A Rough Night

The dark woman chuckled at their male partner in crime then answered with,"Lord I wish." Jesseye gasped and she couldn't help shaking her head. The girl was so damn oblivious.

Shane leaned on his hand and smirked. "Ahh crush. You should just tell him."

The mechanic scoffed and shook her head. She had tried to several times, but it had never been the right time. Before Gramps passed, she'd always been in a relationship. And after? "Jess, I've been hitting on him for years. You haven't noticed?" Jazza arched a brow as she looked at her redheaded friend mockingly. Well, she hadn't exactly had interest in anything but work. She couldn't let her late mentor's business crumble just because she wanted to fool around.

"Well, I mean," Jesseye tried to defend herself while her cheeks heated with embarrassment,"I knew you liked him, but I didn't know you *liikkkeedd* him."

Her friend simply chuckled as she sipped her water. The ginger definitely wasn't helping herself. Her words weren't believable in the least.

Shane shook his head, patting Jesseye's shoulder. "There there." He chuckled more then sipped his mead as he watched her. She was so funny when flustered. It didn't happen often, but her face was so very red now. She sighed and hung her head, "So Jess. Who do you have a crush on?" He asked with a grin.

Suddenly, her heart beat shot through the roof. "I-um," Jesseye's mouth went dry as the blood in her face darkened, as if someone was painting the entire thing deep crimson. How could she get out of this without lying? "I..I dunno..." she bit her lip at her slip up. All of her features suggested that she knew exactly who her crush was, and that he was close. She drank her cherry beer in an effort to cool her face and give her something else to look at.

"What was that, Jess?" Jazzy joined in the taunting with a smirk.

"Who's your secret lover boy?" He asked. She gulped and looked away, her heart beating loudly in her ears. He shrugged at her reluctance, snickering lightly, "Or girl, I ain't gonna hate," He mocked further, putting his hands up. "Come onnnnn, tell meeee." He whined and playfully tossed a waded up ball of straw paper at her.

She cleared her throat and shook her head. How could she answer without saying out right that it was him? "Well, um.. It's not crazy or anything like Jazza's," she gulped, and for a split second, glanced back to him.

Jazzy sat forward with interest,"Oh, do we know him?" she asked with a smirk. She knew very well who it was. Poor Jesseye couldn't hide a thing; especially not from her.

"I um," she looked to her black friend for help,"Met this guy a couple months ago that I might be interested in," she chuckled nervously while conveniently staring at Tony's decorations,"I-i dunno," she mumbled much more quietly as she played with the red ponytail poking out of her hat.

Shane's eyes went wide at whom it could be. "Might be?" He said a bit shakily, blood warming his face.

She nodded,"Y-yeah.." She drew breath deeply into her lungs. To relieve stress, he ran a hand through her hair, knocking off her hat.

He cleared his throat and lugged a sig of his beer. "How interested?" He asked as he looked to the table, gripping his drink rather tightly. He had teased her, sure, but he never had really thought of her in that way.

She choked on her beer and glanced to him in her panic. "I, I don't know.. He um..." It surprised her that he was blushing too. 'Does he?' She thought, gripping her hair near the roots, 'No. He's just embarrassed for me.' She frowned as Tony brought their pizza. That was a thing, right?!

Jazza placed her hand on her best friend's,"You don't have to say anymore, Jess. I'm sorry for pushing you." Thankfully Tony understood that she was in the middle of handling a delicate situation to thank him, properly.

The ginger shook her head to clear the fog already entering her mind. A can of worms was open now and she needed to explain herself, "He doesn't like me back." She answered softly after the tall black man left them alone, taking another sip of her beer. "So, it doesn't matter." She said hoarsely before beginning to eat in silence. Lord it felt like her dream was all gone already. She feared the future, the fact that he now knew.

