***

"Are you sure you don't want to watch the movie with us?" Victoria slid out of the passengers seat with a smooth, little jump, both her feet making a thud sound as they hit the concrete.

Words can't even describe how much I don't want to.

I grunted out the answer as I struggled to step outside from the backseat. "Positive."

"Alright." Liz handed me the keys before I could jump into the driver's seat and gave me a worried look. "Be careful, okay?"

A small sigh escaped my lips. "Liz, we've talked about this. I know wh- "

"I'm talking about Brittany," she interrupted me. "Take care of my baby or you'll suffer my wrath."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and shake my head. "You're such a drama queen," I said and extended out a hand towards her.

Liz pursed her lips together, reluctant to give in and placed the keys on my hand. I got a grasp of them but she never eased her grip.

Instead, we just stood there awkwardly as I tried pulling the keys away from her. "Liz, let go."

She finally gave in with narrowed eyes. "Fine," she said while she spun around and started walking. "You've been warned."

Liz was so obsessed with her car that she even gave it a name. It was a white AMG G Wagon with a red and black interior and I'm pretty sure she'd choose her over me any day. This was literally the first time she'd let me drive it, I guess Victoria was starting to turn her into a softie.

Jessica had begged her to let him drive it a countless number of times, he thought it was one of the coolest cars out there, but there's only so much softness Liz could embrace, no matter how many Victorias entered her life - her car had always and would always be sacred for her.

I revved the engine up to life and pulled out of the mall's parking, submerging myself deep into thought as I was accustomed to doing.

It felt like I wasn't seeing so much of my best friend as I was used to seeing but I guess that was kind of my fault too. I might have been a little distracted with other stuff, hence I couldn't really blame her. Plus, I've always been kind of a lone wolf, so I didn't really mind it. I could take advantage of that situation to drive around the city and just enjoy the tranquility of my own company.

***

Liz would kill me if she saw me eating ice cream inside of her car but she doesn't need to find out.

I snorted internally and finished the cone up as I texted Jesse, being alone had me bored out of my mind. Once I did that, I got hold of the steering wheel and drove myself up to his house.

I liked how everything in Providence was not too far apart. I mean, I wouldn't go as far as to walk from place to place but at least the drives were short enough.

Not too long after that I found myself at his front door.

As soon as Jesse opened up I knew he wasn't in a good state whatsoever. The prominent bags under his red, swollen eyes could be spotted from a mile away.

My smirk dissipated instantly. I obviously hadn't given this much thought. "Hey, are you ok? Is your mom-"

"She's ok, she went out with a friend."

A frown entrenched itself on my face. "You've been crying."

He opened his mouth up to speak, probably to try and deny it but then shut it back close. "Is it that obvious?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Do you want me to lie to you?"

Jesse grimaced. "Um, yes?"

"Then no, not at all."

He looked down awkwardly at his shoes. "Why are you here?"

"I wasn't about to third-wheel Liz and Victoria," I replied. "I kind of just wound up here without thinking."

He chuckled lowly without moving his gaze away from its former position.

"Maybe I should've called," I added.

Jesse took out his phone and let out a half laugh as his eyes danced around the screen. "Get dressed, Jessica, I'm on my way to your house." He switched his attention back to me. "Well, at least you texted."

"I can go if y-"

"No, it's ok," he quickly cut me off. "Maybe it's better if I stop thinking about it."

My frown turned into a knowing smirk. "Well lucky for you I am a master at distractions."

Jesse shook his head in amusement and popped inside to get the keys to his house. While he closed the door behind him and proceeded to lock up, an idea crossed my mind.

"Starting with-" I wiggled Liz's car keys in the air.

His whole body reacted and he instantly whipped around to face me, his brows arched up high and a sparkle in his eye. "You're letting me drive Brittany?"

Hearing him say that so full of enthusiasm made me want to hold in a snort.

"Don't tell Liz unless you want us both to get murdered."

Jesse pursed his lips together, debating whether or not to go for the keys. His whole face lit up and a boyish smile warped his features before he reached his hand out to grab them. As soon as his hand grasped the keys, he took off in the car's direction. I could tell by his step that he was actively trying his best not to sprint towards it at full speed like a toddler.

The corner of my lips curled upwards at the sight.

I swear, I can't with this guy.

