Never The Same

4 Months Later.

Jess snuggled into the warmth of her boyfriend’s chest, Zacky Baker, they’d been together for four months now and even though the later months of winter in Vegas weren’t extremely cold, Jessica found herself struggling to keep warm in her comfort zone. Despite popular belief, Zack and Jessie didn’t actually live together, Zacky just stopped going back to California so frequently, and from time to time, went back to his own home, but for the most part stayed with Jessica.

She smiled, sleepily, kissing Zacky’s clothed chest that was dressed in a thin material that was a tank top. Zacky’s arms tightened just a bit more around her petite waist, and Jess was not one to complain, she just struggled to get closer, closing her eyes, drifting into a state of sleep where she was still awake, but she was getting rest.

Zacky hummed in his sleep, also in the same state that Jess was in, silently running his fingers through her hair, which had grown out in the almost nine months since she moved to the city of sin. Jess nuzzled her nose into the sternum part of Zacky’s chest, side to side and then up and down, pressing her lips to his chest again. Zacky smiled, pressing his lips to the top of her bed head looking hair, that she somehow, managed to pull off.

Jess decided that she was not going to get back into a dream filled state, so she opened her eyes, only to be met with the most intense pair of emerald green, filled with a loving smile, Zack dipped his head low and pressed his lips to Jessica’s, so smiled, and kissed back with a bit more force than she intended to. They both pulled back, grinning at one another, before crawling out of the warm cocoon that they called a bed. Zacky walking to the bathroom to take a shower, Jessica walking to the kitchen to feed a now slightly bigger Piglet, with a big tummy that would end up dragging on the floor within the next few months.

Deciding that because of the shower she had last night, Jess would just throw her hair up in a pony tail. Walking back into her bedroom, she surveyed her surroundings, thinking of what she would wear today. She was going over to Bryan’s house for dinner, and it wasn’t formal, so she just figured she’d throw on a pair of sweat pants and a pull over hoodie, considering she had been freezing her ass off for the last few weeks. Jess bent over picking through the clothes on her closet floor, feeling the necklace Zacky gave her on their third month, dangle and fall from her cleavage as she picked up her favorite pair of sweats.

“Baby, I’ll be back in time to go to dinner with you, I’m gonna meet up with some friends of mine, okay?” Jessie heard Zack call from the bathroom, obviously done with his shower and dressed, as she also heard his keys jingling.

“Okay, see you soon,” Jess called back, but was unheard, the door slammed shut before she even got the word ‘okay’ out of her mouth.

Jess looked over her shoulder and glared at the door. Don’t get the wrong idea, Jessie and Zacky were happy together, but sometimes Zacky valued other things that were not as important as his relationship with Jess more. Sometimes Jess thought it would have just been better if they had kept their first encounter as a first encounter and not a relationship, because, sure, she liked the guy and she had strong feelings for him, but she wasn’t getting any younger and she just couldn’t see herself falling in love with the man.

But she needed a distraction, Max was happily with Stacey, and she wouldn’t ruin that, not that it would matter in the first place…Max and Jessie only talked when it was needed now, for instance, she knew they would talk tonight because they’d be around their friends, but he wouldn’t hug her goodbye and place a gentle kiss upon her more pale than tan cheek bone and be on his way. He’ll nod, smile a small smile and move on.

A growl fell from Jessica’s lips as she thought of Stacey, and how she’d be crawling all over Max, almost rubbing it in Jessica’s face that Max was in fact Stacey’s and not hers. And even though she was happily with Zacky, there was always that part of her that imagined Max holding her at night, that imagined Max was the one that would make her vocal chords explode with a chorus of moans every other night, that imagined Max was the one that called to her telling her he was going to meet some of his friends…and invite her along, she imagined that Max was the one that she would end up loving, not Zacky.

She moved back and fell upon her bed, closing her eyes and just laid there…thinking. The rest of the week was filled with busy days: Monday, she had a photo shoot with some band by the name of The Used. Tuesday, she was having a girl’s day with all the Escape the Fate girls except Stacey, she obviously has better things to do. Wednesday she was helping Ayden help Craig pack for a tour Escape the Fate was going to do, two shows in Washington, two shows in Oregon, four shows in California, and one show in Las Vegas. Thursday, she was spending the day with Zacky, wasn’t sure what they were gonna do though. Friday, she was gonna spend the day with Ayden, because Craig would leave earlier in the morning. Saturday, was another girl’s day and Sunday she was gonna go to lunch with the band she would photograph the next Tuesday.

She had also decided that she would make Max talk to her tonight, if it took her all night, her and Max were going to have a conversation like the used to. Before Jessica knew what was happening, Zacky had walked back into the apartment, telling her to get up, it was time to go…where had the time gone?

