1

    JESSIE HARVEY

My feet tapped the ground continuously almost like they had a mind of their own as my mind continued to race, willing a mix of random unimportant things to fill it out with, that being the only thing I could do to keep it from venturing into dangerous territory, the memory of that image that felt like it'd been burned into my thoughts. A memory as fresh as the wound was. 

One of my now ex-boyfriends, Carter, in bed with Alicia, my assistant from the bar I used to work at. Two years spent together, are now down the drain. Well, so much for the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with.

I would not fault myself for wanting to wait until we got married, I wasn't some traditionalist stuck on some boring rules of religion. I grew up sheltered, so I'd always been a virgin for so long. What was the harm in waiting for a few more, especially when I was so sure he was the one I wanted to give myself to? I loved him and that was seemingly the case for him too. Turns out I was wrong, a person who truly loved you wouldn't cheat on you.

I turned away from my computer screen that I'd been staring blankly at, now looking out the window that gave way to the outside from the small corner of my study, staring at the beautiful view I was offered, the pretty blue skies and busy streets of New York, the city I called home. The view from here was so perfect, it was one I could never get used to, never missing a chance to admire the enchanting scenery.

Heaving another deep sigh, I looked back at the screen, checking my emails to see if there was any luck at the company I applied to two weeks ago after I quit my last job, but that was unlikely seeing as all I did was type gibberish in frustration. I finally let the rage consume me as I let my open palm strike the keyboard -but not too hard though. 

"Two years, Jessie." I ranted to myself "Two fucking years! And that bastard thinks he can just do this to me and get away with it?!"

It may not seem like a lot but two years of everything I associated with love just ended. Every positive feeling I had for him faded the moment I opened that door to his widened eyes all while he was on top of another woman.

"Jessie!" I suddenly heard my name in an echo and I was slowly pulled out of my reverie.

"JESSIE" I looked up to see my best friend towering over me, her concerned eyes scanning all over my face. 

''Good morning, Valerie. When did you get here?" I asked in a low mutter.

"What do you mean when did I get here? I've been here since last night!" Valerie, my best friend who had been in my life right from the first day I walked into Brighton High School asked, face pulling into a frown.

Ah shit. I made a sound of realization 

"Oh, yeah, you're right. You were here before this morning, I'm sorry, I was …..lost in thoughts." I responded, pushing off the seat and going to my bed where I pulled open my laptop to check if I had any unresponded messages.

"Really? We had dinner together Jess!" She said, tone exasperated.

"I'm sorry, okay? I am just worried about not getting a reply from the companies I submitted my application letter to. It's really discouraging." I told her, and it wasn't exactly a lie although the expression on her face worked to show she didn't believe me.

"Or you're thinking about Carter" Valerie deadpanned, now leaning against the window sill, eyes still fixed on me.

"Yeah, that too," a sigh, "I just can't believe Carter cheated on me, and with my assistant at that, I still can't wrap my head around that thought and the pain I feel every time I remember how stupid I was to have kept myself for him, I thought he was the…"

"Right person," we said in unison.

"It really hurts, my heart hurts and the fact that he'd do that to me, after all, we shared just sparks the thoughts that you can never really know who to trust or who is genuine, Well, except you and Jas, I guess. I think I've been destined to remain single for the rest of my life, just like the sisters in the church." I confessed, a sad pout on my lips as I looked up at her.

"And who told you the sisters in the church aren't married or at least have someone they're fucking?" Valerie asked looking away from her phone that I hadn't noticed she was holding and concentrating on me.

"They do?" I asked, feigning surprise.

"Of course, they do! This is the 21st century and things like that rarely happen, if you weren't my best friend and someone told me you were still a virgin, trust me, I would not have believed.

"Why, isn't it a normal thing for girls?" 

"Not saying it is not normal, I'm just saying, in this day and age, it is almost impossible to find a 26-year-old virgin, waiting for the right man to deflower her. You should know by now that a lot of men count on physical intimacy to keep a relationship going, I really did think Carter would stay seeing how long you both lasted but men are just not all that" she hums, now taking a sit next to me, her hand smoothing down my hair in a comforting manner.

"He told me he was okay with my decision, he promised to respect my choice and wait until we got married," I added.

"Jess, every man is okay with decisions and promises until it's time to stick to it. You weren't ready to lay it down so he just found someone who was willing and went with it" Valerie said like she was some kind of relationship expert. She had always been like that, never one to shy away from speaking her mind and calling it as it is but conversations with her were always soothing and I found myself opening up to her more like I always do.

"I loved him, Val. I thought my love was enough for him, for us." I said, tears beginning to pool in my eyes as I tried to hold them back. 

 "I know you did and that is why we need to go out tonight! Free your mind from boys and their problems, he doesn't deserve your tears, hm?." she says a big smile spreading on her face as she turned to look at me. 

