Invitation to a Better Life (A Plot Begins to Unfold Part Five) (standard:drama, 3461 words) [5/8] show all parts
Author: Siobhan	Added: Sep 30 2002	Views/Reads: 2575/1914	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Jessica turns down an invitation to a party for a date with Joey which causes Rhonda to begina devious plan to get back at Joey and his friends. But to add to Jessica's worries, she finds out that her mother has a fatal tumor has little chance to surviv

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Jessica was shocked for not only was this out of character, but 
standing several poles behind the group was Jonathon.  His face was 
eager with anticipation and she noticed that his hands were flexing and 
relaxing.    His ear was cocked in the direction of the conversation 
and his chest was heaving rapidly with his breath. 

“Brandon asked you to ask us?” Lewis, another one of the boys, wanted to
know.  The excitement and disbelief was evident in his slightly squeaky 
voice. 

“Well, kind of, see I was actually hoping that I would see you there,
Lewis.  I mean, you know, if you can make it,” Rhonda purred, using her 
feminine wiles to her full advantage.  A smile of complete adoration 
glued itself to Lewis's pimple covered face and his eyes held a deep 
longing for what he would never actually have. 

“Um, we'll try,” Joey replied and Jessica saw a wicked smile flash upon
Rhonda's face.  Rhonda turned around and walked off with Jonathon 
slinking beside her.  She had completed her mission for nobody had any 
doubt that group, much like Jessica, would be lured in by the seductive 
snare of popularity.  Jessica had the urge to rush over and blow 
Rhonda's cover, but for some reason she did not.  She felt as if she 
were frozen to her spot and unable to control her own muscles. 

“We've got to go,” Lewis begged, his eyes pleading with everyone for
their agreement. 

“I don't know, I mean, something smells funny about the whole thing,”
Joey replied and several heads nodded in accordance with him, but the 
overall feeling was that they were going. 

“Oh Joey, come on, our chance to be with the popular people,” Mitzy, a
tiny blonde begged, obviously entranced with the idea of being 
worshipped. 

“And it's because of Jessica,” Laura waved over Josh's head.  His eyes
lit up at the mention of Jessica and she felt a keen sense of 
foreshadowing whelm her spirit.  Her name had been used to pull him in 
and her name would be used to kill him.  She just knew it, deep in her 
heart and soul, but still she could not move or say anything to prevent 
them from going. 

“Fine, but if it's a mean prank, I spoke against it,” Joey smiled and
they all cheered.  Jessica turned and ran towards where Brandon sat.  
She had to stop them from going somehow or another and she thought 
maybe going straight to the source was the answer.  She saw Rhonda 
wandering away with a smug expression upon her face.  And why shouldn't 
she?  She had probably just manipulated a group of innocent teenagers 
into going to their own death party! 

“Hey Rhonda, can I come to the party on Saturday?” she called out and
she saw her face twist with supprize.  Rhonda had not expected Jessica 
to be asking about a party that she was supposed to know nothing about 
but Jessica was eager to make her revoke her invitation to Joey and his 
friends. 

“There is no party on Saturday, it's only on Friday.  I already invited
you but you have a date, remember?” Rhonda acted totally normal but 
Jessica had just heard her invite that group.  She knew that she was 
lying and she wanted to force her to admit it so that she could go tell 
Joey and make him decide against going. 

“Well, that's interesting, cause I heard you invite Joey to the party on
Saturday,” Jessica smiled and Rhonda's fake smile faltered, and her 
eyes showed a slight trace of uncertainty.  She felt that she was 
getting close to breaking Rhonda's tough outer shell and suddenly she 
had to pursue it.  Not to tell Joey or make a point to herself.  She 
had to just to prove Rhonda wrong, to make her feel as if her world 
were helter skelter and that not everything was perfect and well laid 
out. 

“You must have heard wrong,” and with that, Rhonda walked off leaving
questions for Jessica to think about but find no answer.  Jessica felt 
let down and annoyed, fighting the urge to chase the beautiful girl who 
was practically fleeing away.  But, she decided against it cause 
somehow she had the feeling that she would lose, at least now, in 
trying to stand up to the admired girl. She would just have to find 
sime other way of convincing Joey not to go.  She sauntered to class, 
her mind elsewhere, when Brandon stepped in front of her. 

