Sarah pulled back to look at a confused Jessie. She noticed that Jessie looked so sad and scared and Sarah really felt sorry for Jessie, but she knew that this wasn't right. "Jessie, we can't," Sarah whispered.

"Why not?" Jessie asked, moving back in to Sarah.

Sarah just gently pushed Jessie away. "We can't because you love Katie," she said, tears of her own forming.

"She doesn't want to be together anymore," Jessie cried, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

"Jess, that's not true. Katie loves you," Sarah replied, completely taken aback at the fact that Jessie doesn't believe it. "Don't you know that?" She asked.

"Then why isn't she with me right now?" Jessie asked. She hadn't accepted the fact that it was her fault too.

"It was wrong of her to make you choose, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't love you. She wants the rest of the world to know it too," Sarah said, looking down at Jessie.

"I need to tell her that I love her," Jessie said to herself. "I didn't tell her, but she told me," she said, tears welling up.

"I think that that would probably be a good idea," Sarah said softly. "You should tell her," she said confidently.

"But I can't tell everyone else," she looked at Sarah, who gave her a stern look. "I can't I'm not ready. It's too soon," Jessie sighed, looking down. "Katie needs to understand that."

"I hope that everything will turn out fine once you tell her. You just need to tell her the truth," Sarah said, not sure about what she just said herself.

"You don't think it will?" Jessie asked, getting a little panicked.

"I'm not sure. But I do know that everything will sort itself out eventually," she said to cover the fact that she really didn't know. "Just tell her how you feel. If she can't accept that, then it's her loss," Sarah said with a smile.

Jessie just looked back up, a look of complete terror and sadness still in her eyes. "I don't know what I would do if she didn't," she said quietly, but desperately.

Sarah wasn't sure about how she should take this. She knew what Jessie had done before and she didn't want Jessie to put herself through that again. "Jessie, if she doesn't accept it, then she isn't worth it," she said. This was her way of trying to comfort and ease Jessie's anxieties.

Jessie looked over at her clock, it was already 12:00. Where did the day go? "I can't tell her yet. It's too late," Jessie said, looking over at her clock, it was already 12:00. Where did the day go? "I'll tell her tomorrow," she sighed. "Thank you," Jessie mumbled against Sarah's shoulder. Sarah could tell that Jessie was wiped out from all of her crying. She moved to try and get up so that Jessie could get to sleep. "Where are you going?" Jessie asked, about ready to fall asleep.

"I'm going to go so that you can sleep," Sarah whispered as she tried to maneuver her way out from under Jessie.

"Don't go," Jessie said quickly. Realizing how pathetic she sounded, she recovered. "It's late. Stay. Just for tonight," she pleaded.

There was a short pause. "Okay," Sarah relented. Jessie smiled and put her head b back down.

Sarah fell asleep quickly and easily, but not Jessie. She was just laying there, unable to fall asleep. Jessie couldn't help but think about Katie. What if Katie won't forgive me? What if she won't accept the fact that I don't want to come out? She has to. She has to because I love her and she loves me. With that parting though, Jessie slipped into a troubled sleep.

The Next Morning:

Jessie was walking down the street towards Katie's house. It was cold outside, but she hadn't thought of that when she left. She was wearing a T-shirt and lightweight sweatpants. The weather was the last thing on her mind as she walked out the door. But, the quiet gave her a chance to think about things. About her and Katie. She looked up at the sky. It's going to rain. Seeing as how she liked the rain, it was just a passing thought. Jessie sighed, she was almost there and she could feel a knot in her stomach. Suddenly, she was finding it hard to breath. Why am I so nervous? I just have to tell her. Just breath.

She walked up to the door and knocked. There was a clap of thunder in the distance and she turned in the direction of the noise as the door opened. Jessie turned back around to look at Katie. "Hi," she said shyly.

Katie, for her part, was only mildly shocked to see Jessie there. She looked up. "It's getting ready to rain," she said. "Do you wan to come in?" She asked. Jessie nodded and Katie moved out of the way so that she could enter. "Let's go up to my room so we can talk," Katie said, her voice calm and eerily emotionless.

"Okay," Jessie said as she sullenly followed. When they got up there, Katie closed the door behind them. Jessie swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Why are you here?" Katie asked angrily, getting right to the point.

"I love you," Jessie blurted out, tears coming back. This stopped Katie dead in her tracks. "I wanted to say that I love you because I couldn't yesterday," she said softly.

"Why not? Why couldn't you tell me when I was there?" She replied, frustrated.

"I just couldn't...I couldn't say anything," she said sheepishly. "And, I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she looked up at Katie's eyes.

Katie's eyes softened. "I want to tell people about us Jess. I want everyone to know about us," she said, her eyes burning.

"I know you do, but I don't...I can't," Jessie replied. "Not now, not-"

"Not ever?" Katie growled, finishing Jessie's sentence. "Why? Tell me why we shouldn't tell anyone," she demanded.

"Because it will ruin everything!" Jessie cried out. "Don't you see? I can't tell anyone. God, it will kill my parents," she said.

"What?" Katie asked incredulously. "No it won't. If anything, they'll be happy for you. They just want you to be happy," she said, taking a step closer to Jessie to go in for a hug.

