Ch 9

A/N: Wow, it's been awhile. If I've lost you, I don't blame you and I am incredibly sorry. But if you still remember, kudos to you! I've been away and busy, but I miss the fanfiction community…despite how corny that sounds. Well, read on, please. And Review. See? I haven't lost my touch…

The ending gets a little…yeah. A little graphic, but nothing terrible. I'm sure you've seen/read worse. But read on, please. I beg of you. Cookies to anyone who does.

"Now that the VP nominations are over, we're moving on. Class President. Any suggestions, anyone-yes?"

"I choose Kelly Prescott to be this year's class president."

"Thank you, Debbie, for your contribution. Yes, Mr. de Silva?"

"I nominate Susannah Simon."

"Good, Mr. de Silva. Adam? Who's your nominee?"

"I want you! -for the U.S. Army!"

"I appreciate the thought, but Mr. McTavish…"

"I know. Detention."

"Continuing on. Elections are next week, and I want you all to vote for someone…those nominated need to think of a speech…it's still the beginning of the year, but if I think that you're grades will start to plummet, you can kiss that title goodbye…"

Mr. Walden's voice started to fade as I thought about what had happened. It was odd; this morning, Jesse took me to school, as part of our new routine. He was tense and unbelievably quiet. My mind wandered to last night.

I remembered waking up, my face on my hand.

I was facing a sofa and disorientated. What had happened? I remember falling asleep in my room but…where was I now? I heard loud voices from behind me and I decided not to turn my head. It wouldn't be very wise…I've learned that the best way to spy is to let them think you're sleeping. Suddenly, I recognized Jesse's voice. What was he doing here? I stared at the leather and realized that this was his sofa. His house. Then the thought, "Jesse might have sat on the exact sofa I'm on!" suddenly flitted through. Ew. I sound like a stalker. He's my boyfriend, God. Then Mrs. de Silva's voice. What were they talking about?

"We love Suze just as much as you do, son! We'd love her as a daughter. But this is something we can't break…"

"Who is it?" Jesse's deep voice sounded upset. Why was he upset?

I shifted around, trying to hear better but my ear slid against the leather and for an instant, I couldn't hear anything. When I finally situated myself, all I heard was, "Maria de Silva."

My heart froze and that's all I remember.

My eyes flitted open when I heard someone behind me whisper, "Suze." It sent an uneasy chill down my spine. I felt someone blow on the hair at the back of my neck and I looked over my shoulder. The only person behind me was CeeCee. She gave me an odd look, but I shook my head. Odd…the windows were shut. And CeeCee wasn't the type to kid. I must be delusional. No questions asked. I wasn't in the mood for explaining my sudden acute paranoia. I rested my head on my arms.

So sleepy…

There was no warning, but suddenly everyone stood up and filed out the door. I was jolted back into reality and I looked around. The classroom was empty. Even Mr. Walden left the room. I was startled when I heard, "Querida." I looked up at Jesse, who just so happened to choose to tower over me. Quite the intimidating.

Jesse was the only one in the classroom. He shifted around the desks awkwardly, without looking me in the eye.

"Is something wrong?" he finally asked me. I frowned. Was something wrong with me? What was wrong with him? I decided not to voice my opinions, however.

I smiled. Too sweetly. "Nothing," my smile grew bigger. "Nothing at all." It started hurting. "I'm just exhausted." To prove it, I laid my head back onto my arms and tried to sleep. Supposedly. Jesse, however, despite acting like a completely different person, noticed. Despite this, he failed to comment.

He just said, "Listen, Susannah, I have to go somewhere with the family tonight. I can't be with you tonight, but the ring is still there and you'll be protected. Would you like to come with me or stay home? It's your choice, because I know you have a bit of homework to do."

Yeah. That I didn't complete as I was passing notes.

I looked at him. He looked so sorry to be leaving me. But he needed some time away from me. I could tell. Probably to do something holy, right?

I trusted Jesse. Hell, it was Jesse.

Again, he shook me out of my reverie. "Susannah…" he said patiently, "don't we have to get to our next class?"

