Jessie was sitting on the counter watching Troy cut up tomatoes to put into his vegetable medley for the night. She liked the feeling of being totally involved with his life and being the center of attention. "So Troy, just how long will it be before you adopt me?" Troy stopped cutting the vegetables and looked at her. He didn't want to admit it, but his it hurt every time she called him Troy instead of Daddy.
"Well, we have the paper work already started so probably within a month or two." Jessie smiled at that, she actually did like Troy. She picked up the knife and started fidgeting with it much to Troy's dismay, but he held his tongue for now.
"I was thinking that maybe I could change my name, what do you think?" Troy nodded while staring intently at the blade she held in her hands. "I was thinking that I could change my name for Jessica to just Jessie and we could pick out a middle name together," she paused "if that's ok with you?" Troy smiled.
"Sure it is, I just want you to be happy." He moved really close to her face. "As long as we make your last name Carrera, I'm fine with anything else you want." She smiled back and nodded.
"Um, I was also wondering if I could spend the first week of spring break with Randy. He said it was fine if you were ok with it." Troy nodded.
"That sounds fine to me as long as you behave until then." Jessie nodded.
"I can do that." Troy went back to cutting the tomatoes and other vegetables while Jessie went to watch TV in the living room. He smiled to himself, this was going to be fun.
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Randy was in the locker room totally in a daze, his performance had been ever since Jessie left about a week ago. Even his usual trip home to St. Louis couldn't help get him back on track. He had to focus, but he just couldn't. He sighed, this was tough. The door opened revealing John and Jeff standing there. Randy nodded and continued to change.
"Come on man, you have to get out of this funk. I know it sucks since Jessie left, but dude you've been stinkin' up the joint." Randy rubbed his head.
"You think I don't know that? I can't get her off my mind! This sucks!" Jeff stepped forward.
"Relax man, we're here for you. We all miss her, but we still have a job to do." Randy sighed.
"Yeah, I guess it'll just take some time." Randy turned. "and Jeff?" Jeff smiled.
"Don't' worry about it man, no hard feelings." All three men nodded in agreement. This sucks.
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"Jessie, dinner!" She smiled and rolled over. Troy's couch was super comfortable and sometime during the Drake and Josh marathon she had fallen asleep. Hoping to get a few more minutes sighed and rolled over. "I'm going to say it one more time, dinner Jessie Carrera." Jessie smiled, Troy's will would not outlive hers. Troy smiled to himself and put the dishtowel over his shoulder. Soon moving quicker than lighting Troy threw the covers off of her and began tickling her unmercilessly. She kicked her skinny legs frantically hoping to get him off but he was just too strong. "Are you ready to eat now?" Jessie tried to respond but her words were left in her throat as she could only laugh. "Now?" The tickling intensified.
"Yes!" Troy began tickling her a bit more just for good measure. "Please Daddy, stop I'm ready to eat!" Troy smiled and stopped. He didn't want to make too much of a big deal out of it, but inside his heart was leaping bounds.
"I stopped, but only because you said Daddy." Jessie smiled.
"Can we eat now, I'm starving?" Troy nodded and threw her slender frame over his shoulder and walked towards the dining room.
Shortly after they got into the meal, Troy decided to throw out the bombshell. "Jessie sweetie?" She looked up from her soup. "We're having a party at my sister's, house tomorrow in honor of your adoption." Jessie smiled and nodded.
"Ok." She shrugged. "Do I have cousins to play with?" Troy smiled, this was turning out to be a very smooth transition.
"Yep, there are two Marc and Jake. Marc's about your age, probably just a little younger than you." She nodded. "I like family, the only other one I've really had before were Randy, Jeff and John." She smiled. "And my daddy," she said into her bowl. Troy smiled vigorously noticing her smile too.
"I love you." Jessie took off her glasses and placed them on the table, then glared at Troy.
"You know what?" Troy stared intently at her.
"What?"
"I think I love you too." At that moment Troy's heart could have burst from sheer joy.
Once dinner was over and Jessie had washed the dishes she went off to her room to call Randy. She missed him terribly and couldn't wait to hear how he was doing. She picked up her sidekick and hit two on her speed dial. Hey this is Randy, I'm not here so leave a message. Dag. She tried Jeff's phone, but he answered. "Jeff, hi!"
"Hey Lil Bit," she could hear Jeff's smile through the phone and a very familiar grunting in the background.
"How are you? I've really missed you guys." Jeff nodded.
"It has been hard without you, but we're managing." Jessie nodded.
"Hey um Jeff, I was wondering if Randy was anywhere near you." She already knew the answer, but wanted to hear Jeff say it.
"No, he's um," Jeff not wanting to tell her where he really was, "he's out with some friends." He could hear the hurt in Jessie's voice.
"Oh, ok. Well I miss you guys, it's almost my bed time. I guess I'll talk to you guys later."
