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Based on a post by L Kilkenny.
Jake awoke from what was apparently a very good dream since
"Morning sleepy head," Toni said pertly.
"Hey Toni," Jake said sleepily, in his deep soft
"Uh, not you," she joked. "I was beginning to
"What time is it? How long have you been here?"
Toni looked down at her phone. "It's 9:30 in the
"So what are you doing here so early on a Saturday
"Will you go with me to the mall today?" Toni
"Uh, yeah, sure. I just need to take a shower,"
"Okay," she said looking at him with her trademark
"I'm going to get some orange juice," she said
"Uh, sure," he said, still looking back over his
Toni left her sandals on the floor next to his bed and
Jake jumped out of bed with tented boxers. He grabbed some
Turning on the shower as soon as he got inside the bathroom,
Feeling the water before stepping into the shower, he put
Jake had grown up in the foster care system. His mother had
When he was 6 years old, and after a particularly harsh
He walked down the dimly lit sidewalk, passed street corners
Suddenly he smelled something that smelled like heaven.
"Would you like a glass of milk with that?" a
He spun around like a cornered animal, looking for an
The man could see the fear in the boy's eyes. He backed up
"What's bacon?" the boy asked quietly.
"What's bacon?" the man asked stunned. "Well
"I've never had any bacon," he said, unable to
"What's your name son?"
The boy stood, not answering, looking down at the floor.
"It's okay son, you're not in trouble. My name's
The boy automatically flinched back, away from his hand.
"Hey, hey, hey; it's okay. No one's going to hurt you,
The boy shook his head slowly, side to side.
"Well, how about we call you, uh, Jake?"
"Jake," the boy whispered. It was the first time
"Okay Jake, how about those eggs and bacon?"
"Okay," Jake said, his head slowly nodded.
Scrambled eggs and bacon soon became Jake's favorite food in
"Jake, this is John." Mike said, introducing the
"Hey Jake," John said. Mike had already warned him
Jake sat, looking at Mike and John for a few moments before
"Okay, finish your breakfast, and we'll get Mike to
"Okay," Jake whispered.
"Hey Mike, would you have any of MJ's clothes here?
"You know, I think I do. I keep a change of clothes for
Mike left the room and soon came back with a shirt, pair of
"Hey Jake, would you like to change into some dry
"Okay," Jake said.
"All right, come on back here where you can have some
Mike took Jake to his office and gave him the clothes,
Mike closed the door, but walked around the side of the
John came over and looked through the window. He saw Jake
When he was changed, Jake was taken to the police department
John called his sister, Diane, in Texas, because he knew
Bob and Diane understood the uphill battle they faced with
Jake moved in with Bob and Diane, to a quiet suburb in The
Jake turned to see a girl about his age standing at the
"Hi," Jake said.
"What's your name?"
"Jake."
"Hi Jake, I'm Toni."
"Isn't that a boy's name?"
"Not when you spell it with an 'I'," she said
"Do you want to play?" Jake asked her.
"Sure." Toni climbed the chain link fence without
"What are you playing?" Toni asked him.
"Cars," Jake said.
"Okay. Do you have another car?"
"No, but you can play with mine," Jake said,
"Thank you," Toni said.
After playing and talking for a while, they heard a voice
"Oh, there's my mom," Toni said, holding the
"You can keep it," Jake said quietly.
Toni looked at the pitiful little car and smiled a little
Diane Hardin, watching from the kitchen window smiled, even
Toni and Jake has been inseparable best friends ever since.
After taking care of his morning wood, Jake finished
He was still rubbing his head with a towel when he walked into
Toni looked over at him and shook her head while making
"Sit," she commanded.
Jake looked at Toni and sat back down in the desk chair.
Walking over to his dresser, she picked up a comb and walked
His first year of school after moving in with the Hardin's,
Today she was standing behind him, pulling the comb through
Walking through the mall they made quite the pair. Jake at
"Are we looking for anything in particular today?"
"We're meeting Kaylee and she and I have to do a little
When he didn't respond, she looked up at him and saw in his
"Jake?" Toni asked, putting her hand on his arm.
"Yeah?" he said. The look in his eyes was gone.
"Oh Jake...." Toni started, concern showing in her
"Hey guys, over here!" they heard as they reached
Coming toward them was Kaylee Anderson, her brown wavy hair
"Kaylee!" Toni said, hugging her best girl friend.
"I'm so glad to see you guys," Kaylee said.
"Hey, Kaylee," Jake smiled at her. Kaylee had been
"Have you found anything yet?" Toni asked.
