Affairs(WITH FINAL CHAPTERS)

[max]

"So, what were you doing with her?"

"Say - what? Who?"

"Riley. I saw you talking to Riley, Josh."

"Oh! Yeaahh....but that's all cool, we were just talking!"

"I saw you kiss her on the cheek," Jessica argued, fitting herself in the passenger seat of the SUV across from Josh. She pushed her light brunette hair in and out of her mouth before letting a sigh escape her lips, "That's just talking?" She asked her boyfriend.

Josh made effort to deny what Jessica saw, turning this way and that way trying to avoid visual contact with her as he studded the key in the ignition and started the car up. "What are you ... what are you trying to say, Jess? Are you saying I'm cheating on you?" He asked in a sarcastic tone, though his girlfriend really wasn't joking with him.

"I don't know, Josh, maybe that is what I'm saying!" Jessica replied in a firm, worried tone, "And maybe that's what your doing." She added as Josh slowly pulled the car out of the restaurant parking lot.

Josh kept silent, turning the steering wheel firmly to the left to get the four wheels onto the flat downtown road, a few cars were roaring out on the road that night. Lights from various buildings shone and lit up the car's, revealing their actual color in the dark hour of the day.

Jessica kept her view aimlessly on the door at her side, pushing up against the right half of her body, she leaned her arm on the ledge of the window as her stare fell across the blackness of the vehicle. "This was supposed to be a graduation after-party for Tim, a couple's meet! - a couple's meet, Josh! And you didn't even sit with me for more then five minutes!"

"What are you trying to say, Jess? Huh? Do you really think I'd lie to you, or cheat on you at that? I love you!" Josh said, not sounding too convincing to his concerned girlfriend though. Nothing but straight road ahead, he had more then enough time to give some longer answers. Jessica wasn't convinced by Josh's upright, rushed manner. Tapping her fingers on the door, she continued to press her boyfriend about the matter,

"First time you've said that all week, and it still doesn't sound very convincing. What are you hiding from me, Josh? Is there something I should know ab-"

"Yeah, there is! You should know that you're lucky you're still in this car right now, after accusing me of cheating on you!" The boyfriend cut her off, a bit angered that she was making assumtions about him, or pointing out facts. "What the hell, Jess! You'd probably think that if I wanted Riley, I would've had her by now! Right?"

" . . . " Jessica had no counter for this, though he still hadn't convinced her. She sighed again, turning her head to look at Josh who was already looking at her but then retreated his eyes back to the road when she looked over. "Yeah, I'm sorry, Josh. ... I guess your right, but even though you don't call her girlfriend or anything, you might have her already."

" . . . " It was Josh's turn to play the silent one, and there was no more talking for the rest of the drive. Josh dropped Jessica off at the corner of Jay and Liberty, since she liked walking a little bit before she reached home, he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and then took off in his caddy.

Jess watched the rear lights turn off the street towards the highway since Josh lived around that area, but she had a feeling he wasn't going home right about now, he was probably going back over to the restaurant to pick up Riley and give her a more entertaining drive home.

"I shouldn't worry myself about this, if Josh says he loves me then he loves me ... why am I insinuating stuff?"

Eeeeeerreeeeeeeeeeek!
Screamed the tires of a car pulling up behind Jessica on the strip of dark road, four teenaged guys, about Jessica's age, occupied the worn-out Pontiac Solstice all wearing jerseys and baseball caps. The guy sitting in the passenger seat raised the bottle of beer he had in his right hand at Jessica in a greeting gesture, shouting at her to stop since the car was a bit behind,

"Hey, Jess! What are you doin' out here all alone? Where's your man at?"

The shouting from the friendly face that Jessica recognized made her stop, turn around and smile at them. Former-schoomates, Austin, Leroy, Brad and Wallace. Yea, it was quite a relief to see some lively fun guys that night after her's and Josh's little quarrel on the drive home. Jessica turned to shrug at them in reply to the Josh question, the mention of his name erased her smile.

"Oh, he went home I guess." She replied.

Wallace, the guy driving the Pontiac, pulled over at the edge of the sidewalk by Jessica as Austin, the one in the passenger's seat, took a good look at her to see if she was sure what she had just said. "Oh really? And where are you headed to? Home?"

"It's almost past curfew."

"Yea, well, your going to miss out on the party I guess! We'll tell you all about it, hey, we might even see Josh there like he promised! Right guys?"

"Riiiightt!" Replied the two drunk guys in the back, Brad and Leroy.
Jessica was a bit confused now, not sure she knew what Austin was talking about, "Excuse me? What party?"

"I dunno! Kate's throwing the party, I thought she would've told you about it!" Austin had replied innocently, the smell of beer littering his breath.

"Yeah, she did tell me about it," Jessica explained, "Except Josh said he wasn't going! That's why I asked him to take me home right after Tim's after-party!"

"Oh yea? Well, 'ccording to what Josh told me and my fellows ... " Austin paused to burp out the alcoholic bubbles in his throat, but then resumed to explaining to Jess, "He said he was going over right after he got you tucked in bed! Y'know, with a little kiss on the cheek and stuff?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Austin."

"Okay, well ... Josh said he's coming to the party no matter what and ain't no broad Trifa...what was her name guys?"

"Trifa what? Speak clearly, Austin!" Jessica demanded, shaking her drunk friend's shoulders so he could get some of the beer's effects to leave him for a bit.

"Nah...not Trifa...'er name ... Jessica! Yeah, he said ain't no broad Jessica stopping 'em from going to that party with such a hot ... hot ... *hic* ... date!"
[This story has been copyrighted by KiM MaKaBe]

"Oh my gosh, he lied to me..." Jessica faced the cold reality, "What date is he talking about, Austin? If I'm not going with him."

"Duh...I thought you would know, you hate the chick well enough to know!"

" . . . "

"Riley Parker. That's just what I heard at least!" Austin spoke mummeringly but couldn't continue anymore, though Jessica had heard everything she needed to, leaning over and giving Austin a slight kiss on the cheek as proof of gratitude.

"Thanks, Austin! You guys enjoy the party!"

"Thanks, Jess! Wish you were coming! - 'kay, Wallace! BLAST OFF!"

EeeeeEEEEEEEeeeeek!
The Pontiac took off down the street, taking a sharp right and heading in the same direction Josh's SUV had about fifteen minutes ago. Jessica sighed, standing back upright. "Riley Parker..." She let the name escape her lips after taking a deep breath. "I knew it ... "

[max]

Jessica had broken down on the sidewalk, weeped, cried, kicked the concrete with her sneakers and then cried some more. Only the stars were there to accompany her and hear her cries,

"I knew it! Why'd you lie to me, Josh?! Why!"

She shouted out at nothing, bending down, chest leaned on knees as she seated herself on the empty sidewalk. Yeah, Jessica knew a lot of girls who lived in her neighborhood from school, and usually all of them took this route between Liberty and Jay, though she didn't find it too surprising that no one was walking the road at this hour, near curfew.

"Of course I shouldn't be surprised!" Jessica spoke to herself between tears, "Their all probably headed to Kate's party, all going to try and get a little piece of Josh before Riley pulls him from their hands and keeps the big. fat. turkey. all to herself!"

"What are you trying to say, Jess? Huh? Do you really think I'd lie to you, or cheat on you at that? I love you!"

The words Josh said to her earlier in the SUV whapped her again, as Jessica shook in anger. "That bastard! ... that bastard!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, hearing a door fly open at her outburst.

"...? Jessica? Is that you, honey?" An elderly man's voice spoke from across the street, it was Mr. Kade, David Kade. A friendly old man who usually saw Jessica wait around at this spot in the early morning for her boyfriend to come pick her up for school. He wasn't used to seeing Jessica out so late at night though on this street, and holding a golf club in his wrinkled hands in fright of a different scenario, he was quite relieved and confused when he saw Jessica,

"What are you doing out here all alone in the dark?"

"..I'm...I'm okay, Mr. Kade! I'm just walking home..." Jessica squeezed a teeny, tiny fake smile onto her face as she stood up and wiped the tears off her cheek. "I thought I would stop to ... redeem myself!"

"...walking home? - ah, that's right! You went to your friend's party today!"

