Jenny’s Jeans

"Has anyone seen my jeans?"

"Which ones?" Joe called out from another part of the bus.

"My really long black skinnies that bunch up at my ankles."

There was a long pause and some hushed whispers before he answered. "No."

Liar.

I thought before storming to the front of the bus, sans pants.

Patrick's P.O.V

I sat on the couch staring at Pete, who was in Jennifer's favorite pair of jeans. He was sitting at the small table trying to appear inconspicuous with his notebook in front of him.

"Where are my jeans, Joe?"

I looked towards the door. There was Jen. She was standing in the doorway wearing a faded yellow mighty mouse t-shirt and a pair of bright blue and white girl briefs. Her brilliant red hair was down and cascaded over her shoulders, stopping at her elbows. She brushed the bangs out of her beautiful green eyes and for a moment I could see her silver eyebrow ring. Her hands were on her hips and the way she stood made her look a lot like the mouse on her t-shirt. No one should be allowed to look so adorable.

"Where are my jeans, Joe?" She repeated. She was surprisingly threatening for a girl of her stature. She looked so sweet and innocent but… let's just say you wouldn't want to get on her bad side.

"I-I-I don't know," he stuttered foolishly. In a flash she had him on the floor, one hand pinning his right arm behind him, the other hand knotted viciously in his hair. Her knee was pressed into the center of his back.

"One more time, Joe. Where are my jeans?"

"Pete," he breathed out pathetically. Her head snapped up and her eyes swept the room. She stopped when she saw me on the couch staring at her and for a split second she smiled. Soon she found Pete, still sitting at the table still trying to go unnoticed.

"Peter L.K. Wentz, the third!" She climbed off Joe and walked over to Pete. "Those better not be my jeans."

I couldn't help but stare as she bent over to look under the table at the jeans Pete were wearing. "OH…MY…GOSH!! Pete! Come on! They're the only skinnies I've got that fit right!"

"Relax, Jen. I'll give them back."

"I can't believe you're wearing my jeans." She groaned as she dramatically stumbled back a few steps.

I caught Andy's smile from the corner of my eyes. She was about to through a fit.

She walked over to the wall and banged her head against it, her hands covering her eyes. Suddenly she spun around and pointed accusingly at Pete. "You better be wearing underwear!"

That infamous grin spread across his face.

"Please tell me you're wearing underwear," she pleaded. "Oh, Pete! That's my favorite pair!!"

"I'll give it back."

"I don't want back, now. Not after you've got all your…man parts in it!"

"Hey! A lot of girls would kill to have my 'man parts' in their jeans,” he answered taking a step towards her.

"Distance, Wentz!" She screamed putting her hands up in front of her before taking a step back. "I don't want you within a five foot radius of me! You get on my nerves! Why, oh, why did my mother have to marry your uncle? Why did I have to be your cousin? Out of all the boys in the world…"

By now she had slid onto the floor, her knees huddled up to her chest and her head buried in her arms.

"You know you sitting in your underwear, right?" Andy pointed out causing her to raise her head. Again her eyes locked with mine and her cheeks slowly turned pink. I repeat: NO ONE should be allowed to look so adorable.

"I guess I should go get dressed then," she mumbled before scampering back into the bedroom area.

Jennifer's P.O.V.

"Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty, Patty…"

"Jennifer! Have you lost your mind?! Stop that!"

"But Pete, he won't answer me."

Pete sat leaned over the desk scribbling furiously in his notebook. "I don't care. If I have to hear you say 'Patty' one more time, I'm going to…"

"You're gonna what?"

He furrowed his eyebrows trying to figure out an intimidating enough threat. Suddenly a mischievous smile spread across his face. "I'm going to tell him that you-"

"Okay, Okay!" I screamed, leaping over the table and slapping my hand over his mouth. "I'll stop, jeeze. There's no need to go there. Honestly, Pete."

"I won't have to 'go there' if you'd behave yourself. I have no idea why I invited you on this tour, Jen. I knew how impossibly annoying you are, yet I still asked you to come."

"It's because you’re a masochist." I spun around and started walking towards the bed area.

"What?"

"Google it."

I grabbed my empty duffle bag and began piling in some clothes. Once I was done, I returned to the main area of the bus and plopped down on the couch next to Patrick.

"What's with the bag?" He asked looking up from his laptop.

"You're talking to me now?" I asked incredulously. I was smiling inside at how close I was sitting to him. News flash: I have a huge crush on Patrick! I know that it's completely lame, falling in love with your cousin's best friend, but I can't help it. "I'm switching buses at the next rest stop. I'm tired of hanging around with you guys."

"Oh."

I rolled my eyes at his simple answer and turn to stare at the blank TV screen

"You can't turn it on just by looking at it! You don't have magic powers!" Pete screamed from behind us.

"You don't know that, Peter!" I screamed back. "I could be a freaking superhero for all you know," I mumbled under my breath.

I heard a giggle escape Patrick, but decided to ignore it. Ten minutes later the bus pulled into the rest station. Grabbing my bag, I rushed to the door and skipped down the stairs, tripping on the last one.

"I saw that," Patrick mumbled from behind me. I rolled my eyes and skipped across the parking lot toward another tour bus.

Patrick's P.O.V

"Fred Tomato!! Jeff Kazoo!!"

