Disclaimer: I do not own The Simpsons characters; only the original characters listed in this fic.

I accept constructive criticism. c:

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Along Main Street, a blue Camry drove down the road, housing two figures. The driver was humming his own tune, taking advantage of the silent radio, while the passenger sat still in her seat, picking at a loose thread on the end of her left sleeve.

"Dear, did you remember your permission slips?"

"Yeah."

"And your schedule?"

"Yes."

"And you remembered to bring your books, pencils, highlighters-"

"Dad! Yes, I have everything, gosh!"

"Just making sure, dear." The young girl rolled her eyes before leaning her head against the window, watching the multicolored buildings and pedestrians roll by. She blew a breath through her pink glossed lips.

It had been seven years since she had been back to her hometown. Some businesses had closed, some had opened, some families had moved out, some moved in; what she was trying to get at was that things had changed. She hoped she could say the same thing about herself but she had her doubts, especially when those vicious thoughts whispered in the back of her head. Regardless, she had to put her big girl pants on and face reality.

"You know…your mother told me that Mrs. O'Reilly was bothering you again yesterday…"

The teen grimaced as she knew where this was going to go. Their next door neighbor was an 86 year-old widow who had been witness and victim to the many antics she had caused in her youth and labeled the girl as a 'Jezebel demon spawn'; what was funny (or not, depending on how you looked at it) was that her parents had told her to pay no attention to her words until they had found out she was Catholic. Only then did they label her as a serious problem and warned her to leave their daughter alone. "Dad, look, don't worry about it. I don't know why you guys have to make such a big deal over that lady."

Her father's face wrinkled further as his brows furrowed and his lips pursed. "The big deal is that she's harassing someone much younger than her and not giving her a fair chance to show her redemption. The Bible says that 'thou shalt not judge others who have turned over a new leaf'."

"...Does it really say that?" The man shrugged. "Well, I'm sure one of those books do. Look, the point is, I don't want her belittling you for your past sins constantly. She shouldn't be pointing fingers for someone of her…faith." He spit the words out as if they were poison.

The teen rolled her eyes at her father's reaction, not surprised at his prejudice against opposers of his religion. "Whatever, just please drop it. It doesn't bother me that much anymore. Honestly." Although his face showed that he had more to say, he backed down and went back to the previous silence, now filled with tension. She sighed and folded her arms over her ample chest, going back to sightseeing as she continued to reflect in her mind.

Her return home last month was bittersweet, to say the least.

Classes had ended at St. Tesla's Boarding School for Girls a couple of months prior but the girls were permitted to remain living in their dorms, being sympathetic of those who didn't want to or weren't allowed to return home. She was one of those girls but not because her parents didn't want her; they had been begging her to come back since the last day of junior year. She had felt uncomfortable returning to a home with unresolved issues and a town who saw her at her worse and would surely give her a hard time for showing her face again. But at the same time, the opportunity to bust out of that prison disguised as a boarding school was sounding like heaven. Her parents allowed her to return under a few conditions; she had to stay out of trouble, she had to keep her grades up and she had to keep her distance from boys, especially a certain spiky-haired one. An agreement was made and now here she was, on her way to start her senior year at Springfield High School.

"We're here."

Feeling the car roll to a stop, the girl looked out the window to see a four-story, brown-bricked building with a sign that said 'New Springfield High School'. '…I don't even wanna know.'

Grabbing her tote bag from the floor, she eased the straps onto her right shoulder before looking at her father. "Well…guess I should head in."

Nodding stiffly, he sighed before his shoulders sagged. "Yes, you should. Wouldn't want you to be late on your first day, no?" The teen shook her head and grabbed the door handle, pushing the door open before bringing her feet out. Just as she was about to step out, a firm hand rested on her left shoulder.

Eyes widening in confusion, she turned her head to look back and see her dad's face. "Jessica…just do your best, okay? We just want to see you do better this time around, the school seemed to do wonders for you and you should show everyone how you've changed. Show them the daughter that we know and love."

She wanted to smack his hand away, wanted to snap at him and say that they didn't know her as well as they thought, wanted to get out the car without letting anything but the slam of the door speak for her. But ever the good minister's daughter, she gave a small smile and nodded slowly. "I know, Dad. I'll…I'll try." Pleased with her answer, he smiled and patted the shoulder his hand was on. "Have a good day, sweetheart."

With a small wave of her hand, Jessica got out of the car and closed the door, turning around to face the building. Taking in and letting out a deep breath, she got her emotions in check before narrowing her jade green eyes at no one in particular.

