Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, chapter 6
"Wow that was brilliant! Better than all those take out places in England." Jane grinned.
"Yeah, fish and chips isn't exactly hard to fuck up, but when Sarah's cooking... anything can happen." Jane swirled her water around in the glass that she was holding and looked down into it. "Anything... " She got up suddenly and took the plates out to the kitchen and washed them up. "Did you wanna watch TV for a little while?" she asked coming back into the dining room. The three of them smiled.
"TV would be good," Billie smiled and they got up to follow Jane into the lounge. They sat down on the sofa and Jane pointed the remote at the television, the screen lighting up the room with a pale blue glow at the press of a button.
"There has been another ransom telephone call regarding the kidnap of the rock band Green Day," a prim presenter was sitting at a desk in a spacious television studio. Jane glanced at the guys wondering if they wanted to watch it.
"Keep it on... " Mike said interestedly.
"The band - who should be going on tour next month -"
"Why does she say should? We WILL be going on tour next month!" Tré said indignantly.
"They don't know if we'll be back... " Billie Joe said.
"- went missing when they were walking home from recording studios in Oakland California," the newsreader continued, "The first telephone call was traced to Washington however it is unlikely that the band are being held captive there. The second phone call, which was received earlier today, has been traced to Ohio. The kidnapper has demanded a fee of three million dollars." The presenter looked grim. "In other news... " Jane flicked the TV off.
"I don't believe it. Three million dollars? She only needs about sixty thousand to be able to go to university back home. And if she wants to buy herself a place then why not ask for five hundred thousand dollars? That'd get her a nice place back home. Hell that'd get her a nice place anywhere! She won't know what to do with three million dollars. And does she think people won't be suspicious? One day she's mooching off her sister, the next she's bought a house outright and is going to UCL? How does she even think she can-?"
"Calm down!" Billie Joe said over her. "Look, she's not gonna get away with it so why are you worrying?"
"You don't understand. She's doing all this, and she knows that if I find you I won't just let you stew down there so she's left me to look after you and everything and I'm the one with the fucking eleven hour a day job while she's mooching around making fucking ransom phone calls! It's not fucking fair!" Jane yelled. "Of course I'm glad I met you but it could have been under different circumstances! She's just so frustrating! I mean I've paid for her for seven years and now look how she repays me! By kidnapping my favourite band and being a total bitch about it!!! You don't know how many times I've wished I had the courage to kick her out of the house. But then I remember she's my sister. And sisters are supposed to be one of the closest relationships you can have. I just wish... no, that's horrible."
"You just wish what?" Billie Joe asked putting a comforting arm around her.
"I just wish that sometimes... " she got up suddenly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom... I'll be back in a second... " she walked out of the lounge and Billie Joe sat back on the sofa.
"See what I mean Mike? It isn't just about us."
"See what I mean Billie? I never said it was. All I said was that you like her. A lot."
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Tré exclaimed, "Billie likes Jane?" Mike rolled his eyes.
"Always the quick one aren't you Tré?"
"No Tré, Mike's just being a butt munch."
"God how mature are you Billie? Butt munch? Hell even Estelle doesn't say butt munch anymore!"
"Only 'cause you taught her how to say asshole. You being the responsible parent that you are... "
"Here we go again, changing the subject... " Mike smiled wryly. "I know you like her Billie, why can't you admit it?"
"Hey guys," Jane had returned. She sat down on the sofa and everyone was quiet.
"What you doing tomorrow?" Billie Joe asked Jane. "It's Saturday right?"
"Yeah, it's Saturday tomorrow. I dunno, probably do what I do every Saturday, get up, get the groceries, come back, clean the whole house, oh yeah, make lunch for Sarah if she gets up. Make dinner a few hours later... you know, the stuff that someone does when they've got a lazy fucking sister to support."
"What do your parents think of this whole thing you've got with Sarah?"