I watched as Jennifer skipped towards Fred and Tom with that bag slung across her shoulders. I guess she was planning on staying in Cute Is What We Aim For's bus. I cringed slightly as I watched her jump into Jeff's arms.

"So…You gonna stand there staring at her all day?"

I spun around to face Pete. He was wearing his usual goofy smile.

"I wasn't staring at her."

"Mhm. I'm sure you weren't," he answered, that goofy smile now turned smug. "Trick, if you like her just tell her. Stop acting like a fifth grader. Ignoring her isn't going to make however you feel go away. Although it has seemed to make her go away."

"Shut up, Pete," I grumbled before walking into the rest stop.

We were already in line at the McDonald's when Jennifer and the other guys came in. She was on Jeff's back with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her face close to his, her left cheek touching his right. I slowly left the line to find a seat. I had suddenly lost my appetite.

Jen's P.O.V

"Hey Jeff, put me down."

"Why?"

"I'm gonna go sit down. Can someone just order me a burger and fries?"

I saw Shaant nod and so I skipped over to Patrick. I seemed to be doing a lot of skipping today and I was beginning to annoy myself. I plopped down at the seat in front of him and rested my elbows on the table.

"Why so down, Charlie Brown? Can’t find the Easter Beagle?"

Patrick looked up slowly and I couldn't help but smile at the expression on his face. He looked so cute and I suddenly wished that I was sitting a bit closer to him. I was stuck gazing at his face and I couldn't make myself look away.

After a minute passed he shrugged and went back to staring at the pattern on the table. I sighed before getting up and joining Jeff in the line.

"Why so down, clown?"

"I just asked Patrick the same thing. I don't think he likes me."

"You think who doesn't like you?" Pete asked from in front of us.

"Patrick," I mumbled miserably.

He looked really surprised. "What makes you say that?"

I shrugged and leaned even more onto Jeff. "He doesn't. I can tell."

Pete's eyebrows knitted in frustration and it was a moment before he spoke again. "Your instincts were always a bit off," he mumbled before turning around back to his conversation with Joe.

Patrick’s P.O.V

We were backstage at the concert venue and it was almost time for us to go on. Joe was standing off to the side with Jennifer. She was obviously telling him some wild story because her hands were all over the place and her eyes seemed to light up. A pang of jealous flowed threw me. She never told me her crazy stories. She hardly talked to me ever.

"Patrick!" Pete screamed into my ear causing me to jump a little. "What's wrong man? You look pissed."

"I'm fine," I mumbled, forcing my eyebrows to relax and a smile to form. "I was just thinking."

"About Jen."

"Pete, stop."

"Did you know that she thinks you hate her?" He asked. His arms were folded across his chest and for a moment he looked uncharacteristically serious.

"What?!"

He shrugged. "She does. She said so herself. She thinks you hate her and she's really upset about it. Maybe you should go talk to her, you know, tell her how you really feel. It's really bothering her."

"I don't hate her," I said softly.

"I know that, man. She doesn't." Pete spun me around and pushed me in her direction. Slowly I made my way towards her, dreading that I would have to break up her and Joe's conversation.

Jennifer's P.O.V.

I was in the middle of telling Joe about the time I electrocuted myself by putting a paper clip in an electric socket when I was five, when I noticed Patrick walking towards us.

"Looks like you guys are on," I said to Joe, cutting my story short.

"No. Not yet," Patrick answered quietly. "I actually wanted to talk to you for a second," he said taking hold of my wrist and pulling me away from Joe. My wrist tingled from the contact and my stomach had an airy feeling.

"Jen, I was just…um…talking to Pete and we started to…um…talk about you and well…he said that maybe you were upset because you thought I hated you and he said that…"

Oh, no! Pete didn't! He couldn't have told Patrick that I liked him.

"I'm going to kill him. How could he tell you that? I told him in confidence. Does he even know what that means? Of course he doesn't. I can't believe-"

"Jen-"

"I can't believe he told you. This is so embarrassing. Look, Patrick, you don't have to say anything. I completely understand that you don't like me the way I like you and its fine. Really it is. I don't even know why Pete said anything. Did I mention that I'm going to kill him?"

Patrick's P.O.V.

"What? Did you say that you liked me?" I asked surprised. Again, she was turning the cutest shade of pink and suddenly her eyes widened in horror.

"What? Isn't that what Pete… said? Oh my gosh!" She clamped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from babbling anymore. I couldn't help but smile.

"No. Pete said that I should come over here and tell you that it wasn't true. I don't hate you. Not at all."

"Um… you think we could maybe forget the last minute or so of this conversation? You know the whole love confession thing," she asked staring at the floor, mortified.

"No," I answered cupping her cheeks in my hand and making her look at me.

Jennifer's P.O.V.

Suddenly his hands were on my face and he pulled my face up making my eyes focus on his. My breath caught in my throat as I realized that he was coming closer. His face was an inch away from mine when his eyes fluttered closed. Seconds later his warm lips pressed lightly onto mine. It took a moment for me to react, but I did. Butterflies erupted in my stomach and I pressed closer to him as his hands left my face and wrapped around my waist.

When he broke the kiss, I couldn't even think straight. He was smiling at me and his lips were moving. I guess he was saying something, but I couldn't really make it out. He kissed my cheek lightly before turning and walking onto the stage with the other guys. For the next five minutes I just stood at the side of the stage stunned.

He had just kissed me.