CHAPTER 26-SOUTH OF THE BOARDER AND BOTTLE
~~Thank you once more for the review! Keep leaving them! Lol. I seriously appreciate them, I really do. I'm glad you see the dynamic between Baz and Jessica. They are like magnets where they constantly pulled together even though they can be separated. I've never said they were perfect because they aren't, just like the Cody family. And Smurf…I've got much more in store with her. But as you can tell, she's trying to pry them apart, it may work in her favor and it may not~~Reanna.
It had been a rare occasion that Jessica spent alone time with one of her brothers. Most of the time she had been around the entire family but this was a trip in the books. Taking a road trip with Pope was going to be anything but fun in her eyes.
Pope was known to be the most boring out of all of her brothers. Craig was all the way at the top considering all he did was snort cocaine to keep himself energized, had sex and held a party until the sun came up. If she had to put Deran in second place considering he was more of an outdoors guy. He enjoyed surfing and the beach, a topic that Jessica constantly had on her mind.
Baz was almost tied with Pope for having fun because he always had to ruin everything when something went down. She couldn't keep count on how many times he tried getting Craig to stop a party at Smurf's, Jessica always told him that he needed to live a little more. Pope on the other hand was the definition of boring as he never wanted to have any fun to begin with.
When Jessica went to pack some of her things, Baz spoke to Pope and told him what he thought was going on with her. it was clear that she had it been the same after he left and he knew that Smurf had a hand in it. That was the whole point of her getting Baz to do the errands instead of J. Pope also noticed how she behaved and took suspicions as well he just didn't share them.
He was going to keep a close eye on her because if he returned and Jessica was worse, he wasn't going to hear the end of it. Before they left the Cody home however Jessica slipped a few more pills in her mouth and tucked some away in her shorts. It was going to be difficult to take them around Pope but she was good at being sneaky especially when it came to her drug use. It had numbed her pain for her arm but it also numbed everything else in her life as well. Even though she didn't show it Jessica was internally fighting what happened.
She hadn't protected J and she had it protected Nicky from Javi and his men. Even though they both were okay it's still bothered her that she didn't do anything to help. She did do her best though and Smurf was right about her holding her ground. She had just never been in a situation like that and it shook her to her core.
Jessica lifted her head off of the car window and opened her blue-grey eyes. She had trouble sleeping all night not only due to her injuries but from what she saw that night as well. She had never seen someone murdered in front of her, especially an ex-boyfriend. Baz was supposed to be there for comfort but it didn't stop her from being scared. tossing and turning all night just got finally got her piece of sleep once the pills kicked in. Even though Jessica was as fit girl the pills still took its toll on her despite her having a tolerance as well.
Blinking her eyes a couple times she narrowed at the highway as the lights hit her straight in the face. Pope's eyes shifted to the passenger seat, he was glad that she was still alive.
"How far are we? Are we even in Mexico yet?" She asked trying to reach around the back for her bag, she wanted her sunglasses on.
"We're almost there. We have to cross the border and then we have an hour after that" Pope said after looking at the GPS. Not only was it Pope's first time in Mexico but Jessica's as well. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm a barrel of sunshine. Can all of you quit treating me like glass? I'm fine, I just don't look it" It was evident that she was lying but Pope wasn't going to push it. "We don't even speak Spanish, how are we going to do anything with the doctor?"
Baz had been the only one in the family that spoke Spanish but didn't know it by heart. Deran had taken French in high school whereas the others never took a foreign language. Everything was taken care of but Pope wasn't sure how or even by who.
"We'll figure it out. I'm sure they speak English" He answered her, keeping his eyes locked on the road. He was reaching the border and was making sure he was getting in the right lane and direction. "What is it you're on?"
Pope had reached an arm back as well in order to help her get her bag. Jessica avoided the question while slipping on her sunglasses not wanting to have this discussion. Problem was she was stuck in the car and he would keep asking until she answered. "What are you trying to accused me of?"
"I'm not blind, I've seen you like this before. What did you take?" Pope was going to get to the bottom of it in order to help her. If she needed surgery he wanted to let the doctor know that she had been on something so she didn't get worse. He actually wasn't sure what they would give her so he needed to figure out what she was doing.
