A/N Yah, I'm sorry. Its a day late, and I kept you all in suspense. I hope this chapter makes up for it! I'm almost finished now, so enjoy these last few chapters!

Mil

Daddy's Little Girl

Chapter Twenty

I nearly dropped my clutches in shock. Tomorrow? As in, the day after today? Within the next 24 hours?

Jesse shot me an apologetic glance, which I ignored insolently, and began making my way back to my table – where I would make some kind of excuse to the girls, who, by the looks of their faces, knew how I was feeling right now anyway – and leave as quickly as I could.

But my plan wasn't that successful. I knew as soon as I turned around and heard a nasty guitar-strong twang behind me that I wasn't going back to my friends alone. Jesse had placed a hand on my shoulder just seconds after I had taken my first step, causing me to whirl around and glare at him.

"What, Jesse?" I asked, spitefully. "Because unless it involves you not leaving tomorrow for Las Vegas, I really don't want to hear it."

"Susannah." Jesse looked hurt. "What are you on about? Aren't you happy for me and the guys that we could possibly have a record deal?"

"Would you like me to define the word indefinitely?" I retorted, steadying myself with my crutches. "Because you obviously seem to have the wrong idea. It means 'until further notice', 'for the foreseeable future', 'ad infinitum'…" I trailed off. "Are you getting the picture now, Jesse?"

He was quiet for ages. In fact, we went so long without exchanging words that I was considering hopping away on my crutches again, until his mouth finally opened again.

"You broke up with Paul," he said, slowly. "I heard from Jake. It must have been after the gas-stop, right?"

I softened. "Right."

"How did he take it?" I was surprised at this question – considering how our relationship had ended, with the rowing and the insults flying. I thought a bit before answering.

"O.K, I guess. I was a little less dramatic than the first time I broke up with him."

A small smile appeared on Jesse's face. "Yeah," he replied. "I could hear you yelling at him from inside the van. And then I watched you storm into the restaurant, and it just thrilled me that I was only seconds behind you. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because you were so amazingly pretty- and it was just inevitable that I was going to talk to you."

I couldn't help smiling back. Amazingly pretty? He'd never said that about me before, not even when we were in a room alone – with no adoring fans of his, or ogling best friends of mine subtly spying on us. I moved closer to hug him, something tugging at my heartstrings at the same time.

"I really hope your meeting in Las Vegas goes well, Jesse," I said, against his chest. I could hear his heartbeat thumping quickly – quicker than usual. His skin was cool as I traced the shape of his hand with mine. "You deserve it."

"And I want everything to go just right for you in NoCal," he replied, into my hair. "Everything to be up to your high, high standards." I giggled, my whole body shaking against his.

"How's your hand?" I asked him.

"Healing. Your legs?"

"Healing," I answered. He squeezed my hand, and then released me, smiling down at me in the breath-taking way he always did. He was so handsome – the jutted edges of his tanned cheekbones, and his dark, narrow and inquisitive eyes, his long, skinny, musician's fingers, and his thin and muscular waist. I was going to miss all of it. All of him.

He was my last loose end – the last one to firmly cross off my list. On paper, that scenario should have tied him up completely – my list finally done. But instead I'd knotted it into a big mess that hung heavy in my heart and my stomach, making me feel sick and ready to barf at any second. Jake cleared his throat loudly behind us, and Jesse spun around to see my stepbrother gesture towards the microphone.

Jesse started towards the stage – and the hundreds of teenage girls yelled his name and whooped – and he got smaller and smaller as he stood before the crowd and I backed away towards the door.

Goodbye, Jesse. I'll miss you forever.

I love you.

"Seriously, Suze, I recommend it." Meghan shoved another tissue in my face. "Invest in some Kleenex – nice soft tissue that you can use for stuff other than cleaning your car from the inside."

"When did you last cry, exactly?" Fliss asked me worriedly, as I released yet another howl. "Like, second grade?"

"I cried the other day!" I shot back, furiously, dabbing at my eyes. "God. I haven't got a heart of stone, you know."

"I know, sweetie," said Cee-Cee, comfortingly, handing me another Kleenex. "She means over a boy. That was second grade though, right?"

