Pretty Baby:

Simone’s Notes:

Is it wrong for a person to take a younger lover? Their age does not seem to have the touch anymore. Maybe they are curious. Perhaps it’s out of revenge from being cheated on. Or maybe it is to help them feel young again. Or, they just love them for them. But whatever the justification, it is a risk to take a younger lover. One’s job, reputation, ties, and life are all gambled with the relationship. So, is it really worth the risk to take up a younger lover?

Jodie had been living in Brandon’s house since the last week of March. She had been such a nice touch to his life. The girl was so perky. It was a hassle to persuade her grandfather to let the girl be under his care. The old man didn’t trust Brandon because he was military. “Please sir!” the lt. col. pleaded. “This is in her best interest!” “Why?” the old man snapped. “So you can rape her and do worse for her situation?” “I only want to take her under my care until this case is over!” Floyd corrected calmly. “If she is left without a mentor, she’ll ending committing suicide!” This argument went on for hours. Jodie listened from the stairway. She was overjoyed to see Brandon here. “He wants to… take me out of here?” the girl thought in joy. The girl had been dreaming about this for a long time now. She wanted to be by Brandon’s side forever. Now, she might be getting her wish after all! If only there was someway to…

“YES!” Jodie found herself saying loudly. Brandon and her grandfather both turned to her. The girl was completely shocked at her response. “Did I just say that out loud?” she thought. Jodie slowly rose to her feet. She kept staring at them deeply. “What?” her grandfather asked in shock. “I want to stay with him!” his granddaughter yelled out. “But why?” the old man asked in concern. The girl couldn’t answer at first. In what way could she? The girl couldn’t tell him that she was in slight infatuation with an older man. He would definitely say no then. Brandon stepped forward. “She’ll be in the best of care!” he told the old man. Jodie’s grandfather thought about that for a moment. “Alright!” he said at last. “But if she’s not a case before you catch this murder, I’ll kill you myself!” Brandon nodded in agreement. “She’ll be in great hands!” he reassured.

Brandon found himself to have Jodie in his home. She stayed in the spare room across from his bedroom. He was beginning to like seeing girl’s clothes in his bathroom. Her schoolbag and shoes by the door was a nice touch to the once lifeless living room. Oh and the girl’s singing! She had such a lovely voice. “What subject do you plan to teach when you become a teacher?” Brandon asked Jodie one day at the dinner table. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I’m tore between chorus and Earth science.” “Well if you chose chorus,” the lt. col. said. “You would be perfect for the job. You have an amazing voice.” Jodie just blushed at the complement.

Brandon was cleaning the breakfast dishes this morning when the doorbell rang. “Hm,” he said. “Who could that be so early?” Then, the lt. col. walked over to the door and peeked out of the peep hole. Hughes, Daniel, and David were all on the other side. Concerned, Floyd opened the door. “Guys?” he asked out curiosity. “What’s wrong?” His comrades didn’t answer. They quickly pushed him inside the house. “Where’s Jodie right now?” Maes asked. “Upstairs taking a bath, why?” Brandon asked. Then, they heard his guest’s lovely voice from the bathroom. This what she was singing:

Up, down, turn around

Please don't let me hit the ground

Tonight I think I'll walk alone

I'll find my soul as I go home

Up, down, turn around

Please don't let me hit the ground

Tonight I think I'll walk alone

I'll find my soul as I go home

Brandon found himself smiling at the sound of her voice. “Very lovely,” he said. “It’s like having my own songbird here at times.” The guys seemed to be relaxed. Their friend looked at them concerned. “What?” he asked. The men shook their heads quickly. “Nothing!” David said quickly. “Nothing at all!” But, Brandon already knew what they were thinking! “Yes! She’s still a virgin!” he said aloud. “I can’t believe you guys would even *think* that I would take advantage of an innocent girl like that?” “But do you love her?” Hughes asked in legitimate interest. His pal froze at that question. He didn’t know how to answer that one. How could he? This was the first time that he was actually *this* interested in a female. Jodie was the light in his life. Her smile, her eyes, her sweet voice, her growing bravery with dealing with her cruel classmates, everything about her brought him complete joy. But was he falling in love with her? Not the lt. col. who was pretty much married to his work! In love with a woman? It couldn’t be, could it?

