Stonebrook High School

Chapter 99

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Jess had gone into the bathroom right after the "confrontation" in the living room, planning on washing up so she could help in the kitchen, but she fell asleep standing in front of the sink, toothbrush slowly falling out of her mouth. It wasn't until a few minutes later, when Petra accidentally slammed the balcony doors, that Jess woke up again.

Recognizing her stupid look in the mirror, she brushed her teeth again and washed her face, applying her daytime skincare (despite it being the afternoon). After her moisturizer, she brushed her hair out and clipped her bangs, pausing to take in her reflection. Then, she changed out of her pajamas and into warmer everyday clothing — a simple combination of her classic overalls and a large hoodie underneath.

"Petra," she called out as she left the bathroom, "you done cooling off?"

The redhead turned around from her spot on the balcony to look at Jess. "Mm, well... I was thinking of a few more minutes. It's pretty nice today."

The black-haired girl closed the bathroom door, moving towards Petra's side. She looked over the railing and immediately felt the cool autumn breeze on her face, the fresh air opening up her lungs. "Ooh. You're right, it is nice out here."

"It's a good day to go on a ride."

"Planning on riding through the trails later?"

"Would be a shame not to. Wanna come with?"

Jess smiled and poked her friend's shoulder. "You don't wanna go with my brother? It is a rather nice day."

"I haven't hung out with you lately," replied Petra. "It's been a while. We should have some girl time. Also, I think Jace is getting along pretty well with Lukas. We should let the boys have some fun on their own."

"And you're not just saying that because you punched him right in the sternum?"

"Hey, you agreed that he deserved that."

Jess laughed heartily and nodded. "I did, I did. Let's go eat first, then we can go up to your favorite spots."

"Sounds like a plan."

The two girls closed the balcony doors behind them and left for the kitchen, greeted by the comforting smell of roasted tomatoes and recognizable sounds of sizzling oil. Jess ran ahead, finding her brother setting the plates while Lukas was checking on their food.

"You guys are already finished?!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

"It's a quick one-pan meal," Lukas replied over his shoulder. "About twenty, thirty minutes at most."

"I'm so sorry, I fell asleep while brushing my teeth. I should have come out earlier to help."

"You're fine, Jess. Your brother helped a lot, anyway."

Said brother flashed a wide grin and pointed at himself. "Master of the local kitchen here. I knew what he was making just by looking at the ingredients."

Petra sat at the counter, resting her head on her hand. "Hey, Jess, remember that time he put the entire poptart in the toaster?"

"Oh my gosh, you guys will never stop bringing that up, will you?" Jesse glared at the redhead and put his hands on his hips. "It was ONE time!"

Lukas set the lid back on the pan and leaned against the countertop with his arms crossed. "You know, I seem to recall Olivia mentioning poptarts a long time ago—"