Paper Flowers.

Summary: AU Soap Opera Style. In the wealthy town of Paradise Falls, an elite circle of youth control it all. On the surface they have everything. But once you start to dig a little deeper, there's a whole other world of lies, deceit, sex and more. Enjoy your stay.

Disclaimer: The recognizable characters and character traits of any of Disney's Newsies belong to Disney. Any other character is the property of either me or the author that I am borrowing them from.

Shout Outs:

Rae: Yes, you are bad. And you are only get worse, lol. Though I mean that in the best way possible ;)

Coin: Wow, I consider that a great compliment that this story is helping you with your OC fix.

Wish: Scheming is always a great part of any soap opera, lol.

Sapphy: Everyone will be able to laugh at Lucky when she makes an ass out of herself – sorry Luck!

Buttons: As long as you keep reading ParadiseFalls, I'm set, lol.

Lucky: Don't you just enjoy teaming up with the bad guy? And, more from me? How about you! I loved the last chapter of All that Glitters, so hurry up and write more! Soap opera fics own.

Ershey: takes cookies gladly Here you go, hun! And, remember, bribes always work ;)

Chapter 004.

"Jack? Are you alright?"

Suddenly, as if shaken out of a trance, Jack lifted his chocolate brown eyes off of the linen tablecloth. "Did you say something, Jessie?"

"Yes, Jack, I asked you if you were alright. You've hardly said five words to me since the maitre'd seated us fifteen minutes ago," Jessica pouted as she reached for her glass of wine. "Was it something I've done?" she asked before taking a sip and placing her glass back down.

Jack squirmed in his seat for a moment before reaching across the table and placing his hand on hers. "Not at all, sweetie. To be honest with you, I've been thinking about Luke."

Jessica blanched but nonetheless kept a puzzled smile on her face. "Luke? Why are you thinking about him?"

"I don't know. It just seems to me that he's been looking at you a lot differently than when I left for school last fall. That hoity toity mug there used to think of you as his kid sister -- you know, since you're three years younger than he is. Now, though, he looks at you as if you were his lunch."

"Jack, you're imagining things. Remember, you've been away for almost a year now and I've been living with Luke and Julie for over seven months. What you're seeing is a close friendship, that's all," Jessica said as her puzzled smile slid into a frown once she saw that Jack was shaking his head, causing his longish brown hair to fall in his eyes. "What?"

"I know what I'm seeing, Jess, and I'm not as dumb as some people think. Luke wants more than a friendship."

"I never said you were dumb, Jack. Now, an overprotective, jealous maniac, yes. Dumb, no," Jessica sneered, her golden eyes flashing as she pulled her hand back.

Jack stared at her in surprise for her actions before adopting an apologetic grin. "Listen, Jessie, I'm sorry. I guess I was being a bit jealous. I mean, you're right -- It's been almost a year since the last time I was with you, but you've been in Luke's house for quite some time. Maybe I'm just overreacting, but it's only because I want to keep you all to myself," Jack stated simply before reaching for her hand. "Forgive me?"

Jessica let his words wash over her and, with a sigh, she let Jack have her hand. "I'm yours, Jack. No matter what you hear, no matter what you think, I'm yours."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way," Jack answered before reaching for his own cup. After taking a swig of his sarsaparilla, Jack took a deep breath before starting, "Jess, I --"

"Jack," interrupted Jessica as she placed a manicured hand in front of her eyes, "can we change the subject please? Our food hasn't even arrived yet and I'm already getting a migraine. You wouldn't want me having a headache for when we leave the restaurant and head out, would you?"

Jack grinned wolfishly, a grin that Jessica's shielded eyes couldn't see, as he understood what her words were referring to. "Alright, Jess. That reminds me -- when are you moving in with me? I've already sent my parents' junk to Santa Fe to store in their place there so that we have the Paradise Falls manor all to ourselves."

Jessica lowered her hand and smiled at Jack, relieved for the moment that Jack had dropped the subject of Luke. "Well, all I have to do really is get together the stuff I have at Julie's and move it to your place. That and call my mom and Snyder down in Florida," she continued as she wrinkled her nose. "I promised Mom that I would let her know when I was moving out of Julie's and moving back into my place, but I don't think she'll mind if I go and live with you instead. She likes you, at least."

"And, let me guess, the good warden still doesn't think that I'm good enough for his stepdaughter?" Jack sneered, as he referred to Jessica's stepfather, Ralph Snyder, a man that Jack liked to call "Warden" due to the tight rules he laid around Jessica after marrying her mother six years ago.

Jessica sighed, her smile a memory. "You know how he is, Jack. Snyder's always worrying about protecting his investment," she answered in a flat tone. If there was one thing that Jessica disliked talking about it was how her mother married a municipal clerk only eight months after her father died in a tragic plane crash a mere week after her fifteenth birthday. Though it was common Paradise Falls knowledge that Snyder only dated and then married Maggie Maris for her money, Jessica just could not convince her mother of that fact. Instead, she had to deal with an overprotective father figure who, knowing full well that, according to her deceased father's will, she had inherited several million dollars upon her twenty-first birthday last October, wanted to make sure that no one else followed his example and married Jessica for her money. "I don't know why he doesn't approve of you, Jack. You're loaded," Jessica snickered as she noticed the indignant scowl on Jack's face.

