Part 12: Will I See You Again?

4th of August, 2005 (Thursday) - Orange County, California

"Coop! Will you please hurry up, we're gonna be so late for the show!" Summer called into the toilet of her friend's room.

"Nearly done!" Marissa called before she applied another layer of lip gloss onto her lips.

Just as she had finished and was putting away her 'make up of the day' into her purse, the door bell rang. She opened the door to find the retreating figure of her petite friend rushing out of her room to open the door. The door bell rang again within a few seconds… so it was pretty obvious who was ringing it. Just as Summer opened the door, she was nowhere near surprised to find Jodie clicking the door bell for the third time.

"Geez Jodie, ever heard of being patient?!" Summer growled at the girl.

"Sorry…" she grinned… the same grin that got Summer all worked up.

Shaking her head, and tearing her eyes away from the 'stupid' grin, she tried to divert her attention, "So… where's Alex?"

"Uh, she's still getting ready next door…" the girl pointed to the house, literally next door, her grin still intact.

Summer tried, but her eyes never the less drifted back towards those lips. She wasn't quite sure whether she wanted to thank her best friend, or go rage black out on her as the other girl innocently down the stairs and broke the silence between the two shorter girls.

"So where's Alex?"

"Here!" the blonde called as she came into sight.

"Took you long enough." Both the shorter girls said simultaneously to the other two.

Alex and Marissa smirked and looked between the two girls before exchanging a, 'something's going on' look at each other.

Summer caught the look and immediately jumped in to defend herself, "What?! It's normal for two people to say the same thing… at the same time."

"Yeah, right Sum, we didn't say anything," Marissa chuckled lightly, "c'mon, we'll be late for the show," she breezed past the two and walked side by side next to Alex towards her SUV.

Back at the house though, two poor lonely boys were sitting facing the playstation. "Where's Jodie and Alex?" Ryan asked, his fingers still pressing at the control.

"Out."

"Again?"

"Yeah… It seems Jodie and Alex only had to stay here for a week before everyone in Newport got acquainted with them… Something I never had since… living here the day I was born."

"I feel for you…"

"Thanks man… not that you're doing much better than I am right at this point."

Ryan sighed, "I know…"

"But then again, we're not two hot, sexy girls who wear just enough to cover their private areas…" Seth drooled.

"Seth."

"Yeah."

"You're drooling…"

"Oh."

Evanston, Illinois

"No way!" Katie cried out in surprise, "you're joking right?"

Jessie smiled at the older girl's reaction, it wasn't forced, it wasn't something she had to say; the blonde nodded affirmative.

"So you're really a black belt…" the brunette stated, "wow… wouldn't want to be in your bad books," she joked, taking a sip from her chocolate milkshake.

Grace and Tad looked at each other, sighed and rolled their eyes at Katie's enthused reaction to the little bit of fact she just discovered. It seemed to them that Katie and Jessie were physically there, sitting with them, but mentally, they were both in their own world with only the other girl in it. It's only blindingly obvious that Katie and Jessie's friendship were bonding faster than ever. They've met only just so long ago, and here they are, seemingly as if they've known each other since diaper years.

"Wow, will you guys look at the time. I think we should head on home don't you think?" Grace butted in with her sarcastic tone of voice, which did not affect the chatting two in any form or way. "Hello?! Going home now…" she got up slowly to indicate she was going to leave, and to cue that it was time for Jessie to leave as well.

"It's okay Grace, you can drive Tad home, I'll drop Jessie home later." Katie answered only taking her eyes away from the blonde for that brief moment necessary.

'At times like these, I wonder why I even agree to bring Jessie out with me.' Grace thought in her cynical way. "Fine," she replied and dragged Tad out of the diner with her, leaving the two to chat along.

After another while of chatting, Katie rubbed her stomach, "I'm still hungry…"

Jessie giggled, "I thought you were gonna say you were bloated…"

"Me? Bloated? Please… that was barely enough to fill me."

The blonde recapped on what they had eaten just before, salad, french-fries, burger, milkshake. "Um, you ate like… everything there is to eat here…" she shook her head.

"Yeah well, I'm now craving for pancakes."

"I don't see how you manage to stay that thin when you eat like a cow!" the younger joked, which earned her a nice little pout from the older girl.

"Well you in for pancakes or not?" Katie got out of the bench to stretch, before she gave Jessie her hand to grab.

The blonde looked at the hand, without a second thought she grabbed it, and was pulled out of her side of the bench seat and was being pulled out of the diner.

Orange County, California

Upon arriving at the Bait Shop, they realized how lucky they were to have booked a private room for themselves… if that wasn't the case, they definitely wouldn't have been able to go in, or get anywhere close to getting in. The place was jam packed full of teenagers either dancing or just drinking away to the music. After being led to their room and got settled, Marissa volunteered to go get them drinks, but Alex decided to go with her… "just to help her carry the drinks back". Summer and Jodie just shrugged at the two, and continued to listen to the music as their hands subconsciously inched closer towards each other.

The task of getting the attention of the bartender and ordering their drinks was as easy as doing 1+1 for Marissa; something she actually thanked her mom for – her good looks. Okay, 'good looks' was an understatement… but you get the gist. As Marissa and Alex waited for the drinks to be taken to them, the blonde took a deep breathe before saying the inevitable. But over the music, and the crowd's constant cheering, all the brunette made out was, "… tonight… night…back to…"

Marissa shook her head, a confused look plastered on her face as she tried to shout over the crowd, "I can't hear you!"