"I didn't take anything besides the aspirin you gave me last night" Jessica stare down the road wanting to avoid his gaze. Part of her wanted to say something but it was the other half that refused. Even though she had been sober from every drug Craig's pills were kicking in because she hadn't had it for awhile. Another thing was is she took a handful rather than taking two. Her body was acceptable to it so taking them don't worry her even if it meant worrying everybody else.
"I've seen Julia like this and I've seen you too. High out of your mind, Moody, bright lights hurt your eyes so you need to wear sunglasses, you're defensive. What was it this time?"
Locking her jaw, Jessica knew Pope was going to press on the matter and not stop. She started wondering if as put him up to it because it seemed like something he would have done. "I don't know, took a couple of Craig's pills in order to ease my pain. I'm sorry but is this an intervention? So what I do in my spare time is not anyone's concern"
Jessica groaned while she raised her feet in order to pull them to her chest. She wrapped her free arm around them, rested her chin on her knees and stared out the side window. Pope wanted to stop the car and turn around in her for her to open her eyes. The Cody sisters were one in and the same with their drug problems. He had gone through it with Julia first so he knew the symptoms when it came to Jessica. Both had the same, closed off behavior that caused them to be moody.
"What was prison like? I'm sure you enjoyed it" She commented lowly but enough for him to hear her. Jessica didn't even know Pope had gone to prison until Deran told her about two weeks after he disappeared. She assumed he was having one of his mood swings and wasn't coming around anymore, until she learned the truth. It was a shock that he took the fall for Baz but knew that it was due to his feelings for Catherine underneath it all.
"I'm not going back there. I will never do that again" Pope replied almost too quickly before she could finish her sentence. He never opened up about what happened in prison which made the Cody family members questions what exactly went on.
Jessica's eyes trailed over to him then she looked down in her lap. He had it made eye contact with her even though she tried to read his face. She heard stories about what could happen in there which made her wonder what Pope had become a victim of. He did seem a little more angry and he was before he got in but that could have been due to a variety of issues. Her blue eyes had focused on her shorts wanting to ask the next question but was too afraid to say anything. "What happened in there?"
Pope's brown eyes were locked on the road as he refused to answer her. There was no way that he was going to tell her what happened considering he never told anybody else. Her question also arose once in him as he didn't have all the answers with what happened when Javi showed up.
"Javi didn't do anything else to you…Right? He didn't…" Pope paused trying to figure out what to say. "He didn't touch you or anything…?" His voice cut off taking a glance at her.
"What? No, nothing else happened" She told him snapping her head in his direction as they locked eyes for a split second before Pope focus back on his driving. It took Jessica to connect the dots and that was when she realized what happened to him in prison. "Did they…"
She watched as Pope tightened his jaw and his grip on the wheel got harder. It was self-explanatory by his actions that bad things went on when he was in prison, he just was going to admit it. There was no changing this conversation, so Jessica thought it was best just to keep quiet until they arrived at their destination.
As the hour went by quickly due to Pope's driving and they arrived in the city. Mexico was a whole different world for both of them as it was completely different than California. There problem now was exactly what Jessica had brought up earlier, the language barrier was a huge flaw. When they stepped out of the truck, Pope looked around the buildings hoping that he drove to the right location that Baz gave him. Since it was dark, it was hard to make out signs as well as nothing was in English.
"Where in the hell are we?" Jessica questioned once she shut the door and leaned against the black truck. She struggled moving her sunglasses because the world was much darker with them on. When she watched one of the doors open to the building that they were closest to, she squinted trying to see who it was.
"You're in Mexico, in Sonora but more specifically Santa Ana" Lucy spoke with a faint smile on her face. Neither one of them responded back so she took a deep breath. "Baz called and asked if I could help you guys out"
"Of course he did…Remind me why I came down here again?" She looked away from Lucy and towards her older brother. Lucy was the last person she wanted to see after hearing what Lena told her. She also knew that Baz was with her the night that Javi showed up at Smurf's. Jessica wasn't going to deal with whatever game Baz was trying to pull.
