ARGH! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to hit the Internet! I intended to finish it sooner but as school ends, summer comes, and unfortunately that means work and an obligation to help out with the family… so it got a little delayed. :P Not to mention an awesome trip to D.C. … uh, yeah… getting sidetracked here…
Hannah Montana is mentioned in a Christmas present in this chapter, and I don't own her or any of her products (though I wish I did, so I could put a stop to them permanently…)
Ah! Getting sidetracked again. Anyway… here's chapter 12 (finally).
Enjoy!
Nothing in or out of any world could have prepared Jess for that moment.
For an instant, total shock at what he had done took over his mind and he felt numbed through completely, then that shock sparked into something impossibly wonderful that completely took his breath away. Her lips were so soft on his, softer than anything he had ever felt in his life, and by the time they broke apart, he felt as though he was drowning in happiness.
Leslie looked at him, and Jess knew with one swift gaze that her feelings were parallel with his. Neither of them spoke. The emotions both of them were dominated by were vast—bigger than anything either of them could have ever imagined—and the sensation felt so delicate Jess knew it could easily be crushed with words.
As time passed, however, the silence that was once profound started slipping into awkwardness. "Is that a change we can welcome?" asked Leslie timidly, and Jess was surprised at the longing that was entrenched in her voice. Smiling, he lowered his head slightly and kissed her forehead.
"I think we could manage," he told her, and the delight in her eyes made his heart soar.
OOO
Christmas was a cold affair, both figurative and literal in that sense. Jess had to bear the entire morning of Brenda's grumbles and his family's desperate attempts to keep smiles on their faces as she opened package after package of baby clothing.
"Green would look lovely on a girl or a boy," Nancy offered brightly as Brenda put aside even more onesies. "We… we don't know the sex yet so we thought we'd get some basic things for you… just to get you on your feet."
"You know, you were the one saying you wanted clothing all those months ago," Jack told his daughter when Brenda remained silent.
"I did," Brenda said darkly. "For me."
"Oh, we got clothing for you," said Ellie, handing her sister a lumpy package as Joyce Ann begged May Belle to play with the new dolls she had received. "Open up."
Brenda unwillingly unwrapped the parcel; the look on her face grew deadly.
"These are maternity clothes," she said in despair.
"And you'll need them," Jack said gently yet firmly, "so you can start acting a little more grateful for what we're giving you besides your other presents."
Jess was certain that he wasn't the only one who preferred Christmas Eve to Christmas Day; the night before Brenda had been in a relatively better mood, and Jack and Nancy had invited the Burkes over for a few hours in which gifts were exchanged, food was eaten, and he and Leslie practiced remaining beyond arms length when they were in full view of their families. As their magical land was now public domain and talked about frequently, they both were desperate to keep one thing to themselves, even if it was the fact that they now couldn't stand to be outside each other's eyesight for more than a few minutes, or that they now hugged and kissed so much in the hallways at school that people who walked by would shout out, "Get a room," before the two had to part and go to class. It hadn't been easy, but Jess would rather practice self-control than listen to Brenda's whining by far.
"I am grateful," he heard Brenda mutter before he let his mind wander off. He knew he was supposed to enjoy and stay with his family for the day, but he was seriously considering ditching them and going to find Leslie. He couldn't have stopped thinking of her even if he wanted to.
"Earth to Jess!" came a shout and Jess felt a tug on his arm. "Look, Jess! I told you I'd get this!" May Belle was grinning ear to ear, waving a Hannah Montana C.D. in Jess's face. "Now we get to listen to it every day!"
Jess forced himself to smile. Yet another reason why he'd rather stay at Leslie's house.
"Oooh," gasped Ellie as she pulled out a new pair of jeans from red and green wrapping paper. She held them up with her eyes shinning. "These are so cute! Thanks, Mom!"
"You're welcome," Nancy said with a false smile on her face, but she was looking at Brenda, who was glowering at her maternity clothing. "Oh, honey, you'll be able to wear cute jeans again someday," she said as Brenda started blinking furiously.
