The bad girl and the dork

I was standing in front of Jake's door with a stolen stop sign in my arms. Just another ordinary day for Jill.

This was my thank you gift for Jake's little poem.

The stop sign meant a lot to us. A few years ago, the guys and I went out. That evening I winded up roaming the streets with Jake.

I don't remember that much about it but we came across this stop sign. Jake had asked me to pole dance for him which I respectfully declined by kicking his ass. Literally kicking his ass.

All of a sudden Jake had grabbed a Sharpie and started writing on the stop sign. Why does the guy have a Sharpie with him at all times? So he can always give his conquests his phone number. Considerate guy, isn't he?

Anyway when he was done, the sign said 'STOP fucking around'. Pretty lame but it was the most awesome thing ever that night. We could've seen an apocalypse and it wouldn't even trump that sign. Drink responsibly, kids.

Since then that stop sign became our thing. If we'd ever get BFF matching tattoos it'd say 'Stop fucking around'. But we won't. Ever. That'd be gross. Plus, Jake frequently fucks around so it wouldn't be accurate.

You know how people always go visit the graves of their loved ones every once in a while? Jake and I visit the stop sign sometimes, just for good times' sake. We're sentimental like that.

Now he could see the stop sign whenever he wanted to. The borderline creepy note was just an excuse to give it to him.

So you might wonder how you steal a stop sign. You're probably imagining me and Gwen with black hoodies stealing that sign in the middle of the night and running from a shouting neighbor that caught us. Or even a police car chase.

Oh how I wish life'd be that interesting. After Gwen's toenails had dried we just went to the stop sign during the day, grabbed it, went back to the car and drove home. It took us ten minutes at most.

The sign had detached pretty easily from the pole so there was no challenge whatsoever. It'd almost made me sad. What's the point in doing something illegal when it's boring, right?

I had wrapped the sign in some toilet paper and put a bow on it. I didn't use wrapping paper, I'm not fancy like that.

"Jilly! I didn't know you were coming." Jake said when he had finally opened the door. It was a big risk coming to his house unannounced. There was always the chance he wasn't home or he was home... But not alone.

"Am I interrupting fun Jake time or is the coast clear?" He was fully clothed so I was hoping for the best.

"Come in." He stepped aside, eyeing the mystery item tucked underneath my armpit. It least if I were sweating, the toilet paper would absorb it. That was a gross image. I'd say sorry but I'm not.

"Is that... thing for me?" Jake asked. I'd be creeped out too if someone'd come to my house with a thing wrapped in toilet paper. But it had a cute little bow on it so Jake had no right to complain.

"It is! You're gonna love it." I said with a huge grin on my face. I couldn't wait to see his reaction.

"You're being creepy." Jake deadpanned and plopped on his couch.

"Probably. Open it!" I handed him the gift and waited anxiously for him to open it.

It took him long enough. He eyed me suspiciously and then he started unwrapping it carefully. Why couldn't he just rip the damn thing off?

"You didn't!" Jake gasped.

Oh I did, Christmas came early this year. He threw the toilet paper on the ground and started studying the stop sign as if he'd never seen it before.

"This is incredible! Holy fuck I can't believe it!" Jake said excitedly. Told you he was gonna love it.

"Can't believe you stole this without me though." I didn't think he minded that much. That grin seemed stuck on his face.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if you came along now would it?" I told him, copying his smile. Jake's happy mood was highly contagious.

"Thanks! Its not even my birthday." He squished my head with his arms. I think it was supposed to be a head hug?

"Get your biceps out of my face." My voice was muffled because Jake wouldn't let go immediately.

"Don't pretend you didn't like it." He smirked.

"I didn't have to pretend." I said sarcastically. "Anyway, how else was I gonna thank you."

Jake looked confused. "Thank me for what? You don't have to thank me for being awesome, Jill."

"You're so funny. No, please, keep saying things like that. You crack me up." I deadpanned.

"Alright alright I get it. There's no need for all the sass." Jake raised his hands in surrender, as he should. "But why thank me?"

"The poem in my locker of course." I told him.

"The what in your what now?" Jake looked lost. He didn't even notice the innuendo he'd just made.

"I take it you didn't write the poem?" There was no need for him to deny it and I figured his short term memory was still intact.

