"So what room do you want?" Zac asked leading the way upstairs. "I don't care Zac. Wow this one is nice. Must be Gramma and Grampa's room huh?" Jessy answered. "Yeah this was their room. Mom's was that one and.." Zac replied. "I like this one." Jessy said plopping down on the bed. "So what do I need to know?" Zack asked gently sitting down on the foot of the bed, looking down at the floor. "About what? Oh that. I don't know where to start." Jessy sighed, sitting up as she noticed how uncomfortable Zac suddinly was. "How about what's his name." Zac barely whispered as the nervous tension became too much and he began wringing his hands and tapping his foot. "His name huh? The name of the boy I've grown up knowing huh? The name of the son of my Mom's bestfriend, Linda? The name of the guy who begged me to go to the same college as he was?" Jessy rambled on, as the sorrow in her voice grew, then began to tremble right before the first tear broke free from the pool of tears that had formed in her eyes and she finished in barely a whisper, "The guy who will be so heartbroken when he finds out where I am?" "I'm sorry Jessy. Please don't cry." Zac whispered raising a hand to softly caress her cheek, wiping away the tear. "I didn't mean for this to happen." Jessy cried as Zac slid closer, wrapping his arms around her. "Of course you didn't mean to hurt him. Sometimes things just happen." Zac whispered. "Don't baby me." Jessy grumbled pushing away, rising and walking to her backpack that Zac had placed on the dresser, adding, "I think I'll wash a load so I have something clean to wear. How about you? Stip and give me yours." "I won't go there." Zac chuckled pulling off his shirt and tossing it at her. As she turned back to her backpack, his shirt landed on top of it, followed by his jeans landing on her shoulder. "You hit me with stinky socks and boxers I'll... I'll..." Jessy squealed before she began laughing. As one sock then the other landed on top of his shirt, Jessy looked up into the mirror to see his boxers coming at her and Zac slipping into bed. "No you don't." Jessy squealed as she reached back and grabbed the boxers in mid air. "Good hands Jessy. Done this before?" Zac teased. "No I haven't." Jessy snapped at first, adding in a calmer voice, "'I'm sorry. No Zac I haven't ever asked him to strip and give me his clothes. You're my first." "Jessy..." Zac began to say. "Please Zac not now. Can't it wait." Jessy pleaded, adding, "Let me start the washer and then we'll talk." "Sure babe. Whatever you want Jessy." Zac replied. "Stop saying that. You just spoil me too much. Whatever I want. What about you? What do you want?" Jessy insisted. "That's simple Jessy. Right now all I want to know is whatever I need to know or do to make you my girlfriend. How do I make you love me?" Zac answered. "Oh Zac." Jessy sighed fighting the tears as she made her way to the bed, sitting on the edge, finally whispering, "Do whatever it is you've been doing. I guess just be you. I am so falling madly in love with the Zac Hanson I met today." "That's easy enough." Zac replied lifting a hand, caressing her face as he gazed deep into her blue eyes and smiling. "I better go start the washer." Jessy shared kissing the hand caressing her face before rising, picking up the rest of their clothes and heading downstairs. "How did I get myself into this?" Jessy mumbled making her way through the kitchen and into the laundry room. "Get yourself into what?" Grampa Lawyer asked startling her. "Oh Grampa you scared me." Jessy squealed. "Sorry sweetie. You caught me red handed, raiding the frig." Grampa replied, adding, "So what's up?" "I thought I'd wash these so we have something clean in the morning. Hope you don't mind." Jessy answered. "Sweetie you are welcome to anything I have." Grampa Lawyer exclaimed, adding, "Especially my grandson." "Thank you for your permission." Jessy replied entering the laundry room and starting a load. "Not that it would stop you if I didn't agree." Grampa said taking a bite of cake, teasing, "Me thinks you loveth that boy." "I think you are a very smart Grampa." Jessy replied returning to the kitchen. "Join me?" Grampa Lawyer asked lifting the leftover cake. "Mmmm it was good. Sure I'll join you." Jessy said getting a plate, fork and glass before heading to the table. While they were chatting the washer finished and Jessy placed their clothes in the dryer. "Well sweetie I love talking to you but that piece of cake hit the spot." Grampa Lawyer said as he yawned. "I think I'll wait for the dryer now then head up to bed." Jessy replied kissing his cheek as he kissed hers saying goodnight. In no time their clothes were dry and Jessy was headed back up the stairs. "I kept Grampa company while he had a late night snack." Jessy explained entering the room, stopping at the dresser separating the clothes in to two piles, his and hers. "Zac?" Jessy asked when she realized he didn't respond and turned to find him asleep. "Oh well. We can talk in the morning." Jessy whispered gently kissing his cheek before turning out the light and making her way downstairs to the front room. After rummaging through the desk in the corner, Jessy sat staring at the blank piece of paper. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just couldn't stand the way Taylor's words sounded. So demeaning. Like he's more experience, better than Zac because he's older. I don't know why he gets to me the way he does. I don't react to Isaac's criticism the same way. Maybe because Taylor is more my older brother's age and I am so tired of him picking on me. The years of teasing. Poor Tay if that's it. He sure is going to pay." Jessy wrote heaving a big sigh before picking up the pen and pad of paper and making her way to the rocking chair. She looked at her words wondering if it could all be so simple, she did what she did because she was tired of being teased. "What if I pretended to be the love of Zac's life because deep down that's what I've always dreamed, fantasized, since they hit the scene in '97." Jessy wrote then stared at the words. "Noone would ever believe me." Jessy whispered before writing, "Who would believe that we'd meet this way? Who would believe that all you want is to know is how to make me love you? If you only knew, I've loved you for so long. It's just taken me a long time to finally meet you. Are you why I've never given myself to him? He was so angry with me the last time we were together. For a brief moment I feared..." A chill raced through her body as the memory of that night returned, "Why are you doing this to me?" Derrick asked. "I'm doing this for me not to you." Jessy argued pulling from his grip and moving to the dresser for more clothes before returning to the suitcase on her bed. "Come to State with me Jessy." Derrick pleaded once again. It was something he had asked her since she was a Junior in high school. "I considered it. I really did Derrick, it's just..." Jessy tried to answer. "It's just you don't want to be with me." Derrick insisted stepping in front of her on her trip back to the dresser. "Why do you insist on making this personal? Why is it because I've chosen a college that isn't where you want me to go, it's wrong?" Jessy asked pushing her way around him. "So who is he? How long have you had this planned?" Derrick asked spinning around, glaring at her. "Do you hear yourself? Why is it suddenly someone else?" Jessy asked. "Why else would you be going to the middle of nowhere to go to school. Who is he?" Derrick insisted. "Derrick there is no one else. Get that through your head. I don't want to go to State I want to go to the University of Tulsa. It's where I want to go. Yes the classes are the same. Yes State is a bigger and better school. But I have decided that I want to move to Tulsa not East Lansing." Jessy repeated one more time. "Yeah you want to move away from me." Derrick snapped, glaring at her again. "Stop looking at me that way. I didn't raise a stink when you decided you were going to State, moving to East Lansing instead of staying here and going to WMU like the two of us had planned. Did I accuse you of moving because there was someone else?" Jessy replied. "Is that it? Because I went to State like my parents and grandparents wanted me to, you up and decide to move to Tulsa?" Derrick asked. "No that has nothing to do with it. I only said that to make the point that you are raising a stink about this again and again and again." Jessy declared totally frustrated as she dropped the clothes on top of the suitcase and sat next to it. "Jessy please I can't imagine you not being with me." Derrick pleaded kneeling in front of her, laying his head in her lap as he wrapped his arms around her. "For two years now I haven't been with you except for occasional weekends and summers but no big deal when you're the one that moves. Deal with it Jessy." Jessy complained as she instinctively stroked his long brown hair, adding, "If you're not going to take care of your hair you should cut it." "Yeah, yeah. You sound like my mother." Derrick complained rising and walking away. "I happen to like your mother so thank you." Jessy replied. "I like her too. Don't you be starting anything telling her I don't like her." Derrick accused turning to point at her. "I would never say something like that to her. She would be so hurt." Jessy replied. "But me you'll hurt? You don't care that I'll die if you move to Tulsa." Derrick accused. "You will not die if I move to Tulsa. Derrick Beachy for as long as I've known you, you have always been so dramatic. I'll die if you move. Ha ha ha. You are so funny. Not." Jessy shared. "I mean it Jessy. I just know I'll die if you don't live with me." Derrick insisted. "Live with you. Whoa. Back the truck up. When did this happen? When did I decide I was going to live with you?" Jessy asked. "Yes live with me. You know that's what you want. We'll finally be alone." Derrick answered making his way back to her, kissing her deeply, pushing her back onto the bed as he crawled on top of her. "Derrick stop." Jessy moaned as his hands had made their way all over her body and now one was trying to unsnap her jeans while the other was around back trying to unsnap her bra. "i want you." Derrick mumbled intent on having her as he wedged himself between her legs. "Well I want you to stop." Jessy insisted turning her face to avoid his next kiss. "I'm tired of you always pulling away." Derrick groaned, adding, "Stop. Stop Derrick is all you can say. I got news for you Derrick don't want to stop." "I don't remember asking you what you wanted. Stop now or I'll make you stop." Jessy said forcefully, glaring at him. "Yeah babe I'll stop. Don't get mad Jessy." Derrick whispered, adding, "I love you and I want you with me is all." "I'm not made Derrick. We've talked about this time and time again. I'm just not ready and I'm definitely not ready to have a baby yet so I'll wait." Jessy shared scooting out from under him, sitting before gently stroking his face. Another chill raced through her body as the image of the memory left. "What am I doing? If Grampa should wake and find me here he might figure it out. I'd never forgive myself if they found out I lied. They would tease Zac so if they knew I lied and that we've been pretending." Jessy gasped quickly erasing any sign that she had been downstairs before making her way back upstairs to Zac. "I'm so sorry Zac. I had no idea all this would happen. What have I done?" Jessy whispered as she looked down at the sleeping Zac unable to resist reaching down and removing the strand of hair from his face. "Jessy." Zac moaned as he rolled towards her. "Ssshh. It's okay Zac. Go back to sleep." Jessy whispered leaning and lightly placing her head on his shoulder as she carefully slipped into bed next to him.