Lucy hadn't said a word, held the door open for them as Pope tried to convince her to step inside but Jessica wasn't having it. Pope refused to deal with her attitude, especially after driving all those hours in order to get her help. Grabbing her free arm, he yanked her faintly and started dragging her into the hallway. Lucy wasn't sure on what transpired as Baz only told her that they had a family emergency to go through. She could see how beat up Jessica was and it reminded her of the phone call from the other night.
He continued to force her up the stairs in order to see the doctor that Lucy was taking them to. Pope was relieved that Baz had a plan in mind when they were on the way there, but he wished he would have told him. Jessica nearly tripped up the stairs when her older brother pulled her harder. She eventually ripped her arm away but the stare from Pope shook her to the core so she hung her head and followed them. Lucy wasn't sure exactly what was going on or why the Cody sister had been acting the way she was. Every time she had ever seen her, she was put together but it was clear that the girl was a mess.
It had taken some time to calm her down before she saw the doctor for the broken arm. As Pope looked between his sister, Lucy and the man who he hoped was a good enough doctor, he was trying his best to figured out what was going on. The brunette had to translate everything to them even though Jessica kept her head down listening.
Luckily for her, it was nothing serious that required surgery. The doctor believed it had just been broken without any nerve damage, would heal fine but he had to double check. Jessica had to be examined for x-rays, a cast and let it heal on its own. Pope had excused himself in order to let the others know what was going on as Lucy stayed with Jessica as she got everything taken care of.
The eldest Cody went back outside to have the peace and quiet that he needed. He was glad that it wasn't anything serious that would require him keeping a closer eye on her. If Jessica had needed surgery, things would have gotten worse as she would have been supplied with morphine. It would have made her wig out more and Pope wasn't going to handle it, he didn't do it with Julia either.
Dialing Baz's number, he knew he would answer compared to the others and Smurf was not the first on his list. Hearing the tone ring a few times, Baz picked up and Pope rubbed his eyes faintly.
"Everything is fine, she just needs some x-rays done a cast" He spoke before Baz could even say anything.
It was silent on the line for a couple seconds until he spoke. "She doesn't need surgery at all? Lucy is there right? I asked her to be there when you guys showed up"
"She's here…You could have told me she was meeting us. I wouldn't have had to deal with Jessica's temper tantrum over it" Pope spoke putting his back to the driver's door and crossing one of his arms.
"If you want an apology, I'm sorry. I thought everything would be fine whether you knew or not" Baz paused for a moment. "How is she?"
"A pain in the ass" Pope responded with a serious tone to his voice. "I tried asking her what she took but she didn't answer me. She acting the same way she did before"
That sentence alone made Baz take a deep breath on the other line. "Alright, I'll see if I can figure it out. I'd ask Smurf but I'm pretty sure she'd chew my ass out if I did"
He wasn't going to tell Pope how he confronted her earlier in the day but he was going to keep it quiet. Baz had been having problems with Smurf for a while and he didn't want to involved the others until he needed to.
"Once she's done in there, I'm giving us a couple of hours before heading back"
"Thanks Pope, I don't know what would have happened if you didn't take Jess" Pope hung up on that last sentence and prepared himself for another long day of driving.
The Cody siblings had stayed in Mexico for a few more hours thanks to Lucy's hospitality. Neither one of them wanted to accept the invitation but Pope needed a little bit of rest in order to drive back to California. Jessica on the other hand was ready to leave, clearly not wanting to be around her. While Pope had to answer a phone call from Smurf that he kept ignoring, that left the two females standing outside of Lucy's apartment.
"I hope everything goes well when you get back home" Lucy was first to break the tension, turning her direction.
"Oh I'm sure you do" Jessica responded staring down at the newly applied pink cast. She picked at for a few seconds then raised her eyes towards her. "Did you jump at the chance to be with Baz once Catherine disappeared?"
The question made Lucy cross her arms in defense, responding to the accusation being thrown at her. Narrowing her eyes, she wasn't exactly sure what she was bringing up. "Excuse me?"
"You know what I'm talking about. You've been to Baz's house; you've been around Lena and I can't help but wonder why. You've always been his side chick and you jumped at the chance when you heard that his girlfriend is out of the picture. Stay away from my niece, just a little piece of advice"
Lucy's mouth had popped open while Jessica stared her down, her bruised eyes not moving. Every time she had met Jessica before, the two had exchanged words but they put their feelings aside that they felt about each other. Both Jessica and Lucy were in love with the same guy so it was clear that neither one of them would get along.
