Jesse walked inside and threw his house keys on a near by table. He went over to the kitchen and looked around for something to eat. He opened the fridge and found left over pizza from the night before. He carelessly tossed his so called dinner in the microwave and then walked lazily over to the phone to check for any messages. "You have one new message" said a computerized voice. "Hey guys its Dad. Just checking in to see how things are. Tanner, take care of your brother and don't let him get into any trouble. It would be nice if you helped him unpack but that's pushing it. Jess, call me to let me know how you're doing! I hope you didn't mind Tanner picking you up. Your mother and I thought it was a good idea that you guys spend the first part of day with each other. Well, I've got conferences all day tomorrow so just leave a message with the hotel and I'll get back to you as soon as I get back! I'll see you soon." Jesse erased the message then sat down at the counter to eat.
It wasn't very long before he started thinking about what Tanner had said to him on the ride home. "just make sure you don't push away the people who matter the most" Jesse buried his face in his hands, not wanting to think or worry about anything. He sighed and narrowed down his to do list to stop caring, eat dinner, and go to bed. Regardless of how hard he tried to forget, he knew Tanner had been right, not only about himself but also about Jen. Jesse thought over his conversation with her at the boardwalk, and couldn't seem to come up with an explanation for Jen's behavior towards him. Did she really want to be there for him or was she after something else? Was she just trying to be nice or did she really care about him? In his mind, it all came down to trust. Could he trust her? He stumbled on the thought. There didn't seem to be anything fake or superficial about her, and she had told him about her problems back home. She certainly wasn't afraid to speak her mind and she was brave enough to risk telling him about herself. Maybe this was her way of showing that she trusted him, and all he had done was box her out for the second time that day. Jesse felt as though the words he'd said to her had managed to manifest themselves in the pit of his stomach and the after taste of guilt was nauseating. He cursed to himself as he headed upstairs to his room. He walked in then collapsed on his bed, the weight of the day so great that even closing his eyes was laborious. He eventually rolled over on his side and looked out the window and saw Cali's house not to far off in the distance. Most of the lights were off in the house except for the room nearest to his. A strange and sudden feeling overtook him and he abruptly sat upright and stared out the window. "She's home…" he whispered, while realizing that both Cali or Sophie were out with Tanner. The unusual circumstance created in his mind the perfect opportunity to apologize to Jen without any teasing from his brother and company. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I'm crazy…" he said to himself, then got up and left his room.
He marched down the stairs grabbed the house keys and walked out. Five minutes later he walked back inside, threw the house keys back on the table and paced nervously back and forth in the foyer.
"I can't do this…a) she's probably still really upset and won't talk to me. Or b) she'll think I'm really weird for going to her house…at night…by myself…just to talk to her… Or c) she'll think I'm some kind of psycho stalker and call the cops. Great! There's no way I'm gunna get out of this without looking like a total weirdo. So here goes. " He picked up the keys again and walked outside towards Cali's house.
While standing in front of the house he felt his body freeze up just before walking up the steps. He glared at his hands and yelled at them for ceasing to work at the time he needed them most then after a minute of hesitation knocked on the door. Silence. He knocked once again. Still no answer.
"Okay…maybe she's got her stereo on or something…whatever I'm not leaving until I talk to her…" he thought loudly, then walked over to the side of the house where her room was. He looked up, her light was on, but he didn't hear any music.
"I don't care where she is….I'm doing this…" he reassured himself.
Jesse looked around for some way to climb up to the window of her room, then discovered a nearby ivy covered trellis and slowly began to climb up it. On any other day he would have appreciated Cali's mansion sized house but seeing that he now had to climb up the side of it, despised each floor. When closest to the top he looked down and briefly lost his hormone driven determination. Yet, after a few minutes, reached the window of Jen's room. He peered his head over the windowsill into her room and found it to be empty. This didn't make sense. He knew she had to be home but he couldn't seem to find her anywhere. His stubbornness pushed him to decide to stay where he was until she came in. Jesse waited and waited and still there was no sign of Jen. Suddenly the door of her room opened. Jen walked in wearing nothing but a towel and hummed a familiar tune to herself as she looked for something to put on. The initial shock Jesse experienced shook him but he stood his ground, guilty but mostly curious as to what he might see. Jen walked over to her dresser and picked out one of her many James Perse tank tops to put on then picked up a bottle of her favorite perfume and sprayed near the nape of her neck. She then got up and walked over to her bed where she sat down and faced the window then began taking off her towel.