But Jack, who knew exactly what kind of effect that topic of conversation had on his girlfriend, decided to drop the subject and bring it back to his original question. "Well, I hope you talk to your mother and the warden soon. I can't wait for you to move in with me."

Jessica, again feeling relieved as the topic veered away from something she didn't care to discuss, narrowed her eyes and flashed a coy smile across the table. "Are you that lonely without me, Jack?" she cooed as she slipped her right foot out of her heel and began to run it up and down his leg slowly.

And Jack, who had been faithful to Jessica the entire time he was in Santa Fe and, therefore, hadn't felt the touch of a woman since last summer almost a year ago, just moaned slightly at her touch. But when he heard her giggle slightly in return, he realized that she had asked him a question. "What? Oh -- of course, Jessie. And the sooner I can get you out of Luke's house, the better -- what's the matter?" he cried when she pulled her foot back and glared at him across the table.

"Do you really not trust me that much, Jack?" Jessica hissed before turning to face the approaching waiter and waving him away. She wasn't in the mood to eat just yet.

Jack nodded to the waiter when he noticed that the young man had paused and was waiting, as if waiting to hear the rest of their conversation. "Just give us a few more moments, please. We haven't had an opportunity to look at our menus yet," he said simply as he gestured to the two unopened menus that had lain forgotten on the table.

The waiter nodded once before heading off to help another table. Once he was no longer in earshot, Jessica repeated, more heated then before, "Answer me, Jack. Do you really not trust me that much?"

Jack sighed before staring past her into the restaurant. "It's not you, Jess, which I don't trust -- it's him."

Jessica slammed her hands down onto the table as her true feelings momentarily showed themselves. "I thought we stopped talking about Luke, Jack. Why do you keep bringing him up? I mean, if you have something you want to say, just say it already, damnit."

There was a pause as Jack marveled at her outburst, completely ignoring the pointed looks that the other diners were giving them. Then, when the others had turned their heads back to their own plates, he said in a soothing voice, "I didn't mean to piss you off, Jess, I'm sorry. You just have to understand where I'm coming from, alright? I've been stuck in New Mexico for the past year and the most I could do is call you whenever I got lonely for your voice."

"You could have visited me, Jack. Don't tell me that you couldn't afford a plane ticket," Jessica interrupted, a pout forming on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, what about you? I know that your mom and the warden never let you do anything while they were around, but they moved out when I went back to Santa Fe for my last year of school. Why didn't you visit me, then?" Jack asked in reply.

Jessica stumbled for a moment. Of course she knew why she hadn't had a chance to visit him -- for the past few months she had been too preoccupied with Luke. But there was no way she could let Jack know that. "The same reason you didn't, Jack," she recovered as unfolded her arms and reached across the table to place her hands on his.

"See, that's what I'm saying. I knew that once that this semester was over, I'd be free to come back to Paradise Falls and be with you. But I also knew that if I broke down and visited you here, I would never return to U of NM to get my degree. And I had to finish school, right? I did and now I'm back. But I just can't shake that feeling that something happened this past year. What happened, Jess?"

Jessica squeezed the tops of his hands. "Nothing, Jack, nothing at all. And I am so happy that you're back to stay. And now that your parents are in Santa Fe and my mom and Snyder have moved down to Florida, we have all the time in the world to be together and do what we want," she said in a quiet voice, disregarding the fact that, their entire lives, they had been doing everything they ever wanted.

Nodding, Jack waited a moment before opening up his mouth to speak. "Since you put it that way, Jessie, I want to ask you something that I started to say before." Jack took a moment to compose himself before pulling a tiny black jewelry box out of his silk dinner jacket pocket and standing up. "Jessica Maris, will you --"

"Jack? Jack Kelly? Is that you?"

As Jack sank back into his seat, placing the box onto the table, Jessica whirled around to see who had called out Jack's name. As she saw a pair of blondes heading in her direction, she couldn't help but be annoyed yet relieved: annoyed that one of the two was there to try, as she had been trying for the eight years that Jessica and Jack had been together, to take Jack for herself, yet relieved that the other might try to talk some sense into her cousin before he could make an ass of himself in front of the entire restaurant.

As Luke stood impatiently in the front foyer of Chez Maurice, he couldn't help but look behind himself every odd moment or so to see if he could spot Jack and Jessica inside. Of course, though, he only glanced casually; Luke DiVenize would never be caught gawking like a lovesick child.

"Luke, how are ya?"

Luke whirled around when he heard his name. There, on his way out of the restaurant, was a short, good looking young man with cyan eyes. "Patrick," he said in acknowledgement before nodding at the attractive girl at his side. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" he smiled charmingly before winking in her direction.

Patrick glared at Luke before slinging one of his arms around her shoulder. "This is Anna, Luke. My new girl," he added pointedly.

