Paul laughed, “you wanted to win. She was focused on the task.”“Nice job, fairies,” the guy said as he helped Jenny out of her vest. He clearly started chatting with her, but Jenny just smiled, oblivious as always. Seeing this was starting to make me mad.“So, boys,” Mayoko called out, cutting off both the conversation and my thoughts, “now or after lunch?”“Now,” Brian said with a sigh, clearly noticing my frustration. “At least this way, lunch will stay down.”We climbed to the top of the tower and jumped one by one. Everyone managed just fine—except Brian, who clearly struggle

By the time Paul and I made it down, Aaron and Daryl were already sitting under three grouped umbrellas with Jessica. Diane, Mayoko, and Brian were in the water.“Aaron,” Jessica’s voice rang out just as we arrived, ”why don’t you go kiss Daryl instead?”The guys burst out laughing.“What happened?” Jenny asked as she and Susy appeared behind us.“I agreed with Daryl, not Jess,” Aaron shrugged.“What’s the topic?” I asked.“What kind of car we saw the other day,” Aaron replied.“Very important topic,” Jenny sighed. ”Jess, let’s go in the water.” Jessica, clearly annoyed, followed her, and the two of them started talking quietly.“This is what I was talking about,” Aaron muttered.“Don’t worry about it,” I said. ”She’ll grow out of it.”“He’s right,” Daryl added. ”At least she’s trying.”“At least she’s not jumping around right in front of you,” I muttered as Jenny leapt for the ball. I tried not to stare. Daryl just patted my shoulder.We followed the girls into the water, where they