We were mostly silent for the ride. I kept my head on the scenery except for the few peeks I took at Jesse's beaming grin as he drove Liz's pride and joy.

We came to a stop at a park and opted for going out on a walk - those could often help clear the mind.

We talked about really random, lighthearted stuff. I tried to avoid topics that might trigger thoughts about his dad to pop up inside his head, and it helped that he was easy to talk to about virtually anything. Jesse and I ended up sitting on a bench, immersed in a comfortable silence as we watched some kids playing basketball.

"Do you play?" I asked him.

"I did for a while, in high school."

"Really?" I teased. "I would've never guessed."

Jesse glared at me. "I don't know why you'd ever say that, I'm the living image of a jock."

I got up and walked towards the group of kids, then asked them if we could borrow a spare ball.

I rested the ball between my arm and my hip when I got back. "Prove it," I told him before passing him the ball.

Jesse caught it with a coy smile and slowly stood up from the bench, releasing a sigh. "Alright."

Luckily for him, he managed to make the first shot he pulled up.

I jogged over to grab the rebound and bounced the ball a few times however I could (spoiler alert, it wasn't pretty) then shot the ball, failing to even hit the rim.

"I'm sorry but you suck."

I gasped melodramatically. "Jessica Saunders."

Jesse laughed. "It's true though."

"You say it like you're a professional athlete," I said as I went over to get the ball back. "I bet that first shot was purely coincidental."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh please,  I could beat you with my eyes closed."

I raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then-" I threw the it harshly into his chest. "Ladies first."

"Okay," he agreed. "But don't cry when I crush you."

I cracked my knuckles and my neck as if I knew what I was doing. "First one to 21 points wins."

***

We had been playing for a while now and the sun was beginning to set.

The game was tied 20-20, don't ask me how or why - I guess the only valid reasons would be luck and my buttheadedness, or competitive spirit.

It was Jesse's shot and there was no way in hell I was about to let him win, so I crept silently to his side and stared him down as he pulled the ball up in the air. It's safe to say he failed miserably.

"That's cheating," he whined.

I got the rebound and attempted to spin the ball on my index finger arrogantly. "It's not my fault you're weak, Saunders."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Fine, game point."

I got into position, my eyes fixed on the point where the rim met the backboard. "You might want to record the time you got beaten by a girl."

"You know what?" he said while getting his phone out. "I'd love to get your epic fail on camera."

More determined than ever, I took a deep breath before releasing the ball, which entered the net seamlessly and produced a satisfying swish.

I thrust my hands up in the air and jerked out a high squeal. "Did you get that?"

Jess chuckled to try and hide his sore, loser's expression. "Cheater."

I went on to play it cool for the camera by spinning the ball like a pro, yet again, but it slipped from my fingers and hit me right in my face.

Jesse started losing it, tears were coming out of his almost shut eyes as he gasped for air and clenched a hand over his stomach. "I- I got that too!" he shouted in between cackles.

I pulled my lips together into a pout, trying not to laugh along as I reached an arm out to grab his phone. "Delete that!"

Jesse looked like he was having a stroke while he tried to open his eyes enough for him to pause the video just as the ball was hitting my face. "I'm taking a screenshot and framing this."

"Jesse give me the phone right now."

He hooted in hopes of toning his laughter down and held the phone up out of my reach.

I glared at him and stretched up as much as I could, the basketball still under my right arm. "I'm literally just two inches shorter than you," I protested.

He watched me struggle and raised his eyebrows in amusement, knowing that no matter how much I tried, I was never going to reach it.

"Jess-"

A familiar pair of lips crashed into mine, making me freeze on the spot.

This guy never ceased to take me by surprise.

We both just got lost in the moment, and for just a split second, there was nothing else going on - just us and that beautiful moment. That was until a high pitched voice cleared their throat behind us.

"Excuse me?" the kid said sheepishly. "My mom is here and I need my ball back."

We pulled away breathlessly and I looked down at the basketball under my arm, my cheeks flushed bright red. "Sorry, here you go," I said and gave it back.

Jesse gulped, actively trying to avoid my eyes. "W- we should go."

"Keys." I quickly wiped my mouth and straightened my jacket.

He reached into his pocket and handed me them, still not daring to meet my gaze.

