Don't ask for my age. (Angie)

[Jacob Tapper]

The time between Jake and Aerina parting ways and their meeting back up outside Aerina's dorm building seemed to go by in a flash; as soon as Jake had found out about the cheerleading team's house party that afternoon, and seen just a few of the many fine-looking specimens who would be attending the event, he'd left the short girl's company and practically teleported back to his room. So excited was he that he forgot to actually go back down into the locker room to grab his stuff. No matter: he only had a change of clothes down there, and it was just as easy to shower off and change back at his dorm.

And that was just what he did, after which he met Aerina outside of her building wearing a navy blue polo and a new, well-ironed pair of grey jeans. They walked together amicably to the party, which was located pretty close to campus. The Indian girl did most of the talking, and the white boy did most of the listening, and when they arrived they both seemed to drift away from one another, as though they had just wanted an escort through the door and not throughout the entire event. There were plenty of people there, as it were - he wasn't the only player on the team who'd been invited, or heard about it and invited himself, not to mention all the cheerleaders and their own guests - so it was easy for him to sort of blend into the larger group. He chatted up some of the girls, having friendly if not titillating conversations. Someone had brought some vodka to spike the punch with, but it was a pretty tame party regardless.

For much of the party, though, Jake hadn't spotted the blonde woman he'd seen at the gym. But an hour or so in, he saw through the open kitchen doorway that same woman plating some cookies. He immediately removed himself from the conversation he'd been in - spurred on by hormones and just a pinch of Svedka - and headed into the kitchen, which was largely empty for the time being.

"Hey," he said, holding a red Solo cup in one of his hands, the other hiding in his pocket. "Cool party." He figured that was a nice enough way to start a conversation with the hostess. He looked at her with eyebrows slightly raised, like he was hopeful she would be receptive.

[Deleted]

Angie didn’t always hold after-parties for the games. It was quite the expense to feed a whole gaggle of growing teenagers! Most of the time her get-togethers only included Glads and his few close friends. Or just the cheer squad. Today, it seemed word had got out that she was hosting and a whole bunch of people came! Many she recognized from the basketball team, though still there were some whom Angie had never seen before and whom Glads also couldn’t put a name to.

Oh, well, she thought. The more the merrier, and she wasn’t about to kick out a herd of hungry teenagers from her living room, and front yard, and back yard just because it was a little inconvenient. Angie had to make a quick stop to the market to pick up some extra items just to keep up with how quickly her snacks seemed to disappear. She prepared a punch bowl, at least, before she left, which still seemed to be in good standing when she returned. That would give her enough time to make more. For the moment, Angie had cookies to bake. Then pie. Because who didn’t love pie?

Angie was always the old fashioned sort, cooking most everything from scratch as best she could, skittering across the cool tile of the kitchen on her bare feet, and tying a ruffled white apron over her blue sundress. Her blonde curls were pinned up on either side, letting the whole of them flow down to her middle back. A lock of it dropped over her left shoulder as she bent over with a pair of potholders and pulled out two trays of cookies. Chocolate chip, of course. Was there any other kind?

She was transferring them from the trays to a large white plate when a boy came in to greet her. She smiled brightly up at him. “Hello~” she said, returning the greeting in almost a sing-song voice. Angie dipped her head, then returned her eyes to the boy, a slight pink touching her cheeks. “Why thank you! I try really hard to make sure everything’s put together for y’all to have a good time.” The southern woman giggled slightly then returned her attention to the cookies, turning it back to the boy every two or three seconds. “It’s always nice to hear that my hard work’s been appreciated.”

[Jacob Tapper]

Jake smiled as the woman thanked him for the compliment. It had been a pretty vague one, but it had been sincere enough. "Definitely appreciated," he confirmed with a nod. He looked down at the cookies she was plating. Chocolate chip: his favorite (of course - whose favorite wasn't chocolate chip?), and they looked really good. He wanted one, kind of immediately, but figured they might still be hot and didn't want to be rude.

He glanced back up at the blonde in front of him. Now that he was seeing her closer than he had at the gymnasium, she looked a little older than most of the other people at the party. Not much older, like maybe she was that other kid's older sister or a recent alumni of the Hammel cheerleaders. Then again, maybe she just looked older for her age. It never occurred to Jake that she might look young for her age. She had a classy beauty, though, with rosy cheeks (at least, they had a pinkish hue when he looked at her that he had no idea he had caused), the well-kept curly blond hair of a Stepford Wife, and a tasteful sundress that could have been straight out of The Help. And her Southern accent was virtually heart-stopping to the boy from New Jersey.

