Nothin is Forever.

Chapter 3

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit oh shit oh…shiit.

Cory slammed on the breaks as soon as she processed what she was doing. At first, she’d thought the sound, that deafening screech of metal scratching against metal was just a part of her dream—a pleasant and beautiful dream where she destroyed something that was precious to the jackass boy who’d tricked her. Then, just a few seconds into it, when Nicky’s appalled shriek pierced through her reverie, she stopped. Her body lurched forward at the sudden jolt but thankfully she was held back by the seatbelt across her chest.

“Cory! What the hell were you thinking?” Nicky shrieked, racing from the front porch to the car.

Cory sat with her hands glued to the steering wheel. What had she been thinking? Something like this, not looking before reversing, if she hadn’t been driving so slowly, she could have killed someone. She shook her head at the idea itself and swallowed back. She’d only driven a few feet, five at most but what she’d done was dangerous none the less.

“Cory!” Nicky shrieked again, this time slamming a hand on the top of the car. The resulting thump made Cory jump in her seat. Wide-eyed, she looked up to see Nicky’s face almost pressing against the window. The way the tip of her nose shaped when pressed against the glass would have been funny if not for the pissed off expression on Nicky’s face.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

I wasn’t

Her eyes tore away from Nicky, skimming slowly out of the front window and then passing over the off-white garage door ahead and then further to the right where Jason’s black jeep sat peacefully; as if it hadn’t just been massively scratched and there wasn’t an attractive (now that Cory took a second look) blue and black haired boy cursing like a madman in he backseat. She watched kind of dreamy eyed, dazed by her own stupidity, as Jason calmly stepped down the porch steps and walked towards the car, taking his time with a small smirk on his lips. She had no clue as to why he would be happy; for god sakes she’d just ruined his car and told him to shove a pair of shoes up his ass- neither of which she was entirely sorry for. Still, he walked towards the car with such and ease that made Cory wish she’d total the car instead of just scratching it.

“Cory!” Nicky called again, the makings of a tantrum presenting itself.

“Keep your panties on.” Cory muttered, reluctantly rolling the window down to face whatever was to come next. And then, adding to her humiliation, the air bag went off.

Stupid, old car.

---

“You’re grounded, three weeks.”

Cory’s jaw fell. She was back in the kitchen and her mother had just finished a phone call with Jason’s mom. Jason himself hadn’t seemed too bothered by the whole ordeal, much to Cory’s distaste. It was just the blue and black haired boy with the piercing in the backseat who kept swearing and glaring at her in the back. She figured it was because he wanted to hurry it along and get high, or go to a rave or something, she couldn’t be sure but Jason left to cater to him shortly after her mom arrived. Of course calling their mother away from work in the first place had been entirely Nicky’s idea and she’d done so while seeming rather pleased with herself. Nicky always did get some twisted bit of satisfaction whenever Cory got in trouble with their parents. .

“Mom, you can’t be serious!“ She protested. She was the responsible one, the one who got straight A’s, didn’t…well, hardly ever got detention and the one who did not, under any circumstances, get grounded. That was Nicky’s job, it was also Nicky’s job to try to weasel and whine her way out of punishment, and Cory never had to because she never got into trouble. Until now…it was all because of that Jackass.

Jason was rich. Enough so that fixing the little scratch would be no trouble for him, he’d said so himself (well he hadn’t exactly said those exact words, Cory probably would have taken a swung at him for his arrogance alone if he head done that. It was Nicky who divulged that piece of information. The only real problem should have been how she was going to fix the scratch on her car…but that was hers, and if she didn’t mind the gash at the side of the silver buggy there shouldn’t have been any problem right? Of course, it didn’t help Cory’s temper much that her mom kept throwing around words like ‘responsibility’ and ‘heedlessness’ as if she was a child yet again, as if she didn’t know any better, as if she wasn’t the one her parents always commended for being mature and responsible.