Alex got in closer, her lips mere millimetres away from the other girl's ear, "I said, tonight's my last night here. I'll be heading back to L.A. tomorrow!"

The blonde's warm breathe tickled her so painfully good. She stood frozen, not sure whether it was because the information about the blonde leaving tomorrow was slowly processing, or whether it was because they were virtually shoved up against each other, due to the mass amount of teens.

"MISS!" the boy called from across the bar pushing the drinks they'd ordered at her. Marissa snapped her head away and dropped the boy the money and tips, grabbed the drinks without leaving the blonde much of a reply or reaction for that matter.

Alex frowned at the lack of response from the brunette, but shrugged it off as the other girl probably not hearing her. She turned to help grab the drinks; this served no help to poor Marissa's state, as the movement caused them both to push their lower bodies against each other further… if even possible.

"Uh… let's uh… get back." Marissa's voice quivered a tad as the blonde turned back to face her, more grinding ensued down below; thankfully, the music covered her up well.

The blonde on the other hand had no idea what she was doing to the poor brunette. She just turned and tried to shove her way back through the crowd towards the room where Summer and Jodie were. Marissa breathed out a uneven breath once Alex had moved away from her… she shook her head at the thoughts and followed the other girl back to the room.

Evanston, Illinois

"Aren't you having any pancakes?"

"No thanks… it okay. I'm full." Jessie smiled.

"So what, you're just gonna watch me eat?" Katie quirked an eyebrow at the younger girl.

"Yeah, that and to keep you company…"

"Ha." Katie faked a cough, "I'm sure tonnes of people would die to be in your seat right now," she joked.

"…. I know…" the young blonde blushed.

She didn't need to go to the same school to know that the older girl was really popular. How could she not be, she was a natural charmer, not to mention she was really friendly… and pretty. 'God she needs to stop smiling that crooked half smile of hers…'

"So… tell me something you'd never normally tell your friends…" the brunette said after a moment of silence.

Just as Jessie was thinking of what to say, Katie's plate of pancakes came.

"Well, I once struggled… with uh… and eating disorder," that… and the fact that she's struggling from looking at the girl before her for too long.

"Wow…" Katie mumbled in shock, "but no worries, no disorders around me, because you'll be eating 24/7 when you're around me." She grinned, a piece of pancake on the fork, she lifted the fork to just in front of Jessie's mouth, "pancake?"

The blonde broke out in a slight chuckle before taking the piece of cake into her mouth. It was pretty delicious, though it may have been her first time eating pancakes at 10:30pm. The older girl smiled before cutting a piece for herself, making sure she took up as much melted vanilla ice cream she could take on the pancake.

"So what about you…"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me something that you wouldn't normally tell your friends."

"…. I think I can feel my sister sometimes." Katie looked up at the blonde, their eyes met, "as in I can feel her emotions; when she's sad, when she's happy and angry. I think I can feel that on some levels."

"Maybe she can feel you too… you never know."

"Probably… Anyways back to happier things now… wanna come by to my house later?"

"Uh, I think I should get home… you know Dad and Lilly would be worried."

"C'mon, my parents are out of town, my oldest brother has gone somewhere, which now leaves me, my second brother… and his girlfriend at home." The girl pleaded with puppy eyes, "you can call em later?" she said hopefully.

Sighing, and shaking her head at the girl in front of her, "fine."

Orange County, California

"Oh my god, Alex…" Summer hugged the tall blonde, "I can't believe tonight's your final night here."

"Yeah, well it has been really fun… but I guess I have to go back now that the holiday's coming to an end."

Marissa still sat, not much reaction coming from her. The short brunette swatted her in the arm, "Ow…"

"Coop, Alex is gonna be leaving, and you're sitting there drinking?"

The tall brunette sighed and turned to face the blonde, "will you… being coming to visit?"

Jodie, not so bright after all, "Al, look! You've got an invitation to come back!"

This time, it was her turn to be on the receiving end of Summer's swatting, "Jodie…"

"What?"

Sighing in frustration, she faked a smile, "Let's go dance."

Excitedly, the Latina quickly jumped to her feet and was out the door with Summer pushing her from behind, leaving the two taller girls alone. The two turned their attention back to each other…

"So um…" they both started and stopped. "You can go first…" stopped.

"What were you saying?" Alex said quickly before the other girl could speak.

"Well… uh, I was… you know… um…. Do you… Will I see you again?"

Evanston, Illinois

The two girls continued to talk about anything and everything that came to mind all the way from the pancake parlour back to Katie's house. By the time she looked at the clock, it was already 11:30pm.

"Crap!"

"What?" Katie turned to look at the blonde in concern.

"Its really late… I should get home." Jessie got up off the bed.

"Wait… you can stay over… If you want that is."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah… I mean it's still the holidays, so no harm in that."

"…Okay… But I'll call home first."

"Sure the phone's right over there…" the brunette pointed to her bedside table.

She got up off her own bed to grab a pair of shorts and an oversized sweater and walked towards the bathroom to change and brush her teeth.

"Hey dad, I'm kinda at Katie's house…. Yeah, Katie as in Grace's friend." Jessie nodded to her head, though her dad couldn't see, "Yeah… do you think I could… sleepover." Now that 's a word she doesn't use often, if ever, "Yeah, to keep her company. Uh huh… okay. Night daddy."

"Well?" Katie hopped onto her bed excitedly as Jessie placed the phone back into the holder.

"Yes I can stay."

"Alright!"