"Well they think she's lazy. And they know I work hard. And they tell me they're proud of me for doing this. And she doesn't deserve a sister like me. And then when they suggest Sarah getting a job she's like 'how can you say that? I need to go to uni before I can get a job!' But the truth is she needs a job to be able to go to uni. She's never tried to save up for uni. Not once. I was putting away half my wages from when I was sixteen so I could get a car and go to uni, just so it wouldn't be as much when it came to it. She didn't even bother getting a job. And she complained when Mum stopped giving her an allowance. But she was eighteen at the time so you know... it's not entirely unreasonable. And she could have gone uni, Mum and Dad were willing to pay, but she didn't turn up to college so she ended up not being entered for her exams. It's her own fault. I did warn her. Hell I even tried doing her coursework for her even though we were taking completely different subjects. But of course she didn't turn up to hand it in."
"Wow, evil kidnapper has just turned into evil fucking bitch of a kidnapper. Why don't you just say to her that if she doesn't get a job and start paying rent then you'll kick her out? Or at least tell her to do something around the house. It's not fair on you."
"Yeah well whoever said that life was fair?"
"But it doesn't have to be this unfair!" Billie Joe reasoned.
"Yeah it does. It always has been. No one likes change."
"So you're saying you like it like this?" Jane ignored him and flicked on the TV. Billie Joe sighed and turned away. He knew he'd pressed her too hard and decided to give it a rest.
"Hey look, family guy's on," Jane said cheerfully. She turned up the volume and they sat watching it, laughing every couple of minutes at the cartoon.
"Stewie's just like you Jane!" Tré said amongst a fit of giggles.
"What? No he's not!" Jane protested.
"Yeah he is!" Billie Joe agreed with Tré, "he's incredibly sarcastic and he has and English accent! Just like you!"
"Yeah there's also the fact that I'm a one year old boy with intentions to take over the world... " Jane rolled her eyes.
"Hey Stewie! What's the time?" Tré said giggling.
"Oh very funny, absolutely hilarious! It's-" she stopped as she heard a car pull up outside the house. She glanced at her watch. "Ten o'clock... downstairs. Now."
"Yeah, fish and chips isn't exactly hard to fuck up, but when Sarah's cooking... anything can happen." Jane swirled her water around in the glass that she was holding and looked down into it. "Anything... " She got up suddenly and took the plates out to the kitchen and washed them up. "Did you wanna watch TV for a little while?" she asked coming back into the dining room. The three of them smiled.
"TV would be good," Billie smiled and they got up to follow Jane into the lounge. They sat down on the sofa and Jane pointed the remote at the television, the screen lighting up the room with a pale blue glow at the press of a button.
"There has been another ransom telephone call regarding the kidnap of the rock band Green Day," a prim presenter was sitting at a desk in a spacious television studio. Jane glanced at the guys wondering if they wanted to watch it.
"Keep it on... " Mike said interestedly.
"The band - who should be going on tour next month -"
"Why does she say should? We WILL be going on tour next month!" Tré said indignantly.
"They don't know if we'll be back... " Billie Joe said.
"- went missing when they were walking home from recording studios in Oakland California," the newsreader continued, "The first telephone call was traced to Washington however it is unlikely that the band are being held captive there. The second phone call, which was received earlier today, has been traced to Ohio. The kidnapper has demanded a fee of three million dollars." The presenter looked grim. "In other news... " Jane flicked the TV off.
"I don't believe it. Three million dollars? She only needs about sixty thousand to be able to go to university back home. And if she wants to buy herself a place then why not ask for five hundred thousand dollars? That'd get her a nice place back home. Hell that'd get her a nice place anywhere! She won't know what to do with three million dollars. And does she think people won't be suspicious? One day she's mooching off her sister, the next she's bought a house outright and is going to UCL? How does she even think she can-?"
"Calm down!" Billie Joe said over her. "Look, she's not gonna get away with it so why are you worrying?"
