𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔. [ jesstin ]

chapter one.

IT HAD BEEN A WEEK SINCE TYLER DOWN TURNED UP AT THE SPRING FLING IN PLAN TO KILL EVERYONE THERE. It didn't feel like it had been that long. It felt like hours to Jessica Davis— Who was currently staring at herself in her bedroom mirror, trying to decide what to do with her hair to return to school.

You see, she hadn't returned to Liberty when the rest of the students did. Most students went back the following day— Some like Clay, Chloe, Zach, returned a few days later. Not her. She told her dad that it was because she was too scared to go back, and half of that was true. It truly had scared her to see Tyler holding a gun to Clay Jensen's face.

But the real reason, was Justin Foley.

Her fingers automatically move towards her hips, where the small blue bruises, finger shaded, still sat on her hipbones. They had been there since the night of the dance.

The night that she entered that locker room and decided to have sex with her ex boyfriend, and not her current boyfriend.

Jessica didn't know how she was going to look Justin in the face— Or how she was even going to face Alex without breaking down. She felt disgusting. She hadn't in the moment, she felt powerful then. Justin wanted her. She took back her sexuality and shoved a mental middle finger up to Bryce Walker. He wasn't going to stop her from loving her body, from having sex.

But the aftermath... That was a complete different story.

She had countless missed calls and texts from the group that she hadn't opened. Most of which came from Justin apologising to her.

A knock on her bedroom door breaks her from her thoughts, turning to see her mother standing in the doorway, pressing her lips together like she always did as she gave her a tight smile.

"Ready to go back today?"

"Yeah."

Lie.

__________________

Greg Davis car pulls up outside of Liberty high, Jessica sitting beside him in the passenger seat, clutching her bag against her chest as her eyes— Wide and full of fear, glance around the parking lot at the students entering the building.

"Are you sure you are ready for this? We can always move you—"

Cutting him short, Jessica purses her lips together and shakes her head.

"No. That's the last thing I want. To make friends all over again."

Greg didn't answer, slowly just nodding his head and leaning across the middle to press a kiss against the side of her head. Jessica's eyes flutter shut, just enjoying the feeling. She would never take her parents affection for granted again. Not after meeting Amber Foley she wouldn't.

And so she stepped out of the car, waving goodbye as she pulls the straps of her book-bag up onto her shoulders and takes the first step towards the building.

She didn't know what was going to be awaiting her when she got into the hallway, but she knew that she needed to act like nothing was wrong. Specially around Alex. Even though, he probably already knew something was since she ignored every text and call he sent her way.

"Jess."

Turning on her heels, she was greeted with just the boy she was thinking about, holding his cane in one hand as Zach stood on his other side, holding onto his bag for him.

"Hey."

The pair share a smile between them, Alex extending his arms out to tell her to come and hug him. And maybe it was just the thing she needed, to snap her back into reality that she needed to be with him.

Her small arms wrap around his waist, head falling against his shoulder as she takes a deep breath in of his scent, the smell of freshly washed clothes and some sort of expensive cologne hitting her nostrils.

"I missed you. You— I texted and called but you never answered me. I thought I had done something wrong." His voice was quiet in her ear as his free hand runs up and down her back in a comforting way.

"No... I just didn't feel like talking to anyone. Not after what happened."

"Oh. That's okay."

Oh Alex. Always so understanding Alex Standall.

__________________

English. Just the class that she had been dreading to come back to.

Her pen dances across the page of her notebook, drawing small cartoons in the margin while her notes sit in the middle of the page.

She almost hadn't caught the door swinging open and the boy running in, clearly out of breath.

"Mr Foley. So nice of you to finally join us. 40 minutes into the class." Mr Brown shows his disappointment, but she could tell by his face he wasn't surprised in the slightest. He was probably more surprised that Justin actually showed up. He never used to.

"Yeah uh— I'm sorry. Slept in."

Moving his way between the desks, Justin takes his seat in the desk that was beside Jessica, the both of them hardly able to look at the other in the eyes.

She could see him from the corner of her eye as she continued to doodle on her page. His hair was messier than it used to be, in more of a natural state.

And he was wearing a hoodie. Not that letterman that was basically painted to his skin last year.

But he still had that same smell.

Cigarettes, strawberry gum and the smell of home.