Plain Janie

"It sort of disintegrated." She rubbed her left wrist. "It turns out showers and strings don't mix." She looked at the tiny watch on her wrist and gasped. "You'd better take me home before it gets any later."

Jane and Anne lived in a bad neighborhood but it was all they could afford. "You know you can stay with me," he said. "You're always welcome here."

She got up and patted his cheek. "I know Craig, but I need to stand on my own for a while. I can't rely on my big brother forever."

"Yes you can." He lifted her purse. The canvas sagged, laden with quarters.

She took the heavy bag and slung it over a slim shoulder. "One of these days I'm going to let you win," she promised. Then he took her home.

Craig Benson returned to a dark and empty house. The walls, the carpet and the furniture all reminded him of Kelly. Everything in the little house did, everything except for the kitchen.

The kitchen reminded him of Jane. They had gotten together every Friday night since his wife left. At first they were awkward dinners, Craig would brood while his little sister did sinister things: she made him talk and listen. She cracked him open like a coconut until he had no choice but to express his feelings. After a time they started having fun and he found that he looked forward to the evenings spent with her.

He had never gathered the will to reenter the dating ocean. There were too many sharks and not enough lifeguards.

He shouldn't have to date. Kelly was supposed to have been his forever. When she left it frayed his whole world. Jane had been the one to put it back together, braiding the loose strands of his life a string at a time. She became more than his adorable little sister, she was his best friend and guardian angel. She gave him female companionship, something he desperately needed.

She had never asked for anything in return. That's why he had no qualms about helping her out, whether it be with money, chauffeuring or incessantly begging her to move into his extra bedroom.

He rinsed the dirty silverware then jammed them into the overcrowded dishwasher. The pair of empty Lean Cuisine boxes had to be left on the table. The trashcan had reached it's maximum capacity and he didn't feel like taking it out in the cold.

He missed her already. Her laugh, her smile, the hideous smell of eggplant parmesan nuking in the microwave.

The odd thing was for the first time in three years he no longer spent his nights pining for Kelly. Now he thought of Jane. He imagined how wonderful it would be if she were with him all of the time. No more darkness, no more emptiness, no more thinking of Kelly when he looked at the walls or the carpet or the furniture. Just he and Jane.

February 12th

Jane got up earlier than normal that Saturday morning. Harvey wouldn't come for her until noon but sleep was hopeless.

She scrubbed her naked back in the shower and thought of Harvey's steely eyes and tanned face. She knew they weren't actually dating or anything, but to be seen in public with someone like Harvey wouldn't be bad for her reputation. She giggled, she was thinking like a freshman.

Cold water flooded the shower stall, a reminder that she had washed long enough. She made her way to the vanity. Beads of water dripped off her body to form tiny puddles on the linoleum floor.

She found her glasses on the edge of the sink. She cleared steam off of the lenses then placed them on her nose.

She grabbed a tiny pair of scissors from the sink and sat on the edge of the toilet lid. She snipped a few reddish-brown hairs, keeping her triangle of pubic hairs as tidy as possible. She had no clue why, it wasn't like Harvey would be seeing that.

Her crotch tingled. She had spent a little too much time in the shower cleaning certain areas of her anatomy. The sudden inundation of cold water had done nothing to cure her arousal. She dipped her hand to touch her clit. She shuddered and almost moaned. Jane hopped off the toilet lid and shushed herself in the mirror. She could hear Anne in the kitchen digging through the cupboards.

Jane touched her clit again, this time applying more pressure. Once more she shuddered. Her skin was soaked but her mouth was dry as sandpaper. She had neglected her body for too long.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the sink to steady herself as she teased her labia. Oily secretions lubricated her fingers while she prodded herself. She leaned over the sink, slipping her slim index finger up her tight channel to the first knuckle.

She grabbed a soft breast and squeezed, reveling as she established an erotic circuit between her nipple and groin. Her finger slid out, slicker and wetter than before. She used it to rub her clit over and over. She imagined Harvey, his eyes his face. She imagined his big hands doing this to her and smiled. He was experienced. He would know how to please her.

She saw herself in the mirror, bent over, masturbating like a deviant. Maybe Anne was right, she conceded. Jane was no longer the skinny teenager that had been branded Plain Jane.