"I didn't. But I can still keep the sign right?" He pleaded.

"Of course, it belongs to you. Damn I really thought it was you though." I pondered. Who would write me a poem like that?

"So I guess it was a cheesy love poem or something? Wasn't me this time." Jake shrugged.

"Yeah, it was one of those lame 'roses are red' poems. It wasn't Gwen either because she helped me get the stop sign. She wouldn't help me stealing you a gift if she was the rightful owner." She would've claimed it herself or something else.

"Does Jilly have a secret admirer?" Jake wiggled his eyebrows. Gross, no. I was convinced it was a prank.

"Well he didn't put a lot of effort into it. The note wasn't even scented." I said smugly.

"Or she. It could've been a girl. That'd be so hot." Jake said excitedly.

"Do you need a bucket? You're drooling all over the place." I raised an eyebrow.

Jake narrowed his eyes playfully.

-

I was on my way to my dad's place. Chase was sitting next to me.

Before you lose your shit, no, he's not meeting the other parent. The other parent is at work.

I had left Jake's place after helping him redecorate his room. And by redecorate I mean shoving a few things aside so he could hang the stop sign on his wall. It looked pretty awesome. Like it belonged there.

My mom and Hugh would be at the house today so I figured I'd give them some alone time and go to my dad's place.

I'd already assured Chase that my dad wouldn't be home. Even though he wouldn't mind meeting him. His ignorance was very cute.

"For some reason I figured he'd live further away." Chase said while I was pulling in the driveway.

"He wanted to live in Boston initially because his lawfirm is there but then he fell in love with this house. I don't mind, it's very convenient." I shrugged.

It was a very short drive from Chase's house to my dad's. It hadn't occurred to me that I'd never told Chase where my dad lived. But then again, we didn't talk that much about our parents.

"I get that." Chase said looking at the house. It was a big house, but not too big. It had a cute garden with a heavy metal garden gnome, courtesy to a fourteen year old hormonal teenager called Jill. I remember not liking the happy looking gnome so I took some permanent markers and went my way with it.

My dad didn't get that mad because he couldn't deny that the gnome looked pretty cool. He wasn't a big fan of garden gnomes either, it'd been a gift.

When I opened the door I almost ran into Kate. She was wearing a yellow sundress and smelled like strawberries. It was pretty obvious she was heading out.

"Jill! You scared me! Oh, hey Chase!" She said in one breath. I poked her shoulder so she'd take one step back. I didn't like people invading my personal bubble, even when that person was Kate.

"Hi Kate! You look amazing." Chase greeted her. If I didn't know Chase I'd say the bastard was flirting with her but he's just way too polite.

"Thanks! I was just heading out. Jill, you have the worst timing ever." Kate pouted like a little kid.

"Me? You're always leaving the house. Dad should ground you more often." I said teasingly.

"Ground me? I'm too kind for that. Or I could pull the 'you're not my real dad' card." She smiled deviously.

"That's harsh. I like it. So where are you going?" I grabbed her hand and made her twirl. If I were a girly girl I'd totally borrow that sundress.

"Just a date with the boyfriend. He wouldn't tell me what we're doing." Kate sounded a little grumpy. She wasn't a huge fan of surprises so she probably didn't like the prospect of a mystery date.

"Relax, it's Matt. What's the worst he could do?" I asked.

"Making me hang out with his family. That could totally happen since I'm meeting him at his house." She sighed.

I patted her back. "It'll be fine. If it get's too boring just text me and I'll call you with an emergency."

I remembered Kate talking about a brunch she'd had with Matt's family. She had said she was one dull conversation away from jabbing a fork in her eye. I didn't envy her.

Chase squeezed my hand and I almost jumped. I'd almost forgotten he was still standing there.

"You're a life saver! Anyway, gotta go." Kate grabbed her purse.

"Wait, is Beth here?" How unfortunate it'd be if Chase and I had the house to ourselves.

"Nope, spa day with her girlfriends. She'll be back tomorrow. Bye guys!" She ran out the door after checking the time.

"I guess it's just you and me then." I said suggestively.

"Too bad." Chase said with a smile on his face. His hands went to my waist so he could pull me closer. I brought my hands to his face so I could kiss him with all I had.

