New Girl in Town

All characters in this story are 18 years old except where stated otherwise

****

"We should go by Bobby's too probably." Jessica announces as the pair are leaving Staci's house.

"I can call Bobby. He'll be fine once he sees us together tomorrow." Jake assures her.

"We went and told my best friend in person. We owe Bobby the same consideration." She tells him.

"Maybe but Bobby needs some time to cool off." He states.

"I imagine that he's pretty furious with me right about now, not that I blame him in the least." Jessica says worriedly.

"It's not you, Jess. After the whole Jennifer thing, I was in a pretty dark place. Bobby was just afraid that I'd end up back there if we didn't work this out but we did so he'll be fine now." He shares. "He also needed to be reminded that you're his friend too. Marybeth was reminding him when I left them."

"How was Marybeth with all this? I didn't scare her off with all this drama did I?" Jessica asks.

"No, she was very diplomatic in how she approached it. She wanted to hear your side of things before making any kind of judgment call but she was still very supportive of me." He tells her.

"I knew she was a sweetheart." Jessica remarks.

"That she is and speaking of sweethearts; I think I should get you home and let Sarah see that we're good. I know you texted your mom but wouldn't they all feel better if we told them in person?" Jake asks her.

"You're probably right." Jessica admits. "Mom and dad were pretty concerned and so was Sarah. Turns out, she'd heard me crying back when all this crap happened with Sean. She hates him for making me cry. Apparently she heard me crying last night and asked me if you made me cry."

"Now Sarah hates me?" he asks.

"Definitely not, Jake," Jessica assures him. "I made sure that she knows that you weren't the reason I was crying last night. She told me that she never liked Sean but she likes you. I guess that's Sarah's little stamp of approval for you."

"I'll certainly take it." He laughs relieved. "An upset Sarah sounds bad."

"Yes, an upset Sarah is a sight no one wants to behold," she answers. "My house it is then."

They begin heading towards Jessica's when she plucks his cell phone from the cup holder.

"Should we see if this thing is still stuck on broken heart songs?" She asks.

"Feeling brave are you?" Jake teasingly ask her.

"Honestly with what we just made it through I feel practically invincible." She answers as she plugs his phone into the auxiliary jack and hits Random. The piano intro to Alone by Heart begins to play.

"This is Heart, right?" Jessica asks as Ann Wilson begins to sing. "Yeah, that's definitely Heart. I love her voice!"

"She's great." He states as he makes the turn towards Jessica's house.

"Since Staci was part of Patrick's group of knuckle draggers until this year, I know the two you haven't been friends until this year so how do you know her mom?" She asks.

"That's kind of a long story that requires Staci and Roxie being around when I tell it." Jake informs her.

"Wait, Roxie's a part of this too?" She asks. "Now I'm really curious. Tomorrow at lunch then?"

"Once they finish teasing us about getting together you mean?" He asks with a laugh.

"Especially Shelly," Jessica giggles. "She goes away for the weekend and you and I end up finally taking the plunge. How'd she meet her boyfriend if he lives in Virginia anyway?"

"She didn't explain it to your girl chat group?" Jake asks.

"She was in such a rush to get packed that I think all she posted was, boyfriend, Virginia, bye." Jessica answers.

"They met and started dating last summer at this church summer camp that she's been going to since she was Sarah's age. Her mom's works as a volunteer there every summer." Jake explains.

"No church camps for you, Jake?" She asks.

"I went when I was younger but once dad got me started in football it was all football camps, all summer. For the longest time it seemed as soon as one ended, I was already on my way to the next one. I wanted a car so I took a job the summer between my freshman and sophomore years to pay for it and that stopped the unending camps." He explains.

"What did you do?" Jessica asks.

"It was this crappy moving company gig. I worked it for about a month before I quit." Jake explains.

"Whoa, you quit a job. That really doesn't sound like you at all, Jake." Jessica says.

"The company I worked for sent me and one other guy on a job that could easily have taken six guys a day and a half to finish. We had a day but we got it done, drove the trucks back to the office, locked them up and put our

we quit

notices in the mail slot and left. Dad was pretty pissed but I had the money I needed for my car and I was used to disappointing him at that point anyway. I started swimming to get me out of the house and a more stress free work out." Jake shares.

"In case I haven't made it perfectly clear to you yet, Jake. I really like that you took up swimming." Jessica states with smile.

