"Uh... you wanna talk about it?" Jen asked, feeling a bit guilty for bringing the topic up, though she didn't know that it had been for real.
"I don't mind" Jim said, in a calmer and more serious tone than his usual hyperactive-ish overall vibe would suggest "There's not much to talk about. My mom caught that damn virus and passed away when I was 6. None of us saw it coming, it's possible that the vaccine failed or that it left her weakened and something else finished her off... after all, the virus is deadliest on Gullies" He sighed, looking at the ceiling as if trying to look at the night sky, recalling how he used to do that in his mother's company.
"Again, sorry" Jen sighed "I know it's not the same but, you know... I lost my dad to that thing too. I feel you"
"My condolences" Jim, who had been standing on Jen's palm, walked towards one of her fingers to hug it "But hey, they wouldn't want us to be all mopey all the time. We're still alive... my mom was like that, she always tried to see the bright side of things though I gotta admit, it's really hard to do sometimes"
Jen nodded in agreement but then paused, just like when she talked to you earlier, she sensed that there was more to what Jim was telling her right now, those last words, their tone carried a heavier unseen implication.
"Heh, I know you're about to ask me what I'm talking about..." Jim chuckled "You kinda have the same sharpness in the eyes my mom had. One just can't hide things from such a person" He said, making Jen blush as she recalled Zuemy's remarks about 'being a mom type girlfriend' and the teasing about her protectiveness of you.
"I mean that well, life kinda sucks for me but as long as I'm still alive I'll make the most of it. Probably doesn't excuse half the dumb shit I do on the regular but welp, that's my reason" He looked up at Jen again, she was trying not to giggle but her eyes were still giving him an intense inquisitive look. He laughed a little and shook his head before continuing.
"Oh boy, got some stuff to unpack but I'll try to sum it up... My dad, uh... he's... probably not a good person. Maybe not exactly bad either but somewhere in between. The old bastard is kind of a shameless horndog and yet, can I really judge him when I'm the same?" Jim then took a deep breath.
"Turns out he'd been cheating on my mom the whole time, probably guessed that she wasn't going to last much longer and long story short, he got himself a 'hot Brob babe' in his own words... and they have a daughter, she's my age too so... yeah, it had been going on for a while. When my mom passed away he married this Brob lady and suddenly I became the unwanted guest in my own home" Jim then stopped and tapped his chin in thought.
"Well, not really my own home, my mom was a Gullie so they got a new house to accommodate the Brob lady and her daughter. Technically my stepmom but we're not really anything. I'm not her son, she's not my mom and we just ignore each other to the best of our ability. At least the old man gives me enough money every week to take care of myself. So, yeah... let's just say I don't really have much of a home life, I lost pretty much nothing coming here"
Jen could feel her stomach sinking at all these things she was learning about just now. She felt bad for taking Jim for a simple, happy-go-lucky kind of guy but she remembered some past conversations with Zuemy where they talked about class clowns and other similar people. Zuemy mentioned that sometimes those who were trying their hardest to make others laugh were the ones living the harshest lives.
"They say friends are the family you choose. I believe in that for sure, Blaise and Pete are a hell of a lot my family more than my supposed stepmom and half-sister" Jim spoke again and Jen definitely sensed a hint of resentment in the latter part of his phrase, though this also made it easier to understand why he sacrificed himself for you back in Lulu's class.
"And that's why I wanna ask you to keep caring for Blaise if you really like him. Just don't ever break his heart. You can break mine as many times as you wish, I'm already used to that but my bros... nope, not them"
"Well, there's no need to worry about that, I won't" Jen smiled kindly and then looked around, the cafeteria was largely empty besides the two of them and Dolores in the kitchen but she still felt as if she was being observed.
"But I could use some intel, if you have any" She smirked, blushing a little at her own boldness.
"Hold on, wait a minute... now you're asking me to sell him out? You better be carrying some 30 silver coins" Jim said with a mock-stern tone and attitude. Jen blinked twice in sheer confusion.
"I thought we were on the same side...?" She said and then he burst out laughing but only for a couple of seconds.
"Yeah, we are" Jim then took a few breaths to fully calm his laughter.
"I was just pulling your leg, well, not literally" He then looked up at her just like before.