My head shot up and I squinted at the clock. Shit. We had a minute.

I hauled my books, scrambled around and collected my pencils, then grabbed Jesse's hand. "Come on. We're going to be late."

"No, I didn't realize…"

Jesse allowed himself to be pulled into our next class. I plopped down into my seat, right when Sister Ruth was taking roll call. You know, in case someone snuck into the lavatory to have a cigarette. It happens, occasionally. I was opening my textbook when I felt a pokey Papermate pen being jabbed into my back. I leaned forward and felt a note fall between my chair and my back. Glancing to my right, I saw that Jesse was deep in concentration. I reached behind me and pulled the note up. I stole a quick glance behind me and realized that Matt Copan was in my calc class. He winked and leaned back into his seat; legs sprawled out against my chair backing and utterly relaxed. I looked up and, making sure that Sister Ruth was sipping water (this time, from a used McDonald's coffee cup), I opened the note.

"Hey. Wuts up. Dude, y did u bail on me at the beach? I thought u weren't busy and we could have hung out. Well, wutever. I'm not normally like this, and I don't ask for favors, but ur a special scenario. R u busy tonight? I'm sure ur bf is too infatuated with his learning. Hes not gonna miss u."

I looked to my right again. Yeah, there was Jesse, scribbling away in his notebook, occasionally looking up in earnest. I sighed dejectedly. Gosh, so this ancient…nun…who couldn't possibly have sex appeal was more to his liking than his physically capable girlfriend. Does that not say something to you?

I thought, "What the heck, Jesse's going to be gone, and I don't have that much homework. Why not?"

Smiling, I scrawled a note back. "Sure thing. After dinner. Around 7-ish? Pick me up, or meet me there, whichever you prefer."

I dropped the note to the ground and kicked it behind me. I heard Matt's chair groan under his toned body (did I just say that?) and he bent back up. There was a brief pause, then pencil. Another prod in my back and the note slid down my chair.

"I feel generous. Gas has been pretty damn expensive but…"

The scratch of chalk on a board startled me but it was only Sister Ruth writing the assignment. I looked back at the note and continued reading, feeling very exhilarated and…dirty.

My breath caught as I realized what I was doing. "Where do you live?" he had scrawled.

"How an abbreviation for such a wonderful form of technology could be used to also abbreviate the evilest form of math on earth, I don't get," CeeCee fumed. Hell, that was practically, like, not English, she was so ticked off. She wasn't speaking proper English. I started laughing as her face turned a flattering shade of red. She didn't have the same period with Jesse or me, but it was the same nun.

I sighed. It was so close to the weekend! Lunch! Finally. Sheer bliss. Another half of the day and we were free. Jesse noticed my change of mood and decided to grace me with a smile. I felt my heart leap, just like it always did when he smiled, and I made sure my mind was completely blank, but it was such an effort. I was going to the beach with a friend. Just a friend. Nothing more than a friend. Just a guy friend who had beautiful eyes and a killer body…

…but not as nice as Jesse's. Remember, Suze! I felt sudden remorse. What was wrong with me? Did I not care that I was putting our beautiful relationship at stake? No…he was just a friend. Just a friend. Nothing more than a friend. A friend who was exceptionally hott and

"Is everything all right?"

I glanced up at Jesse and beamed. "Sure, everything's fine and dandy. More than that. But thanks for your concern," I responded. I instinctively hugged him and waited for his reaction. Instantly, I felt that façade melt away and he enveloped me in his arms. We fit perfectly and that reminded me that we were perfect together. I squeezed him a little tighter and felt something bulge near his waistline. We both froze. Was I the reason Jesse had a sudden erection?

"Cheeto?" asked another familiar voice. Jesse jumped back and I noticed he plopped his lunch on his lap. I stared. His face flushed and he looked very uncomfortable. I shook my head and looked at CeeCee. I saw her ogle at Adam for the slightest moment. Adam was sitting on a bench table, with his family sized bag of Cheetos.

