Jess Henderson is Dustin Henderson's older sister and she was just your average teenage girl trying to get through high school with her best friend Nancy Wheeler.
Her life however takes a turn for the worst when her little brother's best friend Wil...
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Jess stood outside the radio station with her friends and kind of ex-boyfriend, waiting for her not-so-little brother anymore to get his head out of his grief and show up. Her wavy brunette locks flew out behind her like an elegant wave in the brisk chilly November air, she had to keep tucking her hair back behind her ears to keep tufts of hair from blowing over her eyes.
"Where even is Dustin? He should be here by now," Jess complained grumpily, though a twinge of worry swirled in her guilt. Maybe her brother was hurt or crying his eyes out somewhere. Or he was just running late but that was very off brand for him.
"The little shit is probably just wallowing in grief," Steve replied, admiring his kind-of-ex-girlfriend's side profile. The light shone on her like a spotlight, she was extremely beautiful from every angle.
Jess said nothing and fiddled with her fingers, a common nervous habit that had become a staple coping mechanism for her in the past few years. If she let him, she would allow Steve to take her hand in his, stopping her fiddling fingers, he always knew about it, he was the only one who saw it but she didn't let him in. They were supposed to be "broken up."
Lucas interrupted her thoughts, yelling into his walkie talkie, hoping to get a read on Dustin. "Dustin, this is Lucas. Do you copy? Over. Dustin, do you copy? Over. Dustin, you're an hour late, man. You're making us nervous. We need you here at the Squawk. Dustin, if you can hear us, please respond. Over."
No luck.
No response.
Where the hell was he?
When a pair of footsteps treaded up the path from the radio station, Jess looked up to see Robin, she was worried too. "I got off the phone with your mum, Jess. She hasn't heard from him either," she shrugged, worried for Dustin but also for her best friend.
Jess just sighed feverishly, a hole of guilt burning in her abdomen. Was Dustin hurt? "If mum hasn't heard from him, then something's wrong," she exclaimed, twiddling anxiously with her thumbs.
Steve rolled his eyes. "Christ, Henderson. He'll show. He always shows. Try him again," he demanded, signalling to the walkie talkie that Lucas still clutched.
Lucas sighed, unhopeful that Dustin will show. "Come in, Dustin. Are you there? Earth to Dustin. This is serious, man. Quit playing. We can't wait around," he said impatiently. "Jess, you try. Maybe he'll listen to you." He handed Jess the walkie, she took it.
Jess pressed the button on the walkie. "Dusty, this is Jess. Come in, Dusty. We're waiting like headless chickens for you. This isn't funny, Dusty."
Nothing but static.
"He's being a shithead," Jess groaned, handing Lucas back the walkie.
Steve pressed a hand to the small of her back, rubbing her tenderly and sweetly to calm her feverish nerves. He wanted to squeeze her hand, whisper sweet nothings into her ear, telling her that it'll be okay, that it'll blow over, that Dustin was fine and he was just running late but he didn't. He didn't know where the two of them stood at the moment and if Jess even wanted his familiar comfort. He wanted to kiss her temple but he didn't, he was never one to cross Jess's boundaries if she didn't want him to. He respected Jess Henderson, he loved Jess Henderson and always would, no matter what. Even if they didn't get back together, that would be okay with him.
