Jess's Girl

Decorating Committee

"Morning Lucy." Luke smiled briefly, "Cup of coffee?"

"No thanks. Have you seen Jess?" she asked curiously as she looked over the counter for him slightly. Luke looked at her knowingly, "No, I haven't--Hey, did you need me earlier?" he asked.

"What?" she looked at him now paying attention.

"Earlier in the week, I got a text from Jess when I went on my fishing trip. He said I had to come home." he said as if hinting to something as he finished, "..Did you need me?" he asked. Lucy looked down briefly, "Well, I did but--not anymore." she said awkwardly. Luke looked at Lucy skeptically but nodded. "Alright. Well when you do.." he trailed off already knowing she knew what he meant.

"I will." she assured him.

"Good." Luke said. He was about to go off to serve coffee but stopped and stepped back to her, "Why are you looking for Jess?"

"You know that dance marathon that's coming up?" she asked; receiving a quick nod from Luke, "Well I want to take Jess. I think it would be fun." 

"Jess? A dance?" he said in doubt, "I don't know, he's pretty set on his own thing. Which, if you haven't already realized is going against society."

"I don't want to dance per say, I would just like to watch the festivities." she shrugged. 

"With Jess." he clarified. She gave a quick nod. Luke gave another skeptical look, "Lucy, remember that talk we had a month ago."

Lucy looked down at the counter, knowing exactly the one. She fiddled with her thumbs before looking back up at him, "I don't think you're right, Luke." she said. "I don't. I think that Jess is a nice guy." she said. 

"Yeah? Well a nice guy, and a good guy, are two opposite things." he said his shoulders squaring forward in an argument as they do.

"Meaning?"

"A nice guy is someone who is nice to you in return for something from you, a good guy is a genuinely good person." he said.

"Jess is not a nice guy." she tried telling him.

"Really."

"Really." she nodded.

"How can you tell?" he said in disbelief. Lucy sighed exhausted from this fight and got up. She went around the counter to where he was and pulled him back to the stairs to his apartment for privacy. Luke looked at her in confusion, "Care to share with the class Ms. Miller?" he said sarcastically. 

"Jess knows." she blurted.

"Knows about what?" Luke asked. Lucy hesitantly lifted her sweater sleeve to show a glimpse of the cigarette scars. Luke quickly pulled her sweater sleeve back down, "How the hell does he know about that? He didn't try anything did he?" he said ready to call war.

"No, he didn't."

"Then how??"

"I showed him."

"You showed him!"

"Yes." she said exhaustively. Luke pinched the bridge of his nose about ready to have an aneurysm just by having this conversation. 

"I know you wont tell me why Jess is here, or anything having to do with that--but I know that whatever it is, he's like me." she said.

"He is not like you, Lucy." Luke said sternly.

"The look he has when situation comes up in a conversation-- or when I talked to him, it was--"