"I haven't really looked yet, I was waiting on you.
"Well let's get to it."
The two girls headed off with Jake close behind. He wasn't
"I think I'll wait out here in the concourse."
"But Jake, we need your opinion on our new swim
"Toni can give you an opinion," Jake said
"A man's opinion is always better," Kaylee
"Please," Toni said.
Jake looked over and saw exactly what he expected to see. Toni's
"Ugh, okay, let’s get this over with," Jake
Kaylee clapped her tiny hands and Toni hooked her arm in his
Jake was sitting in a chair close to the dressing rooms and
Kaylee was the first to come out. She had a bright yellow
"Well?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, Kaylee, it looks great," Jake
"Jake Hardin, are you blushing?" Kaylee trilled.
"No, er, oh come on, Kaylee, you know I'm not the right
Kaylee just laughed and headed back to the dressing room.
"Jake?"
Jake looked up and froze. Toni stood there in a turquoise
"Wow," Jake said, his deep voice barely audible.
"Do you like it?" Toni asked almost bashfully.
"Uh, yeah Toni, it, uh, looks great on you," he
"You really think so?" she asked, looking down at
"Yeah, Toni, I really think so; you're, I mean it's
Was he saying "I'm beautiful?" she asked herself,
"Yeah, I like this one too, I think I'll get it,"
They made a stop at the grocery store where they picked up
They found one of the public camping areas, close to the
While the guys messed around in the water, the girls laid
Jake was busy getting the grill going when a group of guys
Jake was watching from his place at the grill. The burgers
"Everything okay?" Jake asked as Toni walked up
"Huh, oh yeah," she said, realizing that Jake must
"Okay," Jake said, using his tongs to put a patty
"Mmm, that looks and smells wonderful Jake. You are
After everyone had eaten, Jake built a large fire in the
"You want me to go with you?" Jake asked.
"That's okay, you've worked all evening cooking and
Ten minutes later, when she hadn't returned, Jake scanned
"If you don't leave here immediately, I'm going to
"You've been teasing me all day. The least you could do
"Well that's not happening. Now get out of my way and
As Jake approached the door of the women's restroom he heard
"Get your damn hands off me, Travis!"
The years of helplessness Jake had felt as a child suddenly
Jake, still at a full run lowered his shoulder and hit the
Jake knew this wasn't the evil man who had inflicted so much
Jake set his feet and swung from the hip, driving his fist
Turning to Toni, he saw her standing there, her eyes wide
"Oh Jake," she cried. "Thank God you got here
"Are you okay, Toni?" Jake asked, holding her head
"I am now. Thank you so much Jake." Her sobs began
Without realizing it, his hand was stroking her soft hair.
Jake and Toni found a picnic table just up the road from the
After the Ranger left with Travis, Toni looked over at Jake
"I don't know. I thought he was hurting you. I just
"Well, I'd say you did that," she giggled
Jake was glad to hear her laugh.
"Come on," he said, still holding his arm
When they got back to the campsite most of the people had
The guys who had arrived with Travis were looking for him.
"I think I saw him being taken away in the back of a
The boys looked at each other and started back toward their
Jake put the fire out, cleaned up their trash and put it in
Both girls wanted to ride in the front, so Toni got in first
"How'd it go with Travis?" Kaylee asked Toni.
"He started talking to me when I was laying out. He
"Oh my God, Toni. I had no idea. What did he do to
"Well, like I said, he was going to force me to my
"Someone saved you? Who, who was it?"
"I'll give you one guess." Toni leaned her head
"Jake? Oh my God. Travis was a big guy and Jake knocked
Jake's face was red with embarrassment at the praise from
"Well, I think he hit his head on the wall before I hit
"I'm so sorry that happened to you Toni. I'll be sure
For the rest of the drive everybody seemed busy with their
Toni was thinking about her harrowing experience with
Jake was driving along, replaying tonight's events over and
He had been content with that for a long time, but the last
They dropped Kaylee off at her house and then drove back to
"Thank you Jake, for being my best friend and for
"You have always been there for me too, Toni."
Toni hugged him tightly, feeling the scars on his back,
"Good night, Toni," Jake said, finally releasing
"Good night, Jake," Toni replied.
Jake stood and watched her until she unlocked the door and
A week after Toni's near miss with Travis, word got back to
Jake had seemed more protective since the incident. He had
Toni knew the kind of abuse he had suffered as a small
Toni was also becoming aware of a growing desire for Jake. A
To be continued. Based on a post by L Kilkenny,
By Dawkins BlogBased on a post by L Kilkenny.