Cory’s brown eyes rolled to the ceiling as her mother started on again about responsibility. Hey, she hadn’t gone with her first impulse and punched him in the nuts or face. She hadn’t even keyed his car while walking passed it even though all the voices in her head had been practically screaming at her to do so. One would think that showing that kind of remarkable restraint would count for something. Instead, here she was, getting a lecture for it.

While her mom was busy going into yet another one-sided discussion about the importance of respect and patience, Cory, losing all semblance of both, eyed the area for Nicky only to find the ginger haired tattle tale had snuck out. Figured. With very little discretion, she peered out of one of the rather large, Victorian style windows above the kitchen sink. From there she had a clear view of the Jason's truck.

The tiny scratch, as Cory had referred to it, was about the width of a six year old and at most 6 inches tall. So maybe it wasn’t a tiny scratch but it was an accident…a happy little-big accident.

“He wont be following me again any time soon “ Corry muttered with a grin. Though, looking at Jason through the window she couldn’t see any traces of annoyance with the situation. He was having an animated discussion with Nicky, smiling and laughing every now and then. No, he didn’t seem bothered by the car at all, and that irritated her to no end. She found herself glaring at him, at the way his eyes shone when he smiled, the way his brown hair seemed to fall perfectly above his damn eyebrows. Behind Jason, the blue aired boy was sitting in the car, his head slumped against the window as he watched Jason and Nicky, boredom sketched across his face. After a moment he began waving his hand in circles impatiently as if trying to tell Jason to hurry the conversation along.

Humph, probably late for another piercing appointment or something

Jason rolled his eyes and glanced at the boy. Then he gave Nicky what Cory figured was supposed to be an apologetic smile before opening the front door to his car. Secure with the knowledge that her mother could talk up a storm when she was angry— to the point of forgetting about the person she was supposed to be lecturing—Cory didn’t bother to look back. Instead, she pushed back the pale yellow drapes framing the window and peered closer.

He was finally leaving. Though, she would have preferred to see him leave sullen and broken. She’d also hoped to give him a piece of her mind, one big enough to convince him that he was as she said, a pile of scum, him and his blue haired friend.

Jason, alternating between talking to the boy in the car and Nicky, stopped suddenly. It was as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on him- which did seem like an appealing thought to Cory. His back straightened and then very slowly, he turned, his eyes landing on the same spot Cory was standing. Not knowing what else to do, Cory stood there and glared, both because he’d caught her and because, well, he was an ass. Said ass, gave a wide smile and waved before finally sitting in the car and bringing the engine to life. Blue haired boy in the backseat, whose posture seemed to perk up a bit once he realized they were leaving, glanced back at Cory as well. A look of both disinterest and annoyance crossed his features, as if the very sight of her was a bother. Well, it wasn’t like Cory wanted him to be there either, so she returned the look with a glare of her own and then a triumphant smirk when he rolled his eyes and turned away again, resting his arm out of the passenger side window. At least this idiot gets the point, she thought. She was about to return to her seat at the dining table where her mother was still going one about the importance of respect…something caught her eye.

As the car was pulling out of their driveway, she realized that the hand that the blue haired boy had poked out of the window wasn’t just resting there—he was holding it up in clear view, giving her the finger.

“Cory? Corrine, are you listening to me?” her mother yelled, interrupting Corrine’s thoughts—most of which revolved again, around yelling and hurting a certain blue haired boy and his friend.

“Yes mum” she muttered, eyes still glued on the window where the car had sped off.

“Repeat what I just said then.”

“I need to be polite and respectful and more—Mum did you not just see what that boy did?” she protested.

“Cory, listen!”

She turned, feeling the weight of her mother’s hand on her shoulder. “Look, Cory. As you know, I spoke to Jason's mother on the phone, trying to come up with a suitable punishment for you.”

Cory nearly scoffed at that. As much as she detested being lectured, she knew that there was little that could be done to her in terms of punishment. She didn’t party much, her cell phone was only reserved for important phone calls and the only two friends she spent any time with were Darren and Diane.

