Chapter 31

Denise couldn't stop smiling as she and Jill pushed their way through the crowd of Christmas shoppers at the mall. She loved this time of year, fighting the crowds, looking at the holiday decorations and, most of all, shopping. Denise was especially enthusiastic this year since she was buying things for Jack. It had been too long, she decided, since she'd had a special guy to buy Christmas presents for since it was more fun than buying for a girl. Of course, not having school for a few weeks improved her mood quite a bit as well.

Jill, on the other hand, was not quite as happy as her friend as the two girls went from store to store. She was keeping a smile plastered on her face, similar to the one she wore at the club most nights, trying to convince Denise she was enjoying their excursion, but deep down, she was just not in the mood for this today. With a quickly hidden grimace, Jill allowed Denise to drag her into yet another specialty store in search of something for Jack. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her way over to the redhead to see what ridiculous item Denise had found this time, reminding herself along the way that she wasn't to take out her frustrations on the poor girl.

A several stores and ninety minutes later, Denise had not bought anything for Jack and was beginning to look a bit frustrated. The two girls had found some nice things, but nothing that had really stood out. Most items Denise had rejected as overpriced crap. Jill was sure Denise was just looking for the ultimate, I love you, type gift and as a result was rejecting just about everything she found. Sighing, she followed the redhead's wake as Denise charged into yet another department store and began looking at men's clothing. Hanging back, Jill was tempted to tell Denise to meet her at the food court in a little while and make her escape, but she strongly suspected that Denise would see right through her ruse and reject that idea as well. Denise was getting far to good at saying 'No' these days.

"Jill, what do you think of this one? Think it would look good on Jack?" Denise asked as she held up a black oxford shirt made of a satiny material.

"Great. Now tell me, when was the last time you saw Jack in a button down shirt. He never gets dressed up for anything. C'mon his costume for Halloween was to be a college student," Jill replied dryly.

"Well... you've got a point," said Denise as her face fell slightly, "but I just know he'd wear it to make me happy. Besides, feel how soft it is."

Jill dutifully reached out and felt the sleeve on the shirt. It was remarkably soft, but she just knew that Jack would have no reason to wear it.

"Are you sure you don't want to buy it for him so you can wear it when you stay the night?"

Denise flushed lightly and giggled. "Ok, you got me. But it is nice, isn't it?"

"So buy it for yourself and leave it at Jack's place."

"Jill," Denise whined with an exaggerated look of scandal, "you don't buy stuff for yourself this time of year it's CHRISTMAS!"

Jill couldn't help laughing at Denise's expression, which made Denise smile. She knew Jill was going through some problems, not the least of which was Staci and she'd hoped that getting Jill out and in a fun environment would improve the brunette's mood. Grinning, she put the shirt back on the rack and headed over to look at the jewelry counter. Jill trailed behind and ended up waylaid by the overly enthusiastic perfume saleslady. When she finally escaped the cloud of skanky smelling scent - having debated on whether or not to buy Staci a bottle of the stuff - she found Denise standing next to the jewelry counter staring at a watch.

Getting closer, Jill could see why the watch had attracted Denise. It was a man's style watch with a dark brown leather band, but the face was what made it special. The crystal covering the watch face was not flat like a traditional watch, but rather like a semi-flat pyramid with twelve sides coming together at a point over the center. The face underneath was a cobalt blue with golden hands. There were no numbers, just little pyramids at each hour mark. It was very interesting and unique as well as being the most tasteful thing they'd looked at.

"Wow," breathed Jill, "That's kinda cool."

"Yeah," agreed Denise, "I think that's what I've been looking for all day."

"It's definitely the best thing we've found all day. I'm sure he'll like it."

Denise finally got the attention of a salesperson and had the man pull the watch out so she could look at it properly. The band was surprisingly soft and closer inspection showed that the watch ran on a battery and just looked like it needed to be wound. Nodding to the man, Denise pulled out her credit card and waited while the watch was rung up. Ten minutes later, with the watch gift wrapped in it's wooden case and safely in Denise's purse, the two girls exited the store.

"So, what are you going to have to make for the rest of us now that you've spent all your Christmas money on Jack," teased Jill.

"Oh, the usual, I suppose," countered Denise, "Fruitcake hard enough to chip teeth and break windows."

Jill snorted as they wound their way through the crowd trying to get to the Bath and Body Works store. Suddenly Denise grabbed Jill's hand and pulled her towards the stairs going down to the lower level of the mall.

"C'mon," she urged, "Let's get our picture taken with Santa."

"Ok," sighed Jill, "Let's just go stand in line like a couple of little kids. It's not like we've never done THAT before."

"Don't be such a spoilsport," chided Denise, "Besides, you and Staci got to keep the last two pictures and I don't have one to remember you by when you leave."

"Who told you I was leaving?" demanded Jill as they reached the end of the line full of fidgeting children and their parents.

