By the way, I'm making a change: Jess is 16 instead of 15.

...

Chapter 7: Jess's POV

I stayed at the Great Wall for a while before going back to the hotel. I walked into the room and sat on the couch. I turned on the TV and saw...

"The police are currently looking for Jessica Wasabi," the reporter was saying in Chinese, "whom may have played a key role in the death of her parents: Gary Wasabi and Miranda Baker. People who have information on where Jessica is, is urged to contact the police right away."

My picture appeared on the screen and I scowled. I quickly turned off the TV when Kim came out of the bathroom. "Hey, Jess," she said, picking up her purse, "The guys and I are going to for dinner, do you want to come?"

"No thanks, Kim," I muttered, "I'm kind of tired, I think I'll just stay here and get some rest."

"Ok, do you want us to bring you anything?"

"Yeah, a plastic surgeon..."

"What?"

"Never mind, just bring me... I don't know, Jack knows what I like."

She nodded and left.

I sighed and lay down on the couch. I turned the TV back on and started to channel surf. After a few minutes I fell asleep.

...

Jack's POV

After dinner, Kim gave me the key to her room while she went to the vending machine for a drink. I opened the door to room 319 and walked in. Jess was asleep on the couch. I smiled and walked up to her. I sat on the edge of the couch next to her and shook her gently. She groaned and opened her eyes slightly.

"What do you want...?" she asked quietly.

"I brought you orange beef and chicken fried rice..." I replied, holding up a brown paper bag.

She smiled, sat up, and grabbed the bag. "Thanks, Jack," she uttered, "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier..."

"It's fine, Jess, I understand. I should've stopped bothering you when you told me to."

She shook her head. "No. Being bothered by a person you care about is better than being hi..." She bit her lower lip and opened the bag, "There's a lot here, do you want some?"

I was curious about what she was going to say, but didn't ask. "Uh, yeah, sure."

She got up and walked over to a table near the TV. She picked up two paper plates and motioned for me to come to the table. "Jack," she started slowly, taking the food out of the bag, "I know I've been sort of... distant, lately, but I do have a good reason."

"I thought you didn't want to talk about it?"

"Well, I don't but... I just want you to know that, if I seem to push away from my friends, I may just want to be alone, but no matter what I say, I don't mean it. I want someone to be there, to help me even if they don't know what's wrong. I just need someone to lean on."

I pulled her close and hugged her. "I will always be there for you, Jess; you can always talk to me," I told her gently.

She took in a shaky breath. "I know..." She hugged me tightly, "I never thought someone could care about me like you do, Jack."

I rubbed her arm gently. "I know that when your parents were killed you were scared, and still are, I know something else happened that I don't know about, but I do know that it wasn't fair to you. You need someone that can help you through it, and I'm going to be that person."

...

The next morning, Jess came into my room. "Jack!" she said, shoving me off the bed, "The police are in the lobby!"

I groaned and stood up. "So...?" I asked tiredly.

"So... they're looking for me!"

I looked at her and remembered what happened yesterday with Kai. "Oh, right... well, go talk to them."

"I can't do that! They'll arrest me!"

I sighed and looked at the other guys. They were still asleep. "Innocent until proven guilty, Jess," I laid back down on the bed, "Now go away..."

She glared at me. "That whole 'I'll always be there for you' promise didn't last too long," she muttered and left.

I shook my head and got back up. "Fine," I said, picking up a pair of blue jeans and a green T-shirt, "give me a five minutes."

She smiled and went to wait in the hall.

After about ten minutes, I walked into the hall and saw Jess leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "Took ya long enough," she said in annoyance.

"Well sorry if I'm tired," I replied, glaring at her, "What do you want?"

"I decided that... it would be best if I spoke with the police and I want you to come with me."

We went down the lobby and walked up to Chief of Police. He looked slightly amused when he saw Jess. "Hello, Miss Wasabi," he said, smirking.

"Chief," she replied, saluting him mockingly.

"I always knew you'd murder someone with one of your stupid pranks."

She glared at him and I held her hand tightly, "I would never pull such a stupid prank on my parents. I didn't do anything to them."

He looked at her skeptically. "I'm sure; and would you care to explain why your fingerprints were on the murder weapon?"

Jess glanced at me. "I... um, haha, funny story, really. I don't know. But I didn't do it!"

"Of course you didn't. Come on, we're going to take a little trip downtown."

Jess closed her eyes and sighed. "If it'll prove my innocence, fine."

Why do I have a feeling I'll be going downtown with her?