Jess felt someone shaking her shoulder gently and she moved it away, too tired to want to wake up. 

"Come on, Jess.  You have to get up," Annie said, and she blinked her eyes open.  Annie straightened and put her hands on her hips.  "You've been sleeping in so late these last few days, I was afraid this might happen.  I suppose you were reading when you should have been sleeping last night."

"Yes, ma'am," Jess lied, not wanting to tell Annie she'd tossed and turned most of the night.

"You know that wasn't a good idea when today's the first day of school.  Well, what's done is done," she added with a sigh.  "You'd better hurry up and get ready.  You don't want to keep your uncle waiting."

"Oh, right," Jess said with a sinking stomach. 

This would be the first time she'd be eating with Uncle Jonathon since they'd dropped Doug off at college.  She'd expected he was going to miss Doug, just like she and Annie would, but it was obvious he was having a much more difficult time coping.  She'd barely seen him at all.  He left for work early in the morning, before she got up, and returned home late in the evening, long after she and Annie ate dinner. 

After dressing, she went in the bathroom to brush her hair.  Looking in the mirror, she was dismayed by the dark circles under her eyes, the evidence of her sleepless nights.  With nothing she could do about it, she left the bathroom.  Gathering her purse and notebook off her desk, she went down the stairs and after leaving them by the front door, she nervously entered the dining room. 

"Good morning, Uncle Jonathon."

"Jessica," he said, not bothering to look up from the newspaper he was reading. 

Taking her place, she studied him out of the corner of her eye while she put her napkin in her lap.  He looked more tired than usual.  Was he having trouble sleeping too?  Annie entered with a tray and set their breakfasts in front of them.

"Do you need more coffee?" she asked Uncle Jonathon when she set down his plate.  

"What?" he asked distractedly then looked at his coffee cup.  "No."

"Alright, but if you do, I have a second pot on the burner." He grunted, already back to his reading and Jess dropped her head as she cut into her egg, not wanting to see Annie's face. 

In the quiet minutes that followed, she ate her breakfast while occasionally glancing at Doug's chair.  She missed his presence terribly.  Was this what it was going to be like for the next two years?  Silent meals while her uncle ignored her?   When Uncle Jonathon refolded his newspaper, he peered over at her.

"Hurry up, Jessica!" he said with exasperation.  "We're leaving in five minutes!"

"Yes, sir," she said, leaning over her plate while her stomach lurched.  She'd known she would be taken back and forth to school by James, but until that moment, she hadn't realized she'd be riding with Uncle Jonathon every morning.

When he rose, she set down her cutlery and stood.  He started for the hallway and as she passed him on the way to the kitchen, he frowned down at her.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"I need to get my lunch."

"Oh," he said.  There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes, and she wondered if he'd just remembered she needed one.  "Well, be quick about it."

"I will, sir."

When she entered the kitchen, Annie turned from the sink where she was washing the frying pan. 

"Have a good first day," she said with a smile, wiping her hands, and Jess went to her for a much needed hug, then she picked up her sack and rushed through the butler's pantry to the front door.

Uncle Jonathon was at the front door with his fedora on and holding a briefcase.  She picked up her purse and notebook and followed him outside.  James was waiting by the open car door and she got in.  As soon as they were settled, Uncle Jonathon opened his paper and resumed reading while James turned the ignition.  Jess looked out the window, the silence pressing on her.  She was reminded again how much she missed Doug, and the rock and roll radio station they used to listen to.

Trying not to dwell on it, her thoughts turned to school, but that didn't make her feel any better.  For the first time in her life, she wasn't looking forward to her first day.  Even though it had been hard to see Marty in the hallways or her classes without being able to acknowledge him, it was going to be a hundred times worse not to see him at all. 

As bad as her morning had been so far, she couldn't imagine how he must be feeling right now.  Instead of getting dressed and going off to start his junior year of high school, he was going to work.  With her heart hurting, she pushed away those thoughts as well.

When they reached the high school, James drove right up to the entrance, and Jess couldn't help noticing all the teens who's heads were turning to look.  Feeling embarrassed by the attention the big black car was drawing, she went to open the car door, wanting to get out as quickly as possible.

"Jessica!  What are you doing?" Uncle Jonathon hissed.  "You will wait for James!"

"Yes, sir," she murmured, letting her hand drop.

By time James had reached the door, her face was flaming.  She clutched her notebook to her chest while she climbed out, feeling every pair of eyes outside the high school on her.  Walking to the front door, she kept her attention on the sidewalk, not wanting to see the stares.

"Jess!  Wait!"  It was Louise, and she lifted her head to find her friend.

"Hello!" Louise greeted, running up to Jess, and Jess gave her a hug.  When she let go, Jess beamed at her.

"Look at your hair!" she exclaimed.

"Do you like it?" Louise asked patting it.

"I love it!"  Her hair looked positively stylish.  The curls had been cut shorter and shaped into the latest poufy hairstyle.