Jessie took a step away as Katie did this. "No! I am having enough trouble trying to deal with this...us, I don't want to bring them into this. I don't want to bring anyone else into it."

"Anyone else? Please, the only other people that know about us are Grace and Sarah," Katie said, raising her voice.

"Isn't that enough that they know? If we bring anyone else into this then they will only make it worse," she cried.

"Worse? Worse than what? I didn't know that things were bad at all. The only problem I saw was your problem with telling everyone," Katie said angrily.

"I love you Katie and I really want to be with you, but..." Jessie trailed off, not sure how to finish her sentence.

"But you don't want people to know about us? I do Jessie. I want everyone to know about us. I want to be able to kiss you, hug you or hold your hand in public," Katie cried, angrily waving her arms.

"Why? Why is that so goddamned important to you? What does it matter if we can do all that stuff in public or not?" Jessie asked.

"Because I love you!" She cried. "How many times do I need to tell you? I love you and I want the whole world to see it," she said.

"Isn't the fact that you love me and I love you enough?" Jessie asked pleadingly. "Why isn't that enough?" She asked softly.

"You obviously don't love me enough to want to be with me around other people," Katie sneered. Jessie was taken back. "It is impossible for me to be in the same room with you and not want to touch you. I don't want to have to deal with that for the rest of my life," Katie said.

"You're going to have to because I can never tell anyone! Nobody can ever know!" Jessie screamed through her tears. She didn't even realize what she just said.

"You know what? I don't have to put up with anything," Katie said with tears threatening to spill out. "Get out. Just go," Katie said in a low, dangerous growl.

Jessie just stood there a moment, trying to control her sobs. "Okay," she choked out when she finally felt that she trusted her voice. She quickly exited the room and walked out of the house. It had already started to rain.

Katie walked over to her window and watched Jessie walk off in the rain. She sighed and started to cry.

So you sailed away/ Into a gray sky morning/ Now I'm here to stay/ Love can be so boring/ Nothing's quite the same now/ I just say your name now/ But it's not so bad/ You're only the best I ever had/ You don't want me back/ You're just the best I ever had/ So you stole my world/ And now I'm just a phony/ Remembering the girl/ Leaves me down and lonely/ Send it in a letter/ Make yourself feel better/ But it's not so bad/ You're only the best I ever had/ You don't need me back/ You're just the best I ever had/ And it may take some time/ To patch me up inside/ But I can't take it so I/ Run away and hide/ And I may find in time that/ You were always right/ You're always right/ So you sailed away/ Into a gray sky morning/ Now I'm here to stay/ Love can be so boring/ What was it you wanted/ Could it be I'm haunted/ But it's not so bad/ You're only the best I ever had/ I don't want you back/ You're just the best I ever had/ Best I ever had

Jessie was walking back to her house in the storm. The reality of what had just happened had not yet hit her so she was in a daze, hoping that this was all a nightmare.

You and me/ We used to be together/ Everyday together always/ I really feel/ I'm losing my best friend/ I can't believe/ This could be the end/ It looks as though you're letting go/ And if it's real/ Well I don't want to know/ Don't speak/ I know what you're saying/ So please stop explaining/ Don't tell me 'cause it hurts/ Don't speak/ I know what you're thinking/ I don't need your reasons/ Don't tell me 'cause it hurts/ Our memories/ They can be inviting/ But some are altogether/ Mighty frightening/ As we die, both you and I/ With my head in my hands/ I sit and cry/ Don't speak/ I know what you're saying/ So please stop explaining/ Don't tell me 'cause it hurts/ Don't speak/ I know what you're thinking/ I don't need your reasons/ Don't tell me 'cause it hurts/ It's all ending/ I gotta stop pretending who we are/ You and me/ I can see us dying...are we?/ I know what you're thinking/ So please stop explaining/ Don't tell me 'cause it hurts/ Don't speak/ I know what you're thinking/ I don't need your reasons/ Don't tell me cause it hurts

Jessie got to the house and was drenched and still in a stupor, realizing that it was really all over. She opened the door solemnly and entered.

"Hi Jessie," Lily said, cheerily walking in from the kitchen. "You're all wet," she frowned and Jessie gave her a tired expression clearly stating that she didn't want to deal with her. Lily ignored it. "You're going to get sick," she stated.

"I don't care," Jessie said dejectedly as she slumped upstairs to her attic, leaving a worried Lily staring after her.

She was about to open the door to the attic, but Grace popped her head out of her room to see Jessie. Grace came out of her room. "What happened?" She asked, forcing Jessie to stop in her tracks and go rigid, but not face her. Grace noticed that, even from behind, Jessie looked like crap. "Are you all right?" She asked, concerned.

Jessie felt the tears coming and she forced them back. "Leave me alone! I just want to be alone!" She yelled, startling Grace. Jessie went into her room, shutting her door and shutting everyone out. She crawled under her blankets and finally let herself breakdown. Jessie cried herself to sleep.

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The End

For those of you who were actually reading the story, I have a sequel that I'm working on. No worries :)

Feedback is totally welcome and fully encouraged. E-mail me at rovingchef@msn.com.