I sniffed, and thought about it. "Bryce Martinson stole the purple crayon so that I couldn't give my doll a purple dress. It had to be orange. And I hated orange."

"There we go," Fliss said, satisfied. "Hey, wasn't second grade the stage you went through when you refused to give people arms when you drew them?"

I sniffled – a noise halfway between a laugh and a cry. "They were ugly," I explained. "Just sticking out, from a random place. I mean, please. What exactly do arms do anyway?"

"They hand you Kleenex," replied Alyssa, and she stuffed another two in my lap, removing the wadded up balls of soggy waste. "See? Useful, when your friend is majorly upset over some stupid jerk."

I saw Meghan draw a line across her throat from the corner of my eye. "That was Meghan," I disputed. "Meghan was upset over a jerk. I'm upset over Jesse."

Cee-Cee nodded. "Too completely different things," she agreed.

"Suze?" Meghan asked, tentatively. "I…um…hate to say I told you so – but didn't I say that you'd changed once you started dating Jesse?"

"You were rigid on the fact that you didn't love him," Cee-Cee chimed in. "You'd have our heads off every time we even suggested it."

"And look where that got you," Alyssa said. "Eating Ben and Jerry's on your sofa watching The OC re-runs. You were right – love stinks."

"ALYSSA!"

The remaining three of my friends all ganged up against her, as she managed to tear down the wall of self-confidence the rest of them had spent the last hour inflicting on me. Alyssa shrank back into one of the cushions, cradling the pot of ice-cream in her hands as she did so.

"What time is the train leaving?" Cee-Cee asked me softly. Fliss wrinkled her nose.

"Train?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "They couldn't afford plane tickets. Besides, Jesse's afraid of flying." I blew my nose in the latest tissue to be given to me. So far, we'd made it through three and a half boxes. "It's leaving at three o'clock." I glanced at the clock. It was two-thirty now. Jake had insisted on band rehearsal in the garden of the yellow house – seeing as the house itself was pretty much wrecked, and it had cost them a lot of money and explaining to the person they rented it from – and he had left about an hour ago. I thought now of Jesse sitting on the side, just singing, watching forlornly as the rest of the guys played their instruments.

"Isn't it better this way, though?" Alyssa asked, speaking for the first time in a while after her reprimand. "I mean, didn't you want any attachments in your life as you went off to college in the fall." I didn't answer – unsure of what I could say.

Meghan shot her a this-isn't-helping-thanks-Alyssa look. I knew that look well – back in the days when she had the occasional tiff with Kenny, she had given me that glance. Only it had been a this-isn't-helping-thanks-Suze look, instead, when I had tried to support her in their arguments.

I decided to change the subject. "How are things with Drew?" I asked. Fliss sat up a little straighter.

"Ah yes, toy-boy!" she cried, teasingly, and Meghan stuck her tongue out playfully.

"They're fine, thanks, Suze," she said. "And he's only two years younger than me."

"He's still sixteen," Alyssa pointed out.

"He's still underage," Fliss pointed out. Everyone looked at her. "I meant…to drink. Legally."

"So are we," argued Cee-Cee, and she lifted up her beer bottle, clanking it against the others. "Hear, hear."

We laughed, and the girls drained their alcohol whilst I took a small sip of my water. The no-alcohol-whilst-taking-medicinal-drugs thing was getting old. I wanted beer. Badly.

"So Jesse hasn't actually caught the train yet?" Alyssa asked, frowning. "So, say, if you wanted to stop him, you could?"

"Alyssa," Meghan said warningly.

"I'm just saying."

"Yeah," I replied. "I guess I could stop him if I really wanted to."

Cee-Cee cleared her throat. "Hey, Suze?" I looked at her. "Don't you want to stop him?"

I considered this. "Well, yeah, but-"

"But what?"

I pondered, taking another sip of my water carefully. I loved Jesse, but Jesse was leaving the state in a matter of minutes. He had a new interest now – one that didn't involve spending time with me. His music was what was important to him, and I wasn't about to take that away from him.

