CHAPTER FOUR
"Peter you wanted to see me?" Jessica said as she walked into his office without knocking. When she walked in, she saw a head sticking out from one of Peter's chairs.
"Uh Jessica we need to talk you." Peter said.
"We?" Jessica asked. The head turned around. "Why is he hear." Jessica asked. Her voice was shaking as she stepped back to the door.
"Jessica come on. You're not still mad at me are you?" Jared asked. Jessica turned and opened the door and ran out of Peter's office. She ran and didn't stop. She turned and looked back and saw Jared running after her with Peter behind him. Right when she turned around she hit something and fell to the ground.
"Jessica are you ok?" Jessica opened her eyes. She was in Peter's office. Her head was pounding.
"What happened? Where is Jared?" Jessica asked.
"He's outside my office. You ran into Roger while you ran." Peter said.
"Why is he here Peter?" Jessica said. Tears started rolling down her cheeks.
"Your mother thinks it's for the best." Peter said sadly.
"Well tell her no. Get him out of here." Jessica said, starting to sit up. Peter put his hands on her shoulders.
"I cant Jessica. My job is to help people and he needs help." Peter said.
"What about protecting people. I need you to protect me from him and you cant do that if he's here." Jessica said. "Why can't she send him to a different school?"
"It's easier for her to send him here. I'm assigning him to a different group and I'll do everything in my power to keep you two away from each other." Peter said. All of a sudden there was a bang on the window. Jessica looked up. Scott had Jared against the window.
"Why are you here. Leave her alone." Scott yelled. Peter and Roger ran out and pulled them apart.
"Break it up NOW." Peter yelled. Roger walked Scott out of the building. Peter and Jared walked back into the office.
"Jared, now that you're a student here its my job to tell you the rules. I'm giving you a few different rules than everyone else has. There is no inappropriate touching, no drugs, no violence, and you must stay away from Jessica when there is not a counselor around. I'm assigning you to the Ridge Runners." Peter said.
"You're kidding right? She's my sister and you're saying I can't go near her?" Jared said.
"I'm not your sister." Jessica said through her teeth.
"Come on Jared, I'm taking you to your dorms. Jessica Roger should be back soon." Peter and Jared walked out and Jessica relaxed for a minute. Then Evan walked in.
"Jessica are you ok? I saw the fight. Scott really could have hurt you." Evan said, rushing to her side. She slowly sat up.
"He wasn't going to hurt me. He was protecting me." Jessica said.
"From what?" Evan asked.
"Don't worry about it." Jessica said and slowly laid back.
"You know I'm real tired of this. Why wont you just tell me what's up? Why won't you open up to me? Are you scared of me?" Evan yelled.
"No I'm not scared of you. I… I just can't trust you." Jessica said.
"Scott was going to hurt you. Stay away from him or you WILL be sorry." Evan said.
"Don't threaten me. You can't do anything to me. And I will hang around Scott. There is nothing you can do to stop me so get over it." Jessica said. Evan turned and looked at her. In slow motion he raised his hand slapped Jessica across the face.
"I said stay away from him or you WILL be sorry." He said calmly and walked out the office. Jessica held her cheek and cried until Roger got back.
"Hey Jessica don't cry, Jared won't hurt you. We won't let him." Roger said to her.
"Get Scott. Please I want Scott." Jessica said through tears. Roger left the office and came back a few minutes later with Scott. He left them alone and sat outside the office to make sure they didn't break the rules. Scott held Jessica in his arms and let her cry.
"Jessica what happened?" Scott put his hands on her head and held it up. He saw her red cheek. "What happened to your cheek?" He asked worried.
"I hit a rock when I fell. Please don't let him hurt me Scott. I'm so scared. This was my place to be safe. I felt safe her and now… now everything is coming after me." Jessica said.
"It's ok I'm here for you and I won't let anything happen. Its ok." He held her in her arms. Peter walked in and saw them hugging.
"You know the rules guys." Peter said sadly.
"Peter come on, she needs comfort, and we aren't touching inapproiately." Hayden said.
