The weeks passed, and soon Jess was up and walking as she pleased, and except for a few sore spots, good as new. Her broken bones were almost completely healed, although her fractured ribs didn’t hesitate to remind her to take it slow.

She rolled over in bed, staring at her clock on the night stand beside her bed. 9:47, she had class in an hour-and-a-half. Finally, things were back to normal. She sighed. She didn’t know if that was such a great thing. Normal meant classes all day, homework all night, Justin ditching her for Raine, and more of JC’s insecurities.

She turned to her right, her eyes finding JC who was sleeping soundly. His arm was around her midsection, his head resting comfortably on her shoulder. He snored softly as he smacked his lips together in sleep, his eyelashes barely fluttering.

He terrified her completely.

His ability to hurt her was far too strong for her liking. And she refused to get hurt again. She had seen it before, JC wasn’t one to get attached, and although he claimed their love to be true, she feared otherwise.

Her heart wanted to trust him completely, sighting that any good girlfriend would believe in him. She trusted JC completely as a friend, but fully giving him her heart was a completely different story.

Her head told her something different entirely. It screamed at her every day when she woke up beside him, or when his hands grazed her body, his face devoured in passion. It wanted her to leave, to save herself why she still could, to stay away from JC. It told her that he would hurt her the way he hurt Alex, that he would leave her just as abandoned as the rest of the girls. She had watched him do it time after time, year after year, and after a while, she thought nothing of it. Until it was her.

What she ended up with in the end, was a jumble of the two, making herself as well as JC very confused. Her words to him were sweet, usually conveying what she felt, but her actions spoke of something far different. Any stranger off the street wouldn’t notice, but JC felt it and she knew it killed him. Her glances were awkward, her kisses almost lifeless, her touch tentative and weak.

Her eyes traced the walls of her room, and across it’s floors. The room was on the smaller side, her massive canopy bed taking up the majority of the room. A book case stood on the other side, books and papers stacked within it’s shelves. She looked upward, sheets of sheer chiffon meeting her eyes. She pulled the dove white sheets tighter around JC’s body, a thin smile playing through her lips.

She got up, and pulled on a T-shirt and boxers, then padded across the hardwood floor into the kitchen. Her bare feet met tarp, Roxy seated in the middle of it, lost in her own world. Jess watched her as she lifted the paintbrush and gently swirled it onto the blank canvas. She brushed the maroon stain across the canvas slowly, her eyebrows set in concentration.

"Are you coming tomorrow night?" she asked, not turning around, her deep hazel eyes set on the painting. Jess thought she looked beautiful, completely enveloped by her element. Her light brown curls were pulled behind her ears in a low ponytail, a few tendrils framing her delicate face. A smudge of navy blue paint was streaked across her arched cheek bone, another dab present just above her full lips. Still she beamed, a glow of happiness radiating through her eyes in a soft green swirl as she moved the brush across the surface.

Jess nodded as she pulled a carton of orange juice out of the refrigerator and took a sip straight from the top. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then placed it back into the fridge. "I wouldn’t miss it for the world." Roxy’s premiere at one of the top art galleries in the country was scheduled for that night and Roxy couldn’t be happier.

"How’s sleeping beauty?" she asked, an amused smirk playing on her lips. "Long night Jess?"

Jess blushed then rolled her eyes, taking a seat on the barstool across from Roxy. "He’s good. He’s sleeping right now," she giggled, as she watched Roxy intently.

"So I guess you guys had fun last night…I didn’t see you guys past seven…" Roxy said as she placed her brush on the stand beside her and grinned. "I bet that there was some kinky sex goin on last night!"

Before Jess could answer Roxy continued. "You had sex last night!" she laughed in a sing-song voice, as Jess flushed another two shades of red, only confirming Roxy’s suspicions.

"Was it good?" Roxy asked, raising an eyebrow. Roxy had no reserve when it came to sex. She wanted to know everything.