"Who knew having curly hair would end up being a good thing?" Louise laughed.

"Let's see what classes we have together," Jess said, opening her purse.

"Oh," Louise said with disappointment when they compared their cards.  They only had one class in common, English composition.

"Why are you taking bookkeeping and typing," Jess asked, surveying her list of classes.  Most of them had to do with business.

"If I take all those, I can help my parents more at the restaurant," Louise explained.  "I'm going to learn how to do their books so they don't have to pay someone."

"That's a good idea."

"Why are you taking all those hard courses?  I mean, Advanced Algebra?  And Physics?  Really?"

"I need to take those if I'm going to college."

"Oh, right," Louise said quietly.

The bell rang, and while the two of them filed in along with the rest of the students, Jess was grateful their conversation had been cut short.  This was the first time she'd realized how different her and Louise's future paths were.  Louise had no intention of going any further than high school.  She'd stay in the same town she'd grown up, working at her parent's restaurant and probably taking it over someday while she raised her own family. 

Jess couldn't imagine doing that.  Her morning with Uncle Jonathon had only confirmed that the last thing she wanted to do was spend the rest of her life living there.  But maybe if she was still with her parents like Louise, things would be different.  She'd never felt like she had to escape while they were alive.  And she knew she and Marty would never have had to sneak around either.  If only she could have met Louise and Marty under different circumstances, she thought with a sigh.

Saying good bye in the hallway, Jess went to find her homeroom.  Taking a seat, she waved to a few friends, but while she waited for the morning announcements and students walked in, she felt a sadness overwhelm her.  The two previous years, she'd watched the door with excitement to see if Marty would be the next person, but that would never happen again. 

There was a crackle and fumbling coming through the wall speaker, and then Principal Petersen's voice welcomed the students to a new year, and Jess concentrated on his words so she wouldn't think about Marty. 

As the day wore on, she went to her classes, received text books, wrote down assignments, but through it all, she felt Marty's absence.  He didn't pass her in the hallways, he wasn't at his usual place in the back of the classrooms, and he didn't walk through the lunch room while she was seated with the usual gang of girls. 

Wherever she went, no matter what she was doing, she was constantly being reminded he wasn't there.   The sadness she'd felt that morning persisted throughout the day and it was a relief when the last bell finally rang.  Going into the hallway, she found Louise and the two of them walked to their lockers.

"You know what?" Louise asked.

"What," Jess replied distractedly while she finished dialing in her new locker combination. 

"I haven't seen Marty Cappellini all day.  Is he in any of your classes?"

"No," Jess said tightly, stacking her textbooks on her arm.

"Really?  That's weird.  I wonder what happened to him?" Louise continued as Jess slammed her locker shut. 

"Yeah, me too," Jess said, starting for the door so Louise couldn't see her face.

"I hope that doesn't mean he's not coming back.  Now that Doug isn't here anymore, the two of you can talk and - get to know each other."

Jess halted and looked at Louise with shock.  Could that really be true, she wondered as a wave of disappointment hit her.  She'd never considered the possibility that she and Marty could be open about their friendship with Doug no longer there, and then she slumped.

"I don't think so," she said, continuing down the hallway.  "Janet White's dad works for my uncle.  I'm sure she'd mention it if she saw me talking to Marty, and then my uncle would hear about it.

"Yeah, you're probably right.  I wouldn't put it past her," Louise grumbled, holding the door for her.  "Well, I guess I'll see you -."  She stopped walking and stood while her mouth dropped open. 

Jess turned to see what she was looking at, and then her stomach sank.  James was standing outside the black car with the back door open, waiting for her.  The fact that he was practically standing at attention in full uniform, made him stick out like a sore thumb among the teens, who all stared as they passed him.

"See you tomorrow, Louise," Jess said, trying not to let her humiliation show.

"Yeah.  Tomorrow," she replied faintly, and Jess walked to the car with her head down.

Once she'd climbed in, James closed the door, and when he stepped away to go around the back of the car, Jess saw Louise still staring at her.  She forced a smile and waved while James started the engine and drove away.  As soon as she was out of sight, she slumped against the back of the bench seat.  Could this day get any worse? 

While James wove through the neighborhood surrounding the school, she decided she had to do something. 

"Uh, James?" she said loudly, trying her best to sound confident.  "You don't need to bother opening the door for me when you pick me up.  I don't mind opening it myself," she finished cheerfully with smile.

He glared at her through the rear view mirror for a moment before putting his eyes on the road ahead.

"And have yer uncle sack me for not doing a proper job?  I think not!" he barked with outrage.

She opened her mouth to argue that her uncle would never find out, but then closed it as she realized it would be a waste of time.   She grit her teeth while she looked out the window, thinking of how much she hated James.  When Doug came home, she was going to have him give her more driving lessons, she decided angrily.  And as soon as she was out on her own, she was going to buy a car.  Then she would never let James drive her again.

When she walked in the kitchen, Annie was shelling peas at the table by the window. 

