A/N: This chapter contains mature situations, read with discretion!

Chapter 28

Shortly after 8pm that Friday Jess and her mother got back to the house after going out for Jess' birthday dinner. At first Sandie had suggested they go to the Venice Noodle Company, but after hearing so much about the shabby treatment the management was giving Stacy, Jess opted to go elsewhere. They chose Italian instead, a small restaurant a little bit inland that was family owned and reminded the East Coast transplants of the more upscale eateries back in South Jersey.

Before they went out Sandie had brought out a platter of homemade frosted cupcakes, each with a little icing letter "J'. The center one had "18" and a lit birthday candle on it. "Thought these would be a nice alternative to a whole cake," her mom quipped as she put the tray down on the coffee table. Jess didn't immediately blow the candle out, just gave her mom an expectant look."

"Oh, are you going to make me sing the song?" her mother asked with pretend exasperation.

"Yep!" Jess nodded mischievously. Sandie gamely obliged, trilling out the classic birthday ditty in a voice fit for parlor opera, ending the last line with a trill of falsetto.

Jess applauded and blew the candle out, making a very private wish in her head as she did so. She plucked the candle out and licked the frosting off the bottom, then peeled the wrapper back from the cupcake and took a dainty bite, not wanting to get frosting all over herself. Her mom finished her own cupcake and got up from the couch.

"Would you like to open your presents now?" she inquired, already walking into the kitchen to retrieve the wrapped boxes that were hidden in the cupboard behind the pots.

"I knew you'd never look in there," Sandie ribbed as she put the presents in a little pile on the table next to the cupcakes.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Jess shot back as she eagerly reached for the largest item. "I really wasn't expecting anything besides the car, though," she told her mom honestly as she pulled off the ribbon.

"Well, you can't exactly unwrap a car," Sandie stated.

Jess ended up with a bottle of Love's Baby Soft, a good set of drawing pencils, and the newest Eagles album.

"I overheard you the other day telling Stacy you wanted it, so I figured it was a safe bet," Sandie informed her.

Thrilled, Jess gave her a long hug. "Thanks Mom, that was so sweet of you. I'm gonna wear the lotion tonight," she enthused as she took the presents into her room, disposing of the paper and ribbons in the nearest wastebasket.

Later at the Italian place Sandie brought up the subject of Jess and Stacy's date that night.

"Where is he taking you again?" she asked her daughter casually.

Jess was forthcoming. She might be a legal adult now but her mom still had a right to know and to be concerned. "To the Santa Monica Civic to see a couple of surfing movies. He goes there with his friends a lot," she explained between bites of her chicken cacciatore.

"Hmm," Sandie replied, a slightly contemplative look on her face. "What are his friends like, anyway? I really don't know a whole lot about him just yet."

Oh boy, Jess thought a little peevishly. Here comes the third degree. Guess I should have known this was coming, but does it have to be tonight of all nights? Aloud she said, "Most of his friends are on surf and skateboarding teams and they're all really good at it," she said with understandable pride. Sandie, however, seemed a bit less than impressed.

"And does he or any of them have plans for life beyond winning contests?"

"I…really don't know. You'll have to ask him sometime," Jess replied. Her mother shot her a dark look and Jess quickly clarified herself: "I didn't mean for that to sound smart, it's just that I honestly can't speak for Stacy in that respect. But he's in college and I'm sure he's getting ready for some kind of career," she finished lamely. I should have just made up something that sounded good, Jess annoyedly thought. She needs to get off my case, anyway. Stacy's friends might be a little rough around the edges but he's a good person and that's what really matters.

Sandie knew her daughter well enough to read her expression. "Sweetie, I'm not trying to give you a hard time. It just looks like you two are starting to get a little serious and I want to get a better idea of what he's like. I'm sure you'd feel the same way if our places were reversed."

"Yeah, guess so," Jess replied a tad sullenly, breaking off a piece of bread. As she buttered it she tried to give her mom a short but satisfactory rundown of her new love interest: "Stacy's parents are still together and they live in a decent neighborhood a little farther inland. He gets along with them great and really loves his mom. He paid for his car all on his own by working in a sandwich shop and then the restaurant. He makes pretty good grades and gets along with people really well. And yes, he does love surfing and skating but if that doesn't pan out then I have no doubt that he'll find something to fall back on and be successful at it."