“Hey cutie, I'm having a party on Friday, do you want to come?” his
smile was warm and inviting, yet Jessica felt as if she were dinner for 
him.  She felt irritation swarm her body and she wanted to push him out 
of the way.  She was well aware that he was already informed of her not 
being available for his party. 

“No, I know Rhonda already told you that I have a date with Joey,” she
replied and went curtly around him.  She didn't know what games he and 
his group were up to but she was not interested in playing along.  A 
nerdy girl with buck teeth and large eyes that made her look like she 
was scared the entire time scurried up to her. 

“Are you nuts?  Turning down Brandon?  Why I would give anything to be
invited to one of his parties?” the girl sighed and she got a dreamy 
look when she mentioned Brandon.  Jessica rolled her eyes, how could 
everyone be so taken with such a monstrous group?  They weren't as 
attractive and beautiful as they had first appeared, in fact, they were 
beginning to be repulsive. 

“Been there, done that.  Not so exciting,” the girl was brought swiftly
back to earth and she stared flabbergasted at Jessica.  Her mouth hung 
open slightly and she seemed as if she could not believe her ears.  
Jessica shook her head and continued to her class.  She felt a twinge 
of longing for she did want to be with Brandon and the popular group, 
but she refused to give in.  They were horrible people, just horrible 
and cruel people, and if she became one of them, she may conform to 
their way of life. 

Lunch rolled around and she raced to be with Joey.  She saw him and a
huge smile spread across his face.  His friend, Lucas, was sitting next 
to him, but within a few minutes, he was standing and there was an 
empty seat open for Jessica.  She didn't know how she could be this 
excited to see someone that she had known for only one day. 

“Hi Joey,” she exclaimed breathlessly for she was eager to tell him that
Rhonda had said there was no party on Saturday.  She wanted to warn 
him, keep him out of all harms way.  She had never felt so protective 
before but she couldn't lose him because she was foolish enough to 
allow him to go to the party. 

“Hi, I have some bad news,” his eyes dropped down and Jessica felt cold
hurt begin to creep into her sides.  She already knew what was coming.  
All of her excitement about Friday suddenly drained out of her system.  
He was canceling on her.  He hadn't really been interested or he had 
met someone who took his breath away and left her in the cold.  She 
didn't know how to deal with this rejection on top of everything else, 
how could he like another girl? 

“What?” her voice was barely audible and she hid her shaking hands by
nervously playing with her hair.  She didn't understand how she could 
be reacting so badly to whatever Josh was about to say.  He was just a 
silly boy who she had her heart set upon going on a date with. 

“I have to cancel out on Friday.  My parents are staying out of town and
I have to baby-sit my brother,” he replied and dull disappointment 
thudded in Jessica's body but relief came along too.  He still did like 
her, but had to do a favor for his parents.  How wonderful, what a 
sweet weight off her shoulders, though it was still disappointing.  But 
what if it was an excuse to not date her? 

“Oh,” her voice was tiny and pinched. “Ok, that's alright.  I
understand.”  She was so let down, she had been looking forward to that 
date and it had been her excuse to escape Brandon's party.  She began 
to dwell on the thought of not spending the evening with Joey, and then 
she began to wonder how he would go to the party tomorrow?  That 
thought satisfied her and so she stuck to not getting to go on the 
date, how very sad she was. 

“Sorry,” he was still looking down and Jessica was so bummed that she
forgot to tell him what she had heard from Rhonda.  Lunch went kind of 
quiet and none of the popular people came to get her.  At the end of 
the day, she remembered, she had meant to tell Joey about the party not 
occurring on Saturday, but now it was too late.  At least he had to 
baby-sit his brother, there was no way he could go to the “party” now. 

She drove home and when she pulled in her driveway, her shoulders
slumped.  Steven's car was not there which meant her parents were still 
at the doctors.  She prayed desperately that they would find nothing 
wrong with her mom but she knew that it was too late, her mom was 
dying.  Everything in her said that her mother was a dead woman.  She 
was beginning to get used to this feeling, even though it was 
torturous.  It was more a feeling of resignation to the fact that her 
family was far from perfect, far from what a TV family should be. 

She went into the kitchen and did her homework and about three hours
later, she heard their car pull into the driveway.  She leapt up and 
rushed outside to her mother's side.  She hoped that things would be 
all better and her mother would be cured. No more pain or strange 
breakouts, she would be just like she was before.  But one look at her 
mother told her that it was not so. 

