Disclaimer: I don't own Bridge to Terabithia and A Walk To Remember. Simple as that.
"Are you okay?" A blonde girl asked him.
When Jess looked up at her, he instantly got mesmerized by her bluish-green set of eyes.
"I heard you crying. Is something the matter?" The blonde girl asked him again. He shifted slightly, his back hurting a little.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Jess looked at her, she did look a little familiar, "do I know you?" He asked the blonde girl.
"No, but I do. You're Jess Aarons right?"
"Yeah, how'd you know my name?"
"Well… This isn't such a big high school after all… Everyone knows everyone, practically."
Why didn't I think of that? Jess shrugged. "Yeah, you're right."
"So, are you feeling better now? It must be something really awful." The blonde girl said to him. Jess barely nodded.
"Yeah… It is…"
There was a short pause between them when the blonde girl spoke up again.
"Want to talk about it?" She boldly asked.
What's with her? We're total strangers yet she's talking like we've been friends for God knows how long. "Um, sorry. I really don't want to. I didn't even plan on thinking about it in the first place. It just stabbed me like a knife suddenly. It's really personal…" Jess explained to her. He heard her say 'oh' and murmur an apology.
"It's okay." Jess assured her. The girl smiled and offered her hand.
"Leslie Burke by the way. I forgot to introduce myself earlier, and that was rude of me. Sorry."
Jeez, quit apologizing already. "It's okay. Jess Aarons," he shook her hand, "you know me already judging from your statement earlier." He smiled awkwardly at her.
"We're classmates in Mrs. Myer's class." Leslie told him.
We are? I don't remember seeing you though… "We are?" He asked her.
"Yup!" She cheekily replied.
"Oh. I didn't notice…" I don't pay attention to anything anyway.
"Hmm, I tend to memorize everyone's face if not their name." She told him a matter-of-factly.
"On the contrary, I tend to forget things or not pay any attention at all." He told her also. Leslie giggled a little.
"The reason you were crying," she started, hesitating whether she should continue or not, but did anyway, "was probably because of a girl right?" she said to him.
"Yeah…" Jess said. His throat almost dried.
"She must have done something to have hurt you this bad, enough to make you cry."
Exactly, only that it wasn't entirely her fault. Screw fate.
"Look, I really don't want to talk about it…" Jess' voice turned sour. He stood up, gathering his sketch pad and his messenger bag. Leslie stood up as well, feeling a little sorry for him, and guilty that he invaded a private spot.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." She apologized to him. Jess stopped on his tracks, but didn't turn to face her.
"It's okay. I'm going anyway," he paused to look at his wristwatch, "it's almost one o'clock. I can't be late for this subject."
Leslie felt ashamed, you should have kept your big mouth shut, she thought to herself. "Okay… It was nice talking to you." She said to him.
"Same." Although for Jess it really wasn't.
With that, Jess left. Not a goodbye was exchanged between the two.
"Pick up… Pick the goddamn phone!" Jess cursed on the telephone.
His emotions were mixed. He was angry at her, and at the same time, guilty. He shouldn't have shouted at her. He should have listened to her. He just had to get his anger get in the way.
He continued to curse more when someone finally answered on the other line.
"Hey!-"
"Is that the way how you greet someone on the phone, Mr. Aarons?" A stern, male voice scolded him nonchalantly on the other end.
It hit him that it was Jamie's father, Reverend Sullivan. "I-I'm sorry sir. I-I thought you were-"
"Jamie? What do you want from my daughter?" He said, a growing anger a little noticeable in his voice, even over the phone.
"I want to talk to her sir, if you would permit." He said, close to pleading. With Reverend Sullivan, Jess was always careful with his words.
"She's not feeling very well Mr. Aarons." I know, Jess thought.
"Please sir, even just for a little while." His voice was now pleading. Reverend Sullivan mentally fought with himself for a minute if he should let them talk or not. He was sure by now that Jamie had already told Jess about her illness.
"Just be sure that you wouldn't shout at her over the phone." He said. Jamie obviously told him about their last conversation.
Jess heard him call Jamie from the phone. He also heard Jamie tell her father to tell him that she wasn't feeling good, but Reverend Sullivan thought it would be much better if things between the two of them were settled.
He heard a hand picking up the phone from Reverend Sullivan. He gulped and prepared his words.
"What do you want Jess?" Jamie asked. It was clear that he had hurt her too much.
"Jamie baby… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you like that." He said. If only they were talking face to face.
"Don't be. It was my fault for hiding it from you. I lied to you the whole time. I deserved that."
"No! Don't ever say that-"
"Jess, I don't need your sympathy. Things were normal, even after I was diagnosed with leukemia. I stopped the treatments because I already knew that even if I took them, things wouldn't change. I'll still be dying by the minute," Jamie paused as a string of memories, good memories with him flashed in her mind with her eyes closed, "then you came. I was supposed to enjoy the last of my days when you came. I told you from the very start not to fall in love with me, but what you did was laugh at me, not knowing that you would really fall in love with me..." She said, and then cried. The rest of her words were muffled by her sobs. Jess bit his lower lip, he was crying himself now. How could he be so cruel to her?
"Baby, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please… I really am sorry. God is wrong to give you something like this. You don't deserve-"
"Jesse," she started, calling him by his real name was something she would do when she's serious, "I do not need a reason to be angry with God. So don't blame Him for what I'm going through right now." She said sternly. Part of her felt really mad at him, and the other part wanted to just hug him at that moment and forget everything else.
"Jamie… I'm sorry."
A long pause fell between them. Jess heard her clear her throat.
"I don't think we should see each other anymore." She suggested, biting her lower lip as she said this. It took every ounce of her courage to say it.
In Jess' mind, he was screaming no. She couldn't just end everything like this. She shouldn't make her illness as an excuse, yet Jess was too weak.
"If that's what you want," he said, in a hoarse voice, but his gentlest, "but please remember that I still love you, not that I pity you because of your illness, but I love you for the person that you are." He said to her, somehow hoping that she would get her words back.
A long silence filled the line again.
"I know Jess. I love you too, but if we stay together… It'll only make things harder for us… For you… I don't want to be a burden to you."
Jess was lost at words.
"Because I love you so much, I'm willing to let you go." Her voice broke down completely. He heard the phone being put down on a wooden table, and Reverend Sullivan's voice calling her. The phone was picked up again. He was sure that it was Reverend Sullivan. Reverend Sullivan listened to Jamie the whole time, amazed at his daughter's beautiful words, her declaration of her unconditional love for a boy named Jess Aarons. A boy he never really did like.
When Reverend Sullivan didn't speak immediately, Jess did.
"Sir, please tell her that I really, really love her. I love her not because I pity her for her illness, but I simply just love her." He said, though a very simple phrase from a seventeen-year old boy, it was powerful enough to reach Reverend Sullivan's heart, which was half-stoned since his wife's death several years back. It was close to stoning completely after they found out about Jamie's illness, if not for her daughter's love and affection.
"I understand Jess. I will tell her that." Reverend Sullivan assured him, a true conviction present in his voice.
"Thank you, sir." Jess' voice broke down as well. Reverend Sullivan didn't bother on talking any further and waited for him to put down the phone first.
Jess then put the phone down, too tired and drained by his emotions to wipe the tears from his eyes.
Reverend Sullivan could only pray for the two of them.
Don't worry, Leslie will be in the next chappie (although I haven't written it yet). Too many quizzes next week!. Please REVIEW! It would be SO awesome if you do!