CHAPTER EIGHT.
"Costa Rica?" Jill echoed, her brown eyes wide, "You… you want to go to Costa Rica?"
Randy nodded, "Yeah, Mom, remember I told you about that program? You go down to Costa Rica for a year, and help save the environment?"
Jill did remember this, but she hadn't thought that he would actually be accepted. "Oh, yeah, sweetie, I remember. You got accepted?"
"Yeah," Randy nodded again, "They called this morning to let me know! Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, great," Jill knew she didn't sound very enthusiastic, but she couldn't help it. "Randy, really, I'm glad you got accepted, but… please don't tell me you're going to escape your problems with Jessica."
"I'm not," Randy looked indignant, but a little part of his brain was nagging him, telling him that this was untrue. "Seriously, Mom, I want to go to Costa Rica because I want to help save the environment. What happened with Jess… it's not my motivation for going."
Jill nodded slowly, "As long as you're sure, sweetie."
"I'm sure,"
Jill watched her son as he left the kitchen to begin packing, and she sighed, hoping that Randy and Jess could patch things up before he left.
"Costa Rica?" Jess had to sit down, or she was sure she would've fallen over, "Randy's going to Costa Rica?"
Nick nodded, looking slightly concerned as he saw Jess trying to process what he'd just told her.
"How do you know?" Jess' voice was quiet, and she felt like she was dreaming, but she couldn't wake up.
"Brad just told me, Jess, he wanted to make sure you knew, and that you didn't hear it from someone else." Nick replied.
"Oh, you mean someone like, I don't know, Randy?" Jess' voice was suddenly harsh, "My supposed "best friend"?"
"I'm sure he was going to tell you," Nick said gently.
Jess gave a short bark of bitter laughter, "For some reason, I don't believe you."
"Jess, you guys are best friends," Nick said, looking confused, "Why wouldn't he tell you he's leaving?"
"I don't know, maybe the fact that he hasn't even looked at me since we had that argument almost two weeks ago." Jess said in a flat voice.
Nick sighed, and said, "Well, he's leaving on Saturday. That gives you two almost two whole days to kiss and make up."
"I will if he will," Jess said, realizing (but not caring) that she sounded incredibly immature.
"Jessica, he's your best friend." Nick looked incredulous, "If you don't make up with him before he leaves for Costa Rica, you might lose him forever!"
"Thanks, Nick," Jess said sarcastically, standing up, "That is exactly what I wanted to hear," She shoved her brother on her way out of the kitchen, "Jerk."
Jess was sitting on the swing set outside her house later that afternoon, and she felt extremely stupid. Why couldn't she have just kept her stupid mouth shut for once? Why couldn't she have just ignored Lauren's petty comments, and continued being Randy's best friend? Maybe if she had, he wouldn't be going to Costa Rica.
She shook her head. No, he'd still be going to Costa Rica. Of course, he'd still be going to Costa Rica. The two of them had briefly talked about the program, and about him applying. Jess distinctly remembered Randy saying that going down there and helping the environment would give him something to be passionate about.
She didn't want him to leave, but there was no way she could tell him. They hadn't spoken one word to each other since the fight in the Taylor's basement. It would have been easier if they had space from each other in school, but they didn't. They had every class together, and the fact that Lauren was fawning all over Randy 24/7 didn't help. Jess had spent most of her time with Milo, which probably wasn't helping either, but she figured what could it hurt?
"Hey, Jess,"
She was pulled out of her thoughts, and she found Brad Taylor looking at her expectantly.
"Oh, hey, Brad," She forced a weak smile.
"How are you doing?" He asked, sitting beside her.
"I've been better, to be honest," Jess sighed.
Brad nodded slowly, before saying, "You're taking the Costa Rica thing pretty hard, huh?"
Jess nodded, "Yeah, that would probably be putting it lightly."
"Didn't you guys talk about it?" Brad asked.
She shook her head, "Well, I mean, he mentioned he might apply to it, but he made it sound like there was a higher chance of him getting a date with Kim Basinger than getting into this program." She paused, "I didn't think he'd get accepted, so I just forgot about it."
