Not In The Same Way

Chapter 6 ~ Needed a Minute

Putting a smoke between my lips and lite the dart and takes a long drag and lean my head on my shoulder looking over at him "you following me now?"

Jessie sits next to me "I just wanted to make sure you were okay but I don't think this is going to solve anything."

Letting the smoke leave my lips I lean my head up wards "i'm fine, I guess." Tilling my head to the side I look over at him. "I just needed a minute."

"A minute to smoke?"

I laugh a little and exhale more smoke "No a minute to be myself."

Jessie looks at me for a second clearly confused but before he could say anything someone is calling for us.

"Cher are you out here?" Henry I guess couldn't see us behind the truck. I hop of the bumper and move out in the open.

"Hey sorry, I just needed a second."

Henry looks around "what are you even doing out here? Zach said you went ahead of him yet he beat you to our table?" He then see the smoke in my hand and his eyes go wide "Cher put it out, we'll get in serious trouble if you get caught."

He rushes towards me and shove the smoke to the ground, stomping on it till it was out. Once he was over near the back of the truck he was able to see that I wasn't alone and he stops stomping. Jessie smiles at him "oh don't stop on my account."

Henry looks between Jessie and I. His expression changes and he steps closer to me "what going on out here? Why is Jessie with you?" What's with all the guys all of the sudden.

I push Henry back a bit "god what's your problem, I just need a minute and Jessie came with me."

Jessie hops off the bumper and walks over to us "Alex was bothering her so I stepped in."

Henry looks at me panicked "are you okay? Did he do anything to you?!"

He's almost frantic. His eyes are darting over me, almost as if he was inspecting me. Jessie grabs his shoulder and looks him in the eye "he was flirting a little to much and I stepped in she's fine, aren't you Charlotte?"

They both turn to look at me. I nod my head in a yes and Henry let's put a breath. "Okay that's good. Now I'm starving let's go to lunch." I wonder why he was so worried about Alex so much.

Henry pulls me with him towards back to the school. I turn behind us and Jessie was following us "you know I don't like Charlotte."

"You know baby I don't really like Cher, it's not you." How is it not me? It feels like me? Jessie moves in front of us and open the school door for us. "Come on guys let's go before Luke eats all of Henry's lunch." And with that Henry was rushing me towards the cafeteria.

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By the time I was in my last class I was ready to go home. Transferring two weeks into the school year wasn't horrible except the fact that everyone already had a partner for home ec. There was only 11 kids in the class, we'll 12 now that I've join. I'm waiting in the last kitchen space near the back of the class for my partner to show up. According to the teacher my partner has been either working by himself or joining another group. But of course today he was late and he was taking forever by the time they showed up class would be over. Unfortunately Alex was in this class but to my luck he already had a partner and there space was by the front of the classroom. Leaning over the counter scrolling through my phone, I feel someone breathing over my shoulder. "Can't get enough of me can you baby girl?"

Turning around I'm face to face with Jessie "I'm guessing your my partner I've been desperately waiting for?"

Jessie laughs and opens a cabinet close to the sink and pulls out two aprons and throws one to me but before he can answer the teacher stops him. "Jess you're late."

He ties the apron around his waist he looks back up at the teacher "sorry Mrs.Gilbert I had a meeting with miss Lin. She said she'd email you."

She gives him a stiff nod and goes back to the notes on her desk. Jessie grabs the instructions on the counter and reads over the paper "okay it looks like we're just doing a deep clean for the week today. That pretty easy we just clean our kitchen."

He leans down and grabs the cleaning supplies from under the sink and starts cleaning the sink. I grab the all purpose cleaner and start wiping the counters "why does everyone call you Jess?"

He stops moving and without lifting his head from the sink he responds "why does everyone call you Cher?"

"I asked you first" he seem a little on edge that I asked but he's also been bugging me about my name so I thought it was fair.

"And I asked you second" he wasn't going to let up was he.

"Okay if I tell you will you tell me?" Jessie stops cleaning the sink and turns to lean on it. He ponders it for a minute and nods his head. "The short story is my parents liked C names and would pick proper, civilized names and I got Charlotte. It just never felt like it fit and almost everyone expect my parents agreed. So after multiple different names I decided Cher was the best. No one seemed to care about the name so I figured it was for the best" I can tell he listen to every word and actually listened. "So why does everyone call you Jess?"

Jessie waits a second looking as if he's deep in thought but soon a smile appeared to his face "maybe I'll tell you later." He chucked the sponge into the garbage and takes off his Apron and places it on the counter. But before I could ask him what he was doing the bell rings. I look over at the clock and it was the end of the day. I made it through the first day of school, I could feel my body loosening up already. Remembering my last conversation I wipe my head over to the door just as Jessie sends me a wink and walks out the door.

Taking off my apron and throwing my towel into the wash bin, I grab my things and head to the parking lot. Watching all the students I make it to Henry's truck, he's already inside scrolling through his phone, also clearly done for the day. I open the door and pull myself in and shove my headphone in and close my eyes. I'm not looking to make conversation right now. This town is going to take a lot of getting used too and I don't know if I'm ready for it.