Then, they all heard footsteps enter into the living room. The men all turned to see Jodie standing there smiling at them. She was dressed in her maroon and silver schoolgirl uniform. Her reddish-blonde hair was neatly combed down into two long ponytails. The only things missing were her shoes and her school bag. She looked at Brandon and all of his friends. “Morning everybody!” she called in her usual perky voice. Brandon stood up before her like she was royalty. “Good Morning, Miss Jodie!” he greeted her. The girl blushed and giggled. “Oh, Brandon!” she called out. “You don’t have to call me ‘miss!’ Just call me ‘Jodie!’” she told him. “Oh!” the lt. col. called. “Okay!” The schoolgirl smiled at him sweetly again. “Well,” she said. “I’m off to be martyred again at my school!” “Don’t see it like that,” Brandon told her. “See it like you are in a battle and you are fighting for your right to learn!” Jodie smiled at him. “I will, sir!” she called with a salute. Then, she began to head out the door. “Uh, hey Jodie!” Brandon quickly called out. The girl paused and turned to him. “Hm?” she asked. “Would you like me to walk you to school?” he asked as if he was a love-stick freshman boy to her. The other men quickly became concerned. The girl smiled at him sweetly. “Sure!” she called. Then, the lt. col. walked over to her, grabbed his jacket, and joined her. “Ready to go?” he asked. “Yep!” Jodie called. “Okay!” Floyd called. “Let’s go!” Then they headed out the door.

Maes, David, and Daniel watched behind. “So?” David asked. “What’s your verdict there, Maes?” “He seems to be crazy about this girl!” Dan pointed out. Hughes tightened up. “We need to keep a watch on him!” he said at last. They all paused at that suggestion. “But then again…” Dan said. “It’s not like Brandon to actually try something, you know, perverse!” “That’s true…” Price agreed. “But still!” Hughes reminded them. “We still need to keep an eye out in case he falls!” “Alright.” David agreed uncertain. Dan just nodded. “It’s settled then,” Hughes went on. “We just keep watch over Brandon and Jodie to see that nothing happens.” The other two men nodded. Hughes sat quietly with a serious face. “Brandon,” he thought. “We trust you. Just don’t do anything that would ruin your career in the long run.”

The other lt. col. found himself in a struggle. Brandon was in his living room when an epiphany came to him. He hadn’t noticed it until now. The man was slowly falling in love with Jodie Harrison. Over the past few days, he had gotten to know her. She was everything any tasteful man would go for. Bright, kind hearted, ambitious, very cute, and a great people-person. It wasn’t fair that was to bullying by be accused of being the Night Slayer by her classmates. High school could so cruel. Okay, sure the man loved this child angel. But she was so young! Jodie was only seventeen and he was twenty-nine! He could be her older brother. But yet, there seemed to be something attractive about having a younger mate in one’s bed… Of course, he knew what would happen if he chose to act on his desires. Floyd could just kiss his career goodbye if he was caught. Jodie needed him too much for that. But what if he just too emotionally attached to her? The poor girl would probably be taken to another guardian that lived up to the military stereotype of being a pervert! And what if they caught the Night Slayer? What then? Just go their separate ways? And then what?

Then, the door slammed shut. Brandon quickly looked up to see Jodie in the doorway. Her lovely light violet eyes were filled with tears. Her guardian quickly became worried. “Jodie?” he asked in concern. “What’s wrong?” The girl didn’t answer. She just took her cell phone out of her schoolbag, went to voice mail, chose her latest message, put her phone on loud speaker, turned it to Brandon, and hit play.

“Uh, yeah let me talk to the school whore!” a boy’s voice yelled out from her cell phone. Then, a chorus of laughter followed behind it. Jodie quickly hit delete and broke down into tears. Brandon rose up his sofa, rushed forward, and held Jodie tightly in his arms. “Awww!” he said softly to her. “It’s not worth crying over! They’re just a bunch of idiots! High school boys are just dumb!” Jodie looked up at her guardian. “A boy kept following me around asking if I would do it with him!” she cried out. “Then a senior boy tried to put his hand up my shirt! I don’t know how they got my number and I don’t want to know! Don’t make me go back there! Please don’t make me go back there!” She buried her face in his shirt and cried again. Brandon lightly stroked her reddish-blonde hair. “There, there.” he said softly. “It’s over now! They won’t find you here!” Jodie kept on crying. He lightly kissed her on the head. Right then, Brandon made up his mind. He was going to defend this girl out love and anything that came after that. He had to quit worrying about the future and worry about the here and now. And who knows? Maybe a love relationship between them both could actually be good for them.