Only…

Only Jesse was important to me. Shouldn't that mean that nothing could take him away from me? It was like I was travelling in a very vicious circle. I couldn't think straight – my head was pounding vigorously, and the ferocious gossiping from Meghan, Fliss, Cee-Cee and Alyssa was drowning out any thoughts I did have. I dropped my glass of water to the floor, and it split into a million tiny crystal pieces – scattering everywhere. Silence, at last.

"I think," I said, slowly, and everyone awaited my words with baited breath. "That we have a train to catch."

"Yes!" hissed Meghan and she began a victory dance with Cee-Cee. Fliss pouted, evidently confused, and Alyssa began lighting a cigarette. A mixed reaction – a range of emotion.

Funny. That was just how I was feeling.

"Go, go, go!" ordered Meghan, and we filed out of my house one by one – the girls running excitedly onto my front lawn in fits of giggles, me hobbling along hurriedly behind them. Meghan whirled around, and called out to the others. "Guys? Are we forgetting we have a cripple here?"

"I am not a cripple," I growled, but this was drowned out as all four of my friends scooped me up and began carrying me like a queen, my crutches lying abandoned by my doorstep.

"There's a cab!" Fliss cried, as a yellow vehicle went zooming past my house. "Oh, correction. There was a cab."

"It's like, hopeless," Meghan said, changing her grip on my leg as I clung to Cee-Cee for dear life. "No cabs ever come down here."

"We'll just have to find one," Alyssa replied, fiercely.

"What's the time?" Cee-Cee asked, though her words were muffled as her mouth was blocked by my arm as I squeezed her head. Meghan was still having difficulties lifting me.

"Twenty…to…three…" Meg grunted, trying to check her watch. "Ow, Fliss, that was my foot!"

"Well when it was my hair you pulled by accident earlier I didn't complain," Fliss added grumpily. "Meghan!"

"Guys!" I screamed. The bickering ceased, and everyone was quiet. Something off-white and large caught my eye, and my heart pounded against my ribcage. It was the van. They were leaving for the station – we could stop them now. "The van!" I pointed at it looming towards us, and all four of them started towards the road at different times, causing my legs to be stretched painful, and me to fall out of their grip and land on my ass, just as Dirty Bunch rocketed past us. I sighed, and stared up at the girls.

"Guys," I said. "We're screwed."

"No we're not," Cee-Cee decided slowly, and I gazed up at her bewilderedly. "Isn't that your dad's car pulling up on the drive?"

Indeed it was, in all of its second-hand glory, and it gave a cheerful pfft as the engine turned off. My father opened the door, carrying a bouquet of flowers – a daily present now, and I was starting a collection of sunflowers in my room. We all yelled simultaneously, and he froze, throwing the flowers up into the air in shock.

"Jesus Christ, Suze, you gave me a hell of a shock," he said, clutching his chest. He picked up the bouquet, and made his way over to us. He handed me his gift, and I smiled. He helped me to my feet.

"I need a ride," I explained. I looked at Meghan's watch. "Pretty much now."

"O.K," he replied, slowly. "Where to?"

"The station," all five of us answered. I looked at him urgently. "Please?"

"Fine," he surrendered. "Get in the car." We all cheered, and I was helped to the car, before I realised I'd left something behind. "My crutches!"

"Got 'em," my father said, and he lifted them up, throwing them into the back with Cee-Cee, Alyssa, Meghan and Fliss, who were all squashed up. I had the passenger seat all to myself. I stretched out lazily, and the engine roared to life.

"Here we go!" Dad cried, and he reversed out of the driveway expertly, swinging in a full arc before straightening up and zooming down the road.

"Step on it!" I yelled, but it was too late. We had missed the green, and the light remained firmly red. We were stuck in the road leading out of Pine Crest Road, and my minutes of opportunity were just ticking away before me.

"Aw, man," Jake said, resting his head on the steering wheel. "Another red light. I swear, there's a little guy sitting on every traffic light, and when he sees me coming, its like – 'red light, Jake Ackerman's coming!'."

I laughed, and snuggled into Jesse. We were in the back of the Dirty Bunch van – a new experience for Jesse, as he always drove shotgun. He kissed the top of my head, and sighed.

