"Grace, I need to ask you something" Jessie began as she stood in the doorway of Grace's room.
"What is it?" She replied, not even looking up from her book.
"Can you give me a ride to Rosenfeld's tomorrow?" Jessie asked, sheepishly staring at her feet.
"Why can't Katie do it?" Grace asked with a grin and, finally, looking up from her book so as to look at Jessie.
Jessie rolled her eyes. "She has some errands to run...or something, for her mom," she said. "Can you or not?"
"There's a meeting for the Gay-Straight Alliance tomorrow. So, if I end up taking you to therapy, then you'd have to go to the meeting," Grace said with a smirk.
Jessie groaned as Grace's smirk widened. "Tell me you're kidding," she pleaded. Grace gave Jessie a taunting expression. "You're not," her face fell. "You can't be a little late?"
"Nope," she said smugly. "I think that you should go," Grace said, her tone was thoughtful and sincere.
"Why?" Jessie asked, exasperated. "Why do you think that?"
"Oh, please. Are you afraid of what people are going to think?" Grace asked, incredulous. "One: You are gay. Two: Just because you go to a meeting, doesn't mean people will think you are. Three: You don't have anyone else to give you a ride," she stated very matter-of-factly and with a smile creeping its way to her face.
"You know what? I don't care. I'm not going to the meeting," Jessie said adamantly, folding her arms. Grace just grinned, going back to her book.
"I can not believe I have to go to this stupid meeting," Jessie grumbled, glaring at Grace. "I really, really hate you. I just want you to know that before we get there," she said as Grace grinned at her.
"I think it will be a very valuable learning experience for you," Grace retorted, trying not to bust out laughing in the middle of her sentence. She failed. "Jess, come on. It is just one meeting. Straight people will be there too, you know. They won't think anything of your mere presence."
"My 'mere presence'?" Jessie repeated incredulous and pissy. "Gee, thanks Grace. You sure do wonders for the self-esteem. I am going to find a dark corner to curl up and die in now," she rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Besides, I'm just going to do homework or something while you confer with...cult or whatever," she waved her hand for effect.
"It's a club Jessie," Grace ground out, insulted, then she noticed Jessie's grin. "Ha ha. You're a laugh riot," she said in flat tone.
"I know," Jessie said condescendingly. "I just hope nobody sees me," she murmured lowly, but Grace still heard her.
"Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" Grace asked in a mock-hurt manner. She saw Jessie's miserable expression. "You don't want anyone to think...er...know that you're gay?" She asked seriously.
"That's the last thing I need right now Grace," Jessie said, beginning to tear up. "People are still talking about me trying to kill myself. I really don't want to throw this in to further alienate myself from the rest of the school."
Grace's face softened. "I'm sorry Jess. I didn't know," she paused. "If I had, then I wouldn't have pushed you to go," she said, somewhat passing as an apology.
"It's fine. I'll be fine. It's only one night right? How many people were there last week?" Jessie asked, hoping that the number would be minimal.
"There were about fifteen," Grace said. "But, this week, we are expecting it to be at least doubled," she added sheepishly with pride seeping through.
Jessie sunk in her seat. "That's so great," she said sincerely, "for you," she added in the form of a grumble.
Grace chose to ignore it, for now. "We're here," she said as they pulled up. "Don't worry, everything will be fine," she said in, what she hoped, was a comforting tone. She gently squeezed Jessie's shoulder before she got out.
Jessie got out of the car and paused to sigh before following Grace up the steps, they were the first people there. "So, what do you guys talk about anyway?" She asked, catching up to Grace.
"Well, we are going to organize a Gay-Straight dance," she said, taken aback by the question. "People will be able to go with whoever they want and not have to feel like they're being judged. In theory, of course," she said very pointedly at Jessie, who glared at Grace.
Before Jessie had a chance to protest, the door opened. "Hey, come on in," Mr. Dimitri said once he opened the door. They did. "Everyone else should be here in a couple of minutes. You can go and get ready," he smiled. "Who's this?" He asked, just now noticing Jessie.
"Uh, this is Jessie, my stepsister," Grace said, glancing at Jessie.
"Ah, good. It's always great to see others taking an interest in an issue that normally seems to be too taboo to talk many, especially in Lynchburg, VA," he babbled, adding the last part as almost an afterthought.
