My heart was pounding. I knew that voice anywhere. I could feel Jesse's body tense as he pushed me behind him. "Why are you here?". "Why can't I be?" said Shane, "After all, it is a public bar, and the bouncers were foolish enough to let me in. Oh wait… they're dead so of course they let me in" he laughed maliciously. "You're sick!" I hissed, spitting in his face. "I'm going to pretend that didn't happen" he said. "I like you Jenny. Even though you shot me. But I like a feisty girl such as yourself. I've got to say, you've got guts". By now, people were staring. Suddenly Shane flung his arm up in the air and fired his gun three time. People shouted, frantically ran out of the building, and fell to the floor. Startled, I let out a scream and covered my ears. Pieces of the ceiling crashed to the floor, making the building erupt in dust particles. I felt a hand grab my wrist, thinking it was Jesse I ran with him.
By the time the dust cleared, I realized I was alone in a room. "What the—" I started. I looked around and saw a figure standing in the corner. I squinted and saw Shane. "You've got to be kidding me" I said, exasperated. "What the hell's wrong with you?". "What's wrong with me?" said Shane, laughing. "You just—" I started. Before I could finish, Shane ran over to me and locked his hands around my throat, lifting me off the floor. "You're getting on my nerves" he sneered. I grabbed Shane's thick arm, attempting to make him let go. I reached down to my heel, trying to grab the knife attached to my shoe. I was able to remove the tape and grab the small knife. Using what little strength I had left, I shoved the knife in Shane's arm, forcing him to let go of my neck. As soon as he let go, I made a run for the door. I didn't get far out the door when I ran into someone. "Jenny!!" shouted Andi. "C'mon we have to go NOW". She grabbed my arm, and we ran down the hallway. Brandi ran on the other side of me. "How did you know he was here?" I yelled. "I have my ways" she laughed. By the time we got to the dance floor, Jesse and the others were standing there waiting. Without hesitation I jumped into his arms.
"Where the hell were you!!" he screamed. "I can't explain now, but we have to go!" I said to him. "Where's Becca?". "I haven't seen her or Luka" said Conner. "We have to leave" said Brandi. I turned to Conner, "We can't leave without Becca or Luka". "Jesse," Andi whispered. "We have to go". "I want everyone out Andi, I can deal with him" said Jesse. "Like hell you can. C'mon we're leaving" she scolded. "No Andi, I'm going to finish this". "Then do it for Jenny!!" Andi shouted, just enough to get my attention too. I turned to her, sighing.
Suddenly, Becca and Luka sprinted through the door. "What the hell is going on??" Becca shouted. I ran to her and hugged her. "Are you okay?? Thank God… why are you sweating so much?" I said. "Luka made me run down here" she said, exhausted. Luka laughed at me, then turned to Jesse. "Are you okay man?". "Luka listen to me. Take the girls, Scott, and Conner out to the car. I have to deal with something" said Jesse. "Okay, is everything—". "Don't ask!!" Jesse scowled. "Jesse, you better be right on this" said Andi, clearly bothered. "What's going on?" I shouted. "Jenny, do you trust me?" said Jesse, eyes welling. "Yes" I said, confused. "Go with Luka" he said. "But what are you doing?" I asked. "Trust me" Jesse said, kissing me. Before I knew it, Andi grabbed my hand and walked me out the door.
"Andi what the hell is he doing?" I said, angerly. "Killing himself" she said, coldly. "Andi!" shouted Elena. Andi had a death-grip on my arm, dragging me to the car. As if it were instinct, I lifted my arm up and bit Andi's hand to let go of mine. "J what the hell!" she shouted. As soon as she let go, I ran back into the building. "Jenny!" shouted Elena. Andi, Brandi, and Elena ran after me. The adrenaline made me feel as if I were running faster than the fastest Olympic sprinter ever to exist. As soon as I reached the doorway, I could hear Jesse and Shane yelling at each other.