"Do you throw a lot of parties?" He asked, groping for some conversation to keep him in the kitchen. "For the cheerleaders," he clarified: he didn't want to imply he thought she was some kind of party animal, since all signs pointed to the opposite conclusion.

[Deleted]

It took a moment or two for Angie to recognize the boy as one of the players from the basketball team. Angie sometimes chattered with the students, but her main focus was with the cheerleaders, if just for her son’s sake. They were all such sweet girls, Angie wished she had a clique of friends like them when she was their age.

This boy, however, seemed to have quite a bit of manners that made Angie smile wide in approval. It was rare that children offered up any gratitude to the efforts that the parents may give them. It was quite refreshing, to say the least, and his continued gratitude kept that embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She nodded and shrugged up a shoulder. “I do. Sometimes,” she said with a slight uncertain look that disappeared in an instant. Angie was the sort to be quite expressive in her face when she spoke. “It’s a bit too much to do all the time, of course. I am only one person, after all.” And there was only so much that one person could do. Even if her experience of rush-hour waitressing made her a little more used to the chaos than others would be. “And other times, I’ll just be working all day at the diner.” Meaning, she didn’t have the time to throw one anyway, even if she’d like to.

Angie finished setting the cookies across two large platter and wiped her hands her apron. “Well, I think that ought to just about do it. Here, handsome, why don’t you give me hand with these?” She took one of the plates and handed it to the boy, then picked up the other herself. Then she grinned, holding up a cheeky finger to her chin. “I always end up making too many, but I’ll tell you a secret.” She leaned in and held out her hand beside her mouth as she whispered to him. “It’s my secret ploy so I can eat the rest myself when y’all can’t finish them.” Angie giggled, holding her hand demurely over her smile. She gave the brunet boy a pat on the shoulder. “Come on now, let’s get these out there before they start coming in here like a swarm of bees.” She’d giggle again, then lead the way out to the living room to set the plate down in the middle of the throng of students.

[Jacob Tapper]

Jake didn't always have manners: like most boys his age, he had his selfish moments, his thoughtless moments, his moments of sheer social stupidity. But he did try his best to be nice - it was simply how he had been raised - so perhaps that put him above his peers. He listened as Angie explained that she hosted parties occasionally, but not very frequently. Working all day at the diner? Well, that didn't sound like a student; even those who had jobs worked around their academic schedules, so it was unlikely that she was at Hammel. Well, there went his dream of hitting on a cheerleader (not that there weren't plenty of other girls at the party, but this one in particular had caught his eye). She must, he reasoned, be one of the cheerleaders' older sisters, or college friend or something. And that was fine with him: an older girl would be more mature than his peers, would know things they didn't - and, most likely, that he didn't either. Interesting things. His mind still didn't go into 'mother' territory; his mother was older than she was, and she frankly looked it.

He blushed slightly as the woman called him handsome - not that he hadn't received that sort of compliment before, but something about hearing it in a Southern accent put it on a whole other level - and removed his hand from his pocket to take one of the plates from her. He grinned as she leaned in to tell him her 'secret,' more because of the physical proximity than because what she said was actually funny. He resented how quickly she wanted to move into the other room, but he resolved to keep trying: he was no stranger to 'The Hunt,' though he would rarely call it that because it just seemed somewhat predatory. 'The Game," perhaps.

He followed her obediently into the living room, placing the plate down next to the other, and quickly taking a cookie for himself as some of the other kids gathered around to do so as well. "I'm Jake, by the way," he said by way of introduction. It was perhaps clear that he was rather bent on chatting this girl up, which could be endearing or annoying depending on the combination of how busy and how interested she was.

[Deleted]

Angie’s playfulness didn’t help distinguish her from someone much younger than she was. She’d never grown out of it, to be honest, and she didn’t think she should have to. In her opinion, it helped make her a ‘cool’ mom. One of those sort who could empathize with the teenagers.

At heart, though, she was still such a momma, taking care of the lot like they were her own. Oh, how amazing it would be to actually have that many children! If she ever did, she hoped that even one of them had the manners that this helpful boy did. His parents must have raised him right and well, for him to be so kind! Angie was already devising a plan to volunteer him as her helper for the rest of the afternoon.