“It was difficult at first because, well, for one, you hardly ever go out unless either Darren, Diane or Nicky persuade you to, you barely make any use of your cell phone—I mean really what did you have me buy that thing for if you weren’t going to– …”

Corry rolled her eyes, cutting her mother off mid-sentence, speaking in a flat tone. “I didn’t want the cell phone…you insisted I have one for emergency’s. I’d be perfectly happy to give it b— “

“As I was saying, before you so rudely interrupted—you don’t use the cell phone, I can’t even ground you because I’m at work most of the time and there’s no way for me to make sure you stay home…and plus, Darren and Diane will find their way in here some how.” She gave a long tired sigh and taking her glasses off and moving it to the top of her head so it pushed her shoulder length blonde hair back. At that moment, she had every bit the air of the tired 41 year old that she was; lean and slender, with high cheek bones and stunning grey eyes, beautiful, but tired all the same. The long hours she put in at work were evident in the way she rubbed beneath her eyes and ran her slender fingers against the length of her brows. Cory almost felt guilty for the trouble she’d caused.

“So we came to a decision.” She dropped her hand, looking Cory squarely in the eye as she spoke. “You understand that you have to be punished for this or else you wont learn that your actions have repercussions, right?”

“But of course mum.” Cory drawled, barely paying attention. Her eyes were staring lazily out of the window instead, where Nicky was starting to walk back into the house.

“So we decided that you are to be grounded for three weeks…or longer, depending on how long it takes.”

Depending on how long it takes?

“—and you will be serving the duration of your punishment—“

Cory made a face ‘At home of course …’

“—At Jason’s mothers shop –“

“WHAT!” Cory screeched

“—Until you pay off the cost—“

Cory shook her head, feeling a sense of horrible dread washing over her, at the idea itself. “Mum, please, no!”

“—To have both cars fixed.”

The decision was in her voice, and there was a crude finality in the set and tired expression on her face that made Cory want to run. How was it that they’d managed to take the thing she hated the most and turn it into a punishment, how had the world chewed and spit out that cruel joke.

“Mum please, I’ll do anything…it was an accident, I promise!” She pleaded, jumping up from her seat. She heard the opening and shutting of a door from somewhere in the house but didn’t pay much mind to it. “Mum, as your youngest child and fruit of your womb, I beg of you!”

“No. Cory, I’ve already made the arrangements with Mrs. Green “ She replied, turning and heading up the stairs with Cory close on her tail.

“Figures that his last name would be green. Green for money, Green for greed! Mum you don’t know what kind of people they are!”

“What are you going on about now, Cory?” Nicky asked, appearing behind the pair as if out of nowhere and rolling her eyes behind Cory’s back while she followed them up the stairs. “Not Jason again, I hope?”

“Mum, please don’t do this. Haven’t I always been good?” Cory pleaded again, ignoring Nicky. When her mom reached the top step and turned towards her bedroom with her cell phone at her ear, Cory threw up her hands in frustration.

“Anywhere but there!” she wailed and about a second later there was the click of a lock as her mom disappeared behind the door.

“Cripes!” Cory muttered, just outside her mother’s door.

“What is it?” Nicky asked simultaneously. She looked more excited to hear the gossip than concerned.

Cory ran a hand through her hair, fighting back the scream threatening to explode in her throat. There had to be some way out of it, some way to convince her mother to change her mind. Otherwise, well, she just couldn’t see how it would work, how something like that could happen, how she would survive the summer with that kind of punishment, being around that rejected spawn of evil, that – …

“What is it?” Nicky asked again, taking a step closer and placing a hand on Cory’s shoulder. All traces of excitement had vanished, replaced instead with a look of true concern. Cory wondered if she’d read the panic off her face because there was so much there that it was rushing through her veins, her body, like fire, making her restless and anxious.

