Author's Note: Okay this is wild. Four reviews in 24 hrs? Why you guys compel me to write more when I have such a busy week at work *_* but because y'all are inclined to review, I'm inspired/inclined to write and post this faster than I anticipated! here ya go! please enjoy!

Jessica Stanley, GOAT

Part VII

"So... what am I in for with this little treat of a visit from Seth's, presumably older sister?" Jessica asked while wiping her fingers and face with the napkins.

"Oh, he can figure that out for himself. I just wanted to ruffle your feathers to see how you would react. Good news!" Leah slapped a hand on Jessica's right shoulder. "You passed." Bewildered at what Leah meant, Jessica eyed Leah's hand still lingering on her shoulder.

"Passed what?"

"The bitch test. You're on middle ground and I think that's doable for Seth. Too much and we would have had a problem."

"Wrong. No problem at all," Jessica insisted before walking to the nearest trash can. She craned her arms in the air and shot the three wadded up napkins into the open face can. Swish, nothing but net. "There's nothing going on between us. Even if I hadn't found out about his age, it wouldn't work. Kinda working on myself right now. No room for boys."

Jessica turned around to face Leah. Leah was cackling. That was Jessica's thing though. Jessica cackled. Others didn't. It was kind of like her evil side breaking through in merriment when she erupted into a cackling fit. It was strange to witness someone else doing it for once. Had she also looked this deranged as well when cackling in the past?! Her shoulders shuddered involuntarily. She decided to mentally add it to her tweak list. In front of being cleaner.

"Sure, chica. You look like you're lying to yourself as well. Whatever. You're on break from school, right?"

Jessica nodded and wondered if Leah was also in college. Should she ask or what that be rude? She didn't want to presume anything.

"Me too." Whew. Jessica didn't have to ask after all. "I was obligated to come back home. Why are you here for the break though?"

"Broken plans. I was supposed to be in Long Beach right now doing body shots off smokin hot males with eight packs." Leah snorted while Jessica sighed upon reminiscing on her missed out golden opportunity of ogling hot age appropriate males.

"Well it's not Long Beach, but we are having a party at the beach in La Push. You should come. There will be beer and boys."

"Ummm..." Jessica hesitated on replying for only one reason. "Would Seth show up? Would be kinda awk-"

"Grow a pair. Can't you handle yourself if he does?"

"Well of course I can! I was just trying to be courteous to him because like La Push is his turf."

"Wrong. It's my turf." Jessica couldn't help but notice that Leah's smile seemed rather wolfish. Or maybe cunning was the right way to coin it. "And he won't be there. He is tied up with work today." No, no way. Jessica was not disappointed because of Leah's response.

"Oh. What does he-" Jessica stopped herself because she had no right to be curious. Seth was purged out of her mind, so she didn't need to know more details about his life. "Never mind. Sure, sounds fun. I have no better plans." Was this a good idea? That was debatable at the moment.

"Party starts at 6. Come whenever. And maybe...try to look like a girl." Jessica could admit she wasn't looking her best as she was stilling rocking her PJ's this morning. A two sizes too big gray shirt and sophie shorts. Which actually were hidden under her muumuu like shirt so…Leah's assessment was on point "Or at least remove the rest of the ice cream that you missed in your first attempt at cleaning up."

"Fuck you," Jessica retorted in a playful manner because she got the sense Leah wouldn't mind vulgar language.

"Pass. You're not my type." Leah smirked before turning and walking away. Just where had she come from? Was it a coincidence they ran into each other or not? Nope. Jessica wasn't going to venture down that rabbit hole. She was staying above ground.

With Leah's departure, now Jessica just needed to figure out how to bide her time until the party. Just dandy.

...