“I have cookies, everyone!” she announce as they entered the family room. She wasted no time in setting the plate down for everyone to grab from, then backed away to let the helpful boy set his down as well. “Thank you, Angie~” said a couple of the girls. Angie smiled at them with a giggle, glad that they called her by her first name. She turned to the boy who had just given his name as well. “Jake. That’s a nice name!” She grinned broadly. “Call me Angie, please. It always makes me feel so old to be called Ms. Thompson,” she said with a thoughtful face. She was barely over 30 still! Just a few years, and that wasn’t hardly nothing.

She turned glimmering eyes up at Jake and blinked several times. “Jake, sweetie, are you busy?” she asked. She didn’t want to take him away if he’d rather spend time out here with the others, so it was always nice to ask first. “Do you like pie? I’m gonna go make a pie real soon, and I could use a helper in the kitchen, if you don’t mind.” He did such a good job with the cookies, she figured he’d do well with the pie too.

[Jacob Tapper]

Jake heard some of the girls thanking the woman, so he was able to ascertain her name before she even said it. Angie; he made a mental note of this, though he had a feeling he wouldn't have trouble remembering it. Unlike 'Aerina,' which sounded like the name of Disney's next ethnic princess. He reacted to her introduction like that was the first he was hearing of it, though, giving a nod. What she said next was sort of weird - who would call her Ms. Thompson? She wasn't a teacher, hadn't she said she worked at a diner? It didn't occur to Jake, though, that this might be indicative of her age - as far as he was concerned, mothers and older women were "Mrs," not "Ms." It was just what he knew.

It has already been stated that the boy was rather struck by the woman's southern accent, but hearing her call him 'sweetie' was about enough to make his heart stop. Despite talking a big game, Jake did not have a lot of experience with women (though more than he had with men), so he was somewhat easily overwhelmed when a member of the opposite sex was responsive to his advances. It didn't make him bashful, though; rather, it made him pursue his cause all the more aggressively.

Registering, finally, that Angie had asked him a question, he shook his head. "No, uh, no - I'm not busy," he replied hastily. Sure, it was nice to talk to his friends, but what idiot would turn down some alone time with the sexy Woman Next Door? "I love pie," he replied with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that was probably more cute and less suggestive than he'd intended it to be. He was one-hundred percent certain she was flirting with him, trying to get him alone so they could continue their conversation. He leaned in slightly - not so much to make anyone uncomfortable, but enough to make it clear his words were private. "We can go right now, if you want to."

[Deleted]

Angie wasn’t deliberately trying to entice him with her wiles. Not in the slightest actually. It was just her habit to call other people a variety of pet names which included those which had confused Jake so far: sweetie, handsome. He could probably expect to hear hun, and luv in the near future. She was completely oblivious to the effect it was having on the teenage boy, however. Angie simply thought he being a good, helpful young man. His mother must be so proud of him!

The blonde’s smile grew when he confirmed that, yes, he did like pie. “Perfect,” she said, a little bit giddy now. Jake seemed very receptive to the idea of helping her and that just filled the woman with such glee that she couldn’t help a girlish giggle. She mimicked his action and leaned in slightly to hear his ‘private words’. Angie sent the boy a sly smile coupled with a pair of slightly mischievous eyes. “Then let’s~” she replied.

Angie led the tall boy back to the kitchen where she started pulling out the items for making pie. As she worked, she continued their chat. “There’s a basket of apple in the corner over there. Would you mind cutting those up for me while I get the dough ready?” That was a relatively simple task, but it occurred to her to ask. She turned to face the boy. “You don’t happen to know anything about baking, do you hun?” she asked, pointing a finger to him, palm up.

[Jacob Tapper]

Jake followed Angie with a grin on his face, as though she was leading him to a bedroom, not a kitchen. But he was making progress, so he was quite pleased with himself. Now he would be alone with the pretty woman again, and he could work what he could only assume was his 'magic.'

No sooner had he set foot in the kitchen than Angie was already giving him directions. Okay, so they were actually going to make a pie. Jake could work with that. "Yeah, sure," he said. He didn't really know his way that well around a kitchen, but cutting apples was something he could definitely do; his mother used to do it for him when he was younger, so he'd seen it done. "How thin do you need them?" He asked, figuring that was a smart culinary question. He'd never baked a pie before; hell, he'd never so much as scooped store-bought cookie dough onto a baking sheet and thrown it in the oven. But cutting apples, he could do.

He was about to ask where she kept her knives, when she asked him the question he had just answered in his own head. "Ah, no, not so much," he admitted under the interrogation of her pointer finger, one of his hands finding the back of his neck. "But I'm a quick learner," he added just as quickly. He was, like most guys, proud: he didn't want anybody thinking he wasn't completely capable, either in the kitchen or in any other room in the house.