"You don't understand. She's doing all this, and she knows that if I find you I won't just let you stew down there so she's left me to look after you and everything and I'm the one with the fucking eleven hour a day job while she's mooching around making fucking ransom phone calls! It's not fucking fair!" Jane yelled. "Of course I'm glad I met you but it could have been under different circumstances! She's just so frustrating! I mean I've paid for her for seven years and now look how she repays me! By kidnapping my favourite band and being a total bitch about it!!! You don't know how many times I've wished I had the courage to kick her out of the house. But then I remember she's my sister. And sisters are supposed to be one of the closest relationships you can have. I just wish... no, that's horrible."
"You just wish what?" Billie Joe asked putting a comforting arm around her.
"I just wish that sometimes... " she got up suddenly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom... I'll be back in a second... " she walked out of the lounge and Billie Joe sat back on the sofa.
"See what I mean Mike? It isn't just about us."
"See what I mean Billie? I never said it was. All I said was that you like her. A lot."
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Tré exclaimed, "Billie likes Jane?" Mike rolled his eyes.
"Always the quick one aren't you Tré?"
"No Tré, Mike's just being a butt munch."
"God how mature are you Billie? Butt munch? Hell even Estelle doesn't say butt munch anymore!"
"Only 'cause you taught her how to say asshole. You being the responsible parent that you are... "
"Here we go again, changing the subject... " Mike smiled wryly. "I know you like her Billie, why can't you admit it?"
"Hey guys," Jane had returned. She sat down on the sofa and everyone was quiet.
"What you doing tomorrow?" Billie Joe asked Jane. "It's Saturday right?"
"Yeah, it's Saturday tomorrow. I dunno, probably do what I do every Saturday, get up, get the groceries, come back, clean the whole house, oh yeah, make lunch for Sarah if she gets up. Make dinner a few hours later... you know, the stuff that someone does when they've got a lazy fucking sister to support."
"What do your parents think of this whole thing you've got with Sarah?"
"Well they think she's lazy. And they know I work hard. And they tell me they're proud of me for doing this. And she doesn't deserve a sister like me. And then when they suggest Sarah getting a job she's like 'how can you say that? I need to go to uni before I can get a job!' But the truth is she needs a job to be able to go to uni. She's never tried to save up for uni. Not once. I was putting away half my wages from when I was sixteen so I could get a car and go to uni, just so it wouldn't be as much when it came to it. She didn't even bother getting a job. And she complained when Mum stopped giving her an allowance. But she was eighteen at the time so you know... it's not entirely unreasonable. And she could have gone uni, Mum and Dad were willing to pay, but she didn't turn up to college so she ended up not being entered for her exams. It's her own fault. I did warn her. Hell I even tried doing her coursework for her even though we were taking completely different subjects. But of course she didn't turn up to hand it in."
"Wow, evil kidnapper has just turned into evil fucking bitch of a kidnapper. Why don't you just say to her that if she doesn't get a job and start paying rent then you'll kick her out? Or at least tell her to do something around the house. It's not fair on you."
"Yeah well whoever said that life was fair?"
"But it doesn't have to be this unfair!" Billie Joe reasoned.
"Yeah it does. It always has been. No one likes change."
"So you're saying you like it like this?" Jane ignored him and flicked on the TV. Billie Joe sighed and turned away. He knew he'd pressed her too hard and decided to give it a rest.
"Hey look, family guy's on," Jane said cheerfully. She turned up the volume and they sat watching it, laughing every couple of minutes at the cartoon.
"Stewie's just like you Jane!" Tré said amongst a fit of giggles.
"What? No he's not!" Jane protested.
"Yeah he is!" Billie Joe agreed with Tré, "he's incredibly sarcastic and he has and English accent! Just like you!"
"Yeah there's also the fact that I'm a one year old boy with intentions to take over the world... " Jane rolled her eyes.
"Hey Stewie! What's the time?" Tré said giggling.
"Oh very funny, absolutely hilarious! It's-" she stopped as she heard a car pull up outside the house. She glanced at her watch. "Ten o'clock... downstairs. Now."
