Jessica
Chapter 1
It was such a cold, unfeeling place. At least, that’s the way it seemed to Jessica. She was sure that they tried to make the place warm and comfy, but they
had failed miserably. The walls were white, and the lights were too bright. It seemed like a hospital, and it was just so sad. You could hear people moaning and every once and a while you could glance through an open door and see people lying on their beds, or staring out the window.
“When did life get so damned depressing?” she said out loud without thinking.
She immediately expected to be reprimanded for her curse, but her parents stayed silent.
In fact, everyone was quiet. Jessica wasn’t sure if it was because of the place they were in, or if it was because of who they were here to see, memories of him invading their brains.
Shivering slightly, Jessica clutched at her thin arms, hugging herself for warmth and comfort. Just thinking about it made her want to cry, but she hadn’t
cried for a long time; wasn’t even sure she knew how to cry. Even when she remembered, she didn’t cry...
***
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
“Isaac Hanson, you watch your mouth!” Diana called sharply from the kitchen.
“Sorry.” Isaac wandered into the kitchen. “Have you seen my leather jacket? I can’t find it anywhere!”
Jessica looked up. That was the third time this week that something had disappeared.
“No, honey, I’m sorry. I haven’t seen it.”
“Mom, I’m beginning to think we have a klepto in the house.”
“Jess,” Diana said in a warning voice. “There’s no need for that. I’m sure Isaac just misplaced his jacket.”
“Oh, like Taylor misplaced his sunglasses, and I misplaced my new Salvia CD?”
“Well, I’m sorry about Taylor’s sunglasses, but you don’t need to be listening to that sort of junk anyway.”
“It’s not junk, Mom. It’s perfectly good music.”
“Ahem.” Isaac cleared his throat before Jessica and Diana could get any farther into it. “My jacket?”
“Ike, I’m sorry. You’ll just have to do without it until we find it.”
Isaac sighed dramatically. “Fine. Well, I’m off to Chelsea’s. Don’t wait up!”
“Very funny,” Diana called after him. “Be back by one!”
Zac loped into the kitchen, heading straight for the refrigerator, as usual.
“Zac, have you seen Ike’s leather jacket?”
Closing the fridge door with getting anything out, Zac turned thoughtfully. “No, I don’t...oh! Wait! I borrowed it a couple of days ago. Ike! Wait!” Zac practically screamed, running out of the house, the door banging behind him.
“See, Jess?”
“It was a joke, Mom,” Jessica sighed, leaving the kitchen in search of something better to do. She decided to wait in the living room until Zac came back in, which wasn’t very long.
Zac glanced at her, but continued on his way up the stairs.
“Say, Zac,” she began sweetly, following him.
“What?”
She waited until they were almost up the stairs to start speaking again. “Zac, you wouldn’t happen to know...” she trailed off, following him into his room
uninvited. “You wouldn’t happen to know where my Salvia CD is, would you?”
Zac looked at her suspiciously, grabbing a pack of cigarettes out of his dresser and shaking one out. He offered one to her, even though he knew she didn’t
smoke. “Just what are you saying, Jess?”
She shrugged, doing her best to look innocent. “Nothing. I just thought that you might have borrowed it, as you borrowed Isaac’s jacket.”
He rolled his eyes, lighting the cigarette and inhaling deeply. He blew the smoke away from Jessica, knowing how much it bothered her. “I didn’t steal those things. Stuff disappears in this house all the time, and nobody ever blinks an eye! So what’s the deal now?” He sulked, puffing on the cigarette like a stressed out housewife.
Jessica waved a hand in front of her face. “Nothing. I’ll see you later.” She started to leave the room, then turned back, looking at Zac. “But if you do
happen to find my CD, please make sure it’s returned to my room.” She closed the door on his grumbling and headed down the hall to her own room. Seeing Taylor’s
open door, however, she decided to take a detour and knocked on the doorframe.
Taylor looked up from the book he was reading. “Oh, hey Jess. Come on in.”
Plopping down beside Taylor, she sighed. “I’m hungry, but there’s nothing good in this house,” she said to herself.
Taylor laughed and threw his book aside. “Okay, I get the hint.”
“Great.” Jessica hopped up and picked up a pair of jeans off the floor, the pair Taylor had been wearing the night before. She pulled his wallet out of the back right pocket. “Where are we going?”
Taylor reached out and swiped his wallet from her hands. “Well, I guess that depends on how much money you have.”
“Oh, sure, I get it. To each his own right?” Jessica laughed when he shook his head yes.
“I’m just teasing. I’ll pay for yours. You wanna go to McDonald’s or something?”
“Yeah, that’s as good as anything.” Jessica giggled when Taylor sat up. “Your hair’s a little messed up. Here, I’ll fix it.” She reached out and withdrew the
ponytail holder from her brother’s hair, and instructed him to turn around.
Combing his hair back with her fingers, she noticed how silky it was and wondered what shampoo he used. She was glad he was growing it long again; she thought that it looked better long, and it was so Taylor, just as Zac’s long hair was so Zac. “There. Perfect!”
“Thanks. Okay, let’s go.” Grabbing his keys off the dresser, he led the way out of the room.
Jessica went on outside and waited in the car while Taylor told Diana where they were going. She noticed a slightly smoky smell in the car, but knew it was most likely from Zac. Smoking hadn’t gone over well with Taylor. Wrinkling her nose, she remembered how he’d thrown up after trying one of Isaac’s cigarettes. It had been gross, but it hadn’t really surprised her. Taylor was just more sensitive than their brothers, so it just made sense that he would be more sensitive to cigarettes, too.
Jessica opened the ashtray, and, sure enough it was Camel’s, Zac’s brand. It sort of surprised her, though, that Taylor would let Zac smoke in his car. For one thing, he didn’t exactly approve of Zac smoking since he wasn’t old enough to be, and for another, this car was his baby.
Taylor slid into the seat, slamming his door. He shut the open ashtray, giving Jessica a look. “Okay, here we go.” He started the car, put it in reverse, and
went to backup when he suddenly stopped. “Hey, Jess, you wouldn’t want to...drive or anything, would you?”
Jessica’s eyes widened. It wasn’t the first time Taylor had offered to let her drive, but he had never let her when they were leaving. Diana didn’t know, and
she would be almost murderous if she found out. “Not today,” she said, trying to sound casual.
Taylor laughed. “Alright, but I offered.”
“Could we pick up Jillian?” Jessica asked suddenly.
Taylor glanced over at his sister. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Thanks.” Jessica stared out the window in silence until they pulled up in front of Jillian’s house. “I’ll go get her.” Hopping out of the car, she ran up the walk and rang the doorbell. When Jillian answered, she explained where they were going, and soon the two girls ran back to the car, climbing into the backseat.
“Hi, Taylor,” Jill said, a little breathless.
Jessica knew that Jill had a thing for Taylor, and it bothered her slightly, but what was she supposed to say? So most of the time she just ignored it, or
changed the subject fast.
“Hi, Jill.” Taylor glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled at the two, and listened as they chatted on about everything and nothing. He nodded and made
appropriate noises whenever he needed to, but he mostly stayed in his own world.
Pulling the piece of paper to him, Zac checked out Jessica’s signature. It was a little different, but totally unique, just like his sister. She connected the j, e, s, s, but the i, c, and a were separate, not connected to anything. Not even
each other.