She frowned at the scar that marred her body. Her fingers stilled.

She was twelve the last time the surgeons had cut her open. While other girls worried about training bras and periods and boys, Jane had to listen to the doctors drone on and on about congenital heart defects.

She had been so young during the first two surgeries, just a baby. The third and final time she was twelve, almost a teenager. Old enough to be scared.

Her friends and schoolmates never visited the hospital room. They were too afraid to visit the 'dying girl.' But she always had Craig.

There were times when he was as bad as any other brother. He could taunt and he could tease and he could play mean-spirited pranks on her, but if anybody else ever tried he would make them sorry. More often than not he was her sweet big brother, the boy who would sit by her hospital bed and read storybooks with her when she was too weak for anything else. She never even cared much for books until he started reading to her. Those stupid voices he would make up, the same ones she used for the children in the library. She thought of Craig and her fingers started to move again. He hadn't touched a woman in three years, not since that slut Kelly left him. He blames himself and he punishes himself because she ran off with another woman. He thinks it makes him less of a man. Craig is so wonderful, she thought. Why couldn't he see himself the way she did?

She drove her finger deep into her pussy, deep enough to massage her clit with the base of her thumb.

There was a knock. "Jane?" Anne said from behind the door.

Jane stiffened. What if she hadn't turned the lock? Her friend would find her hunched over the sink, fingering herself like a madwoman. She didn't stop though, she was too close to a long overdue release.

"I'm going out for some breakfast. You want anything?" Anne asked.

Jane didn't want to answer, she wasn't sure she could speak. She wanted Anne to go away and let her cum. "No." Her voice cracked. "No thank you."

"Okay, I'll keep my cell on if you change your mind." Anne moved away from the door, Jane regained the courage to move her finger. "Jane!" Anne screamed. "Mr. LaSalle came by again last night. He says if we don't pay he's throwing us out. Call your brother. See if he can loan you some money for rent."

"Yes!" She hissed.

As soon as the apartment door closed Jane felt her pussy spasm. Her entire body arched over the sink. All alone, she let go and called out. She yelled one name and it wasn't Harvey's.

The forecasted rainfall had never materialized. A cold front had overpowered one of it's milder southern cousins. All morning the temperature struggled to straddle the freezing point. Harvey shivered, his breath formed temporary clouds. "Jane, why did you drag me out to the zoo in the middle of February?"

"I wanted you to see that animals were good for something besides barbequing."

"There is something twisted about making us walk outside, while all these damn animals lounge in their heated dens." He sneezed.

"That monkey just gave me the finger," Harvey said. "Look at that little bastard." Harvey pulled his hands out of his leather jacket and flashed a pair of middle fingers at the Chimpanzee exhibit. Jane wanted to tell him to stop being ridiculous but remembered who she was dealing with.

One of the zoo's caretakers took notice of Harvey and was making a report in his radio. "Come on, before you get us thrown out." She pulled her large stepbrother back onto the main path. "You know you're lucky those chimps were inside where it's warm. They have been known to throw some rather nasty projectiles when the visitors agitate them."

"I hate monkeys," he muttered.

"We could go see the polar bear or the penguins," she said.

"Or we could go back to the gift shop and let my genitals thaw out."

She laughed at his suggestion. "Come on you big baby."

Jane browsed the gifts while Harvey swigged several cups of hot chocolate. There were little dolls, animals with suits and dresses, each were given a human name. She picked one up. It was a crocodile named Kelly, it was blonde and had too much makeup on. The blister pack said that she was a high-maintenance reptile who's jaws could snap any man in two. Craig would love it.

She found a little bin of stuffed animals. On the very top of the pile was a little yellow lion, an almost exact duplicate of her beloved Mr. Mane. The only thing missing was the mane, this was a female lion. She wanted Harvey to buy it for her.

He was at the counter with the cashier. She was tall and red-headed. She was also extremely young. Jane moved closer to the two noticing that Harvey wasn't just beside the counter, he was behind it. He whispered in the cashier's ear. When he finally noticed Jane he froze.

The cashier gritted her teeth as Harvey tried to apologize. Jane threw the souvenirs down and stormed out of the shop.

"Jane wait!" Harvey jogged until he caught up with her. "Let me explain."

