NEW FRIENDS AND OLD CARES

"Hey Justin", Jessica's voice was so merry on the phone.

"Hello beautiful, I see you're hooked", he teased her fully knowing his book choice for her was perfect.

"Not as good as anything I'd normally read but it was good", she was trying to defend her choices as always this made Justin laugh.

"Hey man, shut up go talk to your girlfriend elsewhere came a husky voice in the background and Jessica's heart raced.

"Is that Jack? She really wanted to be hearing things.

"Yup," Justin affirmed popping the p. It

"Hey man, you gotta leave, I need some sleep it's a big ass house" Jack grumbled.

"Its Jessica idiot" on hearing this she thinks up. Choosing to ignore Justin's calls for the rest of the day, she went out to the library, walking in she waved at the receptionist, going straight to the library's V VIP section as she called it. She felt like burying herself in her imaginations, "maybe dome Frank E Peretti" she thought out loud then her musing was interrupted as she bumped into someone. She bit her tongue to not curse at this intruder, uhrn the girl was apologizing asking how she was, and she smiled.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I wasn't looking either, I'm Jessica need any help?"

"I'm Stella nice to meet you. I'm pretty much okay, so it's fine" she replied

"Let me apologize by giving you exclusive access, you look like you enjoy some original manuscripts" Stella indulged Jessica despite the fact she had the same V VIP in her backpack. Without many words, Jessica pulled Stella in the opposite direction, she was headed.

"I guess a book is worth it", Stella was conflicted about this high enthusiasm Jessica possessed. "Relax I'm just a happy helper and you're here so let's explore together" Jessica was hiding the anxiety she felt about her Jack situation. What made it so much better was that Stella was a great company, and they spent the whole day together losing count of the hours. They read and talked about random things especially since they shared a couple of lectures together.

"... And this girl in the lecture theatre kept yelping, I mean it was so annoying" Stella was talking animated by and Jessica cut her off.

"Don't be so mean there was this huge asshole beside her" Jessica argued pouting

"You mean you're, woah" Stella burst into fits of laughter

"Stop laughing already, it was pretty embarrassing", Jessica sighed.

"Hey girls, I know you love books and all but it's past ten and I need you to get out, so I could go home to bed" the librarian had come in to find them sitting on the floor amidst books.

"Nothing like a good book and great company, Mr Gerald we should form a book club", Stella was teasing him. It was sad to realize that their dorms were quite the distance apart, but they promised to meet up in the café to go for lectures together. Jessica walked the rest of the way happy because she had a new friend, and they spent time in the library. With good reason, she wasn't worried or thinking about Jack or the darkness that occasionally hit her. She wasn't into girls friendships but this time she felt different. She didn't trust wholly yet and preferred to skip the thought because one it was a girl and two Jack was sitting outside in front of her dorm. Several things came to mind and she tried to walk back but it'll be too obvious. Last-minute, she let her cover half her face and tried to walk as casually as she could pass the door.

"I'm not here to see you, so don't try so hard" his words made her stop dead in her tracks. She felt angry and hurt, why it hurt so bad she couldn't say. Before her brain could process her emotions to words Jack was gone, and she hadn't looked at his face. That night Jessica couldn't sleep, she did not like this feeling of not being liked by someone. It hadn't crossed her mind to write in her diary for a couple of days and it didn't know. All she felt was this pain from his words and it stole her sleep till dawn.