Jessie rolled her eyes. "This is the only meeting I'll be attending," this pulled him out of his ramblings and he gave her a questioning look. "I had no choice really," she ground out, glaring at Grace.
"Oh. I see," he said a little disappointed. "Well, hopefully after tonight, you will change your mind," he said slowly and hopefully.
"I doubt it, but it wouldn't hurt to find out," Jessie replied with a shrug. She really didn't have any intention of coming to another one of these god-forsaken meetings, but she didn't want to make him feel bad. He perked up and gave her a slight smile of appreciation. He has no life at all.
Jessie found a seat in the corner of the room and pulled out her stuff for homework. That's when people started to arrive. Amongst these people was Katie, who immediately noticed Jessie off in the corner. She turned to leave, but didn't stand a chance. "Katie!?" Grace called before she had made it to the door.
Jessie's head shot up. Katie knew she was busted as Jessie scowled at her. "Um, hi Grace, Jessie," she gave them nervous expression as she tried to smile. "I didn't think you would be here," she said, avoiding eye contact with her girlfriend.
"No shit," Jessie was livid. "I thought that you had to help your mom with some stuff," she had her arms folded.
"I did. I also wanted to go to the meeting. You know, to check it out," she said, looking down at her hands. "What are you doing here anyways?" She said turning things around. "I thought you didn't want anyone to know," she whispered quietly.
"I don't!" Jessie yelled defensively, earning looks from others around them. The people just turned their attention away because the meeting was getting ready to start. "I don't," Jessie repeated quietly.
"Well, then why are you here? And why is it wrong that I'm here?" Katie asked, folding her arms and tapping her foot.
"Okay, to answer your first question, I was forced to come. You couldn't take me to therapy so I had to go with Grace. Since the meeting started afterwards and Grace didn't want to be late, she had to take me here," Jessie said the last part with disgust. "I protested the whole way. I don't want to be here."
"Okay," Katie drew out. "Well, why are you so angry at me for coming?" She asked, not giving the fight up completely.
"I don't care that you came. I just wish you'd told me, that's all," Jessie said calmly. She sat back down to continue her homework. The conversation was now officially over Katie figured as she sat next to Jessie, watching her.
"What do you think Jessie?" Mr. Dimitri asked with a smirk, pulling her away from her homework.
Jessie popped her head up, obviously not expecting anyone to acknowledge her at all during the course of the meeting. "Uh, about what?" Some of the others snickered, including Katie, whom of which Jessie scowled at. Grace just sat there, angry at her teacher for picking on Jessie.
"We were discussing the dance that will be taking place in a couple of weeks. You were being very quiet, I figured that you must have some thoughts on it," he smirked and Jessie gave him a blank look. "You're as much a part of this meeting as everyone else."
"I don't have any thoughts, suggestions, comments or anything. You all seem to have it under control," she smirked back at Dimitri with the same patronizing attitude he had given her.
"Surely you must," he further pursued.
She was getting pissed. She closed her notebook and glared at him. "Why don't you get some kind of theme?" Jessie ground out, trying to get him off her ass.
"We have one. Gay and straight people getting together," an obnoxious jock said, getting a few snickers from his friends.
"No duh," Jessie rolled her eyes. "But if that's the theme, then you won't attract much interest. Plus that you'll just have a bunch of confused teens show up," she stated. She realized how the last part would have double meaning. "I mean that the people that do show up are probably only there because someone dared them."
"Ah. So what do you suggest?" Dimitri asked with increasing interest.
"Oh, no. I did my part. The theme is up to you guys," she backed down. Everyone just stared at her. "I don't know! How about your theme be Sigfried and Roy?" She was excruciatingly frustrated.
"There's an idea," Grace said. Everyone gave her a questioning look. "It could be like a Halloween thing since they fall at about the same time."
Jessie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever," she mumbled, trying to go back to whatever it was that she was doing. Katie looked at Jessie and smiled at her. Jessie glanced up and glared at her, only causing Katie to giggle. "It's not funny," Jessie growled menacingly.
"Yeah it is," Katie said with a grin. Jessie shook her head to the negative with a scowl.
"I am never letting Grace drag me to another one of those stupid meetings," Jessie griped at Katie as the two were headed back to the Manning-Sammler household.
"You mean to tell me you didn't have fun?" Katie wondered teasingly. Jessie shook her head vehemently. "Are you sure? Not even a little?" She continued.