Upon hearing this speech Sandie merely nodded and said, "Fair enough. I suppose it's too much to hope he's Jewish?" she joked, trying to restore the earlier mood of levity.

Jess gave a short hoot of laughter. "I think he's either Catholic or Presbyterian, but I don't think any of his family really goes to church. He just doesn't talk about religion."

"Well, neither do we so it's not something I'm overly concerned about," Sandie replied logically. "But it would sort of be nice if he had Hebrew roots."

"I know, Mom. He may not be Jewish but he's definitely not against Jews, either. I don't think he has any thoughts about it either way, to be honest."

Sandie just shrugged and took another forkful of pasta. Jess heaved the tiniest of relieved sighs. It seemed the grilling was done for now. She knew all too well that her mom would prefer her to date a nice young man from a well-to-do Hebrew family, but right now the thought of seeing anyone other than Stacy had absolutely no appeal at all. Her thoughts turned again to the date they had planned for later that night. If he wants to have sex I don't think I'll say no, even if it is in the car, she decided privately, then pushed the lustful thoughts out of her mind, worried that they might somehow show on her face. Wouldn't mom put the brakes on the night if she knew what I had planned!

Now it was 8:30 and Stacy was expected to arrive at any minute. Jess had spent the last fifteen minutes re-doing her hair and makeup, although she kept the same outfit on that she wore to the restaurant – a brown wraparound skirt and matching stretchy ballet top with flat beaded sandals and a open crocheted poncho to ward off the cool mid-April night. Her hair was completely loose and unadorned tonight and her makeup, chosen from a darker palette, was quite subtle. It was a slightly Bohemian look for her but she thought it looked sophisticated at the same time, a good way to display her new adult status.

Like usual Stacy was only a couple of minutes late and looking good in the obligatory horizontal striped shirt and pale blue jeans. Those must be pretty new, the back pockets are still there, Jess thought as she followed him out to the car. There was no question of her driving the Triumph tonight, especially since the insurance was in temporary limbo while it got switched over from the original owner's to Jess' name.

Once in the Volvo, Stacy leaned over and gave Jess a soft kiss on the cheek. "Happy Birthday. You look so pretty tonight," he told her while he started the car.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself," Jess answered with a shy smile.

The drive to the Civic auditorium didn't take too long. Stacy dropped Jess off out front of the large off-white building and drove down the block to find a parking spot. The place was swarming with people, some of whom Jess recognized and many whom she didn't. Red Dog and his equally red-headed date walked past and the Zephyr skater threw her a little wave but didn't speak. Then she heard a female voice calling her name: Deb was approaching from her left, her little sister Allie in tow. Jess glanced at the throng behind them but to her relief didn't spot any of the 'DT Bitches' anywhere. Then Deb was at her side.

"Hey girl, lookin' fine tonight! Isn't it your birthday this week?"

Jess nodded. "Tonight, actually."

"Well, Happy Birthday!" Deb gave her a friendly slug on the arm. "Sorry I didn't know you'd be here or I would have brought you a card or somethin'," she added a bit regretfully.

Jess smiled at her older friend warmly. "It's ok. I certainly wouldn't have expected it."

"Tell ya what, come into the salon tomorrow and I'll give you a free shampoo and trim," Deb offered, taking a strand of Jess' hair in her hand and inspecting it in the bright front entrance lights. "Looks like you're about due for a touchup anyway."

"Aww, thanks Deb. I will," Jess assured her.

Allie suddenly spoke up. "Are you here alone? On your birthday?" If Jess didn't know better, she'd swear that Deb's younger sister was genuinely trying to be friendly. Hey, maybe she is. Give her a chance, Jess thought to herself before replying.

"No, I'm with someone, he's just parking the car." Jess scanned the area in search of her date and spotted him weaving his way through the crowd to where she was standing. "Wait, here he comes now."

Deb and Allie turned their heads in the direction Jess was looking. Then Allie gave a sharp but subtle intake of breath. "Stacy Peralta? That's who you're with?" she asked with a partly baffled, party disbelieving look.

"Yep," Jess replied, trying not to sound too smug at the sight of Allie's face.

Deb clucked her tongue impatiently. "Sillyhead, I told you they were going out already," she addressed her younger sister.

"Yeah, well, seeing is believing," Allie quipped without emotion, then melted into the crowd without another word just as Stacy got to Jess' side.