"It does explain the whole, you dreaming of me shirtless thing. You should come with me one day. There's a YMCA just across the county line. They give free lessons to kids Sarah's age that is if our little overachiever doesn't know how to swim already." Jake jokes.

"We can mention to my parents when we get there. I think mom is looking for a place to work out

****

"We're back!" Jessica announces as the pair walk through her front door.

"Good, I was just about to start dinner." Dr. Golden states as she peeks out from the kitchen.

"Can you stay for dinner?" Jessica asks Jake then turns to her mom. "Can Jake stay for dinner?"

"That would be up to Jake I think, baby." Dr. Golden answers.

"I'd be glad to stay as long as it's no trouble, Dr. Golden." He states.

"It's spaghetti night and I always make a lot so one more person won't make a difference. Jess likes to take the leftovers for lunch before the game. It's important that she carbo load before a match." She informs him.

"Oh my gosh, the game!" Jessica exclaims. "I completely forgot that my first game is tomorrow!"

"You've had a lot on your mind this weekend, Jess." Mr. Golden states as takes a seat at the kitchen table.

"I really have," Jessica agrees. "It completely slipped my mind."

"Do you need me to do anything?" Jake asks her.

"You can maybe help me with some bump set drills after dinner?" She asks then looks at her mom. "Can he do that with his arm?"

"I don't want Jake rotating that shoulder too much so I think we should let your dad help with those for now. At least until Jake's regular doctor can take a look at his shoulder and tell him exactly what he can and can't do with it." Dr. Golden tells her. "If you two want to cut some vegetables for some salads, you can do that."

As Jessica and Jake take turns washing up at the sink, Sarah pokes her head into the kitchen.

"Sissy, is everything okay?" She asks quietly as she peeks through the doorway.

Jessica spins and kneels down. "Everything is great, Sar-bear!" She exclaims. "Jake's helping us cut up some veggies for salads and then he's staying for dinner."

"So you two are friends again?" She asks.

"We're girlfriend and boyfriend now." Jessica announces with a smile.

"If that's okay with you that is, Sarah." Jake interjects.

"Are you gonna make Jessica cry like Sean did?" she asks.

He kneels down to her. "Sarah, I wish I could tell you that I'll never make Jess cry but I can't. See, I don't know what the future holds. I can promise you that I will do my very best to never make her cry on purpose but that's the best I can do. I know that it doesn't sound great but I hope that it's enough." Jake tells her.

Sarah seems to think on this for a moment then she wraps her tiny arms around his neck and hugs him. Jake pats her back and she whispers in his ear. "You'll be good to her."

"I'll do my very best." Jake whispers back.

Sarah lets Jake go then stands back. "No cucumbers in my salad." She announces then heads out of the kitchen.

"You heard the lady, Jake." Jessica giggle as she hands him a knife.

"I guess I'll take tomato duty then." Jake tells her as he joins her at the counter. "Do you folks have a preference of how they're cut?"

"I like mine diced." Jessica answers.

"Diced works for me." Mr. Golden answers. "Val?"

"Just let Jake slice them. Dicing might be too much for..." Dr. Golden begins to say but Jake is already halfway through dicing the first tomato. "Where'd you learn to do that, Jake?" She asks.

"Home Economics class." He answers as he begins dicing a second one. "I took it my sophomore year. I had it with Staci if you can believe it."

"This leads into how you know her mom, doesn't it?" Jessica asks.

"Yep," He answers.

"You know this is gonna drive me crazy until I hear the story, don't you?" Jessica asks.

"I'm just living up to a certain ringtone that someone thought was appropriate for me." Jake teases her.

"Just slice some carrots up for Sarah's salad." Jessica tells him. "Julienne cut please."

"That's long ways and thin right?" Jake asks with a grin.

"Yes, thin like the ice your mouth has you skating on, boyfriend." She states with a giggle.

"If you two are going to be like this the rest of the year, God help us all." Mr. Golden chuckles.

"I'll do my best to train him to be better, daddy." Jessica quips.

"Hey, I was about to promise him the same thing." Jake jokes.

"That I'd train you to be better, of course you were, Jake. You know me so well." Jessica states.

"You know that you have no one but yourself to blame for all of this don't you, Jake?" Dr. Golden jokes as she drops the noodles into the boiling water.

"Yeah," He answers and then glances at Jessica, "I think she's going to be worth it though."

****

After they eat, Jessica heads to her room to change clothes while Jake offers to help wash the dishes.

"I'm just going to load the dishwasher, Jake." She informs him.

