Jessica's Fate

Chapter 2

I kicked at the rocks again and stopped, looking around the neighborhood for a long moment. Sometimes, I wished I could just escape. Go off to wherever Sang and the boys did when they were on missions for the Academy. I probably could have gotten my GED by now and have been doing anything I wanted but Kota had our mom so convinced that I absolutely HAD to finish school that I was stuck. "Just stuck." I mumbled before I started walking again.

Walking, mind you.

Yes, because I'm 17 and while my older brother had a car and his license since he was 16, oh, no, not Jessica. She can walk and ride the bus everywhere.

Not that there's anywhere to be.

I also wasn't allowed to work which I found incredibly annoying. All the boys and Sang had worked at Uncle's diner when he opened it. And Silas worked with his dad a lot of the time too. Not that I wanted to be a plumber but why couldn't I have a job? Some pocket money would have been nice.

Seeing as I was probably going to end up creating a fake boy who asked me to prom and then have him stand me up. It was going to be an expensive night. Dress, flowers, the tickets... limo. Hey, why couldn't my fake guy spring for the best before not being in the car when it arrived?

I huffed a sigh and adjusted the strap of my messenger bag as I walked. I'd almost begged to go to regular school this year. Why did the school matter if I hated everything about it? I arrived home and went in through the garage, putting the door down and setting the alarm the way I'd been doing for years. I set my bag down at the kitchen table, sliding my loafers off and shedding the white shirt I was wearing. It was too darn hot today for all this school uniform nonsense. I'd worn a strappy little top under it and had only unbuttoned the shirt as I made my way home from the bus. I bent and scooped up my cat when it came to wind around my legs in greeting.

It was at that point that I realized Sang was with me in the kitchen. "Oh!" I blinked at her. "Hi Sang."

She smiled. "Hi yourself." She said, pulling down glasses and pouring both of us a glass of lemonade. "Good day at school?"

I shrugged and reached for the glass she pushed my way. "The usual. On the plus side, no one stole my lunch today." I said, taking a long drink.

She eyed me for a moment. "Was that because you ate it before lunch or because you didn't take one?" she asked.

I shrugged again. "Doesn't matter." I said. "I hate that place and I'm so glad that I'm almost done."

"What's wrong?"

I blinked at her. "What? Nothing's wrong, Sang." I averted my eyes, studying the counter instead before I chanced a look up at her.

She tilted her head and studied me. "Sure." She said after a long moment.

I lowered my gaze again and reached out, picking at a mark on the countertop with my thumb. "No, really. I swear, nothing's wrong."

"Then why do you look like Luke stole your candy?" She countered. "Or, even better would be why do you look like Luke when he's stolen someone's candy and North threw it away before he could eat it."

I couldn't help it.

She'd just given me the one redeeming factor for the entire day and I giggled. She was right of course, Luke loved his sweets and he loved nothing more than managing to divest you of your own secret stash.

And there was nothing that North liked, more than fixing cars after all, better than ditching Luke's candy stashes once he could find them. I shrugged slightly and met her gaze. "Speaking of Luke... Can I borrow him for Prom?" I blurted before I'd fully thought out the proposition.