'Alright Springfield, time for you to see the new Jessica Lovejoy.'

~•~•~•~

'Spanish II? Nah. Home Ec? Hell no. Auto body repair? Now that's what I'm talking about.'

A tall teen sat on the couch in his home, skimming over a list of elective classes to choose. Using his pencil, he checked off the boxes of the ones he was interested in. Normally this form would have to be mailed in a couple of weeks ago but his family's move had gotten pushed back by a month, thanks to many moving companies that didn't want to deal with a last minute move. His parents had managed to find a small yet more expensive company a few miles outside of town and entered into packing mode the second the dates were set and the money was exchanged. Because of all the commotion, he would be starting in his new school a couple of weeks behind. He wasn't too torn up about it but his parents worried it would affect his performance for his final year.

Hearing the front door open, the boy looked up to see a middle-aged man, husky and with a balding head, come through with his hands full of flat cardboard and piles of bubble wrap. Putting his form down, he got up and ran over, grabbing a couple of boxes that were starting to slide out. "Heads up, pops!"

"Thanks son! Just set them down in the corner for me, will you?"

Nodding, he set the cardboard down in front of the growing stack of boxes in the corner. His father did the same before wiping his hands off together. "Well, guess we'll have to start bugging the supermarket for boxes now, we cleaned out the corner store just from this week alone!"

"Damn dad, how do we have more stuff to pack? Nearly all the rooms are cleared out and mom started switching to paper plates last week."

The older man chuckled. "Well son, there's still the basement. We did have a life before you came around, you know." The boy rolled his eyes at his dad's jesting but couldn't help the smile on his face. He did have a point; even though it had felt like a lifetime, it had only been three years since Donny was welcomed into the Withers' household with open arms.

"How's the form looking, kid?"

Donny walked back to the coffee table and picked up the paper before handing it to his dad. "Almost done, just gotta pick one more class. Any advice?"

Mr. Withers studied the form closely, making sounds of approval. "Hm, you've got some good choices here…you sure you don't want to take a language class?"

"Pfft, after I nearly bombed Spanish last year? No thanks, I don't think I have the ability to retain a new language." Rolling his eyes at his son's protest, he scanned the list once more before his eyes lit up. "Why not do a sport? Good way to keep active outside of gym!"

"Mm…what kind of sport?"

"Hm…there's football, baseball, swimming, soccer-"

Donny frowned. "Don't those all involve tryouts in the first week?"

"...you know what? Why don't you just pick another vocational class? You can pick two for each category. Ah, look, there's welding! It could go pair well with the auto body class."

The teen grinned at his dad's suggestion. "That could work. I was trying to avoid another vocational one 'cause I know what mom would say but since you suggested it…" Mr. Withers' dark, bushy eyebrows wiggled while he grinned. "Suggested what? If your mom asks in the future, just say the other classes were filled up."

The two laughed with each other for a bit before the older man glanced at his wristwatch. "Oop, speaking of, I've gotta go pick her up from work. We're still on for Thai food tonight?"

"You know it."

Giving his son's dirty blond hair a ruffle (and managing to avoid a swat), he headed back out the front door, leaving the teen alone once more. Reclaiming his spot on the couch, Donny picked his pencil up again and checked the box next to 'welding'. He had been fighting himself not to check the box, knowing his mom would make him pick a more educational option instead. But since he had gotten approval from his dad, he could learn something he had been looking forward to for years. He had loved tinkering with cars, motorcycles, bicycles; anything with wheels that could move, Donny was eager to take it apart and put it back together.

Sticking the finished form into the manila folder on the table, the dirty blond stretched his arms up before lying down on the couch, hoping to take a nap before the food arrived. Closing his eyes, he thought about what the future was holding for him.

In the middle of August, his mom had made a big announcement at dinner one night; the promotion she had been waiting for was happening. The only downside was that it required the family to relocate to a town called Springfield. When she mentioned the name, Donny nearly choked on his broccoli. It had been seven years since he had been there, only staying for a short time before he was forced to skip town after betraying the two adults who had plucked him from the Shelbyville Orphanage. He never regretted it but he couldn't say the same about the actions that had led to that situation. The friends he had made, especially a spiky-haired one, were the best he had in his seventeen years of living; he always thought about them and wondered if he should reach out to them. But insecurity and fear had held him back; they were kids then and nearly adults now, surely their personalities had changed and they had their own tight-knit circle of close friends. It was always hard for him to make and keep meaningful relationships.