"Yeah," Jessica replied with a real nice smile now, Mr. Kade was a very friendly old man, eighty-eight years old but he was a dear. He always had a smile for her, even in a dark hour like this. After thinking a bit, Jessica wished that all guys were like Mr. Kade.

"Well don't stay out too long, sweetie! You never know what could happen in the night, eh?"

"Okay, I won't, Mr. Kade! I'm sorry to ruin your evening!"

"That's okay, dear! It was worth it to see you again, now I'll have some pleasent ol' dreams!"

Jessica blushed at the old man in flattery, "I'm sure you'll have pleasent ones, g'night!" She waved to him as he stepped back into the small house, closing the door behind him and dragging the golf club in through the threshold.

When the door shut closed, Jessica turned, eyes on the strip of sidewalk ahead of her. It would be about fifteen more minutes of walking before she got home, and it'd take at least forty-five minutes to walk to Kate's, but of course she didn't plan on walking to Kate's.

After walking a few minute's worth of the sidewalk, turning onto Grand, she fished the Motorola Linux out of her rear pocket and opened the list of her contacts. Kate's number was somewhere around the bottom, Jessica finally found it and then found herself on-line with a girl about her age.

"Kate's house, how can I help you?"

"Kate...it's Jess!" Jessica replied, immediatley recognizing her friend's voice. "I have something I want to talk to you about!"

"Sure, shoot, babe. I'm all ears for the next...eight minutes!"

"Look, I'm real sorry I'm stalling your party and I know it's the first time you've gotten the chance to be a hostess, but it's really important."

" ... "

"Please?"

" ... okay, Jess! Let me tell Adrianne to take over for a second then." Kate pleaded, for a few seconds the line went blank and all Jessica heard from the other line was the commotion in the background of uplifting pop music and girl's giggling. Finally, Kate picked up again and now her voice was more steady,

"Okay, what'd you need again?" She asked Jessica.

"I .. I need a ride, y'know, I think I want to come to your party afterall." Jessica said, trying hard not to let more tears effect her voice, "It's about Josh!"

"Okay... I smell the red hotness of some serious gossip tomorrow," Kate giggled during her reply, "Should I come pick you up right now? Where are you at?"

"I'm at the corner of Liberty, Grand Street, near home, y'know--" Jessica was cut off by a sudden beeping coming from her phone, looking at the liquid screen's menu, she realized she had another caller. "Can I put you on hold for a second, Kate?"

" - um ... sure, Jess! Ohmigosh! Adrianne's wrecking the party decorations at the window, you know what, take your time!" Kate said, actually putting her phone down on whatever surface before Jessica even put her on hold.

Answering to the other line, Jessica hadn't taken the time to look over the number and see who the caller was, but after picking up she heard a steady-like hysterical voice speak.

"H-honey...honey, where are you? It's quarter to twelve and your not home yet!" It was her mother.

"Mom, my curfew's one a.m., remember?" Jessica tried to sound convincing, though she had honestly forgotten what she promised her parent's earlier that morning.

"What? Young lady! Don't you go saying that to me, you promised me and your father you'd be home at eleven tonight! Remember?" Shouted the angry, worried mother on the other line.

And then, it hit her, Jessica remembered what she had promised her parents. Little-finger squeeze and everything, and she only did so because her parent's were usually worried when she out past twelve o'clock and since she wasn't planning on her going to Kate's party, or Josh, she had promised them she'd be home early.

If Jessica stayed true to her promise, she wouldn't be able to go and catch Josh red-handed with Riley, and if it came to anything, he'd probably dump her before she dumped him if she started to accuse him face-to-face. Tears moistured Jessica's eyes as she held the phone tightly to her ear, "I...mom, can I stay out just a little bit longer?"

"You cannot, young lady! Your father is going right now to pick you up! Where are you?"

" ... "

"I asked you a question!"

"Corner of Jay, Grand Street!" Jessica shouted at her mother, ending the call, she took a minute to wipe the newly-shed tears off her cheeks before picking up the other line where she had been talking to Kate. "Hello, Kate?" Jessica spoke in a low-pitched moody voice,

Kate wasn't at the phone, but she replied shortly after Jessica spoke. "Yea, babe? I'm still here and all ears, where'd you say you were again?"

"Nevermind ... "

"-WHAT?!"

"Nevermind, I'm not coming. My parents want me at home tonight."

"But girl, I just saw Riley come into the room, and guess who drove her? - That's right, your baby-boy Josh!"

"...I don't care, I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"...yeah...well...okay then..." Kate sounded a bit dissappointed in Jessica, but also a bit concerned. "You have a good night, okay, hon?"

"Yeah, thanks, Kate. You too."

"Thanks, sweet dreams." Kate said just before hanging up the phone softly, Jessica slipped her cellphone back into her pocket before noticing the Mercedes CLK 500 pull up next to the sidewalk with her father pulling down the window at the driver's seat. "Get in," The middle-aged man said to his daughter, who obliged without much choice.

She hopped in threw the passenger's door, slouched in the white leather, and tapped her fingernails against the door handle.
"Put your seatbelt on." Her father commanded, Jessica listened helplessly, clicking the little belt over her chest.

"Lock your door-"

"Dad! I'm not a freaking baby, okay? I'll take my time!" Jessica blurted out, though it wasn't the first time she bursted out like that at her father, she reached her left hand over to hit the lock as her father then started the ignition back up and did a U-turn heading down Grand street.

"I'm uh ... sorry, honey, sorry to upset you. I know your not a kid anymore, well, your not too much of a kid. Y'know, just, driving is dangerous." He tried to apologize to his daughter, but Jessica wasn't angry at him, she was angry at Josh.

"That's okay, dad. I'm sorry too, it's just ... I've having some issues." She replied to him honestly, taking a second to glance at him, his thick gray beard that hung parsly off his chin and his big furry eyebrows and mustache. She saw the cufflinks of his shirt were unbuttoned so she figured he had just thrown something on before coming to get her, Jessica didn't really mind, turning her head back to look out the window at the dark cement below the four wheels of the Benz.

Her father was always an open-ear for Jessica's problems, whether it was with school, friends, boys, he always listened and most the time gave her a lecture on what she should do or how that was so terrible. Y'know, maybe he didn't mean it and was just trying to get in better relations with his daughter, but Jessica really didn't mind. Sometimes.

"Oh yeah? What kind of issues?" He asked, steering the wheel a bit right as he lessened his pressaure on the gas pedal and put on the brake, turning into the driveway of the small two-story house that they owned.

Jessica sighed as the car's engine stopped, she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, unlocked the door, stepped out of the car and then stuck her head back inside to kiss her father on the cheek. She wasn't going to wait until he got out, "Teenager issues." She replied, then slamming her door closed and running into the house, not even greeting her mother who was standing by the doorway in her pajamas with heavy concern.

Jessica just went all the way up to her room, sat down, turned on the night light and slouched near the window as more tears produced from her eyes. A small picture frame laid on the sil, the window was a low-window put about two feet from the ground, with probably a few inches, Jessica looked over the photo placed inside the picture frame.

It was one of Josh in his best school jersery after him and his team had won the offical soccer game and got into the champions, putting their highschool right up there with Brenton High, Jessica had kept the picture because she loved him. But what if she didn't no more? Imagine how that would turn out ...

"Lying jerk!" She muttered, voice effected by tears, as she knocked the frame off the sil, breaking the glass, Jessica turned around to where the frame had landed and pulled the photo out from the little mess. "You lied to me, Josh...but, I won't cry over you anymore! ... you ... " Jessica didn't have the strength to speak to the photo anymore, to speak at all, she just took the piece of paper and shredded it with her fingers, at the same time she cried until finally it had slipped out of her fingers.

Jessica moved closer to her sheeted bed and laid her head and elbows on it, sobbing. Too weak, too broken up to lay herself down on the mattress for retirement for the rest of the night.

[max]

"Jessica? Ohmigosh, honey, are you okay?"

Jessica heard the words vaguely through her ear, opening her eyes, she realized her head as placed in someone's lap. Whose? Her neck was hurting, and she remembered the position she had slept in the night before.

And then she remembered Josh and why she had cried herself to sleep in such an uncomfortable position last night, but feeling a cold breeze of air being set upon her by some sort of fan and a hand brushing her hair from her eyes, she decided to pay attention to the present for a bit too.