"Alright Lil Bit, be good. I love you." Jessie sighed and hung up…he's moved on already. She laid her head back on her bed and sighed. It looks like Troy and Mark are all I have now. Jessie reached for her phone and sent her favorite deadman a text message. Ever since that night they had been texting few times a week.
Hey, Deadman. How you livin'?
Good, Lil One. Just soakin' the old knees.
I miss you. Maybe you can come see me.
Maybe…you're in West Virginia right?
Yup. Just me n' my daddy.
Daddy? Well good for you sweetie. I have to go get some sleep. Talk to you soon.
Ok. Bye Deadman.
Jessie smiled, as she looked around her room that was now painted royal blue with green and white stripes. It had a desk and her laptop but other than that it was pretty barren. Troy was big on earning privileges and monitoring her television. A year ago she would have put up a fit, but now she realized that he was just trying to help her grow up normally. Jessie turned to see Troy standing in the hallway staring at her. "Can I help you?" He smiled.
"I'm just here to see if you wanted to talk or read." That had become their nightly ritual within the last week and a half. Every night before bed she would choose which one. Jessie loved it, because for once she felt special enough to garner his sole attention. Even with Randy they only read every once in a while and usually it would end with him getting up to answer his cell phone and never coming back.
"Can you just sit here for a while?" Troy sensing the sadness in her voice obliged easily. She already had him wrapped around her finger. He slid into her twin bed next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her close to his chest.
"What's wrong?" Jessie looked up at him with tears in her eyes, but shook her head. He laid her head on his chest and rubbed her back. "Shh, it's ok." They sat there for a few more minutes with the only noise being the sound of her softly crying into his chest. This was breaking his heart, he was ready to kill. Slowly her tears stopped coming and she seemed to calm down. "Ready to talk, baby?" She nodded and slightly adjusted herself now sitting with her head resting on his shoulder blade.
"I called Randy, but he didn't answer. Then I called Jeff and he told me Randy was out with friends, but I knew that he was sitting right there because I could hear him grunting in the background. Why doesn't he love me anymore, Daddy?" Troy was going through a hellacious amount of torture at the moment. His heart was breaking, because his baby was crying but he was ecstatic that she had called him 'daddy'. He was going to murder Randy. He rubbed her shoulder.
"It's ok, you know he probably just too sad to talk to you. Maybe it hurts too much?" Jessie glared.
"If that's the case then he's a pus-" Troy cut her off with a warning glare. "He's a girl then. That's really dumb. He thinks that by not talking to me is going to help the pain? He's stupid then." Troy nodded and just pulled her close.
Troy waited until she fell asleep before he walked out of the room. His mind was made up, Randy was going to pay for making his baby cry. He had grabbed Jessie's cell phone and taken all of the guys numbers the week before just for the sake of having their numbers in case anything arose. He dialed the numbers and waited.
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Randy's cell phone vibrated and he didn't recognize the number, but he picked it up anyway. "Hello, this is Randy?" Randy's already ill tempered mood was heightened when he recognized the voice on the other end. "Troy," he said gruffly.
"Yes this is Troy, dude what is wrong with you?" Randy could hear the anger in Troy's voice.
"What do you mean?" Troy shook his head, this kid was too much.
"Why didn't you talk to Jessie? Do you realize that I just sat watching my twelve year old daughter cry herself to sleep, because her big brother wouldn't pick up his - phone." Randy groaned. He never meant to make her cry.
"Oh man," he paused with his voice cracking. "Troy, I'm so sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen. " Troy cut him off.
"Too late dickhead. You already hurt her," he paused sensing his anger rise in leaps and bounds. "She wanted to spend a week of her spring break with you, but I don't think that will work anymore." Randy started to panic and almost every ounce of emotion that he had been holding in was moving towards his eyes.
"No please," he said voice almost hoarse, "I really am sorry. Please don't punish her because I can't deal with emotions. I swear to you I'll never do anything to hurt her again. Please," he said with every piece of energy that he could muster. Troy sighed.
"I'll think about it." Randy took a deep breath and rubbed his bald head.
"Can you tell Jessie to call me first thing in the morning please, I don't care what time she wakes up. I just wanna make things right." Troy sighed sensing the man's obvious remorse, but he would be warned.
"Ok, I'll tell her that, but Randy I'm warning you, if you hurt my child again I swear that they will never find the body." Randy's eyebrows rose at the threat, but considering that he would have done the same thing he wasn't upset.
"Don't worry, the last thing that I ever want to do is upset her." Troy rolled his eyes.
"Of course not. Remember my warning," he said as he hung up. Troy leaned back in his bed smiling to himself. Within two weeks he had already become a papa bear ready to protect his cub. My how times have changed.
Jessie stood outside his door, having have heard the whole exchange. She smiled, Troy really did love her. It's good to have a daddy, she thought as she turned to go back into her room.
What'd you guys think? I love reviews lol.