"Look Jessica, I don't know exactly why you want to pick a fight when I just helped you but go right ahead. We both love Baz, you know it's the truth but…"
Pope had returned from around the car and approached them in order to get going. Lucy stopped talking not wanting to fight with his sister, especially because Pope was unpredictable. She also didn't want anything to get back to Baz that would affect their relationship. Jessica starting walking backwards to the car, not acknowledging what she said. The eldest Cody turned his head to look between them wondering what he was missing while he was on the phone. Heading to the driver's seat, Pope was quiet on the matter without asking any questions as it was going to be a long ride home.
Once they arrived back in Oceanside and at Smurf's home, they both vowed that they would never make a trip like that again. They both hated long car rides, the silence between them and the constant nagging they did to each other. The oldest and youngest were bound to mix it up more than once, it was something that Jessica did more often than anyone else.
The home was quiet, and both were surprised that Smurf was the only one present. J and Nicky were still in school as well as Lena, Craig was helping Deran do something at the bar and Baz was no where to be found. By the time they had gotten back, it was almost noon and Pope was down for the count. He ended up disappearing, talking about some church thing which left Jessica alone by herself.
She headed off into her old bedroom and sat on the bed, staring at the tan colored wall without anything crossing her mind. The second she stepped into the house; Jessica snuck off into the bathroom in order to take a few more pills that Smurf had slipped her. Her arm was aching due to them toying around with it and she wasn't a fan of the cast. It was very itchy, and Jessica couldn't help but pick at it. She was almost in a complete daze due to the drugs kicking in and feeling nothing at all.
It was a feeling that she missed because she was used to numbing the pain with whatever she could get her hands on. No one grows out of addiction; they just learn how to deal without chemicals flowing through their bloodstream. This was one of those cases where Jessica learned to push everything back, tucked the pain back and figure out a way to heal it. Her eyelids grew heavily but she was trying her best in order to stay awake. Hearing a knock on the door, it popped open and she moved her head to see who it was.
"I thought you might be hungry, I made you a snack" Smurf said stepping in, carrying a tray with her. It was filled with a variety of different food such as fruit, a sandwich and a bowl of soup. Peering at her daughter, she placed the tray on top of the dresser, moved over to the bed and sat down next to her. "Are you okay Baby?"
Jessica hadn't answered her and continued to pick at the bright pink cast. She'd rather it be a color she liked because pink just didn't suit her. "I'm fine"
Looking at her skeptically, Smurf knew better. Brushing a chunk of hair away, she watched her daughter closely. "Do you remember when your brothers would bring their friends over and you always hid in this room? You were so shy whenever anyone came over. The first time Julia brought Baz here, you were so scared of him. You did the same thing with Craig and Deran's friends. I never understood why"
Jessica's stormy eyes shifted towards her. Smurf leaned forward to get a closer look. "Because I didn't think they'd want me hanging out with them. Baz was always with Julia and Pope, Renn and Adrian were always with the other two. I thought it would have been best to stay by myself"
It was the story of Jessica's life. As much as she was a part of the family, she was always tempted to hold a distance. She had been close to her siblings for the most of it but there was still space to fill in. Jessica always felt like she belonged in the family but didn't necessarily believe she fit it. At the same time, she was at constant odds with Smurf.
"Why did you have Javi killed?" Jessica blurted out, finally looking at her Mother.
Keeping her face straight, Smurf responded, "He hurt you, he hurt Nicky and J. I wasn't going to let that go. Javi was a monster, responsible for everything that has gone on recently. Would you want him to still be alive after what he did?"
"He didn't deserve to die, all he wanted was the money. Javi wouldn't have come around here anymore since he got what he came here for. He didn't want to hurt me, it was because of you and because of Baz. Whatever you two decided ended up falling back on me"
"How many times do you want me to apologize? I already lost Julia and I wasn't about to lose you. If your Brothers would have been here instead of running away, things would have turned out differently" Smurf was trying to avoid a confrontation because she could see something brewing in Jessica's eyes.