At 5:30 pm, Jessica walked out of her mother's apartment dressed in her party attire. Short-shorts with enough holes in them to make you question if they still were a fully intact piece of denim material. A black mesh shirt covering the purple polka dot bikini top strapped around her full chest (her best asset because let's be honest, Jessica knew she had a flat ass). It was flirty and fun. Not as sexy as she normally would have gone for her once intended spring break activities, but now that she was in this whole personality tweaking stage of life, a little modesty wouldn't hurt. She refitted her baseball cap over her loose braids about twenty times to ensure it was snug and wouldn't come off by any act of god. That was an outfit killer dead on target. No hot boys would look at her twice when the cap came off. Except for Seth…but no! She wasn't thinking about Seth anymore! Get with the program, girl!

Halfway to the car, Jessica stopped and contemplated if this was a good idea after all. It was just a get together at the beach Leah invited her to. Jessica had no plans and hadn't done anything spring break-ish so far. Seth wasn't supposed to be there according to Leah. So sure, she was going to go. Really indulge in the spring break she was supposed to have her senior year. Her end game? Drink her problems away and then, she could get back to making tweaks. It should all go over well, Jessica thought to as she continued walking to her car with her mind made up. She was going. Leah seemed like a cool person after all.

Then again…she was Seth's sister. She would be cautious. But also have fun. Because Jessica deserved some sort of half-ass fun spring break. And if a party in La Push was the only way to check off that box, then so be it.

...

"Damn Leah, this is my third beer in an hour and I feel no buzz. Is this some weak shit or do I have a higher tolerance than I originally thought?" Leah shrugged and continued to stare at the bonfire. At the moment, it was just them two by the fire as the other people around were scattered in different areas of the beach while the sun was beginning to set. Leah had been quiet too long for Jessica's liking. It happened over the last ten-ish minutes or so. It was if she was waiting on something to happen. Or worse, someone to appear.

Of course, five minutes later Jessica received visual confirmation in the distance across the beach it was a setup.

Ugh. Leah had parent trapped her. As if the minor guilt trip when they first met wasn't enough.

Jessica's eyes wouldn't let up their gaze upon Seth's lips as he approached closer. Lips she had almost kissed a short 24 hours ago. She would kill to kiss that mouth right now. Kill what though? Maybe the butterflies taking flight in her stomach? Or the awkward air between them as Seth closed the distance? If she could kill anything, it would be her desire to run away and hide. Because that was childish, and she rebuked him because of age difference. So, she had to show maturity here and now. And in that maturity, she also chastised herself for thinking she wanted to kiss him. That sort of dangerous thinking was not allowed!

Remembering to call Leah out, Jessica found Leah missing from her side when she turned to confront her. That sneaky bitch, Jessica thought. Well, she could be mature. It's not like she could ignore Seth after he saved her. She could be friendly. That was well within her right.

"You're here?" Seth asked in disbelief, slightly bordering on a hopeful tone once in front of Jessica who now looked like a weirdo all by her lonesome in front of the bonfire. Boy could she have made it more obvious she didn't belong here?!

"Your sister tricked me. Seems that runs in the family." Jessica internally cringed because her light hearted joke could be misconstrued as shady. Whatever. She wasn't going to make a retraction statement or anything along those lines.

"I never tricked you. It just never came up."

Jessica opened her mouth for a clever comeback when some girl weaseled her way between them. She tugged on Seth's shirt before asking, "come on Seth. We need another skin for volley ball."

It was fucking volleyball. Why did they need to separate teams into shirts and skins?

Seth looked at Jessica before replying to the interruption, "sure". Jessica watched Seth be dragged off in the hand of that girl and... her heart wasn't made of glass, but boy did it feel like it just shattered. And that was before she saw him rip off the white shirt he was wearing to reveal a...fricken eight pack?! Was fate really so cruel to allow him to have that?! She should have been in Long Beach. Fuck this beach. She was 21, she didn't need to be at the beach to party. Change of plans. She was going to go raid a liquor store and then head back to her mother's apartment. Wine and tv sounded splendid. She didn't need Seth's half naked body flaunted in front of her face. She shouldn't even feel sad. What was wrong with her?! Plenty of fish! If she hadn't been so mature at this point, old Jessica would have found a new boy to make Seth jealous. But that wasn't her now. She would just let the sleeping dogs lie.

