One Bird, Two Stones

Jocelyn let out something that was halfway between a scream of pain and a howl of rage when she was slapped. Still, even if her mind was unperturbed from Allison's resistance, her body was jolted tot he side and Allison was able to push her down and pull her arm into the compromising and painful position. She squirmed as much as she could with her body but the wriggling was mostly ineffectual.

"FUCK YOU!" She screamed again at Allison's words. "What? I took one step up?" She spat indignantly. "If I fall..." She flashed her teeth in a snarl. "If you push me... It's not like I'll fall very far, you twat." She snorted like a bull into the floor, her heavy breaths compacted under Allison's weight.

"Tch." She said as she got up as well. She wanted to go right back at Allison. To show the blonde that she could never, ever, take her eyes off the Chistralian. That no matter how weak and pathetic Allison thought Jocelyn was, that she would have to focus so much of her time on keeping the little dog at bay that she could never move forward.

But, Joccelyn was stopped in her tracks by Allison's words. Her eyes widened but she quickly narrowed them. "What do you know?" She spat. "Anyone could have figured out who my father was." She smirked. "What are you gonna do, mate? Gonna snitch on me? Gonna tell daddy what a bad girl I've been? He already knows."

Jocelyn licked her lips and spit at Allison's ankle. "Tell him to go fuck himself while you're on the phone with him." She narrowed her eyes. Bringing him in, if that was what Allison was trying to do, wasn't going to have the kind of results that she thought they were going to have.

"Yes, yes, of course..." Allison said absently. She scowled down at her foot, and then at Jocelyn. There were many things that she did not appreciate. Being spit on was one.

"I'll not do that... But there are many other things that I may do. If I were to send both dear father and mother, say... a picture of you. Wouldn't it just warm their little hearts?" She said with a pleasant little smile. "What about a video?"

Jocelyn clenched her fists tightly at Allison's words. "I'll send my father the video my self." She said with a growl. Of course she left out her mother. What she did, she did because she hated her father. As much disgrace, shame and dishonor she could pour on him the better. But she loved her mother. She loved her dearly. And, mostly, she was kept out of things. Chalking up Jocelyn's antics to youthful rebellion. She understood the rift between her daughter and husband but she didn't like it.

Jocelyn stared at Allison. "You don't want to go here, Sarah." She said. "You have a lot more to lose than I do if you go down this road." She said in a low growl. Her mouth was open and she was panting softly. "You don't even have a video ... or anything like that anyway. You're such a bluffing cunt." She growled. It's not like she even had his number or anything. Who was she, acting liek she knew anything?

"Well, you obviously don't know the video I have in mind. I'm sure they'd find it quite captivating. Don't worry, though, it doesn't exist yet. I've not taken it." Allison said.

She gave Jocelyn another polite, pleasant smile that could not have looked more serpentine even if it did betray any hint of malice. "Now get out of my apartment. I don't want to see you again until you've shaped up, and I certainly don't want to see your new friend. Run along, you can cry your eyes out on your way and tell yourself about all the things you'd do if you had five minutes alone with me. Whatever pathetic little lies you tell yourself to preserve your unique idea of dignity."

She stood her ground and waited for her to leave, silently almost daring her to try something again.

Jocelyn heard Allison's cold words. She looked the girl up and down and then eased backwards. She then sat in the chair and looked at Allison with a smile slowly creeping over her face.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sarah.." Jocelyn said. "Not unless you you come with me and get your hands dirty for once." She shook her head. "You don't understand. WE are in this together. Maybe I'm nothing without you..." She said. "But I'll make sure that whatever YOU are... isn't going to work until you stop looking at me with those FUCKING eyes!" Jocelyn dug her fingers into the seat and leaned forward. "You aren't better than me. You might be stronger and maybe you're a bigger, more pretentious bitch..."

Jocelyn narrowed her eyes. "But you're NOT ... better." Jocelyn threw her feet up on the table once more. "I don't know what kind of wank you're trying to pull with trotting out my father, but I think you're full of shit. You aren't going to scare me. You want to make that video so badly." Jocelyn said as she stared at Allison. "Fucking try it, cunt."

Allison smiled again, this time slightly more transparent than before. "I'm quite certain that you don't, but I can see it's upsetting you. Don't worry about it now, it's not important yet. Believe me, I have no interest in speaking to your unwashed peasant forebears."

She gazed impassively at Jocelyn for a moment before approaching her. "Well, if you won't leave me in peace..." She said. "Even a noisy, disobedient dog has her uses." She held out her hand like a leash to Jocelyn.

ocelyn was somewhat confused by Allison's words. She wasn't sure if she should be upset or not. On one hand, she was thoroughly chastised for most of her life, even by her father, ironically, for her muddled blood. That always pissed her off more than anything. How, exactly could he have a child that was clearly not going to be pure Chinese and, yet, make it quite clear that she all but had no worth to him precisely because of her mixed blood. It could have been more than that. It could have been because she was a girl or because she didn't make him 'proud'. Whatever that meant.

But, that was her. Her father was from a line of an upper crust Chinese class. Was Sarah really calling him a peasant? She wasn't sure whether to laugh at someone actually daring to call the prestigious Lu Gāng that or to be pissed off that she was just another bitch trying to rub her mixed blood in her face.

Jocelyn looked up at Sarah with a dark grin when she extended her hand. "That's right, Sarah." She said and looked at the hand. "You know..." She said as she wondered whether or not to take it. "It doesn't always have to be noisy. I don't mind just spending time with you." She held out her hand, swinging her feet to the ground and using it to stand up. "You just always insist on doing things the hard way." She spoke as if the roles in their little squabble had been reversed.

Allison withdrew her hand and placed it instead on her hip. She sighed, and tossed her head to the side to corral a lock of hair back into place. Jocelyn was as foul a human being as she'd ever known. Were she not a useful little toy, she'd have cut her loose a long time ago.

"Actually, I think I'd rather you left. You're simply not worth the trouble. I'll let you know if I have any work for you. You do still enjoy violence, don't you?" She stared stone-faced at Jocelyn for a moment before turning for the kitchen.

"Just get out. You are nauseating, and you're spoiling the air." She said, and picked up a worn book from a table and brought it with her to the kitchen where she filled a kettle for tea.

Jocelyn's eyes gleamed at Allison's words. The thought of defying her tormentor even more was almost irresistible. She smiled and nodded her head. "Well, since you're being so nice, Sarah." She said and turned to leave, turning her head back to smile at Sarah.

"Oh? Are you goin to let me strap you down and have my way with you, dish licker?" She then laughed. "Right. You can always call on me, Sarah." She said. "We're together forever, after all." She threw her hand up, heading for the door.

Allison scowled. She didn't look at Jocelyn or respond in any way, and she was glad when the girl was gone. She put the kettle on the stove, selected a tea and a tea cup from her fine collection, and sat down on a chair by a small table by the window with her book.

When she heard the door shut, she didn't look up, but a faint smile crept across her lips. She found her page and as she read she was freed of all thoughts of Jocelyn.