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"Are there any questions?" Dr. Spade asked Jessica's Vietnam War
class. When no one said anything, he then said, "Ok then. There's a test a week from today, so I'll hand out your
study guides on Monday." He smiled. "Have a great weekend, folks!" As soon as he said this, the room filled
with noise as people stuffed their backpacks with books and then walked out of the room. "Jessica Ray!" Dr. Spade called
out as the mass of humanity began to slowly filter out through the classroom door. Jessica looked up from her academic
planner and at Dr. Spade. "Come up here, please," he said. He then reached into a stack of papers as Jessica made
her way to the front of the room. Dr. Spade handed her a sheet of paper. "There's an internship at the museum
for an upperclassman college student," he told her as her eyes scanned the paper. Soon, Jessica realized that the paper
he had handed to her was an application for the internship. Her eyes grew wide as she looked up at him. "You think
that I can get it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Dr. Spade sat down on the large desk and grinned.
"I wouldn't have given you the application if I thought otherwise," he replied. Jessica's face broke into a smile as
she said to her advisor and professor, "Thanks!" He nodded as she turned around and left the room, in a daze.
As she made her way down the huge marble steps of Lieber Hall, she ran
into someone near the second floor. "Oh, excuse me!" she said, looking up at who she ran into. Two angry eyes
glared down at her. And the eyes belonged to Aaron Stynes...the star first-baseman for the UTH baseball team.
"Watch it, you stupid bitch!" he said, giving her a slight shove. "Now I'm going to have to re-sign my name on this
sheet." He glared at her again before signing his name on a sheet that was posted on the bulliten board that was on
the wall. Jessica frowned and looked at what he was signing up for; she then read "Softball Tourney" and knew that it
was a sign-up sheet for the tournament. Aaron placed the cap back on his pen and then turned around to see Jessica reading
what the sheet was saying. He laughed as he watched her read it. "Don't even waste your sorry time. Me and
my boys are gonna beat everyone's asses in that tournament," he said, flipping a pen to one of his buddies. Jessica
looked at him and said, "Don't count on winning that tournament quite yet, fuzzball," she threw at Aaron, who's head, which
had been shaved that summer, was now covered in fuzz. His friends laughed as she said this, but a glare from him shut
them up. "And just why is that, you scrawny piece of shit?" To answer him, Jessica took out a pen and signed herself
and all her friends up for the tournament. She placed the pen back into her backpack. Jessica then started to
walk past the stunned jerk, but stopped long enough to say, "I'll see you out on the diamond." She then continued down
the stairs, a fuming Aaron Stynes left to stare at her back.
Jessica sat down at a table in the union of the university and unwrapped
her Subway sandwich from its wrapper and bit into it. She sat the sandwich down and thought about what she had done
as she chewed up the bite of food in her mouth. "Hey, JED," she heard Sally's voice say from behind her. Jessica
turned around to look and saw Sally walking down the nearby stairs and towards her. Jessica smiled at her friend.
"Whatcha doing?" Jessica asked Sally as Sally pulled up another chair to the table that Jessica was at. "Nothing much.
Just got out of my last class for today," Sally replied. She leaned back into the chair and sighed. "So, how has
your day been?" Sally asked Jessica, who was now filling her mouth with another bite of the sandwich. Jessica chewed
up the food before saying, "I signed us all up to play softball." "Even Techno?" Sally asked, a look of doubt crossing
her face. Jessica nodded and grinned. "It's gonna take a lot of begging and snickerdoodles...maybe even some blackmailing,
but we'll get him!" Sally laughed at her friend's statement. "Well, we'll come up with something," Sally said, her face
breaking out into a grin.
"No. Absolutely not," Techno said, turning back around to tighten a
screw on the security camera mounting. Jessica had caught him in the middle of his work. He was now perched up
on a ladder, making sure that the cameras were operational. Jessica sighed, "C'mon! PLEEEEAAASE?" Techno
furiously shook his head no. After one last twist of the screwdriver, he climbed down the ladder. Thick black
boots pounded the ground as he jumped off the last ladder rung. Jessica bit her lower lip and then said, "Do you have
any idea as to why we need you?" Techno threw the screwdriver that was in his hand into the toolbox. He wiped
his hands on his already dirty jeans and turned around to look Jessica dead in the eyes. "Why?" he asked, his mouth
set in a straight line. Jessica smiled sweetly up at him and said, "Because we need you to be our manager." Techno
snorted, "Your MANAGER?" "Well, yeah! We need someone to keep us under control, and...well...I thought that you
would do a good job of it," she finished quietly, her eyes pleading with his own. Techno leaned against the wall of
the mansion, his eyes softening a bit as Jessica stuck out her lower lip and whimpered. "Pweeeaaase?" she asked, giving
him the best puppy-dog-look as she possibly could. Techno looked at her again, looking as though he was about to crack
under Jessica's begging. "Weeeelll..." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He leaned in and said, "No."
Techno grinned, patted her shoulder, and walked around the corner and back into the mansion. Jessica growled and leaned
against the house, trying to plot her next attempt to get Techno to manage their team.
The next day, after classes, Jessica drove her purple Mustang to the Franklin
D. Roosevelt Musuem of History that stood in downtown Tequila Heights. She parked her car near the entrance. Climing
out of it, Jessica locked the door and shut it. She had worn a pair of khakis and a soft lilac button-down shirt that
was fitted to her waist. Once Jessica stood near the door to the entrance of the building, she brushed back a loose
lock of hair, pushing it behind her ear. Jessica then opened the heavy door and walked into the cool and mellow room
that greeted guests of the musuem. Hard marble floors helped create echos as Jessica's footsteps sounded on floors.
She walked down a long hallway, passing many doorways that branched off into different exhibits. Finally, she reached
the end of the hall and stood in front of a door that said "OFFICE" on the frosted glass pane.
Jessica opened the door, stepping onto the carpeted floor of the office.
She looked around, noticing a hallway that lead to offices in the back. A woman sat at a desk, typing up what appeared
to be a letter on the computer. Jessica cleared her throat, but the woman didn't look up from the computer screen.
"I'm here for the internship interview," Jessica said after she realized that the woman wouldn't give her the light of day.
"Take a seat and you will be informed of when to go in," the woman's cool voice said. Her eyes, still, did not move
from the computer screen. Jessica responded by nodding her head and then moving over to take a seat in one of the stiff
office chairs. Closing her eyes, Jessica tried to relax and remain calm. As her eyes were closed, she heard the
door from the hallway open and then shut. The receptionist then told the person exactly as what she had told Jessica.
"Well, look what we have here!" Jessica heard a male's voice say as a figure sat down next to her.
Jessica opened her eyes and looked up into the leering face of Aaron Stynes.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "To get my internship," he said, leaning back into
the chair. Jessica frowned more and asked, "Who gave you an application for this?" "God, a little nosy, are we?
