Jessie took a deep breath as she looked around the crowded airport. Beyond the sliding glass doors lay a parking lot dotted with palm trees, and beyond that was a glimpse at a sea of blue. She pulled her phone out of her pocket. Still gazing at the parking lot, she brought the phone to her ear. Rings chased after each other as she waited.

"Hey," a cheery voice said. "You land already?"

"Yeah. Safe and sound," Jessie said.

"Is your father there yet?" her aunt asked.

Jessie ran her gaze down the row of cars, looking for the familiar black Explorer.

"No, but I texted him when I got off the plane. It's a twenty minute drive from the house. He should be here soon."

"Good."

Silence drifted between them and Jessie tightened her grip on her phone.

"Aunt Jackie..." Jessie started.

Her aunt let out a sigh on the other end.

"Jess, you know this is for the best. He's your father. The agreement was that you would stay with me only till the end of school. I let you stay the summer because you were still grieving, but it's time to be with family."

"You're my family."

"Jess."

The buzzer sounded and a luggage carousel started turning, spitting out suitcases. Jessie glanced over.

"Jess, I know it's going to be a bit of transition, but this is for the best," Jackie said.

Jessie nodded.

"Yeah. Of course," she said, her words clipped.

"You can still call me, but only a couple times a week. This is time for you and your father."

"Yeah. Okay. Bye."

Jessie was already lowering the phone by the time her aunt said goodbye. She spotted her suitcase tucked under a green duffel bag and moved to grab it. Before she had a chance to tug it free, a guy had already pulled it out. With an easy smile, he handed it to her.

"This your's?" he asked.

Jessie nodded and smiled. A smile that was both flirty and friendly. A smile that had taken her two years to master.

"Thanks," she said.

"Anytime."

With one last look at the guy, Jessie turned to the doors and walked out. Hot, salty sea air wrapped around her and flooded her mind with hundreds of memories. She stepped to the edge of the curb and craned her neck, looking for her father's car.

A few minutes later it came into view, pulling up beside her. A tall, tanned man with lightly graying hair jumped out.

"Sport!" her father said, rushing up to her.

Jessie smiled, but the gesture was forced. Her father hugged her and she hesitated for a moment before hugging him back. He pulled away, his hands resting on her arms.

"Look at you," he said, smiling. "You look more beautiful and like your mother every time I see you. Except for the hair. You're stuck with my brown locks unfortunately."

Jessie gave a half hearted smile and her father dropped his hands.

"Let's get you loaded up and home."

He took her bags and put them in the back while Jessie climbed into the front seat. As they left the airport behind, the San Diego harbor came into view. Boats lined the docks, swaying gently.

"Cooper is coming down from college to say hi," her father said, as they drove.

"Okay," Jessie said.

They crossed over a large, high bridge that overlooked the ocean and dropped them in the heart of Coronado.

"Jordan already started his season," her father said, glancing over at Jessie as she stared out the window. "I bought us season tickets. We can go watch him play. I know how much you love the game."

Jessie just nodded but didn't reply. They drove through the quaint downtown area before moving further into the neighborhoods. Large modern houses, with walls dominated by windows lined the roads. Pinked skinned tourist along side locals with flawlessly tanned skin filled the sidewalk. The car drove though a quiet neighborhood before pulling into a small driveway dotted with trees.

Jessie stepped from the car, gazing up at the house. It looked the same. The white washed walls and the second story balcony that curved around. Her father pulled her suitcase from the back and led the way inside.

By the door lay a pile of shoes. Jessie frowned at the sight as she moved further inside. The house looked bare, the walls lacking the picture frames her mother had hung years ago. The furniture was sparse and there was a hollowness about the place.

"I'll get one of the boys to carry your bags up," her father said.

Jessie looked at him, surprised.

"Boys?"

It was only then she noticed the laughter and sound of voices emanating from further inside the house.

"Ben!"

The kitchen door swung open and a stocky guy with long shaggy black hair stepped out.

"Sup Coach?" Ben said.

"I want you to take Jessie's bag up to her room," her father said.

Ben frozen when he spotted Jessie standing awkwardly by her father.

"Jessie!" he said, a stunned look conquering his face.

She waved.

"Hi Benji," she said.

"Dang you're hot! When did that happen?" he asked.

Jessie smiled at the comment as her father coughed. Ben's eyes widened and he gulped.

"I mean you look like a beautiful young lady that deserves respect," he said.

Her father scowled but nodded.

"That's more like it," he said. "Another comment like that and you'll be running four miles before practice."

Ben nodded and grabbed Jessie's bags.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a smile.

Ben grinned back and carried her bags up the stairs. Her father led her to the kitchen and Jessie froze as she stepped inside. There were over twenty guys spread out in the kitchen, most of them congregating around the kitchen counter. They all looked over.

"Jessie!" they yelled in unison.

Surprise, to shock, to delight, to amusement covered their faces. Before Jessie could brace herself, questions were hurled at her.

"Where have you been?"

"How do you look so good?"

"Why did you leave us?"

"When did you stop looking like a boy?"

"Are you staying?"

"Will you go out with me?"