"Oh Gd!" Jesse said far too loudly, almost sure that Jen had seen him staring at her through the window.
He ducked down as low as he could and barely made a sound. Jen stopped what she was doing when she heard the leaves outside her window violently rustle. She quickly pulled her towel back around herself and leaned over to see who or what it was. "Oh Shit!" Jesse shouted, and was so shocked that she had discovered him, lost his footing. By the time Jen looked down Jesse was out of sight. She heard a boyish scream and shortly after a loud thud. She frantically looked out the window of her room and saw Jesse lying flat on the lawn.
"Jess?" she said fearfully. He groaned.
"Holy shit!Are you ok! I'll be right there! Don't move!" Jen threw on a shirt and sweatpants and hurriedly ran down stairs and out the side door to where Jesse was. He was sprawled out awkwardly on ground and groaning. Jen ran over and kneeled down next to him then helped him sit up.
"Jesse what in Gd's name were you doing?" she asked wide eyed. Jesse looked at Jen in a daze.
"I was…um…coming to...apologize….you didn't really answer your door so I climbed up there…"he said pointing randomly at the sky.
"Sweetheart did you hit your head because I swear I just heard you say that you came here to apologize to me?" Jen replied then brushed some of the hair off his forehead to see if he had seriously injured himself.
"Well you're not bleeding. So I guess you're just delirious." She said helping him stand. She put her arm around his waist and took him inside, and walked him over to the couch. She ran over to the freezer and took out an ice pack for Jesse, then threw it in his general direction.
"Thanks…"he said quietly when she came over and placed it on his head.
"I…just…. wanted to….you know…say sorry for…earlier…I really was kind of a…jerk to you" he said trying to focus on Jen.
"…It's ok Jess…I knew you'd come around even if falling off the side of a house is what it takes." Jen laughed. Jesse tried to but his laugh sounded more like a whimper.
"…where….where were you anyways?" he said bewilderedly.
"In the shower…" she replied.
"Oh I couldn't have guessed that." He said grinning.
"Did you…see anything…?"
"Maybe maybe not…I can't remember I hit my head pretty hard…" He lied. Jen looked at him disbelievingly.
"You honestly can't tell me that you didn't want to see a girl come out of the shower!" Jesse bit his bottom lip and smiled.
"No…well maybe…but hey at least I started out with good intentions…" Jen turned bright red and got up.
"Well let's change the subject, I'm going to get a snack do you want something?" she asked. Jesse shook his head.
"Fine more for me then!" Jen turned on the TV and handed Jesse the remote "Here, find something to watch." She said then started off towards the kitchen. After making herself a plate full of smores, she turned off the kitchen lights and headed back into the living room.
"Jess we should head back over to your house soon. We don't want Tanner to think you ran away or something." She said loudly. Jesse didn't respond. Jen slowly walked over to the couch and there was Jesse curled up ball, sleeping.
"What am I going to o do with you." She sighed, then walked over to the closet and pulled out a blanket to cover Jesse with. She then sat down on the couch next to Jesse and took off his shoes. He moaned softly and rolled over on his side. Jen sat and thought about how she could possibly explain this situation to Cali in the morning. The fact that after one day both she and Jesse ended up being alone in her house together for the night made things a little more that suspicious. If anything, she needed to somehow get Jesse out of the living room and eventually out of the house. The last thing she wanted Cali, Sophie, and Tanner to find him lying there first thing tomorrow. She realized that had no other choice but to wake him.
"Jesse…" she whispered. He didn't move. She tapped him on the shoulder but he turned away "Go away…" he mumbled.
"Get up silly were going upstairs." She said then took his arm and tried to get him to sit up.
"No! Leave me alone. I'm tired" He groaned. She pulled him out of bed but fell backwards on the floor along with him. He rolled onto the floor, face down and tangled in a mess of blankets. Jen helped him get up, and the two of them began walking up to her room. They struggled up the stairs, Jen barely able to hold his weight, and Jesse barely able to keep his eyes open. She opened her door and Jesse collapsed in a pile of laundry on the floor. Jen found one of Cali's old sleeping bags and made a place for Jesse to sleep next to her bed. He crawled into his sleeping bag and almost immediately fell asleep. She then stepped over top of Jesse and after a long night finally lay down in her bed. "Goodnight Jess." She said softly. "….Goodnight mom…" he mumbled. Jen smiled at him then turned off the lights and fell asleep.