“Mom, are you okay?” she begged to know but her mother looked exhausted
and drained.  Steven looked at Jessica then looked away.  Jessica's 
heart sank into the pit of her belly and she knew the results were bad. 
 She felt like giving up right there and then, but she had to keep up 
hope, at least for her mother's sake.  She wondered exactly how bad it 
was, if her mother were eventually curable, if this was as bad as it 
were going to get, or if her mother were facing her last days. 

“Steven, what is it?” she had to know, it was her right to know what was
wrong with her mother.  Steven had to tell her, she couldn't bear the 
thought of being out in the cold about what was wrong with her.  He 
wouldn't possibly torture her by not telling her, he wouldn't be so 
cold as do such a thing, would he? 

“Let me get your mom to bed,” he replied, “she's had a trying day.” 
Jessica just stood outside, the warm sun barely seeming to touch her. 
The shadows seemed to be ominous and stretching out towards her to pull 
her into the dark recesses of pain that they shielded.  A bird called 
out, probably to a companion, but the sound struck her as being lonely 
and haunting.  The call of death, letting her know that soon he would 
be rapping on the door of her household, asking for her mother's hand.  
She wished that she knew how to keep him out but she barely knew how to 
live through the next day, much less save her mother. 

She didn't know how long she waited, but it seemed like an eternity
before Steven warily walked back out.  His walk seemed to carry the 
experiences of an old man and his eyes were glued to the floor.  It was 
as if he did not have enough strength to even lift his head, and to see 
him so broken struck a chord in Jessica.  If he could not hold up to 
the news that was destroying her life, how could she possibly handle 
it? 

“You've got to tell me Steven.  What's wrong with mom?” she leapt upon
him as if he were prey.  She needed to know even though she already 
knew that it was bad news.  His eyes, so full of pain and agony, looked 
up at her with a sadness so deep that she could not see to the bottom 
of it's well.  Her body felt cold, colder than the fall turning to 
winter air did upon her skin.  It wasn't right to see so much hurt in a 
human being, even if he were a jerk. 

“They took x-rays and your mother has a tumor in such a place that
they're not sure they could operate to remove it.  They took tests to 
see if it's cancerous but they believe that is what is causing the 
headaches,” he sighed and leaned against the car as if he were too 
tired to stand anymore.  He appeared so old, his face seemed drawn and 
wrinkled with uncanny despair.  His eyes lacked any life and his lips 
seemed like thin sticks shoved into his face.  Jessica wondered if her 
hurt was as clear in her eyes as it was in his, and she wondered if she 
appeared as vulnerable as he did? 

“What are you saying?  They can't help her?” Jessica bit her lip in
order to keep the tears inside.  She refused to cry in front of Steven, 
even if it were for her mother.  But suddenly, Steven surprised her and 
began to sob.  He fought the tears also but he was so broken, he 
couldn't refrain.  This sudden outburst of true emotion threw Jessica 
off guard and she hurriedly rushed to his side.  She threw her arms 
around him and she too burst into tears.  She didn't want to loose her 
mother and she didn't want to know that there was nothing they could do 
for her. 

She hadn't meant to hug him, didn't even know that she was going to. 
But that touch of true love was something that had burst unexpectedly 
out of her in the face of an opponent so hideous and horrifying that 
nothing could stop it.  She had needed a hug from someone that she knew 
could be strong when challenged by an adversary. 

“I'm sorry Jessica,” he mumbled after a few minutes of crying
hysterically and Jessica stepped away from him.  She shouldn't have 
hugged him, shouldn't have put aside her shield, but if he loved her 
mother so much, he couldn't really be that bad of a guy, could he?  He 
couldn't look at her and she saw him continue to blink back tears.  He 
swallowed a couple of times then stood up straight. 

“I'm really sorry,” he repeated then made a beeline for the house.  She
watched him then promptly sat on the ground and began to cry again.  
This couldn't be happening to her, not to her family, who were already 
far from perfect.  Too much had already happened and they didn't 
deserve the pain.  No one deserved the utter wretchedness that wrapped 
around her soul like a blanket.  A girl needed her mother in her best 
condition, not dying as the so many people tend to do. 

The sun went down and she still sat out on the ground, her head settled
in her hands.  She didn't want to move, had no desire to do anything.  
She had no motivation and every muscle ached from the strain of crying 
so hard.  She was emotionally and physically exhausted, drained of all 
want to do anything.  She'd never felt so cold and alone, cut off from 
civilization and the joys that even a beautiful sunset could bring.  
She felt empty. 


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