"Anything I can do to help?" He asks as he rinses off the plates before handing them to her.

"You can help me get the net set up for Jess, Jake." Mr. Golden states as he gets up from the table.

"Net?" Jake asks.

"Just this thing I whipped up for Jess so she can practice at home when she wants to." He explains. "It's out in the garage."

"Are you going to supervise us, Sarah?" Jake asks as he dries his hands on a nearby towel.

"Yep," Sarah announces as she pushes back from the table.

"Careful of that arm, Jake. Watch him, Tim." Dr. Golden warns as we make our way towards the backdoor.

"I will, dear." Mr. Golden answers. "I certainly don't want to face Jessica's wrath if he gets hurt on my watch."

"Or mine either, daddy." Sarah states as she takes hold of Jake's hand.

"No baby, I don't want to face your wrath either." He laughs.

Sarah tugs at Jake's arm. "Jake, what's raff mean?"

"It's wrath with a W and it means you'd get really angry." Jake explains.

"Sean will face my waff then." Sarah announces.

"There's a long line forming for that, Sarah." Mr. Golden informs her. He leads them to the garage and points to a pair of poles that are weighted at the bottom with a couple of old tires. "That's what we're rolling out of here, Jake. They may not look like much but the netting between them is set at regulation height."

"If it works, it works." Jake states as he steps over to the poles. "My dad hung an old tire for me to throw footballs through as soon as I could grip one."

"Kind of destined to be a quarterback, huh?" Mr. Golden asks.

"Dad pushed me in that direction and I took to it pretty well so I stuck with it." Jake answers. "He played defensive end until he blew out his knee in the last game of his senior season. I think that he thought with me being a quarterback I'd be more protected somehow. We all saw how that worked out."

"Val and I have wanted to ask you how you've been feeling lately." He states. "Have you noticed any side effects from the concussion?"

"I was getting these headaches for the first few days after but those seem to have gone away. I still don't remember throwing the touchdown pass but Dr. Golden warned me that particular memory may never come back. At least someone got it... well part of it on video." Jake shares.

"Does that make you sad, Jake?" Sarah asks.

Jake kneels down to her. "Nope because I still did it even if I can't remember it." He tells her. "So, how do we get Jess's net set up?"

"We're going to roll them out of here together. If it's too heavy or it bothers your bad shoulder, you just say the word. Don't try to tough it out, Jake. I'm serious." Mr. Golden states.

"No sir, I won't." Jake assures him.

Together the pair manages to get the poles rolled out of the garage with Sarah instructing them the whole way.

"Are you being a big help, Sar-Bear?" Jessica asks as she joins them. Jake looks over and sees that Jess has traded her jeans for a pair of jogging shorts and a t-shirt.

"Wow," He mutters finding himself captivated by her long legs once again. Jessica hears him and flashes a quick smile in his direction.

Mr. Golden clears his throat. "Make sure you hold that in place, Jake."

Jake places his foot on the tire and nods. "I've got it, sir."

"Let's go find my ball bag, Sarah." Jessica tells Sarah and the pair walk off towards the garage. Jake swears that Jessica is putting an extra swish in her hips just the way she did that day they discussed her tight shorts. He only watches her for a moment so he's not caught staring at her yet again by her dad.

"Look even?" He asks as he reaches the end of the net.

Jake gives it a look and then adjusts his side a bit. "That's about as good as it's going to get on the grass anyway." He tells him.

"All that really matters is that the height is consistent all the way across." Mr. Golden states. "We had a great set up at our old place in Charlotte but this will have to do for this year."

"It looks perfect, daddy. Thank you." Jessica assures him as she and Sarah return with a duffle bag full of volleyballs. "Jake, are you going to play ball wrangler with Sarah?"

"I guess that I could." Jake answers.

"Jake, is going to come up here and rest that shoulder for a few minutes." Dr. Golden states as she stands on the back porch. "Doctor's orders, Jake."

"You heard mom, Jake. Doctor's orders." Jessica mimics with a giggle.

Jake jogs over to the porch and climbs the steps to join Dr. Golden.

"Let's talk for a few minutes, Jake." She says taking a seat in a rocking chair on the back porch. She indicates that he should take the other. Out in the yard, Jessica gives Jake a quick wave before her dad bumps the first ball into the air. Jessica leaps high in the air and spikes the ball down the net line.

"Wow," Jake exclaims.

"Jake, what are your thoughts on this?" Dr. Golden asks.