He gave her another kiss on the cheek in a rare display of public affection, then said hi to Deb. "We're going in," he told the older girl as he put his hand on the small of Jess' back to steer her gently toward the front doors.

"I'll see you guys in there," Deb told them. "I'm waiting on Kathy and TA. And of course they're late as hell – like always," she added, rolling her eyes.

Once they got past the ticket window and snack bar Jess found herself in the wide lobby, which was even busier than the sidewalk outside. She heard several people call out Stacy's name, but he didn't stop to talk to anyone, just threw out quick waves and smiles. As they approached the set of doors that led to the main auditorium, Stacy paused and turned to Jess. "Do you want to sit upstairs or downstairs?"

"I dunno. Never been here before. Where ever you want to sit is fine with me," she told him with a little shrug.

Stacy thought for a moment, drumming his fingertips on his chin as though he was contemplating the theory of Relativity. "Well, if we sit downstairs we risk getting stuff thrown on us from the rowdy people in the upper level. But if we sit in the upper level it'll be noisy because that's where all the rowdy people sit. Hmm."

Jess thought that the whole crowd looked fairly rowdy, even the older people, but kept silent.

Stacy seemed to come to a decision. "I know, we'll sit downstairs but toward the back, underneath the upper level where nothing can hit us. C'mon." He urged Jess forward toward the closest set of doors.

"Is it really that bad?" Jess asked as they walked into the auditorium itself.

"Usually, yeah," Stacy informed her as he picked out a row toward the back with quite a few empty seats. "But then, that's why most people come here on a Friday night," he added with a smile as he led her down the row.

"To throw things or get things thrown at them," Jess confirmed in a bemused tone. "Wow, this sure is gonna be romantic," she teased Stacy as they sat down and put their drinks carefully on the sticky floor.

Stacy looked in her direction and grinned wickedly. "Actually, that's the other benefit of sitting in this area. You can get kinda romantic." And to emphasize his point he leaned over and kissed Jess on the mouth for the first time that night, then leaned back in his seat and tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth, a smug look on his handsome face.

"Well, you'll get no complaints from me, then," Jess replied, taking a small handful from her own popcorn box. Around them the seats were starting to fill up quickly as the main feature was a close to starting.

A couple of minutes later the lights dimmed and the crowd whooped with anticipation while those who weren't sitting yet scrambled to find a good seat. Then Jess felt a piece of popcorn pelt the back of her head and irritatedly reached up to bat it away. Whoever threw it must have showered them with a handful because Stacy was acting like he got hit too. "I thought you said all the rowdy people sat upstai-"

Her comment was cut off by the sound of a teasing male voice behind them. "Peralta Pin-Dick Bug Fuckerrrr, whatcha doin', holmes?"

Stacy and Jess both turned around to see a grinning TA sitting two rows back, a pretty girl on either side of him and Bunker Spreckles, looking resplendent in a fine white suit like usual, sitting next to the girl on Tony's left. Kathy was sitting few seats down from them, currently engaged in conversation with Andy, the clean-cut surfer who had given Jess a ride home from the Zephyr shop party that one time. Stacy turned all the way around in his seat to address his Zephyr team mate. "Hey 'fro boy, how's it going?"

"It's goin'. Haven't seen much of you lately. Gettin' lost in your new chica?" TA asked with a teasing grin. Jess wasn't sure if he recognized her from their past meetings or not, since it was pretty dark in the theater at that point.

Stacy grinned with a mixture of shyness and pride, causing Jess' heart to lurch dangerously. "You met Jess before? It's her 18th birthday tonight," he announced, causing TA, Bunker, the girls and everyone else within earshot to dutifully chant, "Happy birthday, Jess!" in perfect unison. Jess slid so far down in her seat that only the very top of her head was visible from the rows behind her. "Thanks a lot, Stacy," she hissed with a crimson face, but her supposedly sensitive date merely chuckled and nudged his elbow against her upper arm. "Hey, turning 18 is nothin' to be embarrassed about," he assured her. "You're street legal now, be proud."

Before she could reply the opening credits started flashing on the screen against a background of huge, rolling waves. The noise level rose dramatically and Jess saw the first of the missiles start to rain down from the balcony above. Everyone cheered for their favorite surfers as each was introduced by name on the screen. One in particular, a Pacific Island-looking guy named Larry Bertleman who was sporting a 'fro that put TA's to shame, got a roar of acclaim from the whole audience. Even the normally staid Stacy whooped for him and threw his fists into the air, making Jess give an amused shake of her head.