"Yeah," snorted Ellie as she folded the pants happily and put them next to her, "if she hasn't moved up six pant sizes by then."
"Ellie," Jack and Nancy snapped at the same time and Brenda burst into tears. Sobbing, she got to her feet and launched herself toward the stairs, her wails echoing through the hallway. Ellie looked dumbstruck.
"I was just kidding," she said, her eyes wide. May Belle and Joyce Ann were looking up from their gifts in alarm.
"It still wasn't funny," Nancy sighed as she, too, got up and headed for the stairs. Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Ellie," he said slowly, "I should think you would know better than to say anything about weight to Brenda right now."
"I was joking," Ellie said faintly as May Belle and Joyce Ann pretended to be immersed in their Christmas presents.
"As you can see, Brenda didn't take it as a joke," Jack said, "so lay off the humor. All right?" Ellie nodded, glancing back down at her jeans and biting her lip.
That night, after twenty minute's worth of talking, lecturing, and promising, Brenda and Ellie (after Ellie had apologized and Brenda had shrugged forgiveness) were allowed to get into their car and drive downtown for a "get together" at one of their old college friend's house. Jess was stuck with May Belle and Joyce Ann and his parents. He had a feeling he couldn't run to the Burkes' and steal Leslie away (though he desperately wanted to), so he looked around his house for something to keep his mind off of her and Terabithia.
"Let's watch a movie," Jess suggested to his younger sisters after being forced to play with them for an hour, during which Hannah Montana sang him to near insanity. "I'll make popcorn and you guys can pick one out. Or maybe there's something on T.V."
His sisters quickly warmed to the idea, and Jack and Nancy even settled on the couch next to them as they turned on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Brenda and Ellie walked through the door just as Rudolph and his friends arrived at the Island on Lost Toys.
"Thank you for being back on time," Nancy said warmly as the girls took off their jackets. "Did you have fun?"
"Yeah," they answered, heading automatically for the stairs.
"Come watch this with us!" Joyce Ann squealed as the toys broke into song, wailing about how they all were misfits. "Please?"
"You two are really missing out," Jack chuckled as Brenda and Ellie hesitated.
Jess expected them to huff and continue up the stairs. But to his surprise Ellie shrugged and walked over to them, plopping herself down next to May Belle in the armchair. Brenda rolled her eyes.
"Fine. I won't find anything else to do," she muttered and she made her way to the couch and sat at Nancy's feet. Nancy ran her fingers through Brenda's dark hair, spreading it across her shoulders, and Jess saw a flicker of a smile pass through Brenda's lips before it vanished again into her surly scowl.
"Look," May Belle said in delight, "it's all of us sitting together!"
"No way," Ellie said sarcastically.
"But it hasn't happened in so long," May Belle said cheerfully. "You and me and Joycie and Jess and Brenda and Mom and Dad. All seven of us!"
The toys on the screen sang into silence for another few moments before Brenda said abruptly. "All eight."
Everyone looked at her. "What did you say?" Jack asked.
"Eight," Brenda repeated. She had one hand on her stomach and even though she was staring at the television screen Jess knew she wasn't seeing it. "All eight of us."
OOO
When school started up again, anything having to do with the lessons were the farthest things from Jess's mind. He drew on his notes during class, handed in half-done homework, and barely reacted to the D+ he received on his math quiz during the first week of the New Year. It was only when Leslie reprimanded him for letting his grades drop did he start shaping up.
"It doesn't matter that we've got a hearing in a couple of weeks," she said gently as they walked to gym class on that Friday. "There's no excuse to start slacking."
"I know there isn't," Jess said, ashamed. "It just feels like there are things going on right now that are a lot more important than schoolwork."
Leslie smiled weakly. "I understand, Jess," she answered softly, putting an arm around him as they walked; Jess was quick to return the gesture. "But this hearing will come and go, we'll win, and Terabithia will be ours again. Then focusing on schoolwork won't be as difficult."
Jess kissed her cheek. "You make it sound so simple."