"That Jess is even better at volleyball then I thought she was." he answers.

Dr. Golden laughs. "I meant with the whole Sean situation, Jake." She corrects.

"Oh that," Jake says and thinks for a moment. Out in the yard, Jessica has spiked another ball onto the opposite side of her first hit. "If I'm being honest, Dr. Golden, I'm really worried."

"Worried?" She asks.

"Yes ma'am," he answer. "I've never been in a situation like this before and I'm scared to death that I could end up making things worse for her instead of better."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Jake." She says.

"Ma'am?" Jake asks confused.

"Jake, I'd be concerned if you said that you weren't worried about this." She tells him. "This won't be an easy thing for either of you but somehow Jessica stumbled into an amazing group of friends that I think really has a chance to help her through this. Help the both of you through this."

"Jessica is pretty amazing herself. Maybe she just brings it out in people." Jake states.

"I'd like to think that she does but after meeting all of you, I think it's more likely that Jessica fell in with the people that can help her the most." She answers. "Thank you for that Jake and I want you to remember that her dad and I will be here, not just for her but for you too if this every gets too rough for you."

"Thank you, ma'am." Jake answers not sure what else to say.

"Mom," Jessica calls out. "Can we get Jake now? We've lost Sarah."

Dr. Golden and Jake look towards Sarah who has abandoned her ball wrangling job in favor of chasing the first lightning bugs of the evening.

"Go ahead and help them out, Jake." Dr. Golden tells him.

Jake joins Mr. Golden and Jessica at the net then spends the next twenty minutes chasing down Jessica's spikes and dinks until it gets a little too dark to do it safely.

"That's time, Jessica." Mr. Golden states. "If it gets any darker out here, you might end up spiking a ball into Jake's head."

"No spiking on Jake's head." Sarah calls out from the porch.

"I know Sar-bear." Jessica giggles as they join them on the back porch.

"Thanks for your help, Jake." Mr. Golden says.

"Anytime, sir." Jake assures him.

"I think that it's bath time for you, Sarah." Dr. Golden says.

"Mama," Sarah complains.

"You got all sweaty helping Jessica then running around after all those fireflies." Dr. Golden points out.

"Sarah, you can use my bodywash as long as you listen to mom." Jessica tells her.

"The one that smells like apples? Cool," Sarah announces before dashing inside.

"I'd better catch her before she grabs your bodywash. Last time she had it all over herself and the tub before I could even get the water started." Mr. Golden says as he hurries after Sarah.

"I'm right behind you, dear." Dr. Golden says as she follows him inside leaving Jake and Jessica alone.

"How's your hand feeling?" Jake asks her once they're alone.

"Sore but it's a good kind of sore," She answers.

Jake reaches over and begins to rub it. "Better?" he asks.

"You have no idea how much." She nearly purrs.

"Is this going to become a post game ritual?" Jake teases her.

"Post game, post practice, post whenever I can get you to do it for me." She answers.

"All you've gotta do is ask." Jake assures her.

"Does that offer work in other aspects?" She asks. "Say, for example, that I asked you to kiss me."

"Anytime you need or want that you just let me know and I'll make that happen, Jess." Jake assures her.

"I'm thinking that now would be good."

Jake pulls her in close and begins to plant soft kisses on her lips. Jessica tentatively parts her lips and Jake slowly slides his tongue in. Within a few moments, he's coaxed Jessica's tongue to join with his in a sensual dance. One of her hands slide up his chest until she stops it just over his pounding heart while the other buries itself into his thick brown hair at the base of his neck. Jake's tongue retreats but Jessica's chases it into his mouth allowing him to tenderly suck on it for a brief moment. Jake slides his hand to her waist and Jessica freezes up.

"Sorry, Jess." Jake apologizes.

He tries to step back to give her some space but Jessica pulls him back to her.

"Stay," She orders him then begins to softly kiss him again. Jake returns the kisses and soon Jessica pulls back but relaxes into his arms. "Thank you," She murmurs.

"I think that should be my line, Jess. I am finally getting to kiss you after all." Jake jokes.

"I froze and you gave me a minute to deal with it so that thank you is all mine." She shares. "You'll get all the chances you want to thank me once I get over this thing with Sean. I promise you that, Jake."

****

Monday

Patrick and Jamie are sitting in Patrick's Camaro before school when they notice an unfamiliar Mustang pull into the schools lot.

"Whoa, that is one nice ride. Wonder who's behind the whell of that thing?" Jamie asks.