~
"You're a fool" said Shane, hissing at me. "I'm the fool?" I laughed back at him. "Last time I checked; I wasn't the one going around sending innocent people to kill my brother". Shane laughed deviously. "You really are smarter than you look". Coyly, I reached behind me to grab my gun from my side holster. "I should have done this a long time ago" I said. Shane laughed even harder, which really made me angry. I whipped out my pistol and aimed it at him. "Now, now, brother. Mother wouldn't want you to kill me, would she? Oh wait, she's dead" he laughed. My blood was boiling, I knew exactly what he was doing. His ultimate goal was to drive me insane, and he knew exactly what buttons to push. With all of my strength, I lunged at him. My knuckles met his jawline, and instantly I heard the sound of bones breaking.
Blow after blow, it seemed like the more I hit him, the funnier it was to him. "What's wrong with you, you sick bastard!" I screamed. Shane's face bloodied, pieces of bone fragment stuck out of his cheeks. Then I heard it, a gasp. I turned around and saw her. Jenny stood there, she watched as the monster inside me was released. Thirty years of torment, and hatred were scattered across the floor in pieces of bone and blood splatters. I watched as fear flooded her, her innocent face turned a sickly pale shade. I stared at her, then felt my throat tighten as the guilt washed over me. But then I realized, my throat wasn't only tightened by my feeling, it was constricting. I was so overwhelmed I didn't realize Shane had me in a headlock.
I watched Jenny, who seemed to be paralyzed by fear. I had to believe Andi was behind her, ready to come out and fight along my side. But she wasn't there. My eyes became blurred, but then I noticed it. Jenny stood there, her legs apart, and her arms extended out. I couldn't make out what she was yelling, but then I heard a series of loud bangs, then suddenly, I could breathe again.
~
"You son of a—" I heard Shane say. I looked and saw I had shot him in the shoulder. Two men ran to Shane and rushed him out of the room. I ran to Jesse, putting one of his giant arms around my shoulder's helping him up. "ANDI" I screamed. Before I knew it, she sprinted in the room. "Damnit Jesse" she yelled. "I'm fine," he said. "C'mon, we need to leave" Andi said. "You can't do that to me Jesse" I said, crying. "What were you thinking?". "I'm sorry baby" he said, wincing. Lacy and Elena met us at the door. "Luka get the car" shouted Lacy. Luka and Becca ran to the car and drove it to the entrance within seconds. Conner and Scott shoved Jesse in the car, while the rest of us piled in around him.
"Can we agree never to talk about what happened tonight?" said Elena, jokingly. At once, everyone nodded and agreed. "None of you saw me nearly die, got it?" laughed Jesse, instantly wincing afterwards. "Your girl's going to kill you when we get home man" said Scott, laughing. "Damn right" I said, glaring at Jesse. Andi and Brandi turned to me and laughed. We finally arrived at the house around midnight. By the time we all got settled, everyone wanted the night to just end. I went to my room and put on a pair spandex and a skin-tight navy-blue t-shirt. I turned around and was startled to see Andi standing in the door. "Andi what the hell" I said, holding my chest. "Don't do that". "Sorry" she said, laughing. "Are you okay, J?". "Yeah, I'm fine" I said, smiling. "Why wouldn't I be?". "I'm not stupid J. You shot someone tonight". Andi came over and sat on the edge of my bed. I sat next to her and grabbed her hands. "Andi, I promise. I'm okay". "Well, you know you can talk to me, okay J?" she said, smiling. "I know" I said, hugging her.
Andi left my room and walked to hers. The truth was, I only wanted to be with Jesse. I wanted to know why he wanted to stay. I wanted to know what happened with him and Monica. And most importantly, I wanted to know why he made us all leave. Wanting my questions answered, I brushed my teeth, put on my robe, and walked to Jesse's room. His bedroom door was shut. Just as I was preparing to knock, I heard a feminine voice. I put my ear to the door and listened.