She heard the voice again, "You okay, hon?" It was familiar, but Jess was tired still, she couldn't focus on who it belonged to but she knew that she knew the person. Opening her eyes wider, Jessica was able to see Kate bending over her looking into her eyes with a worried expression on her face.

Kate kept repeating the question, "Are you okay, Jessica? You look awful!"

"I'm fine..." Jessica had summed up the words and in a weak voice replied, "What are you doing here?" She asked, having the strength to push her own hair off of her face with her own two fingers.

"Well I was worried about you! Y'know, Josh is your boyfriend afterall and since you didn't come to the party last night and just totally let him off the hook with Riley because of your little stupid curfew, I like ... wanted to see you."

Jessica smiled, Kate was always a good friend and was probably the most reliable person she knew. "I'm just fine, Kate. Thanks for coming." Jessica said, reaching up and patting Kate's cheek as she then retreated her arm and sat up on the bed, moving off Kate's lap and scooting next to her.

"Hmpf! What a boyfriend that jerk is! Doesn't even come over to see how his girl is doing! You know, I told you back in Junior High that that guy was a total unfaithful loser! I don't know why you didn't listen to me, but remember, Katie's always right!"

"Kate," It was heart-breaking to hear bad talk about Josh right now, because Jessica was so mad at him herself that now with her best friend mentioning him, reminding her of him constantly, it hurt her even more. "I don't want to talk about it. I'll see him today."

"You mean see him-see him, or just like ... see him, dump the cheating swine quick and clean!"

Jessica grinned that grin that told you she would never tell you what was on her mind, Kate knew the grin very well. It was Jessica's trademark grin which lit up her elegant lovely features, "I'll see him." Jess answered casually.

Kate moved her right arm around Jessica's shoulders and gave her a large, tight squeeze. "Y'know, this is all awfully strange..." She mummered into Jessica's ear, quietly, but loud enough for Jessica to hear.

"What is?"

"It's awfully strange that...your the concerned girlfriend, y'know, loving and caring and now heartbroken, or so I'm assuming you are, by your boyfriend's secret affair and yet instead of Josh being punished, you are!"

" ... what do you mean by that?"

"Ohmigosh, you have to ask me that?" Kate was astonished, but Jessica was left hopelessly confused. "...what?"

Kate realized her friend couldn't see herself, so she tugged Jessica off the bed, walked around to the other side where her dresser was with a full-length mirror and let Jessica see her reflection.

Momentarily - "EEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCKKKK!"

L O C A T I O N : Gregory High

"My goodness, girl! You are so lucky that Mr. Praxton didn't realize we're here after second period!" Kate whispered to Jessica as she tagged along her friend who was going towards her locker.

After Jessica had changed into a midi-blouse which left her stomach and arms uncovered and a pair of tight baby blue jeans, Kate helped her with her hair and make-up that was so horrid and ruined from her reaction to everything she learnt last night that morning that it took long enough for second period to fly by just like that.

As the two seniors made their way down the crowded main hall of Gregory High, they encountered - - -

"Bitch!"

"What the hell?!"

"Calm yourself down, Jessica! Stop!" Kate urged Jessica, tugging her away from the redhead. "What the hell is her problem?" Demanded the feminene voice of Riley Parker, "Someone need a lease?"

"No...lemme go, Kate! Let me at her!" Jessica urged, but Kate kept her back until Riley left out of sight into the pile of students orbiting around in the hallway, and then Kate released her but still stood close by her side. Jessica bent down, hands on knees, as she took a deep breath, eyes watered up, she stood back up and regained composure as she turned around and looked at Kate in confusion.

"Why didn't you let me go, Kate? Why didn't you let me beat her up!" She demanded, quietly, her voice fueled with emotion.

"Because, Jessica, its not her you should be mad at. It's not her fault," Kate explained to her friend, her pale white cheeks staying cold and her dark brown eyes cruising with understanding at her friend's outburst. It was as if Kate could feel Jessica's pain, but also felt a whole notch more of understanding then Jessica did, too,

"The only person in this whole situation to blame is Josh. 'kay? You know girls, handsome guys attract us. We won't care whether their single or not, we just go for them with their smooth talking and their sweet words. Who knows? Probably Riley doesn't even know your with Josh," Kate sympathically spoke with Jessica.

"You think he'd be cheating ... both of us?"

"Some guys are real assholes." Kate commented.

Jessica sighed, " I can't believe-"

"Good afternoon, girls! Your both looking lovely today, as usual," Oh no. That voice...the voice of trouble, the voice that alerted trouble, that voice that meant only one thing when found lurking in the halls of Gregory High after second period speaking to two lovely young ladies who happened to be late!

It was indeed the voice of the Vice Prinicpel, Mr. Praxton.
"Good monring, Mr. Praxton." Mummered Jessica and Kate, trying to sound innocent, Jessica still a bit torn up facially by her emotions and everything she was going through.

Mr. Praxton didn't tend to notice, infact, sometimes it seemed the only thing he did notice was late students, new mini's on the fine teenaged women who attended the high school, and the people in expensive suits who came every once in while to talk to the school board about school evaluations and so on.

Right now, what he was noticing was that two of the most well behaved, endaring students in the school were late, and that was surprising to grumpy old Mr. Praxton!

"I noticed something very interesting this noon today, girls,"

"Really, Mr. Praxton?" Kate tended to make conversation, or try to at least, when it came to trouble and by all means that was one thing she liked to avoid.

Mr. Praxton was not a softie though, he didn't joke around when it came to using his Principel powers either, "Yes. Actually I noticed something very, very interesting today, Ms.Williams. I noticed that you two drama queens were ... oh, ah ... LATE!"

"But, Mr. Praxton, we can explain!" Kate urged.

"Oh yes? Well do! Do then, Ms. Williams! And it better be a good explanation or your looking at ... a whole hour of detention before third period sound good?"

"Oh my goodness, Mr. Praxton, we'd do anything to avoid that! Actually, you see, Jessica is having some prob-"

"We'll take the detention." Jessica budged in, lifting her head to look at the middle-aged man, no sweet smile like she usually wore. Just blank expression as she repeated herself,
"We'll take it."

"We'll ... what ... Jessica?"

....

"Ohmigosh, Jess! You know what I was planning to do during lunchbreak before third period? I was going to fix my hair because curls definatley isn't my style, and look! My make-up is getting worn, and without a large nice mirror to look upon while I tend to my beauty, I might mess up my lip line!"

Kate sighed, dangling her fingers around in her blonde curls. Jessica sat at one of the brown desks in the far back of the room, seeing the elderly aged woman in the front of the room writing down on the large green chalkboard, 'I WILL NOT PROMOTE VIOLENCE. I WILL NOT PROMOTE VIOLENCE.'.

Her and Kate were the only ones in detention, it was the first time since they had even seen the little classroom since their second year as Sophomores, too. Jessica thought that instead of getting into a big quarrel with Josh during lunch though was something she had to think upon, and the best place to do that was in detention, she wasn't planning from the start to be late and facially disturbing when she woke up but oh well.

"Look, I'm sorry, Kate. I know that I'm the only one who should be sitting here right now, since you didn't even have to come over this morning to mend me, but ... y'know, I feel so much better with you around." Jessica turned over to smile at Kate.

Kate returned the smile, just as sweet. "Yea...well, my mother always did say I had a rare charm when it came to people," She boasted, breaking her smile but then letting it stain her face again. "...yeah, I didn't have to go over, but I did! Because that's what friends are for -- what girlfriends are for!"


"Ohmig- this is like the loser's club, hello? Do you actually expect me to sit down in one of those chairs in these pants? These things are leather, sir!"

"Well then, I suggest you sit on the floor if you find the chairs uncomfortable. And if you object to that offer as well, Ms. Parker, then I'm afraid your just going to have to sit in those!" Mr. Praxton scowlded the rebellious student as he then made his way out of the detention hall, closing the door behind him, after ushering the troublesome woman in.

Riley Parker, she glanced over and saw Kate and Jessica sitting in the back row and sat one row in front of them, squeaking quietly before placing her butt on the wooden chair. "I can't believe I'm in here! I like -- haven't seen this place since Sophomore year!"

"...your not the only one.." Jessica mummered quietly, but Riley was sharp. And she was a gossip-whore, she had a knack for hearing things she wasn't supposed to.