"I'll give you a tour." I breathed after a few heated kisses. And with tour I meant finding my room and not come out for a few hours.

Just as I was about to grab Chase's hand so I could lead the way, my stomach started to cry in agony. It cried 'please give me food 'cause I'll starve otherwise'. Chase laughed at the horrible sound.

"Maybe the tour should wait." Chase suggested. I groaned.

"But I really wanted to show you around." I pouted.

"You need energy for that so let's eat. I could eat." Chase laughed. He was right, we'd need our energy and growling stomachs weren't attractive.

"You can always eat." I added. I guess the tour would start in the kitchen.

"I could say the same for you." Touche. He got me there.

"We should probably make some dinner. I didn't know it was already this late." I suggested. I opened the cupboards to see what food there was. Luckily this house is always fully stocked, unlike mom's house.

"I'm not picky, you choose." Chase said while looking over my shoulder. His breath tickled my neck and it took everything not to lean into him. Focus, Jill. Food. This is about food.

"What about some pasta? There are enough vegetables to make sauce." I could always eat pasta. Those Italians sure know how to make excellent food.

"Sure, I love pasta." Chase said. This is why we worked as a couple.

A few minutes later we were both chopping vegetables. There's something so satisfying about chopping stuff to little pieces. I'd be a great psychopath.

"You know, my parents bonded like this." Chase explained.

"Well, yeah. They own a restaurant. Cooking was probably their passion."

"Then we bonded over ..." Chase stopped his sentence to think about our passion.

"Food?" I finished his sentence.

He chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right, I'm always ri-" I stopped talking when I felt a stinging sensation. Yep, I chopped, not only a carrot, but a finger. Well, that was exaggerated. I just had a little cut in my finger.

"What's wrong?" Chase asked.

I went up to him with my finger held out. "Wanna see my boo boo?" I said with the voice of a little kid. I fake sniffed.

"Jill, I don't like finger in my sauce." Chase joked after he examined my finger and concluded it wasn't that bad.

"Funny." I deadpanned while keeping my finger underneath the tap.

"Where are the bandaids?" Chase asked and disappeared after I explained where he could find them.

A minute later he appeared with a bandaid in his hand.

"Finger." Chase said.

It didn't really need a bandaid. The cut was very superficial and it didn't hurt or anything but if Chase wanted to put that Disney princesses bandaid on my finger, I'd let him.

Instead of putting the bandaid on he opened the bottle of disinfectant I hadn't noticed he had been holding.

"Now this may hurt a little." He told me as if I were a little child. I rolled my eyes and let him apply the disinfectant.

"Not even a flinch?" Chase asked afterwards.

"It's disinfectant, not acid." I deadpanned. I wouldn't admit that it had stung a little bit.

After that he put the bandaid on with a lot of care. I'd expected him to just slap it on but then had to remind myself that Chase wasn't like my friends. I smiled a little at his focused expression while applying the bandaid.

"There you go." He smiled.

"You still need to kiss the pain away." I said innocently.

Instead of kissing my lips he brought my injured finger to his lips and kissed it softly. Since when does kissing a girly bandaid turn me on? Get a grip, Jill.

"What's going on here?" I jumped when I heard my dad's voice. He wasn't supposed to be home, please tell me it was my imagination. Yep, I was hallucinating. He wasn't there.

I mentally cursed when I turned my head and he was standing there with his arms folded across his chest.

"Hi, Mr Larson, I'm Chase." Chase said politely while my mouth was still trying to catch up with my brain.

"Hello, Chase. You're not one of her delinquent friends, so I'm guessing you're the boyfriend." My dad said. He was already playing with him because he actually liked my friends. One time he had spent the entire afternoon playing CoD with Jake and Snake.

"He is. I thought you were at work." I managed to say.

"Nice to see you too daughter. I'm working here today." He gave me a sly smile to say 'I got you now and you're not getting away'.

"Alright, 'cause ditching work isn't cool dad. Anyway, we're making pasta, do you want some?" I asked and then had to fight the urge to facepalm. I had just made my first mistake.

"Who are you and where's my daughter?" Dad gasped.

"Because my daughter once told me dinner was ready and when I came into the kitchen she told me she'd already eaten everything." I couldn't deny it. It had happened but he should've known I didn't like sharing my food. I'd been hungry. Get over it.

