*A/N - yes I know the ages and dates don't match up to the guys real ages but I didn't want this to be set in the 80's so whaddaya gonna do :p *
September 2002
I looked down at the envelope that had just been placed in front of me and scrunched up my nose, looking at the messy scrawl across the front. "Sir, do we really have to do this?"
"Yes, Jessica you do. It's part of your American Studies course so without it you will fail."
I opened my envelope and sighed. "But siiir, this kid is weird! What am I going to talk to him about? For a whole year!"
My tutor walked back up to my desk and stood in front of me. "Jessica, the correspondents have been matched up according to the questionnaires that you did at the start of the year. This young man and you have the most in common. Now write." He tapped my desk and I sighed again.
I picked up the letter and read. Blah, blah, blah Catholic school. Blah, blah, blah family. Blah, blah, blah friends. Blah, blah, blah. He rambled on for a while about his friends, they seemed to have a laugh. I suppose it wasn't as bad as it could be. I laughed as I read how he signed off the letter, where the hell was this dude from?
August 2003
I was so nervous. This was the first time I had ever flown on my own and I was flying all the way to America. After a year of talking to my 'penpal' for school, we had arranged for me to go over for a couple of weeks during the summer holidays. What if he didn't like me once he met me? I mean, we practically knew everything about each other but that's different to meeting someone in person. What if he hates me? Or his friends hate me? He's going to be stuck with me for 2 weeks, have me tagging along with them all. That will be awkward.
June 2005
This was fucking typical. After a bunch of delays and what seemed like a million hour flight, I was now stranded at the airport. The first time he was left to pick me up himself, instead of his parents, and the idiot had obviously forgotten about me, No answer on his or any of the other guys' phones. I looked at my watch, it was just gone midnight. What a great way to see in my 19th birthday – stuck in an airport.
December 2007
"I don't see what the big fucking deal is! So what if I'm drunk? I am more than capable of looking after myself." He grabbed my arm to stop me from storming off.
"The big fucking deal, Jess, is that I don't want you making a fool of yourself and doing something you will regret."
I turned around and glared at him. "You have got to be kidding me! I am 21 fucking years old. Why do you insist on treating me like a child? It's like the second I step off that plane you turn from being my friend to my protector. I'm a big girl honey, I can look after myself." I sighed and pushed my hair back out of my face. "I think I should go home. Will you drop me off at the airport once I find a flight?"
"Don't go. I'm sorry. Please stay." I almost crumbled seeing the sadness in his eyes but I knew I had to do this. I shook my head.
"No, I'm going. My mind's made up. You are my best friend, you always will be, and I love you, but you can't keep trying to control my life when I come out here. I am old enough and stupid enough to live my own life my own way."
I stroked his cheek and stretched up to kiss his forehead before making my way back into the bar. Seeing as this was now our last night, I didn't want to ruin it any further. I didn't know when I would be able to get back to see him, or any of them, again.
December 2011
I was barely keeping it together as I drove. Tears were streaming down my face and I could hardly see the road. As I pulled up to the house, I could see him sat on the porch. I shoved the car into park, threw the door open and was running up the drive within seconds, not even bothering to shut off the engine.
I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him close. "How's he doing?" I whispered as he broke down. I don't know how long we stayed there for, not speaking. This certainly wasn't how I imagined our reunion to go.
I looked up as I heard someone clear their throat and was met with the red rimmed eyes of the others. I looked back down at my best friend and nudged him. "Come on, let's go inside." I stood and held my hand out for him to take and we slowly walked inside the house.
To say the next few weeks were hard was an understatement, trying to be strong for the most important people in my life. Trying to be there for my best friends, who were really struggling.
I was sat on the porch steps, watching the sun set. I was absolutely exhausted. I rested my head in my hand as I smoked, trying to find some semblance of peace. I heard the door open behind me but I didn't turn my head. I listened as the person shuffled about as they sat next to me and smiled a small smile as I saw battered converse land next to my own bare feet. Moving my head from my hand to his shoulder, I let out a deep breath. "Hey, Brian. How you holding up?" I asked quietly. He shrugged.
