Innocent

Only Child

The class ended and Jesca got up quickly and walked towards the door. That guy reminded her too much of someone she used to know.

Just before she reached the door she felt a hand grab her wrist. She turned and saw Audrey.

"Hi. You're Jesca right," she asked. She almost seemed innocent but there was something about her that made Jesca very cautious. And it wasn't just the fact that she's best friends with Alyssa.

"Yeah. Why?" Jesca replied.

"I'm friends with Alyssa, Jase, and Seth."

"Oh," Jesca tried to act like she didn't know that.

"They told me what happened yesterday," she said smiling. "So why are you still pretending to be so innocent?"

Jesca made a face like she didn't understand. "What?"

"I'm gonna find out your big secret. And then who knows what I'll do,"she said with an evil smile. She definitely beat everyone else at the evil smile. And with that she walked away.

Jesca took a deep breath. If anyone finds out what happened a month ago she's screwed.

Jesca continued her day trying to avoid people as much as possible. She rushed home at the end of the day. She opened the door and started up the stairs.

"Jess is that you?" Her mom yelled.

"Yeah mom," Jesca said and ran to her room.

She put her ear buds in and heathens by twenty one pilots started playing. She was so glad that she was able to download it.

Jesca went to her bed and pulled out a sketchbook from underneath it. She went and sat at her desk and started drawing.

******about an hour later******

Jesca pulled out an earbud. She thought she heard something. Guessing it was just her imagination she started puting the earbud back in when she heard it again. She looked at the window. Another small rock hit her window and bounced off.

She walked over and opened it. Jase was standing in her front yard.

"What are you doing," Jesca asked.

"Can we please talk," Jase begged.

Jesca looked around. Her dad wouldn't be home for another hour or so. She couldn't just jump out the window though. Jase would be even more suspicious.

"I'll be right down," she said.

She grabbed her black hoodie and threw it on. She ran downstairs and found her mom.

"I'm gonna go hang out with a friend, k?" Jesca said and hugged her mom.

"Ok. Just be back by-" Jesca closed the door before her mom could finish, but she knew her mom was gonna say 11. That was her curfew.

She ran over to Jase.

"What do you want?"

"I just want to talk," he said.

"There's no-" she got cut off.

"Yes there is!" He yelled. He almost seemed surprised with himself.

Jesca sighed. "Let's at least not talk here," she gestured around them.

"Ok. C'mon. I know where we can go." Jase said and started walking down the street. Jesca followed.

"Here we are," he said when they reached a small grove of trees.

Jesca noticed a heart with the initials JM carved under it on one of the trees.

Jase started climbing one of the trees. He sat on a branch and looked down.
"You coming?"

Jesca smiled. It had been a while since she climbed a tree. She climbed up and sat on a branch in front of Jase.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"I just want to know why you are hiding."

Jesca looked down. She couldn't exactly run anymore.

"I'm not really miss innocent," she said.

"Yeah. I kinda figured that out already," he said.

"I almost got arrested about a month ago. When my family moved I decided to try and change who I was. Forget the past."

"But it seems like you're trying too hard to run from it."

Jesca nodded.

"So what exactly did you do?"

"I'd rather not say. But you have some explaining to do. Like how'd you know I wasn't in any sports?"

"It was just a guess. You just kinda seemed like it."

"Mmhmm," Jesca gave him a look that clearly showed she didn't believe him.

"Ok. So I know your brother," Jase said.

"What!?" Jesca hadn't seen her brother in over a year. And as far as most people knew she was an only child.