Leslie laughed; the sound soared through Jess and washed away the stress that had gathered inside of him over the last week. "It is simple, silly. Stop drawing in class, pay attention, and do your homework. That's all there is to it."
So Jess pulled himself together. After gym and lunch that day he was forced to sit at a desk and listen to teachers ramble on and on for four periods, but he thought of Leslie as his brain started to wander during explanations of algebra and government, and he made himself take notes. When he got to English his head was killing him – but it hurt even more when he saw Leslie.
She came into class after he did, and even before she took her usual seat next to him Jess felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach drop: her face was set and her body was tensed up; she clutched at her English book as she sat down and flinched as Jess reached out for her hand.
"Don't tell me it's Trent again," Jess asked very quietly, glancing over to where Leslie's obsessive admirer was sitting, dressed in his usual black and carving something into the desk with his pen. He felt anger rise inside of him simply by looking at the guy who wouldn't leave her alone.
"Then I won't," Leslie told him simply and Jess sighed. The change within her was so evident that he didn't think he could take her suffering anymore.
"I swear I'll go talk to him if you don't want to tell someone he's bothering you," he told her in an undertone as Mr. Bell yelled for order.
"Don't you dare," Leslie hissed at him. "Please don't even go there, Jess."
Jess opened his mouth but their teacher barked at them to shut it. He seethed silently for fifty minutes, and jumped up when the bell rang, nearly dragging Leslie out of the room.
"Tell the office," directed Jess the instant they were outside the school and headed for the parking lot. "Tell them now."
Leslie shook her head. "I can't," she said.
"You can," Jess said shortly. "I'll walk with you. The office is just right there."
"Jess, no," Leslie said, tugging on his arm as he turned toward the administrative offices outside their parking lot. "It's fine."
"No, it's not fine," Jess replied angrily. "So don't pretend that it is. He's bothering you and if you're not taking any action to get rid of him, you better believe I will."
"I can deal with my own problems, Jess," Leslie snapped.
"Obviously you can't, otherwise Trent would have been dealt with months ago."
"I'm just focused on Terabithia, that's all," Leslie started but Jess cut her off.
"No, no. You just said today that that's not an excuse."
"I'm not using it as an excuse," Leslie said exasperatedly. "Can we please just drop this and—?"
"Look!" Jess burst out. "I cannot just keep letting some idiot harass my g—" He stopped abruptly, his face flushing even in the cold. "I mean, my—"
"Just say it. Girlfriend," Leslie said darkly and Jess frowned, a ripple of irritation going through him.
"You sound like you don't want to hear it," he said smoothly.
"No, I sound like I'm not used to hearing it," corrected Leslie swiftly. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? You're just jealous that other guys talk to m—"
"That is not the point!" Jess talked over her. He realized he was walking toward the truck with Leslie rather than the office, but he was so frustrated that he overlooked it. "I don't care if hundreds of guys talk to you as long as you're okay with it. But Trent has been irritating you for months!"
"All I'm saying," Leslie growled, "is that I don't want to make Trent angry. And telling on him like a little kid is just going to—"
"First of all, telling on someone is completely different than getting adults to solve problems you can't deal with," Jess said irritably. "And you say you don't want to make Trent angry? Who are you and what have you done with Leslie?"
"Shut up, Jess!"
"'Cause the girl I met six years ago and the girl I'm with right now wouldn't have cared about making people angry as long as she thought she was doing what was right!" Jess was practically yelling now. "And the right thing to do is to get this asshole off your back, because as long as you just sit there and take it—"
"He touches me!" shrieked Leslie.
Silence.
Jess's mind went numb. The world around him drained and his head spun as blood rushed to his head.
"What?" he breathed and he saw tears prickling in Leslie's eyes.
"There, I said it. Are you happy now?" Leslie was hysterical; her voice was rising dramatically and her breathing was choked. "I thought you'd be happy enough knowing—"
"He what?" gasped Jess. Shock was spreading through his body, making his heart pound and for his lungs to seem as though they had stopped working. He tried to say more but nothing came out of his mouth.