"I want a 50 word essay on how you both feel about all of this." Peter said. He had to punish them for the rules but didn't want to at the same time.
"Fifty words? That's it?" Jessica said as she wiped her eyes.
"Yeah that's it. Can you make it to your dorm ok? You hit a pretty hard rock from the look of your cheek." Peter.
"With Scott's help I can." Jessica said. Scott helped Jessica back to her dorm where she sat on the bed and began her essay.
'Why does he have to show up? He ruined it all, once again. His life purpose is to haunt, to torment me. The only person that can help me is Scott. Scott has never hurt me. Everyone else has. I don't have anyone in the world other than Scott. I would give anything for everything to go away, for life to be normal again.'
Jessica counted the words. She had written sixty-four words and could have easily kept on going. She lay down on the bed and fell asleep. A few hours later she woke up to someone shaking her.
"Jessica wake up." He said still shaking her. She opened her eyes.
"Evan get away from me." She said.
"I love you. I'm sorry for hitting you I just lost my temper. I have to get out of here Jessica." Evan said.
"What? Why you can't leave." Jessica said, going back to him again.
"I can't stand it here. I want you to come with me." He said. Jessica's eyes got wide.
"I can't lea-" Jessica paused. Jared was here and she had to get away. She looked to the side and saw a picture of her and Scott together. "I can't go. I can't leave Scott." She said. Jared rose in anger.
"What did you say? Did you just say you can't leave Scott?" He said.
"Yeah he's my friend. I told you I wouldn't stop hanging out with him." She said trying to calm him down. He grabbed her arm hard and pulled her off her feet and onto her bed.
"Pack your things." He pushed her towards her clothes.
"Evan its daylight and I'm not leaving." She said. He walked towards her and grabbed her arm tightly. He started to twist.
"I said pack your things!" He said through his teeth.
"Ow Evan you're… you're hurting me. Let go." She pleaded but he twisted harder.
"Oh this hurts huh?" He shoved her and she hit the floor. He saw her shoe by the bed and picked it up and threw it at her back.
"Ah ha." She screamed. He ran to her side and covered her mouth.
"SHUTUP." He said and held her head tightly. He kissed her forehead. "You're leaving with me tonight ok. Have your things packed and ready to go at 1:30 and if you're not ready, if you're still in that bed, you'll pray for mercy." He let go of her and left the dorm. She sat on the floor crying.
"Hey have you guys seen Jessica?" Scott asked as he sat down for dinner.
"Yeah she said she wasn't hungry and was going ahead to sleep." Juliette said as she picked her food. Just then Evan walked in and looked around for Jessica. He went to the table and looked at Scott.
"Where is she?" He asked.
"She's not hungry." Scott said. Evan went and sat by himself and ate his food. When he was done and ran to the girl's dorm and walked in.
"Jessica, honey are you in here?" Evan looked around the dorm before he saw a shadow in the bathroom. He walked in there and saw Jessica sitting on the floor writing something. "What are you writing?" He asked.
"Just a um… last journal entry." Jessica said.
"Oh let me see it." He said.
"It just say that I'm so glad I was able to meet someone like you." Jessica said. He smiled and knelled down by her to see her face.
"You're crying. Why are you crying?" He asked. Jessica didn't answer. "You're not still upset about earlier are you?" Evan asked. "Your such a waste of my time you know that. Have your things ready for 1:30." He got up and left the dorm.
"Jessica pulled out a bag and looked around the dorm. She couldn't pack; she didn't want to pack. She couldn't leave Scott. Jessica slowly walked to her window and saw Scott walking to her dorm. When he opened the door she ran into his arms.
"Jessica are you ok?" He asked. He put his arms around her back.
"Ah, let go." She said quickly. He let her go and looked at her. She slowly walked to her bed and sat down. "Meet me tonight Scott." Jessica said.
"Why?" He asked.
"We just need to talk. There's a lot I have to tell you." Jessica said. "Just meet me at the janitors closet at 1 am ok?" She looked pleadingly into his eyes.
"Yeah ok." He got up and walked out of the dorm. Jessica wasn't going anywhere with Evan.