Jake awoke from what was apparently a very good dream since
"Morning sleepy head," Toni said pertly.
"Hey Toni," Jake said sleepily, in his deep soft
"Uh, not you," she joked. "I was beginning to
"What time is it? How long have you been here?"
Toni looked down at her phone. "It's 9:30 in the
"So what are you doing here so early on a Saturday
"Will you go with me to the mall today?" Toni
"Uh, yeah, sure. I just need to take a shower,"
"Okay," she said looking at him with her trademark
"I'm going to get some orange juice," she said
"Uh, sure," he said, still looking back over his
Toni left her sandals on the floor next to his bed and
Jake jumped out of bed with tented boxers. He grabbed some
Turning on the shower as soon as he got inside the bathroom,
Feeling the water before stepping into the shower, he put
Jake had grown up in the foster care system. His mother had
When he was 6 years old, and after a particularly harsh
He walked down the dimly lit sidewalk, passed street corners
Suddenly he smelled something that smelled like heaven.
"Would you like a glass of milk with that?" a
He spun around like a cornered animal, looking for an
The man could see the fear in the boy's eyes. He backed up
"What's bacon?" the boy asked quietly.
"What's bacon?" the man asked stunned. "Well
"I've never had any bacon," he said, unable to
"What's your name son?"
The boy stood, not answering, looking down at the floor.
"It's okay son, you're not in trouble. My name's
The boy automatically flinched back, away from his hand.
"Hey, hey, hey; it's okay. No one's going to hurt you,
The boy shook his head slowly, side to side.
"Well, how about we call you, uh, Jake?"
"Jake," the boy whispered. It was the first time
"Okay Jake, how about those eggs and bacon?"
"Okay," Jake said, his head slowly nodded.
Scrambled eggs and bacon soon became Jake's favorite food in
"Jake, this is John." Mike said, introducing the
"Hey Jake," John said. Mike had already warned him
Jake sat, looking at Mike and John for a few moments before
"Okay, finish your breakfast, and we'll get Mike to
"Okay," Jake whispered.
"Hey Mike, would you have any of MJ's clothes here?
"You know, I think I do. I keep a change of clothes for
Mike left the room and soon came back with a shirt, pair of
"Hey Jake, would you like to change into some dry
"Okay," Jake said.
"All right, come on back here where you can have some
Mike took Jake to his office and gave him the clothes,
Mike closed the door, but walked around the side of the
John came over and looked through the window. He saw Jake
When he was changed, Jake was taken to the police department
John called his sister, Diane, in Texas, because he knew
Bob and Diane understood the uphill battle they faced with
Jake moved in with Bob and Diane, to a quiet suburb in The
Jake turned to see a girl about his age standing at the
"Hi," Jake said.
"What's your name?"
"Jake."
"Hi Jake, I'm Toni."
"Isn't that a boy's name?"
"Not when you spell it with an 'I'," she said
"Do you want to play?" Jake asked her.
"Sure." Toni climbed the chain link fence without
"What are you playing?" Toni asked him.
"Cars," Jake said.
"Okay. Do you have another car?"
"No, but you can play with mine," Jake said,
"Thank you," Toni said.
After playing and talking for a while, they heard a voice
"Oh, there's my mom," Toni said, holding the
"You can keep it," Jake said quietly.
Toni looked at the pitiful little car and smiled a little
Diane Hardin, watching from the kitchen window smiled, even
Toni and Jake has been inseparable best friends ever since.
After taking care of his morning wood, Jake finished
He was still rubbing his head with a towel when he walked into
Toni looked over at him and shook her head while making
"Sit," she commanded.
Jake looked at Toni and sat back down in the desk chair.
Walking over to his dresser, she picked up a comb and walked
His first year of school after moving in with the Hardin's,
Today she was standing behind him, pulling the comb through
Walking through the mall they made quite the pair. Jake at
"Are we looking for anything in particular today?"
"We're meeting Kaylee and she and I have to do a little
When he didn't respond, she looked up at him and saw in his
"Jake?" Toni asked, putting her hand on his arm.
"Yeah?" he said. The look in his eyes was gone.
"Oh Jake...." Toni started, concern showing in her
"Hey guys, over here!" they heard as they reached
Coming toward them was Kaylee Anderson, her brown wavy hair
"Kaylee!" Toni said, hugging her best girl friend.
"I'm so glad to see you guys," Kaylee said.
"Hey, Kaylee," Jake smiled at her. Kaylee had been
"Have you found anything yet?" Toni asked.
