Snippet #2815824

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxJeremiah Hawk
xxxxxxxxxThe Athlete - ED1005 - outfit



Jeremiah sat on his bed once again that morning. Lifting his leg up to put his foot on the bed as well, he could feel his knee shaking. He took of the bandages he put on earlier. It was the third time he was doing so, never finding it tight enough to get through the day.
He put them back again, his skin turning a bit lighter as he pulled the bandages as tightly as he could. It looked like no blood would be able to go through the leg to his feet. Another worry for another day. Definitely not as important as being able to walk normally today.
He had trouble admitting how injured he was. His agent knew, his doctor and his coach knew and Jeremiah knew, that was about it. Except for the doctor, all had agreed for Jeremiah to keep up appearances. Showing the nation and more importantly the city of LA he would be back in a few short months.
Lately, he had been walking a lot, trying to get his speed up and his limp under control. He had made a quick walk through town the night before, just practicing after the long flight. It went well, and if people saw him, it wouldn’t have been many.

He couldn’t shake the feeling of being nervous. And sleeping in a bed he didn’t know, under a roof he wasn’t used to, wasn’t helping it one bit. He had taken a shower the moment he got up, finding that both his mom and Jenna weren’t awake yet. The half hour power shower had been very welcome. It was kind of hot in Bluffton for the time of the year, and Jer sweat throughout the night, not finding a comfortable position to lie in. No matter if he was on his side, stomach or back, he could always feel his knee thumping. Like it was moving on its own.

The place he bought for his mom, and where they were now staying was nothing like his old place. When they were younger, this house was known as ’old man Hickory’s house’. Although the man in question had been dead for a long time, the overgrown house still bore his name. Before he bought it, it had been known as a kind of haunted house. The kind of house people walked by fast, and where children dared each other to come as close to the place as possible. There had been lots of stories about the place, of course, none of it true. The group had been in here before, when they organised a Halloween party in the house.
After Jer had bought it, they changed up the entire place. The structure was still the same, but the garages had been removed and the surrounding grounds had been turned upside down to make it a very cosy and warm looking place. A place perfect for his mom. She had objected at first, humble as she was. But when the plans were drawn up, and she saw the garden and the kitchen in architect images in front of her, she had been excited to move to ’the other side of the bridge’.

After re-doing his knee, he went back to the mirror to shave. He had perfected the stubble in the past few months, finding it suited him well. The edges of his would-be-beard were finely marked on his face. Looking sharp. He could not withhold a compliment to his fine work. In the closet he picket out simple black jeans and a black shirt. He was going for simple. Some of the brands and styles he normally wore would not be as accepted at a party organised by the Bordreaux’. He laughed to himself, the couple had never been as accepting to him as their kids were. With some practice he had been able to copy the exact frown of Margaret, something they’d often laughed over.
He sprayed on some aftershave before making his way to the kitchen, where his mom had just left a note to let him know there was food in the fridge. Well…, if that isn’t a blast from the past. He opened the fridge to see 2 plates of his mom’s famous Mac n Cheese, one for him and one for Jenna. He has insisted him mom made his favourite dish, and being the only child he was still being spoiled whenever possible.

As he closed the fridge, he heard Jenna coming down the stairs. ”Jer? You ready to go?”
He looked over and saw her slipping on her shoes. ”Wow, it seems you’re looking to impress a certain someone.” He said with a smile, directly followed by a lump in his throat. He rather not discuss Casey too much around Jenna, both finding it a sensitive topic for very different reasons.
He coughed slightly to clear his throat and continued. ”I thought we’d walk, it’s not too far from here in any case.” In truth it was not his only reason for walking. He wanted to avoid sitting down and standing up, scared it would loosen his bandages again.

They left the house and stepped into the bright sunlight. As they walked they made some small talk about Jenna’s fashion line, Jer’s success from the previous season and how excited they were to see everyone. That last part was a bit of a stretch, at least for Jer. He was not sure what he was walking into. He had hoped to avoid Di, but then again, it was a party at her house, so a big fat chance of that happening. They passed one of the walls of the Bordreaux’ property. ”See that tree there? That’s the best way to climb in unseen.” He pointed out a specific spot to Jenna. ”There's very little light on the other side of the wall, and I only had to pass Lia’s room before getting to Di’s.” He thought back, but would not be able to tell Jenna how many times he’d done that.
The closer they came to the entrance, the more his stomach started rumbling. He wasn’t hungry, but he had the feeling his stomach was in a football match all on its own. Finally standing in front of the entrance, he looked at Jenna. ”Ready?” he asked her, copying Di’s mom’s frown. or not… he thought to himself.