"Staci did. Besides it is kind of obvious with all the moving boxes that are starting to appear at your apartment. I wasn't aware it was some sort of secret."

"Well, it's not, but I was kind of waiting for the right moment to tell everyone. I was going to mention it tonight and I don't want it to be a big deal."

"Oh, so you just figured that's better then having everyone over to help you load the truck and saying something like, 'by the way, I'm moving home.'"

Jill rolled her eyes, "I wasn't going to wait until then, but yeah... something like that. I really don't want people making a big deal out of this."

"People are going to make a big deal out of it Jill," snapped Denise, "you're almost done with school. Why quit now?"

"First of all, Miss Smarty Pants, it's not like I'm quitting school. As a matter of fact, I'm still going to be taking my last nine hours, they just happen to be distance learning courses. I will finish in the spring, but by going home I only have to pay tuition for the spring semester and I have enough saved from work to do that. I can save money and find a better job at home anyway. I have to get away from the club. I don't want to be a stripper for the rest of my life. There are just too many bad things that are going on there."

Denise shrugged, "I never thought you would be. Besides once you get your degree you don't have to do that anyway."

Jill sighed again. "I know, but... I'm just afraid I'll get a reputation that I don't like and can't live down. Besides it's not like I can put stripping on my resume."

Denise smiled and put her arm around Jill. "It's ok, you can tell me again that you're leaving later and I promise to be surprised."

Jill gave a small smile and returned the hug Denise dragged her into. They chatted animatedly about things they'd done and seen together while they waited in line. An hour later, both coeds were famished and they pushed their way to the food court. Jill gave Denise money for lunch and snagged a table to wait. It felt good to sit down and Jill relaxed for what felt like the first time in days.

Denise returned with their food a few minutes later and flopped into the chair opposite Jill. Jill ate slowly, hoping to keep Denise from hopping up and dragging her out for more shopping fun. Denise also ate slowly. She had something she wanted to talk to Jill about, but she wasn't sure she was ready. After debating in her head for several minutes, she told Jill about Renee leaving and Jack moving in with her.

"You're kidding. Renee is running off to California to be with John? When did that happen?"

"She told me right after Thanksgiving that they were on again. I guess she ran into him over that weekend and they had a long talk. She's always loved him and I guess he finally came around. I think he discovered that he missed he more than he thought and convinced Renee to come home with him in the last few weeks. It was really sudden, but I'm happy for her."

"Now what's this about Jack moving in with you?" pressed Jill, "I don't think I quite got that part."

"Jack and I talked about it and with Renee moving out, I needed a roommate. Jack is kind of sick of living on campus with the guys. I don't think he's getting along with all of them anymore and he just wants to be somewhere else. As far as money goes, it will be a wash since he does have some financial aid for the spring and he's enjoying his job. He gets paid better at the store than he did at the library, has more hours and he likes the place. So I offered to let him move into Renee's bedroom - at least that's what he told his parents - and we're moving his stuff over right after she leaves, sometime around New Year's, I think. I think it's better for him too because he won't be using as much gas to come see me and it is closer to his job."

Jill smiled, "He's a good influence on you."

Denise sneered then smiled. "Yes he is. I think things are going to be ok with us. Besides if he's there all the time then I won't feel neglected. I can just jump him any time I want."

"The truth comes out," Jill laughed behind her napkin as Denise winked at her.

"So how is Staci taking the fact that you're actually leaving," Denise asked around a mouthful of food.

"Ok, I guess," replied Jill looking down, "I don't know. I think she has this fantasy that we're going to have this wonderful long distance thing. That she'll come visit me every so often and I'll do the same for her. I think she's trying to hide from the fact that our relationship is ending too."

"It's ending? I'm so sorry, I thought you two were so close," whispered a stunned Denise.

"We are and I think we'll always be friends, but... well it's just not working for either of us anymore. She moved back into the other bedroom when Leigh moved in with Paul last month and we haven't actually slept together since. I guess I want more out of a relationship and we're both kind of pulling away. She's... well I guess honestly both of us are looking for a guy rather than another girlfriend. It seems odd to put it that way though."

"You're making me sad," said Denise as she pouted, "I really thought you two could work things out. You were both such a big help to me."

"Look, D, it has nothing to do with whether or not we're friends. Staci will always be a close friend of mine. It's just that the romance between us died and with me leaving, it's probably for the best. Of course the blonde is under some delusion that we'll grow closer together by being apart..." Jill trailed off for a moment. "It's for the best anyway Denise and you know that Staci and I will keep in touch. We'll see."

Denise nodded and resumed eating her meal.

"So what's Jack's new job like," asked Jill anxious to change the subject, "he's at a liquor store isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is. He really likes it. He says it's really safe and he thinks he's treated well. According to the owner the last armed robbery they experienced was some twenty years ago so I guess that does mean it's a safe place to work. He makes ok money and will have benefits like medical, dental, vision, that sort of thing at ninety days. He also gets the chance to make some more money on his paycheck via commissions."