Leather & Lace

Chapter Two:

Not So Humble Beginnings II

Song: Runaway Train ~ Soul Asylum

"I can't believe you actually finished school," Stacey said as she took two beers from the garage fridge.

Jessie shrugged and took a beer from her friend. "I barely passed. Not that I give a shit…"

The party as it turned out was just a small get-together. Stacey had only invited a few people who were high school dropouts like she was and one kid who immigrated from Eastern Europe named Jelena. Her accent was thick, making her hard to understand her at times.

Stacey Bowers leaned against the fridge with her arm across her torso and a beer in her other hand. Her short hair was dyed black, which matched her dress, lipstick, and nails. Her eyeshadow stood out against her creamy white skin, giving her the appearance of a corpse. When she walked anywhere her long unshapely dress would have a flowing like appearance to it. Most kids in school were afraid of her, the teachers didn't like her, and her parents were the only people who cared for her. Jessie didn't care much for her when they first met, but over time the two bonded. While she wouldn't exactly say she loved Stacey, Jessie enjoyed her company and Mr. and Mrs. Bowers were always nice to her. At one point they hoped she would be a good influence on Stacey. Ha!

Stacey took a swig and set the bottle behind her on the workbench. Behind Jessie, Marcus and Jason, who were Stacey's fellow drop-out friends, were teaching Jelena how to play pool. Judging by the way the boys were sizing up her body they weren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. The foreign teen tried to keep up, but she wasn't doing a great job. Jessie didn't talk to the girl often, but she could see sadness behind Jelena's dark blue eyes. Stacey once mentioned that Jelena's boyfriend or whatever he was to her, died in the war and she couldn't get over him.

"I don't hit the 8-ball?" Jelena asked.

Marcus laughed. "No. You would scratch if you did."

"Scratch what?"

The boys looked at each other and laughed. Jessie felt sorry for the girl as she slowly realized they were making fun of her.

"Why did you invite her here?" Jessie whispered to Stacey. "They're picking on her and being creepy."

"How was I supposed to know?" Stacey replied with a shrug. "Besides, I have something in store for her."

"Like what?"

Stacey grinned. "You'll see, it'll be hilarious."

Jessie didn't like where this was going.

One of the boys stopped playing pool long enough to put in a GG Allin cassette tape. A song Jessie didn't recognize with crude lyrics blasted through the speakers of the busted radio.

"Hell yeah! Now it's a party!" Jason shouted over the music.

Jessie cringed at the terrible music playing. She hated their awful taste in music and couldn't believe there were people who still listened to this guy. She assumed his music died out when he did. She'd rather hear Marilyn Manson than GG Allin. That was something else that they lacked in common. Stacey liked Manson and Rob Zombie, but Jessie preferred Skid Row and Ozzy.

"God, Jessie, you're so stuck in the past with your weird taste in music," Stacey would say.

Not wanting to hear it anymore, she took her beer and stepped out for fresh air.

Outside, she stood under the amber glow of a "street" lamp placed in the backyard. She took a sip of beer while she thought about her future. The decision to leave now or stay for a few more years continued to plague her mind. Madison was a suffocating town with suffocating people, but she didn't want to abandon Amber.

I can't let other people hold me back from what I want.

She stepped out from under the light, getting a better look at the stars. Tomorrow, she'd count the money she had saved during her time at the local grocery store and then leave as soon as her eighteenth birthday came up. She'd have to find a new job and try not to get caught smoking weed on her break. That was how she lost her last one.

Eventually Stacey and the others joined her outside, cheap boombox and all. By then Jelena had started walking home. Stacey tried convincing the girl to stay at the party, but Jelena insisted her mother needed her. Jessie thought of offering the girl a ride home but she seemed scared of Jessie so she hung back. Jelena would be fine, at least she hoped so.

"Quit being a stick in the mud," Stacey said.

Jessie finished her second beverage and was working in her third. This "party" wasn't as fun as she hoped.

"I have a lot on my mind," Jessie confessed.

"It must be bad if you're not having fun. Wanna talk about it?"

Jessie picked at the label on her beer and said, "I'm not sure if I should leave town or not. I've wanted this freedom for years but now I have it and... I don't know what to do with it and sometimes I feel guilty at the thought of leaving my sister. Fuck, I dunno."

"Amber will be fine. She's the golden child, remember? She'll get a bunch of scholarships and get far away from here just like you. Besides, it's not like your folks are abusive."

"True, but they don't really care about us."

"If it makes you feel better, I'll look out for Amber."

"I'd rather stay here," Jessie replied.

