SEALED WITH A KISS | BEE

[James Rodgers]

SEALED WITH A KISS
  friday, 8:45 PM

He thought he could see clearly as he dawdled down the stairs in the dark and towards the kitchen to see if Helena has left him dinner that night. It was dark in the house because James had been sleeping almost all afternoon since he came back home after school a 3:30 PM. For an hour and half after classes were over, he had to help out resolve certain problems affecting some of the students, and as class president it was part of his tasks to ensure building funds for the upcoming Homecoming event - so that too, he had to set up.

He winced as he turned the light back on in the living room before wandering back into the lobby, to circle around the stairs and venture into the kitchen. Turning the switch on, he scanned the kitchen for any sign of a warm dinner to find nothing really on the stove or the dinning table. But, there was a note on the kitchen counter, signed 'Margot'. The note said that there was a freshly half-baked pizza in the fridge.

He arched a brow. Jesus, when did Margot cook anything? He thought as he rolled his eyes. Suddenly, he grimaced again due to a headache caused by oversleeping, James headed back upstairs and jumped into the shower, taking it ice-cold. He cringed in the beginning when the water hit his warm skin but as he began to breathe deeply in response to the shivers that coursed through his body, his heart rate increased and his blood began to rush through him, warming up despite the cold temperature. Gradually adapting he began to wash himself.

By the time he was finished, James sensed some sort of a relief from the pressure in his head and he felt more alert to his surroundings. He disliked taking naps after school because at times he would end up sleeping longer than usual and would only wake up when it was past 9:00 PM. Luckily tonight, he woke up about an hour before his rendez-vous.


It was a Friday evening. When adults thought about their paychecks on Fridays, most schoolers looked forward to a long weekend at the thought of Fridays. And the neighborhoods were often safe for children roaming the streets on foot during weekends because families were either on road trips, attending to indoor activities or elsewhere with their kids for some outdoor adventures in the city.

Helena and Margot were out. James had known about it the day before and that is why he felt more comfortable about inviting Bee over in order to study together for their Literature project. The other couple of times Bee was over, his mother was starting to suspect that her son was dating the girl. Yeeech!!! Never! It often made James feel irritated as that was the last thing he wanted to hear back from his mother. So tonight, instead of taking Bee up to his room like the other couple of times, James has decided to carry his school tools and books over to the living room on public display where he would work with the Soul Sister, so that Helena wouldn't have to bug him about it again just in case she came in early.


The young man, now clothed in a clean pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt, brushed his damp hair back, slicking it naturally in the dim light of his desk lamp. When he was done, he exited his room and made his way back downstairs to get that pizza ready before the Nemesis arrived. Sucking his bottom lip into his mouth, he placed the half-cooked pizza on a pan and centered it inside the oven on the middle rack. He set the timer and exited to the living room to turn on the music record console but not before tossing couple bottles of beer inside the fridge.

Though we've got to say good-bye
For the summer. Darling, I promise you this 
I'll send you all my love, everyday in a letter
Sealed with a kiss

An underground voice unknown to James at the time, sang words of a song from Udell and Geld' material. The song was going to become an impressive hit in the early 1960s once recorded by Brian Hyland.

Still unfamiliar to the owner's voice, he moved towards the curtains when he saw out of the corner of his eyes, a glint of white lights. He squinted against the blinding lights of Bee's car and moved away quickly from the window. He moistened his lips slightly when he bit down on them and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if meeting up for the project was a good idea. Been stuck with her under the same roof for couple hours was going to be as painful as been forced to watch Howdy Doody for hours long and that is how much he disliked the show as a kid. In that moment, James wished there was a mousetrap in his home, big enough to set for Buzzing Bee.

Rubbing his hands together, he began to walk towards the door when he averted his eyes to the table only briefly, to take a glimpse of a copy of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, published by Cambridge University Press. The subject of their school work.

"Hello beautiful." James extended a sly smile to Bee as he opened the door and blocked the entrance with his frame. "I see you and I suddenly wonder why is my ass hurting me so." Opening it widely, he stepped to the side while keeping eyes on the crazy greaser. "Come in." One thing he wouldn't lie about, she looked damn fine, unlike some of them retard preppy blondes at his school. "Got Pizza for dinner, and beer... hope you're not on a diet." He bit the inside of his mouth to suppress a laugh and turned around on his heels, aiming for the kitchen. Bee knew the way and he didn't need to guide her around. This wasn't her first time.

---

Bee Poplawski i hope this was an okay intro (=
lyrics by Udell & Geld

[Bee Poplawski]

Giving up a Friday night with the gang wasn't exactly making Bee happy. Being stuck with James Rodgers on a Friday night when she could be out raising Hell. She had to make some hasty excuse why she couldn't chill at The Can with the Sisters. If it weren't for that stupid project, Bee would have stayed as far from the Rodgers' residence as humanly possible.

It wasn't her fault she actually cared about a college level literature course was it? Maybe if she'd been bad at it or hated reading she would have blown it off, never signed up for a higher level course where she'd have to sit near James Rodgers. But there was just something about books that Bee really liked. Her friends would think it was stupid, uncool even that she could lose herself in Jules Verne or Jane Austen or Charles Dickens for hours. That she could talk about the symbolism and foreshadow and argue that The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare deserved more recognition.

But that was embarrassing. That made her 'Beatrice' didn't it?

Bee was the leader of the Soul Sister. Fearless. Drag racing down the streets of Vegas and playing chicken at Stargazers Peak.

She didn't read, she cut class and gave the nuns hell.

Living up to her reputation made her wonder if it was okay to care for anything. Cool people weren't supposed to be smart.

This wasn't the first time she'd gone to James's place, there was probably enough gum stuck under the coffee table to prove that. There was no room at her apartment, not with several other siblings. They couldn't exactly go out in public either, lest people see them doing homework. James and his sister weren't exactly the coolest cats in town, especially when compared with the Sons. Being seen with him was going to make a major dent in the reputation she'd built for herself. His house seemed like the safest.

She walked alone, unafraid, from the bad side of town, Peter's leather jacket over a blouse she'd pulled from her closet. She'd pulled her hair back in a ponytail, tying it with a stolen red scarf. Capris and some sneakers kept her warm in the cool desert night, her well-read copy of The Taming of the Shrew hidden underneath the jacket.

Bee pressed the doorbell, looking side to side, trying to make sure none of the Sons were roaming the neighborhood to knock over a mailbox or egg a house. James answered, but wouldn't move to let her in. She tilted her head, her mouth set in a deep frown, quickly scurrying in when he finally did.

She was chewing on a piece of gum while she watched him offer her dinner. That is, if she wasn't on a diet.

"Why?" she asked, her voice dark as she rose a brow. She blew a bubble and let it pop loudly before continuing to chew and deigning him with a conclusion. "Do you think I need one?"

Taking the book out from under her jacket, Bee rolled her eyes and stormed into the kitchen, taking out her gum and casually sticking it to the refrigerator door as she pulled it open and grabbed a beer, popping the top off with the bottle opener in Pete's jacket. The smell from the oven made her stomach rumble quietly.

"I don't know what you think this is, but it's not that," Bee's eyes migrated over toward the record playing. "Is your mom putting strange ideas in your head, Jimmy?" She smirked at him as she took a sip of the beer.

Bee was here to work. But a little pizza and beer never killed anyone. Bill Shakespeare wouldn't mind.

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[James Rodgers Sorry for the wait! Hope this works!]