Uncharted

Chapter Ten

Trigger warnings: Sexual themes, mentions of abortion & drug use.

10

March 2018

The Farm / Redding, CA

CJ couldn't help but check her phone every 2 seconds after sending the text to Jess. She didn't know how Jess would respond, or if she would respond at all. Work picked back up which was a nice distractor, but CJ was drawn back to her phone.

"Hey, you mind grabbing lunch?" Mindy poked her head in the doorway. CJ looked up from her phone.

"Ya, no problem," said CJ, "Where from?"

"I'm placing an order at Maxwell's, what do you want?"

"I'll take a chicken pesto sandwich," said CJ. Mindy nodded and disappeared from the doorway. CJ leaned back in her chair, listening to Mindy place the order over the phone in the other room. Her phone made a pinging noise from her desk, and she quickly sat up, grabbing it. She had a new message. Holding her breath, she opened the notification to see Jess' response.

Long time no talk.

CJ quickly texted back as she heard Mindy finish her call.

Can I call you in 10?

Yes.

CJ felt her nerves creep into her stomach. She walked into Mindy's office and grabbed her wallet and the car keys off the front table.

"Should be ready, or almost ready when you get over there," said Mindy. CJ nodded, eager to get to the car. She said a few quick hellos to some coworkers on her way out. When she got in Mindy's car, she immediately put her phone on Bluetooth, placing the call to Jess. The phone rang several times, feeling like an eternity. By the time Jess picked up, CJ had pulled out of the parking lot. The other end was silent.

"Hey," said CJ.

"Hey," said Jess. There was an awkward moment of silence.

"I'm sorry," said CJ, "I know you've been trying to reach out, I just- A lot has happened. I know it's not an excuse, and I'm sorry I didn't at least tell you I was alive."

"I was really worried," said Jess, sounding slightly exasperated. "I don't have your aunt's number, so I couldn't call to ask what was wrong."

"I know," said CJ, "I'm sorry. I understand if you don't want to hear me explain things, but I'd really like a chance too."

"Ya," said Jess, "Please do, I was so worried for so long." CJ didn't know where to start. Jess had known about she and Duff's relationship, how deeply she had felt about him, and how they were trying to plan how to continue their relationship once the tour ended. Jess was one of the few people who had been aware of it. She was also the only person who had warned her about going all in with the relationship. Jess had always been blunt with her. She didn't pull any punches. She could hear Jess' words in her head from when she had first told her about Duff; Just be careful. 80's rockstars don't have the best track records with relationships. She had waved away Jess' concerns at the time, but she had been right. She figured she'd get straight to the point. Jess deserved that after worrying for so long.

"I'm pregnant," she said. There was shocked silence from the other side. "About 15 weeks pregnant."

"Holy shit," said Jess.

"Ya," said CJ, sounding more nonchalant than she felt, "Crazy right? I didn't know until a couple of weeks ago myself."

"Wait, what have you been doing? Where are you? In California or Seattle?"