~
"Isn't it obvious Jesse?" said Monica. "I don't want to talk about it" I said, trying to divert the subject. "No, you always do this. When you don't like the truth, you try to drop the subject. It's not going to work this time". "Enough Monica, I'm not having this conversation with you". "You are Jesse. What's changed you? The once heartless and cold Jesse Marinos now has feelings?" Monica shouted. I was enraged, Monica knew I had no emotional feelings for her. We only were together for a year, and granted of course I still care about her, I had to move on. But that's in the past, yet she still believes is whatever 'us' fantasy she had. I was angry, and I shouted without thinking. "I LOVE HER OKAY?" I screamed. "There is that what you wanted to hear? I'm sorry Monica but that's how it is". I could see Monica's eyes well with tears. "Monica, I'm sorry". She walked passed me and stormed out the door.
~
I couldn't believe me ears. Me. Jesse Marinos loves… me? It didn't seem real. Maybe I did have one to many drinks tonight. I suddenly heard Monica walking towards the door, so I quickly and quietly ran down the hallway to avoid being seen. I hid behind an open door, waiting for Monica to clear the hallway. Once she had passed me, I walked to Jesse's room. He had shut the door again, and I thought it would be rude to just barge in, so I knocked. "Monica, I don't—" he started. "Um…" I said, pretending to be clueless. "Jenny" he smiled. "Is everything okay? I can leave" I said, pointing the other direction. "No, no, come in" he insisted. I walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.
"Is everything okay, Jesse?" I said. "Yeah, I'm fine" he said, sitting next to me. I put my hand on his leg. "You know you can talk to me, right?". "Of course," he said, kissing my head. "Can you stay here tonight?". "Sure" I said, smiling. Jesse stood up, "I'll be right back". He walked to the bathroom and shut the door. I took off my robe and climbed underneath the black silky sheets, similar to the ones he has back at home. Home? Did that word just come out of my mouth? I guess living with Jesse is the closest thing that I've had to a home since forever. I figured Jesse would want to go home soon, although I've enjoyed meeting Monica, Brandi, and Scott, I think he's ready. I mean, we've been here almost a week, and I think it's time to go home. That time it felt good to say it.
I was snapped out of my thoughts by a loud creak noise. I looked up to see Jesse coming out of the bathroom door. Jesse took off his shirt, exposing his gorgeous body. He pulled back the covers and laid down. Instantly, I put my head on his chest. He placed his hand on my shoulder and twirled a strand of my hair with his finger. "What are you thinking about" I asked him. "How beautiful you are" he said, kissing my head. I smiled and looked up. "Can we go home Mr. Marinos" I joked. "I already told Brandi we were going to" he said. "That's why she wanted to go out today since it was our last day".
"You're not mad, are you?" I asked. "Why would I be mad?" he said. "No reason" I smiled. "Jenny,". "What?". "Don't leave me" he said, half awake. "I'm not going to… I'm promise" I said, kissing him. The melonic sound of Jesse's heartbeat soon made me drift off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up alone. I wanted to roll back over and not get out of bed, but I knew I had to get up. I put my robe on and walked to my room. The faint smell of pancakes lingered in the hallway. "Jenny?". "I turned around to see Brandi standing in the doorway. "Hey Brandi, what's up?". "Can we talk?". "Of course," I said, motioning for her to sit down. "I really enjoyed getting to meet you Jenny, but I need to ask you a favor" she said, looking concerned. "Of course, anything" I said. "You have to promise me you will protect Jesse. We'll have our hands full with not only him, but with Andi too if anything were to happen, and nothing will be able to stop them. They are an unstoppable force if they get pissed. Please Jenny, if you are ever put in the position between Jesse and Shane again, let Jesse kill him. He has his own demons to fight" she said. "I promise," I said, hugging her. Brandi handed me a piece of paper, "Here's my number, you call me immediately if something happens. We have our own plane, and we'll be there before you know it".
