"Jessie, you ok?" A male voice asked. Jessie looked up into Jonny's concerned eyes.
"Yeah Jonny, I'm fine. I guess last night's catching up to me." She gave him a weak smile.
"Nonsense," Jonny led her to the couch and sat her down, "you need some water?"
"That might be nice." Jessie whispered. Jonny hurried to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water.
"Two ice cubes, just like you like it."
"You even know how I like my water." Jessie chuckled slightly.
"Of course I do Jess, I've know you half my life." Jonny grinned, sitting next to her. She quickly finished the water than gave him a sideways smile.
"You really have, haven't you."
"I was seven when we first met." He nodded.
"Wow, so young. And you've always been there for me."
"Always and forever." Jonny looked her in the eyes. Jessie shivered involuntarily.
"What's wrong Jess?"
"Don't look at me like that Jonny, I don't think I can handle it." She softly whispered.
"Jessie, I've been holding back the question, but I think I should ask. What happened with Eric?"
"Nothing." Jessie said quickly. Jonny cocked an eyebrow.
"If it was nothing, why are you so defensive?"
"I'm not defensive!"
"And I'm not a blond." Jonny laughed.
"Ok fine, I'm a little defensive, so what?"
"Come on Jess, what happened?"
"He was upset cause I wouldn't sleep with him, happy?"
"Quite." Jonny smirked.
"What?" Jessie glared at him.
"What Jess? The idea that you wouldn't sleep with him makes me happy."
"Yeah," Jessie smiled wistfully, "me too. I just didn't think he was like that, I didn't think he'd be like that."
"Shhhhh Jessie, it'll be all right." Jonny hugged her close, stroking her hair.
"No it won't Jonny, no it won't." She said, starting to lightly sob.
"I'm here now Jessie, I'm here for you." He told her, still not believing that was the whole story.
"I know Jonny, I know." She whispered softly, her mind continuing to travel.
"Get off me you asshole!" Jessie pushed Eric to the floor. Part of her tank top was in his hand, causing one strap to be gone.
"What's the matter whore, can't take it?"
"Leave me the hell alone!" She stood up and grabbed her backpack.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm leaving! I'd ask you to say goodbye to the group for me, but I doubt you'll actually do it."
"Where you gonna go?"
"Eric, I have a family friend in every country." Jessie laughed bitterly.
"Yeah, but then you'll have to admit to Jonny the great that he was right and you were wrong, could you really do that?" Eric laughed, Jessie groaned, he had a point.
"I've got more credit cards than I know what to do with and a bank account with more than enough money," she turned towards the door, "don't worry about me. Then again, you never did." And with that, she walked out the door, out of the hotel and out of Eric's life.
The first thing Jessie did was check her pockets and found a couple hundred dollars, plus two hundred dollars worth of francs. She knew that a with a credit card, everyone else could track her down, and that was the last thing she wanted. She checked her wallet then grinned, a few thousand dollars worth of travelers checks. She hailed a cab then quickly headed towards the airport, she only knew of one person she could go to.
Jessie paid for a one way plane ticket and an hour later boarded a plane. Soon after the plane landed and Jessie looked around. She found the place to convert her money, and converted fifty American dollars. She took a taxi and sighed, praying she had come to the right place. She walked into the building and noticed who she was looking for.
"Hi." She said softly. Jessie was quite aware of how she looked, blond hair disheveled, eyes that hadn't slept in easily twenty four hours and a tank top that was missing one strap.
"Jessie?"
"I'm so sorry Jade, I just didn't know where else to go." Jessie said, and that was when the first tears started to fall.
"Jessie come here, what's wrong?" Jade asked concerned. Jessie walked over to a chair next to Jade, dropped her backpack and sat down.
"Everything is going wrong." Jessie sobbed.
"At graduation your father said you were going to be touring Europe, what happened?"
"I went with a guy, but he was so wrong, so wrong. They all told me not to go, Jonny, dad, but I went. I had to have my...my independence. I can't go home yet, I can't." Jessie continued crying. To her surprise, Jade smiled.
"If anyone understands what that's like, it's me, here, have some tea," Jade poured Jessie a small cup of tea, "something similar happened to me when I was your age."
"Really?" Jessie asked in a small voice, drinking her tea.
"Yes. I was eighteen years old, still in high school if you can believe that. It was nearing the last few weeks when he came to town. Race Bannon."
"Dad?" Jessie whispered. Jade nodded.
"Race was the most amazing man I had ever seen, and I was convinced that one day he and I would be together. The first time I saw him, my heart stopped. It didn't matter that he was over ten years older than me, and the first time I spoke to him, well, I'm not sure I should repeat how I felt. I knew he just saw me as an immature high school girl with a crush, but it was more than that."
"How long ago was it?"
"You were four." Jade smiled.
"But that means he was...."
"Married? I know, that was one of the many reasons everyone thought I was just being silly Jade. In high school the boys thought I was sexy, but I kept to myself. I didn't care what those stupid high school boys thought, Race was the first man I had seen who I'd ever really wanted."
"What happened?" Jessie was intrigued despite herself. "I made it my personal goal to get Race, every time I saw him, I threw myself at him. My clothes grew shorter whenever he was around, my lips redder, anything I could do to draw attention to myself. That was around the time everyone started to call me Jezebel. My parents told me he was all wrong for me, and in some ways they were right, but I didn't care. Finally, one day, I got him alone. We were inside a broom closet and I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him. I was sure he couldn't resist me, but you know what he did?"
"What?" Jessie asked, her eyes wide open.
"He pulled me away, looked me in the eyes and said 'Jade, if I was the kind of guy who would do that, you would never respect me.' And he was right. He left a few days later, alone, and nobody let me hear the end of it. They had been right, and silly Jezebel Jade had been fooling herself all along. I left home soon after graduation, and haven't looked back since. The next time I saw Race was four years later, he was already working for Dr. Quest, and I was already doing, other business ventures. Yes Jessie, if anyone understands, I do."
"I had no idea Jade."
"I've kept my past hidden for a reason. When Race and I met again, I was aloof. The sight of him made me feel like an eighteen year old school girl, but I was aloof, I let him make the first move. Your father is one of the only honest men I've met, Dr. Quest is another, Jonny too."
"No," Jessie shook her head, "Jonny isn't honest, he lied to me once."
"Jonny lied to you? What about?"
"He said he didn't love me."
"Jessie, I saw that boy at graduation, he loves you."
"Yes, he told as much afterwards. He said he's always loved me. But in February I told him I loved him, and he said he'd never loved me. If he had told me the truth, I never would have ended up with Eric."
"Perhaps, but let me ask you something Jessie. What if you and Jonny were together and you started to fall for another guy? Or he had fallen for another girl? Jessie, there's a reason your father and I aren't together. We both like the single life too much. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, there has been a lot of good, but there's also been a lot of bad. I'm not even that great a person," Jade gave a small throaty laugh, "but I'm having a helluva time."
"Eric was such a jerk though, I don't know if I could trust any guys ever again."
"Hey kid, I figure as long as you can count on yourself, you're fine. Come on, you need a shower, then some sleep. You can stay with me as long as you'd like and don't worry," she winked, "I'll never say a word of it to your father or the others."
"Thank you." Jessie said, standing up and hugging Jade. Jonny had been right, in some ways, Jade was a lot like her. It had been Jade who called the Quest's to Russia, so that Jessie could go home quietly, and it was Jade who helped Jessie get through the summer. For that, Jessie was grateful.