"Jesse's Girl"
Chapter One
It was the middle of June in the small town of Irvington, New York. The sun beamed down upon its citizens as they stood around waiting for the festivities to start. It was a day to celebrate life, and it was also a day to remember the victims of cancer. A charity event was created to help raise funds and to gather celebrities and ordinary folks alike to race for a good cause.
A girl stood watching, looking around for any signs that she might get to see her celebrity, meet him or her, and talk about how much she loved them. She covered her eyes with her hand as she turned about in circles, trying to see clearly, but also block the hot sunlight from her eyes.
She soon was giving up hope when she saw him in the distance. He was looking better than ever, as she stared in his direction. She smiled as she straightened out her outfit; light blue jean shorts, and a tank top to match, and then took a deep breathe before calling out his name and getting his attention from afar: "Jesse." She ran toward him through the crowd of people, wishing they weren't there. "Well, well, well. Jesse Abraham Arthur McCartney," she said to him as she came closer, and as she looked toward her favorite TV star.
Jesse turned around to face the young woman. "Kimberly Ann Hill," he said as he looked her up and down and smiled. She looked incredible and just the sight of her had chills running up and down his spine.
Kim screamed as she ran towards him as he opened his arms and enveloped her into a hug. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"What are you doing here?" She asked as she stepped back to look at him. "Are you really my celebrity?"
"Yes I am," he said to her as he flashed his famous smile.
Kim just stood there. "I can't believe." She stopped as tears came to her eyes. "Is is really you, or am I dreaming?" She didn't know if it was real.
He walked closer to her. "It's me gorgeous. You are not dreaming, unless I am dreaming the same dream too." He laughed a little as he looked into her hazel eyes.
"It's just been, too long," she said, sadness and desperation evident in her tone of voice.
"I know, almost three years, but I am here," he said trying to believe the reality himself.
"For how long?" She asked not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.
"All depends," he said. "Will I have a good reason to stay around this time?"
She shook her head. "Please don't start Jesse."
"I don't want to Kim, but." He paused for a second.
She turned her back on him not wanting to hear what he was about to say.
"You told me we could never be." He watched as her whole body shook with his voice.
"I didn't want you to give up your chance, your dream. I knew how much it meant to you to do this. If you stayed, you would have made a mistake. I mean, look at you now. You are doing what you only used to dream: being a star. Not only that, you are a singer too, and a heartthrob to all the girls that see you, even me." She slowly turned around to face him. "If you stayed you would have never been able to do what you are doing today."
"But who said I really wanted that and not more; something else."
"Because you did, and you can't tell me differently. I know you too well. We have been friends since before we were even born." She walked past him as she spoke.
"Well, what if I told you that if I could do it all over again, and turn back time, I would rather stay here in New York then go to L. A." He walked up next to her, trying to get her to look him in the eyes.
"I would think that you were lying and just telling me that so I could forgive you," she smirked.
He looked at her. "Kim, come on."
"What Jesse? You know it isn't true, so I won't make you say it. I am fine with it. I moved on."
"What?" He looked at her surprised when she said that.
"Do you know what, I really have to go. I think the next part of the event is coming up," she said trying to get away from the hurt she placed upon the situation.
"Forget the damn race Kim, talk to me."
"I can't, ok," she said.
He shook his head. "You can." He paused before he spoke again. "What happened to us?" Tears started to appear at the brinks of his eyelids.
"I don't know Jesse. I really don't know."
"You do Kim. You are hiding something from me. I know it, you know it."
"What if I am? What do you care?"
"Damn it I do," he yelled. People around them looked at them before going back to what they were there to do. He touched her arm. "Let's talk, now."
She shook her head. "No."
"Why are you being so stubborn? Of all the years that I have known you, you have never been like this. What has gotten into you?"
"You! You have gotten into me," she yelled as tears streamed down her face.
"I am so confused," he said as he touched his head.
"Don't you think it was hard for me to do what I did? To tell you that I didn't care about you and like you more than my best friend? It killed me Jesse, but I did it because I cared about you, and I still do. We just can't go back to the way things were."
"Why can't we?" He whispered.
"Because you are you. You are Jesse McCartney: the Summerland boy of America."
"What if I would give that all up? What if it would end? Could and would something happen," he said, wanting her to say yes with all of her heart.
"I don't know. We haven't seen each other in years, let alone spoken to each other." Her voice started to settle down as she wiped at her eyes.
"I wanted to call so many times," he said.
"But you didn't."
"You could have called me you know," he said back.
"You wouldn't have answered or called back," she screamed.
"Yes I would have. I would have dropped everything to talk to you, hear your voice, see you."
"But it didn't happen, and whether you want to believe it or not, time can't go back. Things cannot change what happened." She was becoming upset again, and he could tell.
"I don't want to think about the past. I want to think about the here and now."
Before Kim could begin to speak again, the announcer of the event spoke up. "If I could have Kimberly Hill and Jesse McCartney along with Brittany Swass and Vin Diesel come up to the raceway, it would be great."
Kim looked at him. "I am not going up there." She pointed to the area as she spoke.
"Why not. We are here to do this, to race for a good cause."
"I just can't Jesse."
"Let's forget we know each other. Brit and Vin sure don't. Let's just go out there as fan meeting celebrity of their dreams and raise funds for the cancer society. Your grandmother would love it."
"Grammy," Kim said as more tears came down her face.
"She would be so proud of you, even though she already is," Jesse smiled at her. "And if you want, we can go our separate ways after this. We can go back to the way things were." He got closer to her and wiped away some tears with his thumb.
Kim looked at him. 'He is telling the truth Kim. You can just forget you know him like you have been doing all of these years,' she said to herself. She soon nodded her head. "Ok, let's get this over with."
He smiled at her. "That's my girl."
Kim blushed as he took her hand into his.
"On your mark...get set...go!"
And they were off; off in a world on their own.