Jess sat on the porch rubbing suntan lotion over her shoulders. The hot sun beating down on her. Placing the bottle on the floorboards beside her chair, she picked up her correspondence math book. She had missed the end of the school year and was forced to use the summer to catch up if she were to graduate like her peers. A requirement Sasha insisted on should she provide Jess with a place to live. So, she spent these beautiful days studying while her friends enjoyed their summer.
It was not a total loss; she was able to use her studies as a means of distraction to keep her mind busy. To keep her thoughts from wandering back to Los Angeles and tormenting her. It drove her mad that she missed Mace so badly when he had never cared for her at all. She hated herself for falling for him in the
