Every Part of Me
Give Me Lightning
Jessica knew her reason and complaint.
What she didn’t know is if it was a coincidence or if he somehow knew she was going to be there. But when Jessica walked into the park to sit her adolescent self in one of the plastic tubes with windows, he was sitting just beside her.
Jonathan Dorian had never spoken to Jessica and Jessica had never noticed him enough to reach out in her own way.
She would have backed out of the playground when she noticed him sitting there, but she was ever obsessed with making her every move look natural. Running scared from human contact never looked like it was planned ahead of time.
He told her she was running away and Jessica was half tempted to throw out all of her “look natural” plans in favor of walking away from whatever he had to say to her. But he didn’t say another word and Jessica was the first to initiate an actual conversation when the silence had grown too large.
“They treat me like I’m going to break.”
“That’s what parents do.” He responded calmly.
Jessica didn’t bother watching him or asking him any questions. It wasn’t likely that he was there for the same reasons she was, but Jessica never bothered to question it at that moment. All he meant to her was someone that would listen.
So Jessica talked and Jonathan listened until the day bled into dusk and the first small stars could be seen through the clear plastic in front of them.
Jessica was ready to start screaming and pulling hair at home. She woke up, went to school, came home, ate dinner, and went to sleep. Then she would wake up and preform the same exact routine without a single variation. She wasn’t allowed to be outside with friends if there wasn’t some sort of supervision, she couldn’t go anywhere without a chaperone, and never once in her life had she been to a party that didn’t involve kid games and vanilla birthday cake.
Where was her fun? Where was her thrill? Just last summer, Skylar Davidson had gone to Florida with her parents and a few friends where, Skylar claimed proudly, they were allowed to ride and coaster in Disneyworld on their own. Jessica had to remain behind and instead visit her great-grandparents in Wisconsin.
She was leaving, she told Jonathan. He had lifted a single eyebrow in the silent question of “are you really?”
Jessica responded only with silence.
“Why are you here anyway?” She snapped after several moments spent thinking of a clever response.
“I’ll tell you when you answer the same question.” Jonathan proposed.
Jessica was infuriated. She was running away of course!
Then why was she still here? He had heard Illinois was fun.
“Jessica Scott, right? You live right down that road.” Jonathan pointed a finger at Jessica’s road. She was fuming. “I see you outside sometimes with Skylar,” Jonathan explained as if it was the most obvious response.
Jessica asked if he thought she was stupid or he was just naturally arrogant. Jonathan asked if she wanted to be so rude or if she was just naturally defensive to a violent tee.
“If you would stop talking to me I could leave.” Jessica snapped.
Jonathan stared silently at her and Jessica glared back.
He asked what time she had told her parents she would be home from Skylar’s.
“Noon tomorrow. We’re watching scary movies.” Jessica replied, confident it was the smartest plan she had ever executed. Jonathan looked unconvinced and looked sincerely surprised when she asked what his problem was with her excuse.
“You gave it so much time.”
“I’ll be long gone by the time they figure out I’m not coming home.”
“Or you’ll have hours to decide whether this is what you want or not.”
Jessica told him he was being stupid and didn’t know what he was talking about. Then she grabbed her bag and scooted out of the tunnel. She would show him.
Her tennis shoes hit the playground mulch with a soft crunch. She marched herself past the monkey bars and onto the sidewalk that led out onto the street.
“Jessica.” Jonathan was standing outside of the tunnel when she turned around to ask what he wanted now.
For a moment all he did was stare at her and it was honestly starting to creep Jessica out. He had already shown her that he knew a lot about her, knew things she had never told him, and could recite the facts off the top of his stupid blonde head. Now he had taken an interest in staring at her.
“I would miss you.”
Spoken just like she wasn’t actually leaving.
Jessica blew out angry air and turned to march past the playground’s metal gated border. Her shoes slapped the familiar asphalt, knocked against the slowly rotting steps, painted to cover up the eaten wood, and slipped off in front of the fingerprint smudged glass.
Skylar had gotten sick, she told them.