She stormed off to her car upon her mind made up. She tried to be subtle. But her current mood couldn't allow her to fake her way out of this. So, any onlooker would have seen hurricane Jessica barreling back to her car. Girl was not "okay".

"Jessica!"

Jessica wasn't feeling inclined to stay longer, so she ignored his voice calling after her.

"Please wait!"

No, nice Jessica was not going to resurface when she was so close to her car. But somehow, she took control and stopped Jessica's body from moving forward. Damn it, nice Jessica! Seth caught up to her a few seconds later. He came into Jessica's view...and hot damn her tongue tied up. His tan frame was almost begging her to lick the sweat off of him. But ew. Gross. That wasn't Jessica's style. She needed to pull her shit together.

"You're going home?" Seth focused all his attention on her, and she squirmed under it. Wasn't he missing his game?

"This isn't my kind of scene. But was worth checking out." It was an impersonal answer missing the weight of why she was really leaving. But they both knew.

"Don't go."

"Look, I feel like I party crashed. And to be honest, this just feels weird right now." She wiggled here finger between the both of them so there would be no misunderstanding of what she meant. "We just got to cold turkey it. We will never see each other again, so just gotta start now."

"Don't I get a say?"

"In what?"

"The never seeing each other again part. So what if I am young? If you got to know me, you would see I am not just a normal guy for my age. I can be who you need me to be. I can step up the plate."

Jessica laughed. Not at him. But at what he didn't understand. "I don't even know what I need myself to be! You have a lot of growing up to do. College to go to when I am just about to graduate. Our lives just don't line up and may not ever."

"They could if you gave it a chance."

"Seth, what is wrong with you? You're hot, seem really sweet and have a good network of friends. You have plenty of other options in this world. Quit focusing on the one thing you can't have. It's not healthy."

"Jessica, what is wrong with you? You're hot, can be sweet if you want to be and don't give yourself enough credit. I am sure you have plenty of options in college. Quit focusing on all the reasons not to give me a chance. It's not healthy. I would be good for you."

"I don't doubt that. But I am..." Seth stepped forward and Jessica took a step back. "I don't love myself. I actually hate me. But I am working on being better and finding good things about myself. How can I try to like or grow to love someone else when I can't say the same about myself? I am just not there."

Jessica looked up to Seth's face to gage how he took her self-critique. To be honest, she found his expression to be unreadable. She was at least grateful it wasn't sad or disgusted. She wouldn't have been able to handle that reaction from sweet Seth, who she didn't deserve.

"How about friends until you get there?"

Jessica rubbed her forehead under the brim of her cap in confusion. She couldn't understand where his determination stemmed from. What did he see in her that she didn't see in herself?

"What are you a golden retriever?"

"I like to think more like a wolf." Jessica snorted because Seth did not give her wolf vibes. More like innocent sheep vibes that a wolf preyed on.

"It's still in the dog category and I hate dogs. I am a cat person."

For the first time since Jessica met Seth, he seemed to falter in composure. Or lost his "cool" so to speak.

Sneak preview for Part VIII:

"Let me take you somewhere fun." Jessica arched her eyebrows and Seth appropriately amended, "as friends".

"Alright, sure-" Jessica cut herself off as she did a double take of who was walking down the beach closer to where her and Seth were walking together by the shoreline. Was that… Bella Swan?!

Response to review:

angelacorus: Seth/Jessica reunite this chapter and things are starting to spice up. Yay! :)

anonymous2056: thank you! :)

Cassy-Kay: Thank you! Happy to update :)

RonnieWrites: Glad you think I captured her voice when I kicked things off in part I! I hope you continue to enjoy :)