Jess laughed in defeat, deciding to splurge the details to Roxy. "HELL YEAH. Hello…have you seen the man on stage? He knows how to work it."

"He’s…" instead of using words, Roxy continued the sentence by setting her paint-spotted hands a generous distance apart and raising an eyebrow.

Jess nodded and grinned smugly, as JC walked into the room, dressed only in boxers, scratching the back of his head. He stretched his arms over his head, then yawned, shaking his head violently.

Roxy batted her eyelashes towards him, her lips forming a pout. "Good morning Mr. Big," she purred in an overly sensuous tone, before the two women burst into a fit of laughter.

JC stared at the two, his mind jogging through all the things "Mr. Big" could refer to. He blushed as he realized what it meant, his head bowing modestly. "Jess.." he whined shyly.

Jess laughed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "Morning sweetie…" she murmured, brushing her cheek against his neck.

He let out a slow moan, leaning onto her shoulder limply. He kissed her cheek sloppily, his lips tired and careless. "Morning baby," he murmured against her shoulder, his voice muffled.

Jess’ eyes fell on the clock once again, her mind racing as she saw she had twenty minutes to get to class. She left JC’s embrace, scampering around the apartment in search of her things. She appeared five minutes later, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, a backpack on her back.

Jess groaned as the phone rang, torn between it and the door. JC solved her problem quickly by answering as she pecked his cheek and ran out the door.

Alexia rolled the violet colored sheets between her slim fingers, her eyes stuck on the ceiling above. She slid out of bed, pausing as her eyes met his face. She lifted the gold frame, her gray eyes examining his handsome features.

He was beautiful. His face was chiseled to perfection, his soulful blue eyes revealing a heart as pure as could be. Sometimes she questioned her sanity. After all he had put her through, she didn’t know how her love for him could be so unconditional. But she still loved him, no matter how much she tried not to, her love for him continued.

She sighed, Jess had invited her to Roxy’s debut at a classy art gallery in town. She told Jess she would check her schedule and call her back, knowing full well she had nothing better to do. But it pained her to see Jess with JC, it was so blatantly obvious that JC was completely in love with Jess and it often times made her sick.

She reached for the phone, dialing Jess’ number quickly. She couldn’t possibly allow her feelings for JC come between she and Jess.

"Hello?" a male voice answered. His voice was tinted with laughter, a cheery tenor rumble coming deep from his throat.

Alexia’s mouth gaped open, as he heard his voice, leaning back against the frame of the bed for support. It was him. "Hey…" she said a little shakier than intended, it sounded more like a sigh than actual talking. She cursed herself for sounding so in love.

"Lexi?" he asked, slowly.

"Yeah, C, it’s me," she replied softly, her eyes gazing towards the picture of him across from her.

"Hey!" he said cheerfully, his voice making Alexia smile softly. "How are you?"

"I’m good," she replied, lying, "How ‘bout yourself?"

"I’m great!" JC laughed, "I finally get to spend some down time with my girl."

Alexia frowned to herself as she rubbed her temples with her free hand. She exactly what "down time" entailed. "Well, can I talk to her?" she asked, knowing that her voice was completely transparent.

"She’s actually heading out the door right now, she’s gonna miss class. Can I take a message?" he asked, hopping onto the leather couch in the middle of the room, the material cooling the backs of his thighs. He jumped a little, then eased himself back onto the couch gently. He waved bye to Jess as she slipped out the door, blowing a kiss.

"Yeah, tell her I’ll be over at 7:00 tonight and then we can go," Alexia replied examining herself in the mirror. She ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair, brushing her hands over her cheekbones in effort to wake herself.

"Will do," he said looking over towards the clock. "Hey Lex, do you have time to work in the studio today?" he asked, shuffling through his papers on the end table while Roxy worked in the background. He had written close to twenty pages the night before, the words coming like never before. He just sat, his eyes fixed on Jess’ sleeping figure and wrote.

Her heart lifted with his words, her mouth dropping open slightly. "Oh yeah," she said, thinking of her plans for the day. "I think we can work today."