"Excuse me?" She turned around, looking over at Jessica, she recalled the incident earlier in the hallway but hoped Jessica would've gotten over it. Riley wasn't one to make enemies, she was actually one of the most popular girls in school and went out with the hottest girlfriends wearing the cutest, coolest trends and spreading the latest gossip on all sorts of things, and though she and Jessica were rivals since Junior High she didn't really value enemies.

"Are you like serious? Ohmigosh, you haven't been sent in this loser lounge for that long too? And I thought with your Girl-Next-Door personality and your cushy, teeny blue jeans that you and I were living on totally different planets all along!"

"There's only been one so far compatible enough for human life, Riley," Jessica commented. She knew that Riley liked to talk like ... that. Like one of those blondes who like to add 'so' and 'totally' and 'like' to almost everyone of their sentences, and talk about different worlds and so on, but sheesh. Those were the types of girls who needed to come back down to earth, and the girls Jessica wasn't interested in conversating with.

"Right?"

" ... uh, not talking reality here, Ms. Brains?"

"I figured that."

"Yeah..."

"So, what are you in here for?"

"Slapping Mr. Praxton for patting my butt while I was leaning over at the water fountain..."

"Ohmigosh, he seriously did that?" Jessica was starting to lighten up towards Riley, and seeing that, Kate thought she should've excused herself from the whole scene.

"Ohmigosh! Writing on that chalkboard seems so fun, I'm going to go ask Ms. Kattle if I can join." She said, giggling and smiling, as she stood up from her seat and walked over to the teacher writing 'I WILL NOT PROMOTE VIOLENCE'.

Jessica hardly notifced Kate leave. Riley Parker actually didn't seem like a very bad person, but why would she go hang with Josh when she knew him and Jessica were together?

Riley Parker hadn't been thinking about Josh, it seemed, and she was willing to sustain the conversation, "Yea! You know how much of a pervert Mr. Praxton is!"

Jessica replied, "Yeah. I didn't think he had the guts to do that to a student."

"Well I guess he thought I wouldn't notice, but in these pants! Pfft!"

" ... "

There was a moment of silence after Riley's little comment on her leather pants. Riley Parker was one of those girls, born rich, a little Mercedes locked up in her parent's garage waiting for her to graduate from highschool to be her's. One of those girls who was able to fly to Florida or Austrailia in the fall to escape the rain in her father's private jet, one who didn't have to worry about anything, one of those girl's who could get anything.

"So ... "

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you what your outburst back in the hallway was all about earlier? .. I'm sorry I called you an animal and all but that was like totally awkward scene you were making, and you even like, cussed at me!"

" ... " Jessica managed a fake cough in excuse to draft her hair in front of her face so Riley wouldn't see her cry, "Oh, that...yeah..."

"Is it about Josh?"

"Um...yeah!" Jessica had the guts to reply, sitting upright and brushing the hair from her face, not caring whether she had tears falling or not. "It was ... about Josh! ... did you really hate me for stealing the Homecoming Queen award back in freshmen year? To like ... go out with my boyfriend!"

"Wow, wow, wow, wow! Hold up," Riley intruded. "Did you just say your boyfriend?"

"Yeah..."

"Well you better stop right there, girl! Last time I checked that runt said he was single!"

" ... what?"

"At Tim's graduation party, actually, before that - we ran into each other and ohmigosh, pretty boys! I love 'em! .. well, we started phoning each other and exchanging kisses after school before he had to go 'see a friend'. When I asked him about you he said you two stopped dating months ago. Isn't that true?"

" ... "

"Jess?"

" ... hmm? Oh, what?" Jessica was glowing with doubt, anger, sorrow, pain, but she was able to reply. "Oh no, it's not true... -yet!"

"Excuse me?"

"That bastard, he was cheating us both, Riley! But - y'know what, I don't care, you can stick with that lying sneed but I'm not going to!"

"Hold up, you mean you're still his girlfriend?"

"Not anymore!"

After Detention, Ten Minutes from Third Period

"What the hell? - oh, hey, bab - ies."
Said the nervous voice of a male in serious trouble.

"Excuse me, Josh! Me and Riley have something to talk to you about."

[max]

"Okay, what's this about?"

"What's this about?! Are you kidding me, Josh!" Tears bursted from Jessica's eyes and she couldn't imagine she was shouting at her boyfriend, they'd been together so long ... too long, but she'd never loved anyone else, she'd never cheated on him, did she really deserve this? "This is about you and Riley!"

"Um, excuse me," Riley took offense from what Jessica based the little quarrel off of, since she was still part of it, just not doing anything yet. "I'm still here, thank you."

Jessica ignored Riley's back-comment, pushing Josh against the wall, she could tell he was pretty embarrased because they were in the lady's bathroom but that wasn't as important right now. Palms pressed on his broad, muscular chest that Jessica usually cuddled up against ... she shook those memories from her head, moisture filling up her eyes as she stood before Josh,

Jessica tried to change approachs, since Riley had been offended when her name was mentioned, "Why'd you cheat on me? I thought you loved me, Josh!"

"I ...pfft..." Josh seemed to try and avoid what Jessica was saying, not trying to shove her over or anything or slip out of the position he was in, which he easily could've if he wanted to.

Jessica wasn't satisified with 'pfft' as an answer. She was angry...confused, nervous of losing Josh even after all he'd done, but still, she deserved better them him, and she knew it! "Why'd you do it?!" She demanded in a louder tone, sending her hand across her boyfriend's cheek, making it red. She couldn't believe she did it after a second, but then, after another, she was glad she did.

Josh had felt more oblidged to answer after she did though, turning his head to the right so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye as he spoke, "It's obvious, Jess," He said quietly, it was almost a mummer. Turning back to look at Jessica with a blank expression on his face, he let a sigh escape his lips.

Those soft lips that were usually damp when Jessica pressed her's against them, his kisses sometimes tasted like candy, but Jessica realized she was just tasting Riley's worn-off lipstick...

"I never really loved you to start with."

"Wha...?" Jessica's mouth dropped open, her eyes stared at Josh with cold doubt rising, she had disbelief in every word he had just said. Squeezing the collar of his jersey, she pulled him closer to herself, practically tip-toeing to be near eye-level with him. "What did you just say?!"

"Look, you were the girl whose all loving, caring, but listens to her parents type of girl! - y'know, you were no fun to be in a relationship with! You weren't exciting, you liked you know ... watching a movie instead of making out in the way back row! Catch my meaning?"

"Catch your-- you took advantage of me, you lying sneed! Why didn't you just tell me you wanted quits last night?"

" ... I got this feeling about you long before last night, Jess... "

"You ... what?"

"I'm ... I'm sorry."

" ... you bastard ... you ... " Jessica suddenly felt weak, her hand slipped off his collar as she stepped backward from Josh, Riley was just pushing the lid back onto her lipstick bar at that moment but saw how horrified Jessica looked.

Blank. Dead. Doubtful. The three mixed into one expression that tied up Jessica's face looked horrible, as she stepped numbly from Josh with tears running down her cheeks.

Riley turned around, her long red hair flowing off her shoulders as she looked at Jess, parting her smooth glossy lips. "You okay, hon?"

Jessica felt too weak to shake her head, to move anymore, she was standing nearby the door about five feet from Josh and Riley and her fingers were shaking, mouth open but no words to come out.

Josh stepped forward, moving his back off the wall, and pushed his hand onto Riley's shoulder. Even though Jessica and Riley had come over to break up with Josh both at the same time, it seemed Riley had changed her mind in the past five minutes.

He looked over at Jessica who was so clouded with confusion and disbelief and sighed again, "I'm sorry, babe. It's just ... your too much of a hometown girl for me ... I ... I don't know how anyone could tolerate you."

"Coming from your unfaithful lover," Riley spoke quietly to no one in general, but it registered into Jessica's brain. Josh didn't love her and never did, though she was still too numb to speak, to move, to blink, she just stared at the two with tears in her eyes.

"Rie, you wanna catch a movie after period?"

"Sure, cupcake...sounds lovely."

Riley replied to Josh's offer, the two had practically forgot Jessica was even there, and she leaned over exchanging a french kiss with Josh, tongues touching, they really look liked a romantic couple. "I'll meet you in the courtyard."