They both laughed, but Jessie's was forced.

"More like neglectful, but I guess you're right."

Stacey patted Jessie on the back. "Glad we had this talk. Now stop worrying and have fun."

Jessie smiled. "You're right, fuck it all and have fun."

So she drank, smoked weed, and finally relaxed. Her worries seemed to melt away with the unhealthy coping mechanisms she took part in. The others did coke by the pool, something Jessie turned her nose up at. The thought of doing hard drugs frightened her. She figured those D.A.R.E. scare tactics worked after all.

While Jessie hadn't become wildly drunk like she usually did, she knew she wasn't in a state to drive. Besides, her parents would kill her if they smelled the alcohol on her breath. She stopped after her sixth beer and stuck to a chocolate soda she found in the fridge. It wasn't what she expected but maybe it would get the booze off her breath.

Things seemed to go pretty well until that Anderson kid showed up. Her excitement melted away, and she sobered up at the site of his beat up 70s model truck. Jared and Keith Anderson jumped out of the pickup, whooping and laughing. Great. Just great. She didn't need this asshole and his twin brother coming around on a night that she was supposed to be relaxing. It was bad enough the boys were glad to see them, so it was rather disgusting to see Stacey run over and actually hugged them!

Jessie slipped out of the light and into the darkness, staying as close as she could to the house. She finished her drink and moved for the garage to think of an escape plan before they saw her.

She reached into her pocket, found her keys, and thought out her exit plan. Tracey would know she was lying though and was the type to call her friend out in public for it. Most of the time, Jessie could handle it, but tonight was different. That Anderson kid made her skin crawl and the sooner she got out of here, the better.

Stop being a pussy! He can't do shit to you! She tried reasoning with herself. But it is almost time for me to go. I promised Dad I'd be back before midnight.

It wasn't like she hadn't disobeyed her parents before. They told her to do something, and she refused. Why should she listen to them when they brought her into this world and then had the nerve to bitch about how much it cost to raise her! Not to mention the creepy babysitters Jessie and Amber were often left with.

"Hello! Earth to Jessie!"

Jessie blinked and turned to see Stacey standing beside her.

"What are you doing in here? The fun is outside. Jared brought the good stuff to the party," Stacey said with a grin.

Jessie raised a brow. "The good stuff?"

"Yeah, you know…"

Jessie didn't know, and she didn't really care by this point.

Stacy grabbed Jessie by her elbow and tugged on her to follow. Reluctantly, she followed her friend back outside.

The boy had shouted the real fun had began now that the Anderson brothers were here, but for her it felt as if it had deflated. She wanted to run away but Stacey made her sit down in a broken lawn chair and gave her another beer. Jessie set it aside and tried to focus on something else. They played GG Allin again and then Hank Williams Jr right after that. Jessie wished her ears would bleed so she wouldn't have to hear garbage.

This party is a total bust. I think I'll excuse myself soon.

Jared Anderson watched her like a lion watched an injured baby impala. Even when he was talking to someone else, he still eyed her and Jessie hated it. Her skin crawled every time he grinned at her. Slowly as the time passed, he inched his way to her, ignoring that the last time they saw each other, she told him to fuck right off. Getting mad and fighting back against him was amusing to him and only fueled him. It surprised her in a way. Most men knew when to leave her alone after pissing her off but Jared seemed to enjoy it. Like it was all a game of cat and mouse. Sadly, Jessie was the mouse and she hated that. She was the mouse once before when she was little and swore she would never allow that to happen again. Especially when it came to this douche bag.

It was when she stopped watching him for a minute did he pounce on her. He draped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"Hey, Jessie," he breathed in her ear. "I caught you watching me."

She jerked away. "Hey, Jared, what's up?"

"Me," he said with a grin.

She gave a nervous laugh and turned away, only for him to grab her arm again. "I want to talk with you in private. I brought coke we could share."

"I don't do hard stuff. Sorry, man."

Jared's hand brushed her ass, and she gave a tiny yelp in surprised. "You'll like my hard stuff."

"Goodbye, Jared!"

When it was all becoming too much for her, she excused herself and went into the kitchen(she was the only guest allowed in the house that night) and had a glass of water to help soothe her.

Stop worrying about that idiot. He can't do anything to you…

After two more glasses of water, she used the bathroom. Once she finished, she washed her hands. Someone had come in and was rummaging around in the kitchen. One rule that night was no one could come inside except to use the bathroom. That excluded Jessie because the Bowers trusted Jessie and viewed her as family. She wished she could live with them instead of her parents. The Bowers were not as a poor as hers and they were much more accepting and loving of their children than the Masons. They probably would take her in if she asked, but she didn't want to impose. For now, it was only wishful thinking.