Old Caldwell gave it to me, since he knows that I'll get it," Aaron replied, an arrogant smile breaking out onto his face.
Dr. Caldwell was the male shovinist of the history department at UTH. "That explains it all," Jessica muttered, turning
back around in her seat. Aaron looked at her and then rolled his eyes, finally shutting up. "Miss Ray, you may
go back there now. Third door on the right," the receptionst's voice called out. Standing up, Jessica picked up
her purse and the portfolio that she had. Aaron snickered as a few papers flew out. Jessica bent over to pick
them up and then headed towards the office, her chin held high as she knew that Aaron Stynes was giving his most conceited
smile.
Jessica knocked on the third door on the right and heard "Come in!"
She opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit room. "Ah, Miss Ray!" a man's voice came from behind a desk.
Jessica looked up and saw Dr. James Marshall sitting behind the desk. "Dr. Marshall?" she asked, taking a seat in front
of the desk. He laughed his great laugh and said, "You didn't know that I'd taken over the history musuem, did you?"
Jessica smiled and shook her head. "No, I didn't know that. I haven't seen you since my first semester at
the university!" she exclaimed, smiling at the middle-aged man. Dr. Marshall smiled at Jessica and said, "Well, since
you were in that last class of mine, I've been writing on my book. But the musuem contacted me a couple of months ago,
asking me to run it. So, here I am! And here YOU are!" he said. Jessica smiled and nodded. "Already
applying for the internship, I see," he said, looking at the application on his desk. "Yes and here's my portfolio with
the recommendations inside," Jessica said, setting the folder on his desk. Dr. Marshall picked up the glasses that sat
on his desk and placed them on his face. He then flipped open the folders and began to leaf through the papers that
were in it. "Harry Spade is your top recommendation?" the man asked Jessica, glancing up at her. "Yes, sir," Jessica
replied. "A good man, good teacher...very well respected and known. Did you know that he gave up a teaching position
at Harvard but chose UTH over them?" Dr. Marshall asked her, his eyes turning back to the portfolio. "No, I did not
know that," Jessica said quietly. "Not many people do, Miss Ray," the man said, leafing through more papers. "I
see that you have been doing extensive research work for the department this semester, too. Very good, very good," Dr.
Marshall mumbled. He then looked at her sharply and asked, "What makes you think that you can handle this internship?"
Jessica gulped and said, "Well, sir...My experiences thus far in the department at the university have been incredible.
I've learned a lot from professors, such as yourself and Dr. Spade. And the research work this semester has been rewarding
in the fact that I'm more detail-oriented and more thorough in my work. And, as for the public speaking aspect of the
internship, well...I haven't had public speaking yet at the university, but I did theatre in high school so I have experience
through that," Jessica finished, her eyes looking straight at Dr. Marshall's. Dr. Marshall had been nodding as Jessica
was speaking and now smiled. "I like your mind and what you had to say, Miss Ray," Dr. Marshall spoke. "I think
that this is all I need from you now," he said, "so I will get back in touch with you after the decision is made." Jessica
noted that as her moment to stand up. Dr. Marshall stood up himself and extended a hand to her. She reached out
her hand to his. They shook hands, a firm yet gentle grip held between them. "Thank you, sir," Jessica said, smiling.
The man grinned and released Jessica's hand. Jessica then grabbed her purse from the chair and made her way out of the
office and towards the front of the offices. Aaron Stynes was just getting out of his seat, portfolio in hand, when
she passed him. She didn't say a word, but he reached out a hand and gripped it tightly around her upper arm.
Aaron looked down at her, his eyes full of daggers. "Don't be too disappointed when I get this and you don't," he said
before releasing her arm and walking towards Dr. Marshall's office. Jessica rubbed her arm where his fingers had been
and then walked out into the hallway. She grinned to herself, though, as she knew that there was no way in hell that
Aaron Stynes would get the prized internship at the musuem.
Jessica looked around the doorway and then brought her head back into the
kitchen. "He's coming!" she whispered loudly to Tonya, who put carefully placed the tray of snickerdoodles in the cupboard.
"I could smell that all the way down into the basement," Techno said, inhaling a deep breath of the declicious smell.
Jessica, who was pretending to look for something to eat, said, "Smell what?" "Those SNICKERDOODLES!" Techno said.
He was practically drooling just from the aroma of them. Tonya grinned as she said, "There's not any snickerdoodles
in this mansion." "Dammit, girls! I know that they're here, now where are they?" Techno asked, his voice holding
a slight edge of annoyance to it. Finally, Jessica and Tonya's eyes met and they giggled. "They can be all your's..."Jessica
said. "But it's going to cost you," Tonya finished, grinning an evil grin. Techno sighed and licked his lips.
"Ok, whatever it is you want, you've got it. Now just let me have those cookies!" he exclaimed. Tonya reached
up into the cupboard behind her and pulled out the scrumptous treats. She held them towards Techno, who reached out
a hand to take one. However, Tonya yanked back the tray right before he could get it. "Hey!" Techno growled, giving
the girls a look of death. Jessica picked up a snickerdoodle and walked over to Techno, holding it in front of his face.
She could tell that he was salivating at the sight of his favorite food. "You've gotta promise to be the manager for
our softball team," she said, wiggling the cookie in front of his eyes. "Fine," Techno stated before reaching out and
ripping the snickerdoodle from Jessica's hand. He stuffed it in his mouth and sighed, "God, that's so good." Tonya
smiled as she sat down the entire tray of them in front of Techno. "Eat up," she said, smiling. "You're going
to need the energy."
A couple of days later, the entire gang headed out to Dessen Park to practice
on the softball diamonds there. As soon as Techno parked the van, almost everyone rushed out of the van, going crazy
in the Indian Summer sun. However, Jessica hung back to gather the equipment that they would need. Sebastian stayed
with her, helping her gather the bats, balls, gloves, and bases. "Have you heard about the internship yet?" Sebastian
asked Jessica as she stuffed the bats into an equipment bag. Jessica sighed as she dragged the bats out of the van and
leaned them up against the vehicle. "Nothing yet," she said quietly, standing up to lift her hat off her head and wipe
the sweat off her brow. "Well, you'll find out soon, Jess," Sebastian said, throwing the bag that contained the softballs
over his shoulder. Jessica smiled as she looked up at her fiance. "I know," she said, turning back to gather the
last of the equipment. "JEEEEEED! HURRY UP!" the girls yelled towards Jessica. Jessica just stuck out her
tongue at them before shuting the door of the van. She gathered up some equipment, Sebastian getting the rest of it,
and together, they walked towards the field.
Jessica dumped the equipment along the fence that stood next to the diamond.
"Have you played softball at all before, Sebastian?" Techno asked him, walking over to where Jessica and Sebastian stood.
"Yeah, I played in the police league a couple of years ago," he said. "Why do you want to know?" Techno grinned
and said, "Then you're our pitcher." "PITCH?" Sebastian said. He set took his sunglasses off his face and followed
Techno towards the the rest of the group. "But I don't know how to pitch! I play first base!" Jessica heard Sebastian
say before she grabbed herself a glove. By the time that she reached the middle of the diamond, the group had surrounded
Techno, each calling out what position that they wanted to play. Finally, he broke through the throng of people and
walked up to Jessica. He handed her the piece of paper that he held and the pen. "Here," he said, "you signed us up,
so you can fucking make the damn roster." He then walked over to the dugout and sat on the bench in it. Jessica
sighed as she turned around to face the group of her friends that stood, waiting. "Have any of the guys played softball
before---except for Sebastian?" she asked, looking around. "I played a couple of games about five years ago," Alec said.
"Ok," she said, "so what position did you play?" "I was a utility guy," he said, grinning. Jessica nodded and
then let her mind go through all the skills of her friends before she spoke up, "Ok, I've decided the lineup and who's going
to play what position." "Get on with it already!" Dee said. Jessica cleared her throat and said, "I'll go in the
batting order. Zarbon, center field; Dee, catcher; Tonya, right field; Sebastian, first base; Poopsie, left field; Sally,
third base; Daniel, shortstop; myself, secondbase; and Alec, you will pitch. Is that ok with everyone?" Everyone
responded by running to grab a glove and bat. Jessica then sighed as she wrote down the roster and handed it to Techno,
who had joined her on the field. "Let's work on our throwing!" Jessica called out to the gang. She picked up her
glove, which lay at her feet, and slipped it on. "Hey, JESS!" she heard Sebastian call out at her. He threw a
ball her way and she reached up and caught it. Sebastian then started to charge Jessica. She squealed and ran
out into the outfield. But, he caught up with her and grabbed her around her waist.
Jessica struggled and they both tumbled down into
the lush grass. "Let me go!" she hollered, laughing at the same time. "Putting up a fight?" he said, tossing his
sunglasses into the grass beside them. Sebastian then leaned in and kissed Jessica. She stopped struggling and
wrapped her arms around him. "Would you two cut that out?" they heard Techno shout from down near homeplate. Then
they heard the girls, except for Dee, giggle. Jessica chuckled as Sebastian rolled his eyes, then leaned in to give
her one last kiss before he helped her up off the outfield. He didn't let go of her hand, though, and Jessica's engagement
ring sparkled in the sunlight as they made their way towards the rest of the group.
It was a few hours later and the sun was starting to set. They had
all practiced hard on throwing, fielding, and batting. "Let's go to Sonic for supper!" Poopsie said, throwing her glove
into the back of the van. "YEAH!" Tonya chimed in. "A Route 44 Lemonade DOES sound good," Jessica said.
"Alright, fine, we'll go there," Techno said. After Sebastian closed the door to the van, Techno started up the ignition
and drove out of the park and to the Sonic that was only a few blocks away. "I want to play on the slides!" Dee exclaimed
as Techno parked the van in the Sonic parking lot. "YEAH!" the rest of the girls chimed in. All the guys rolled
their eyes. Once the van had come to a complete stop, the door was opened and the girls sprinted towards the play area.
"We might as well eat outside, then," Zarbon said, stepping out of the van and walking over to a picnic table. Sebastian,
Daniel, and Alec looked at each other and shrugged, only to climb out of the van and go over to the table that Zarbon sat
at. Techno frowned and then sighed. "Might as well," he muttered as he made sure that the van was securely locked.
He walked over to where the rest of the guys sat and took a seat on one of the table's benches.
Jessica laughed as she slid down the winding slide. And when she fell
onto the ground at the bottom, she laughed even more. She then quickly stood up as she heard Dee hoot and holler as
she slid down the slide next. Jessica then ran out of the play area and over to where the guys sat. Sebastian
grinned at her. Jessica was covered in sand all over and her hair that came out of her ponytail was flying all over
the place. "When are you guys gonna be ready to order?" she asked, attempting to dust the sand particles off of her
legs. But before any of the guys could answer, they heard car tires screech as a red Camero pulled around the parking
lot and double parked next to the van.
A red-faced Aaron Stynes got out and walked briskly up the Jessica.
He slammed down the UTH newspaper on the table and said, "I don't know how you got it, but you got it, you stupid bitch!"
His voice held a sharp edge to it. Sebastian stood up and glared at Aaron, "Watch what you call her." Aaron glanced
over at Sebastian and said, "Who are you? Her protector?" Sebastian removed his sunglasses from his face, his
emerald green eyes throwing daggers at Aaron. "Her fiance," Sebastian said, putting his arm around Jessica. Aaron
just rolled his eyes and turned to look at Jessica again. "You might have gotten me at this," he said, "but your ass
is mine in the softball tournmant. I'll see you and YOU," he nodded towards Sebastian. Jessica felt Sebastian's
hand ball into a fist as Aaron went to his still-running car and sped out of the parking lot. Jessica watched him as
he left. Sebastian picked up the newspaper than Aaron had slammed on the table and read what had been circled in red.
"Jess," Sebastian said, nudging his fiance. Jessica turned and looked at the paper and then at him. Sebastian's
face broke out into a grin as he said, "You got the internship."
The next day, Jessica climbed the stairs of Lieber Hall to the Social Science Department
on the third floor. As she walked past the front desk, Lydia, the secretary, said to her, "Congratulations, Jessica!"
Jessica smiled a thank you and continued towards the slew of offices, stopping at Dr. Spade's. The door was partially
closed, so she knocked on it. "Come in!" Jessica heard Dr. Spade call out. She opened the door further and stepped
into the office. "Jessica!" Dr. Spade exclaimed, getting out his desk chair. He walked over to her and smiled.
"Congratulations are in order!" he told her as they shook hands. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Here, have
a seat," he said, clearing books off the chair that sat in front of his desk. Jessica sat down and then said, "Dr. Spade...did
you know that Aaron Stynes was the other applicant for the internship?" Dr. Spade ran a hand through his still-thick
red hair. He then nodded. "He asked me for a recommendation right before his interview," Dr. Spade said, sitting
himself down behind his desk. "And you didn't give it to him?" Jessica asked, her eyes holding question to them.
Before Dr. Spade could answer her, she said, "I know that he has a better GPA in his history classes than I do. So...why
me and not him?" "For many reasons," Dr. Spade spoke. He then grinned and said in a quiet voice, "Just between
you and me...he doesn't hold a candle to your ability to absorb information and your research skills." Jessica grinned
and leaned back in the chair. A knock at the door sounded and Jessica heard, "Spade, are you in there?"
The door then creaked open and Dr. Timothy Caldwell stuck his head in the
door. "Harry, I was going to a---" Dr. Caldwell's voice stopped speaking as he noticed Jessica sitting in front of Dr.
