BLANK SPACE ; jess mariano

xxᴠɪ. ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ

"OH my god!" Sage darted off the stool and ran up to him. She immediately engulfed her and she found his scent exhilarating as she breathed in. The two finally broke apart and brown irises greeted green as they stared into each other's eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Sage questioned and Jess grinned at her stimulated expression.
"I had to get my car." Sage's heart sunk slightly.
"Oh." she tried to maintain her smile as she spoke. Jess glanced up to Luke.
"Hey."
"Hey." Luke responded.
"Hi Jess." Leanne addressed.
"Hey." Jess stood awkwardly, purposely lacking eye contact with the group huddled inside the diner. Sage had noticed the small differences about the boy. His skin was tanned slightly and his hair was more floppy and curly. It had almost definitely grown quite a bit since four months ago.
"I should go. Gypsy's with my car and, you know how she gets.." Sage scrutinised as he glanced to the ground. What if his eyes had started to fill again? What if when he looked up her heart would turn to glass and she would drop it, and it would spray shards all over the floor, glistening as they fell. But no. He looked up this time, with a weak smile.
"Bye, Sage." he caressed her hand before turning away to the door, watching himself reflect in it.
"Bye, Jess." Sage mumbled, following his steps as he began to walk away.
"Jess!" Sage felt dazed as she heard her mother called the boy back, his curls bouncing as he faced Leanne, "Where are you staying tonight?" Jess scratched the back of his neck.
"In my car, probably." Leanne scoffed.
"Don't be stupid, come round to ours, I'll set up the mattress." Jess smiled at Leanne and then turned to Sage. She nodded excitedly and her eyes met Jess' again, who wore a smirk before he sauntered away, cigarette smoke dancing into the air.

SAGE guided the boy around the house.
"So," she commenced, tour guide style, "This is the living room." Jess nodded, taking in the quirky patterns around this house.
"And that's where we eat." Sage pointed her index finger out to a round a table and a kitchen area. Following her up the creaky stairs, Jess accidentally peeked through into Leanne's room, boxes stacked to the ceiling with scruffy writing scribbled over them that read 'Darren's shit'.
"And this is my room." Jess simpered slightly.
"I know." he gazed at Sage as she instantly reddened and struggled to conceal it.
"Oh yeah.." she stammered and Jess laughed at her. No control over her movement, Sage edged closer to Jess, who inattentively tucked an escaping strand of her hair behind her ear. Leaning into each other's lips, almost feelings sparks radiate off them due to the nearness. Millimetres apart, a door shut thunderously, startling both and resulting in the two quickly pulling away.
"Okay!" Leanne's voice echoed around the small home. Sage and Jess snapped their heads to her. Leanne flashed a wide grin, almost too animated for Jess' liking.
"Guys, we are going have such a party tonight, I've got Twizzlers, Twinkies, marshmallows, oo! And I've got pizza, sound good?" Sage and Jess smiled, letting Leanne know they were appreciative.

SAGE picked up a slice of pizza from the grease stained box and took bite, the unduly familiar taste greeting her tongue.
"You enjoying the food, Jess?" Leanne asked, half a Twizzler leaning on her lip as she talked. Jess nodded.
"Yeah, it's great, thanks."
"And how's California?" Sage tensed and kicked her mother's foot. Jess noticed and briskly grasped Sage's hand, who almost immediately melted into his touch.
"It's okay, I guess. My dad's letting me crash on the couch, and I met Sasha, that's his girl now." Leanne nodded, taking in Jess' chatty side, a side she had never really gotten to know, "Oh, and I took, Lily, his stepdaughter to.." Jess paused, and glanced at Sage, who although was nervous about his next words, urged him to go on, "..Disneyland." he controlled his eyes to fixate on the box of Twinkies.
"Disneyland?" Sage spoke practically breathlessly, as she gazed into Jess' eyes. 
"Yeah.." Jess muttered, anxiously awaiting her response, hoping that he hadn't triggered the memory that pained them both.
"That's nice." she forced a broad grin and the weight left his shoulders.

STARING at the ceiling was starting to become a regular thing that occurred at night for Sage. Her mother had turned on the movie of The Breakfast Club and according to Jess, Sage had been so tired, she had drifted off on Jess' shoulder. Leanne slowly fell to sleep, until only Jess and the voice of Molly Ringwald could be heard. After getting too tired of his own company, he shook Sage awake, and she groaned as he did so, her eyes closing again. Jess wound up dragging her to her room, and Sage could only hold herself up by clutching onto Jess' arm. And then, the two had stayed up for another two hours, after Jess had sneaked two beers into the room, just talking like old times. Eventually, Jess had fallen asleep and the ever tired Sage, was left to watching the patterns on the ceiling move around in the darkness, resembling that of a kaleidoscope. Sage exhaled somewhat loudly and Jess turned to face her, un-styled hair ruffled and eyes growing tired.
"I'm sorry, were you asleep, did I wake you?" Sage questioned before the boy grinned.
"I thought you were asleep?"
"No, I.." Sage giggled. "So, I'm glad California's good." Jess' smile disappeared as quick as it had come.
"It's not. It's shit. I'm not staying there." Sage's breath caught.
"Jess, what do you mean..."

sorry this took forever like schools been busy as i'm back after the holidays