"I told you that he calls me beautiful," Leslie lamented, misery in her eyes and thick in her voice. "I just…" her voice grew quiet, "I never could say what he did to emphasize what he said."
Jess gazed at her. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. All he could do was recall—over the months—how Leslie had flinched every time someone would lay a hand on her shoulder…
"We all learn things over time…sometimes it just takes a while for others to understand what's been thrown at them…" Bill had said the day Leslie had been scrubbing the floor, splashing water everywhere—
"Jess?" whispered Leslie. "Please say something."
"I'm not the one who should be talking," Jess said almost soundlessly; astonishment was still thick in his chest. He realized that silent tears were pouring down her face.
"He… started… backing me into places during the first couple of weeks of school," Leslie said, flushing. "And… at first it was just my hair. And my neck. But he just… started touching whatever he wanted when I made him angry. When I told him I wasn't interested in… in going out. And I c-couldn't move anywhere else."
Jess could only look at her silently.
"I felt so helpless, Jess," Leslie whimpered. "I couldn't figure out what I did to provoke him… what I did t-to make him do it… and I still can't. It was all my fault and I couldn't tell you because… because I knew you'd be so angry with me… for letting it happen—"
"Listen to yourself," Jess broke in as Leslie started crying earnestly. He felt broken, helpless, anything but strong which was what Leslie needed him to be, but he kept talking. "Honey, you did nothing. Trent's the one at fault here, not you."
"I'm so stupid!" cried Leslie and the rest of her words were drowned in heart-shaking sobs that pierced through Jess like knives and shattered every cell in his body. He was scared to touch her, scared to lay one finger on her damaged skin, but as he tentatively held his arms out to her she rushed into them.
"You're not," Jess whispered as he hugged her tightly and she buried her face in his neck, crying. At that moment he was sincerely grateful that they were near his truck and there was nobody in the parking lot that could hear them. "You're not stupid. You should never think that."
"But I am," Leslie whispered, leaning back and raising her glittering eyes to his face. "I'm pathetic. I let him do it. I let him."
"That's not stupidity," Jess said gently, cupping her face in his hands and wiping away her damp tears the best he could. "He had—has—no right to do what he's been doing. You didn't let him do anything. You were taken advantage of."
"I d-didn't know what to do," Leslie said, looking desperate for him to understand. "I didn't know why he was… and I just figured… it was all—that I did something—"
"You didn't," Jess said firmly. "You were just confused, Les, weren't you? You didn't understand exactly what was going on."
Leslie nodded, biting her lip. "I… I guess."
Jess kissed her forehead as tenderly as was possible; Leslie closed her eyes as his lips touched her skin and some of the tension entrenched in her body seemed to vanish.
"I just wish you would have told me," Jess said quietly and he wanted to kick himself when he saw tears fill Leslie's eyes again.
"I'm sorry—" she started but he shook his head.
"No, no, you shouldn't be," he said hastily. "I understand why you didn't. I guess I'm saying that… that I wish you didn't have to deal with this for so long."
They were quiet. Jess heard the laughter from students walking to their cars and the wind flowing through the tree branches nearby. Every now and then a car door slammed and an engine started, but in spite of all the noise neither of them moved for a long time.
Eventually Leslie leaned forward and laid her head against his shoulder; Jess put his arms around her again, bliss rising above the heavy weight in his mind. His heart beat faster as it always did when she was so near to him that he could feel her heartbeat against his chest.
"It will be all right," he said quietly, sensing the drained and weary energy that was leaving Leslie so lifeless in his arms. "Everything will be."
Leslie nodded against his shoulder and she hugged him more tightly, not saying a word.
"Nothing crushes us," she murmured suddenly. Then, louder, in a less weak tone, she added, "And nothing crushes me."
Jess smiled, his heart warming as he traced her cheekbone with his thumb. "I never doubted that for an instant, my queen."
OOO
In the end Leslie said that she wanted to go into the house by herself. Jess was prepared to stay with her as she talked to her parents, and yet he wasn't really surprised when she told him she needed to tell them on her own.