"Not if I meet you first." Josh countered at Riley with a huge grin on his face, wrapping his arm around her waist, he sighed as he looked at Jessica again whose eyes had widened when she saw them kiss, but after a second he pulled Riley along and they left the bathroom.

When the door shut closed, Jessica sniffed, sniffed, and then dropped to her knees, hysterically crying, she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Each time she moved her hand off her face, another tear took place of the one she had just wiped off, and Jessica muttered to herself. "He doesn't love me ... he doesn't ... love ... me? ... "

About Half an Hour Later

Jessica was still sitting there, on her knees, crying, sniffing, wiping her tears that wet her pants. She clenched her fists and then released them again, Jess didn't even realize she had missed third period, the bell, or anything else. She didn't realize anything, but the door, hearing it squeak behind her ...

"Jess," A voice mummered out, and Jessica heard foosteps approach her.

Not turning yet, she gasped, was it possible? Was it him? "...Josh?"

[max]

"...Josh?"

Jessica breathed heavily in doubt, sorrow, weakness. She turned around and let her green eyes orbit the figure standing in front of her. It was a tall person, carrying a bag, peeking inside the door, and wearing a baseball cap. Baseball cap ... ?

"Jessica!"
Austin gasped, rushing into the room regardless of it being a woman's restroom, he wrapped his arms around Jessica after colliding his knees with the ground. His warm hand touched her soft brunette hair as he moved her head up onto his shoulders.

"Are you okay? What are you doing in here? You missed third period and everyone was worried about you!"

" ... Josh ... " Jessica tried to explain herself, but couldn't. She was too numb, wrapping her arms fragilely around Austin's warm body. "He ... "

"Yea, I know what happened! I saw the fiend with RIley before period, french-kissing 'n all! You dumped him right?"

"..."

"Jess?"

"Why are you here, Austin? ... why'd you come?" Jessica asked in a near-breathless voice, damp cheeks as she laid her chin on Austin's curved shoulder. She had never been close to any of the other boys at school before, close as in hugging or touching more then each other's hands, because Josh got upset when she did. That kept Jessica from realizing something, who her real friends were.

Austin took a while to reply, but he did either way. "Me and the others were worried about you, man! Y'know? -- and Kate told us to look everywhere before one of the teachers found you and y'know ... got detention. So ... "

"How'd you know I'd be here?"

" ... "

It was Austin's turn to play the silent-guy. Josh had had his turn, Jessica her's, and now it was his turn. Moving Jessica slowly off his chest so he could look at her, Austin smiled his childish features at Jessica in a I-am-so-hot-I-have-to-be-smart look as he moved a small distance from her on the tiled floor on his knees.

"I uh...smelt you?"

He smiled again and Jessica could tell he wasn't telling her the truth, even through her clouded eyesight. Raising her left hand nervously, she placed it on Austin's cheek and a sheet of pity wept across her smooth face, "Austin...be honest...I'm your friend..."

"What's so unhonest about that though? Strawberry Perfume is quite strong!"

"I wore lemon scent today..."

".....OH!"

"Mm." Jessiaca, through all the pity, sorrow, depression, managed a sly smile at Austin. "...you've been stalking me, Aust? Know where I'll usually go?"

"Well ... depends on what your idea of stalking is! Y'know, there's different-"

Austin went silent when he felt Jessica press the side of her finger onto his lips. Here he was, just turned Senior a few weeks ago even though he was older then Jess by a few months, he was clumsy and stupid and got drunk all the time and stayed out past curfew so he usually had to cancel his dates because his parents would ground him. Not alot of girls paid attention to Austin Hurton, most of his dates were all about the expensive restaurants he'd take them to(that did serve alcohol) more then his company.

But Jessica guessed, or she was assuming something that had a chance of being true ... Austin Hurton liked her.

"Aust ... how much girls have you dated?"

"Uh..." Austin was quiet for a moment, but since Jessica had just experienced something very terrible, or, bad enough for her to cry and miss third period and ruin her make-up, he felt more obliged to answer when he looked at her for a bit. But he was sort of confuzzled at first. "Er...like...in all my life or...'cuz y'know, I'd never date anyone at five! -- people didn't favor my good looks back then!"

"In your whole teenager life," Jessica replied, taking her finger back from Austin's smooth, moisturized lips. She guessed that the wetness on them were possibly from a can of alcohol he snuck a few sips from at lunch-time, since Austin wasn't too famous for recieving kisses during school hours.

Austin, with a better idea of what Jess meant now, replied.

"A few...about...thirty...forty?"

"Intimate relationships?"

"Well...one of them..."

"Just one?"

"Yeah..."

"Older? Younger?"

"About my age."

"Does she attend this school?"

"Doah!"

"When'd you stop dating?"

"Yesterday..."

"Yesterday?" So maybe he didn't like her, or he did, but his girlfriend was one of those controlling types who any guy would fear breaking up with. Jessica wondered why, why Austin was always coming to her rescue, comforting her, giving her the latest news, telling her about other girls in the school planning to do evil things to her in the change rooms and so on. Why did he always stand by her and no one else if he didn't like her?

"Why?"

"She..." Timid eyes of Austin Hurton stared into the dry, heart-broken eyes of Jess. "...cheated on me."

"..." That made Jessica ... quiet, momentarily. "Austin, was ..."

"Riley."

[max]

"Did you ... "

"Don't uh... get mad, Jessica ... "

Jessica was about to, she really was, if she had a reason to get mad at Austin. He wasn't her boyfriend, and even if he was, he wasn't her property. He had the right to do what he wanted, they were just ... friends.

"I'm not..." Jessica spoke in a near-whisper, smiling at Austin. "I'm not mad at you, Austin. We're just ... friends ... afterall, right?"

Moment of silence, Jess could tell Austin felt a little awkward, she just didn't know why. Finally he spoke, but his voice seemed a little off, "We are?"

"You--"

"Jessica? -- Jessica! Are you okay?" Before Jessica could even sound surprised at Austin's question, Kate barged into the bathroom and ran up to her, rigging her from Austin's arms and shaking her up and down until her arms felt tired. "Are you okay, babe? Are you okay, Jess?"

" ... huh? ... Yeah ... I'm ... "

Before Jessica could complete her reply to Kate, the blonde nudged in. "Shouldn't you be like ... complaining?"

"Complaining? About what?" Jessica was clueless though, being with Austin had made her forget Josh, not Riley, but Josh. She didn't know what Kate was talking about at all.

"Y'know ... " Kate tried to give her a hint by wedging her shoulder with Jess's, but Jessica was completely dumbfounded. Austin sighed, talking about boys wasn't in his best interest, but Jessica didn't have the slightest idea of what Kate was talking about so he guessed it wouldn't hurt to slip a hint for Kate.

"About Josh." It was almost a mummer, but Jessica got the idea.

"Oh...yeah..."

"So what happened?" Kate seemed excited. Jessica didn't.

" ... I'm going to buy a sniper rifle!"

Austin was astonished, but Kate seemed relaxed and calm still, though she was also worried about her friend at the same time. Aust figured it was girl-talk in some strange language and left it all up to Kate, tilting her head a bit to the side letting her blonde curls dance about her shoulder, Katie sighed, "That bad?"

Jessica replied with a nod.

"Straight forward, huh?"

Kate's question was followed by another nod from Jessica's head.

Austin was completely clueless at their strange talk, "Okay...y'know what, not to be embarrassed, I'm gonna slip right outta here now and let you two talk ... like girls ... "

"Austin."

"Huh?" Austin paused, feeling himself being pulled back as he tried to stand at the same time. Turning around, he saw Jessica's arm extended and her hand wrapped around his right wrist, a bit nervous, Austin sat back down before the two girls. He was surprised, "Heh...yeah? I thought guys weren't supposed to invade on girl's talk. Heh...yeah?"

" ... " Jessica blinked twice,, in the corner of her eye she saw Kate staring at her, looking back at Austin, she herself had no real reason for pulling him back. She just felt like she wanted him to stay with her, but then, she realized she just wanted him to stay forever. But Austin had a life, he didn't deserve to be punished with Jessica, like she was with Josh.

"Um ... sorry, I ... saw lint on your shirt." She lied.

Kate bought it though, being the fashion-concious girl she was, "Eee, lint is bad, Aust! Wash more!"