"Go ahead," Jane said. She crossed her arms and tapped her boot. "Explain!" Harvey stuttered then scowled. She knew that he couldn't. "Jesus Christ Harvey, what's wrong with you? She was just a kid!"

"She was eighteen," he said, throwing up his arms defensively. "That's old enough for me." He flashed what was normally a disarming smile. There was no way he would charm his way out of trouble this time. "She bet me that her perfume smelled better than yours." He stepped close to her. "You know I can't resist a bet, so I climbed behind the counter for a whiff. I was defending your honor."

Against her better judgment she allowed her face to soften. "And?" Jane asked. He bent close to her neck and inhaled. "Not only do I have the prettiest girl at the zoo, I have the best smelling one."

"I'm not wearing perfume," she said. She wanted to whisper it in his ear but couldn't reach.

He gripped her shoulders, she felt her jaw tremble.

Harvey pulled her crocheted stocking cap off. "Your hair looks beautiful styled that way." His cold fingers removed the glasses from her nose. "Your eyes, they're so lovely. You shouldn't keep them covered with these Coke bottles." The world turned into a milky blur. Harvey's chiseled face, just inches from her own, was nothing more than a well-tanned blot.

She felt his breath as his lips drew nearer. "Do you still think I'm a Plain Jane?" she asked.

"Not anymore."

Then he kissed her.

She wanted to pull away and slap him, to prove that he could not manipulate her so easily. Instead she permitted his tongue entrance to her mouth. All the while she reminded herself that she was not one of his bimbos. His hands released their grip on her thick coat and slid down to her jeans. He gripped the twin mounds of her butt through the denim. She thrilled at the roughness of his fingers.

His fingers moved to her front, they tried to unzip her jeans. She turned beet red. What was he doing? They were out in public. She remembered what Craig had told her last night and she agreed, he was the same old Harvey. She had let this go on long enough.

She pulled away. "Jane wait." He reached out and tried to grab her but his hand ended up on her chest.

She searched for her glasses; he still had them. Harvey released her and returned the glasses. He didn't look nearly as handsome anymore.

Jane straightened her coat and zipped up her jeans. "Craig was right about you!"

Harvey smirked. An arrogant, secretive, 'I know something that could ruin your life' kind of smirk. "One of these days, you're going to find out that your brother is not the knight in shining armor he pretends to be." That was al he said before taking her home.

February 13th

Jane watched Craig dig through her refrigerator. He was determined to make her breakfast despite the apartment's lack of food. "See, I told you there was nothing to eat in there," Jane said. "We're out of milk and the eggs smell funny."

Jane didn't think she had slept at all last night. She tossed, she turned and she cried, but nope, no sleep. Despite her exhaustion she was glad that her brother had stopped by. He had no idea how much she needed him that morning.

"Check out this tuna." He pulled out an opened tin loosely covered with cling wrap. "Apparently it's Chicken of the Green Sea now." Anne's tuna was covered with a mossy layer of mold.

"Yuck," Jane said. She grabbed the can and chucked it in the garbage.

"Janie, get dressed," he said. "I'm taking you to the store."

"No way. You're not buying me groceries. Craig, I wont let you."

She tried to protest but it was no use. Craig was stuck in big brother mode. "Think of it like this, you're borrowing the groceries and someday, someway you can pay me back."

"I can never pay you back," she said.

He came close, as close as Harvey had yesterday. She could feel her brother's breath now. It was warmer, sweeter than Harvey's. He touched the tip of her nose with his finger. "And you never have to."

"For someone who won't let me buy her groceries, you sure are letting me buy you a lot of groceries." Craig pretended to struggle as he pushed the loaded shopping cart through the produce aisle.

"Don't be such a baby," she said, "soup and vegetables are the cheapest things in the store."

She headed for the bin of apples and picked out a half dozen Granny Smiths. Craig was not at the cart when she returned. He was at the cantaloupes, holding a pair of the spherical melons to his chest. "Hey Janie, who am I?" he asked.

"I really don't know." She wished he would put them down, people were staring.

"I don't know either, but I bet I could give Harvey a boner." Jane covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

Craig put the melons in the cart and dashed off again. Now, where was he off to? She found him down by the deli in front of a large rotisserie oven. A dozen whole chicken carcasses rotated on two spits. His mouth was practically watering.