"I told you, didn't I?" she asked as they sat inside the truck, watching as PT came running down the Burke's driveway to them. "I… I think I can tell Judy and Bill. If I know them they won't completely freak out on me."
"Of course they won't," Jess said soothingly as PT, barking, jumped up and down in front the truck. Jess smiled and opened the door; PT jumped up and came bounding in, wiggling and wagging happily. "Besides, you'll have this guy to keep you company."
Leslie smiled slightly and held out her arms; PT rushed into them and licked her face. She laughed. "Good boy," she told the terrier and PT smiled, panting.
"I guess I better go," she said quietly, opening her door to let PT out and unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Call me if you need me, okay?" Jess asked and she nodded.
"I will," she told him with a small smile and she shut the door. Jess was about to start the engine again when he saw her walking around the front of the car to his window. He rolled it down as she approached him.
"And Jess?" she asked quietly, putting her hands on the ledge.
"Yeah?" he started and then she was kissing him, brushing her lips with his and making Jess's breath catch in his throat. He reached up with one hand and cupped her chin as he always did, and after a moment or two she pulled back to lay frenzied kisses on his cheeks. Jess laughed out loud.
"Thank you," she murmured, pressing her lips against his again and leaning backwards as though it physically hurt her to pull away from him. "So much, Jess."
Jess smiled. "Anything for you, Leslie," he told her and she leaned forward again for one more hurried kiss before scooping up PT and heading toward her front door. Jess watched her leave and gazed after her for a few moments when she walked in, waving PT's paw at him then shutting the door lightly, before turning around and driving over across the dirt road to his house. He felt momentarily guilty for feeling so happy, when Leslie was facing so much on her own. But he could never feel anything but bliss whenever she kissed him.
Unfortunately there was something on the other side of the kitchen door that was ready to squash the contentment from him. As Jess hurried inside his house and closed the screen door and opened his mouth to tell his family he was home, he heard Brenda's voice echoing through from the living room. He froze when he heard her words.
"…think he is, because if he's trying to jump around like a four year old and save the tiniest bit of land when we could have a brand new clothing store—"
"Brenda, that land is a special place to them… of course they're going to try and save it. Mr. Jacklyn is simply offering support and he's making sure the law is being obeyed. Before Jess and Leslie got involved, that company was building illegally."
"But Mom! Think about having a Miranda's Outfitting! so close to us! I love that store! And it's just a bunch of dumb land, anyway."
"A bunch of dumb land to you is a very important forest to your brother and his friend." Nancy sounded tired. "Any they'll be very disappointed if you were to show up for that hearing and speak against them."
"Well, I think it's stupid," Ellie's voice chipped in, her voice louder as Jess started walking toward the living room silently, fury already boiling in his chest. "They're not going to be able to do anything. Why bother anyway?"
"They always waste their time with everything," snorted Brenda and as Jess walked into the living room he saw her on the armchair filing her nails. His mother and Ellie were sitting on the couch. "We should just—"
"You should just stop talking, that's what you should do," Jess shot out and all heads turned to him. Brenda's eyes grew dark.
"Hey, Jess," Nancy said quickly. "Have a good day?"
"Yeah, until I opened the door to the sound of complaining," Jess said coolly, surprising even himself. Ellie frowned. Brenda narrowed her eyes.
"Do you have a problem with us voicing our opinions?" she said snippily before Nancy could intervene.
"Yeah," Jess said, putting his jacket on the coat hanger in the room casually. "I do."
"Well, deal with it, because our opinions are going to heard at the hearing you and your girlfriend put together," Brenda told him, clipping her words as well as her nails as she glared at him. "And apparently your pal Mr. Jackles or whatever likes hearing opinions."
"You can't—" Jess started in panic but Nancy held up her hand.
"Please, you two. Please no fighting, all right? Brenda, maybe if you and Ellie just took some time and listened to Jess's side of the—"
"I don't need to," huffed Brenda, throwing her nail filer on the ground and getting out of the armchair. She strode over to the coat hanger where Jess was, shoving him back from the wall roughly before he could react.