She was drying her hands off when footsteps made their way down the hall and towards the bathroom. Maybe it was Stacey coming in to check on her. Someone knocked softly on the door.

"I'll be right out, Stace."

They knocked again.

"I said, I'll be right out."

Stacey could be such an ass.

Another knock. This one louder than before.

"Knock it off!" she said growing annoyed.

She opened the door and her heart leapt in her throat. Jared stood there, towering over her in the doorway. What the fuck did he want now?

I'm not afraid of this guy. He's nothing but a bitch.

"The bathroom is free now," Jessie said in her bitchiest tone.

He wasn't moving.

"Um, hello, I need to get by!"

"I wasn't in here to use to bathroom. I want something else," Jared replied.

Jessie glared at him and tried to steady her racing heart.

"Well, you ain't gettin' it!" she snapped.

She tried pushing past him, but he pushed her back into the bathroom before stepping in and locking it behind him. She lost her footing on a small rug and would have busted her head on the toilet had she not caught the sink. Her legs tried to do the splits, but she found her footing again.

Now she was more pissed than scared.

"What the fuck, asshole!" she growled.

Without a word, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him. He moved them both to the wall where he pinned her. Now he had both of her wrists clasped tightly in his hands. He was stronger than she thought, sending her into a panic.

"Let go of me or I'll scream!"

He pressed his lower half against hers and he rubbed his hard-on against her thigh.

"You do that. You scream as loud as you want because I like when they put up a fight."

He put his lips on hers and kissed her hard on the mouth. Her stomach lurched as she tasted snuff and the smell of feet. From the looks of his teeth, he didn't brush either, making this all more disgusting. She thrashed about hoping to get free, but it was useless.

He pulled away from her grinning. She saw the wild look in his eyes, no doubt brought on by the meth in his system.

"Come on, baby, give me some tongue," he growled.

Jared bent down to kiss her again and this time she bit his bottom lip hard enough she tasted blood. She felt the crunch of her teeth going deeper into the soft flesh of his lip. It was only then she let go, and he went sailing back, howling in pain. The bathroom was too narrow for her to give him a good kick to his junk so this would have to be enough.

Jessie ran for the bathroom door and turned the knob to unlock it, but a hand took a fist full of her hair and jerked her backward.

"You fucking bitch! When I get done with you, you'll regret doing that shit," he snarled in her ear.

He twisted her hair to her scalp and didn't stop until a whimper escaped from her.

"We've been gone too long," Jessie said. "They'll come looking for us."

Jared chuckled. "Not hardly. They're all too stone out of their minds to give a shit."

He spun her around for him to look at her. Blood was running down the side of his mouth. He must have a high pain tolerance if his wasn't bothering him as much as Jessie had hoped for. In the next instant, Jessie stomped her foot down on Jared's, making him cry out. She back away, giving herself enough space between them to give him a sucker punch to the face. This time, he was the one to slip on the rug and fall back against the toilet. His arm hit the tank and broke the lid.

While he rolled around to get up, Jessie turn away and ran for the door. She yanked it open and ran down the hall, into the kitchen and out the back door.

Outside, her friends were on the deck, still high. Stacey saw Jessie's small frame run from across the porch and down the steps. She lazily pushed herself off the chair and made her way to her friend.

"I need to get out of here!" Jessie cried.

"Jessie, what the fuck happened in there? I heard Jared yelling and I think he broke something. Whatever you did is gonna make my parents pissed off at me!" Stacey chided.

Jessie had her hands on the Bagger handlebars, ready to leave. Stacey's words made her stomach twist. How could her friend be so cold? Jessie wanted to grab the gothic bitch by her dress collar and smash her face in.

"Your so-called friend just put his hands on me! Maybe if you didn't want to get in trouble, you wouldn't invite people like the Anderson brothers over."

The rest of the party was standing behind Stacey including Keith Anderson. His eyes glittered with hatred as he stared Jessie down.

"She's lying!" Jared shouted over the balcony. "She's fucking lying! She tried to fuck me for a bump of coke. When I said no," he pointed to his injury. "She did this to my lip."

"It was self-defense!" Jessie shouted.

"Bullshit!" Keith said. "We know what kind of girl you are. We heard stories!"

"Stacey…" Jessie's voice was wavering.

"I mean… you do have that reputation," Stacey replied.

Jessie felt hurt and betrayed. Stacey knew Jessie was still a virgin and even if she wasn't, it didn't erase that Jared Anderson tried to rape her.