"Cheeto?" questioned Jesse, his voice wavering. He frowned and cleared his throat. "What is that?"

Adam's eyebrow rose. He recovered from the shock and shouted, "Cheeto? You dare ask what one is? Only the best artificially colored cheese flavored cancer causing snack ever!" He inhaled. "Gosh, Jesse, you are so eighteenth century."

Jesse and I gave each other a knowing glance. Everything was back to normal. But what had happened? All we did was hug. What was on his mind? He smiled and said, "Well, close enough."

I waved to the de Silva's as they drove down the street. I noticed Jesse eye me. Was that…longing? I ignored it and just smiled. I blew a kiss, but Jesse probably thought I had something on my lips or something, because he failed to notice. I watched his lips as he mouthed, "te amo". I smiled. I really did love him.

When the car drove out of sight, I took off my university hoodie to reveal my swimwear, a cute string bikini with yellow ties and a pink pattern. For it being late September, it was still nice outside. I sat on the curb and waited for my ride. In the process, I fingered my backpack. Just in case, I brought my "supplies". Some pepper spray and a roll of dimes. Oh. And the spare keys. The spray was brand new, and hopefully, would not get clogged with sand. Hate when that happens. I fingered the dimes. A good solid weight. And the keys? Well, they were for punching. You know the drill.

Ten minutes later, I knew he was coming up the hill because I heard his bass. Then, he appeared and pulled up in front of my house.

He pushed his shades down to reveal those gorgeous, but not as deep as Jesse's, eyes. "Nice…I'm liking the top. Is it detachable?"

I scowled. "Don't get used to it, remember, I'm taken."

He snapped his fingers and feigned disgust. "Damn. I forgot. But not for long."

"I just had nothing better to do on this nice evening."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure."

I tried to grin, but it came out weak. I shouldn't do this. When was I ever like this? When Jesse was dead, I didn't like going out with guys. What was wrong with me?

Copan obviously noticed my distress. "Chill! Suze, we're just friends. I'm not gonna hit on you or anything, all right? We're just friends…"

I hesitated, then got into the car. I buckled the seat belt and was getting comfortable when I heard, "…with benefits."

I stared in horror at him when I noticed him laughing. "RELAX Simon, I was just joking."

Ha. Joking my ass.

I fingered the keys. Maybe I should have brought a pencil. Do the whole skewered thing all over again.

We pulled up in front of a luxurious manor. Tall trees shaded the mile-long driveway and I leaned against the door, wishing to be with Susannah. How I longed to hold her, to embrace her, to feel her warmth, her softness, her scent…

Despite the serene breeze, I couldn't help but shudder. Why did we have to come?

"Mami, my legs are sore! I want run around!"

I heard my mother hush Tia and tell her that we were almost there, and I felt a small forefinger prod me in the back.

"Jesse…Jesse…" she tugged insistently on my sleeve.

I turned around and stared at Tia's upturned face. I couldn't help but smile. "Yes Tia?"

She sighed. "I miss Suzie. I want to play with Suzie." My heart wrenched and I tore my eyes away from her innocent ones. "Not today, Tia. Today, you are meeting your cousin Maria." I nearly spat her name out. Horribly memories came rushing into my skull and it throbbed dangerously. I had to stop thinking about her, about everything. I dragged my eyes to the rest of the car. I studied Valencia and her daydreaming, Carmen and her persistent nail filing, and the twins-

Well, who knew what they were doing. I stared at the rearview mirror and caught my father's guilty eyes. I knew he didn't like Maria. But a vow was a vow and one we couldn't break. Hopefully, things would work out and I would be able to remain with Susannah.

"MATT!" I laughed and threw sand at his general direction. "Stop fooling around."

He looked over at me and got off his board. "Come on, Suze. It's just the ocean. Nothing's going to hurt me."

I raised my eyebrows. "What if there were some man-o-war just waiting to grab you?"

"I'd say 'take the babe, 'cuz she's the hot sacrifice, not me.'"

I leaned against my arms. "Well, what if it were a ghost?"

