No Storm Can Stop Love

Jessica Wakefield ran out of the lawn, basically crying and trying to sort out what she had just done.

< I cheated on Jeremy! I cheated on Jeremy Aames with Will! > Jessica thought.

"I have to get away from here. Away from all this-this trouble. Away from what I've done." Jessica took a deep breath and started walking towards the Sweet Valley Park, wanting to turn back time.

Jeremy Aames whistled and walked easily to Jessica's house, wanting to surprise her. Then he heard two voices arguing on their front lawn. Curious, he hid behind a tree and listened:

"Will! How dare you do that to Jessica?" Elizabeth was saying.

< Do what? > Jeremy wanted to shout.

"What? It's not like she pulled away!" Will Simmons said.

Jeremy was starting to put the pieces together. < Pulled away. > He thought.

"Will Simmons, you are nothing but a selfless jerk!" Elizabeth cried.

< Amen to that. > Jeremy thought.

"Why did you kiss her?" Elizabeth wailed.

< Kissed her? Will Simmons {kissed} my girlfriend? > Jeremy balled his hands into fists and was ready to come out. But then what Will said next broke his heart and drained all his energy.

"It's not as if Jessica didn't respond! Jessica kissed me back Elizabeth. She kissed me long and passionately." Will yelled.

Jeremy felt tears spring to his eyes. Jessica cheated on him. She kissed another guy. Then his tears disappeared, and they were replaced by fury. He rushed out of his hiding place.

Both Elizabeth and Will stopped fighting and stared at Jeremy. Will's eyes glimmered smugly, as if he was {glad} he had caught their argument.

< Well, I'll give him something to be not too glad about! > Jeremy rushed towards Will and brought back his fist then…

WHAM! Right in Will's right eye.

Will fell back on the green grass. He quickly got up and was about to hit Jeremy when Elizabeth hollered, "ENOUGH!"

Both of them dropped their fighting stances.

"Look, Jeremy." Will's right eye was turning a very peculiar shade of blue.

"Don't "Look Jeremy", "Look Jeremy" me, you big damn jerk!" Jeremy seethed. "You kissed my girlfriend and that was a wrong move."

"I was with her first, Aames." Will pointed out.

"Will, listen to yourself! Jessica isn't a toy. It's not a matter of who-got-it-first. It's a matter of whom she loves!" Jeremy shouted, trembling with rage.

"Well then, Jessica loves who, then?" Will crossed his arms.

Both boys turned to Elizabeth, who had been silent for the whole time, contemplating the situation.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm not Jessica. I can't make a decision that important for her."

"Well, where is she?" Jeremy cried.

"I don't know." She answered.

Jeremy glared at Will. "You'll pay for this, Will Simmons. I won't forget this." He snarled. Elizabeth had never seen Jeremy so furious. He had always seemed so calm.

< He must really love Jess. Jeremy deserves Jessica… >

< But does Jess deserve Jeremy? > Elizabeth wondered.

Jessica fled, sobbing, into Sweet Valley Park. She didn't care if people were staring at her as if she were a maniac.

But after walking around for a few minutes, she began to calm down. Then as she passed by the clear blue lake, a sense of calm seeped into her.

< I know I did the wrong thing. I'm going to break it off with Will, even if staying away from him is so hard. I belong with Jeremy. I not going to tell him about this and I'll continue as if nothing had happened. > Jessica decided.

Lila Fowler checked her watched as she rolled into Calico drive. So what if she was half an hour late? Big deal. Then just as she parked in front of the Wakefields' home, she heard Will's voice from somewhere on the lawn. Apparently they haven't seen Lila.

"…Jessica kissed me back, Elizabeth!" Will was saying.

"Oh my God!" Lila whispered. Then she saw a figure crouched behind a tall tree.

Lila blinked. In this situation, she knew just where Jessica could be.

Jessica sighed and started to walk out of the park. Just then Lila's new Porsche rolled in.

"Lila?" Jessica cried in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I knew just where you'd be in a situation you are in right now." Lila replied. "Get in."

Jessica stepped into the car. "How bad is it?"

"Bad. Jeremy even punched Wi-" Lila told her.

"Wait!" Jessica cried. "{ Jeremy } was there? Oh no!" she began to cry.

"Jessica, Jess, what happened anyway?" Lila asked Jessica.

Jessica buried her face in her hands. "I kissed Will, okay? I was…tempted! I couldn't help it! With his face inches away from mine…{ what am I saying? }"

"Oh, Jessica." Lila smiled crookedly at her. "Tell Jeremy you're very sorry."

