Okay, so there's a run-on sentence in this one, but it was the only way I could think of to have Jessica explain her necklace's symbolic meaning! ! heheh... Just don't give it a second thought, okay? ? The necklace itself is integral to the plot, and will prove a useful tool in future chapters.
Okay, enough of my yammering... On with the fic! ! !
New Girl in a New Town
Chapter 3: Later at the Candy Bar
A little while later, Jessica emerged from Jimmy's lab with the others, exclaiming, "That is the coolest lab I've ever seen!"
"Really?!" Jimmy gasped with a huge grin on his face.
"You BET! ! !" she agreed, "What better place to study nature, discover its amazing properties, & create things for the benefit of mankind, not to mention occasionally achieve the seemingly impossible?!"
"Aw, shucks, Jessica...," he said bashfully, "You really know how to make me blush!"
"Oh, boy...," Cindy muttered, rolling her eyes.
Libby saw it & whispered in her ear, "Are ya jealous of Jessica, Cin? ?"
"No, of course not, Libby! WHY would I be jealous of her?!" she tried to convince her, but Libby wasn't buying it.
Sheen couldn't help but overhear their conversation & interjected, "Oh, I dunno... Cuz she's so dang CUTE? ?"
"Be QUIET, Ultra-Dork! ! !" Cindy snapped at him, though she couldn't help thinking, I hate to admit it, but he's right...
Then Carl suggested to the gang, "How about a trip to the Candy Bar, guys? ?"
"Ya know, that's not a half-bad idea, Carl! Let's go!" Jimmy agreed, and led the gang towards that location, which only took them 10 minutes via his hovercar.
Once there, they went inside & up to the counter, where Sam was waiting impatiently for them to order something. "Hurry up & order already! I've got a yoga class at 5, yeah!" he demanded, drumming his fingers on the counter.
They gave him their orders & seated themselves at a booth.
Sheen, ever the observant one, immediately asked, pointing at Jessica's necklace, "What's that cross on your necklace mean?"
"It was my great-grandmother's," she informed them proudly, "The gemstones inside it stand for 3 very important concepts: the rubies stand for the fact that every one of us on this planet are sinners; not one of us are perfect. We may have our good qualities in each of us, but we cannot attain perfection on our own. But, with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ; Who was born to a virgin, lived 33 years on Earth & performed wonderful miracles such as raising the dead & giving sight to the blind, was beaten & crucified while bearing all our past, present, & future sins & died so we wouldn't have to in the final days, was buried in a tomb & rose again 3 days later, returned to heaven 30 days after that, & promised to come again someday for those who have truly accepted His gift of salvation from our sins; represented by the central diamond, we can become perfect in Him someday! The cross itself is a symbol of His death & resurrection, showing that He conquered death & proves that we won't be deceased forever since He's coming again for those who've truly accepted His gift of salvation. That good enough of an explanation for ya?"
They all just stared at her with wide eyes and mouths agape for a few moments, then Jimmy informed her, "Yes, that was quite an explanation, Jessica! Well said!
"By the way, who many carats IS that necklace of yours worth? ?"
"Seventy-five, or approximately $45,000," she told him, "Why do you ask?"
When he heard that, he sputtered, "Fo- fo- FORTY-FIVE THOUSAND dollars?! ?!" Then he fainted right there on the spot.
When he came to 5 minutes later, Jimmy found himself laying on his back on the Candy Bar floor with the other 5 teens staring down at him all around him. "Say something, Neutron!" Cindy persisted.
"Wha- What happened?" he wanted to know.
"Ya fainted," Libby said.
"Why?" Jimmy asked.
"You were just shocked at how much my necklace was worth: $45,000," Jessica added helpfully.
"WHOA! !" he exclaimed, then got up, gathered his wits, & firmly informed her, "Jessica, someone could easily steal that thing if they knew it was worth 45 grand! ! Someone like-"
But before he could finish, a tall, skinny, masked, black figure with only their eyes showing whisked by them & flew out the Candy Bar double-doors, snatching Jessica's necklace from right off her neck in the process.
The gang immediately tore after the thief, but after exiting the Candy Bar, they were nowhere to be found.
"Stop, THIEF! !" Jessica shrieked after them, but it was no use.
"I'm afraid it's no use, Jessica," Jimmy told her solemnly.
"No way! ! ! I will not rest until my necklace is located!" she snapped, her strong will not wavering a hair, "So, who's with me?!"
After she stuck out her hand, one by one, the rest of the gang placed each of theirs on top of hers. "Deal! !" they all agreed in unison.
The search for Jessica's thief had officially begun!