"So, what do you want to know? Keep in mind that if it's very personal stuff about him, you have to ask him yourself... I already gave you a bit of a spoiler by telling you about his mom and how important it's gonna be to gain her approval"
"Hmm... not sure if what I'm gonna ask is too personal but let's see" Jen replied.
"I already got my own suspicions but I'd like confirmation: What does he like in a girl?"
"Ooh, already going for the throat" Jim chuckled "But, you see... that question kinda has a catch. I can't give you a full answer for that one"
"Why not?" Jen raised an eyebrow.
"Because I already told you, he's never had a gf before... He's never shown much attraction to girls back in Mully Ully Gue but well, those were Lillie girls and you already saw what they're like: Massive bitches yet flat as a board with nothing but bones and twigs for a body, not even a single ounce of meat. I can actually see why he just didn't care about them. If I weren't as hot-blooded I probably would be the same"
"That kinda helps" Jen smiled "So, we can assume he likes curves on a woman?"
'If only you knew, girl' Jim thought with a silent chuckle, knowing that you were probably one of the few lillies that grew up surrounded by some of the biggest, curviest Brob ladies in the city. He then nodded in response.
"Any idea what kind of curves he likes best? Boobs? Ass? Thighs? Tummy?" As she mentioned each part, Jen touched the corresponding one on her body with her free hand. Seeing her put a hand on her smooth, flat stomach made Jim chuckle some more, not expecting that one specifically.
"Surprised you mentioned tummy. That's like lillie girls' kryptonite, they absolutely would die if they're told they got the tiniest bit of pudge on it" He said.
"This is about Cindy, right?"
"Mmmaybee?" Jen said, failing to hide her intent "I mean, all 3 of my friends have some tummy, I'm the only one that doesn't" She noted, glancing down at her chest.
"These keep hoarding food's nutrients and calories, I swear"
"You're alright. No need to envy other girls but at the same time, you gotta admit Cindy's cute as hell. That doesn't mean Blaise's infatuated with her or anything, I didn't feel he was at the very least"
"Ok but what about the others? Where do his eyes wander to when he looks at a girl?" Jen asked, blushing a little once more.
"I'm telling you, his eyes don't really and trust me, I've tried to find out myself. I'm 99% sure it's because lillie girls got nothing going on in the first place so it's easy to ignore what's not even there" He shrugged "Well, a few lillie girls do pack some curves"
Jim looked up and saw that Jen's eyes were practically gleaming with anticipation and he couldn't help but feel like he had to sate her curiosity, maybe a bit at your expense but he was convinced you'd thank him for it later on, if you ever found out at all.
"Oh? Where does he look then?" Jen asked, still blushing but with a very curious look in her eyes, enough for Jim to clearly sense.
"To be fair, it's hard to tell, he really tries to hold back. He doesn't wanna look like a pervert and being raised by a mom and sister and plenty other ladies in the family probably sensitized him a bit much" And at that moment, Jim realized that he had slipped up, revealing some info that was supposed to be personal of yours.
"Ah well, I already done messed up. Okay, you get this one for free!" He said in that amusing fake-stern tone he'd used before "His first instinct is to always look at ass and thighs but he's kinda ashamed of it so he over-corrects and tries to look more at boobs. And you didn't hear this from me but he's definitely not turned off by a bit of tummy"
"Oh, I think I figured that one already" Jen chuckled, remembering your reaction to Lillian and Cindy before "But I see... interesting" She smiled in response. Internally, she was cheering that you liked butts better, her efforts had been going in the right direction so far but then she thought Jim's over once more as something got her attention.
"Wait, you said he's ashamed?"
"Yeah. I think it's half his dad's fault and the other half mine and Pete's" Jim laughed and scratched the back of his head "His dad joked a lot about that the taste for women's butts was written in their blood as latinos and well, my behavior and Pete's probably finished the job of giving him the idea that liking ass = degenerates"
"Then I suppose someone has to get him out of his shell" Jen smirked, glancing down at her hips. Among her group she was the smallest one in the butt department but she knew that hers was pretty big compared to any other girls around, plus she already had gotten some confirmation from you that you liked it.
"I trust you know what you're doing but if I may suggest, you should probably use your boobs to ease him into it in general. His mom and sis meant well but I think he chastises himself too much for simply having normal likes" Jim explained and Jen nodded again.