She shook her head, resisting the initial urge to push Nicky away. She’d never been the kind keen on being comforted and sharing her problems—that was usually her role. She was the one who stayed up with Nicky whenever she had a fight with her boyfriend, failed a class or had any other Nicky-type problems; she’d even made herself available to Diane and Darren for that purpose. It was something she didn’t mind doing. But, having the tables reversed, it just didn’t work that way. Still, in response to the question, the words came out involuntarily, as if she were answering something she’d asked herself.

“M-mum said I have to work to pay off the damage to the car “ she mumbled.

Nicky’s shoulders relaxed and she rolled her eyes, letting her hand slip off Cory’s shoulder. “Obviously Cory. That scratch was huge” She turned and began walking down the carpeted, beige hall, speaking without looking back, her voiced laced with humour and condescendence “It’s not like you’re me. You can’t just get off of punishment with a smile and– “

“No!” Cory wailed and cringed at the same time, just thinking about it. “She wants me to work at Jason's till I can pay off the debt!”

Nicky stopped mid-stride nearly five feat away, and only inches from her door, spun around and walked back, her face perplexed and bothered as she walked past a stunned Cory and pushed open the tall white doors leading to their mothers bedroom.

Cory stood in shocked silence, gaping at the door Nicky had just walked through. The last time Nicky had tried to get her out of punishment for anything was in 5th grade, when the living room had been torn apart by a stray dog Cory let into the house. Even then, Nicky only stood up for her because the whole thing had been her idea and she was supposed to be babysitting. And as far as Cory knew, Nicky had nothing to do with the fact that she’d reversed without looking and trashed Jason’s car so she couldn’t see why Nicky would try to save her from punishment. Nicky who—Lord knows, Cory loved with all her heart—only seemed to act when she knew she was getting something in turn.

She pressed her ear against the door; the white wood was cold against her cheek and the voices that met her ear were low.

“Mommy. She said it was an accident. Why don’t you let her off the hook just this one time.?” Nicky was saying, her tone persuasive and calculated, but Cory could hear something behind her words, a deeper plea or reason that she didn’t understand.

There was the faint yawn of tired springs as someone’s weight lifted off the bed and the soft ‘tap, tap, tap’ of footsteps across the room, moving further away from where Cory stood. Their mom had always talked about getting a new mattress but she’d spent so little time in the room since the divorce that she’d never cared enough to get around to it. Sometimes the only Cory could tell if her mother was home was by the squeaking, or lack there of, coming from the room because normally, that’s where their mothers spent her time at home—in bed. It wasn’t that she was a bad mother. No. She’d invested too much love prior to the divorce and too much money after it to be called a bad mother. She was just preoccupied with dealing with her own pain by hiding behind her work to be there for them twenty-four hours.

“—I mean, why don’t you like, give her a warning this time.”

There was a long silence and then their mother spoke, just as Nicky was beginning to say something else but was cut off. “Look, doing this will ensure it will never happen again. I’ve already made my decision.”

“Mommy” Nicky protested

“I’ve made my decision “ She replied softly, though the authority was there. Then there was the rustle of what sounded like sheets. “I’m tired and I don’t have any more time to argue; she will work to pay off the debt and if you keep pushing I just might consider saving myself the headache of worrying where you are all the time and ground you too.”

There was the ‘tap, tap’ of steadily approaching footsteps. Cory listened intently to the sound, meaning to step aside at the last minute and avoid getting into further trouble for eavesdropping. Finally, when the footsteps halted just on the other side of the door, she prepared to move back.

“What if I offer to do half of her punishment with her, help her save up for everything so the cars will be fixed faster.” Nicky spoke slowly, as if she were only making sense of what she was saying as the words slipped from her mouth. Cory on the other hand, couldn’t make sense of what she’d heard even that fast—she wanted to help? She wanted to work to help? Nicky had never had a job her entire life. Every bit the pampered princess, Nicky had, on several occasions, cringed at the idea itself. The girl couldn’t even boil water without complaining about how long it took to pour the water fist.