[Deleted]

Angie thought for a moment. “Mmm…about this big,” she said, demonstrating the width with her fingers. Even if he didn’t have any experience, that shouldn’t be too hard for a beginning. And it was a tedious task that took up a lot of time that she could be using for other things. That’s why she always preferred a helper when she made pie. It cut the preparation time nearly in half!

It was just as she thought, Jake didn’t have much experience in the kitchen(which was fine, because she would expect that of a boy his age). She grinned at his afterthought. “Good. That helps me out a lot,” she said, pleased at his positive attitude. She turned away again to continue with her part of the preparations. “The knives are in that drawer to your left,” she offered.

It had barely been thirty seconds before Angie spoke again. “You know what? My mouth is feeling a bit lonely.” She held up a hand. “Now you hold onto that thought.” As if he’d been about to say something. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She could really use a stick of gum. Bubble gum, specifically. She supposed she could part with one piece, if Jake wanted on too. Angie bounced out of the kitchen to the bedroom where she kept her purse.

[Jacob Tapper]

Jacob noted the size she wanted the apple slices to be, nodding his head affirmatively as he committed to memory the size of the space between her fingers. He was pretty sure he could do exactly as she asked, which would no doubt ingratiate himself with her. He reached into the proper drawer, pulling out a paring knife and getting to work on the apples sitting on the counter. He did this work rather absentmindedly, it still not occurring to him that this woman was a mother who was using him for kitchen assistance, and that this wasn't some kind of weird pre-sex 'are you as good in the bedroom as you are in the kitchen' sort of test. But if it was the latter, he was sure he was acing it.

When Angie broke the silence, Jake's hands slipped, the knife practically slicing into his finger but thankfully missing it and hitting the plate instead. "Uh..." was all he could say for a moment. She wanted to kiss, right? What else could she have meant by a lonely mouth? He was silenced from whatever he was going to suggest, though, and he was left to watch her chipperly leave the kitchen. Did she expect him to follow? Were they going to some inner room, further from the party, to have some alone kissing time? No, she had said she would be back, so he was expected to wait there.

But that didn't mean he couldn't get himself ready for the inevitable festivities. Putting the knife down, he looked briefly over to the doorway to make sure nobody was about to come into the kitchen and ruin whatever fun they were about to have. He brushed his shirt and pants down with his hands, as though to ensure there was no dust or apple peel there. He then unbuttoned the second button on his polo (the top button never having been buttoned to begin with), and quickly checked his breath with his hand. All this having been accomplished, he turned back to the doorway through which Angie had just left and would surely shortly re-enter, leaning back against the counter and putting one foot up behind him, looking as casual as possible. He probably looked like he was ready for an Abercrombie shoot, but that was a good benchmark to hit.

[Deleted]

Jake’s misfortune was that he’d set his eye on a woman not only twice his age, but also with the mentality of someone half his age. She was a mother, in that he looked after her boy, gave him the love and attention he deserved, worked to support him, and baked cookies for him and his friends. Unfortunately, it was usually Glads who did most of the taking care of; keeping the small house clean, going over their finances, washing clothes and dishes… Angie was quite terrible at doing all of that.

The kitchen was where Angie excelled at. Serving others was what she excelled at. That was why it was perfect that she worked in a diner, especially one that allowed her to make her many varieties of pie and sell them at their establishment. Angie was very good at making pie. But making pie was a very long and tedious task, so having something else to do idly helped move things along. Such as good conversation, chewing gum, or simply switching on the TV. It didn’t occur to her that her words, her actions, her requests might have been misinterpreted by this teenage boy, leading him on to believe she was interested in a very ‘special’ way.

Add to that, it’d been years since she’d been intimate with anyone. It never even crossed her mind.

Angie skipped to the bedroom and pulled her purse from the hook on the wall. She dug through it for a time, taking things out one by one and dropping them onto the bed. She’d nearly emptied the whole things before finally finding the pink package of bubblegum she’d bought the other day, which only had three sticks left. Proud of her find, she swiftly returned to the kitchen, pulling out one of the sticks and offering it to the brunet boy. “Gum?” she asked, noticing diddly squat about his improved appearance other than the fact that he seemed to be taking a break. Whether he took the stick or not, Angie would unwrap one for herself, open her mouth, and press it onto her tongue. She’d smile and giggle as she chewed. “I love gum. They have all sorts of flavors. I think it’d take me forever to get through them all, to be honest.” She turned back to preparing the dough. “How’re those apples coming along?” she asked through her smack-smack-smack noises of gum chewing.