"What was that for?" he asked angrily, rubbing his arm.
"You were in my way," Brenda growled before putting on her coat and stomping into the kitchen to grab her car keys. "I'm going to the gas station," she called over her shoulder as she opened the screen door.
"Honey, she's just being difficult because of mood swings—" Nancy started softly but Jess shook his head, feeling as though someone was drilling into his skull.
"That's not an excuse," he said furiously and he charged after Brenda, ignoring his name being called quietly by his mother, catching the door just before it slammed.
"Brenda, will you just stop it?" Jess called as he practically ran to catch up with his sister. She turned and glared at him, her jaw clenched. "Listen. You don't understand what the forest is to us! And don't you have enough clothes already? Why do you need more?"
"And don't you have enough little playgrounds to go run around in already?" Brenda shot back at him, her breath coming out like steam in the cold. "Why do you need more forests for playpens, huh? Why don't you and your girlfriend go to Chuckie Cheese or something?"
"That land is important to us—"
"'That land is important to us…'" mimicked Brenda, scrunching her face up and imitating him. "Grow up, sweetie. We all lose things that are important to us when we get older. You're just lucky Leslie still wastes her time with you."
"Why are you being such a bitch?" shouted Jess, his temper rising quickly as Brenda kept on walking toward her car. "Why can't you do anything for someone else for once in your miserable life? Would it freaking kill you to help me out?"
"Why the hell would I want to help you?" Brenda spat at him as she whipped around and faced him with fire in her eyes—or, to Jess's shock, they might have been tears. "When you're Daddy's favorite and you got a truck from him for doing nothing and you never do anything wrong and everyone just loves you so damn much why should you need any help from me? Why should I even freaking bother to help you?"
"Because you're my older sister!" yelled Jess in her face, anger now flowing through him. "Because you should care! You should care about me and Mom and Dad and everyone who has ever tried to help you get through your damn mistake! Not about clothes that will just eventually go out of style!"
"Who said I didn't care?" Brenda snapped even as she began to cry. "Why do you just jump to conclusions like the dimwit you are?"
"No one has to say anything! You act as though you're the one and only person who ever has needs and it's disgusting," snarled Jess. "You're pregnant and that was your choice but you sit here blaming everybody else and—and I wish you'd start being mature, because you certainly aren't getting near that any time soon!"
Brenda's mouth opened but no words came out, instead tears just kept on running down her face; Jess seized his opportunity to continue yelling.
"We're all tired of your pointless complaining about things that don't matter… and your pathetic rants about how horrid your life is! You sit there and you…you're just so freaking ungrateful for everything anyone has ever done for you! You're going to be a parent, for God's sake! You should try acting like one."
He whipped around and launched himself back toward the house before she could shout back at him, but as he did, he caught his sister's stunned look that told him she had no words to say.
So I threw up a little as I was writing the little bits and pieces of this chapter that involve Jess and Leslie going at it only like two love struck teenagers could… yeah, I am NOT one for romance. But it was for Jess and Leslie, so I thought the time was right to make some exceptions. :D
Writing Leslie's confession involving Trent at the end of this chapter was a little difficult for me to write because (as I'm sure some of you have guessed already) the exact same experiences have happened to me. I apologize if that section seemed choppy or if it felt like it didn't blend in with the story very well – but it was my own heart speaking as well as Leslie's (not to mention the whole plot had been planned since chapter one), and I really had to have it in this chapter.
No promises as to when the next chapter will be here (seeing that school starts in a week) and as far as the next few chapters go, they will be wrapping up this story and finishing it off completely. So start getting yourselves prepared for "There is only one chapter left," that I'll eventually have to write in the author notes soon.
Thanks again for your patience and for your lovely reviews that always follow an update! You guys are absolutely incredible people and I feel so honored that you have stayed with this story for so long. There honestly would be no story here on fanfiction called Flight or Fight without you guys and your endless support, so if you have enjoyed Flight or Fight for this long, thank yourself if you have ever reviewed for me!