"Great!" he exclaimed happily, his hands clapping together. "I’ll meet you at the studio in like an hour."

Alexia smiled. "Perfect. Bye."

Jess walked into the ladies room, stepping in front of the inky marble, and placing her soft blue rose-shaped handbag on top of it. She stared at her reflection, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. She had chosen a fitted royal blue halter dress for the occasion, one that showcased her slim shoulders and lengthy legs.

She turned abruptly as she heard a toilet flush, and glared as Raine emerged from the stall. Raine stood before her, then sauntered over to the counter and set her purse beside Jess’.

Jess involuntarily rolled her eyes, and held back a laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked incredulously, her eyes pretending to be shocked that Jess would even be so rude.

"Um…you," Jess said as if it were obvious, her voice hard and cold. "I mean seriously do you need to walk like that all the time? " she asked, as she imitated Raine and shook her butt as she walked around the powder room. "Like your ass isn’t big enough….You look like a duck."

Raine’s eyes narrowed, her hands shifting to her hips. "We’ll see who wins this war. You may think that you have Justin under your paw but I’m the one who’s in control now."

Jess laughed. "Oo, I’m scared," she said as she waved her hands. " Don’t make me laugh," she said under her breath as she left.

Raine reentered the main room of the gallery, her eyes scanning the broad hall. Roxy’s paintings were displayed on either side, magnificent splashes of color dotting the plain walls. JC and Justin were poised before an abstract portrait of Jess done in various shades of pink, completely unaware of the mass of reporters and photographers behind them.

Raine approached Justin as he spoke softly about a set of photographs Roxy had done on the guys, he and JC both laughing as they came to a few memorable shots. Raine turned softly and leaned into Justin, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder.

She looked up towards him, her eyes reading over his features. He was completely content, his face smooth and relaxed. She smiled softly and kissed him just below his chin, her lips just barely grazing his flesh.

"Just, I’m getting tired," she lied. She knew he’d believe her, it was well into the later hours of the night. "I think I need to get home soon, I’ve got to work tomorrow."

He nodded, his arms encircling her petite waist. "Ditch work…" he murmured as he bent down to kiss her. "You know you want to…"

"And you know I can’t," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Baby, I’m going to go," she said, her eyes telling him that she meant it.

He let out a sigh of defeat, his arms releasing her. "Do you want a ride home sweetie?"

"No, I’ll take my car," she responded a little more coldly than she had intended. "Night sweetie," she said kissing his lips. "I’ll call you."

He nodded, pulling her near once more, "Love you."

Raine smiled. "I love you too, Justin."

Jess smiled over towards JC, letting go of his hand to talk to Roxy. She and Roxy sat down on a bench in the far corner of the gallery, her eyes falling on Raine’s departing figure.

Jess looked down at her watch, it was 10:22, far too early for someone of their age to go home. Especially alone.

"Rox, let’s follow her…" Jess whispered, as she watched Raine disappear out the front door.

Roxy grinned. "I like your thinking."

The two quietly slipped out the front door then headed down the path near the side of the building. They slid up against the concrete of the building and watched as Raine stood out by the side of the parking lot, talking into her cell phone.

"Something’s fishy," Jess murmured as she watched Raine unlock the door to her BMW roadster. She slid inside the back of the car, then appeared, newly changed. Her elegant crimson dress had faded into a newer look, one that was far less dignified. She was wearing a gold halter top that dipped half-way down her chest, a short black leather shirt showcasing her legs.

Roxy let out a slight laugh. "I TOLD YOU SHE WAS SECRETLY A WHORE!" she half-screamed, just before Jess clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Shh!" Jess whispered hoarsely, "She’s a slut, she’s not deaf!"

Raine locked her car door then headed down the side of the walk then stood in front of a building, her back leaning against the gray concrete. She smiled as a Prowler slid up to the curb, then got in.

Next
Turbulent Skies Main
Jess' Main
Home
Email the Author: Jess