Then she dragged her bag to her room, dumped it on the floor, and slipped into bed.
What she didn’t know is if it was a coincidence or if he somehow knew she was going to be there. But when Jessica walked into the park to sit her adolescent self in one of the plastic tubes with windows, he was sitting just beside her.
Jonathan Dorian had never spoken to Jessica and Jessica had never noticed him enough to reach out in her own way.
She would have backed out of the playground when she noticed him sitting there, but she was ever obsessed with making her every move look natural. Running scared from human contact never looked like it was planned ahead of time.
He told her she was running away and Jessica was half tempted to throw out all of her “look natural” plans in favor of walking away from whatever he had to say to her. But he didn’t say another word and Jessica was the first to initiate an actual conversation when the silence had grown too large.
“They treat me like I’m going to break.”
“That’s what parents do.” He responded calmly.
Jessica didn’t bother watching him or asking him any questions. It wasn’t likely that he was there for the same reasons she was, but Jessica never bothered to question it at that moment. All he meant to her was someone that would listen.
So Jessica talked and Jonathan listened until the day bled into dusk and the first small stars could be seen through the clear plastic in front of them.
Jessica was ready to start screaming and pulling hair at home. She woke up, went to school, came home, ate dinner, and went to sleep. Then she would wake up and preform the same exact routine without a single variation. She wasn’t allowed to be outside with friends if there wasn’t some sort of supervision, she couldn’t go anywhere without a chaperone, and never once in her life had she been to a party that didn’t involve kid games and vanilla birthday cake.
Where was her fun? Where was her thrill? Just last summer, Skylar Davidson had gone to Florida with her parents and a few friends where, Skylar claimed proudly, they were allowed to ride and coaster in Disneyworld on their own. Jessica had to remain behind and instead visit her great-grandparents in Wisconsin.
She was leaving, she told Jonathan. He had lifted a single eyebrow in the silent question of “are you really?”
Jessica responded only with silence.
“Why are you here anyway?” She snapped after several moments spent thinking of a clever response.
“I’ll tell you when you answer the same question.” Jonathan proposed.
Jessica was infuriated. She was running away of course!
Then why was she still here? He had heard Illinois was fun.
“Jessica Scott, right? You live right down that road.” Jonathan pointed a finger at Jessica’s road. She was fuming. “I see you outside sometimes with Skylar,” Jonathan explained as if it was the most obvious response.
Jessica asked if he thought she was stupid or he was just naturally arrogant. Jonathan asked if she wanted to be so rude or if she was just naturally defensive to a violent tee.
“If you would stop talking to me I could leave.” Jessica snapped.
Jonathan stared silently at her and Jessica glared back.
He asked what time she had told her parents she would be home from Skylar’s.
“Noon tomorrow. We’re watching scary movies.” Jessica replied, confident it was the smartest plan she had ever executed. Jonathan looked unconvinced and looked sincerely surprised when she asked what his problem was with her excuse.
“You gave it so much time.”
“I’ll be long gone by the time they figure out I’m not coming home.”
“Or you’ll have hours to decide whether this is what you want or not.”
Jessica told him he was being stupid and didn’t know what he was talking about. Then she grabbed her bag and scooted out of the tunnel. She would show him.
Her tennis shoes hit the playground mulch with a soft crunch. She marched herself past the monkey bars and onto the sidewalk that led out onto the street.
“Jessica.” Jonathan was standing outside of the tunnel when she turned around to ask what he wanted now.
For a moment all he did was stare at her and it was honestly starting to creep Jessica out. He had already shown her that he knew a lot about her, knew things she had never told him, and could recite the facts off the top of his stupid blonde head. Now he had taken an interest in staring at her.
“I would miss you.”
Spoken just like she wasn’t actually leaving.
Jessica blew out angry air and turned to march past the playground’s metal gated border. Her shoes slapped the familiar asphalt, knocked against the slowly rotting steps, painted to cover up the eaten wood, and slipped off in front of the fingerprint smudged glass.
Skylar had gotten sick, she told them.
Then she dragged her bag to her room, dumped it on the floor, and slipped into bed.