As the movie played on they soon finished their drinks and popcorn, then Stacy's left hand began a slow creep across Jess' right thigh. She leaned closer to him and covered his hand briefly with her own, then reached a little farther over and placed it above his left knee. In response Stacy leaned closer to press his shoulder against hers. To Jess' relief no more popcorn or insults came flying at them from TA's row as the curly haired Dogtowner was as engrossed in the movie as everyone else.

About an hour into the movie, Jess realized she needed to pee. Shouldn't have had the two glasses of coke at the restaurant and then the big cup here, she thought ruefully as she gently extracted herself from Stacy's grasp and stood up. "Be right back," she whispered to Stacy as she prepared to tiptoe out. He pulled her down and gave her another quick kiss. "Hurry back, there's going to be some killer North Shore footage coming up soon," he instructed her. Jess shook her head in amusement again as she darted out of the row and headed up the aisle toward the doors. Just before she exited the auditorium she saw Deb sitting in the very back row next to the doors, Allie crouched in the aisle next to her, talking intently to her older sister about something inaudible to Jess. She threw Deb a little wave and as she walked out the doors, but she didn't think Deb noticed.

The women's room was immediately to the left of the doors. Jess went in, chose an empty stall, and did what she had to do, sighing in relief as she pulled her skirt down and flushed. As she prepared to leave the stall she heard other female voices coming from the vicinity of the bathroom door. "Is she in here?" "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she went in this one."

Sounds like that might be Deb looking for me, Jess thought. She opened the door and stepped out of the stall, but it wasn't her closest female friend who was waiting for her in front of the sinks. It was Angel, flanked by Karen and Allie. And they all looked extremely pissed.

Jess froze on the spot, knowing she was trapped. Before she could speak or make a move, Angel took a menacing step forward, a feral look on her pretty Latina face. "What. Did. I. Tell. You.," she hissed, punctuating her words like each one was a physical slap. Jess refrained from speaking, her back straight and her head held high. If I don't show fear, maybe she'll back down, she thought feverishly. Angel took another step closer. "I fuckin' told you to stay the fuck away from Stacy, didn't I? And what do you do?" she snarled, balling her hands into fists. A teenage girl exited one of the other stalls and immediately fled, correctly reading the situation and wanting to have no part in whatever might happen next.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," Jess ventured. Big mistake.

"The FUCK you don't!" Angel shrieked, and launched into Jess, shoving her backwards hard and making her head bang against the stall door, which luckily swung back a little and prevented any serious damage. Still, it was enough to make Jess see stars and get a tad disoriented. Before she knew it, Angel hauled her back to her feet, grabbed her upper arms in an iron grip, and shoved her up against the nearest wall. "Time for a schooling, bitch," she barked into Jess' face, then she hauled back and gave the Philly girl an open-palm slap that resounded against the tiled walls. Jess squeaked in shock and pain, scarcely able to believe this was happening. Angel slapped her again and Jess began to struggle and kick in earnest then, trying to pry herself out of her adversary's grip. Her sandaled foot scored a blow to Angel's shin, but the Mexican girl didn't let go of Jess' arms. Behind her, Karen and Allie stood impassive, waiting for their cue to jump in and join the fray if it looked like Angel needed a backup. Jess tried throwing herself to the side and torquing her torso in order to wrench herself out of Angel's grasp. It worked, but now Angel had both hands free to slap and scratch at Jess' shoulders and face. One of her nails raked a bloody trench across Jess' collarbone, enraging her enough to make her lash out properly at last. She plowed herself into Angel's midsection, almost knocking the startled girl off her feet, then began beating at the Mexican girl's head and torso with her fists as hard as possible. For a moment her flurry of punches seemed to make Angel abate, but then Jess felt a pair of arms encircle her midsection and pull her off the other girl. Karen had decided it was time to step in and lend a helping hand – or fist. The older girl smacked Jess' right ear hard enough to make it ring. "That's enough outta you, puta," Karen growled into Jess' other ear. Allie was still by the sinks, looking a little bewildered and sick, but apparently not willing to turn her coat and run for help. Two girls started to walk into the bathroom but upon taking in the scene, turned on their heels and fled without saying a word.