· · ·

“Finally, you’re here!” Ayden yelled, seeing Jessica and Zacky walk in.

Craig, hearing the jingle of Piglet’s bell, immediately jumped up. “You brought my niece!” he smiled, running over to the awaiting puppy, who sat on the floor waiting for Craig.

“What took you so long,” Ayden smiled coming up to Jess, and Jessie could tell the smile was forced.

“Miss Thang,” Zack started, pointing at Jessica. “Decided to stare off into space for two hours, and then I woke her from her day dream state, and here we are!”

“The boys are in the kitchen,” Ayden said, obviously trying to get Zacky and Craig to go away, and they did. Zacky nodded, patting Craig on the shoulder, signaling to grab the dog and walk to the kitchen.

When they were gone, Ayden checked to make sure no one was looking, and then grabbed Jess by the wrist making her follow her into the guest bedroom, she shut and locked the door. “Oh my god! She is such a bitch! Seriously, no one can fucking stand her,” Ayden yelled, once they were in a spot where she was pretty sure no one could hear her.

“Who?” Jessica asked.

“Fucking hell, Jessica, do not play dumb with me, you know exactly who I am talking about!” Ayden shouted.

“Just making sure, Dee. What did she do?” Jessica asked, moving over on the bed, so Ayden could sit down next to her.

“She’s really good at talking shit, and not backing it up?” Ayden hesitated, and then questioned herself.

“I’m gonna guess real fast and say she was talking shit about me, and you left the room, Craig followed you and you were waiting for Zacky and me to show up?” Jess asked, picking at her freshly painted nails.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Ayden nodded, huffing a bit.

“Well, let’s go downstairs and prove to little Miss Stacey that I am not one to talk shit about?” Jess suggested. “I’ll back you up one hundred ten percent if you hit her,” Ayden chuckled, but nodded again, standing up and straightening out her clothes.

The climbed down the stairs, meeting everyone in the living room, all the couples were sitting next to each other, except for Max and Stacey, Jessica decided it was time to talk to him. She looked at Ayden and winked, and just winging it she threw whatever she figured Stacey had said about her out into the open.

Jessica cleared her throat, making everyone in the room look at her and Ayden, Ayden still confused as to what the wink was about. “Maxie, I need to talk to you and before anyone,” she pointed her eyes to Stacey, who rolled her eyes in response, which made Ayden huff. “Protests, I’m in a happy relationship and do not plan on fucking you or stealing you away from your very lovely girlfriend, who no offense to anyone who seems to like this creature, is kind of a skank,” a grunt and glare darted through Jessie from Stacey.

For the first time in forever, Jessica was no longer the person who hid in a beautiful shell and let people walk all over her. In the months she had lived in Las Vegas, she had changed, and she liked what she had changed into. She was a person who was out spoken, believed in something and said what she believed, Jess truly thought that moving to Nevada was the best decision she had ever made.

Max who sat beneath a scowling Stacey, looked somewhat dumbfounded, and nodded nonetheless, pushing Stacey off his lap a little, trying to say get off, she huffed but got off him. Jessie smiled, and walked out to Bryan and Haylee’s back porch, sitting on the swing they had there, Max followed, and sat next to her.

“So what’s up, Jessie?” Max asked, after several minutes of silence.

Jess still sat there, silent, thinking of exactly what to say to Max…she didn’t want to hurt him, but there was no way of getting out of the truth. She stumbled over words in her head, before sputtering out, “She’s changed you.”

“What?” Max sounded confused, she spoke so quickly.

“Stacey…she’s changed you, and it’s not a good kind of changed.”

“What exactly do you mean?” Jess sighed, tired of all the questions Max was asking, even though he had only asked three.

“When we first met, you would hold me from time to time, kiss my cheek while saying goodbye, squeeze my hand when I needed reassurance, call me and let me know that you were outside to pick me up. You barely look at me anymore, Maxie, let alone talk to me. I’m lucky to hear a casual ‘hi’ from you in passing when we’re at our friends house. You don’t text, or call me, you let Stacey talk shit about me. I don’t expect you to be all flirty with me like you were when we first met, because of the facts, we’re both in a relationship, but seriously Max, you were the first person I met here…and Stacey is making it so I lose you,” Jess sighed, finally.

Max just sat in silence, and that was how they sat for many seconds, those seconds turned into ten minutes, Jess stood, tired of waiting. She left Max there, who was thinking and digesting everything that was just said to him. She walked back into the house, angry steps hitting the ground as she stomped over to Zacky and Piglet, “we are leaving,” she spoke the words calmly, pick up her dog and left the house, waiting for Zack to follow.

Least to say, she didn’t sleep a wink that night.