What Do You Want From Me?

What ever happened to an unforeseeable future? This question was one that ran through Jessica Flaherty’s mind constantly during her day.

It was 5:45 in the morning when the alarm clock rang in her ear drums. It was a broken record of constant buzzing, until she finally brought herself out of her peaceful slumber and slapped her palm against it. This was predictable.

The time read 6:15 when Jessica was done with her shower, finished getting dressed, and straightening her hair to perfection. Jessica’s hair was something that was like a prized possession to her. It was always soft, it smelled good, and it was as close to being perfect as perfect can get. Even she knew her hair was amazing, and she made it clear that it wasn’t to be conceded in the least bit admitting this fact.

“Jessica Marie!”

The young girl grumbled at the screaming voice of her mother, a predictability that has happened every morning since the first day of middle school.

“Yes, mother,” Jessica replied, opening the bathroom door and standing in the doorway to listen better.

“It’s already 6:17. You know the drill seeing as we’ve been going through this since sophomore year. Get your body out of the bathroom, put your shoes on, and let’s go!”

“I’m coming! Fuck,” She replied, muttering the last of it to herself. Jessica rarely cursed, deeming it to be unladylike and totally not her style, but she’s found that lately the only times she does are when something happens involving her parents.

She headed out of the bathroom and proceeded downstairs to see her mom standing next to the front door, the most pissed off look staring her daughter down. Jessica tried her hardest to hold in the chuckle that begged to break through her sewn lips, as she sat down with her shoes and put them on.

“It’s not funny, Jessica. If I get fired because I’m waiting around for you to get up and get out of the house, you best believe you’re going to be serving some sort of punishment,” She growled at her daughter. Jessica sighed in reply and moved from the chair to pick up her bag from the counter. “I’ve also told you hundreds of times not to leave your stuff just lying around like that. One of these times I’m not going to be so nice about it and I’ll throw it along with your school’s books in the trash.”

Jessica wanted to chime in a smart remark along the lines of letting her know she’d be the one to pay for the lost material if she were to do that, but kept it in and threw her bag over her shoulder and walked over to her mother. She rolled her eyes at Jess and started out the front door, Jessica following and closing it.

Even with all the stress Jessica received from her parent’s, she can’t be biased in saying that they did pretty much buy her whatever she wanted. Her car was definitely something to marvel over, well at least she thought so. The make of it is a Buick Lacrosse, it’s shiny, and it’s red. Everyone in Jessica’s community of houses had the newest edition of automobiles, and her own family was no different. It’s like a big, giant mess of cliché and Jessica found herself to be the one of the only ones who hated it.

“Make sure you come straight home after school, young lady. If you miss another homework assignment, you know it’ll mess up your whole GPA and that just can’t happen,” Jessica’s mother told her as they stood in the driveway. She pretty much told this whole spiel every day before Jessica headed off for school.

“I know, ma. I’ll come right home, I promise.”

“Do you have a date with Jason this weekend?”

Jessica rolled her eyes at the mention of his name. It was almost as if her mother was the one dating him and not Jessica. She was completely enthralled with him, and it annoyed the hell out of Jess.

“I’d hardly call it a date, but yeah. We’re supposed to be going to a party at one of his football friend’s houses.”

“All right, well maybe if you do all your homework and act decently for the rest of the week than you can go. Tell Jason I say hello when you get to school, too.”

“Will do, ma. I’ll see you tonight.”

She walked down the driveway to her car without saying another word, and Jessica rolled her eyes behind her mother’s back as she climbed into her own car. Marlene rarely said I love you to Jessica anymore. Ever since things changed between Jeffrey and Jessica, things have changed between Marlene and Jessica too. Jess wasn’t expecting it to be this way, but it is, and she tried her very hardest not to let it affect her as much anymore.

Jess put the car in reverse and moved to look through the back window as her mother pulled out of the driveway and Jess quickly followed, their cars heading in two separate directions as Marlene went right and Jessica went left.

The drive to school was probably the most peaceful time of the day for Jessica. The air was crisp and cool, and there was barely anything to plague her seemingly always cluttered mind. It’s nice, always has been. Unlike any other morning, though, she was startled out of her peaceful drive by a catchy tune she recognized as ‘Sweet Child o’Mine’. A groan made its way through her vocal chords and she arched her back up a little in order to pull it from the side pocket of her jeans. She read the name on the screen and grinned a little as she answered it.

“You just can’t wait to see me, can you?” Jessica asked the girl on the other line, smiling the whole time.

“Oh. My. God. Jessie, you have to get here like now!” She shrieked into Jessica’s ear.

“Why, what’s going on?”

“Your crazy ass boyfriend is about to go start a fight with one of those scummy, drugged out kids!”

“Wait, wait, what? Why is he doing that? Never mind, dude, I’m pulling into the school parking lot right now so just tell Jason to hold on and I’ll be right there. Where are you guys at?”