"I would rather have had more fun getting a root canal," Jessie informed her taunting girlfriend.
"At least you got your homework done," Katie pointed out with a grin.
Jessie smiled at her. "That is the only good thing that came out of this," she grinned. Katie had a thoughtful expression on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"I was just thinking," Katie began, obviously something on her mind.
Jessie noticed this and decided to give her a hard time. "Are you okay? Stop if it hurts. Maybe you should lay down," Jessie grinned.
Katie turned and glared at her. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Katie asked as she suggestively raised an eyebrow. Jessie slapped her arm. Then, Katie's expression turned serious again. "I was wondering," she paused to see if Jessie wanted to make any comments. She didn't. "Maybe you'd want to go to the dance with me?" Katie mumbled quietly.
Jessie didn't know what to say, she hadn't expected that one. "I...uh. Isn't it a little too early to be thinking about that already?" Katie gave her a questioning look. "It's like a month away. We don't have to worry about it yet," Jessie countered.
"Yeah. I guess you're right," Katie tried to sound positive, but her disappointment seeped through. That's a 'no'. She sighed, knowing Jessie locked herself in the closet on the fast track of denial.
"Jessie," Grace said, trying to gain her stepsister's attention. Jessie was listening to her headphones, so, she didn't hear Grace the first half-dozen times.
"What?" She asked, taking them off her head and sitting up. Jessie was frustrated and really didn't want to talk to the evil person who drug her to the Gay-Straight meeting.
"I just wanted to talk to you," Grace said, fiddling with her hands and avoiding eye contact.
"What? Are you organizing the Gay Pride Parade this year too?" Jessie asked with a smirk.
Grace smiled at her. "No, nothing like that," she paused, "Well, it's part of it." Jessie gave Grace a puzzled expression. "I don't know why you're hiding this," she blurted.
"Yeah, you do," Jessie slowly said. "I told you earlier. I don't want something else to have to deal with," she sighed, falling back on her bed.
"Jessie, this is more than something you have to deal with. You have to be honest. Eventually people will find out. It will just be easier if you're the one to tell them," Grace said.
"That's very enlightening Grace," Jessie rolled her eyes. "No one will find out unless you tell them because I certainly won't say anything," she scoffed.
"Oh yeah? What about Katie, how does she feel about this?" Grace crossed her arms and gave Jessie a stern expression.
"She hasn't said anything," Jessie responded, growing more unsure.
"No. She hasn't said anything yet. You don't think that she'll want to?" Jessie didn't look at her. "You're kidding. You don't think she will. I do not believe you Jess!" Grace was genuinely shocked at Jessie.
"I don't want her to. I told her that. I told her I wasn't ready," Jessie defended.
"When will you be, huh? A week, a month, a year, two years, ten years?" Grace was waving her arms incredulously. "It will only get harder the longer you deny it."
Jessie scoffed. "I just don't want anybody to find out, that's all."
"Why? To keep up with your 'perfect' image?" Grace growled condescendingly. "It doesn't exist anymore Jess. It disappeared a long time ago," she added, rubbing salt in the wound.
"You don't think I know that!" Jessie yelled. "You don't think I am painfully aware of that Grace! The last thing I need is something else for people to whisper about," she was furious now. "Yeah, you know what? We should. Let's see how much more fucked up people see me as!"
Grace was taken aback. She recovered quickly. "You need to stop worrying about what people think. You need to start thinking about what, and who, you want and need. For Katie's sake as much as your own," she said softly.
Jessie's shoulders sank. "Easy for you to say. You don't have to deal with all this shit," she said.
"I'll help you through it Jess. I'll help you get through all of this, if you let me," Grace said gently as she put her hand on Jessie's shoulder.
Jessie shrugged her hand off as she stood up, leaving Grace there, confused. "No. I can't. I'm not ready," she said quietly in an apologetic tone.
"Okay," Grace said sadly. "But if you ever need..." she trailed off as Jessie sullenly nodded. Grace walked out of Jessie's room, glancing back to see Jessie put her head in her hands.
"Friday at last!" Jessie chirped on her way down stairs with her backpack over her shoulders. Everyone just turned to stare at her with questioning expressions. "What?" She asked, barely glancing up.
"Uh, nothing," Lily said, cautiously moving toward Jessie as if she were a rabid dog. "Are you feeling okay?" She asked, moving her hand to Jessie's forehead to see if it was hot.