After the first shock wore off, Jessie found herself smiling as the guys crowded around her. A guy with quiet brown eyes, a friendly grin and a thatch of short brown hair stepped forward. He waved the guys quiet.

"Alright, alright!" he said. "Jessie's back, let's shut up for one second so she can answer some of the dang questions."

The guy turned back to Jessie. In his eyes Jessie could see that he knew the news of her mother's death and was still the same guy who had walked with her through her parent's divorce.

"Hi, Chase," she said.

"It's good to see you back, Collins," he said. "We missed you. This lot have been moaning about it for the last two years."

"Yeah! You left us, Jess!" one of the guys called out.

"What were we suppose to do without our mini coach?" someone else yelled.

"I'm back now," Jessie said, smiling at them.

The guys beamed at her.

"Does that mean you're starting school with us this Monday?" Tyler asked, leaning against the counter.

He had classic good looks, a coy smile and styled dirty blonde hair.

"I am indeed," she said.

The guys let out a round of cheers.

"We're headed to the beach, come with," one of the guys said.

Jessie's father stepped up beside her.

"I'm sure Jessie would like to get situated first," her father said.

"No," she said, quickly. "I'm good. Let me go change."

Her father frowned slightly but Jessie didn't notice as she turned away. She pushed through the kitchen door and hurried up the stairs, feeling relief that something about this place felt familiar. She changed into a bikini and pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Minutes later she skipped back down the stairs.

As she was headed towards the kitchen, the door opened and a guy she didn't recognize stepped out. He was tall, with a toned physique, a dark tan, light brown hair and strong attractive features. Jessie paused as he walked towards her. She guessed he was a quarter back or a running back passed on his build. She smiled.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Jessie."

The guy paused, his face unreadable, except for a spark in his dark drown eyes.

"I know who you are," he said.

The words were calm, but something underneath them startled her. The guy kept walking, leaving her standing there, stunned. A second later the kitchen door burst open again as a tidal wave of football players poured out.

"There you are," Tyler said.

He tossed an arm around Jessie's shoulders.

"You'll ride with me," he said, his voice low and flirty.

A pair of hands took Jessie's arm and pulled her out of Tyler's hold.

"No, Collins will ride with me," Chase said. "We all know what happens to girls in your car, Tyler."

The guys let out around of 'ohs' as they jostled Tyler and raced for the door.

************

The beach was crowded with umbrellas, coolers, suntanning bodies and boisterous families. The air smelled strongly of salt and sunblock. The parade of players and Jessie cut through the chaos, finding an open space down by the damp sand. Jessie looked around, as she dug her toes into the familiar cool sand. Her gaze landed on a guard tower up the beach and the guy who stood there.

"Chase," Jessie said.

Chase threw the football to someone else and walked over to her.

"What's up?"

"Who is that guy?" she asked, pointing to the guard tower.

"That's Dean, he's our quarterback. He was at your house."

Jessie laughed and looked away from Dean's expressionless gaze.

"Right, I met him."

"Come on, let's play," Chase said.

Jessie was just debating over whether she should join in or not, when a group of girls walked over. Smiles dotted their faces as they looked over the group of guys, each girl wearing a small bikini.

The girl at the front stopped when she spotted Jessie.

"Jessie Collins?" she said, her eyes wide.

"Hi, Tiffany," Jessie said.

All the girls just stared at Jessie, shocked by the girl who looked nothing like the tomboy they had known years ago. Ben raced up and tossed his arm around Jessie's shoulders.

"Hey girls," he said, looking at the group. "You bring your pompoms so you can cheer us on?"

The rest of the guys jogged over, bringing bigger smiles to the girls' faces.

"What sort of team would we be without our cheerleaders?" one of the guys said.

"Are you playing with us, Jess?" Ben asked, looking at her.

"Actually, I was thinking of just watching," she said.

"You can be an honorary cheerleader," Chase said.

Jessie looked to the girls smiling, hopefully. Tiffany stiffened.

"That's if you don't mind," Jessie said. "I can't go back home yet because Coach has the team over so much the house still smells of football players."

Tiffany smiled at this.

"Of course you can cheer along with us," she said.

The guys raced off to start their game while Jessie became acquainted with girls she had only known by sight before. As the game went on Jessie learned about all that she had missed in the last two years, including who Dean was and how he was the most focused player on the team.

The game was starting to break up when from behind someone snatched Jessie up. She let out a cry of surprise as she was carried over someone's shoulders to the water.

Before she could prepare for it, she was plunged into cold water. She kicked furiously and pushed through the surface, sputtering. A familiar round face popped up before her, his dark hair slicked back. Jessie scowled at her older brother.

"I hate you, Cooper," she said.

He gave her a charming smile.

"Welcome home, Jess!"

***************

Hi!

This is the story about a girl dealing with the grief of losing a mother and learning how to interact with the father she hasn't seen for awhile, while coming to terms with who she is.

I can not even begin to tell you how many permutations this story has gone through. I have had this idea for about, wow, I think it's been five years. It started out with a girl who helped coach a football team. Yes, I know how stupid that sounds and that's why it changed. It's been with me for a very long time. I love Dean's character and it's one of the main reasons I haven't given up on it.

So what did you think? Something you would read?

Vote, comment, follow!