Brad nodded, "Yeah, same here. I didn't think he'd get accepted, and even if he did, I didn't figure that he'd actually go."
"If it's got to do with the environment, of course Randy's going," Jess said, shaking her head.
Brad grinned slightly, "Good point." He paused before saying, "I really hope you guys make up before he leaves. I've missed you hanging around our house."
Jess smiled faintly, before nodding, "Yeah, Brad, me too."
Randy was in the process of packing when Brad came down the stairs and entered his room.
"Hey, man," Brad greeted him, before sitting on a chair at the end of his brother's bed.
"Hey, what are you up to?" Randy glanced over his shoulder at him, before continuing with his packing.
Brad shrugged, "You know, the usual, and just… thinking."
Randy paused to look at his brother quizzically, wondering where this was coming from.
"I'm just thinking about how we're missing out on all this stuff this year because you're going to Costa Rica. I mean, this is my last year at home," Brad looked at his younger brother, "We could've gone to some really awesome parties."
"I'm not much of a partier, Brad," Randy said, oddly touched that his brother was thinking this.
"Well, we could've had a lot of fun torturing Mark together," Brad said, with a grin.
Randy chuckled, "Yeah, that's true."
"I think it's really cool that you're going down there to save the environment and stuff, though." Brad said, "I know it means a lot to you."
Randy nodded, "Yeah, it does."
The two brothers were silent for a few moments, before Brad said, "Randy… I really think you should talk to Jess."
Randy turned to look at his brother, his eyebrows raised, "What? Where's this coming from?"
"I was just talking to her, and she's really upset," Brad said carefully, "I think that you should try and talk to her before you leave."
"And what good is that going to do?" Randy asked.
"Well, look at it this way," Brad replied, "If you don't make up with Jess before you leave, you might come back next year and find out that Jess doesn't have room for you in her life." He paused, standing, and moving towards the door, "Do you want to risk that?"
Brad left the room, and Randy sat on his bed, considering what his brother had just said, and realizing that he had just made a very valid point.
Randy couldn't believe that a year had passed so quickly, but here he was, a year later, back from Costa Rica. He was tanned, and feeling incredibly nervous. He was walking to Jess' back porch.
When he got there, he felt slightly stunned. Jess was there… but so was Milo. She was on Milo's lap, her legs wrapped around his back, and they were kissing… definitely more than friends.
"Jess?" He managed to croak.
They stopped their passionate embrace, and Jess turned around. Her pink lips were swollen and her dark hair was a mess. She looked unimpressed when she saw Randy, and said, "Oh, it's you." She turned back around and started kissing Milo again.
"Um, Jess, can we talk?"
She stopped again and looked at him, "What is there to talk about, Randy?"
"Well, um, it's been a year," Randy said awkwardly.
"You are right," Milo spoke up, as Jess moved from kissing his lips, to kissing his neck, "It has been a year, Randy Taylor. A year, and now Jessica is mine." He grinned slightly, "How could she not be, after how you were leaving her?"
"How I left her?" Randy repeated.
"Oh, god," Jess turned around and looked at him, "Are you honestly that stupid, Randy? You left me with my heart in pieces, for Lauren. You can't tell me you expected me to wait around for you forever, with a broken heart."
"Broken heart?" Randy echoed, not believing what he was hearing.
"Duh." Jess rolled her eyes.
"She was in love with you," Milo said, shaking his head.
"Now, if that's all," Jess said, and turned back to Milo, kissing him.
Randy jerked awake and gasped for breath. He couldn't believe what he'd just dreamed, but he knew that he had some thinking to do before he left on his flight to Costa Rica the next day.
So, I actually hated writing this chapter, I don't really know why. I think it has to do with the fact that my computer deleted my ENTIRE story, which I had like three additional chapters I hadn't posted yet saved on. So, I had to retype it, sorry if it wasn't very good, I was in a bad mood. ANYWAYS, the dream that Randy had was based on the episode Victor/Victrola of Gossip Girl (it's episode 7, of the first season), where Dan has a dream about Serena and Nate. SO, that's where that came from. The next chapter will be better, I hope. Thank you for all the reviews, and please, please keep it up ! (: