Once and Again 1. Chapter 1

Title: Some New Start

Rating: Pg-13

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Summary: Instead of moving to Australia, Jessie and her family move to Newport Beach, where she meets Katie Cooper…

A/N: Jessie never met Katie in season 3, but she did date Tad. And she does not know that she is gay. This is basically the Jessie/Katie story, but it a different setting.

* * *

When Rick and Lily first broke the news about moving to California, Jessie had been excited and somewhat relieved. She did not fit in at her high school in Evanston, everybody knew her past, her struggle with anorexia, her mom's accident; moving would be her chance to start over, to have the weight of her life lifted off her shoulders. However, the moment Jessie stepped off the airplane, she felt the familiar anxiety spread through her veins; she was completely out of her league in Newport Beach.

It was like stepping into an episode of Baywatch. Everyone and everything here was perfect. Perfect girls with perfect bodies roamed the sidewalks half naked. Large houses and nice cars were the only thing in view.

"This is _so_ nice!" muttered Eli, who was sitting next to Jessie in the back seat of the car. He was eying a couple of girls waiting at the crosswalk up ahead.

Jessie rolled her eyes, but stared at them as well. They were beautiful; they were everything Jessie was not. She sighed, leaned her head against the headrest, and shut her eyes. Perhaps she should have remained in Evanston with her mother. Karen was still recovering from her accident, even after most of the summer; she was still using a cane. But she had Henry to help her. She did not need Jessie anymore...Which was another reason she decided to move. Karen had encouraged her, told her not to stay behind only because she was still in recovery, that she would be just fine because Henry was there for her.

"You okay, Jess?" Lily asked. She had seen Jessie lean back with her eyes closed.

On Jessie's other side, she felt Zoe shift and knew instinctively that the younger girl was looking at her. Eli too.

"I'm fine. Just tired is all," she replied, opening her eyes and smiling to reassure Lily. It wasn't a complete lie; she was quite a bit tired. Illinois was two hours ahead, which meant it was ten o'clock over there now. Granted, it wasn't that late, but the flight seemed to have worn her out.

"Oh, okay. You'll be able to sleep once we get to the new house. I called Rick when we got off the plane and he says everyone's bedrooms are all ready."

"Cool," Eli said.

"So Rick's company just _gave_ him house?" Grace questioned.

"Not exactly," Lily responded. "They're _lending_ us one of their houses while we're here. Once we leave, the house goes back to the firm."

"Is the house nice?" Zoe asked. She had been pretty quiet for most of the car ride. She, like Jessie, was also tired, but it was also way past her bedtime…in Evanston anyway.

Lily hesitated for a moment. From her position in the middle, Jessie saw her grip the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary. "It's much nicer than what we're used to. I haven't seen it yet, but Rick and Judy both say that it's beautiful."

"Are we almost there?"

"Yeah…" she glanced at the GPS attached to the front wind-shield. "…we'll be there in another couple of minutes."

"This is so cool!" Grace exclaimed. "I can't wait to see it!" She sat up straight in the passenger seat, bending forward slightly to get a better look out of the window, as though she wanted to be the first one to see the house.

"We're going to be living there for the next three years, Grace. Plenty of time to see it." If Jessie hadn't sounded so irritated when she said it, the others would have thought she was just messing around with Grace.

Grace turned around in her seat and glared at Jessie. She opened her mouth to retaliate, but Lily cut her off.

"Grace," she sternly warned.

Jessie didn't look, but she could feel Lily glancing at her through the rear view mirror. Grace threw her a dirty look before turning back around.

Jessie knew that she shouldn't be taking her bad mood out on her step-sister. However, there was no other way to release it. She could not help thinking that she had made a huge mistake moving here, and was worrying what the consequences would be from that mistake. Would she be the skinny, unattractive loser that the type of people here would make fun of? Was it the best idea to enroll her in the elite private school, Harbor High school, right after moving? Would she adjust well, or would she feel out of place once again? Jessie was scared of everything that was to come. She did not want to deal with any of it. The only way she knew how to make herself feel better was to bitch at Grace. The worst part was that she didn't even feel bad about it.

"We're here," Lily announced.

They couldn't see anything at first, but then they noticed that they had to drive up a long driveway to get to the house. The house was huge, and absolutely gorgeous. The three story mansion was surrounded by trees and plants.

Jessie was the last one out of the car. She was still looking at the house in wonder; it was much nicer than anything she had lived in before and much nicer than anything she would probably live in ever again. The pure beauty of her new home was enough to make her forget about her worries…

"Jessie!" Rick scooped his daughter into her arms and lifted her off the ground into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Jessie hugged her father back and smiled at him when he set her down. "It's good to see you too."

Rick had been in Newport for almost a month now preparing the new house, and already starting on the big hotel project. After Karen had insisted Jessie go to California, she found herself missing her father more and more.

"C'mon and I'll give you guys a tour of the house. Then we can go out to dinner! Judy and Sam are out back by the pool."

"We have a _pool_?" Zoe shrieked.

Everyone was so excited to be here; Jessie felt left out that she wasn't just as excited. She tried to want to be there, she really did, but she missed her home, she missed the life she was used to. This was supposed to be an escape from that life, but everything here seemed so…fake.

"Jessie, c'mon," Rick called to her from the front door. He gestured for her to go inside with them. Everyone looked at her expectantly from the front driveway; the smiles on their faces were huge and they seemed impatient to go inside.

"Actually, Dad, I think I'm just going to stay out here and catch some fresh air. I'm feeling kind of sick," she lied. In all honesty, she just didn't want to be near them and their enthusiasm.

Concern flashed in Rick's eyes and he took a couple of steps towards her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she responded. "Go on inside, I'll catch up later." She began walking down the driveway away from her family, but still kept looking at them. "I'm just going to go for a short walk."

He stared at her for another moment, but she had already turned her back on him. "Okay…" he conceded. "Just don't go too far."

"Sure, Dad!"

Jessie stopped walking once she reached the end of the driveway. She had not planned on going any farther than that. She did not want to go on an actual walk and get lost.

The sky had grown dark by then. Stars twinkled in the clear night sky and Jessie crossed her arms, trying to keep warm in the chilly night air. All she wanted was to lie down and only wake up when everything was okay again; when she was back in her old life, back with her mother, back with her boyfriend, Tad, who she had never really liked, but who had been such a nice guy to her. It would take a while to get used to this new place, she knew that, and she hoped that she could make some good friends this school year because she knew she would be attending this high school for the next three years. Friends were nice, and she lacked them back in Evanston.

"Who're you?"

Jessie twitched, startled when she realized that someone she did not know was actually talking to her. She looked up and noticed a beautiful brunette girl standing on the next driveway over. The girl was looking at her curiously.

"I'm Jessie," she responded shyly. The fact that this girl was talking to her baffled Jessie; the fact that this girl was gorgeous unnerved Jessie. _Another perfect girl in this perfect place,_ Jessie thought.

"Jessie…Jessie," she repeated quietly, no longer looking at her, but at the ground in front her. "So what're you doing here, Jessie?" She looked at her again, taking a few steps closer so now she was only a few feet away from Jessie.

"Um, my dad got a job here…I'm moving into this house right here." Jessie gestured at her new home. "My dad's already been a while, but we're only moving in now…"

"You're Rick Sammler's daughter? He's mentioned you before…" The girl tilted her head and smiled.

Jessie gulped nervously and prayed that her father hadn't said anything embarrassing about her to this girl.

"Jessie!"

Both Jessie and the brunette girl looked over to see a figure jogging down the driveway. A wet Judy stood before them with a t-shirt on, but no shorts covering her bikini bottoms.

"Hi, Katie." Judy smiled at the girl.

_Katie_…Jessie thought. She decided that the name suited her.

"Hey, Judy. I was just meeting your step-niece," Katie unnecessarily explained.

"Jessie, this is Katie Cooper," Judy introduced. "She lives next door."

Jessie smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

Katie grinned. "Likewise."

"So, we're all excited about your fashion show fund-raiser tomorrow night," Judy spoke.

"Really? You are." Katie looked skeptical.

Judy blinked and took a deep breath, running her hand through her sopping hair. "Not really."

Jessie snickered and hid her grin behind her hand. So Katie was organizing a fashion show…god this girl was so out of her league. She decided then and there to give up any ideas she had about ever being friends with this girl. Sure, she was nice, but there was more to a person than how nice they were. She decided it was hopeless to even try. _Grace would probably get along with her,_ she thought.

Katie laughed at Judy's bit of honesty. Apparently she had expected that kind of answer because she did not seem upset.

A large pick-up truck pulled up to the curb. Inside was a very pissy looking brunette girl. She rolled down the window and called to Katie, "C'mon! Let's go!"

Katie smiled and rolled her eyes, holding up her index finger to the girl that indicated she needed another second. She turned to Jessie. "Hey, you should come by, check it out. If you don't have other plans already..." she invited. "I'll see you later."

"Bye…"

Katie, with her long legs, easily climbed into the truck. The brunette already inside gave her a sexy smile, which Jessie found kind of strange. She then stared Jessie up and down; Jessie shifted uncomfortable under her gaze. To her dismay, the brunette scowled.

"Who's the kid?" she asked Katie.

They drove away before Jessie could hear Katie's response. She was nervous about the impression that she might have made on her. Kid? They had to be close to the same age, though Jessie had a feeling that Katie was closer to Grace's age. She was not that excited about the fashion show. How did she know if she was only invited out of politeness, rather than a sincere invitation? Girls like that did not hang out with girls like her, that was for sure.

"C'mon, Jess. Let's go inside. Your dad wants you to freshen up before we go out to dinner." Judy led her back up the way they came and inside her new home.

* * *

Jessie spent most of the next day inside, unpacking the infinite boxes in her new bedroom. The room was bigger than her room in Karen's house, but smaller then the attic in Lily's house. The walls were painted a soft shade of lavender; Rick had asked Jessie what color she wanted her room to be and she had said a light purple. She liked it. She was unsure of how much she was going to like living there, but at least her new room was nice. Like the attic, she was isolated from everyone else; she had her own space, her own escape.

At four o'clock, there was a knock on her bedroom door. Jessie was lying on her bed listening to her music when the knock came; she heard it through her headphones and told the person to come inside.

"Hey, Dad," she greeted, pulling off her headphones and pressing the pause button on her iPod. "What's up?"

Rick slowly entered the room, leaving the door open behind him and surveying what Jessie had managed to accomplish within seven hours. "I like what you've done with your room," he approved, and when he noticed the arrangement of posters on the walls, he said, "Where'd you get all these movie posters?"

"Eli's had them for a while. One of his exes worked a movie theater and she got them for him. He gave them to me a while back but I couldn't find anywhere to put them," Jessie explained.

"This one's…uh, this one's interesting," Rick stumbled slightly, his eyes on the large _Imagine Me & You_ poster. "Eli had this one too?"

Jessie noticed which poster Rick was looking at and chuckled. "Yeah, he gave me that one too. It's a funny movie, Dad, you should try watching it."

"What's it about?"

He sat at the edge of the bed right next to her. Jessie pulled her legs against her chest, unconsciously attempting to put some distance between her and Rick.

"This one woman gets married to this guy and another woman ends up falling for her. It's a romantic-comedy," Jessie said.

"Ah…I know you like those kinds…"

"So what's up?" she repeated her earlier question.

"Judy told me you were invited to go to the fashion show tonight," he began.

Jessie opened her mouth, about to say something, but could not figure out what to say, so she opted for sighing instead. After a moment, she finally said, "Yeah, Katie invited me…" she trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh, so you've met Katie?"

"Yeah…"

Rick paused. "She's a nice girl."

"Seemed like…" Jessie didn't know what else to say. She had not told anyone about the invite because she did not want to go and knew if Rick knew about it then he would force her to go. She was not wrong.

"We're going to leave here at seven," Rick stated.

"What? Dad, I'm not even sure if I want to go," Jessie protested.

"You have to go, Jessie. Katie invited you. And as new members to this community, we're all going anyway. Grace, Eli, even Zoe," he said. His tone was not stern; however, Jessie knew she had no choice.

She rubbed the side of her forehead with her index and middle finger. "Okay, Dad, whatever. I'll be ready by seven.""Okay." He stood up and straightened out his jeans. "This'll be a great opportunity for you to make some new friends," he stated positively. "There's going to be tons of people there your age."

Jessie did not look at him or respond. As a girl who was painfully shy, she did not appreciate being thrust into this type of radical social environment. These people probably wouldn't even like her. However, it was worth a shot to at least try. She felt better knowing that Grace and Eli were going to be there; now she had an excuse not to talk to anybody she didn't know.

* * *

Never, in a million years, did Jessie think that the adults of Newport needed to be feared as well as the teenagers. She knew immediately that she was extremely out of place at the party. All everyone cared about, adult or kid, was money. Everything depended on money, status rank, popularity; everything depended on money and looks. Jessie was not used to this. Money did not matter nearly as much in Illinois.

They had arrived shortly after seven o'clock and almost immediately Jessie had been stopped. Countless times she heard the words, "You're the new architect's daughter, aren't you? From Chicago?"

An hour later, she had managed to escape the eye of any Newport socialite, having met all of them it seemed like. She noticed a curly-haired brunette boy standing by himself at the refreshments table. A few thick armed jocks were near him. Jessie was thirsty, but she wanted to wait until those boys left to get something to drink. She knew she would feel uncomfortable if they were there. She already felt uncomfortable and hoped that they would not notice her.

"Hey, Luke, what's up?" said the curly-haired boy.

A guy with thick blond hair approached him. He was very friendly when he said, "Hey! Yeah." He leaned closer to the other boy. "Suck it queer."

The other boys howled with laughter and walked away. Luke noticed Jessie while he was walking away and she looked away, afraid of what he might say to her. Because she wasn't looking at him, she didn't notice the, "you're hot," look he threw her way.

"My vacation was great too. Thank you for asking about it," said the brunette boy conversationally.

"What a jackass," Jessie muttered.

"Yes, well…welcome to Newport," said the boy.

Jessie laughed and approached him. "I think I like Evanston better," she said.

He bounced his head from side to side for a moment or two before saying, "Yeah, I have no idea where that is."

"It's in Illinois. Near Chicago."

"Ooooh," he said, light dawning in his eyes. "You're the new architect's daughter, huh?"

Jessie frowned and poured herself a glass of punch. "How does everyone know that?" She wasn't really talking to anyone in particular when she said that, but was more just curious. The sip of punch she took ended back inside the cup when she noticed the extra alcohol flavoring in the drink.

"It's big news when new people move into the elite parts of Newport Beach…that and I think it was my mom who hired those two architects to build hotels."

"Oh?"

"Yep…I'm Seth." He held out his hand.

"Jessie." She put her cup back on the table and shook his hand.

"So when did you…oh, Summer's right over there. Look!"

Jessie was a little startled by his change of pace and, wondering who Summer was, made to turn around, before Seth exclaimed, "I'm sorry, don't look. Don't look. But I mean you can look, but don't look like you're looking!"

"You got it," she grinned. The first thing she noticed when she turned around was Katie standing on the other side of a fountain. Next to Katie was a short brunette girl, who Jessie assumed was Summer. Katie noticed her right away. She smiled and waved at Jessie, and Jessie returned the friendly gesture. She had been wondering when she would see Katie, since it was her fashion show after all.

"Oh my god, she's looking at me…she's looking at me!" Seth exclaimed nervously. "Um, I'm going to go, uh, sit. Away from here."

"Relax, Seth," Jessie said, turning to him, but he was already walking off to find a chair. He kept glancing back at Summer, but both her and Katie were gazing at Jessie. She felt unnerved by it, but thankfully, they were led away by an older woman. Jessie went and sat next to Seth at a table with several kids, including Zoe. She caught Zoe's eye and grinned.

"Having fun?" she asked her younger step-sister.

"Much!" Jessie frowned; Zoe seemed sincere.

"I think it's starting now," Seth muttered to her.

"Fantastic!" Sarcasm oozed from Jessie's voice; however, she turned her attention to the stage and clapped along with the rest of the crowd when she saw Katie standing in the middle of the stage, looking beautiful in her designer dress.

The applause died down when Katie began to speak. "Thank you, thank you. Thank you all so much for coming. Every year we put on a fashion show to raise money for the battered woman's shelter. It's such a good cause, you guys and we couldn't do any of it without your support and the support of Fashion Island and all their great stores. All right, enjoy the show!"

The show by itself was intensely dull, and Jessie found herself glancing at her watch every couple of minutes. Her attention was peaked when she saw Katie come on stage. _Her own fashion show, of course she's going to be in it,_ she thought. She clapped along with everyone else and became flustered when Katie caught her eye and smiled at her. Jessie smiled back, blushing the whole time. _Why do I want to get to know her so badly?_ She had no idea why the other girl made her feel so awkward, but so good at the same time.

After the show had finished, Jessie left Seth to go find Katie so she could congratulate her on the good job she did with the evening. _That's a legitimate excuse to talk to her…right?_ She thought so.

Unfortunately, Jessie couldn't find her anywhere; she had checked backstage, by the refreshments, and then by the bar, and couldn't find her. Sighing disappointedly, she made her way through to the front of the house, intending on walking home early. Nobody would miss her.

"Jess! Hey, Jessie!"

Jessie turned around and saw that Katie, now dressed in street clothes, was weaving in and out of small clumps of conversing people to get to her.

"Hey!" she said enthusiastically.

"Hi, Katie. You did an awesome job with the fashion show," Jessie complemented shyly.

"Thanks," she grinned. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about—well not _that _exactly, but…okay, so my friend Holly's parents are letting us use their beach house as a gift for the hard work we put into the show tonight," Katie babbled excitedly.

_She's too cute_, Jessie thought, the left side of her mouth curling into a half-smile.

"And I wanted to know if you wanted to come…"

"Oh, um…" This caught her off guard; it wasn't what she had been expecting the other girl to say…granted she really had no idea to expect from her at all.

"Say yes! It'll be fun…"

Katie looked so hopeful, but Jessie knew she couldn't go. Her father would never let her. "I can't, I'm sorry," she said regretfully.

"Oh." Katie looked disappointed. "Okay then…how come?"

"My dad would never go for it." Jessie mentally clapped her hand against her forehead, aware of how completely lame she had just sounded. _My dad would never go for it? God, she probably thinks I'm some daddy's girl loser._

"Oh. That's cool then. Maybe some other time?" She looked hopeful again.

"Yeah, definitely!"

"Awesome!" Katie began slowly backing away towards the large pick-up from the night before. Jessie was able to see the brunette girl from last night in the driver's seat. Her eyes were on Katie, and it bothered Jessie for some reason. She had yet to meet the brunette girl, but already she did not like her. "I'll see you around, Jess!"

"Bye…"

Katie offered her one last smile before climbing into the truck. Jessie watched it go longingly; she really wished she could have gone.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Some New Start

Rating: Pg-13

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Summary: Instead of moving to Australia, Jessie and her family move to Newport Beach, where she meets Katie Cooper…

A/N: This chapter is un-beta'd. I'm running on an hour of sleep and just got done with a 9-hour work day. But since I got such good reviews, I wanted to finish this chapter tonight. So here you guys go.

* * *

The sun was setting beautifully in Newport and Grace and Zoe lay on floatable chairs inside the pool, trying to catch those last rays of light, while Jessie was reclined in a beach chair at the pool's edge, catching up on the summer reading list Harbor High School had mailed to her. 

Three days had passed since fashion show night. Jessie mostly spent her time inside, or by the pool, though Eli had managed to drag her to the beach the day before, and had even given her a surfing lesson. She suspected that her dad had asked Eli to take her, so she could be more "social" in this new place.

The back door slid open and Lily poked her head outside. "Jessie, come on inside! You have a visitor."

Jessie lowered her book and looked at her step mother. "Who?"

"Seth. From two houses down. He's in the living room with your father."

"Oh…" Jessie placed her bookmark inside the book and clambered off the chair, rushing passed a curious Grace and Zoe into the house. She tossed her book on the counter and went to the living room, where Seth and Rick were sitting awkwardly on one of the couches. "Hi, Seth," she greeted.

"Jessie, hi!" He stood up and straightened out his pants uncomfortably. "Your dad and I were just sitting here in an awkward silence. Thank you for breaking it because it was really starting to hurt my ears."

Jessie laughed, and Rick smiled weakly. She was unsure whether it was because he had his boss's son in his living room that had him looking so nervous, or if it was because there was a boy looking for her. She decided on the latter.

"What's up, Seth?"

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "It's Ryan's last night in Newport and since you guys are best of buddies, I was wondering if you would like to come over for the farewell dinner," he invited.

"Wait, you aren't actually related to Ryan?"

"Nope. He is the 'kid from Chino who stole a car' and my mother wants him out of the house…even with all the extra room…"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Wouldn't that make dinner an awkward experience?"

"Yes! Which is why I need you to save me! Please, as my newest friend, you should do this for me…" he begged.

Jessie fiddled with a belt loop on her jeans, an unconscious habit she had developed. _This is going to be so awkward…but isn't this what I wanted? Friends? _"Um…sure, I guess I can go. Dad, can I go?"

Rick's eyes were open slightly wider than usual as he stared at his daughter blankly. "I guess it would be all right," he responded after several moments. "As long as you're home by eleven…"

Seth looked back and forth at Jessie and Rick before exclaiming, "Thank you, Mr. Sammler! By the way, my mom thinks you're doing a fantastic job on the new hotel."

Jessie laughed and grabbed his arm, leading him in the direction of the front of the house. "You've already won, Seth. Let's go."

* * *

_How did I end up here?_ Jessie had no idea how a horribly uncomfortable dinner with the Cohen's had turned into her and Seth helping Ryan run away to live in one of his mother's model homes. She was heading back to Seth's house, dragging Grace's bike with her. If Grace found out she had stolen her bike, she would be murdered. Somehow, Jessie found that a risk worth taking. There was something exciting about helping a boy run away; maybe it was because she had never done anything wrong her entire life. 

Ryan was standing alone in front of the gate pillar to the Cohen's driveway; Seth was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Seth?" Jessie questioned, stopping next to Ryan.

He glanced back at the house. "I don't know, he should've been out here by now."

"Okay, got it. I'll be there in, like, twenty minutes."

They both turned and noticed Katie carrying a large, wrapped box in her arms and talking on her cell phone. She was heading towards her parent's jeep when she noticed Jessie and Ryan standing at the edge of the driveway. Confusion melted into suspicion on her face as she glanced between the two as they stood nervously, waiting for her to approach.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," she said to Ryan, a little less warmly than she would have in the past. Her eyes then softened. "Look, I wanted to say thanks, for the other night…."

Jessie frowned and wondered what had happened the other night, but did not ask. She noticed that Katie avoided making eye contact with her.

"You always drink like that?" he asked.

_Question_ _answered_, Jessie thought bitterly. Alcohol was one of her least favorite things, but couldn't find herself surprised at the news that Katie drank a lot.

"I thought you were leaving," she said, completely avoiding his question. A slight smile formed when she looked at Jessie, but turned into a scowl when she turned back to Ryan.

"I did, I am…"

A sprinting Seth skidded into view, carrying his skateboard. "You guys all set? You ready to…uh, hi there, Katie."

She looked at them suspiciously. "What're you guys doing?"

"Nothing, we're just hanging out," Seth said quickly. He pointed to the gift in her arms. "Oh, look, it's somebody's birthday. I guess my invitation probably got lost in the mail."

Jessie had an inkling that her and Seth were a lot more alike than she thought. She and him seemed to share the same lack of social status.

"It's my friend Summer's birthday," she said, avoiding his eyes and instead, looking at Jessie.

"Summer's birthday's not till Wednesday."

Katie tore her eyes away from her and gave Seth a weird look.

"That's what I heard. I don't know. I….that was a guess," he finished lamely.

"You guys are up to something," Katie concluded, her eyebrows raising.

"Dude, what did you tell her," Seth muttered to Ryan, even though Katie could hear clearly what he was saying.

"I didn't tell her anything," he said just as quietly. Gesturing to Seth's shirt, he added, "I think the black turtleneck in August tipped her off."

"We really need to get going." Jessie muttered, entering their conversation zone. "I have to be home by eleven, remember, Seth? And if this place is far away…"

"Have fun at your party, Katie," Seth said, very insincerely. "We have to go now."

"You should probably go anyway," Jessie said. "Newport social event waits after all."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

* * *

Two hours later, Jessie sat alone with Katie in her jeep, after leaving the model home quickly to get Jessie home on time. A comfortable silence engulfed the car. Jessie didn't feel the need to talk just yet; she had never done anything like this before and was quietly engraving the events of tonight into her mind (she would write them in her journal later). It was after 10:30; her curfew was approaching. 

After a few minutes, Katie broke the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

Jessie looked at the driving girl and nodded. "Sure."

"Do you feel like you'll fit anywhere in Newport?" she asked after a moment.

"Um…" Jessie had not expected that. She knew the answer, but was not sure how the other girl would take it.

"Is that a totally weird question to ask?" Katie shook her head, slightly embarrassed and sighed. "I think that was a totally weird question to ask.

Jessie crossed her hands on her lap and took a deep breath. "No, no, it's just…I don't know." She looked at Katie, who glanced quickly at her but then returned to staring at the road ahead. "Well, the answer is definitely not." She did not know why, but she had a feeling that she could trust this girl.

They took a sharp right and ended right in front of Jessie's house. "I don't know why I thought I could ask that." Katie pulled up next to the curb. "Maybe cause I kinda knew the answer," she admitted.

Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, Jessie saw that she had some time to keep talking to Katie. "_You_ fit in, in Newport," she had already decided.

Katie scoffed and shook her head.

"No, I'm serious," Jessie said.

"You don't even know me," Katie said, adding extra emphasis to the word 'know.'

"I know, but I _see_ you. You're always talking to, like, a hundred different people, _and _you organize these events and everything…"

"A hundred different people talk to me," Katie told her. "And my mother makes me organize all these things…" Her tone was dark when she spoke of her mother, and Jessie realized that she had not yet met the woman. She wondered what type of person she was to make Katie sound so bitter towards her.

It was silent for a few moments, and Jessie knew that it was time for her to go; she was early for curfew, but Katie did, after all, have a party to get to.

"Tonight was fun…I've never actually done something like that…" Jessie admitted shyly.

"What, you mean you've never snuck a boy into a model home before?" Katie asked jokingly.

_She has a nice smile._ "Not exactly." Jessie laughed. After a moment, she added, "I don't think we even _had_ model homes in Evanston."

"Really?"

Jessie looked pensive. "Well, actually, I have no idea," she said seriously.

Katie laughed. "Get out of my car, Sammler," she joked as she playfully pushed Jessie towards the passenger door. "We won't be able to hang out tomorrow if you're not in by curfew."

Jessie smiled softly at the other girl's indirect request to hang out the next day. "I'll see you tomorrow then, _Cooper_," she said playfully. "Night."

"Bye, Jess," Katie said quietly.

Katie waited until Jessie was inside before taking off to Summer's house. There was something about the innocent blonde that was making Katie fall for her…she knew she had been attracted to Jessie the first time she met her on the driveway. However, it was her interaction with the Newport social group that really made Katie start to think about her…the polite reluctance to get too involved in any conversation, the, the lack of interest in wealth; she knew Jessie was unlike the other girls here. And that was a very attractive quality; she wanted to be with someone different, who didn't come from money, who didn't care about it. Jessie was this shy-like girl who Katie really wanted to get to know. The only problem is that she seemed too straight.

* * *

The next morning, Katie was proud of herself for not waking up with a hangover. Despite the several offers to drink alcohol at Summer's party the night before, Katie had resisted. _I don't think Jessie approves of alcohol,_ she thought. _I mean, the look on her face last night when Ryan asked me that question…__that was kinda embarrassing. I can't wait to see her though. Lunch at one…god, that's so far away._ To Katie's dismay, Jessie could not go with her and Seth to see Ryan that morning because Rick wanted to take his family out for an early breakfast and she was unsure what they were doing afterwards, but assumed that there would be family time. _Something I never get…_

Katie grabbed the bag she had filled with items for Ryan and headed out her bedroom door. She tried to sneak out as discreetly as possible; however, Julie spotted her when she walked past the kitchen.

"Katie? Look who's here!" Julie said happily.

Katie took two steps backward and entered the kitchen, where she saw her mother hovering over Sarah, who was eating the pancakes Julie had made for breakfast. _Ugh, great, just what I need._ Katie rolled her eyes internally. _Why can't Sarah just leave me alone? Haven't I given her enough hints? _When she saw the sultry grin Sarah threw at her, Katie realized she had not.

Putting on her best fake smile, Katie chirped, "Sarah! Hi!" She moved forward and hugged the brunette, but pulled away when she felt Sarah's arms rise to return the hug. Julie left the room when she heard the phone ring, leaving the two girls alone.

"Hey Kat…god, this is good," she said appreciatively through a bite of eggs. Katie frowned, revolted. "So I'm just grabbing some breakfast before we take the boat out."

"Boat? There's a boat involved?"

Sarah nodded and worked through another bite. Thankfully, she finished this one before she spoke again. "Yeah, I thought we'd take my dad's DawnSea. Do a little waterskiing. Have a little lunch…"

Katie nodded her head slowly, grimacing slightly. She was unsure of when her friendship with Sarah had turned romantic. They had known each other since fifth grade, even shared their first kiss together when they were thirteen, but Katie had never been romantically attached to her. At the beginning of tenth grade was when Sarah decided she wanted to take their friendship to the next level. Katie withdrew from her after that and grew closer to Summer, who she had met working as Social Chair for Harbor. However, at the beginning of the summer, Katie decided to give Sarah another chance at friendship. Sure, that wasn't what Sarah wanted, but Katie had known her too long, and was too close to her emotionally to let something as simple as attraction get in the way. Unfortunately, Sarah was more possessive of her than ever before.

_Hmm, lunch with Jessie or lunch with Sarah…Jessie for the win!__ …Now how do I get rid of Sarah? What does she hate to do…?_ Katie this for a few moments. _...Aha!_

"I'm sorry, Sarah, but I can't go with you today…" Katie began.

"What?" She looked very disappointed. "Why not?"

"Summer and I have a wax appointment with Suki," she lied. Crossing her fingers behind her back, Katie prayed this would work.

"Oh." Sarah thought for a moment. "Blow it off, Kat. We haven't hung out in a while."

"We hung out last night."