Spade's desk. The older man's grey eyes narrowed as he said coldy, "I thought that you'd be busy starting that internship...you
know...the one that you robbed from Aaron Stynes?" Jessica's eyes grew wide after he said this. "Robbed?" she
asked. Dr. Caldwell stepped further into the office and cleard his throat before saying, "Miss...You and I both know
that Aaron is the one who deserved that internship. Yet, I shouldn't be surprised that a woman would cheat to get what
she wants, but knows that she doesn't deserve." Jessica gasped in shock. She then stood up and, after giving a
quick glance to Dr. Spade, said, "Dr. Caldwell...are you insinuating that my skills are not good enough for me to acquire
an internship, just as the one that I acquired, simply due to the fact that I'm a woman?" Jessica's foice gained a slight
edge to it as she spoke cooly to Dr. Caldwell. Before Dr. Caldwell could respond, however, Dr. Spade intervened.
"Tim, I'll see you at lunch at Subway," Dr. Spade said, standing up and moving over to by where Jessica stood. Dr. Caldwell
opened his mouth and then shut it again. He gave Jessica one last arrogant glare before leaving the office. "Dont'
let him bother you, Jessica," Dr. Spade said. "I don't...believe you me. I KNOW I didnt' steal that internship,"
Jessica said, turning around to face Dr. Spade. Dr. Spade nodded and smiled. "Good," he said. He then picked
up some papers off his desk and handed them to her. "I was sent these scholarship applications this morning and thought
that you would maybe be interested in them, since they're for history majors only," he told her. Jessica took them and
smiled. "Thanks, Dr. Spade," she said. "I'll stop by tomorrow to talk over the test questions for class," she
said, moving towards the door. "Ok," Dr. Spade said, "I'll be here until noon." Jessica smiled her goodbye and
then left the office. However, on her way past the front desk, she walked past Dr. Caldwell, who gave her a look of
superiority before turning back around to read the phone message that he held. Jessica only glared back and walked out
of the department and towards the stairs.
The rest of the school week passed and finally it was Friday evening:
the first game of the two-weekend tournament was that night. Jessica was up in her room, throwing on a pair of shorts
and a tank top for that night's game when there was a knock on her door. "It's open!" she called out. Sebastian
walked in to see Jessica braiding her hair into two pigtails. He laughed and said, "Still going to wear your Cubs cap?"
Jessica grinned and nodded. She wrapped the last hair band around the left braid and then placed the cap that sat on
her dresser onto her head. Sebastian walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Both of them
looked into the mirror that sat above the dresser and grinned. "Do you know who we're playing today?" Sebastian mumbled
as he began to nuzzle Jessica's neck. Jessica giggled and said, "We won't know till we get to the diamonds." "What
time do we need to be over there, then?" Sebastian asked, placing a kiss on her neck. "Umm...In about half an hour,"
she replied. Jessica reached her hands and placed them on Sebastian's arms. Her ring sparkled in the little light
that came through the west-facing bay window. "Good," Sebastian whispered. He then turned her around and kissed
her. Jessica kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Their kiss deepend and Jessica felt Sebastian's
arms circle tighter around her. "Hey, Jess," Sebastian softly said as his lips moved back down to her neck. Jessica
arched back, exposing more of her neck to Sebastian. "Hmm?" she mumbled, closing her eyes as he continued to place kisses
along her neck and ears and chin. "I could sure use a massage after this game, if you'd give me on," he said, his lips
against her neck, tickling it. Jessica shoved against him and away from his arms. "Ohh...I see," she said, raising
her eyebrows. "This was all because you wanted a massage later on, wasn't it?" she asked him. However, a smile
played at her lips. "It worked, didn't it?" Sebastian said, smiling as he pulled Jessica back into his arms. He
leaned down and kissed her so sweetly that as soon as he broke his lips from hers, she said, "You bet it worked!" They
both laughed as they hugged each other tight.
Half-an-hour later, Techno parked the van near the diamonds and everyone
climbed out, hauling a bat, a glove, and a ball. Techno locked the van and they all headed towards the diamond.
"Jessica, you need to come with me to find out who we played, since you signed us up," Techno said. By that time, the
rest of the group had already spread out on a large open field to toss around some balls to warm up for the game. Jessica
set her stuff down next to all the bats and the large cooler that held bottles of water. She followed Techno up to a
table that sat in the center area between four diamonds. Jessica stepped up to the table and said, "Hi, my name is Jessica
Ray. I should be on the sheet." The woman that sat at the table scanned through some sheets of paper and then
nodded. She smiled up at Jessica and said, "You'll play your first game today on Diamond 4 against Harry Spade's team."
Jessica gasped and said, "Harry SPADE has a team?" The woman nodded as she squinted against the bright sunlight when
she looked up at Jessica. Jessica just shrugged and turned around to walk away, Techno in tow. "Who's Harry Spade?"
he asked her, walking on her left side. "My advisor at school," she told him. "Oh," he said. "WE'RE ON DIAMOND
FOUR!!!" Techno shouted out at the group. They all stopped what they were doing and gathered up their equipment, heading
towards the diamonds. "Who are we playing?" Tonya asked as she walked past Jessica. "Her advisor at the university,"
Techno replied for Jessica. "ALRIGHT! We get to beat a bunch of pansy professors!" Sally exclaimed, giggling.
"Too bad Mr. Edwards doesn't teach here...THAT could be amusing," Poopsie said, placing her sunglasses on her face.
Jessica grinned and picked up her glove and bat and followed her friends to the diamond.
At the diamond, Jessica entered the onto the field and saw her advisor, Harry
Spade, standing near the other dugout. She walked up to him and he saw her just as she reached him. He reached
out a hand to her and she took it. The two shook hands and then grinned. "I didn't know that your skills extended
to the sport of softball," Dr. Spade said to Jessica. Jessica smiled and said, "Well, this too extends to Aaron Stynes,
sir." "He's in this tournament?" Dr. Spade asked, a bit of surprise appearing in his voice. Jessica nodded.
"Well, his team will probably be the team to beat then," Dr. Spade said, taking the cap on his head off and wiping sweat from
his brow. Jessica grinned and said, "I'm just going to try and get past you and the other professors here first."
Dr. Spade laughed and said, "Good luck. I'll see you on the field." Jessica giggled as she turned around and ran
back over to her group's dugout.
