Free Sweet Jiminy by Kristin Gore Page A

She needed to breathe uncontaminated air. She’d tackle this again, but right now she needed to flee. She felt old men eyes on her as she hurried toward the door.
    â€œBe sure to come back, ya hear?” jangled in her ears along with the screen door bells. She thought she heard chuckling, too, but she couldn’t be sure.

Chapter 6
    J iminy recognized Bo’s deep laugh along with the distinctive voice of Bea Arthur coming from the trailer. The TV volume was too high for anyone to hear her knocks, so she stuck her head in gingerly, trying not to startle anyone. She didn’t succeed. Bo jumped up from where he’d been sprawled on the couch, and abruptly turned off the TV with an embarrassed look on his face. If Jiminy hadn’t already heard some of the dialogue, she would have assumed from his reaction that he’d been watching porn.
    â€œIs that The Golden Girls ?” she inquired.
    â€œWhat, that?” Bo asked, pointing to the TV as though he were an alien who’d just been dropped off and couldn’t be sure of what things were called on this planet. “Nuh-uh, no. Or, maybe. I wasn’t paying too much attention to what I flipped past between games.”
    â€œDude, what happened to Dorothy?” a voice called from the back of the trailer.
    Jiminy turned to see a stocky redhead emerge from the bathroom, brushing his teeth.
    â€œOh,” he said, as he spotted Jiminy.
    â€œJiminy, this is Cole,” Bo said. “Cole, Jiminy.”
    Bo had told Jiminy about Cole—his best friend from growing up, his roommate for the summer—but she hadn’t actually encountered him until now.
    â€œHey,” Jiminy said.
    Cole stared back.
    â€œWe were just watching a game,” he claimed.
    â€œI heard,” Jiminy replied. “It’s too bad, because I love The Golden Girls .”
    Both men looked relieved.
    â€œOh, yeah?” Bo asked.
    Jiminy nodded.
    â€œThey’re the best, right?” Cole enthused. “Turn it back on, Bo.”
    The TV sprang to life as Bo happily complied.
    â€œI’ll go back so you can see it from the beginning,” he offered.
    â€œYou have it recorded?” Jiminy asked.
    â€œAll of ’em,” Bo confirmed.
    He was looking sheepish again. And handsome, in his white T-shirt and jeans. After Cole disappeared back into the bathroom, Jiminy leaned in and kissed him.
    â€œHow’d the studying go?”
    â€œGood,” Bo replied, sliding his arm around her and pulling her into him. “Ask me anything about the regulation of kidney function, or just kidneys in general. Anything. I own the kidneys now.”
    â€œWhy do so many people shape swimming pools like them?”
    Bo paused. He nodded his head sagely, as though he was admiring the sophistication of the question.
    â€œJust know that I know and that the answer is classified. Top secret renal reasons, is all I can say.”
    â€œHmm. I assumed it had something to do with how often kids pee in them.”
    â€œI see you have high-level clearance,” Bo replied in an exaggeratedly impressed tone.
    Jiminy laughed. She looked around the small trailer. It belonged to Cole’s family, who owned the cattle farm on which it was parked. Cole’s parents resided in the large house a half mile away, but Cole preferred the trailer in the summertime. He worked the farm during the day and applied to sports agencies in his free time. He’d only received rejections so far, but he firmly believed he was the next undiscovered Jerry Maguire. He knew it would take a little time to make his mark. He wasn’t in a big hurry.
    â€œAll right, I’m outta here, see ya,” Cole called as he exited the trailer. “Nice to meet you, Jiminy, don’t be a stranger.”
    Jiminy wondered if Cole really had someplace to go, or if he was just clearing out for her and Bo’s sake.
    As the sound of Cole’s footfalls receded, Bo pulled