"Let's get this over with before anyone else interrupts us. Hold her," Angel told Karen as she reached into her calf-high boot and drew out a folded up switchblade. Pinned in Karen's tight grasp, Jess was glad she had just used the bathroom because otherwise she probably would have pissed herself in terror as Angel flicked the shining blade open and advanced on her, a determined look on her face. Oh my god, she's going to kill me, Jess thought despairingly. When Angel got close enough Jess did the only thing she could think of in that desperate moment. Using Karen's solid body as leverage, Jess pushed back against her and launched both feet into the air, catching Angel on the upper thigh and abdomen. This time it was enough to make Angel lose her balance and start to fall. Jess' move had also caused Karen's head to smack hard against the wall behind her, making her loosen her grip. Jess managed to pull free from Karen and took a step toward the door when she felt a sharp blow to her shin. Angel had lashed out blindly with the knife as she went down, striking Jess as she tried to get past. Heedless of the blood, pain and two furious girls hot on her heels, Jess plowed onward toward the door, knowing that an escape from the bathroom would also be an escape from death. Allie tried to block her path, but Jess shoved her aside violently, not caring at that point what kind of injury she caused Deb's younger sister.

Just inside the door, a mere 20 inches from freedom, Jess felt hands grabbing her skirt and pulling her back. Thrown off balance, she slammed to the floor on her side, screaming in fury, fear and frustration. Above her, Angel leaned over, the blade in her clenched fist gleaming wickedly. "I gotcha now," the Latina said with grim satisfaction as she drew a bead on Jess' exposed neck and prepared to strike down.

Suddenly the bathroom door flew open, almost hitting the two girls and voices of both sexes cut through the air, making Angel look up angrily and stay her hand, not willing to commit murder before an audience.

"Toldja there was a fight going on!"

"Gnarly!"

"Oh my god, somebody break it up!"

"Angel! Holy shit, get off her!" That last voice was Deb's. The older girl pushed her way past the onlookers into the bathroom as Angel slowly stood up, still holding the knife.

"Jess, are you ok? Try to get up," Deb urged as she half-sank to her knees beside her young friend's prone form. Backup came in the form of Kathy, TA and two other guys Jess didn't recognize, who charged into the bathroom and roughly shoved Jess' three adversaries into the back corner. "You guys just stay the fuck there until the cops show up," TA spat at them, heedless of Angel's knife and the black looks that all three were giving him.

"Oh god, no cops. And no ambulances," Jess gasped as she tried to sit up.

"Chica, you're going to need medical attention for that leg," Deb informed her in a tight voice. Jess risked a glance downward and saw that a veritable river of blood was pouring from her shin just below the knee, soaking her sandal and beginning to pool on the tiles below. "Ooh god," was all she could get out before slumping in a dead faint.

"Someone get a towel or something to stop this bleeding!" Deb called out to the onlookers crowded in the doorway. A concerned and vaguely ill looking woman immediately detached herself from the group and hastened to obey.

Then Jess' new boyfriend pushed his way into the bathroom, pulling up short at the sight of her unconscious bleeding form and his best friend keeping three angry girls at bay in the corner.

"What…the…FUCK?" exclaimed Stacy Peralta, who never used the 'F' word.

He dropped to his knees beside Jess, heedless of the blood he was getting on his new jeans. He took in the rising bruises on her face, the oozing scratch on her collarbone and the still-streaming knife wound on her leg and his face hardened in fury. "Who the hell did this?" he demanded of the other three girls, but they only stared at him in sullen silence. Stacy turned back to his girlfriend. "Jessica, sweetheart, open your eyes," he pleaded as he reached out and caressed her face, brushing her hair back from her cheekbones and forehead.

"I think she just fainted when she saw the blood," Deb explained. Just then the girl came back with a couple of white bar towels and quickly wetted them in the nearest sink before joining Deb on the floor next to Jess, whose eyelids were starting to flutter open.

"Just take it easy, girl," Deb softly counseled as she cleaned Jess' leg and put pressure on the wound to stanch the bleeding.

"Deb…" Allie started to address her sister in a pleading tone, but got cut off with a furious glare. "Don't talk to me right now, Allie. You're in a world of shit right now, so keep your little mouth shut."