"Lila, you don't get it. Jeremy stood by me even when the most popular girl in his school came onto him-and I was the school slut then-I can betray him like this!" Jessica bit her lip to hold back a waterfall of tears. Then she looked up at Lila. "Don't tell this to anyone, okay? Not even Amy. Who knows what could spread if certain people discovered I kissed Will behind Jeremy's back!"

Lila nodded, turning red. "I promise."

"Thanks, Li." Jessica smiled a bit. "I think I'm ready to face them."

"Maybe you are." Lila agreed, revving up her Porsche and sped towards the Wakefield home.

Melissa Fox paced around her room, trying to think what to do-whether or not to tell Will that she was still in love with him, and risk the chance of rejection, or just mope around forever and wonder if he still love her? Hmm. Melissa decided to tell Will how she felt.

She jabbed Will's number on the phone.

"Hello?" It was Mrs. Simmons.

"Mrs. Simmons? This is Melissa. May I please speak with Will?" she asked.

"Why, Melissa. He just headed over to a girl's house." Mrs. Simmons replied.

"H-he did? Did you know who the girl was?" Melissa gripped the phone.

"Uh, some girl named Jessica Wakely. Or…Jenny Wanfield. Something like that."

"Oh-oh. Thank you." Melissa whispered, hanging up.

"He's at Jessica's house!" Melissa whispered. She felt an old familiar fury rising inside her.

"I have to go there." She said to herself. Without missing a beat, she slid out of the door into her mom's car.

Jessica and Lila stopped right in front of the Wakefield lawn, where Jeremy, Will, and Elizabeth were gathered. Jessica noticed that Will's eye was turning purple now.

"God, what happened?" Jessica cried, feeling her composure fade away quickly.

Elizabeth ran to Jessica and hugged her. "Jeremy caught Will and I arguing about the, um…kiss and he punched Will." She told her gently.

"What?" Jessica screamed.

Elizabeth lowered her eyes, not wanting to see what was going to happen next.

Jessica ran over between Jeremy and Will, holding out her hands.

Just then, Melissa arrived. Her eyes widened at the scene.

"Will, what happened to you?" Melissa immediately went beside Will, touching his right eye.

"Ow." Will winced. "Melissa, what are you doing here?"

Melissa pretended not to hear. She didn't want to say, "Will, I called you up and decided to follow you here".

Jessica stared at Melissa, and whispered into Jeremy's ear, "I'm so sorry, Jeremy. I love you."

Jeremy turned to look at Jessica.

Jessica didn't see love. What she saw was ice. Ice in Jeremy's usually warm eyes. Jessica closed her eyes as a tear slipped down one eye.

Melissa looked around the lawn and wondered what had happened.

"I'm sorry that you kissed Will," Jeremy started. < What? > Melissa thought.

"I'm sorry that I trusted you enough to stay with Will during the kidnap, I'm sorry I forgave you and let you explain, I'm { sorry that I ever fell in love with you! }" Jeremy shouted.

Jessica looked away, not about to let anyone see that tears were flowing down her face.

Elizabeth felt overwhelmed. Was any of this really happening?

Lila was beside Elizabeth, just a few feet behind Jessica.

At that, Jeremy walked away.

Jessica bit her lip. She cast one look at Will. "That kiss was…Will, we weren't meant to be together. You and Melissa do. Just like the way Jeremy and I belong together." She said softly.

And she meant that.

Then Jessica started to run. "Jeremy! Jeremy! Wait!" Jessica called.

Elizabeth looked around the lawn, taking in all the news. Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. She ran too, ran wherever her feet took her.

And she stopped right in front of Todd's house.

Elizabeth knocked on the door of Todd's house. "Todd?" she said. "Todd, please open up."

Todd answered the door. "Liz. Come on in." he stepped aside.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I just don't know who else to turn to." Elizabeth held back a wave of tears.

Todd's eyes reflected genuine concern. "What happened, Elizabeth?"

"Jessica-she-" and ten minutes later, the whole story had spilled out, and she was crying.

"Liz, it'll be fine." Todd took Elizabeth into his arms and let her cry. He led her to the living room and they sat down.

"I'm sorry, Todd." Elizabeth sobbed.

"Hush, now. It's okay." Todd brushed his lips on Elizabeth's forehead.

"Todd, stop-don't make this any harder than it already is." Elizabeth began to pull away, but Todd leaned down and placed his mouth gently over hers.

Elizabeth knew she was wrong, but she let herself go. She kissed Todd back, winding her arms around his shoulders.

Umm. What'll happen-will Melissa and Will get back together? Or maybe Jessica and Will. Or Jeremy and Jess. And what about Todd and Liz? What will happen to them? Find out in
part 8-Another Storm.