Chapter thirty

Too Young

Sam looked out the window at the pouring rain and shifted uncomfortably. He was supposed to be wet. Comfort was foreign to him, and standing in a cozy hotel room felt a little confusing. At least he'd taken a proper shower. Now that he had missed.

He looked at the ruby, still unable to believe that they'd managed to get it. The day seemed to go on forever, though time was now measured in before and after shower. Before shower was starting to feel like a dream.

A knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts. Sam answered and was relieved to see Herrison there.

"Thank God you're fine!" Herrison gave Sam a tight hug. "Your parents almost decapitated me when I told them I brought you here."

"You told them?" Sam yelped, pulling back.

"Don't worry." Herrison waved his hand airily. "I stuck with the study-camp-that-went-very-wrong lie. But I had to tell them about Snitch Gravel in case you guys didn't come out safely. It was a shocker when JT and Steve pulled back. They weren't supposed to. We reckon Snitch Gravel hacked into the satellite and gave out some fake orders."

Sam stared at him so astonished, it was a wonder his eyes didn't pop out of his head. No wonder Snitch Gravel had known exactly when to come and kidnap the girls.

"Sam, I'll be honest with you." Herrison scratched the back of his head. "When this whole thing started, I thought you were too young to handle it. I was wrong. I'm glad I was wrong. You've been confirmed as the leader of this division and you more than earned it. Especially since you managed to get the ruby and everyone home safely."

Sam looked at the ruby he still had in his hand and reached out to Herrison. "Here. I hope all we've been through was worth it for this rock."

"Oh, it was. This is very important." Herrison looked at the ruby and then at him with such admiration, Sam started to feel awkward.

"Hey, Sam, I heard them agency dudes turned up." Harry appeared in the doorway, an excited smile on his face, but his mouth fell open when he saw Herrison. "Dad?" he chocked out.

Herrison turned towards the door, his eyes wide and panicky. "They recruited you? They dared recruit you?" Herrison stomped outside the room, towards Harry.

Sam stared, unable to believe he didn't do the math. Harry James, Herrison James... though he'd thought it was just a coincidence. But, as curious as he was, it was better to get out of there and let the two talk. He'd wrench the information out of one of them later.

He stepped out, closed the door silently behind him, and headed for the lobby. The shock-fest was apparently not over yet. He should have asked Herrison when their plane left. As nice as Cancun was, he didn't feel like staying much longer.

"Hey, Sam." Tom came towards him. "Did Herrison show up yet?"

Sam stopped in the middle of the hallway. As much as he tried to hide it, Sam could tell that Tom couldn't wait to get home and meet his parents. They still hadn't discussed how Jimmy and Tom felt about the whole thing, and Sam hoped he wouldn't have to, at least no until they got home and he could see what their parents had to say. "Yeah, he's back there with Harry. Apparently the two are father and son."

Tom's mouth fell open. "Really? Wow, heavy stuff. Speaking of heavy stuff, Jessie went to get her stuff."

"Alone?" Sam shook his head rapidly. "Wait, Jessie's from Cancun?"

Tom grinned. "No, she's from California, but her parents apparently have a summer home here. And yes, alone. Jimmy hates it, but she insisted it was faster and easier that way. I can't believe she's running off with Jimmy." He rested his chin in one hand. "Actually, she's running off with all of us."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm so happy she and Jimmy got together and Alice took a hike that I would give Jessie my room just to make sure they stay together."

"Yeah, I'm glad they're together, too." Tom bounced on the spot. "Everyone is. Even Jerry. Well, except for Alice. I hope the vacation Herrison offered her as a reward will cheer her up."

"I don't really care. I'm just glad she's not coming back with us." Sam smirked. "I've had enough drama to last me a lifetime."

*

Jessie pulled the rented car into the drive and stared at the luxurious hacienda-style house. Her parents fortunately weren't home. Only Esteban's silver Porsche was parked in front to the garage Maybe she'd manage to sneak out without them knowing. And Esteban being home was an added plus. She could break it with him while packing her bags.

Jessie sighed, got out of the car and entered the house. As soon as she was in the familiar foyer, her face dropped. The house was beautiful, but it held too many bad memories. Not wanting to spend a second longer then absolutely necessary in there, she rushed up the stairs, towards her room.

She strode the length of the upstairs corridor and stopped in the doorway of her room. Everything in there, from wallpaper and ceiling to furniture was in some sick shade of pink. She hated pink, but her parents thought it was the appropriate color for a girl. All those summers spent in there, staring at the ceiling, wishing she could turn it purple...

