She'll Get Over It (A Jesse Rutherford Fanfiction)

36

Valentina:

"Nicole?" She's laughing about something with Brandon when I careen into her downstairs. The music is making my head throb and someone's floral perfume is driving way too far up my nostrils. I lick my lips.

"What's up? Are you ok?" Her smile dies a little. I imagine her reaction when I tell her about Jesse. If I tell her about Jesse. From the corner of my eye, I see a tall skinny figure brushing past people. Turn just in time to see Jesse disappear into the kitchen.

I shake my head. "I, uh. Yeah. I'm just going to go get something to drink."

Nicole blinks. "Ok, well come back so we can dance."

I feel like my limbs are taking longer to respond as I begin to walk towards the kitchen.

"Tina!" Lee is standing by the bottles, holding onto a red cup. "Lemme fix you a drink."

"Lee, I'll make one."

"No way. Wait, Jesse! He has a special mix." Lee turns around and yells for Jesse. He's in the kitchen, standing in front of the fridge. He turns around and we make eye contact.

"I can make one, don't worry." I grab a red cup and the first bottle I see, but Lee grabs the bottle.

"Tina, don't"- She pulls the bottle too far and some of it spills onto her. "Oh shit." She gasps, stretching her shirt out with one hand.

"Lee." Jesse comes jogging over. I shift away from him. He stands next to me anyway, looking at Lee. "I have an extra shirt if you wanna borrow it. Upstairs."

Lee blinks slowly. She's more than buzzed. "Sure." Jesse grabs her hand without looking at me. I pour my drink and walk back towards the living room.

Nicole waves me over to where she's standing by the speakers. "Lee is falling over, who let that girl drink again?" Nicole yells into my ear. I shrug, take another drink. Try to dance. Keep looking towards the stairs. "I'm sure she's fine," Nicole says.

I nod, thinking about how it's not her I'm looking to come down the stairs. Another sip.

Finally, the music is a little too nicely loud. I end up dancing with Zach, the girl he was talking to before mysteriously gone. "Do you want another drink?" He asks over the music, tucking his hair back.

"Sure!" I respond. Even though I'm four drinks in and I couldn't really tell what was in the last two. Nicole is sitting on the sofa against the wall, looking at her phone. Lee and Jesse never came back downstairs. Zach comes back and hands me a red cup with a sweet drink that I can barely tell has alcohol in it. "Does this have alcohol in it?" I ask him, squinting into the cup.

"Yes, don't worry Miss Drunkie. You really let yourself get loose tonight huh?"

I take a massive drink, trying to keep my back to the stairs. "It's a party."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jesse:

"Psst." I hover over Lee, who buries her head into the pillows. "Lee."

"No. Please, five more minutes." She burrows deeper under the covers, letting out another groan before falling asleep again.

The remains of the party are neon. I lay down on the couch after I wipe off all the red cups. Everyone tried their best to clean after the party was over, but it was nearing four am. I hadn't even caught when Valentina left. I close my eyes and rub my nose. Think long about the way Valentina's body pressed against mine and the way her hand felt in my hair. I rub my arm and sit up, starting to hum. Just to fill my head with a tune so I don't have to think.