The game started off with Jessica's team as the home team and Dr. Spade's
team as the visiting team. Many errors were made by both teams and by the bottom of the 6th, Jessica's group was down
by a run. "Zarbon, you're up first," Techno said, handing Zarbon a bat. Tonya looked up from the bench towards
her lover and said something in his native language. Zarbon smiled, said something back, and then took the field to
bat. "GO ZARBON!!!!" Jessica screamed from the dugout. Her and the rest of the group cheered Zarbon on as he faced
Dr. Spade, who was pitching. The first pitch was made and Zarbon swung over the ball. "STRIKE ONE!" the umpire called
out. The count then moved to 1-1. Then 1-2. On the next pitch, Zarbon made contact and the ball sailed over
the right fielder's head and hit the top of the wall, staying in the ballpark. "RUN, ZARBON, RUN!" the girls screamed
at Zarbon. He stood at homeplate, in awe of the ball that he just hit. When he heard the girls screaming at him,
however, he took off and ran the bases as hard as he could. Zarbon stopped at third base as the ball was thrown back
into the infield. The girls cheered and Dee strode up to the plate. She tapped her bat on homeplate and got
into her stance. The first pitch by Dr. Spade nearly hit Dee and she fell to the ground as she tried to get out of the
way. "HEY!" she yelled towards the mound. "WATCH IT!" Dr. Spade gulped as the girl's eyes gave him a look
of death and called out meekly, "Sorry!" The next pitch, however, Dee hit. The ball flew into the air behind home
plate and the catcher, who was Dr. Caldwell, made the out. Dee began to walk back towards the dugout but heard Dr. Caldwell
say quietly, "Is typical of a woman to blow a chance such as that." Dee spun around and began to walk briskly towards
the man. "I'm going to kick your ass!" she growled. Sebastian, who was to bat next, ran over and held her back.
"NO ONE SAYS THAT AND KEEPS THEIR BALLS!" Dee was yelling at Dr. Caldwell as Sebastian pushed her back to the dugout.
Jessica and Techno stepped out of the dugout to take Dee by the arms and gently pull her back to where they stood. But
Dee shrugged off their hands and began to walk back towards the rest of the team. As she walked past Techno, she said,
"And don't think that you, asswipe, could've done better!" Techno glared at her, but Jessica got between them and started
to cheer for Sebastian, "C'mon SEBASTIAN! WOOO!" The rest of the group stood cheering for Sebastian as he dug
himself into the batter's box and gripped the bat, standing ready for the pitch. Dr. Spade tossed the first pitch and
Sebastian cranked it. As soon as the ball left his bat, he was off and running. The ball skipped past the centerfielder
and Zarbon crossed the plate, tying the game. Sebastian was half-way to third by the time the centerfielder had picked
up the ball. The man threw it in and Sebastian was heading around third base as the ball hit the cutoff man. The
cutoff man threw the ball to homeplate, where Dr. Caldwell stood blocking it. Sebastian, knowing that he would likely
be out, ran barreling into Dr. Caldwell, both of them hitting the ground hard. Sebastian's hand remained rested on homeplate,
though, and the ball that had been in Dr. Caldwell's glove now lay by the backstop.
"HE'S SAFE!" the umpire called out as the group poured out of the dugout,
celebrating. Jessica ran over to Sebastian, screaming as she helped him stand up. "WE WON! WE WON!
WE WON!" she screamed, jumping up and down as he tried to hug her. "We're going to get Techno," Tonya came up and whispered
in her ear. Jessica watched as Alec and Daniel lifted the cooler and poured the ice all over Techno. Jessica laughed
as Techno sputtered and then turned around to give a laughing Dee a hard glare. "Good game, babe," Sebastian said, leaning
down and giving Jessica a kiss on the cheek.
Later that night, Jessica and Sebastian sat up in Sebastian's room.
Sebastian was lying flat on his stomach on his large bed while Jessica massaged the muscles in his back. "That was one
helluva collision at the plate," Jessica said to him as she dug her fingers into the muscles along his shoulder blades.
"Mmm-hmm," Sebastian mumbled. His piercing green eyes were shut as Jessica continued to feel his muscles relax underneath
her touch. Her fingers and hands continued to work up and down his back, massaging out all the knots in Sebastian's
muscular back.
After ten minutes of this, Jessica grinned mischievously. She began
to place kisses along Sebastian's spine, sending shivers down his back and placing goosebumps on his arms. However,
Jessica's fingers worked their way over to his ribs. She tickled Sebastian, giggling the whole time. "AUUUGH!"
he cried out. Strong hands reached around and grabbed her by her waist, throwing her against the mattress. Soon,
Sebastian leaned over Jessica, pulling her close against his bare chest. Their feet gently rubbed together at the foot
of the bed.
Jessica's tight-fitting tank top rided up on her waist, revealing the smooth
skin of her stomach. She shivered as she felt Sebastian's naked abdomen slide against her own. Leaning in, Sebastian
touched Jessica's lips with his. She inhaled sharply as their kiss began to deepen. Jessica felt Sebastian's tongue
flitter into her mouth, probing against her tongue. She responded by running her hands along Sebastian's ribs and then
around his back as she pressed her lips and tongue against his own.
Her heart quickened its beat as Sebastian moved his lips down to her neck.
He nibbled the tender flesh, briefly moving up to nip her ears. Soon, though, Sebastian began to kiss the base of her
neck...her shoulders...her collarbone. Jessica ran her hands through his jet black hair, which hung loose around his
face.
Just as he was about to kiss a little further down, Techno came over the
PA system, saying, "Jessica and Poopsie, please report to the Cave in full gear." Jessica groaned as Sebastian moved
up and pulled her to a sitting position. He half grinned before kissing her on the lips one last time. "Be careful,"
he said as she walked out of the room. Jessica just looked back at him and grinned as she went out of sight.
Lucy entered the Cave twenty minutes later, dressed in a low-cut, short-skirt
dress. Moccaisan boots that laced up to her knees completed the outfit. Shani was already standing behind Techno,
watching him work on the control panel. "What is it?" Lucy asked. She stuffed some joints in her boots.
"Abra reported suspcious activity at FDR," he said. "Patti and Ty are on their way there and Abra suggested that we
come on out too," Shani said as she slipped her dagger against her thigh. "Well, let's go," Lucy said, sighing when
she remembered where she was twenty minutes ago. "I'll teleport us there," Shani said, taking hold of Lucy's wrist.
In a few moments, they stood outside of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Musuem
of History. Abra saw the two and waved them over. "I saw a flashlight in there. So I went around to the
side of the building where I saw a red Camero parked near one of the delivery doors," Abra whispered to them, relaying
information of what was happening. Ty and Patti came around from the other side of the building, heads bent together
as they discussed in quiet voices. "Did you guys see anything?" Abra asked. Patti shook her head. "We looked
through all the windows, but didn't see a damn thing," Ty spoke softly, her tail flicking back and forth. "I've seen
that car before, I would swear," Lucy though aloud as she looked towards the sports car. Just as she said this, the
girls heard the car engine fire up and tires squeal. Their heads turned towards the Camero as they watched its headlights
turn on. It then turned sharply and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving the super heorines in a cloud of smoke.