Jessie shook her head, stalked to the closet, pulled out a trolley case and began stuffing it with her personal objects. She left behind all the clothes she hated and the toiletries. She stopped once she pulled a photograph frame from the drawer of her nightstand. This was what she'd actually come back for. She smiled at the picture of her aunt and uncle and herself as a baby. She placed it gently on top of the clothes, zipped the case closed and left the room without throwing a backwards glance.

Halfway down the hallway, a door opened and Esteban carried his bulky frame through the door. He wasn't fat per se, but had developed an unaesthetic beer gut. His pleasant face however was forever ruined by his ugly personality.

He stared at her and scrubbed his unshaven face. "Yessica?"

Jessie gritted her teeth. She hated how he never bothered to pronounce her name correctly. "Hello Esteban. I'm glad I ran into you." She searched the pockets of her cargos and pulled out the rings. She walked to him and placed them in his hand. "I've been meaning to give you these."

Esteban stared at his hand and then at her. "When did you come back? And why are you giving me these? They're yours."

Jessie took in a deep breath. "I'm leaving. For good. Pass the message to my parents." She was lying. She had to go home to California at least once more, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

Understanding dawned on his freckled face. "You can't go. You are mine and I don't allow you to leave this house for the rest of the summer. It's bad enough that you ran off once." He let the rings drop to the floor, and grabbed her arm. "You will go to your room and dress up nicely for dinner. Then you will apologize to your parents for upsetting them. And then, you'll make it up to me."

Jessie's blood rushed to her head. His touch made her skin crawl. She yanked her arm out of his grip. "I'm not your property. I deserve to live my life the way I want to. Without you in it."

"I will not allow you—" Esteban started, his baritone voice bouncing off the walls.

Jessie seized a vase from a nearby table and threw it at the opposite wall, intentionally just missing his head. "To hell with you. I don't need your permission." He was going to think she'd aimed for his head, but missed. It should scare him enough to allow her to make her exit.

Esteban took one step back, his dull eyes weary. Jessie took advantage of his daze and pushed her trolley case further down the hallway and down the stairs to the foyer. He screamed something in her wake, but she ignored him and left the house.

As she was halfway down the path to the car, she raised her eyes from the paving and her breath caught in her throat. Her parents stood next to the car eyeing her reproachfully.

Jessie quickened her steps. The closer to the car, the better. "Mom, Dad, hi."

"Jessica. Where have you been?" Her mother asked in her usual nasal voice. God, she'd forgotten how annoying it was. "You are going to be punished, young lady."

"Yeah, okay," she mumbled, popping the trunk open and shoving her luggage inside.

"Where do you think you're going?" her father asked.

Jessie sighed deeply. "It doesn't matter. All you have to know is that I'll be fine. I'm not your problem anymore."

"We will not allow you—" her mother started, raising her hand to her chest.

"I've already had this conversation with Esteban. I'm not your property. I'm eighteen and can do whatever the hell I want." She looked around for something else to throw and close their mouths, but there was nothing around. "By the way, I threw one of your vases at Esteban's head. I missed unfortunately."

"You... you what?" her mother stuttered.

"Broke your stuff." She opened the car door. "Goodbye." She got behind the wheel and locked the door.

She revved the car, pulled out of the drive and raced down the street, looking into the rear-view until her parents were out of sight. She couldn't believe she was disappointed they hadn't tried to stop her. Did they care that little?

She shook her head. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. It didn't matter either way. The only thing that mattered was she was driving towards freedom, towards her future.

*

Jimmy sat at the bar in the hotel lobby, drumming his fingers in the mate would surface. He should've insisted to go with Jessie, to help her, protect her from her fiance if he had to. Instead, he waited like an idiot for her to return. What if she didn't? Where would he even look for her?

"Hey." Alice sat at the bar next to him.

Jimmy turned to her shocked. He didn't think Alice would want to talk to him anymore, not after she thought he'd cheated on her. "Hi." Guilt tightened around his heart. He wasn't sorry that he'd broken up with her, but he wished she hadn't found out about him and Jessie so fast. 

Alice sighed and looked at her hands. "Look, I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I've decided to forgive you."

"Thanks..." Jimmy said apprehensively. He didn't really know what he was forgiven for, but it couldn't be a bad thing.

"That being said, I'm willing to take you back."