A moment later two uniformed Santa Monica police officers muscled their way into the bathroom and the crowd of looky-lous began to vanish like cockroaches under a kitchen light. Together Stacy and Deb helped carry Jess out of the bathroom and into the lobby while the officers cuffed the three girls and led them out of the building to their patrol cars which were parked right out front, red and blue lights still flashing.

"I think she's going to need the hospital," Deb told Stacy over Jess' protestations to the contrary. Stacy agreed. Jess begged him to just take her home, but he refused, informing her that she'd probably need stitches. While Deb and Kathy stayed with her and tended her wounds, Stacy ran for his car. As soon as he pulled up Deb and Kathy helped Jess hobble out the front doors, the cleanest towel tied tightly around her leg.

One of the officers came over to the car as Stacy was helping Jess in. "You taking her to the Medical Center?" he asked as he pulled a little notepad out of his front shirt pocket.

"Yeah, that's the closest hospital," Stacy replied as he buckled Jess in.

The officer nodded in agreement. "Ok, can I just get her name and address before you go? We'll have someone come over there and take a statement once she's been treated."

Stacy obliged, then the cop let him go. "I'll be right behind you," Deb cried out to him as he jumped behind the wheel. During the drive over Stacy frequently reached over and stroked Jess' arm reassuringly, asking her repeatedly to tell him what "those foul whores" did to her and where she hurt, but Jess could only sit in silence and shake.

He pulled up to the Emergency Room exit at the Medical Center and helped Jess climb out of the car. An orderly who happened to be near the big sliding glass entrance doors noted Jess' wounds and quickly rolled up a wheelchair for her to sit in. Fortunately the night was still fairly young and the waiting room wasn't full, so Jess only had a ten minute wait for treatment. While Stacy remained in the waiting room to call Jess' mom, a task he clearly didn't relish, the orderly wheeled Jess on back. He took her to triage first, where a young doctor did a quick inspection of her leg and got ice packs for her face and upper chest, both of which were puffy and already turning into reddish-purple bruises. The doctor determined that nothing was broken but the stab wound would need three stitches, which he made with a deft hand. "You're lucky that it happened in that spot," he told Jess as he worked. "Your shin bone stopped the blade from going any farther in."

"Ooh, you're gonna make me faint again," Jess replied weakly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. A little squeamish, huh?" the doctor asked kindly as he tied off the thread. "Ok, we're all done with that part. Now we'll take care of that big scratch so it doesn't get infected and then you can go."

As he gently dabbed the salve on Jess' clawed collarbone, the doctor shook his head grimly. "I don't know who would do this to a nice young lady like you, but I sincerely hope you're pressing charges against them," he said in a firm tone.

"I really just want to forget all about it and go home, but I guess you're right," Jess said with a reluctant sigh.

When she was released from the treatment area and back in the waiting room, Stacy, Deb and another uniformed officer were waiting for her. Stacy informed Jess that he'd tried to call her house several times, but there was no answer. Jess figured that her mom had gotten a last-minute invite to a dinner party or maybe a movie with some of her co-workers. It had happened before, she explained as the officer took a seat beside her and took out a notepad and pen. As her date and friend listened Jess gave the officer a full account of the fight as best as she could remember. "It all happened so fast that some of it's already a blur," she admitted. "Do I have to press formal charges or something? How does this work?" she asked the officer.

"Your assailants have already been arrested on various assault charges based on testimony from several girls who saw them attacking you in the bathroom," the officer explained. "One of them will be booked for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, so she's gonna spend at least one night in jail if not the whole weekend."

"Good, 'cause I don't want to think about Angel being out and going after Jess again," Deb interjected.

The officer continued as though she hadn't spoken. "Now if you want to press more charges against the other two then that's up to you. I'll give you the address and number of the magistrate and you can call his office on Monday. For now I'd advise you to just go home and take care of those wounds."

After they were finished with police business, Stacy and Deb helped Jess out to Stacy's car. After Jess eased into the passenger seat, Deb leaned in and gave her a big hug. "I am so sorry this happened, but so glad you're going to be ok," she murmured into Jess' hair. "Call me at the salon tomorrow anytime after 10 and let me know how you're doing, ok?" Jess agreed and Stacy started the car. As Deb shut the passenger door, Stacy leaned forward to catch her eye. "Thanks for being there, Deb. I'll always owe you one," he told the older girl, who merely shook her head and waved goodbye.