Donny still had his moments that years of being raised in an orphanage had ingrained into his psyche. People only wanted to befriend you in exchange for something, adults thought you were worthless and girls only wanted you for your looks. These attitudes had eased up a bit but some encounters really tried his patience. One particular one happened earlier this year with this girl he had a fling with; cute with raven-black hair, wide brown eyes and a statuesque figure reminiscent of a model. She approached him one day and next thing he knew, they were making out under the stairwells. However, his so-called friend at the time neglected to tell him that she had been dating the co-captain of the lacrosse team and broke it off without informing her boyfriend. The dirty blond nearly got the beating of a lifetime after school from the irate teen but managed to fend him off with his own fists, sending him running like a coward. When he confronted the girl the next day as to why the hell she never talked to her 'ex', she merely tilted her head and with a guiltless tone said that she thought he would've gotten the memo from the ignored calls and texts. To rub salt in the wound, she told Donny he shouldn't be getting upset since there was nothing serious going on between them. After getting a few days of detention from a teacher who witnessed the fight and his 'friend' now ignoring him, the teen swore off people and vowed to make schoolwork and auto repairs his companions for the rest of the year.

His face now scrunched into a slight frown as he reminisced, the boy grumbled out loud before turning onto his side, facing the back of the couch. Hopefully Springfield would be more trustworthy than North Haverbrook.

'Two weeks needs to hurry the hell up.'

~•~•~•~

Somewhere in Kansas, a teen girl sat on the hood of her black 1990 Pontiac Firebird, a lit cigarette held in her right hand and a cup of coffee in her left. She only had the cup for two minutes and she had already chugged half of it, ignoring the slight burns it left in her mouth. She pushed herself to keep driving after nearly running into the cops in Arkansas but driving straight for almost eight hours was hell on the human body; coffee was her best friend right now.

Letting out a breath through her slightly chapped lips, she lifted the cigarette up to inhale for a few seconds, savoring the nicotine before blowing it out into the dawn air. It had only been four days since she had skipped town but with the close calls and nearly screwed-up plans, it felt three times as long. She still had about fifteen-hundred miles and twenty-two hours of driving to go before she reached her destination. To her vexation, her cash stash was starting to run low. She had no credit cards and didn't take any from the home, knowing all too well that she would be tracked down in a hot minute had she pulled such a stunt. Whatever she had saved up from odd-end jobs and snatched from the wallets and purses in the house was just enough to get her past state lines. To save money, the young woman went a day or two without eating full meals and skipped motels in order to sleep in her car in secluded areas. Many people wouldn't go to these lengths but she wasn't many people; they didn't live the life she had.

Chugging down the last of the brew, the teen tossed her cup in a nearby trash can and puffed the last bits of the cancer stick before tossing it on the ground, stomping it out with her brown combat boot. Getting back into the driver's seat, she reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed the large map depicting the United States, red circles, X's and words scribbled in various areas. Opening it back up, she studied her planned route once more, making sure she didn't miss any important exits or turns. On the top left corner, a large circle was drawn around a town called Springfield; her final destination. Her hard features softened a bit as she recalled the familiar place. It was the only one she had close to a home and who had people that actually gave a shit about her. One boy in particular touched her heart, to the point that she had taken the rap for him after their little escape from juvie. In his gratitude, he held a dinner for her back at the facility with his family around them, providing her with a sense of normalcy for once. It was one of the best rewards she had ever gotten; sure, getting out of juvie would've been better but she couldn't ask for much in her position.

'There you go, thinking about him again…let it go, Gina.'

Hearing that brash, scolding voice in the back of her head pipe up brought her face back to a scowl. She couldn't go back just for him, she had to go back to survive and stay hidden until things cooled off; that's what she kept beating into her own head for months now. But her plans as of what to do once she arrived in Springfield were nonexistent; surely she'd have to get a job (money didn't grow on trees) or enroll herself into the local high school (she had no intention of going back to school once junior year came to a halt).

Gina sighed in irritation. Stressing on the drive over wasn't going to do her any good. Shaking her head to clear it, a chunk of her pink bangs obscured her vision before she brushed it behind her ear. Grabbing her aviator sunglasses, she placed them on her face before placing the key into the ignition and turning, causing the car to roar loudly as it awoke from its brief nap.

Double-checking all her gauges and making sure her map was accessible, she pulled out of the gas station and onto the road, peeling off despite the speed limit signs. Springfield was about to be one resident fuller.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this rewrite! My older chapters needed some serious editing and I figured instead of just introducing Jessica in this, why not throw in a couple of the other characters who'll be returning?

Reviews, reviews, reviews!