"Uh..." Austin had the feeling that wasn't what Jessica really stopped him for, but didn't say that, just grinned at them both and nodded. "Mm'kay! Will do, Kate! You can count on -- ... me?" He was a bit taken aback when he tried to lazily pull his arm from Jess's grip, it appeared she was holding on tighter then he had anticipated.

"Er...Jess..."

"Huh?"

"You've got me cuffed here..."

"What?"

"...my hand..."

"Oh!" Jessica nervously let go of Austin, apologizing multiplely. "I'm sorry...I..."

"Yes, yes, yes! You don't like lint? Right? Don't worry, I'll ask one of the guys to lend me a shirt! Um ... get better, buddy!" Austin smiled at Jessica as she released his hand, he stood back up and quickly fled from the room.

" ... " Moment of silence, Kate looked over at Jessica and wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders as she then laid her head on Jessica's shoulder. "You like him, dontcha'?" She whispered into Jessica's ear.

"Who? Austin?"

"Yeah...Auzzie-boy!"

"What made you come to -- there was lint on his sweater!"

"I didn't say there wasn't."

"But you assumed there wasn't."

"No, you assumed that I was assuming there wasn't and you just wanted to ... touch Aust."

"Kate...what? -- look, I don't like him!"

" 'And so on, Goldilocks reptively lied to the three bad bears. 'I did not like the boy who just came into the girl's restroom! I did not!' ' " Kate giggled and nibbled on Jessica's bare shoulder.

Jessica smiled, pushing her friend off. "Dream on, Kate! I don't like Austin, he's too ... childish for me! And Riley's ex-boyfriend! I've got no time for guys anymore, not anymore ... "

"You know, you did have a boyfriend about thirty minutes ago?"

"...Josh is a bi-"

"I know, hon! I know!"

"...Kate..."

"Yes, babe?"

"...I want to transfer schools."

Kate broke out into continous laughter, giggles, and hot tears at what Jess said. She took it as a total joke, "Your...your...your--" Looking at Jessica though, Kate paused, "...serious?"

"Yes."

"...did you like...take too much tylenol?"

"...are you my best friend?"

"Yes. -- I mean, if your going to use that to answer me, then no!"

"...Kate, I've had enough of this life. I'm a hometown girl, staying in Southern California and like ... I want to move on from that!"

"Move on to what? This is life, Jess! This is a perfect life! And you've got...perfect...friends..." Kate looked like she was going to cry, but the blonde was stronger then people made her out to be, emotionally. Though she was sure close to crying.

"I never said I didn't like my friends. I love you, Kate! I love all of you guys! But ...I'm tired of being looked at as some hometown, common ordinary-type girl. Y'know, I'm tired of guys cheating on me because some other girl they like is everything! ... everything I'm not...y'know? There's got to be more in life then this, then high-school, then unfaithful boys! And Austin...I wish we could've been together, before me and Josh, and I know I'll probably be breaking his heart if I leave because I can tell that he likes me but...I want to give Austin a chance, I want to give Gregory Town a chance but...I just...can't take it anymore, and I want to move on...I just..."

"No! Stop! -- My gosh! Dammit, Jess! Josh isn't this big! Not this big! You didn't deserve a jerk like him, sure, but you ... I ... we don't deserve this! We deserve you! You understand?! You!" Kate had stood up, astonished, angry, sad. Tears showed in the corner of her eyes as she stared at Jessica sitting on the floor. "We deserve you, Jess! Now your being unfair, you lost Josh but your so much more then him! We don't need to lose you! And talking about moving on? From what? Don't leave, Jess! Josh isn't worth leaving behind your family and all your closest friends, is he? Hm? Is he?! -- Don't be a bi--"

"I heard yelling." Said a voice, and Kate saw Austin peeking through the door. He must've been there for the past...ten seconds, yeah right.

Kate looked over at him, "...She's a total ... whatever! From now on, we're not friends, Jess! Do what you want, just don't come asking me for any advice from now on! Whatever!" She sniffed and then stomped out of the room.

Austin blinked twice at Kate's outburst and her unusual attitude toward Jessica, "Is everything all right?"
He asked, but that was only obvious. Nothing was right, not in Jessica's mind...Jess felt...she felt dead.

[max]

* * * *

"It's just...a matter of relationships here, Mr. Clint. Y'know, I'm a teenaged-girl, senior year in high-school, I guess you could say pretty and probably even lucky but...you know, I might have good grades, real great friends, beauty, wealth, parents I'm thankful for having and all but ... I also have something alot of other teenaged girls, or a little, have at least once in their lifetime...a broken heart, and...that's what's driven me to this conclusion. To this belief that the only solution for me to forget this pain and agony, you know, this life ... is to leave Gregory Town."

Jessica explained openly to her Principal who, she was surprised to see, listened with interest and with an open-mind. She didn't feel shy about telling him why, though he hadn't asked yet and the time wasn't right to bring it up if he wouldn't, and she didn't feel shy about sitting two feet across from him or however long the desk stretched, Jessica felt completely relaxed in the lounge chair in the office of Mr. Clint. And she felt absolutely no regret for being there.

"And you'd like me to make arrangements for you to transfer to another school to attend to out of Gregory Town, Ms. Levique?" The principal cocked one of his gray-ish eyebrows at the young lady.

"Yessir. I feel like moving on, becoming an adult, becoming mature, seeing the world and letting it see me as something more then a teeny eighteen year-old! But I still feel like I need to graduate, I know that's only so far away here at Gregory High but I just ... can't continue in this place, and I wondered if you could transfer me to another school that would be of your recommendation to attend to."

"I see..." Muttered Mr. Clint, he had the typical look of a scary adult that would intimidate Jessica when she found herself in an office of a high-school. He had the bright hair, sort of pale-blonde that was nearing gray, those noticeable wrinkles that told you he was in his late thirties and then those soft, pleasing green eyes duplicated with a pair of glasses. He was a kind principal that hardly had any bad means with the students, that being Mr. Praxton's job, and had completely no problem talking with Jessica about her personal problems.

"Well, I'm glad you came to me, dear. I'll just check my computer files and see if anything nice pops up... is there any specific place you'd like to be studying, Ms. Levique? Or ... just a random school will do good for you?:"

"I'm all up for anyplace, y'know? -- with a little bit of teenager flare added to it, a place I could survive on my own."

"On your own, eh? You don't intend on bringing your parents with you?"

"Not at all, sir. I'm not a baby anymore and I don't want to be treated like one. Mom put a loonie under my pillow every time I lost a tooth, it was like a swap and I probably have about six hundred loonies in my back account now. And that's cute, but I'm not a kid anymore, and I want to grow up."

"And you don't think that's do-able with your parents around?"

"Not really."

"And your positive about leaving Gregory High?"

"A hundred percent."

"Okay," Mr. Clint wasn't planning on arguing with Jessica it seemed, though if he was he was defiantly taking it slow. Hitting a few digits down on the keyboard of his Vaio Desktop, the principal turned back to one of his most remarkable students and smiled. "I've found a few schools." He explained.

Jessica nodded, "What do you recommend?"

Mr. Clint hit the return key a couple times before laying his full attention on Jessica Levique, and then scratched his shaped mustache that connected with a beard that covered all skin on his chin. "There's a couple schools in New York, Brooklyn mostly but that's a bad scene for a girl like you so I'd recommend somewhere in the Manhattan districts. Though, a teacher's concern, I'd suggest that either you stay here in Gregory Town, it being a friendly community and well-known to you and your family, or maybe join a sorority."

"Why would you want me to join a sorority, Mr. Clint?"

"Because I don't think that a girl like you could make it without friends."

"...point being?"

"If your not taking any of these friends you have here with you, who are you going to lean on in wherever your going?"

"Myself." Jessica replied in a firm, proud tone.

Mr. Clint sighed, "Yes, after you meet people, I'm talking about."

"...people."

"Aha! People indeed, Jessica, do you mind if I call you Jessica?"

"Not at all, go ahead."

"Okay, well, if you go to say...somewhere like Brooklyn, you know, there's a bunch of not-so nice people there. Or, maybe nice but not nice on the level of people in Gregory Town, and you might not be used to them right away--"

"Do you actually think girls are less crueler then guys, Mr. Clint? Is that what your saying?"