"I haven't really looked yet, I was waiting on you.
"Well let's get to it."
The two girls headed off with Jake close behind. He wasn't
"I think I'll wait out here in the concourse."
"But Jake, we need your opinion on our new swim
"Toni can give you an opinion," Jake said
"A man's opinion is always better," Kaylee
"Please," Toni said.
Jake looked over and saw exactly what he expected to see. Toni's
"Ugh, okay, let’s get this over with," Jake
Kaylee clapped her tiny hands and Toni hooked her arm in his
Jake was sitting in a chair close to the dressing rooms and
Kaylee was the first to come out. She had a bright yellow
"Well?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, Kaylee, it looks great," Jake
"Jake Hardin, are you blushing?" Kaylee trilled.
"No, er, oh come on, Kaylee, you know I'm not the right
Kaylee just laughed and headed back to the dressing room.
"Jake?"
Jake looked up and froze. Toni stood there in a turquoise
"Wow," Jake said, his deep voice barely audible.
"Do you like it?" Toni asked almost bashfully.
"Uh, yeah Toni, it, uh, looks great on you," he
"You really think so?" she asked, looking down at
"Yeah, Toni, I really think so; you're, I mean it's
Was he saying "I'm beautiful?" she asked herself,
"Yeah, I like this one too, I think I'll get it,"
They made a stop at the grocery store where they picked up
They found one of the public camping areas, close to the
While the guys messed around in the water, the girls laid
Jake was busy getting the grill going when a group of guys
Jake was watching from his place at the grill. The burgers
"Everything okay?" Jake asked as Toni walked up
"Huh, oh yeah," she said, realizing that Jake must
"Okay," Jake said, using his tongs to put a patty
"Mmm, that looks and smells wonderful Jake. You are
After everyone had eaten, Jake built a large fire in the
"You want me to go with you?" Jake asked.
"That's okay, you've worked all evening cooking and
Ten minutes later, when she hadn't returned, Jake scanned
"If you don't leave here immediately, I'm going to
"You've been teasing me all day. The least you could do
"Well that's not happening. Now get out of my way and
As Jake approached the door of the women's restroom he heard
"Get your damn hands off me, Travis!"
The years of helplessness Jake had felt as a child suddenly
Jake, still at a full run lowered his shoulder and hit the
Jake knew this wasn't the evil man who had inflicted so much
Jake set his feet and swung from the hip, driving his fist
Turning to Toni, he saw her standing there, her eyes wide
"Oh Jake," she cried. "Thank God you got here
"Are you okay, Toni?" Jake asked, holding her head
"I am now. Thank you so much Jake." Her sobs began
Without realizing it, his hand was stroking her soft hair.
Jake and Toni found a picnic table just up the road from the
After the Ranger left with Travis, Toni looked over at Jake
"I don't know. I thought he was hurting you. I just
"Well, I'd say you did that," she giggled
Jake was glad to hear her laugh.
"Come on," he said, still holding his arm
When they got back to the campsite most of the people had
The guys who had arrived with Travis were looking for him.
"I think I saw him being taken away in the back of a
The boys looked at each other and started back toward their
Jake put the fire out, cleaned up their trash and put it in
Both girls wanted to ride in the front, so Toni got in first
"How'd it go with Travis?" Kaylee asked Toni.
"He started talking to me when I was laying out. He
"Oh my God, Toni. I had no idea. What did he do to
"Well, like I said, he was going to force me to my
"Someone saved you? Who, who was it?"
"I'll give you one guess." Toni leaned her head
"Jake? Oh my God. Travis was a big guy and Jake knocked
Jake's face was red with embarrassment at the praise from
"Well, I think he hit his head on the wall before I hit
"I'm so sorry that happened to you Toni. I'll be sure
For the rest of the drive everybody seemed busy with their
Toni was thinking about her harrowing experience with
Jake was driving along, replaying tonight's events over and
He had been content with that for a long time, but the last
They dropped Kaylee off at her house and then drove back to
"Thank you Jake, for being my best friend and for
"You have always been there for me too, Toni."
Toni hugged him tightly, feeling the scars on his back,
"Good night, Toni," Jake said, finally releasing
"Good night, Jake," Toni replied.
Jake stood and watched her until she unlocked the door and
A week after Toni's near miss with Travis, word got back to
Jake had seemed more protective since the incident. He had
Toni knew the kind of abuse he had suffered as a small
Toni was also becoming aware of a growing desire for Jake. A
To be continued. Based on a post by L Kilkenny,