“We’re near his locker right now but he’s saying he’s about to go walk down the hallway and start beating the crap out of this other kid.”

“All right, I’m parking and getting out right now so I’ll be there in like two minutes. Don’t let him do anything!”

“I’ll try, Jess.”

“Okay, bye.”

Jessica hung up and retrieved her bag from the passenger seat before exiting the car, clicking the lock on the key chain, and breaking into a jog toward the school. Her idiotic boyfriend was always trying to find ways to draw attention to himself, so this particular act of stupidity didn’t really surprise her all that much. The only thing Jessica was a little worried about was the fact that if he was going to really do this, he would most likely end up seriously hurt. If they were referring to the same druggie kids Jessica though they’re referring too, then there was no doubt in her mind that he'd end up in the emergency room. As much as he seemed to annoy Jessica, she would feel kind of bad if he ended up hurt like that.

Jessica made it to the hallway where she was told everyone would be, and low and behold, there stood a swarm of kids and all she could hear were heightened voices spitting back and forth. She pushed her way through, most of the kids stepping out of the way for her in knowing who she was and where her place was in popularity chain. Some of them even whispered hello’s to her as she walked by them.

“Jess!” The same girl who Jessica had just spoken to minutes before pulled her the rest of the way through when she saw her. Jessica’s eyes now had a better view of the events taking place, and she was quick to walk over to her boyfriend, who was getting entirely too out of hand with the heated argument.

“Jason,” Jessica began to say as she stood at his side. “What are you doing?”

“This motherfucker right here sold fucking cocaine to my little brother last night. Can you believe that shit?” He growled, pointing over to the other teen standing across from him in the pile up. Jessica recognized him almost immediately, although his name seemed to escape her at that moment.

“Hey, man, he came to me. I was just doing my job. Maybe you should keep a better eye on your brother if you don’t want him buying that shit,” The other replied, his tattooed arms flexing with each hand gesture he made to Jason. They were quite colorful on his skin, Jessica had to give him that, and his shirt was one she admired also with the big lettering reading, Metallica. He obviously had good taste in music, but other than that, Jessica could just tell what kind of scum he was.

“Maybe if you didn’t choose such a disgusting job than you wouldn’t be in this situation with me right now, Sanders. Regardless of what you say, you’re getting your ass beat today.”

“Don’t make me laugh, kid. If you want to make an attempt to kick my ass right now, I won’t stop you. But maybe you should listen to your lady over there and go away while you still can.”

Jessica eyes lifted to meet the other boy’s at the mention of her, and she almost gasped as she saw his staring right back into hers. His hazel eyes, Jessica made a note of, held malice and hate to the whole world. It scared her to no end, but something made her eyes stay locked to his for only a moment longer before Jason piped up again.

“Yeah, go ahead and stare all you want at this sexy piece of ass next to me. Everyone knows you won’t be getting any of this or any other girl in this school. You might as well go gay like your two faggot friends over there,” Jason said, pointing to two other colorfully tattooed men standing not too far behind ‘Sanders’. Jessica wanted to slap Jason silly for talking about her like that, like she was his piece of meat, and making her sound like some slut that gave it up to any guy who passed her way.

“Keep running your mouth, kid. I think everyone standing around us right now knows that you won’t do shit. You talk like you’re this big, mighty guy because you’re the quarterback of the football team,” He began walking more toward Jason, still talking so everyone around them could hear. “But we all know the pussy you are deep down inside. Come on, I’m standing right here in front of you. Hit me, I dare you, hit me.”

He, Matt Sanders as Jessica came to realize thanks to the fore mentioning of his last name, was now standing right in front of Jason and herself. Jessica could tell Jason was a little scared. Who wouldn’t be? Matt was tough, muscular, and obviously ready for a fight if one was thrown at him. Jason wasn’t going to do it, and Jessica realized she should have known that from the beginning.

“You’re lucky I don’t want to lose my scholarship, you crack head, or I’d be all over your ass right now. Come on, guys, let’s go,” Jason muttered, walking back over to where his school bag was left, and leaving his girlfriend standing there still looking at the broad teen before her. He stared right back, not flinching or moving in the least bit, and Jessica was nervous locked under his gaze. If he wasn’t such scum of the earth, he might actually be… “Jessica, I said let’s go!”

Jessica was snapped out of her gaze by Jason’s menacing tone, and she quickly caught up with her descending unit of friends, not looking back once as they pushed their way back through the crowd that was now dying down more and more because of the lack-of-fighting going on.

“Come when I call you,” Jason growled at his girlfriend as they stalked down the hall. Jessica wanted to curse at him for treating her like his property, but she found herself now looking back at the three stoner kids that still stood in the same general area where they left them.

His eyes followed after them, and Jessica tried her damndest to stop looking at him, but her eyes stayed trained, and she knew from the get go that this was definitely going to be a problem.