"No."

"Then...what, sir?"

"I'm saying, a sorority is supportive to young women because ... like you said, every girl, at some point in her life, will experience a broken heart. And girls that are part of a sorority usually have been with different gentlemen before and have experienced one all for themselves in their own time, and they'd be able to share that common subject with you, and comfort you."

"What makes you think high-school girls can't do that for me, Mr. Clint?"

"Please, Ms. Levique, don't take offense to this," Mr. Clint pleaded, shortly after taking a breath and moving his fingers off his beard to dance about his desk. "...I don't think your strong enough for high-school."

* * * *

"From the bottom of my broken heart,
There's just a thing or two I'd like you to know:
You were my first love, you were my true love,
From the first kisses to the very last rose.
From the bottom of my broken heart,
Even though time may find me somebody new,
You were my real love, I never knew love
'Til there was you.
From the bottom of my broken heart." ~♥

[/i]
[^ Singing to/about Josh ^][/center]

The song played back and forth in Jessica's head, and she very quietly sang along to it, her head tilted to the right and her eyes looking out the small window.

She was aboard a bus, beneath the eight wheels of rubber was nothing but a long strip of concrete road. Surrounding the route was nothing but tall grass, no one was outside the bus on the long road, no one was behind the bus in a vehicle or in front, Jessica was alone.

Sitting on the blue seat of the public transport, Jessica tugged her brunette hair back and forth from her mouth. The bus was sch eluded to leave Gregory Town at 11:05 a.m. that morning, Jessica had waited for thirty minutes for the bus to arrive at the stop because she had left home early with her belongings, desperate to leave.

She told her parents the day before after having Mr. Clint expel her from Gregory High. Jessica's mother felt as if it was something she did that drove her daughter to leaving, but realized it was just because of a teenaged girl's experience in romance that had driven Jessica to the conclusion that she was moving to Beverly Hills.

Her parents rejected the first time, but Jessica pointed out that she was old enough to make her own decisions and didn't always need someone looking over her shoulder for her, which made her parents feel a little bit controlling and terrible, but they weren't the only ones.

Jessica took a shower, put on a pair of old blue jeans, a tight wool coat that crossed her knees, and a scarf and then left to the bus stop. Dragging a luggage carrier behind her, she had boarded the bus that morning. She was taking the bus to another depot in L.A., where'd she board another one that would take her to some other place where she would take the subway to Beverly Hills and start what some people might call a life.

Her cellphone started to beep, Jessica fished it out of her jean pocket, she was getting a text message. Pressing a few buttons, she opened the note:

"Don't do this. You know you don't want to. Do you know what the chances are of it being your fault for a mass suicide the next day here in Gregory, Jess?

Do you?
Please don't go. - Austin"

Jessica was going to reply to it, to tell Aust how she didn't want to leave, but had to...but then she got another beep and a new message popped up, from Kate. It was simple.

"Hey, hon.

Look, I'm really sorry for yelling at you the other day, getting hysterical, y'know...and almost cursing you out, I've got to watch my mischievous mouth, but...I want you to know we're all here for you, babe. 'kay? I want you to remember that too, because no matter where you are, all of us in Gregory High, in Gregory, we'll all miss you.

If you think it's the right thing to do, to go join some sorority in Bev Hills, I can't stop you and I won't because it is your life and you should have control of it. Just...keep in touch, babe, because I don't know what I'll do with myself if I don't always have you to talk to somehow, and know you're somewhere in the world smiling at me.

Friends Forever ~ ♥ Kate."

After reading Kate's message, Jessica felt to weak to reply to Austin's. The phone slid out of her hand and vibrated by her thigh on the seat, as more tears rolled out of her eyes onto her cheek and the song replayed in her head.

[max]

As the beginning of the evening started to cave in, Jessica felt herself wobbling on the seat of the bus. There were tears filling up her eyes, as she felt her lips parting to take a breath because she was too busy sniffing with her nose, Jessica mummered to herself.

"I can't do it."

She repeated the words in her head until she finally had the strength to pull herself up off the seat, grasping her phone in hand and storming down the aisle. Wiping away the tears with her left sleeve, Jessica slowly blurted out the words,

"Stop the bus, please."

"What's that?" Asked the elderly man, reaching up to scratch his shaggy white beard and tipping his baseball cap downward as he looked over at the woman.

"Stop it... I'm getting off now," Jessica repeated, trying to make a smile, she managed weakly. "I'm going to have to get my bags." She explained as she put her phone into her pocket.

The driver was giving her a hesitant look, as he then raised his hat and put on the brakes and flipped on the 'Stop Requested' sign for the other passengers to see just in case they got confused on why they were stopping several miles away from the next depot or any other place for the bus to stop.

"You do realize there's no bus stops near 'ere and Beverly Hills is at least another day or two away, rite'?" Asked the man who seemed in his mid-fourties, he looked concerned but Jessica knew what she wanted.

"I understand that, sir. I'd like to go back though." Said she.

The bus driver nodded, "Back to Gregory, eh? I could probably arrange a U-turn for ya'."

"No, you couldn't," Jessica smiled at him and his attempts to help her out, but the bus was on a straight road, there was about a few centimeters other then what it's wheels squealed on of road, there was no way for any vehicle to turn around on this road unless they were to turn onto the humungous fields of fresh wheat. And no doubt, the company that owned the farms around would definatley fine them some money or something, Jess didn't want to make trouble.

"It's okay, we've only been about fifteen miles from Gregory Town anyway. I'll walk -- thank you."

"Alright. Would you like me to get yer' luggage for you?"

"Yes please." Jessica said as the driver flipped a handle and opened the front doors, he stepped out first and she followed him closely.

The driver of about two-hundred pounds, Jess was assuming but not in an impolite way, held a key in his hand. He pushed it into the little hole on the side of the bus at the very lower end and turned it a few times until the little department opened, Jessica pulled out her wheeled luggage bag and relaxed it on the road.

"Thank you," She said, smiling.

The driver nodded, "It's getting late, better hurry. Be careful, mm'kay?"

"Thank you." Jessica said again, catching a tear. "I really need to get back home now."

"Alright, safe trip, young lady."

"Likewise." Jessica extended the handle of the bag as she then dragged it along as she started to run opposite direction of the bus's. She ran for a whole mile, none-stop, fueled by the urge to go back to Gregory. To Kate. To her parents ... to Josh even...

But then, all of a sudden, after Jessica couldn't run anymore and she felt like her bones were cracking every step she took, she felt as if she shouldn't of turned back. That it was the stupidest thing to do, her mind was playing games with her.

****

"...can't ... do it."

Jesscia forced the words out of her mouth, falling onto the concrete road knee-first, tears were dry on her face. Dirt and exhaust painted her face, Jessica had gotten exactly four miles since she unboarded the bus the day before and it was another afternoon now.

Crying, Jessica sighed as she pushed her luggage bag in front of her, there was no white line on the road but she couldn't care less if a car came and hit her. She shouldn't of turned back...no...she shouldn't of gone in the first place.

"Any moment...everything can change. Feel the-"

"What?" Jess heard words floating behind her, jumping up she turned around and just on time was able to move out of the way of a little 99 Pontiac Firefly. The person in the driver's seat slammed on their brakes but Jessica still moved, standing up and pulling her luggage bag along with her, she walked over to the side where a young teenaged girl was sitting with her arm wrapped around the steering wheel.

The girl looked like she was about to come out of the vehicle herself, but Jessica saved her the trouble. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't of been sitting on the open road like that." She apologized.

The girl who seemed about a year older then Jess, about nineteen, had a smile on her face as she shook her head repetively at Jessica. "That's okay," She said, turning off her interior CD player. "Are you okay? You don't look very good."

"I'm...not okay." Jessica explained, "I was trying to get back to Town."

"Well hop in, I'll give you a ride." Said the girl, Jessica didn't believe it for a second but when the lady reached over to the backdoor and unlocked it she was slowly hit by the truth. Jess pushed her bags into the back seat and then went and sat in the front next to the girl.

The four-wheeled drive was comfortable, and the driver was playing her Hillary Duff CD all along the way until she finally stopped it fifteen minutes into the album and started to converse with Jessica. "So, where are you coming from?"

"...a bus."

"And that ... doesn't sound very explaining."