She could hear the confusion in her mother voice when she spoke again. To be honest, she couldn't blame her; she was just as thrown off by Nicky's offer.

“Why wou— never mind. We’ll see how the first few weeks go. If I feel that somewhere down the line—“ she raised her voice and held up a hand when Nicky opened her mouth to interject ”— she needs you there to keep an eye on her, I’ll let you know. That’s final.”

A hand wrapped around the brass doorknob then and turned from the opposite side, causing Cory to jump back. She moved quickly to lean against the wall beside the door and folded her arms across her chest, trying to seem calm and composed despite the fact that her breath was uneven and her cheeks were warm (and probably flushed). Panic, she figured, was still written all across her face.

The door opened a second later and her mother walked briskly past. She moved so fast that it seemed like she was just made up of the black coat flying behind her as she went down the steps. When she spoke, already half way to the bottom, it was without even looking back over her shoulder. “You start tomorrow Cory. I’m late for work, get the details from Jason!” by the time she was at the end of the sentence, she’d reached the doors, her voice only an echo bouncing through the house until they reached Cory’s ears. And then she was gone. The slamming of the front door was her resounding goodbye, a sound the two girls were too used to. Still, Cory flinched at the cold sound—it was a bit of all the New Years and Christmas’ that had followed her parents divorce—the only two days of the year when the dry ice outside the house seeped into everything they did, it filled their silences and hung in the air, hollowing them out till they were just empty shells going through the motions of being happy and whole.

She felt a chill, the oncoming onset of grief slowly taking hold of her. Breathe, she whispered to herself. Hold back and move forward was something she’d taught herself to do a long time ago. She’d taught herself that happiness wasn’t something you could achieve by analyzing every broken aspect of your life. Breathe.

She shifted her gaze back to the open room door and into her mother’s room where Nicky was. She seemed so small, standing in the middle of their mother’s furniture, with the poles and drapes of the canopy bed frame towering over her like a looming shadow. Nicky was focused on the ground, her lips slightly parted and her hand gripping the bed frame for support. Usual Cory would have made some joke about how uncommon it was to see Nicky so deep in thought but, there was something private about her expression, there was a vulnerability there that Cory didn’t see often.

Did she really want to help me out that bad?

She opened her mouth, about to offer some sort of comfort when Nicky finally caught Cory’s eyes and her face became stone, eyes cold.

“God Cory, why can’t you be more responsible?” she stammered stomping passed Cory and into her room with Cory’s eyes on her back.

She continued to stare even when Nicky slammed her door shut, trying to figure out what had just happened and how her summer vacation had gone from promising to hell, in just two days. Maybe she was dreaming? Though, the urge to pinch herself and determine whether she really was or not, was nothing more than a passing thought.

She groaned mentally, feeing an uneasy flop from the pit of her stomach. Tomorrow. Starting tomorrow her life would officially become hell, the place where evil went to die…Starting tomorrow she’d have to spend 40 hours a week in the Green’s shop and most likely have to endure the torture of Jason’s company as well. She’d have to talk to people and be friendly and professional and… She stifled another groan at the simple fact that she didn’t even know what kind of shop Mrs. Green owned. It could have been a porn shop for all she knew.

The subdued jingle of the Simpson’s theme song rang through the air and with a small smidge of relief, she remembered she was supposed to go meet Darren and Diane—at least she’d be able to vent of with them and think of a way out of this.

She lifted the Cherry cell phone out of her jeans pocket and flipped it open. Out of habit, she tugged at the hem of her white tank top as she read the name and text on the screen. It was only with enormous self-restraint that she managed to keep herself from launching the device across the room afterwards. Holding it away from her body and by the tip of her fingers, she tossed it onto her mother’s bed. No doubt that if she broke her cell phone on top of everything, she would have that added to her charges.

The anger and frustration she’d felt only moment ago doubled itself now. The glowing text message was like a red flag that would not be erased from her mind now. She decided that even if it was the last thing she did on this earth, she was going to bring that boy down.

