Apologies for any typos. I always do a second edit with the "read aloud" function on Word to catch things my eyes miss, but it is not working, and I am too lazy to read it out loud myself. I will correct what I can when I catch it through my future read throughs.

Jessica Stanley, GOAT

Part VIII

At first, a wave of shock flickered on Seth's handsome face. Then it shifted to a determined look. Jessica had no inclination of what he would say next. But she couldn't ignore the peculiarly timed laughter in the not too far off distance from a close-knit group of Quileute boys.

"How can anyone not be a dog person?" Jessica kept an impassive mask on while containing her need to burst out into a fit of giggles. Seth was taking her preference way too personally. However, she had heard of smaller riffs between budding couples that prevented it from going further. Not that they were a couple or even on the cusp of becoming one! Perhaps this one was Seth's deal breakers. To be fair, no judgement from Jessica on this. She had her own list as well.

Jessica briefly closed her eyes and pictured Seth in a typical boy bedroom surrounded by multiple dogs. It fit though. She perfectly pictured him being a dog person. Oh well. It was the perfect excuse to snap him out of his tunnel vision towards her. Jessica decided to make a deep cut. To the bone with her next words. His reaction would be very telling.

"Dogs are too needy. Slobbery. Always in your face. Beggers. They need your love and love everyone."

What she omitted telling him was the real source of her decision. Fido. But, she liked the way each word she made up about not liking dogs made a new vein pop in an arm, his neck or forehead. It was like a game of where's Waldo finding out where the next vein would pop out next. Seeing Seth worked up was very entertaining. It made him seem more real. Because no one could be as perfect as was acting up to this point with their interactions together.

"Cats, however, are the best for their independence. Their love has to be earned. They don't give it out for free. "

Jessica's smirk faltered when Seth's face lit up. Why hadn't what she said made him mad? Was she failing at her little game now?

"I get it now." Jessica this time didn't take a step back when Seth took a step closer. "Walk with me?"

Jessica shifted around undecided if she should go home as she had originally planned. However, she wanted to know what Seth "got now" and couldn't convince herself to leave. Damn girl stop being weak, Jessica reprimanded herself as she walked besides Seth.

"So, are you going to leave me hanging? What did you get?" Jessica asked as she followed Seth closer to the ocean. As they approached the shoreline, she was at her breaking point. The suspense was killing her. What on earth did Seth get?!

"I'll tell you...if you 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?!

As soon as Jessica was sure it was Bella Swan, she turned around and headed in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here. See you later, Seth." The fun could be had another time. Jessica wasn't in the mood to deal with a Bella appearance. She hadn't seen Bella since her wedding and...Jessica wasn't quite ready for the adult step to let bygones be bygones to be honest once she was thrusted with the opportunity to do so.

"Oh yeah, you have some sort of thing against Bella, right? She's really nice. It's been awhile since you guys last talked, why not stick around to see if things are different now?"

Now Jessica was annoyed. Seth didn't have any right to intervene with her past despite his good intentions. Or any right to fricken judge her on it. If he was such good friends with Jake and therefor Bella, why the hell was he even remotely interested in her knowing her history with Bella?

Distracted by her thoughts, Jessica found it was too late to walk away and ignore Bella. Well played, Seth.

Jessica had to be nice. She knew this. But if Bella played the victim card so help her god, she wouldn't be able to hold back. But Jessica had changed since high school, maybe Bella surely had as well. Jessica hoped. Because she promised herself to be nicer. She just wasn't ready to have to fulfill that promise so gosh darn soon!

And with Seth present for the showdown, she felt added pressure to be on her best behavior. Which was unfair. This wasn't a small tweak. This was supposed to be the kind of tweak made after hundreds before it occurred. Well preparing her for the moment.

Jessica observed Bella as she drew closer. To be honest, she was even prettier than she remembered. No hair out of place. Her skin seemed to have been drained of her blood because she was like ghost white. Or maybe a sickly pale kind of color? Jessica supposed that was like a Cullen tradition. Hide from the sun once you join their family or something along those lines. Jessica subtly tried to look past Bella to see if she was being trailed by Edward or her daughter. No one ever saw their daughter. But Jessica still wouldn't mind seeing what devil offspring they spawned. No that's unfair. They were nice people. Jessica shouldn't think that. Also, Jessica hated that Bella still had young, supple skin. Jessica's own skin had taken a hit from college partying, shitty sleeping habits and probably consuming too much alcohol. She was still fine as hell. But still, Jessica was beginning to feel an all too familiar jealously upsurge within her when around Bella Swan. Hence Jessica's desperate need now to leave the impending conversation ASAP.