"You need to rest, you have been going non stop since you got here." He wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and gave me a small squeeze. "It's freezing out here, you'll make yourself ill."
I sat up and faced him. "You're really making sure that I'm ok?"
Brian sighed "It's better than thinking about me."
I squeezed his hand hard. "Just...take it easy, yeah? We need you, I...I don't know what we would do if we lost you." My eyes welled up and my voice cracked. He gave me another tight hug before standing and going back inside.
November 2013
I don't know why I agreed to this. I was going to spend the next couple of hours watching some stupid tv show with my friend. She'd been dumped and needed cheering up and apparently this was the way to go. I wouldn't be surprised if I fell asleep. I was barely paying attention to the show, focussing more on trying to catch the popcorn in my mouth that I was throwing in the air. I glanced at the screen briefly, urgh this really did look lame. Hang on. Is that...? No it couldn't be. I sat forward and stared hard at the screen. I found myself watching the rest of the episode intently, just to make sure. I waited as the credits rolled, searching for that oh so familiar name. Holy shit. It was, it was him. Mother fucker kept that one quiet I thought to myself as I left for home.
I ran my fingers through my hair and stretched. I thought back to the day I was handed my 'penpal' letter at school. I never thought that 8 years on, we would still be in touch, let alone be friends. We may not have seen each other for 2 years, but he was still my best friend. As I sat in my car, I opened up my handbag, pulled out my journal and rifled through the loose sheets at the back. I still had every single letter that was sent to me. I found the very first one and read through it. And just like 8 years ago, I chuckled at how it was signed. Salvatore Vulcano. My idiot best friend and one of the most important people in my life.
December 2014
My hands shook as I dialled the number. "C'mon Sal, pick up....pick up, pick up, pick up. Please.....Shit....Sal, it's Jess." I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady while the tears streamed down my face. "Call me as soon as you get this, I need to talk to you. It's important. I....I need you, Sal."
June 2015
I smiled as I walked through Customs. Despite everything, I still managed to feel the same excitement as I did every summer when I would come to visit. I thought about everything that had changed in the last few years. He had become a minor celebrity with his own show, Impractical Jokers, that he made with his idiot friends. My favourite person, Salvatore when he bugged me (which was often) and the giver of the second best hugs around. Me on the other hand, well...I was a completely different person. We hadn't seen much of each other since the show took off, and my world had turned upside down. Right now I needed my best friend more than ever.
As well as seeing him, I would also be getting to see the other guys. I was kind of nervous about seeing the them again, I hadn't seen them in almost 4 years and I hadn't spoken to them in almost 12 months. It wasn't that I had done it on purpose, but they expected me to be a certain way, the Jess they remembered, and that wasn't me. Not any more.
I looked around for him as I walked out to Arrivals. I couldn't see him anywhere and I could feel myself getting angry. He promised me he would pick me up. Nothing had changed at all. I started to rummage around my bag for my phone, dropping it in the process, the contents going flying.
"Let me help you with that, miss." I looked up and saw Sal standing over me, smiling. I dropped my bag on the floor and threw myself at Sal, unable to stop the tears that were rolling down my face. "Hey....shhhh, its ok Jess. Everything is going to be alright. You're safe now." He stroked my hair as he soothed me. He stood there with me until my tears subsided.
"Shit. Sorry." I mumbled. "That wasn't supposed to happen." I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath before crouching down and picking up the contents of my handbag from the floor.
Sal shook his head and gave me a small smile as he bent down to help me. "I think you needed it. It's fine. Besides, I never really liked this shirt anyway." I looked up at him, and took in his now tear-stained shirt and grimaced. "Jess, I'm kidding. Come on, let's get out of here." He grabbed my case in one hand and wrapped his other around my waist, pulling me close.