Jessie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yeah. I'm fine. What's wrong with you guys this morning?" She asked noticing their clueless expressions. She shook her head and walked toward the door.
"Oh, Jess," Rick called. "Did you have fun at that Gay-Straight Alliance meeting last night?" He knew full well that Grace dragged her, but he was curious.
Jessie stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. "No, not really," she ground out, glaring at Grace, who sank down in her seat and cowered behind her bowl of Corn Flakes.
Grace decided that she and Jessie should talk. "I'm giving you a ride," she said as more of a command than an offer.
"Um, okay," Jessie said, to surprised to decline. Grace jumped out of her seat, put her bowl in the sink and walked outside with Jessie.
"What did you tell them?" Jessie asked immediately after they got out of the house.
"About what?" Grace asked, confused as they got into the car.
"About the meeting last night?" Jessie cleared up. "What did you tell them? What does Dad care if I had fun?"
"Do you have any idea how paranoid you sound?" Jessie looked at her strangely and Grace rolled her eyes. "He was just curious. I didn't tell him anything except about the dance thing."
"Oh," Jessie relaxed. "What about the dance thing?" She wondered.
"That Dimitri asked you what you thought and you helped come up with the Halloween idea," Grace smiled.
"No," Jessie defended mock-serious. "You came up with that on your own. I just said we needed a theme."
"Yeah, if Sigfried and Roy could be classified as such," Grace said, trying not to laugh. She got serious again after a few moments. "I'm sorry about last night. I said some things I shouldn't have," she apologized sincerely.
"It's okay," she replied softly. "But, I did mean everything I said. There's nothing I want to take back," Jessie said tenaciously. "I'm not telling anyone," she shook her head solemnly.
"Are people still giving you a hard time about...you know," Grace asked, concerned.
Jessie shifted uneasily in her seat, her fire wearing down. "Yeah, sort of," she mumbled uncomfortably. "It's kind of died down a bit, but they're still talking."
"Uh, yeah. I've heard them. Half the stuff they say isn't even true," Grace said, trying to ease Jessie's mind.
"Yeah, but still, I just wish it'd blow over," Jessie sighed. "Hey, you've got the play tonight, don't you?" Jessie asked, desperately trying to change the subject as they pulled up to the school.
"Yeah," Grace said when they got out of the car. She wasn't about to let Jessie shift the conversation. "Are you coming?" Jessie nodded with a grin. "Is Katie coming with you?" Grace asked with a grin of her own.
"I don't know," Jessie mumbled, glaring at Grace, who just kept smirking.
"You should ask her to come with you," Grace said seriously. "I bet she'd appreciate the gesture, especially after how you treated her last night," she added the last part, trying to be nonchalant.
"Subtlety is not your strong suit," Jessie informed Grace matter-of-factly. "Hey! What do you mean, how I treated her?"
"What do you mean 'what do I mean? You were totally defensive and started ragging on her for coming? You were an uber-bitch to her and she still forgave you. I think you should go with her...and apologize," Grace instructed.
"I'll ask her," she relented, rolling her eyes. "I was not an uber-bitch," she mumbled under her breath, escaping the ears of Grace.
"Well," Grace began with a big grin. "Here's your chance, here she comes now," Jessie whipped her head around to see Katie coming.
"I hate you," Jessie growled. Grace just smirked and left the two alone.
"What's her deal?" Katie asked after Grace was out of sight. "What was she so happy about?"
"She's just harassing me as per usual," Jessie smiled with a fake sigh. "Beat her up for me?" She begged jokingly.
"I'll challenge her to a duel!" Katie shouted, laughing with Jessie.
"She was just talking about the play tonight," Jessie said, feigning casualness.
"Oh?" Katie asked, quirking an eyebrow, knowing this was going somewhere. "That's tonight?"
"Uh, yeah, it is. Did you want to go with me tonight?" Jessie asked, suddenly very shy. She wasn't sure how Katie would react.
"Well, yeah. Of course," she answered in a 'well, duh' tone. Jessie looked up and smiled. "I was going to ask you, but you beat me to it," Katie grinned. She was relieved that Jessie had been the one to ask.
The bell chose that moment to ring. "Cool. Well, I'll see you later then," Jessie said, taking off with a goofy grin plastered on her face. Katie just waved goodbye. Tonight's going to be great!