Chase chuckled. "That does sound like you." He told me.

"Obviously I'm buttering you up, work with me here." I told my dad honestly.

"My dear little Jill. You should know better. Anyway I'm crawling back to my hole, call me when dinner's ready." He told me with an evil smirk. He nodded at Chase and disappeared into his cave once again.

"Fuckshitcrapper." Great one, Jill.

"He didn't seem that bad." Chase said.

"You haven't seen anything yet. We caught him off guard." I told Chase ominously.

I could tell Chase didn't take me seriously since he was still smiling. It wouldn't stay that way.

"I'm just glad we weren't making out when he caught us." Chase said.

"Oh God. Imagine if we hadn't been hungry and just went upstairs." I said shellshocked. The chance my dad would just walk into my room was small but still. The thought was enough to make me pee my pants.

"Let's not go there." Chase said, equally as shocked.

We resumed making dinner. Luckily the atmosphere wasn't ruined by my dad being home. Cooking with Chase was actually fun and filled with a lot of banter.

Twenty minutes later dinner was ready. Emotionally prepared or not, I had to call my dad.

"I'll finish setting the table, you go call your dad." Chase suggested.

It was very tempting not to call him at all but I had to get this over with.

After a knock on the door and a grunt as response I opened the door. "Dinner's ready and be nice." I didn't wait for his answer and went back to join Chase in the kitchen.

"Smells good." My dad said when he appeared a minute later.

He filled his plate and Chase and I did the same.

I relaxed after I took my first bite. "This is great." Yes, I just complimented myself. I was happy to have food in this stressful situation.

"It really is. So Chase tell me about yourself. You look familiar." My dad said. And so it begins.

"I look familiar? I don't think we've ever met, sir." Chase said overly polite.

"Chase is Code's brother, maybe that's why." I explained to my dad. "And don't call him sir, that's just weird." I turned to face Chase.

"He can call me sir, it makes me feel powerful. Is Code the one with the bike?" My dad asked.

"That's Jake. Code's the one with parents that are restaurant owners." For a lawyer, my dad's memory sucked.

"Right! Paula and Derrick, lovely people." I didn't know our parents were on a first name basis but that could only mean good things I hoped.

"They are. They're working really hard so they can open their second restaurant in a few months." Chase explained. I could tell he respected his parents a lot.

"I remember. The opening is a highly anticipated event, they've made quite the name for themselves. So what do you do Chase? I'm guessing you're older than Jill?" I wasn't sure if I heard an accusatory tone in my dad's voice. Maybe I was just paranoid.

"I'm in my second year of college. My major is Biology." Chase said. I just realised Chase is probably the ideal guy to take home to meet your parents. I was mentally high fiving him for that.

"You're dating a Biology major? Good luck with that." Dad said to me jokingly. My mom had studied the same thing.

"What college?" Dad asked before I could react to his remark.

"Harvard." I wondered why Chase hadn't told dad that immediately. I mean bragging about Harvard earns you a lot of brownie points with every parent. Even my dad had looked impressed for a second but hid it quite well.

"Really? Not bad. So any criminal records I should know of? As a lawyer I can find out but I'm giving you the chance to come clean first." My dad said casually after taking another bite.

"Dude!" I said. I knew it was weird he'd been acting so civil the entire time.

Chase just chuckled. "Don't worry, he has to ask these kinds of stuff. And no, you won't find anything on me."

My dad almost looked disappointed.

"Damn. You gotta give me something to work with here. Harvard, no criminal record and most importantly; being able to make a delicious pasta." My dad summed up.

"Hey! He didn't make the pasta by himself." No way in hell he was taking credit for that.

"Well, you should've told me you were bringing your boyfriend." My dad said childishly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I was getting confused here.

"With the others I had time to prepare myself." My dad pouted.

"Exactly. It wasn't pretty." I shivered.

My dad started laughing and turned to Chase "Her first boyfriend was the best! I had borrowed a shotgun from a friend of mine and greeted him at the door with the gun aimed at him. He nearly cried."

Chase laughed along with my dad while I facepalmed and shoved my mouth with the pasta.

"I probably would've done the same." Chase said.

"You would've cried?" I raised my eyebrow.

