She sighed and thought about the man of her dreams. "What am I thinking, he'll never love me back, No one loves me anyway except Mom and Dad. I wish I had more friends. But look at me, I'm boring, and ugly." She said to herself.
She went downstairs where Kay was talking to Simone. "-I know Miguel will be mine and soon." She heard her sister say.
"Kay, Miguel loves Charity and I know you were behind the fishguts, do you know how much you hurt Charity? Also don't you care about Reese's feelings? You have to tell him you don't like him." Said Jessica.
"I don't know what you are talking about. What are you doing listening to our conversation anyway? Go away, no one wants you around!" said Kay angrily.
Jessica didn't know what to say so she just left.
It was early evening, and the sun was about to set but it was still scorching hot outside, even for early summer. Jessica wanted to be alone so she decided to go to her special place, a little cove she had found a few years ago.
She had to walk through a wooded part and through some bushes where she found the cove. Tall cliffs surrounded it on two sides, and in front of her was the sparkling ocean. She was really hot and sweaty from making her way through the woods so she took of her shorts and her T-shirt revealing a dark green bikini. Glad that she was alone so she could cry she sat down on a cool rock and put her head on her knees as she let her tears fall.
She heard something and looked towards the water where a figure had just emerged. Jessica had never seen such a hot body and she gawked at him forgetting her tear-stained face. He had beautiful blondish brown hair, he was tall, muscular and he had beautiful eyes.
"Jessica, what are you doing here? What's wrong?" he asked concerned.
Jessica snapped back to reality and her mouth hung open. "R-Reese?" she stammered, not believing it was him.
"Yeah. I didn't know you knew about this place too. Why are you crying?" He asked concerned.
"N-no reason." Said Jessica still staring at his beautiful body, trying to get over her initial shock at first seeing him.
Reese noticed her staring and got embarrassed feeling self-conscious.
"I-I should go now." Said Jessica getting up feeling embarrassed for staring as if she had never seen him before, granted she had never beheld his bare chest but that was no reason to stare like a love-sick school girl.
"You don't have to leave on my account." Said Reese going over to a pile of things Jessica had failed to notice when she first got there.
"Okay." said Jessica sitting back down still stunned at Reese's transformation.
"Are you okay? What was wrong?" said Reese as he picked up a towel and dried off his wet body.
"Nothing." said Jessica wiping her face, once again reminded of Kay's harsh words and her feeling of being an outcast.
"Okay, we don't have to talk about. But I do know something that will put a smile on your face." He grinned wickedly and picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
"Reese Durkee! You put me down now or else!" squealed Jessica.
"Or else what?" asked Reese walking towards the ocean.
"Reese! Don't even think about it!" said Jessica kicking her legs.
Reese carried her into the water. "Okay, I'll let you down now." And he tossed her into the water.
Jessica came up soaked and Reese started laughing at her. "You are so dead!' she said chasing him through the water. When she finally caught up with him she jumped on his back and dunked him. They came back up together laughing their chins just above the water.
Suddenly Jessica stopped laughing. "Oh my God!!" screamed Jessica in horror, her face turning red with embarrassment.
"What's wrong?" asked Reese as he immediately stopped laughing.
Jessica put her arms over her chest underwater. "My…my top…it fell off." said Jessica turning redder still.
Reese started laughing. "I'll try to find it." He said as he dived under the water. Jessica tried to cover herself more efficiently, hoping he couldn't see her. She was relieved when he came up 20 seconds later with her dark green top in his hand.
Jessica said a silent 'thank you' to God. "Okay give it to me and turn around." She said holding out her hand.
Reese handed it to her and obediently turned around while she put it on. When she was done she snuck up behind Reese and started splashing him.
Reese turned around and splashed her back. They stayed in the water until the sunset and then they got out. Jessica couldn't remember having more fun even if her toes and fingers were wrinkly and soggy.
"Here you go." Said Reese handing her a towel.
"Thanks." Said Jessica wrapping it around herself.
"Would you like to have some dinner? I had made it to surprise Kay but when I went over there she acted like she was sick." He said frowning.
"Sure, but what do you mean she acted?" asked Jessica noticing how unhappy he looked.
"Oh, I was getting ready to knock on the door but it was half way open and I heard her talking to Simone about me. I was going to leave but I decided to try and ask her anyway, she lied and said she was sick."
"I'm so sorry, Reese." Said Jessica feeling unimaginably guilty that she hadn't told Reese that Kay didn't really like him, and even more so for making him think that Kay liked him to begin with.
"It's okay, let's go over and eat." He said pointing to a gigantic tree and holding out his hand for her to take.
Jessica took his hand and he led her over to the tree where the picnic basket was. Reese took a blanket and spread it out on the ground and motioned for her to sit.
"Do you need any help?" asked Jessica.
"No that's okay." Said Reese. First he got out a candlestick holder and then he placed two white candles in it. Then he got out two plates, two glasses, forks and napkins.
"Kay doesn't know what she's missing. You did all of this just for her?" asked Jessica.
"Yeah, but now I know I was wrong to even waste my time on her, I can't believe that she led me on like that, I really liked her, a lot. Anyway, the food isn't anything fancy." He got out turkey and cheese sandwiches, two pieces of watermelon, strawberries, pasta salad and a canister of lemonade, then he lit the candles.
"Why aren't you wearing your glasses? And why aren't you talking like you used to, you know all the big words, if you don't mind me asking." asked Jessica glancing down at his chest again.
"Well I usually only talk like that when I'm nervous or really interested in something. And I broke my glasses so I've decided to wear contacts from now on, I just kind of need a change, you know? And Charity was trying to cheer me up earlier so she took me out to get a new look."
"I wish I could change, change into a bird and fly away." Said Jessica sadly as she bit a strawberry.
"Come on Jess, what's wrong?" asked Reese as he poured her some lemonade.
"Everything is wrong, just everything." Said Jessica looking down.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
Jessica frowned. "Not now, but thanks for caring. Reese, you are a good friend."
"Thanks." Said Reese. They ate the rest of the picnic dinner as they talked about little things like the weather and their plans for the rest of the summer. When they were done the sun had already set and it was dark.
"Look at all of the stars." said Jessica laying down on the blanket.
Reese layed down beside her. "There's Orion, and then the big and little dipper." He said pointing to the various constellations. "A star is made-Oh, you're probably not interested in that kind of stuff." He said.
"No Reese, I am. I love stars and I would love to learn more about them."
They layed there until 11:00 at night talking about stars.
"Reese?"
"Yeah?" Said Reese laying on his stomach and propping himself up with his elbows.
"Well, it's just I feel alone all of the time, I'm always mislooked and ignored and it just hurts so much. Charity has Miguel, Mom has Dad, Kay has Simone to talk to, but I have no one, and even if I did like someone chances are they wouldn't feel the same way. No one cares about me." Said Jessica thinking about the person she had wrote about in her journal.
"That's not true Jess, I care about you…… a lot."