Jessica's Fate

Chapter 66

Sang wanted to know what I'd ended up talking about with Marie and I gave her a few of the details. She pursed her lips for a moment. "Interesting." She finally said.

"I hope I didn't overstep my bounds with what I said." I apologized.

"No, you're fine." She gave me a smile. "Really. We've been estranged for such a long time, I don't have any expectations on how things will be between us." She gave me a quick hug. "Ready to go bug the boys at the diner?"

"Sure." I smiled, hugging her back. "After clean up."

"Already done." She reassured me and I headed up to my room to change really quickly before we walk over to the diner.

"Thanks for cleaning up." I said after I rejoined her and we headed out.

We ended up being too early over at the diner and Gabriel wasn't there yet and we weren't ready to eat and neither was Luke. We ended up with the napkins and flatware and sat in a back booth with ice tea and talked about dressing up for the upcoming Academy event and rolled all the place settings we could for the later shifts.

After lunch with the boys, we ended up on a shopping trip. Which was good because we got the dresses we needed and I was pleased that Gabriel agreed with my choice of burgundy.

It was a really pretty dress and I convinced him I wouldn't need any help getting ready for the event on the day of so I was just going to employ my new skills at a smoky eye and my new favorite lip stain in a shade that matched my dress. I know that mom would be more than happy to turn out a braided hairstyle worthy of an Academy event... or something that should have been used for one of Katniss' party looks on their Victory tour in Catching Fire.

God, I was still such a dork.

I frowned slightly at my reflection as I washed my hands.

There was nothing wrong with fandom.

I had several that I was in.

I probably needed to just be more open with what a book nerd I was.

Love me, Love my fandom.

Tony didn't seem to have any issues. My frown deepened.

Did he love me? Did I love him? I didn't know. I really, honestly, truly liked him but I was a complete and total novice when it came to this sort of thing. I sighed softly and re-did my ponytail before heading downstairs to rejoin the three amigos.

Luke had brought over a bunch of cupcakes from the diner and Gabriel was busy painting nails for Sang, we'd decided to overlook the fact that the two of them were decidedly NOT female in the interest of having more people to hang out with. Seeing as neither Sang or I really had many female friends outside of each other that were our age.

Luke was even letting Sang paint his nails.

And I'd put his hair up in the cutest ponytails. You know, since he had insisted for YEARS on borrowing my hair bands. His hair was held up by two pink fuzzy pompoms on the bands and we had been reassuring him that it was adorable. Not that he cared one bit. Luke had always been a willing partner when it came to things like letting me play beauty shop or tea parties. He and Victor always were more than willing to be at my tea parties unlike the way I used to have to beg some of the others to play with me.

Gabriel wasn't as thrilled with the fact that he'd ended up with the cutest, tiniest of ponytails sticking straight up on the top of his head. He wasn't as amused as I'd hoped he'd be when I called him Pebbles. But when Sang did it? Oh yeah, he perked right up, grumbled something at her and went right back to painting her toenails.