Brandi helped me pack my suitcase. As we finished up, I could hear Lacy shout, "Pancakes are on!". Brandi and I walked to the kitchen and helped Lacy. "I'm starving" shouted Luka, walking in. Becca trailed behind him, "You're too loud". "You okay B?" I asked. "My head is on fire" she said. "Can I have a water?". "Somethings wrong with her," I said, turning to Andi, who was sipping her coffee and nodding. Just then, Jesse and Conner walked in. "You guys, you're never going to guess what I just witnessed" said Conner. "My virgin eyes will never recover". "What?" I said, laughing. "Claire and Scott". "NO!" Monica gasped. "Poor Claire" laughed Brandi.
We shoveled down the pancakes in what felt like minutes. Just then, Claire and Scott walked in the kitchen. "Would you guys be mad at me if I stayed here?" said Claire, turning to Jesse. "Not at all" said Jesse, eyeballing her. "Oh Claire" said Elena in a mocking tone, "Why the change of heart?". "I think I'm in love" whispered Claire. Hearing that, I spit my coffee everywhere. "I'm sorry, what?" I laughed. Jesse started laughing at me, as coffee dripped down my face. "Guy's I'm serious" she said. "Claire, you can stay as long as you want" said Brandi, winking at Jesse. "He owes Brandi huge" Andi laughed. "What time is our flight Jesse?" I asked. "In an hour" he said, turning to Luka. "Come help us take the suitcases to the car". Brandi and Monica left to help Claire.
As the boys left, I was suddenly cornered by the girls in the kitchen. "What?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Don't act stupid J," said Andi. "It's written all over your face girl" said Lacy. "You haven't stopped smiling all morning" said Elena. "I know something" I said, grinning. "Well??" said Becca. "Spit it out!". "You have to promise me you won't say anything" I said. "Shut up J, you know we won't" said Andi. "I heard Jesse say he loved me".
"HE SAID WHAT??" shouted Elena. "Elena shut up!" hissed Andi. "He was talking to Monica, and I heard him say it". I whispered. "He said that in front of Monica?" said Andi. "Wow" said Lacy, "that's new". "What do you mean?" I asked. "He hasn't talked to Monica about feelings since well... forever" said Elena. "Were they a thing?" I said, not really wanting to know the answer. "They dated for like a year" said Andi. "Did they ever—" I started. "Not my business sweetie" said Andi, laughing.
Just then, the boys walked in hauling all of our suitcases. "Are you guys ready to go?" asked Jesse. "No" said Andi, hugging Brandi and Monica. "We'll be back before you know it" said Elena, joining in the hug. I took it upon myself to join in, as did Lacy and Becca. "How sentimental" said Jesse. "Hug me brother" said Conner. The boys mocked us, then suddenly Andi threw a knife at the wall above them. "Shut up losers" she said, laughing. After the hug ended, we said our goodbyes and piled into the taxi. It wasn't long before we made it to the airport. "Why is it so busy?" I said, watching the people rush around to the different terminal gates. "No clue" said Andi. "We better hurry up, if you girls wouldn't have been so sappy maybe we would be on time" said Luka. Andi glared at Luka, "We have five minutes we are fine". We rushed to our terminal and boarded the plane. I sat next to Becca and plugged in my headphones, tuning out the world. Before I knew it, I was asleep.
I could feel my body shake, waking me up. "What the hell—" I started. "We're landing" Becca laughed. "I slept for twelve hours? Again??" I yelled. "You did and man do you snore" said Luka, behind me. "Shut up Luka" I said, yawning. As we got off the plane, we rushed to the luggage pick up to grab our suitcases. Once we had our suitcases, we left the airport. I had forgotten we had left Jesse and Lacy's at the airport. "It feels weird without Claire" laughed Elena. "It does" said Conner. We divided between the cars and drove back home.