"Well if you wouldn't have sent us on a job that had no money attached, they would have shown. Pope was taking care of Lena as always, Deran has the bar now, Craig was off doing whatever he does and Baz was with Lucy…" After her last sentence, Jessica shut her mouth and looked away. She went back to staring at the cast once more.
Smurf listened to her and saw her quick shift in movement. The way she spoke about Baz half of the time gave everything away, her feelings were laid out on the table. It also gave her an advantage as to what was going on. Watching her closely, Smurf reached out and grabbed her hand so she would stop picking at it. Pointing down to the floor, she smirked lightly knowing that Jessica would remember what she used to do when she was little. Snorting out a laugh, Jessica followed her lead and crawled onto the ground.
Smurf grabbed sections of her hair once she sat down and got comfortable. Jessica always wore her hair in braids when she under the age of ten and Smurf was the one who taught her how to do it. It was the only thing they had close to bonding time.
"How about you stay here another night? I'll make sure no one steps in this house if they are not family. What do you say?"
Jessica was ready to go home as she hadn't been in her apartment for days. However, it was nice feeling like the center of attention for once, whether it was good or bad. Nodding lightly, the Cody Matriarch was glad that she agreed to her terms. Once she was finished doing a simple braid, she kissed her on the top of her head.
"You get some rest okay? I'll get started on dinner"
Helping her daughter up from off the floor, Jessica climbed back onto the bed. She curled up, her head resting on the cast as she watched out the window. Smurf threw a blanket over her, smiled at her and began making her way towards the door. Smurf nearly ran into Baz as he turned the corner to step into the room.
Shutting the door quietly, Smurf stood in front of it. "She's taking a nap right now, why don't you go help Lena with her homework? Something you haven't done in awhile"
Brushing past him without another word, Baz glared at her before turning his attention back to the bedroom door. Opening it lightly, he peered into the room and saw Jessica lying there. Walking over to the edge of the bed, Jessica opened her eyes in order to see who it was.
"Hey…How are you feeling?" He asked lowly, hoping that Smurf wouldn't come back.
She lifted her head slightly to show the cast. "I had an interesting trip if that's what you want to know. Can you all quit asking me how I'm doing?"
Baz had a feeling that she was going to be mad that Lucy helped her out but he didn't care. Someone had to be there, and she was someone he could count. The second sentence caught him off guard. "I came to see if you needed anything"
Shaking her head gently, Jessica kept her eyes on him. She knew Baz wasn't going to leave because he had been a thorn in her side lately. At the same time, she couldn't get away with what she wanted if he were there.
"I'm fine, another phrase I'm constantly saying. I'm going to bed so if you wouldn't mind. I'll see you at dinner"
Blinking in surprise, Baz had no idea what was even going on. Two nights ago Jessica ad wanted him to stay with her and all of sudden things had changed. He knew exactly why that was, there was only one person to blame.
Agreeing to her wishes, he moved away from her but stopped once he reached the dresser. Behind the tray of food that Smurf left, he saw the orange pill bottle. Snatching it up in order to see what it was, it was clear that Jessica had drained most of the medication already. Taking it away from her was something that he needed to do.
"Why was Smurf in here?" Baz questioned glancing back at her.
"The hell if I know. I'm staying the night again, so you don't have to worry about taking me home. Probably to come take care of me" Jessica paused, turned her head sideways to see him. "Close the door on your way out"
Sighing loudly, he was in disbelief at what was going on. "Oh, I'm sure she was…Stay away from Smurf, okay?"
"And what if I don't? What are you going to do about it Baz?" She asked back defensibly.
He watched her roll back over onto her side so that she didn't have to face him anymore. Shaking his head in annoyance, he tucked the bottle in his jacket pocket. "I'll do whatever it takes"
"Good luck…Don't forget to close the door"
Locking his jaw shut, Baz now took it upon himself to officially leave. Closing the door like she asked, he wanted to confront Smurf once again but knew that it wasn't going to go anywhere. She would use her defensive skills as always, remind him how she's always taken care of him and she had nothing to do with Jessica's attitude. For now, Baz had to keep quiet on the matter while watching the dynamic change in the household. Smurf had her hold on Jessica like she had her hold on everyone else. Everyone was just a pawn in her game and she was currently winning.