The drive back to Jess' house was understandably quiet as she and Stacy were lost in their own thoughts. Jess kept her face turned to the passenger window, staring unseeingly at the passing scenery and trying not to finger the deep, stinging cut on her upper chest. Everything still felt unreal to her, as though she was trapped in a nightmare from which there was no waking. It was unbelievable that Angel would feel so strongly about Stacy that she'd be willing to destroy the object of his affection. For the hundredth time since the attack began, she wondered how close she had been to dying and shuddered involuntarily. Stacy caught the movement of her shoulders out of the corner of his eye and reached over to stroke her arm comfortingly again. "It's gonna be ok," he told her, but she only closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window.

When they got home Jess saw with a sinking heart that her mom's car was parked in the driveway behind the Triumph. She knew her wrath would be mighty and didn't want to see Stacy unfairly bear the brunt of it. "You don't have to go in," she hastily told him, but he resolutely shook his head no.

"I'm walking you in the house," he told her in a tone that brooked no argument.

As they came inside, Jess leaning on Stacy's arm for support, her mom emerged from the kitchen, a startled expression on her face. "What happened to you, sweetie? Oh my god, were you two in a car accident?" Sandie dashed to her daughter's side and concernedly led her to the couch. Stacy remained standing by the front door, his back straight and his face expressionless.

Haltingly, Jess told her mom about the assault in the theatre and the trip to the emergency room. As Jess spoke her mom gave her various wounds a once-over, her lovely face darkening in fury, then she glared up at Stacy. "And where were you when my baby was getting beaten and stabbed?" she asked him in arctic tones.

Jess desperately tried to stave off her mother's rage. "Mom, he had nothing to do wi-"

"Oh, I think he had everything to do with it," Sandie hissed through clenched teeth. You were hanging out with his crowd in his scene. You were his responsibility," she continued, her voice rising in stridency and pitch. "He had an obligation to look out for you and he failed." Stacy never volunteered a word in his defense, just closed his eyes, set his jaw and let Sandie's fury roll over him.

"That's not true, he had no idea what would happen! Mom, be fair," Jess' voice rose to a wail in an attempt to drown out Sandie's angry tirade and make her see sense.

Sandie ignored her and stood up. She pointed at Stacy. "You. You're scum. I want you out of my house. Don't ever come here again and don't ever speak to my daughter again. Ever! Go!" she shouted.

Jess wailed even louder and threw out her hand imploringly at Stacy. "No, don't go! She doesn't mean it, please don't go! I don't want him to go, Mom!"

"OUT!" Sandie roared, oblivious to her daughter's cries.

Still silent, Stacy threw Jess one last look of regret, disgrace and sorrow, then turned on his heel and walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him. Through the thick wood he could hear Jess' voice still pleading and his heart almost cracked in two: "NOOO! DON'T LEAVE ME! COME BACK! STACY, PLEASE COME BACK! STACYYYY…

Upon hearing the despondent sound in her voice he almost did go back but knew that Sandie would probably call the cops on him if he tried to walk in the front door. With shaking hands he let himself into his car and started the engine, sparing one last glance at the house before driving slowly away.

Back in house Jess' sobs and wails had subsided as she wrenched herself out of her mother's arms and stood unsteadily. "Why did you treat Stacy like that?" she demanded hotly.

"Jess, I did what was best for you," Sandie started to explain, but her daughter just screeched in rage and limped off to her bedroom, not wanting to talk to her mom for one second more. She slammed the door hard and locked it, then sank down on her bed and buried her face in her shaking hands. She was too furious to even cry. At the sound of a gentle tap on her door, she viciously shrieked "LEAVE ME ALONE!" and jumped up to turn on her stereo. Reaching into the wooden crate where she kept her albums, she plucked the first one she touched and put it on the turntable. It turned out to be Pink Floyd's 'Meddle'. As the eerie, driving rhythms of "One of These Days" started up, Jess returned to the bed and threw herself on her side, heedless of her injuries or whether the music was audible to her mom or not. Tomorrow first thing I'm calling Dad and asking if I can live with him, she thought angrily. I can't stay in this place another week. There's nothing for me here but pain and sadness.

As she schemed and rocked herself comfortingly, Jess suddenly felt overwhelmed with exhaustion. She closed her eyes for a moment and ended up drifting off to sleep as the music played on.