"I don't think I wanna do that, I mean….. I could use a drink or two, but going out is a big no for me. Besides, I've still got some work and a bit of sulking to do." I replied, pulling away from her hands and going back to the laptop that sat on my thighs to type out another application letter.

"That's not what we're about to do, sweetheart. What you need is to get out of this room, go to the mall, pick a dress you'd look hot in, get dolled up, and breathe in the New York air once again! You've been indoors for over three weeks now, and you reek of unhappiness. It hurts me to see you like this. You need to go out into the world once again, you don't need Carter or any man right now, all you need now is a night to yourself so you can chase this sad cloud looming around you away!" She finalized, getting up and snatching the device from my lap which she shut off and placed on the desk right next to my computer.

"I don't have to go out to do all that, Val" I whined and she shakes her head at my antics.

"You don't have to go out, you need to go out and have fun! Not be a sad burrito on your bed all week" a new voice intercepted, Jasmine joining us in my room where Valerie and I argued and on hearing her voice, I felt every fight in me die. Valerie, I could handle it to an extent, but with Jasmine in the picture, it was automatically a loosing battle.

My cousin, Jasmine, a multi-talented lady who works in a law firm was someone you never want to get into an argument with. I tried it once and swore to never put myself in that situation again. Jasmine, contrary to her outer demeanor, loved to party and worse, she loves partying with her friends. And Valerie would do anything and go to any length to get what she wants. And it can be scary at times, so I decided not to push my luck.

"See? Jasmine agrees with me, trust me, you won't regret it. Come on, I say we go to the mall to get dressed for the club tonight." she squealed in excitement, practically dragging me off the bed and into the shower. 

Wait, I didn't even get to say yes!

___________________________

I slipped into the dress I'd gotten earlier today and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"It's perfect, you just need a little bit of makeup to make it look super perfect!" Jasmine compliments, giggling as she did. 

She grabbed one of my liners and walked into my bathroom with it. "Emergencies, I ran out of mine!" She called.

I chose a pair of red stilettos to match my dress, sitting on the bed to pull them on.

"Mhm, delicious strawberry right there" I looked up to see Valerie standing in the doorway, looking stunning in her new dress.

"Leave me alone, Val." I bit back my smile as I shook my head at her, while Jas stood in front of me pulling the strands of my hair together in an attempt to help me style it.

"Come on, it's 10:30 and I want to get grooving!." Val cheered from where she stood.

I spared a glance at the ticking blue clock that hung on the wall and my jaw dropped in disbelief.

"It's 10:30?" I blinked, allowing the shock to set in, "How in the world is it 10:30!?" I half yelled, "It was 7:00 just a few minutes ago, how did we spend over three hours!"

"You decided to follow a Vogue makeup tutorial, which looks fabulous on you by the way and it took you well over an hour to do." she narrowed her eyes at me after collecting the straightener.

"Maybe you'll get lucky tonight, you look absolutely delicious." Val beamed and I pushed her away playfully.

There was no way I could even look at another guy right now, let alone 'get lucky' with one. I finished my hair and picked up my silver purse, letting it hang loosely on my shoulder and I felt a sudden surge of excitement rushing through me but I brushed it off. 

They pushed me out the door and Val wasted no time, beginning to dance down the hall excitedly, singing the popular 'Girls' night' song at the top of her lungs. 

"You guys are no fun at all." She sighed, turning to look at us when she got no response," Come on, join in!" I rolled my eyes and put my hands up in mock enthusiasm, singing along and I saw Jasmine shaking her head with a smile from the corner of my eyes before she raised her hands and joined in.

"Girls' night!" She chanted and tugged at my hands, making me pick up the pace. "Come on, I'm gonna get a cosmo, extra lime!" She thought out loud.

"I want a Caprese salad" I mused, relishing the thought of having one or even two plates of my favorite meal. 

"Food? Don't tell me you're thinking about eating when we're about to have a wild night!" Valerie asks, disappointment written all over her face. 

"Nothing wild is happening, Val, maybe a bit of dancing, but yeah" 

"Not maybe, you will dance!" Jasmine counters.

"What if I don't want to?" I retorted bravely.

"What's the point of going to a club if you are not going to dance!" Jasmine sighs in frustration.

"I told you I didn't want to go to the club in the first place, what are you girls on about?" I ask, enjoying the back-and-forth with Jasmine.

"Don't ruin the girls' night, guys. Jess, common, try to loosen up a little." Val said, trying to salvage the situation and a comfortable silence fell over us afterward.

Val stopped a taxi when we exited the building, getting a few appreciative looks that we brushed off, "These dresses are already working for us" she giggles as we file in, the taxi set for the club. It was a Friday night in the city that never sleeps and the goal was to make the most of it. I guess.