"Yea, sorry...I was leaving Gregory because of boyfriend problems, but then I got off the bus and tried to walk back, so ... "

"Ah, I get it. -- Name's Cassie."

"Nice to meet you, Cassie. I'm Jessica."

"Neat, that's my mom's name."

"Oh...coicedence." Jessica smiled, Cassie seemed like a very nice girl. She had very thin blonde hair, bleach blonde, and blue eyes with a lot of black eyeliner and thick massacra. She was wearing a pair of black track pants that squeezed her skin along with a matching T-shirt with blue letters written fancily that read 'You can change your life! - If you wanna'. She must've been a Hilary Duff fan or something, come to think of it she even looked like her a bit.

"So, are you going back to Gregory to make up with your boyfriend or not?" Cassie asked, sustaining the conversation.

"No, I ... I really don't know." Jessica replied, they were about five minutes away from Gregory High, they just entered the small town. She could feel the fourth bell ring in her head, the cue for all the students to go enjoy FREEDOM and Austin and Kate walking down the steps of the brick school in sorrow, lack of her essence.

Jessica blinked twice, "Can you take me to Gregory High?"

"Sure."

" ... do you know where it is?"

Cassie looked over and smiled at Jessica with a no-damn-duh look on her face as she nodded, "It's the school I dropped out of actually." She replied, in about thirty seconds Cassie pulled over at the sidewalk across from Gregory High-School. She saw many students walking out of the school, or running, and chuckled. "Just like it used to be back in my Junior years. Now go, girl! Go get 'em!" She urged Jessica.

Jess smiled, nodding. That morning when she was walking home, attempting to at least, she had taken off her coat so there she was in her baby-blue jeans and her old green tank top. Stepping out of the car, she ran across the street, but stopped in the middle when she saw Austin coming off the steps.

"Jessica?"

"Austin!" Jessica smiled, Austin was walking very slowly towards her. She didn't move though, she looked at the faces for Kate's bright eyes but wasn't able to catch the blonde in the crowd. Instead she saw -- "Josh..."

EeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeecreeeaaaaaak!

"JESSICA!"[/b][/i]

[jett]

... >)>
a ... decent chapter, but I don't get that. What 'appened?

[max]

That'll be revealed in the chapter to come. ^)^

By the way, there IS only one chapter left.

[max]

SEASON FINALE

"Jessica!"

"Jessica, wake up please!"

"Oh, Jessica!"

Bauls and sobs and sniffles went all around the room in pattern, everyone had a turn to moan and weep over the woman lying in the white bed in a hospital dress with blankets pressed over her in layers at the tip of her chest. The brunette hair was shuffled around the white pillow neatly and put at one side for good measure.

A tear fell onto the cold face of Jessica Levique.

"Does she have pulse?"

"No.."

"Heartbeat?"

"Medicore."

"Think she's got a chance?"

"I'm sorry, sir. That's quite hard to tell..." Answered the doctor, placing Jessica's hand down on the bed by her side slowly. The words shocked the many people in the room, and everyone had soon took their turn to leave, except the boy before him."Are you a friend of the family? Part of her family?"

"I'm a friend." Replied the young man, wiping what looked like tears off his face and moving his baseball cap a bit to the left. "T-thank you...can I...be alone with her for a...little...?"

"Sure thing, son," Replied the doctor with a smile, "I'll be at the check-up desk if you need me."

"Alright, t-thank you."

The door closed softly, and Austin walked over to Jessica's bed, pulled a chair up, and sat by her side. For the first time since five-years-old probably, the teenaged boy cried. "J-Jessica...will you wake up please? I'll stop drinking if you do, and I won't throw chewed gum in your hair anymore and ... I won't remind you of Josh, or be bad to any of your friends...I'll do anything for you, Jess! Anything!"

He spoke painfully, it was agonizing to not even see her move. Her chest hardly rose when she breathed.

Austin wrapped his hands around her's and then leaned his face onto the fifteen pale fingers, more tears escaped from his eyes. "Why'd you come back, Jessica? I know you didn't want to, I know you didn't..."

He lifted her hands, sighed, and then rested them between her chest. He could feel her heartbeat through her fingers, beating slowly. Slowly ...

"I'm a friend of her family! I have to see her!" Shouted someone, and the doors burst open, Austin jumped from his chair. Roses...who else could it be?

"What the hell do you think you're doing here, Josh?!" Austin demanded.

The sleek cowlick of a black-haired teen, Joshua Carter, looked it's best as always. Pfft. His ex-girlfriend in the hospital and the goof still has time to do his hair like he's some kind of movie star? Austin felt even more pity for the girl lying on the hospital bed, he couldn't even imagine what Jessica saw in Josh, but then again...they were all friends before, Austin didn't hate Josh, he just...didn't really like him anymore.

Josh's tall figure moved to the opposite side of Jessica's bed as he threw the bouquet of roses onto the end table at the side of the bedhead, he leaned over, grasping Jessica's cold hands, and covered them in kisses.

"Jessica, it's me...it's Josh! Say something, please!" He whispered quietly.

Austin rolled his eyes, he still felt hot tears running down his cheeks. "As if she's going to come back to life for a guy who made this whole mess in the damn first place, Josh!" He near-shouted. "You dumped her and made her go into some hyper-sick mood which made her want to leave town, quit school, and go to Beverly Hills to join some damn girl's group or something and ... and you think she'll wake up for your roses? For you? You cold-hearted son-of-a--"

"LOOK!" Josh shouted right back at Austin, "I'm sorry! Okay?! I was wrong to dump Jessica, I never imagined this would happen to her!"

"Oh you didn't, eh? You only were snoozing in class then when you noticed she had stayed in the bathroom, where you left her, for more then an hour and a half on her damnned knees the day you dumped her in fourth period? You worthless piece of crap, you ruined her life! YOU killed her!"

"... -- I still feel heartbeat, it's getting stronger."

"Wow, Josh, I'm so happy! I'm going to go celebrate with everyone that Jessica's got a heartbeat!" Austin shouted in a sarcastic tone, Josh stood back upright and gave him a what-did-I-ever-do-to-you look.

Austin ignored the stupid face Josh made and pressed his hand onto the surface which underneath was a beating heart of Jessica Levique. He kept it there for a bit, but it was a failing heartbeat.

"What do you feel?" Josh asked, noticing the damp tracks on Austin's face being re-runned by fresh tears as he looked up at Josh in a stingy look, at the same time Austin was pulling his hand back from Jessica's chest.

"..."

"What? What happened? What's going on? Is she gonna make it? Speak to me, kid!"

"--she's gone, Josh." Austin spoke in a shaky, improper voice. "...her heartbeat ... failed. She's not breathing anymore....she's f--king gone." He repeated, and then turned toward the door with hopes of at least being able to stumble out of the room. Josh walked over and put a hand on Austin's shoulder,

"Look, I'm sorry, man." He said. But it wasn't sincere, Austin knew it. Josh's whole act of feelings wasn't even close to sincere ... no ... 'cause y'know what sincere was? Austin was sincere. Kate was sincere, Jessica's parents were sincere, -- heck, even Riley was damn sincere -- but this clown...this joker, this actor, he wasn't sincere. He was everything but that.

"Get out of my damn face!" He mummered, Austin shoved Josh out of his way with his shoulder as he walked out through the double doors. The haunting noise coming from the stupid machine that showed Jessica's heartbeat level screaming out after him.

"What makes a story worth telling? - It's not the way the author makes it begin, it's the way he decides it'll end... Josh was the author in this chapter, and I guess, with Jessica resting in peace, we
could call this a finished book now."

[Mitsuki Park]

MAGNIFICENNTTT!!!!! Bravo!

ZOMG ><;;

I can't believe she dieed....

JOSH THAT FREAK! Ugh... Anywho, great story. (: It's over though... T____T'' Is there an epilogue??

-kiHyuN.

[max]

^_^

YESH! You're not hitting me.

Yea, I wanted to keep it dramatic as romance stories are...and yea, it's sort of like, over now. I don't know, there might be ... I'll ... think it over.

~.^ Thank you for taking the time to read it and not hitting me. *throws pin-- teddies*

[jett]

+_+

Good story 'n all, but, did Jessica have to be so, y'know, all whacky? @.@
And HURRY UP WITH THE EPILOUGE!