They all coughed as they moved to a smoke-free area of the lot. "Dammit, I wonder who what was!" Ty said, glaring back
towards where the car had been. Abra whipped out her phone and dialed up Techno. "The car that was hear left in
a big hurry...no...no, we didn't get anything...saw nothing much either....well...you...oh, alright," she said, hanging up.
"Techno said that we might as well just go back to the mansion," Abra then said, sticking her phone in a pocket. "We'll
see you back at the Cave, then," Shani said. She took hold of Lucy's wrist once again and teleported them back to MacMickle.
It was almost 2:00 in the morning when Jessica finally was around for bed.
There had been a lengthy discussion in the Cave and then she had showered after checking her e-mail one last time. After
slipping into one of Sebastian's t-shirts and a pair of mesh shorts, Jessica padded to Sebastian's room and gently pushed
open the door, which already was open a crack. "Sebastian?" Jessica whispered into the darkness. She listened,
only to hear the sound of Sebastian's breathing. Smiling softly, Jessica tiptoed into his room and slid under the sheets
of his bed. She started to snuggle up close against him when she felt his arms go around her and draw her close. "Sorry...I
didn't mean to wake you," she whispered, leaning against the broadness of his chest. He kissed her on the nose before
whispering back, "Don't worry 'bout it. I was trying to keep awake till you got back anyhow." Jessica grinned
and kissed him on the lips. "I love you," she said as she snuggled back down in his arms. She felt Sebastian kiss
the top of her head and whisper back, "I love you too, Jess."
Jessica woke up that later on that morning when Sebastian's alarm, which
was set for 8:00, went off. She tucked her head underneath a pillow as her body ached from the game the night before.
It protested even as she eased her head back out from the pillow, only to realize that Sebastian wasn't lying beside her.
Jessica moved stiffly off the bed and padded around to Sebastian's bathroom door. She could hear the shower running
so she knocked on the door. "I'll be out in a bit!" she heard Sebastian call out. Jessica giggled and hurried,
as fast as her body would allow her, to her room.
In her room, Jessica changed into a pair of jean shorts and purple tank top.
Carefully, she pinned up her hair in a knot, making sure that it wouldn't fall out during the game. She then liberally
applied sun-screen to her shoulders, neck, arms, and face. Just as she picked up her glove off her couch, Sebastian
walked into her room...a towel wrapped around his waist. Jessica blushed slightly as Sebastian stood against the doorjam,
his hair dripping water on his shoulders. She turned away, her face red. Sebastian laughed and began to remove
the towel; only to reveal a pair of boxers underneath them. "Oh good grief," Jessica muttered as she rolled her
eyes. Sebastian laughed harder and walked back to his room to change.
The weekend passed along and the girls and their men continued to win, beating
other teams of professors, police officers, and families. The quater-finals, semi-finals, and final game were all scheduled
for next weekend. Sunday night, when the group headed back into the mansion, they were all exhausted. "I think
that I'm going to just fall into convulsions," Dee said as she plopped down on the leather couch in the den. "Can I
join you?" Tonya asked as she sat against the front of the couch that Dee lay on. "I'm starving," Alec said. Poopsie
sat on his lap and leaned against him, sprawling out. "You're always hungry," she said, slightly grinning. "She's
got a point there, Alec," Sebastian said. He and Jessica were both sprawled out on the floor, holding hands. "Well,
I think that I'm going to go home and take a shower...and then take a nap," Daniel said. He groaned as he stood up.
Sally stood up and said, "I'll walk you out." Together, they walked out of the den. "A shower sounds good," Jessica
said. She pushed herself off the floor and stood up. "Same here," Sebastian spoke up, getting up off the floor
also. Dee raised her eyebrows at the two. "You guys are freaks, showering together," she stated. Jessica
turned red, but rolled her eyes as she said, "We're not sex-pots, Dee." "Uh-huh," Dee said. "That's only you,"
Techno threw out to Dee, a teasing glint in his eyes. Dee glared at him and said, "At least I don't mastrubate to porn
off the internet." A chuckle rose from the group as Jessica and Sebastian headed upstairs.
Once in her room, Jessica took off her sweaty clothes and threw them into
her hamper. Taking a towel and a washcloth, she headed to her bathroom. Jessica turned on the water to her shower
and stepped in, letting the steamy water wash off all the sweat and grime from that day's games.
Half-an-hour later, she turned the water off and climbed out of the shower.
After drying off, Jessica put on a pair of running pants and a white tank-top. She then put some Bouncy Cream into her
dark brown locks and walked out of the bathroom. Sebastian waited for her. He now wore a pair of khakis and a
nice shirt with short-sleeves. Jessica grinned.
"You look nice," she said, placing her Cubs pendant around her neck.
"I try to when I take my favorite woman out to dinner," he replied. Sebastian's green eyes sparked with both love and
humor. "Dinner?" Jessica asked him, a puzzled look crossing her face. "You bet," he said, grinning. Jessica
looked at what she was wearing and grinned. "I suppose that I should change then," she said. Walking into her
closet, she shut the door so that she could change into something more appropriate.
In about five minutes, Jessica opened her closet door and stepped out.
She wore a sleeveless sundress that was a pale yellow. It buttoned down the front with cream colored buttons.
On her feet were a pair of straw sandals. Sebastian's face broke out into a huge smile as he saw Jessica. He walked
over to her as she loosely braided back her hair into a single braid. After she tied the braid with a ribbon, Jessica
turned around and Sebastian wrapped his arms around her waist. "You look beautiful," he whispered. Jessica's ring
sparkled in the evening sunlight that filtered through her window and her eyes sparkled even more. "Thank you," she
whispered back. Sebastian leaned in and kissed her softly. "Let's go," he finally said once he had broken from her lips.
Jessica replied by slipping her hand inside of his, and lead him out of her room, shutting the door behind her.
Monday afternoon rolled around and Jessica parked in the staff parking at
the museum. Today was her first day doing the internship. However, that night before, she had recieved a phone
message from Dr. Marshall, saying that he wanted to speak with her immediately when she arrived there that day. Jessica
walked briskly into the cool building. The September sun was still very hot, so the building felt good to walk into.
Jessica headed to Dr. Marshall's office and knocked on the closed door.
"Come in!" she heard Dr. Marshall say from behind it. She opened the door and stuck her head in. "You wanted to
see me, sir?" she asked. "Yes, yes...Please, take a seat," Dr. Marshall spoke, gesturing to a chair that sat in front
of his cluttered desk. Jessica walked in, letting the door shut behind her, and took a seat in the chair. "Jessica,"
began Dr. Marshall, "I wish that you had been honest about this with me from the very beginning. It would have made
everything a lot easier." Jessica frowned, perplexed at his words. "What do you mean?" she asked him. "We
checked your records, as we do anyone who works here, employee or intern, and...well...how do I say this? I guess that
there's no easy way to say it, but...The decision about the internship has been reversed," he told her. His hand stroked
the peppered beard on his face. Jessica's mouth opened in shock. Her eyes glistening with tears, she asked him,
"Why?!?" "It's your police record," Dr Marshall said, passing her a folder. He nodded for her to open it.
