The week after the wedding was an… well… emotional and physical rollercoaster for most people… one which easily included Jessica Pierce. For one; Kai had gotten married and after a brief text to him… they both found it was best if they blocked each other. There were no words to describe how much it hurt seeing him in magazines, the daily newspaper… social media. It was as if everywhere she looked; she found a picture of the new Prince staring at her. But that was the problem. While to everyone else; he was a new prince of a kingdom… an interesting story. To Jess; he was and always be a man she once loved. And honestly… it just hurt too much to do it anymore. Part of Jessica would always love Kai, though another part of her would constantly remind her of the pain he put her through. It was an endless cycle… but the one thing Jess always wanted was for him to be happy. No matter what had happened between the two… she did want that for him.
Then there was Aline’s death. Though Jessica hadn’t had the opportunity to get close to the girl since her departure four years earlier; the memories of the brief friendship the two had did make her heartache. Especially with her nearly photographic memory; everything that had happened with the two of them felt as if it was only a few days ago. And hearing that the fire had killed her… especially when Jess and Valerie could have been in the same position… that pained her in every sense of the word.
On the topic of the fire; her physical injuries didn’t help. The smoke inhalation slowed down progress on Jess’ physical therapy and the stitches she broke… well… let’s just say it hurt the pain was unimaginable and took ramping up her drug dosage by quite a bit.
Though it wasn’t all downhill, in retrospect, there was one shining light in all of it. And perhaps many people wouldn’t believe her… she knew Dan wouldn’t… but Dorian DeLoughry was helping her get through it all. In his own way. Their relationship had gotten back to a new normal… in a way integrating both their prior friendship with… uncharted territories. And… it was… truly… uncharted. Jess already loved him; there was no denying that fact. She had since she was 14-years-old and kissed him in that game of 7 minutes… but actively dating was a new ballpark altogether. Though; that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There was something about being with Dorian that made Jessica… naturally happy.
The man wasn’t wrong when he told her he had something special planned for their first date. Jessica couldn’t help the neverending smile on her features when he took her around to her favorite fast-food restaurants and let her order one thing from each of them to go on a…somewhat impromptu picnic. Thank god her doctor had finally given approval for solid food. Though… her doctors probably didn’t expect her to eat a month’s worth of food in one day. But what could they expect?
And it wasn’t just food that she… enjoyed that day. Though… one shouldn’t speak about such things in polite company so let your imagination sour about that one…
Timeskip:
Walking down the stage for a diploma was a feat in itself for Jessica recently, but she had done it. Maybe not with the best grades… though what could she say? She wasn’t supposed to be back at Cerulean High in the first place if it wasn’t for Kai. But here she was; now headed to an afterparty with Anna who was worried about her health. Though it took a little convincing; the two girls had started driving over with the intention of stopping by before having their own little celebration with Jezebel and Daniel.
Walking inside; Jessica smiled at a few people she recognized. Though she usually would have gone to the bar and drowned at least one shot… her medication didn’t exactly allow for it. So instead she found herself navigating towards a more interesting; tall-ass tattooed man. Jess walked up from his back and gently wrapped her arms around his stomach; not making the effort to jump and give him a tight hug because she physically couldn’t. “Hey high school graduate,” Jess whispered; allowing him to turn around to face her. She saw the drink in his hand and sighed. “God what I would do for one of those…” she whispered though she moved her gaze from his drink to his eyes. “Where’s my ring pop today McNugget?” Jess questioned jokingly. “I think graduating deserves a ring to your ex wife.”
@CerealKiller - Andy McDad
Mentioned:
@Littlefeets - Kai, Jez
@unsungcheerio - Aline
@astxrism - Dori