"No, I mean I probably would've borrowed a shotgun too if I were a dad." Chase explained. I snorted, I hadn't expected that one.

"Any other stories, sir?" Chase asked amused.

"Please, call me Oliver. What did I do with the last loser you brought home, Jill?" Dad looked at me expectantly but I was still recovering from the fact that Chase had passed the fucking test.

Chase had passed the fucking test! No one had ever passed before. No one had ever had the honor of calling my dad by his first name. Not a lot of people called him Oliver instead of Oli but still. This was something I'd probably never witness again.

"You lawyered him and tricked him a little like asking if he wanted beer and stuff like that." I deadpanned.

"Right. The kid had said yes. No underage drinking in my house. I guess it's too late to ask you that question now huh?" Dad asked Chase.

"It was a mistake! He was nervous because of you." Why did I even try to justify Tobin's behavior?

"I would've said no. You could aways drink a beer at your own home." Chase shrugged. Oh no. He just ruined it by basically telling my dad he drank at home.

"Very honest of you there." Dad said. I couldn't read his expression.

"If I would've told you I'd never drank alcohol before, would you have believed me?" Chase asked. I didn't get where his confidence was coming from. I was impressed and scared at the same time.

"You're right, I wouldn't have believed you. Jill, this one's no fun." He said, which made me smile.

"Yes he is." I smiled at Chase who returned the favor.

After that I told my dad and Chase how the tutoring went and Chase told me about his tutoring methods. Then we talked about Game of Thrones, I had welcomed the subject change with open arms.

When Chase went to the bathroom, my dad and I started cleaning the table.

"You didn't give him a hard time." I stated. To say I was surprised would've been an understatement

"I didn't have to. You and I both know he's different." My dad stopped with what he was doing and faced me.

"Different? You're acting like he's an invalid." I joked, not liking the look on my dad's face.

"You know what I'm talking about Jill, don't make me say it out loud." Great, now he was getting sentimental? Ugh. To be honest, I didn't know what he was talking about. Maybe the fact that Chase went to Harvard and he was a decent guy.

Maybe because you love him you dimwit.

No that's not it, I'd loved my ex too.

"Alright then." I said, not really knowing what to respond.

"I like him, Jill. I feel so filthy saying that. What are you doing to me?" My dad said dramatically. We both didn't like tense or serious moments. How he does his job? Beats me.

"Oh dad, you're just getting old." I cooed.

"Shut up." My dad shoved me playfully. "But if he hurts you, I can still get my hands on a shotgun." I knew he couldn't resist the urge to say that.

"Sounds fair to me." Chase said from behind me. He didn't seem scared by that threat at all.

"So Chase, any plans for tonight? We could go to a bar." My dad suggested.

"Is this a trick?" Chase asked suspiciously. Good job, Chase. I was watching their conversation like football fans watch the World Cup.

"It wasn't. I said no drinking in my house." My dad wouldn't go to a bar with me, but if Chase would drink with him  it'd be okay? He was picking favorites already? Boo.

"Actually, Chase and I are going to the movies." I interrupted the conversation. I was afraid that if they went to a bar they'd come back as buddies and in theory it'd be great but in reality it scared the shit out of me. I wasn't emotionally prepared for a Chase-dad bromance.

"Alright, you kids have fun then. I hope to see you soon, Chase." He gave Chase a firm but friendly handshake.

"I'll make sure to come back soon with Jill." Chase smiled.

"You don't even have to bring Jill with you." My dad teased.

"You're right, I was just being polite." Chase played along. I definitely had to keep those two apart.

"Hey!" I slapped both of them at the same time. Apparently not hard enough because they were still smiling like idiots.

A few minutes later Chase and I were standing outside.

"I like him." Chase told me.

"He likes you too." I told Chase. It still sounded weird. My dad actually likes and approves of my boyfriend. What was happening?

"I know." Chase nudged me.

Before I could slap him he took my hand and took a step towards me. He was standing incredibly close. I didn't like that he was teasing me so I grabbed his shirt and closed the distance between us.

I stopped the kiss almost immediately. "I feel like someone's watching us." I whispered.

I turned my head and there he was. My dad was watching from the windows.

He pointed his fingers to his eyes and then to us as if he were saying 'I'm watching you'.