"Jake," he replied. "Be patient."

"It's alright for you," Jake grumbled. "You have entertainment. I'm here in the front with no company, and crappy music on the radio. You know, go ahead. Make out with my sister. Knock yourself out."

"Stepsister," I corrected him. "And not even that yet."

"Whatever." He waved a hand impatiently.

Jesse grinned, and kissed me gently on the lips. I didn't mind red lights so much. It meant more Jesse-time. It surprised me how much I liked Jesse-time. I liked it a lot.

"You taste of…" I told him, in between kisses down his neck. "Strawberry jell-o and beer. Definitely beer."

"Well you taste of…" he answered, his hands dancing along my waistline. "Beer. And…oranges. You traitor."

"Well I'm sorry," I said, sitting up. "Forgive me if there is a limited choice of what to eat at your house. It was either oranges or a pot of mouldy cottage cheese." Jesse made a face.

"Go for the cottage cheese," he replied. "Much better."

"Shut up and kiss me," I ordered, and he willingly obliged.

"Yes!" I cried, and the light finally turned a brilliant green. My father sped across the road straight on, in the direction of Carmel train station. I looked at the clock on the dashboard. 2:47p.m. We wouldn't make it, we wouldn't, we wouldn't…

Meghan leaned forwards and ruffled my hair, giving it life. She handed me a lip-gloss from her handbag which I applied in the mirror, and pinched my cheeks to make them pinker. I looked as white as a ghost.

"Uh-oh…" Cee-Cee moaned, as sirens wailed behind us. My dad had been speeding – we knew that. We were just hoping he wouldn't get caught.

"Keep going," I urged him, as the train station sign came closer and closer. "Can you keep going until we get closer?"

"Of course, sweetheart," my dad replied, his eyes fixed on the road and his foot slammed down on the accelerator. Our surroundings whipped past us as blurs we were going so fast, but our destination was only feet away…

The car came to a grinding halt, and skidded into the sidewalk. My father had neatly parked right in front of the entrance, and the cops pulled in right behind him, two officers already out of the vehicle and marching towards us. I threw my passenger door open, and Meghan got out behind me, crutches in her hands and an arm ready to link through mine. "Let's go," she hissed, and she yanked me away from the car before I had chance to thank my father.

"You wait there, young ladies!" the officer on the left side of my father's car called after us, as we made our way towards the entrance of the station as fast as we could. "Young ladies! I'm placing you under arrest!"

Meghan pulled me up the steps, and we were in – the sounds of leaving and arriving trains loud, and the air was thick with steam. We headed straight for reception.

"Yes?" The receptionist was thin and young, her hair pulled tightly into a bun and her nose pointed. She pushed her glasses up with a sniff, and looked suspiciously at us.

"Can you tell me what platform the train leaving for Las Vegas at three o'clock is on?" I asked politely. She clicked away at her computer.

"Three, but I'm afraid you need to buy a ticket-"

"Thankyou!" We interrupted her and ran away – as fast as I could, anyway – towards Platform 3. The red train was already there, many family members standing on the platform waving goodbye to the passengers. I held a hand to my forehead, scanning the crowd for Jesse.

"Jesse!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "Jake! Jesse!"

A loud hiss sounded through the station, and Meghan gripped my arm worriedly. The engine began to chug, and my skin became hot and my pulse rapid. The train began to move slowly, and I chased after it, shuffling awkwardly along the muddy platform. "Jesse! Jesse!"

"It's too late," Meg said in my ear. "The train's gone, Suze. Stop."

I went to run again – despite how much my legs ached, but she pulled me back. I burst into tears on her shoulder, sobbing deeply at the loss I'd suffered. He was gone, truly gone, on his way to another state. Indefinitely.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Meg cried, patting my shoulder. "We'll just buy a ticket for the next train, O.K? I bet there's another one leaving soon." Hope flickered inside me for a brief second, before it was blown out again.

"I don't have any money," I replied, deflated.

I heard footsteps close behind me. I whirled around, to see a tall, tanned boy before me. He smiled.

"Anything I can help with?" said Paul.