"And tell me, what the fuck would a ghost be doing underwater? What are they trying to see down there?"

"Stop it. Don't push it."

I collapsed onto my towel and smiled. I had an awesome time. I looked at the waters and saw the amber sun. The beach was strangely empty. …it wasn't the same without Jesse. If only he were here…

"You have a killer rack."

I blinked and turned my head towards Matt. "Excuse me?"

He shoved his board into the sand, propping it up. "You heard me. Did anyone ever tell you that you had an awesome rack?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that? Some weird Australian slang?"

He smiled cheekily. "No, that's pretty damn American." He plopped down next to me.

I stared at the clouds. "And, pray tell, what the definition is…"

He brushed it off. "No matter. Obviously, no one has." He settled into a comfortable position and there was a calm silence.

I started to say, "Well, this was awesome, thank you for taking me here, I had a blast-" when he interrupted.

"What does he have that I don't have?"

I jerked my head towards Matt. He had a stick and was poking the sand. He seemed concentrated on that, and aloof, but in his eyes I could see the strain.

"What?" I asked. I watched his progress. "Matt…"

"You heard me." He grunted as he pushed a rock out of the way. A surprisingly large rock on a beach. What was that doing there? "What does he have?"

"-loves-"

I blinked. Did I expect this? No. "Well, he's Jesse. And I have a past with him and he's-"

"Hot? Well, what about me? What am I to you? Just some toy? A pastime?"

I shifted around. "Matt," I said, "I'm not comfortable with this topic…I mean, I've known you for how long? I'm not saying my vows anytime soon." I stared at the rock. I didn't remember setting my towel next to a huge ass rock…

"So? Haven't you heard of love at first sight?"

"Su-"

I threw my hands in the air. "This is ridiculous. Wow. I wasn't expecting this." I stood up and brushed the sand off me. "I am 100 devoted to Jesse. Okay? And there's nothing you say or do that's going to change that. I'd like to see you try. Now, if you'll excuse me, I had an excellent time before this topic, and now, I need to catch a ride."

He finished his message in the sand. "-ze."

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist. "Not so fast," he snarled and pulled me down. I shrieked, my cry echoing along the empty beach.

"LET ME GO!"

I kicked, high enough to make contact with his face, but not hard enough to make it hurt. He grabbed my leg and held it in that position. I started to sweat. With one arm on the thigh suspended, and the other one on the leg planted firmly on the ground, he lifted me effortlessly. I was doing the splits. I started squirming.

"Let me go, you moron-"

"Suzie, I thought you'd be more creative than that…moron? Does that strike you as…desperate?"

He lowered me onto the towel and rolled on top of me. "Don't deny it. Jesse isn't doing you any favors. I've seen you two. Sure, you're all content in his face, showing your affection, but how far does that go?"

I punched him, trying to get him off me. "Stop-" He was so strong.

"Does he ever do something as scandalous as this?" I felt his hand land on my bare stomach. It inched lower and lower…

"Has he ever made you feel this alive? As to wake these feelings?" I gasped as his hands tickled my inner thighs.

"No! Stop it, stop-"

I saw his face lower towards mine in slow motion. One hand cradled my face gently, but kept it captive, and his other hand went up my thigh, higher and higher until.

I gasped as his hands touched where not even I dared to touch. My muscles tightened with pleasure. As I gasped, his mouth came down on mine.

This kiss was unlike any I had ever experienced. Which, wasn't a lot. But it was different. It reeked of lust and want and desire. His hands brushed a certain nerve and I moaned. My mind wasn't working. It couldn't think through the haze.

How could this stranger do this when not even Jesse had?

A sudden fury weld up and I continued the act, but reached for my backpack. I unzipped the zipper and grabbed the first thing that I could reach; the keys.

I put one key between each joint, but before I could slash that face, I felt him get up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to get that far. I'm-"

"YOU FREAK. BASTARD. GET OFF HER NOW!"

Matt whirled around and I quickly sat up and was face to face with…

Paul.

A/N: PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU! REVIEW:-P