He bit his lip in a bout of nerves then sighed. "Ok..." He didn't want things to get weird between them. He quietly picked up a slice of pizza and started eating. He felt rather conflicted now; scared, unsure, "I'm sure he won't mind." He said a little shakily.

Her emerald eyes shot to him once more. "What?" She asked in disbelief. She could hardly breath at the rate her heart was beating. The blush of her cheeks quickly renewed as she stared at the man across from her. She didn't know what to say. 'What do you mean? Are you messing with me? I know he doesn't care! Please just don't leave me!'

Shane gulped as he thought she now had taken it the wrong way. "I don't know, like um." What was he supposed to say to fix this? What *could* he say without hurting her?

While Jesseye worried in quiet panic, Jazza made an effort to fill the void,"Shane," she smiled him and nodded,"What's so special bout yur van?" She chuckled lightly to boost moral as she leaned on her hand, chewing before questioning him once more.

Jesseye silently thanked her for speaking when she couldn't. Shane's answer, the entirety of their conversation really, buzzed passed her ears. "That's um, cool," Jesseye tried to support whatever he was saying, but even that short sentence came out pathetically. A large part of her wanted to hope that her assessment was wrong, that maybe he did like her; but another assured her she was tucked safely in the friend zone.

Jazzebella held her hand across the table to comfort her while she talked,"Good that you have it then. What was he like?" She asked, her attention too focused on her friends to notice Tony watching them, no her, from the kitchen,"Your uncle." She clarified with a smile.

Shane sighed and took another long drink of his beer. "He was, he was amazing. He was the only one who I felt like actually uh, cared." He said with a nervous laugh.

Jazza nodded. "I understand," She often felt the same about her late mentor.

He hoped the alcohol would give him a buzz soon. How could he leave *now*? Jesseye was skilled with a hairpin, but not people, not procedure, not plans; they couldn't do it without him, "He was always there for me." Shouldn't he be there for them, his only real friends? "But, after he was killed...Things got really hard." He said sadly as he tapped his glass before finishing off his drink and nodding to Tony for a refill.

She sighed,"I'm sorry, Shane. But hey! Ya got a new crew now," she smiled at him then glanced over her shoulder as she finally felt Tony's gaze. The man averted his eyes from Jazza to Shane, giving him a nod.

He came back a few minutes later and exchanged both his and Jesseye's empty glasses for a full one. "Thanks."

The ginger nodded, her head already fogged,"Yeah!" She chuckled and lifted her drink,"To the crew!" She laughed as their drinks clinked together. She then looked specifically to Shane,"Through thick and thin, as long as you'll have us!" She promised with a nod before drinking more.

Jazza nodded in agreement,"As long as you'll have us."

*&^%$*&^%$*&^%$*&^%$*

She let them both drink a couple more then cut it off at five. "Awweee Jazzaaa," her friend moaned in annoyance, laying in the back seat as she was more than wasted.

Jazzebella raised an eyebrow while craning the engine,"What did I say about Scarlet?" She asked cooly.

"Don hurl on da seaaatttss," Jesseye answered in a pouty reply. She didn't drink often so five full glasses was more than enough for her.

"And what'll drinkin do?"

She huffed and refused to answer, grumbling foul words under her breath. Jazza just shook her head, paid the check, then drug Shane out with her.

He fell into the front seat of Jazza's vet and groaned. "Big jerks." he said through a yawn.

Tears streamed down Jesseye's face at his insult,"Why, why? I no. I good Jess!" She shouted at the sky then hugged herself as she continued to cry,"He, he don likes me..." She mumbled hoarsely, the reason for her drinking coming back in full force.

Jazza sighed and pat her head. The ginger's drunken mind simply couldn't comprehend these complex feelings like this. Tony's was only a couple blocks down the road, but both of her friends were gone by the time she parked at home. She grunted as Jesseye piggy backed inside. The black woman laid her on her own bed since it was on the bottom floor then took the Jesseye's bed upstairs. It wasn't as big as hers, but still comfortable.