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Description
     I went to the pub. I wouldn't have said it at the time, but I was looking for John. I'd heard that he'd had a fight with his parents, and I didn't want him to be alone. To my good fortune, he was sitting at the bar, nursing a cold beer.
     I strode up to the seat next to him and sat down, ordering a beer for myself.
     "what are you doing here?" He asked.
     "I'm here to do something different from you."
     "Like what?"
     I gave him my best smile. "I'm here to get pissed and have a good time."
     "This is no place for little girls," he said, "and won't your parents be wanting you home?"
     "Unless I'm mistaken, you're sixteen, too. Besides, don't you have parents?" I asked.
     John snorted. "I should have known." he said, throuwing his head back and sighing. "Why are you here?"
     "John, I know you are upset now and you want to be alone, but you need to realize that there are people who love you and care about you." I said in a rush. I knew he's stop listening soon.
     John chuckled darkly and looked at me, his face inches from mine. "Go. Home. Jade."
     "I won't." I said, crossing my legs, trying to look comfortably stubborn. "I want to make sure you don't do anything stupid."
     "I won't. Now go home."
     I gave him a long, deliberate look. "John, I know you. You're going to get yourself piss drunk and do something incredibly stupid."
     John hit the bar hard with his fist. "God damn it, Jade, what the Hell do I have to do to get rid of you?"
     I smiled as sweetly as I could dispite the bitter sting of rejection. "I'll see you later. Granted you ever make it back." I hopped down from the bar as gracefully as possible and paid for my untouched drink. I slid it down to the man who was sitting next to me, winking when he looked up.
     "Jade. . ." John moaned, but he couldn't seem to make up his mind about whether he wanted me to stay or not.
     I gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving and a fleeting glance at the door. I can't tell you how much I wanted him to follow.

When I got home, I was crying. I wish I wasn't, but I couldn't help it. I had failed once again at saveing John. Lilly was reading on the couch when I walked in.
     "Oh, God. What's wrong?"
     "John," was all I could manage, but she understood.
     She wrapped her arms around me and sighed. "Never mind, love. Just never mind him."
     "Thank you." I whispered, returning the hug.
     "You know, I saw him the other day."
     "What?" I couldn't help my curiousity.
     "Yeah, it was raining out, and I was out there playing with my umbrella."
     As much as I love my sister, I really wish she wouldn't use the term "playing."
     "you were what?" I asked, a tint of alarm in my voice.
     She let go of me and rolled her eyes. "I was seeing how many times round the block it would take to fill my umbrella with water." she explained. "Anyway, he came up to me and told me how to use my umbrella properly, and I sort of let on that I didn't realize I was using it wrong."
     I gigled at my sister's stupidity. "Why on earth would you do that?"
     She began to laugh as well, as though the humor of the situation only just now hit her. "I don't know, but I ended up dumping all the water on my head. Anyway, I don't think he's realized yet that you're my little sister."
     "Well, he'll realize it soon." I said, calming down a little. "That explains why you were so wet when you came home. Lilly are you daft?"
     Lilly gave me a sheepish smile and shook her head. "No, but his expression was priceless."
     We sat up all night, talking about John and how he thought Lilly was a nutter. To tell the truth, she really is quite clever. Eventually, we fell asleep on her bed.

Description
     I went to the pub. I wouldn't have said it at the time, but I was looking for John. I'd heard that he'd had a fight with his parents, and I didn't want him to be alone. To my good fortune, he was sitting at the bar, nursing a cold beer.
     I strode up to the seat next to him and sat down, ordering a beer for myself.
     "what are you doing here?" He asked.
     "I'm here to do something different from you."
     "Like what?"
     I gave him my best smile. "I'm here to get pissed and have a good time."
     "This is no place for little girls," he said, "and won't your parents be wanting you home?"
     "Unless I'm mistaken, you're sixteen, too. Besides, don't you have parents?" I asked.
     John snorted. "I should have known." he said, throuwing his head back and sighing. "Why are you here?"
     "John, I know you are upset now and you want to be alone, but you need to realize that there are people who love you and care about you." I said in a rush. I knew he's stop listening soon.
     John chuckled darkly and looked at me, his face inches from mine. "Go. Home. Jade."
     "I won't." I said, crossing my legs, trying to look comfortably stubborn. "I want to make sure you don't do anything stupid."
     "I won't. Now go home."
     I gave him a long, deliberate look. "John, I know you. You're going to get yourself piss drunk and do something incredibly stupid."
     John hit the bar hard with his fist. "God damn it, Jade, what the Hell do I have to do to get rid of you?"
     I smiled as sweetly as I could dispite the bitter sting of rejection. "I'll see you later. Granted you ever make it back." I hopped down from the bar as gracefully as possible and paid for my untouched drink. I slid it down to the man who was sitting next to me, winking when he looked up.
     "Jade. . ." John moaned, but he couldn't seem to make up his mind about whether he wanted me to stay or not.
     I gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving and a fleeting glance at the door. I can't tell you how much I wanted him to follow.

When I got home, I was crying. I wish I wasn't, but I couldn't help it. I had failed once again at saveing John. Lilly was reading on the couch when I walked in.
     "Oh, God. What's wrong?"
     "John," was all I could manage, but she understood.
     She wrapped her arms around me and sighed. "Never mind, love. Just never mind him."
     "Thank you." I whispered, returning the hug.
     "You know, I saw him the other day."
     "What?" I couldn't help my curiousity.
     "Yeah, it was raining out, and I was out there playing with my umbrella."
     As much as I love my sister, I really wish she wouldn't use the term "playing."
     "you were what?" I asked, a tint of alarm in my voice.
     She let go of me and rolled her eyes. "I was seeing how many times round the block it would take to fill my umbrella with water." she explained. "Anyway, he came up to me and told me how to use my umbrella properly, and I sort of let on that I didn't realize I was using it wrong."
     I gigled at my sister's stupidity. "Why on earth would you do that?"
     She began to laugh as well, as though the humor of the situation only just now hit her. "I don't know, but I ended up dumping all the water on my head. Anyway, I don't think he's realized yet that you're my little sister."
     "Well, he'll realize it soon." I said, calming down a little. "That explains why you were so wet when you came home. Lilly are you daft?"
     Lilly gave me a sheepish smile and shook her head. "No, but his expression was priceless."
     We sat up all night, talking about John and how he thought Lilly was a nutter. To tell the truth, she really is quite clever. Eventually, we fell asleep on her bed.