"Look what she did to me, Stace!" Jared said.

Stacey looked up at him and said: "Go inside Jared and I'll look after you." She turned back to Jessie and said, "I think you better go."

Despite the pain in her hand from punching Jared, it didn't stop her from delivering a blow to Stacey's cheek.

"FUCK YOU THEN!" Jessie shrieked. "I'm your fucking friend and you take that asshole's side over mine?"

Stacey was lying on the ground, holding her face with a stunned countenance. Before she could answer, Jessie scoffed and turned away. She got on her Bagger and revved up the engine, drowning out Stacey's cries. She peeled out of the driveway, spraying gravel everywhere, including the people she thought were her friends.

The drive back felt as if it was taking ages. The wind on her face dried out the tears that welled up.

Fuck all of them. After everything I did for Stacey after everything we had been through. How could she do this to this to me? And for what, so some asshole could give it to her. Well now I see her for how she really is. I am DONE!

She pulled off into a 24/7 station and ran straight for the bathroom. After rinsing her mouth, the taste of Jared's tobacco was still there, so she swished with soap. It was bitter and made her dry heave but it was better than nothing. Another sob escaped her. Lowering the toilet lid, she sat down, buried her face in tissue paper, and cried. She didn't know how much time passed, but sometime later, the store clerk came knocking on the door, asking if she was okay. Jessie called back saying she was fine and needed a minute. She paced the bathroom, running her hands through her hair, and taking deep breaths. After splashing cold water on her face, left the bathroom, ignoring the cashier who asked her again if she were all right.

By the time she made it home twenty minutes later, all the lights were out in the house except for Amber's bedroom. She figured the girls were still awake. She walked her motorcycle to the side of the house and parked it beneath the window. They might lock the doors, but she knew Amber always kept their window unlocked when Jessie was out.

She tapped lightly on the window to get their attention. She could see the small TV she shared with Amber. The muffled audio from an 80s Rom-Com played and the girls giggling could be heard from the other side. Jessie tapped on the window again, this time getting their attention. Amber came over and opened it.

"There you are," she whispered. "Oh man, Mom and Dad are so pissed. They're in the living-room waiting for you."

Jessie climbed in and dusted off her jeans. "I need to talk to them, anyway."

"They're really POed. Wait, are you shaking?"

Jessie looked down at her hands. She was shaking. Great.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked.

She nodded in reply. "Sure. I'm peachy. I'm gonna go talk to Mom and Dad."

"Good luck," Amber said.

Jessie gently shut the door behind her and made her way down the hall that led to the living-room. Her dad was at the counter with a can of beer in his hand and her mom was sitting at on the couch. Both were cloaked in darkness. Their only source of light was the dull amber glow of the stove light.

"Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you. Something hap-"

"Save it," Greg Mason said sharply. "Whatever your sorry excuse is this time, just save it."

"Please listen this time. Something happened at Stacey's tonight and I really need you."

Of all the people in the world, she thought maybe her parents would understand. Even though they appeared uncaring, she figured they'd loved her enough to do something about this.

"Jessie Lee, you have come home late for the last time. You're about to be eighteen and this is how you continue to behave?!" Tabby Mason added.

"Guys, please listen, someone jumped me at Stacey's!" She thought her pleading voice would cut through to them, but judging by their expressions, it wasn't working. "His name is Jared Anderson, and he tried to force himself on me! Please, we have to-"

"No more excuses!" her father roared.

Most nights she could handle his outburst, but after everything that happened tonight, she flinched away from him.

"Stop your lying right now and I mean it!" he continued. "You've had a lot of excuses but this one is just low."

"I'm not lying!" Jessie said sharply. It was taking everything in her to not bawl like a baby. Her eyes darted to her mother, hoping she would understand, but instead Tabby shook her head. "I can't believe this. First Stacey and now you guys? Why am I not surprised?"

Greg's fist came down hard, rattling it and the dishes on the stove. "Jessie, if you know what's good for you, you'll shut your mouth right now!"

Guided by hurt and anger, she stormed into the kitchen and stood a foot away from her father. In her eyes, her parents were traitors just like Stacey.

"I hate you!" she hissed.

"Go to bed and next time that loser boyfriend of yours comes around, I'll shoot his sorry ass." Her father warned.

"Like you have room to talk about who's a loser!" Jessie retorted. "You can't even pay the rent on time or put food on the table." It was out before she could stop herself, but it felt good to finally say what was on her mind. "All my life I had ratty clothes, and it's all your fault!"