Jessica flipped open the cover and looked in there. Plain and clear, it showed that she had been convicted of felony
posession of cocaine two years before. "Sir, this isn't true! I've never been in possesion of any narcotic!" Jessica
exclaimed, looking up at him. "I'm sorry, Jessica. But the decision of the museum's board is final. We're
giving the internship to Aaron Stynes instead of you," he said. Obvious sympathy was in his voice and eyes. A
tear fell down Jessica's cheek. Wordlessly, she set the folder on Dr. Marshall's desk and exited the office, walking
out to her car. Jessica climbed in the car and shut the door. Leaning her arms against the steering wheel, she
put her head against her arms and cried.
"I just don't know how my record could say that!" Jessica said. Her,
Tonya, and Poopsie sat around the kitchen table, discussing what had happened. Jessica's eyes were red and puffy from
crying. She sniffled and wiped her nose with a kleenex. At that moment, the doorbell rang. "I'll go get
it," Poopsie said. She stood up and ran out of the room and into the foyer. "I have a feeling that this involves
the break-in at the museum last Friday," Tonya said. "It's Dr. Spade, JED," Poopsie's voice said from the doorway.
Harry Spade walked into the room and said, "Your friends called me and told me about it." Jessica smiled at Poopsie
and Tonya, who both grinned back at her. Dr. Spade sat down in a chair across from Jessica. "Aaron Stynes doesn't
deserve the internship," he said, "and I will do my best to help you out with this. In fact, I know several of the board
members and will give them a call. I believe you when you say that you have no record." Jessica nodded at this
and whispered, "Thank you."
"I'm home!" they all heard Sebastian call out from the foyer. The door
slammed shut and Sebastian walked into the kitchen. "Hey, everyone, wha---" he stopped his sentence once he saw Jessica.
A concerned look crossed his face as he looked from Jessica's puffy eyes to Dr. Spade's concerned face. "What's wrong?"
he asked. Tonya spoke up and told Sebastian the story. "Oh shit," he said. Sebastian walked over to Jessica
and got down on his knees beside her. "You okay, hun?" he asked her quietly, peering up into her eyes. Jessica
said nothing but instead placed her arms around Sebastian, hugging him tightly. After several moments, she released
him. "You guys won't believe this, but," he said, "the police station's computer network was hacked into on Friday night."
"You're kidding," Poopsie said, her periwinkle eyes filled with surprise. Sebastian shook his head. "They traced
the IP address and the computer used was at the university, in Lieber Hall," he said. "That's where the Social Science
Department is at," Dr. Spade said, crossing his arms across his chest. Sebastian nodded and said, "The force is investigating
it." Jessica looked at Poopsie and Tonya. They all looked at each other and nodded slightly. They knew that
there would be more of an investigation than just the police force.
Later that night, Jessica and Sebastian lay together in Jessica's room.
Jessica had lit several candles and had turned off all the other lights. Jessica wore a sports bra and a pair of boxers
while Sebastian wore only his black mesh shorts. Sebastian lay on his right side, his head propped up on his hand, his
elbow leaning against the pillow. And Jessica lay flat on her back next to Sebastian. She turned and looked at
him and said, "I still can't believe that I don't have the internship." Sebastian sighed. "I know it's frustrating
for you," he said quietly. He took his free hand and gently placed it on Jessica's cheek before grinning. "I'm
here for you though, babe," he said. Jessica put her hand over his and placed it on her lips, kissing it gently.
"Thank you," she replied. Sebastian grinned and winked. He then reached over and pulled her into his arms.
Sebastian then leaned down, kissing her. First, it was gentle. But as the passion increased, so did the kiss.
As Jessica felt Sebastian's tongue enter her mouth, she ran her hands over his back while responding to his kiss. Soon,
Sebastian's hands traced over Jessica's ribs and along the edge of her breasts. Jessica softly moaned as she intertwined
her legs with his. Next, Sebastian's hand moved to cover her breast, softly kneeding it. His lips moved down to
her neck as Jessica moaned again.
As their love making process continued, Tonya, who was in the next room,
laid in her bed. Her eyes were wide open as she heard moans come every few seconds from Jessica's room. Quickly,
she got up and hurried out of her and downstairs to Zarbon's room. She crawled next to him in his bed. "What are
you doing here, love?" he asked as she snuggled against his chest. "I just really didn't want to hear Jessica and Sebastian
having sex in Jessica's room," she said before shutting her eyes. Zarbon's non-response confirmed to her that he
had already fallen back asleep, so she followed suit and was soon in dreamland.
Jessica woke up the next morning and stretched while yawning. Rolling
over, Sebastian was still asleep next to her, the sheet pulled up to his waist. Jessica studied his body. He was
muscular, but not ripped. Black hair spilled around his head and his lips were slightly apart as he breathed softly.
Jessica pulled the sheet up over her naked body and grinned as she watched Sebastian sleep. In a few moments, however,
Sebastian's eyes flew open. Once the sleepiness had cleared, he noticed Jessica watching him. She smiled and he
grinned. "I love you," she told him. Sebastian smiled broader and said softly, "And I love you too." "Did
you sleep well?" he asked after a moment. Jessica grinned and thought back to that night before. It had been the
first time that they had made love and she would never forget it. Scooting over closer to Sebastian, she kissed him
gently and said, "I slept like a baby." Sebastian pulled her against him and kissed her, harder than what she had kissed
him. They continued to kiss. "I've got to get around for work," Sebastian said between kisses. "You've got
half-an-hour, don't you?" Jessica said, sucking his lower lip. "All night long wouldn't be enough for you, woman," Sebastian
said. He grinned devilishly. Jessica burst out laughing. But Sebastian caught her, capturing her lips with
his. And Jessica melted in his arms.
That morning, the girls minus Jessica sat around the kitchen table, talking.
"And you say that you heard the bed springs?" Tonya asked Dee. Dee nodded and took another chug of her coffee.
"I heard something too," Poopsie spoke up. The girls looked at her. "It was a gentle, continual thud...I just
ignored it and went back to sleep, but...now that I know what it was..." she said, shivering.
"Good morning!" they heard Jessica call out. She walked into the kitchen
and headed straight to the fridge and pulled out the jug of orange juice. Jessica was adorned in her bathrobe and
had her pink pig slippers on her feet. She poured the glass of orange juice, humming as she put the lid back on and
placed the jug back into the fridge. The group of girls looked at each other and then continued to wtch their friend.
Jessica then began to whistle as she walked out the room and headed back up the stairs. "Yep," Dee said after taking a
sip of coffee. "She got laid."