"I'm getting one of those," he said.

"No way," she said, peeling his hands off of the warm glass. "I won't let my big brother participate in the murder of innocent hens." "So I'm a murderer for eating chickens?"

She nodded and patted his stomach. "A mass murderer."

"You'd never find a court that would convict me."

"What if the judge was Foghorn Leghorn?" she asked.

"I'd ask for a change of venue. To Kentucky." He had her there.

"You know one of these days vegetarians will be the majority." She stopped as his face leaned close to hers. "...we'll be in the White House, the Capitol and the Supreme Court. We'll make you all eat nothing but peas and carrots and turnips."

"Well," he said, "I hope all of those turnip eating fascists are as pretty as you."

She stepped backwards almost bumping into another shopper.

He held her hand in the checkout lane, just like when they were children. When she asked him why he was so cheerful he just smiled, an imperfect, truly wonderful smile.

They loaded the van and closed the hatch. The thermometer on the bank across the street read twenty degrees but the cutting wind made it feel much colder. Craig wheeled the cart to one of the strategically placed corrals. He returned munching out of a bag of candy.

The cold air was kind of invigorating, she felt awake and alive for the first time all morning. Craig leaned close to her, close enough that she could smell the sweetness of his breath, that too was invigorating. "What are you eating?" she asked, leaning against the back of his van.

"Conversation Hearts," he said. She watched him eat a handful of the pastel candies, they crunched in his teeth. "Want some?" She declined by shaking her head. "Don't worry, they're not made out of ground up baby bunnies." He dug through the bag and put a little pink heart in the middle of her gloved hand.

There were crooked red letters printed on the tiny heart. She read them aloud. "4-E-V-E-R. Forever, Craig?"

He took the candy heart from her hand and held it to her lips. "Yeah. I didn't think I would find one that said I L-U-V S-I-S."

She opened her mouth and he placed it on her tongue. The heart was brittle and powdery and awful. She shook her head. "It tastes like fruit-flavored chalk."

"I know, but you can only get it once a year." He ate the last piece then crumpled the bag. "Throw that away for me," he said, stuffing the bag in her pocket.

"No," she giggled, "you take care of your own trash." She tried to stuff it in his pocket but he caught her wrist and pinned her against the back of the van. The sweetness of his breath filled her nose just before he kissed her. Her knees buckled, good thing she was propped against the glass and steel of his van otherwise she might have crumpled to the ground. Her arms wrapped around him, she forgot about the fact that he was her brother, her real brother. Fruit and chalk didn't taste so bad on his lips.

Jane ran her fingers along the strap of her seatbelt. He had kissed her, there was no doubt about that. Had it really been the long passionate embrace she remembered or was it just a brotherly peck that her imagination had blown out of proportion? One thing was for sure: she couldn't tell by looking at Craig. His face had not changed all morning. He was still the goofy, grinning, Craig that she loved. She loved Craig, what an odd thing to even consider.

"Craig, what are you doing tomorrow?" Jane asked as they pulled into her apartment complex.

"Work, home, TV, sleep. You know the routine." He opened the door and hopped outside.

She met him at the back of the van where he was already grabbing a sack of groceries. "It's Valentine's Day," she said.

"Just another day in the eyes of Craig Benson."

Jane pulled off her stocking cap, exposing her coppery hair. She hoped it wasn't too frazzled. "I was thinking that maybe we could get together again." She took off her glasses and hoped Harvey hadn't been lying when he said her eyes were beautiful.

"Janie," blurry Craig sighed. "Put your glasses back on." She stiffened as he took the thick red-rimmed glasses from her hand. "Why?" she asked.

"So you can see me do this." He perched the glasses back on her nose and kissed her again. There was nothing imagined about this kiss. It was most definitely real and decidedly un-brotherly. His hands were on her hips, they gripped her firmly and gently.

He acted like he wanted to explore her body but every time his left hand started to move it retreated back to the swell of her hip. Tired of his uncertainty, she took his wrist and placed his hand on her chest. She didn't think he could even feel her breast through the thick coat and sweatshirt, but she could feel him. Her nipple hardened even more than the cold weather could account for. She unzipped her coat and took the plastic grocery sack from his hand.