"How was your day?" she asked excitedly, standing and wiping her hands on her apron.

"It was good," Jess said, smiling and going to her for a much needed hug.

"That's nice."  Jess squeezed her tightly and then let go, feeling a bit better.

"I expect you'll be going out?" Annie asked kindly, holding her cheeks.

"Yes, ma'am."

"I thought so.  I'll get your basket ready while you change."

When Jess got to her bedroom, she took her time putting on a pair of jeans and a button down shirt.  As much as she wanted to see Marty, she dreaded it at the same time.  He'd been so down lately, but today he was bound to be feeling even worse.  And how could he not?  For someone who loved school as much as he did, being forced to quit was a terrible blow.  But there was something else she dreaded, something she'd been agonizing over for the last several days.

Homework had been such a big part of their time together during the school year.  It was the thing they'd bonded over, but what were they going to do now?  She had homework assignments that needed to be completed if she was going to escape to college, and he didn't.  Jess knew if she brought her school books to the cabin, it would be like twisting a knife in him.  But if she didn't, he would be sure to notice, and that would hurt him too. 

The worst thing about it was that from this day on, she'd be moving forward in her life while Marty would be forever stuck where he was. It was the thought that had tortured her for the last several nights while she'd lain in bed, unable to sleep.  But the previous night, she'd finally made a decision.  She knew it still might not work, but she had to try.

Walking downstairs, she saw the basket on the counter ready for her. 

"Be sure to come back in time for dinner," Annie said, back at the table shelling peas again.

"I will."

"Even though your uncle hasn't called yet, he still might come," Annie said quietly.

"I know," Jess said, taking the basket and turning to leave, not wanting to continue the conversation, or look in Annie's sad eyes.

It was clear that Uncle Jonathon staying at the office late every evening was hurting Annie.  She'd bring up how worried she was about him every evening, making Jess feel awful.  She wondered how she could've been so blind not to see how much Annie cared about him, because it was blatantly obvious now. 

Not wanting to dwell on it, she hurried down the drive.  Dark clouds raced across the sky as a cool wind picked up and she hurried her steps, hoping it wasn't going to rain.  Walking into the cabin, she closed the door behind her.  Setting her text books on the kitchen counter, she turned her back to them and tried not to think about what Marty's reaction was going to be when he saw them.

She was just setting the last of the food on the table when she heard the front door open, but she didn't turn around.  Instead, she folded the dish cloth that lined the basket while Marty crossed the living room.

"Jess," he said simply, his voice subdued.

"Hi Marty," she answered, turning towards him.  He was standing in the entryway, his face grim as he eyed her stack of textbooks, and her heart went out to him.  "Are you hungry?" she asked gently.

He shrugged his shoulders, tearing his eyes away from the books, then went to the table and slouched on his stool.

"It's meatloaf sandwiches today," she said, setting the basket on the counter and joining him.

"How was school?" he muttered to the table, his hands in his lap.

"Terrible."  He lifted his eyes.  They were filled with anger, and pain.  "I really missed you," she added, her voice suddenly wavering, and she struggling to get in control of her emotions.  Now was not the time to break down.  He dropped his head and glowered at the food in front of him.

"I made a decision last night," she said more firmly.  "You're going to do my homework with me."  He looked up at her with surprise.

"What's the point of that?"

"The point is I don't want to continue on with my schooling without you.  We're going to learn together like we always have."

He studied her for a long minute, his brown eyes searching hers as he weighed what she'd said.  She held her breath, wondering how much of a fight he was going to give her, but then his expression changed.

"I ain't got no say in this, do I?" he asked, the corners of his mouth twitching while he tried to keep a straight face. 

"Nope, so there's no use arguing," Jess said commandingly, but inside she was rejoicing.

"What were you going to do if I said no?"

"Refuse to do my homework."

"Wow!  You sure don't fool around," he said, a small smile lighting up his face.  It was the first smile she'd seen in a while, and it made her heart swell.

"I meant it Marty.  We started high school together, and we're going to finish it together."

"You and Mr. Dwyer," he said, shaking his head and finally picking up a sandwich.

"Why?  What did Mr. Dwyer do?" she asked while he unwrapped the wax paper.

"He gave me some old chemistry books.  He says I gotta start studying.  He's gonna give me tests even."

"Mr. Dwyer's a smart man.  Maybe I'll give you tests too," Jess grinned, and picked up a sandwich. 

"Awe gee!  I shouldn't have said that!"

"Too late!" Jess laughed.

****

A happier ending to a rather sad chapter.  I really hope you liked this one!  Will Marty doing homework with Jess help turn things around for him?  Uncle Jonathon seems to have been hit hard by Doug leaving home.  I wonder what you think of his reaction?  Things have changed a lot for Jess, and not for the better now that he's gone.  What do you think will happen between Annie and her uncle?  I can't wait to hear what you think!

Thank you so much for reading!   If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote.  The video is Elvis, of course, It's Now or Never.