Luke chuckled deeply as he watched a cute and petite girl with short red hair cozy up to Patrick. "You mean the girl of week, eh, Spot?" he teased, referring to Patrick's old childhood nickname from when he and Luke had attended junior high together and young Patrick had been the first to bring a girl to the notorious Paradise Falls make-out spot, just overlooking the waterfall in which the town gets it's name. Ever since then, though, Luke and the other fellows continuously referred to Patrick as "Spot", for the amount of time and girls he had brought up there.

Patrick looked down at the redhead on his arm and shrugged. Another piece of common Paradise Falls knowledge was Patrick's inability to settle down and stay with one girl; being the notorious player that he is, Patrick could always be seen with a different girl a week. And the girls don't mind either -- most girls, especially the ones who weren't fortunate enough to be apart of the same social circle that Luke and Patrick were in - such as - thought it to be a compliment if they were chosen by Patrick for any bit of time. "Anyway," began Patrick as he cocked his head to the side in order to gesture to his date, "we have to be on our way. After all, the night is still young, right Luke?"

Luke just continued to chuckle to himself as he watched Patrick lick his lips and smile before leading Anna out of the restaurant. For a moment, Luke wished he could go back to his carefree, womanizing ways -- the ways he held dear to his heart before he fell for Jessica. Jessica. As her picture flashed before his eyes, Luke's chuckles stopped; here he was, thinking about her, while she was somewhere in this exact building, on a date with Jack Kelly. But not for long.

"Luke, what are you doing here?"

Luke's thoughts were interrupted as he heard Lucky's high-pitched voice call out to him. Quickly bringing a handsome grin to his face, Luke turned to face the blonde. "Lucky, you made it. Oh," he added as he spied her companion, "and you brought Rae with you. How are ya, Rae?"

Rae, squirming slightly in the skimpy pink dress she had borrowed from Lucky, shot a look at Luke. "Like you care."

Luke rolled his eyes; for some reason that he could never understand, Rae was one of only two friends of his sister's that had never fallen for his debonair manner. Of course that didn't really mean anything -- the other friend was Jessica, and he had gotten her in the end anyway. Now, though, he just had to keep her. "You know, Rae, that hurts. I mean, we go way back -- why do you hate me so?"

Now it was Rae's turn to roll her light blue eyes. "Because you're Julie's brother. Remember when Jules was in ninth grade and all of her friends, including li'l miss Lucky over here, were drooling over you? She made me and Jess promise to never treat you as anything more than our own brother. And if there is one thing that I do, I keep my promises."

And it's a good thing Jessica didn't -- the promise to Julie or her promise to Jack, he thought to himself before focussing on Lucky. "So, Luck, you still drooling over me?"

"It depends," she cooed as she placed one of her hands on his broad shoulder and pressed her body up against him, "do I stand a chance?"

Luke looked down at the clingy black dress that Lucky wore and whistled appreciatively. "I can honestly say that I'm not seeing anyone right now, Lucky," he said huskily, keeping his eyes on her.

Lucky laughed playfully before backing away and returning to where Rae stood, pretending to gag to the dismay of the diner's eating at the edge of the restaurant closest to the foyer. "We'll see, Luke. First, though, I want to say hello to my good friend, Jack. Is he here?"

"I have no clue, Luck. I'm only here because after I did the nice thing and let you know about his dinner plans, Oscar Delancey practically begged me to eat here tonight. It's a good thing I know the owner of this place, or I would never have been able to get a second set of reservations after I told you to come," Luke said, the untruths sliding off of his tongue as if they were honey.

But Lucky, who had the inkling that Luke was being less than honest, chose to disregard her feelings in order to look for Jack. "Yeah, well, thanks again, Luke. But, time is ticking and I'm gonna go see if I can find Jack. Are you coming, Rae?"

And Rae, who could tell that Luke was lying through his teeth, though she had no clue why, just shrugged her shoulders and followed Lucky as she approached the maitre'd, praying that Oscar and Luke weren't seated anywhere near her and Lucky. She had had the misfortune to eat next to Oscar once before and she wasn't eager to repeat the experience.

Once Lucky had given her name to the maitre'd, as well as a twenty dollar bill, the girls were led into the main room of the restaurant. And though Rae could tell that as she walked Lucky was scanning the area for Jack, it wasn't until they had been seated and the maitre'd had left them alone that she spotted him. "Look, Rae, there's Jack," Lucky squealed as she pointed to where Jack had just risen from his seat, at a table that was halfway across the room.

As quickly as she could, Lucky jumped out of her seat, motioning to Rae to follow as she did so, and began to walk briskly to where Jack was standing up, speaking to a blushing Jessica. Then, just as they saw Jack withdraw some sort of box from his pocket, Lucky waved her hand and called out, "Jack? Jack Kelly? Is that you?"

Rae stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Jack sink down into his seat while Jessica stared wide-eyed at Lucky. Recognizing the look of nervousness mixed with anger upon her best friend's face, Rae turned her head instead to see what it was that Jack had been holding before placing the box down. Though she was still a few feet away from the table when she had paused, preferring to let Lucky approach the table all by her lonesome, there was no denying what type of jewelry was enclosed in that box -- it was a ring box.