He shoved her into the dishes stacked on the counter and they clattered to the floor and smashed into tiny pieces. She looked down at them, wondering if she should pick them up. As she looked up from the floor, her father's hand collided with her face and she fell onto the broken glass. Her hands burned from the cuts the glass inflicted and for a moment her mind numbed from shock and pain.

"Oh my, god, Greg, what have you done!" Tabby cried. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, but despite her cries, she didn't move to help her daughter.

Jessie pushed herself off the floor. By now she was crying, too. After everything that happened this was the final straw.

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed.

"Considered that motorcycle scrapped!" Greg shouted back.

She took off towards the bathroom where she locked herself in and cried her eyes out. The cold tile on the floor soothed her burning face. Lying on the floor, she made her final decision. No longer was she going to stay here in this dump of a house or this dump of town. She was out of here and was never coming back. To hell with this place and her piece of shit parents. They never really cared and only wanted to control. Well, they wouldn't have to worry anymore. She would be one less burden in their lives.

Amber, I'm sorry, but I have to leave.

Thirty minutes passed before Jessie moved off the floor and during that time, she could hear her parents fighting loudly. She felt embarrassed that Lily had to be here for this. When their fighting had stopped, she heard them retire to their bedroom.

It was eerily quiet in the house that night. Almost as if she was in the eye of the storm.

She tiptoed to the bedroom and gently pushed the door open. Amber and Lily were sound asleep or at least pretending they were. She took out her sleeping bag and rolled it out onto the floor, but didn't fall asleep. That night she lied there, trying to come up with the courage to leave, but where would she go? There was the city. Lester had been begging her to come live with him even though they hadn't been dating long.

They weren't even having sex yet. Sure she gave him a hand job at an Alice Cooper concert and their make out sessions got heavy but that was as far as she would allow. The first time being special sounded like bullshit to her. She could give a man a BJ or whatever, but after hearing about Stacey's first time being painful and blood getting everywhere the thought of sexual intercourse made Jessie nervous. She supposed she'd have to get over it someday, but for now, there was no harm in holding off. Poor Lester had been begging for it for weeks now and while it was tempting, her fears snuffed out her arousal every time.

She didn't want to think about sex anymore, at least not now after what just happened.

There's nothing here for me anymore. My parents are assholes, Stacey is a bitch who stabbed me in the back for Jared's dick, and Amber has Lily to look after her. I should go west and live in San Andreas, but that's a long drive and I'm not eighteen yet. If I got pulled over, the pigs would send me back to my folks. If I do leave, I can't go very far. Would Mom and Dad call the police if I ran away? Maybe out of spite, but after a while, they would stop caring. I could live with Lester but if the cops got involved, he would be the first place they'd look and if Lester and I break up, I would be a shit out of luck. Unless… unless I join the Angels of Death. They'd look out for me. That whole brotherhood and loyalty concept sounds good and I ain't above getting my hands dirty.

Hours passed and by the time, she finally moved, the sky faded from black to a deep blue. In an hour the sun would peak over the trees. Jessie quickly and quietly moved around the room gathering enough clothes to take to with her. In her top dresser drawer, she found her change can that once held those weird straw cookies. In a sock stuffed in the corner was her cash that she had been saving up. There was only $75 left, but she knew where to get more, even if it meant hurting someone.

She tucked her backpack under the bed before creeping into the kitchen where her father's wallet laid out in the open. She quickly snatched $200 before guilt took over and she put back one of the bills. After quickly stuffing it in her pocket, she picked up the phone and called Lester. His phone rang several times before he finally picked up. He sounded pissed, but once he heard how upset Jessie was, his tone quickly changed. After she explained everything that happened, he agreed to let her stay with him and sounded more than happy about it. Once she hung up, she took $25 from her dad's wallet and then crept back into the bedroom.

With her backpack in hand, she opened the window and crawled out.

"Jessie?"

She froze in place and slowly looked over her shoulder. Lily was staring back at her with her brown eyes.

"Tell no one, okay?" Jessie said.

"Will you come back?"

Jessie shook her head. "No, sorry kid, but I don't think I am. Look out for Amber for me, will ya?"

"All right," Lily whispered.

Jessie was out the window and rolling her bike down the hill. It was only at a safe distance did she start up the Bagger. She hammered it all the way to the city where a new life was waiting for her.

As Liberty City came into view, she made a vow that would never step foot in Madison again.

I know this was mostly telling instead of showing, but I never planned on showing much of Jessie's life in Madison. My focus is her time with the Angels and her relationship with Johnny in later chapters.