Jesse's phone rang and he stopped by the car door to pick it up. "Hey," he answered. "Really? No, I guess I didn't hear it ring. Sorry about that. All good, yeah don't worry about me. Ok, see you tomorrow."

I had a pretty good idea of who it was, and the thought made me want to smirk. People can't poke a bear and expect not to suffer the consequences.

You reap what you sow.

Neither of us knew what the hell to say on our way back, so we just kind of sat there in silence and turned the music up to dissipate the awkwardness. Not once did Jesse hold my stare for more than 1 second, not even when he said goodbye and headed over to his front door.

***

Jesse pulled away, a mild smile playing on his lips.

I mirrored his look for a brief moment before a serious expression took over my face. "I have to tell you something."

Jesse's smile never faded but his eyebrows were pulled together in confusion. "You're scaring me."

You should be.

"I haven't exactly been truthful with you," I said.

He scooted a little closer to me. "Okay... what haven't you been truthful about?"

"I- I- "

"Jesse." Millie's voice made blood rush to my ears. "Let's go."

Both our heads snapped in her direction and Jesse stood up with a swift movement, as if he were under a spell. He trudged his way over to Millie, who watched everything with a malevolent grin.

I shot up from my seat and desperately tried to warn him that Millie was out for blood, but words never came out. The muscles of my neck grew sore from straining to get sound to leave my vocal chords and it was still all in vain.

As I witnessed them turn around and walk off I realized it was too late for me to say anything, no matter how much I wanted to - but I'd be dammed if that snake were to get her way so I let out one more strangled yelp that sent me to my knees.

"Stop!"

A drop of sweat rolled down my temple the moment I stiffened up on my bed.

What the hell?

"Jade, are you okay?" Liz called all the way from her room.

"Uh, yeah," I answered. "It was just - I saw a huge spider!"

"Yeah, well I'm not going in there!"

I brought a hand up to my forehead and wiped off the sweat caused by that god awful dream and let out a tired sigh.

I'm so screwed.

***

I need to get to him before he's so far gone up Millie's ass that he won't listen to me.

My legs had a life of their own while I slid around the sea of people that was the Law School's corridors, looking for a certain light brown haired boy. My eyes danced around the scene, hovering over different faces but none of them seemed to match the description of the guy I was searching for.

As a last resort, I started looking inside some of the classrooms in case he'd just finished a lesson. Just before I was about to shoot off from one of those, a male voice made me stop in my tracks.

"Hey you!"

"Brody, hey." I placed my hands on my hips and breathed in deep a couple of times to steady my heart rate. "I'm actually on my way to do something right now."

He closed the zipper of his bag and threw it over one shoulder. "That's ok, I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Wait, what?"

"I got an offer," he explained. "I'm spending the rest of the year studying abroad."

My eyes fell to the ground awkwardly. "Oh."

"I'm off to Dublin." Brody flashed one of his classic breathtaking grins.

My eyebrows shot up. "Congratulations."

"I just have a question for you before I leave."

I tilted my head in suspicion at his vagueness.

"Us two-" He came closer to me and motioned between us. "Was it ever going to happen?"

Oh, Brody.

My shoulders dropped down along with the sigh I let out. "I think you already know the answer to that."

I just want to get out of here.

Brody's expression dropped as he nodded. "So much for him being like your brother, huh?"

"What?" I questioned, focusing my attention on him again.

"Jesse." He placed his bag down on the table again. "You're clearly into him."

"Why would you say that?" I perked on the table across from him.

"I mean that's probably why you convinced me to ring Millie up the night of Liz's party." Brody shrugged. "I do feel kind of used, not going to lie."

I looked away from him, directing my stare towards the ground.

"I hope I was helpful at least, another win for the Black Widow," he added.

My head shot up. "H- how did you kn-"

"Jade?"

The voice that came from the doorway made blood rush to my head and caused my heart to stop all of a sudden.

"Jesse."

***

A/N

Well, fuck.

#exposed #crying #itsnotwhatitlookslike #forgetitandgetmarried

I mean, I honestly don't know what to say. I hate myself for this but like, it is what it is... Jade isn't exactly a fallen angel. Although she does resemble Lucifer a little bit now that I think about it. Coincidence? I think not. 😈😂

If y'all are Jaesse shippers, you might want to prepare yourself mentally for the rest of this... js. 😂😂
I know I'm definitely not ready for it.

***