"Hi Jessica. Hi Seth!" Bella had a more obvious friendly tone toward greeting Seth than she had with Jessica. Seth ran up to Bella and hugged her fiercely. Jessica would have turned a fierce shade of green if that was possible.

"Bells! Happy to see you back! How was the island? Nice tan you got going on." Jessica heard the smirk in Seth's voice despite not seeing his face. Jessica made subtle steps backwards on the sand to begin her escape. The more distance at this point, the better.

Before Jessica could turn away after clearing ten feet, Seth reeled her back in with a, "where are you going there, Jessica?"

"Oh, just enjoying the sand between my toes as I walk around. The simple pleasures in life, ya know?" The bullshit in her reply was understood by all three of them. But no one dared to call her out on it.

"So, Jessica, I heard Jake made some trouble for you this week on my behalf. I am sorry about that." That was incorrect. While Bella was the subject of a fraction of their conversation, Jessica presumed it was driven by Jacob's need to protect Seth.

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your doing. We worked it out between ourselves." Jessica prevented herself from scrunching her face when she realized how brash that came off. But...it was just her. She could change to be nicer, but she couldn't change her personality which would never accept such an apology from anyone. It was such a Bella thing too. Good intentions but Jessica was a strong person. Anyone showing weakness, male or female, annoyed her.

"Okay, well, I am glad you worked things out. Jake and Seth and all their friends from La Push are really great guys. And of course, Leah. You should-"

"Bella, what are you doing? I don't need you to talk them up to me. I know they are your friends, but this is weird. If anything, shouldn't we be talking about us."

Bella's gold eyes shifted- Gold eyes?! That didn't seem right to Jessica. Maybe contacts? Were the Cullen's a cult who forced you to lose all pigmentation of your skin tone and dawn gold contacts?! Anyways, Bella's gold eyes shifted around uncertain of what Jessica was referencing.

"Seth, can you leave Bella and I along for a few minutes?" Seth looked between the two and nodded before heading away from them and towards the bonfire that now had a decent crowd of people surrounding it. Once his presence was absent, Jessica pulled the plug.

"Look, I am sorry about how I was a bitch to you in high school. I could go into everything, but I think that broad apology covers it. I am sorry. Even if we're not people who I think mesh well personally, I shouldn't have been so cold to you when I was. Or rude behind your back. I had a lot of growing up to do. I don't think we will ever be real friends, but I can be nice around you in passing. But honestly this will likely be the last time we see each other." Jessica blurted that out all in one breath. She didn't hold back or make any false promises of "we can be friends now" because that just didn't seem likely. Even with her getting to know Seth more.

"Apology not necessary but accepted. Seth's a good guy, you should give a him a chance."

"Why didn't you give Jake a chance?"

"That was different...I already had someone I loved more."

"Me too," Jessica mouthed to herself after she looked away from Bella and looked out to the setting sun on the ocean's surface. Jessica wanted to love herself. And that was more important than any guy who promised her the world. Because hadn't her father done the same to her mother? And now look where they were in their lives.

Sneak preview for Part VIII:

Jessica couldn't stand self-pity. Yet there she was, driving back from La Push surrounded by a plume of it. She was changing. All by her damn self! Yet Seth Clearwater forced her take a harder, deeper look within herself. It wasn't fair. She liked the pace she had previously set for herself.

Jessica slammed her hands on the steering wheel in frustration. "No! I will not let a man, no boy, affect me. I am a strong, independent woman. I fix myself. I save myself. I will not lean on support from someone else!"

Her head was spinning. She regretted what she had just done when caught up in her goodbye with Seth. He had just complimented her and said she was a good person. And all the excitement of seeing herself in a new light and Seth seeing it too somehow drove her to do the stupidest thing. She kissed Seth. And she couldn't blame it on the alcohol because that sly bitch Leah had been serving her non-alcoholic beer since she arrived on the beach.

Author's Note: My little hint of inspiration for this story line comes from "My Little Princess", this Taiwan drama on Amazon Prime. If you like anime/reading manga romance genres, you could really like it. It's not your typical drama and the protagonist is actually more like the villain you would find in more common romance genres. But she can be relatable and has strong personality traits that I like a lot. The series even calls out stereo types in typical romance dramas ahaha The first episode I was like so-so on, but after a few more I was hooked. The series is only 16 episodes long. I highly recommend to give it a shot if you like to watch this kind of stuff. Asian romance/drama shows are my latest obsession. They are too good! T_T

Response to review:

angelacorus: Seth is super cute and WAAAY patient with Jessica haha :)

guest: Thanks for the reviews! Glad you are enjoying the pairing in this story! :)

Cassy-Kay: Thank you! :)