He spun on his chair to face Alice. This had gone long enough and he'd had it. "Look, Alice, I'll say it again, and maybe this time you'll actually listen. I don't want to get back with you. I don't love you, I never have."

"That's not true." Tears appeared in Alice's eyes and it ticked Jimmy off even more.

"You don't love me either."

"Of course I do. You're just confused because that little tramp caught you in her web of lies­­—"

"No, enough." This was a conversation he'd avoided having, but Alice insisted to make it happen. "I'm nothing but a trophy for you." Her eyes widened and he nodded. "Oh, yes, I know everything. I actually felt really bad about breaking up with you, about hurting you. But you know what? I talked to Kyle and he told me everything. About Jerry, about you claiming Kyle asked you out. And you know how I feel?"

She shook her head, her eyes full of tears.

"Used, Alice. I feel used. You saw me as a piece of meat and you still hang on to me as if I'm some sort of prize. So no, I don't feel bad about breaking up with you, and no, I don't feel guilty about falling in love with Jessie."

Alice's eyes narrowed. "She took you away from me."

"You never had me, not really. So please, just move on, enjoy your vacation and leave us alone."

"Oh no, this isn't over. You're mine and I'll get you back. One day, after you realize what a useless whore you've replaced me with, you'll come crawling back. And maybe, just maybe, I'll take you back."

Jimmy gritted his teeth. "It's over. And if you say another nasty thing about Jessie, I might just punch you in the face. So, please, go."

Alice shook her head but she hopped off the chair. "It's not over." She strutted out of the lobby.

Jimmy sighed and his eyes drifted across the bar. Jessie stood at the other entrance, her luggage by her side, her eyes a little moist. And as she smiled at him and he smiled back, he couldn't help but feel that it really was over.

*

Sam looked over the heads of the crowd at the airport, trying to catch a glimpse of his parents. He hadn't felt this excited to see them since they came to his first soccer match. He wasn't even sure what would happen, how his parents would react to seeing Tom and Jimmy. There would be tears, he was sure of that much, but other than that?

Tom put his hands on Sam's shoulders and raised himself above the crowd.

Sam's knees buckled under the weight and he shoved his twin off. "What are you looking around for? You don't even know what they look like yet."

Christine and Tina rushed past them and Sam noticed the professor in the crowd. His parents couldn't be far away.

As a group of travelers shuffled towards the exit, he saw them. They were both beaming, his mother's eyes filled with tears. Sam couldn't help running towards them and hugging them both. Jerry and Kyle banged into his back. Freider and Maxi reached out their arms, trying to hug all three of them at the same time.

"You idiots!" Maxi sobbed. "We were so worried about you."

"You three are so grounded." Freider laughed.

Sam grinned at them and moved away, bringing Jimmy and Tom into view. The two were shuffling their feet nervously as though ashamed to be there.

Maxi stepped towards them, a fresh wave of tears cascading down her face, and opened her arms. "My babies," she whimpered and threw herself at them. "We're so sorry. If we had any idea..."

Freider joined her and hugged their two sons as well. Jimmy and Tom didn't say anything, just hugged them back, both of them looking as if rainbows and kittens were raining from the skies.

"Isn't that nice?" Billy sighed and shook his head. "I hope your folks don't mind if I crash at your place for a while. I spent so much time with you guys, you kinda grew on me."

Kyle caught Billy in a headlock and rubbed his head. "Twerp. Of course you can stay. For as long as you like."

Sam looked towards the exit. His eyes widened. Their way there was blocked by an army of photographers and reporters. Sam craned his neck for Herrison and saw him talking to the professor.

"Hey, Herrison," he called, pointing towards the media army. "Is this normal?"

Herrison turned to him, still talking, but as soon as his eyes fell on the crowd, the words got stuck in his throat. "Oh no! Who called the press? My superiors are going to kill me!"

Jessie, Kay and Angie joined them, all three of them looking back at Jimmy and Tom fondly. Christine ran to them, wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and kissed him on the cheek. The cameras flashed madly at this, but Sam was too happy to care.

Tina, Tom and Jimmy came over, and they were all finally back together. One indestructible body, like it was supposed to be. Sam looked at his group with intense pride. They'd been through so much together, and now they were finally safe. But it wasn't the end. It was just the beginning of a new life.

To be continued...

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Yay, you're done! Huge author notes in the next chapter.

Regarding this one... how do you feel about Jessie's life? How easy she escaped? Am I planning future drama involving her family?

Also...everything is too perfect. You know I'll ruin it.

Thanks so much for reading!