chapter eleven

Zac sped along the road to Applebee’s. He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. Jessie, here, after five years! It was amazing! He pulled into Applebee’s and parked. As he hurried inside, he noticed something that made his heart beat. It was a small blue Toyota, just like Jessie’s. He ran the rest of the way to the door. After waiting in the horrendously long line, he came face to face with the hostess. Annie.

“Annie?” he asked breathlessly.

“Oh, hi Zac. She’s um, she’s back there.” Annie pointed towards the back of the restaurant.

“Thank you so much!” Zac exclaimed as he hurriedly headed in the direction Annie had pointed. The back of the restaurant was pretty empty. Zac figured that’s why Annie had seated Jess back there. So they could have more privacy. He knew he always liked Annie best of Jessie’s friends.

“Zac?” It came from behind him, and it was a voice he had not heard for five years. Unless you counted the phone call.

“Zac! Oh my God!” And before he knew what was happening, Jessica was hugging him, and he was hugging back. He could feel her warm tears soaking into his shirt. He had to admit, he was close to tears. They released each other and sat down across from each other. Zac just kind of stared at her as she wiped her tears away. She looked the same, yet different. Much older. Not his little sister anymore. She had gotten lots older. He could tell. She looked up and stared right back into his eyes. They stared, without blinking, until one of them faltered and they laughed together. The two of them had always liked that game; they played it all the time when they were younger.

“Zaccy, I’m bored,” a seven-year-old Jessie whined.

“I’m busy, Jess. Ask Tay or Mommy.” Her pudgy lower lip quivered.

“I wanna play with you, Zac.” He sighed, turning around from his math assignment.

“Okay, okay. Hmmm…” he thought a minute and came up with the dumbest, most boring game he could think of, hoping it would disappoint her and she would go bug someone else. “I know! Let’s have a staring contest!”

“Huh? What’s a staring contest?” He grinned.

“Here. I’ll show you. It’s easy. You just open your eyes real wide and you try reeeeeallly hard not to blink until the other person does. And the first person to blink loses. Wanna try?” She nodded eagerly.

“Okay, here goes. Remember, don’t blink!”

“Okay! I get it!” They both opened their eyes wide and stared at the other until Zac blinked. Jessica burst out laughing.

“I win! I win! Again, Zaccy! Again!” Zac started to protest, but then changed his mind. He gave a huge smile.

“Sure!” She jumped up and down excitedly.

“Calm down!” he laughed. “Okay, here we go…” he said as he smiled to himself. He had started something...

“Zac? Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” He shook the memory from his mind and turned back to his sister.

“Where have you been?” he burst out suddenly. “What have you been doing?” She smiled, just the way he remembered her smiling.

“Well, obviously, there’s lots to say. So, I’ll tell you what I have to tell you, and you tell me what you have to tell me?”

“Sure. You first.” Jessica rolled her eyes.

“Okay. Well, here goes. Okay, so the night I left, I drove all night and somehow, don’t ask me how, I ended up in Nebraska. I obviously needed somewhere to live first. I looked in the classifieds, and amazingly enough, there was an ad there that was just what I wanted. I have lived with Alex ever since I left. He’s great. But anyway, I already know what your next question is, so yes, I did finish high school and I even went to college. I do have a job and so does Alex. He’s a writer. I’m not telling you what my job is, you’d laugh.”

“Aw, c’mon! It can’t be that bad!” Zac paused.

“Hey wait a minute. This guy’s name is Alex, right?” Jessica gave him a strange look.

“Yeah,” she said slowly, “Why?”

“And he’s a writer, too?”

“Yes! Zac, what are you getting at?”

“What’s his last name?”

“Kinllen.”

“Alex Kinllen, Alex Kinllen….” He thought for a minute.

“Ooooh! I remember now! I know where I’ve heard that name!” Jessica stared at him.

“Where?”

“That book Zo’s always reading is by him! That’s it! I knew that name sounded familiar!”