From its spot on Miss. Bouyes’ bed, Cory’s cell phone flashed once more with the text message on the screen before finally shutting off.

“See you at the shop tomorrow…

I’ll bring your shoes :) – Jason”

Jason grinned at the green cell phone in his hand and the flashing sent message across its blue screen. They’d just pulled into his driveway and he couldn’t stop himself from sending the text, no matter how much more it might set him back in regards to winning Cory over. He wasn’t deterred by the fact that she seemed to hate him. He’d always appreciated a good challenge and there was something about the ferocity in her eyes when she looked at him that made him want to try harder. He grinned a little to himself as a sudden realization hit him; he was just admitting to being drawn to a girl because of how much she seemed to loathe him – that was probably the kind of stuff a therapist would go crazy for.

To his surprise, the drive back to Aaron’s from her house had taken just a little over five minutes. When he found out (through Nicky) that Cory not only went to the same school, but lived only a few minutes away from Aaron’s place, he couldn’t believe it. Aaron’s house was like his second home, he’d practically alternated between living at his own home and at Aaron’s while growing up. Together the two of them had explored the neighbourhood, playing cops and robber or undercover spies. He’d always thought he knew everyone and everything about that neighbourhood. The fact that he’d never met her till now just didn’t seem right. It didn’t fit. It was almost like a sin.

“Good, now you can shove them up your ass”

The girl certainly had a way with words. Having her in his life certainly would make things a little more interesting.

Jason grinned a little at the memory and glanced fondly up at the silver slipper’s he’d hung from his rear-view mirror. He would have liked for them to dangle like mini disco globes or something equally cool but they just hung there, stiff and silver. It didn’t take away from the sentiment behind them though.

Thing were defiantly taking a turn for the better…even if it didn’t really seem like it on the outside. So what if his car was totalled…that could be fixed no problem. Now he had an excuse to be around Cory, get to know her better…a chance to get her to warm up to him a little bit. Even if it was just enough so that she didn’t cringe or want to kick him in the groin whenever she heard his name. At least that would be some sort of progress. And as tempted as he was to just go in and have the car fixed himself (so he wouldn’t have to drive around with the huge scratch) he figured the benefits would be worth it in the end…and if not, at least his last few months in Crestmount before he had to go off to University would be eventful.

“Dude…why the fuck did we stop?” Aaron murmured from the seat behind Jason. His feet, which would have been bare if not for the plain white socks halfway off his feet, fell droopily from the passenger side headrest as Aaron slowly sat himself up, his eyes groggily trying to make sense of their surroundings.

Though he’d been thoroughly pissed about the whole thing and the fact that the screeching sound of the two cars scratching against each other had harassed his sense of hearing in the worst possible way and one the worst possible day, he’d fallen asleep effortlessly not too long after Jason’s car drove out of Cory’s driveway and now that the Tylenol and coffee were finally starting to work their magic on his hangover, he didn’t completely feel like shit anymore, which worked in Jason's favour because otherwise he would have been fuming over the whole ‘mini crash’ thing.

“I think she might be falling for me now. Even if it is just a little bit,” Jason piped, looking at Aaron through the rear view mirror.

Aaron scuffed and grinned a little as he reached to pick at the tips of his spiked hair and let his head fall gently against the headrest again.

“I think you just might be as stupid as you look right now. The girl hates your guts. She’s like a rabid animal…if you get within fifteen feet of her, she’s going to bite your head off and feed it to her cats.“

“You should hope you’re wrong.“ Jason stated matter-of-factly as he opened the car door. “Because she’s starting at the shop tomorrow”

That got Aaron to snap up. His back straightened like a needle so fast that his head hurt a little bit after. “Like hell she is!” he barked.

---

Sorry for the long wait, other stuff kind of took over my attention for the lngest while.

Thanks for all the reviews so far and I hope you keep on reading!