"I mean one-on-one…I miss hanging out with you…" Sarah's eyes were on Katie's feet when she said this and Katie almost felt bad for her. However, Jessie popped into her mind again, and Katie continued her get-out-of-jail act.

"It's just Suki is amazing. It doesn't hurt at all when she's waxing you and it's really hard to get an appointment with her…I know, why don't you get a manicure? You could come with me," Katie offered brightly. The blank look Sarah gave her almost made her want to laugh.

Sarah ate the last bite of her pancakes and drained her glass of milk. "Um, you go. I'll catch you up later. Holly's having a…thing," she said quietly, glancing at the door to make sure Katie's parents were not around. "Thanks though. Have fun with Summer."

She stood up and wrapped her arms briefly around Katie. Katie did not return the hug.

"Later, Kat," Sarah said, retreating to the door.

"Bye."

Katie sighed with relief, happy that she knew Sarah so well, so she could easily get rid of her when she wanted. Glancing at her watch, she realized that she was a couple minutes late meeting Seth, and two hours away from meeting Jessie.

* * *

"So how was the big family breakfast?" Katie asked as her and Jessie settled into a booth at the Crab-Shack. 

Jessie was already flipping through the menu and seemed not to have heard Katie's question.

"Jess?" Katie asked several moments.

"Hmm?" she looked at her blankly. When she saw Katie looking at her expectantly, she realized that the other girl had asked a question. "Sorry, not much of a multi-tasker," she apologized. "What'd you ask?"

"No worries. Breakfast. How was it?"

"Eh…it was breakfast," Jessie answered, taking a sip of the water the waitress had just poured for them.

Katie blinked. "What lovely imagery you've given me. I think I'll write a book on it," she joked.

Jessie laughed. "Well, I ate chocolate chip waffles with a side of bacon and eggs, and drank a glass of orange juice. My dad then proceeded to talk about how proud he was that Grace and I were accepted into Harbor."

"Wait, you're going to Harbor?" she questioned, ignoring the curiosity to find out who Grace was.

Jessie nodded. "Mm hmm. Do you go there?"

"Yeah. I'm…social chair." Katie flashed back to the conversation they had last night and hoped that Jessie didn't think she was making up what she had said.

Apparently Jessie was thinking the same thing because she nodded her head exaggeratingly while she said, "Social chair? Nice."

Katie laughed bitterly. "Yeah, my mother convinced me to join back in freshman year. But I guess it wasn't too bad. It's where I met Summer."

"Summer…" Jessie began. She chuckled. "Seth is so into her."

"Yeah…I don't think she's perfectly aware of his existence though." Katie wanted to kick her best friend sometimes because of how clueless she could be when it came to Seth. They'd gone to school together for years.

"She does seem rather…"

"Clueless?"

"Yeah. I know she's your best friend and all…"

"No, no, she really is one of the most clueless people I know. But I love her to death anyway."

They talked through the entire meal, and the more Katie got to know Jessie, the more she realized that this really wasn't another rich princess moving in; this girl actually had character and a heart. She shared her experience about anorexia with Katie, and spoke of her mom's accident last year.

"She kept insisting that I come here, even though she _knew_ I didn't want to…" Jessie looked so sad. Her blue eyes were downcast. "But she thinks it'll be a good opportunity for me."

Katie nodded her head sympathetically and touched Jessie's hand. "It must have been hard to hear your mother say that…" When Jessie nodded, she added, "If it makes you feel any better, I'm glad that you came."

Jessie looked up, and through watery eyes, she said, "Really?"

"Yeah…you're like the first _real_ person that's lived here."

"What do you mean?"

Katie glanced off and thought for a few moments. "I mean, money doesn't rule your life, you're your own person, and you're just…different from everyone else here. You might care what people think of you on the surface, but deep down, it doesn't really matter…"

"How can you see all that? You barely even know me…" she trailed off. She fiddled with the napkin on her lap and could already feel the blush creeping onto her face.

"Tell me I'm wrong." Katie looked her right in the eye as she said that, noticing the fact that Jessie was playing with her napkin, and realizing that she was making the other girl flustered.

Jessie did not answer, but gave Katie a genuine smile. If she was reading the situation correctly, Katie wanted to be her friend. And badly at that. It was more than welcome.

"You want to get out of here?" she asked Katie. "We can go visit Ryan…or maybe we can just go to my house and chill…"

Katie grinned. "That'd be awesome," she agreed.

"Great."

* * *


End file.

Once and Again, Romance