Who We Were (Abby Anderson x FemOC)

Chapter 6: The Overlook

 It was becoming unclear if a movie had ever been on the agenda. Also unclear, thanks to Owen's moonshine, were the fine details and edges of the room. Jess was blissfully tipsy and headed towards drunk, the moonshine having taken the edge off of everything. She felt more relaxed than she had in months, and was thoroughly enjoying getting to know the rest of the Salt Lake group. Maybe it was the alcohol, but even Jordan was behaving pleasantly, apologizing to Jess and Ethan for his "rudeness" once he recognized them, trying to rationalize his behavior by bringing up the uneasy truce with the Scars before everyone started booing and telling him to shut up. It seemed that Scars were not a topic that anyone felt like discussing.

Instead, they talked about things around the stadium: Why had Isaac sent out that last patrol to a new area? Would the mess hall ever go a week without serving chicken and rice? Or burritos? Had anyone found anything good on patrol lately? Maybe a new DVD, book, or alcohol stash? When would they be done renovating the caving-in section of the upper levels?

After they'd covered all the stadium talk, everyone seemed to be fairly drunk, and many people were looking tired. Jess looked down at her watch, it had already been two hours. The conversation continued for a while longer, now about more trivial matters: Who was Manny's latest 'girlfriend'? How did Mel and Owen spend their 4 month anniversary? Were there any attractive new recruits? (at this, Jess and Ethan caught eyes and laughed). It became obvious that no one would be watching Harry Potter. However, a more important development was that everyone seemed to like Jess. The Firefly situation seemed entirely squashed and forgotten. Ethan was getting along with everyone, especially Manny. Jess was elated to be liked by Abby's friends. Maybe the stadium wasn't so bad after all.

Eventually, people started to clear out and say their goodbyes. For a while, Jess stayed on the floor where she sat, leaning against the couch and sitting across from Abby, who was also definitely drunk to some degree. Throughout the night Jess had watched and admired her easy manner, the cool and confident way she conversed with her friends. She was well-liked by everyone, and Jess could see why. Finally, there were just a few people left lingering. Jess didn't want to outstay her welcome, so she got up and gathered herself, walking over and standing over Abby.

"This was fun, Abby. Thanks for inviting us," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, 'course," Abby said, leaning her head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling instead of Jess.

"You good?" Jess asked, gently kicking Abby's boot to catch her attention.

"Yeah," Abby said, standing suddenly and looking down at Jess. "Wanna go for a walk?" Jess's stomach jumped.

"I– yeah, sure," Jess said, turning around to find Ethan. "Hey Ethan, can you make it back okay? I'll be back a bit later." Ethan raised his eyebrow but agreed, and Jess turned to find Abby holding two cups of Owen's moonshine in the doorway. She followed her out of the apartment.

They walked down the hallway in comfortable silence for a bit, turning and going down a hallway that Jess had never been through.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Abby said, glancing down at her with a smile, and the butterflies in Jess's stomach fluttered. When they were side by side this close, their height difference was more glaring than usual. Jess had never considered herself particularly short at about 5'3", but Abby was definitely a good 5 or so inches taller than her, which made her all the more intimidating. Eventually, they reached a staircase. Abby opened the door and let Jess lead the way.

"All the way up," Abby instructed. Jess obeyed and walked up several flights of stairs until they reached the top. She opened the door and they stepped outdoors onto the highest level of the stadium with rows of seats and a metal railing overlook area, which they walked towards. Their hair blew lightly in the breeze which smelled of early spring. They reached the railing and Abby leaned against it, taking in the view. Jess followed suit and propped herself up on her elbows against the railing. It was the first time she had seen the stadium from so high up. She was now able to truly appreciate just how big and impressive it was, covered in large crop fields and pastures for the livestock. Some lights were still on down below, illuminating people working late. There was a quiet hum in the air: a mix of the breeze, crickets, and people talking in the distance.