Jessi pulled her red Corvette into the Beechwood High parking lot and shut off the engine. She looked over at Lori, who was riding with her, an expression of concern on her face.
Lori reassured her, "Don't be nervous, he's the one who was in the wrong."
Jessi said, "Nicole explained to me that I gave him the wrong signals, it's my fault too."
"Up until the point when he tried to use force, after that, there's no excuse," Lori said confidently. "Let's go in, it will be all right."
Jessi nodded and got out. The two of them went into the school together. As they were going down the hall, they encountered Raymond Osgood coming toward them. He stopped in front of them and confronted Jessi with a slightly hoarse voice, "I don't know why you led me on like that, what were you trying to prove?"
"I thought you liked me," Jessi protested. "I was just trying to do the right thing."
"So you invited me to that apartment and then turned into the ice queen?" He said, scornfully. "And when I complained, you assaulted me."
Jessi started to speak, but Lori put her hand on Jessi's arm. She explained to Raymond, "Jessi doesn't have a lot of experience dating. She wasn't trying to come on to you. When you said you wanted to go somewhere quiet and talk, she thought you really meant it."
"Seriously?" Raymond asked sarcastically. "Was she born yesterday? She was hot enough for it at the dance. What does she have, a split personality." He pointed at Jessi, "I should have called the cops and had them lock her up." Jessi shrank in response.
Lori said, "Right, you're going to call the cops and tell them that the girl you tried to force yourself on objected? I don't think so."
He paused for a moment, taken aback, "I didn't force myself on her. We were just making out."
"She said No," Lori pointed at him. "And you kept trying. Do you really want the police involved?"
He frowned and became less confident, "Maybe not, but I'll spread the word around the school. No one is going to want to have anything to do with her after this. She really is crazy."
Lori looked him in the eye and said, "Think this through, Osgood. I hear that you have a number of schools scouting you. Do you really want to have a big gossip item going around about you trying to force a girl and how she beat you up? You could get the reputation for having 'off the field problems'. And having a girl beat you up would really enhance your tough guy reputation."
"That's not how it happened," Raymond said defensively.
"That's exactly how it happened," Lori insisted. She continued more reasonably, "Jessi is sorry she hurt you." She looked at Jessi expectantly.
"I'm sorry," Jessi said.
"And you're sorry you misunderstood," she said to Raymond who just stared at her. She waited a moment and repeated, "You're sorry you misunderstood."
Raymond reluctantly repeated, "I'm sorry I misunderstood."
"Good," Lori agreed. "Now it turns out that the two of you are not compatible and that you mutually decided to call it quits."
"You can say that again," Raymond spoke with conviction.
"And that's all anyone needs to know about this," Lori nodded. She paused for a moment and warned, "Unless I hear rumors of you forcing yourself on other girls."
"I'm not like that," Raymond protested. "She led me …" Lori glared at him. He continued, "I misunderstood."
"A simple misunderstanding," Lori agreed. "Now everyone can go on about their lives and we can put this in the past."
"Fine by me," Raymond moved past them, heading down the hall.
Lori turned to Jessi who looked uncertain and had tears in her eyes, "That should be the end of that."
"Maybe he's right, maybe I am crazy," Jessi said.
"No you're not," Lori insisted. "Kyle doesn't think you are crazy, does he? And we all trust Kyle."
"That's true," Jessi said, brightening.
"Raymond was right about one part of it, though," Lori said. Jessi looked at her concerned, and she continued with a smile, "You were born almost yesterday. You'll learn. I'll help you."
"Thank you," Jessi said. "I like having a sister."
Lori said, "I like having a sister, too."