“Zoë?”

“Yeah, Zoë.”

“Wow.” She paused a moment, then looked up and grinned.

“Your turn.”

“Aw, but you never told me what your job was!”

“I don’t hafta!”

“Yes you do!”

“Okay, okay. I’m a teacher.”

“Seriously? Cool.” Jess started to blush.

“Well, it’s your turn now.” Zac looked down and messed with his straw.

“Truthfully, there’s not much to tell.”

“Oh, come on! There has to be something!”

“Come on, Jessie. I still live at home, for pete’s sake!”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. But you have to have done something.”

“Not really. Tay moved out oh, 4 years ago. Avie’s always at school or with her boyfriend, Mack’s always at school or “out,” wherever that may be, and Zoë’s always got her head stuck in a book or at her friend, I think it’s Allison, ‘s house. We never do anything much. It’s a miracle if we eat dinner together. Ike’s always busy.” He fiddled with his straw some more.

“Well, that’s all great to know, but what about you?”

“Me? There’s nothing to me.”

“Oh come on! There must be something! A job, or maybe, maybe, someone.” She smiled devilishly. Zac’s face light up at the thought of Caitlin.

“There is,” he said, smiling. “I just haven’t decided if I’m going to ask her or not.”

“Ohhhhhhhh,” Jessie replied. “Being secretive about it, huh? Why don’t you just ask her?”

“I dunno. I’m afraid she’ll say no.”

“Who could say no to you?”

“Lots of people.” She rolled her eyes.

“How long have you known her?”

“Five years.” Jess laughed.

“Of course she’ll say yes! Just ask.”

“Maybe.” There was a pause. This is it, Jess. She thought. Just tell him. While you’re still on the subject. He’s talking about getting married. Just do it. She took a deep breath.  

“Speaking of that,” she said, twisting the ring back and forth on her finger. He looked up.

“Speaking of that, I have um, one more thing to tell you.” She twisted the ring off her finger and dropped it in between their plates, which had arrived a moment ago. Zac stared at it for a minute, then looked up at Jessica.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She shook her head thoughtfully.

“Nope,” she said almost inaudibly.

“Well who is it?” he inquired.

“Alex,” she said softly.

“Alex? Kinllen? The guy you’ve been living with? Is he here?” Zac asked enthusiastically.

“He’s in this city somewhere. I don’t know where he is.”

“Dude. Cool. So when ya getting hitched?” She had to laugh at that.

“We haven’t set a date yet.”

“Oh! Something else!” Zac exclaimed suddenly. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell ya!”

“What?”

“Well,” Zac said, leaning in closer and lowering his voice. “Top secret information, but Ike’s gonna ask Lucy, his girlfriend.” A smile crept across Jessica’s face.

“I see. And are you the only other person who knows this “top secret information?” Zac nodded solemnly.

“And Tay.”

“Speaking of everybody else, have you talked to them?”

“Nope. You’re the first. Dontcha feel special?”

“Very. But you should go see ‘em after this.”

“I know. I think I’m going to.”

“Good. I won’t tag along and make it worse. I’d just be in the way.” She grinned.

“You always were just in the way!”

“Hey!” he kicked her playfully under the table. They laughed and ate the rest of the meal in silence.

‡‡‡‡‡‡

Following the meal, Zac left for whatever his destination may be. Jessica stood with Annie, who was on her break, outside the restaurant.

“So,” Annie asked, “where are you headed?” Jess sighed.

“I’m not sure. But most likely, I’m gonna go home.”

“You mean to your house?”

“Yeah.” She sighed heavily and scuffed her foot on the sidewalk.

“I better get going. But I’ll se you around, I’m not planning on leaving soon.”

“Good! I missed you!” They laughed.

“Well, see ya later.”

“Bye.” Jessica waved on her way out of the parking lot, making sure Annie could see the ring. She could see her gasp as she pulled out. She laughed. She was going home. Really going home. 

chapter twelve