A couple of days passed and it was Thursday afternoon. The girls and
Techno were down in the Cave, trying to figure out how to investigate what all had happened. "So," began Techno, "we've
agreed that Jessica and Poopsie will head over the station before you all go to Lieber Hall tonight. That way, it'll
look as though the two of you," he nodded towards Jessica and Poopsie, "are over at the station to see Sebastian and Alec."
"That means that a phone call needs to be placed to the station," Tonya said, a smile curling her lips. Everyone looked
at Jessica, who was listening to the ant that was talking to her from the floor. "Oh, JED..." Poopsie said, trying to
get her friend's attention. When Jessica didn't respond, Dee placed her foot above the ant and brought it down hard,
ending the conversation it was having abruptly. "HEY!" Jessica said, scowling. "Then pay attention!" Dee said,
scowling back. Then Jessica looked at her friends, who were all, including Techno, grinning. "No!" she said vehemently.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Five minutes later, Jessica punched in the numbers of the police station.
"Um, yes...hi. This is Jessica Ray and I need to speak with Harvey Humphrey please. Ok..." she looked to her friends
and glared at them. "Hello...Is this Harvey? Hi, this is Jessic---No, Harvey...this is not a prank, it's really
me." The girls giggled as Jessica continued the conversation. "Uh-huh..." she said, "...no, no...Harvey, I'm engaged
now, you know that...well...Harvey, please...don't..." Jessica pulled her head away on the reciever and whispered to her friends,
"He's starting to cry some." The girls stifled back some serious laughter as Jessica turned her attention back to the
phone and Harvey. "Harvey, listen...no, please, don't call me Jess...Stick...alright, fine. You can call me whatever...ok...Harvey?
Yes...I need to ask you a favor...what? Oh...I'm heading to the station here in a few moments and I was wondering if
I could talk to you about some information...yes, I know that it's illegal, but...a price? A KISS? HARVEY HUMPHREY
YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND! If I...CHANGE MY MIND? I can tell you what the answer is and that's..." she looked at
her friends, who were giving her the look of death. "Ok...Harvey? Look...we'll...now, wait...we'll talk about
it when I get there, ok? Ok, I'm going to go now...No, Harvey...Don't tell Sebastian...I haven't promised...Hello?
HELLO?!?" Jessica put the phone back on the reciever. She then glared at her friends and said, "I hate you guys."
Half an hour later, Poopsie and Jessica walked through the doors of the police
station. They smiled and said hello to the officers that they knew before they reached Sebastian's and Alec's desks.
The two now had their desks right next to each other. "What are you girls doing here?" Sebastian asked as he stood up
out of his chair. Alec stood up too and the girls both kissed their guys. A few cat calls and whistles errupted
from some officers. As Alec blushed, Sebastian called out, "Knock it off!" Poopsie was talking to Alec by now
so Jessica said to Sebastian, "I'll be right back. I need to go talk to Harvey." A smile began to creep up on
Sebastian's face but he stopped it when Jessica glared at him. "Ok," he said, "I'll be right here." Jessica then
smiled at him and walked over to over where Harvey was.
Jessica cringed as she saw Harvey eating pickled beets. Wrinkling her
nose, she slowly walked over to Harvey's desk. "I need some information," was all she said as she plopped down into
a straight-backed chair in front of the desk. Harvey looked up at her and grinned. His braces, which were trying
to cure his bucked teeth, had strands of chewed up beets in them. "Hey, Jess!" he said. Harvey screwed back on
the lid to the beets and sat them on his desk. "Havey, I need the IP address that you recovered from the network hacking
you guys had here," Jessica said. Harvey grinned stupidly and pushed up his glasses on his nose. He started to
type something into his computer but stopped. "Jess," Harvey said, turning to look at her. He licked his lips
and puckered them up, shutting his eyes. Jessica's mouth opened up and she said, "Not in a million years!" To
this, Harvey leaned forward and puckered up more. Jessica stood up and reached across the desk to grab Harvey's shirt
and pull him off his feet. "Hey!" he squeaked as she lifted him higher off the ground. "You know," his cracking
voice said, "you could get into real trouble if you hurt me!" Jessica frowned and looked around to see officers watching
her. She then looked over and saw Sebastian, Alec, and Poopsie all holding back smiles and laughter. Jessica groweled
and let Harvey go. He sank back down into his chair. Harvey reajusted his shirt and gave her a wounded animal
look. Jessica, knowing what she had to do to get the information, placed her hands on Harvey's desk and leaned toward
him. "I'm sorry, Harvey," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes. "Well..." Harvey said, rubbing the back of
his neck. "I just really want the information and I thought, you being my friend, that you'd help me get it," Jessica
continued. She stuck out her lower lip, pouting. Harvey sighed and said, "Alright, alright. Let me bring
it up." Jessica smiled as Harvey typed something into his computer. He then wrote down the IP address and handed
the slip of paper to her. "Thanks, Harvey," Jessica said. She gave him a wink and then headed back over to Sebastian,
Alec, and Poopsie.
"Let's go, Poopsie...we got it," she said, picking up her purse off of Sebastian's
desk. "Aight," Poopsie said. The girls both kissed their men goodbye and walked out of the station, got into
Jessica's Mustang, and drove back to the mansion.
That night, the five superheroines gathered near the steps of Lieber Hall
on campus. Lucy pulled out the key that Dr. Spade had given to her a few days ago. "Are you SURE that the alarm
won't go off?" Patti asked as Lucy turned the key, unlocking the door. Lucy nodded and pulled the delivery
door open. Quickly, the five heroines slipped inside and Lucy shut the door. "Let's go and get up on the 4th floor
and then call Techno about the IP address," Ty said. Abra nodded and said, "Two of us can go up one set of stairs, two
more up the other set, and one of us can use the elevator." "See ya up there," Lucy said as she walked over to the elevator.
In a few moments, the girls all met in the lobby of the Social Science Department.
Whipping out her cellphone, Lucy dialed up the mansion. After two rings, she heard Techno say, "I hacked into the system...try
Dr. Caldwell's office." With that, he hung up and Lucy turned off her phone. She quietly motioned the others to
follow her and they crept silently into Dr. Caldwell's office. Once inside, Lucy shut the door, drew the blinds, and
flipped on a light. Abra and Patti logged onto the computer while Lucy, Shani, and Ty searched through papers on
the desk and shelves around the office.
They all searched for ten minutes before Abra said, "Hey...looks
like the police station's website has been visited several times over the past week." Lucy and the other
two stopped looking through papers and went to stand with Patti behind the desk chair. She then went
and posted on a forum that she frequently visited. "This is so we can trace the IP address and see if
this computer's IP matches up with the one we have written down," Abra said. After Abra posted, she went and checked
the IP address. "Got it," she said, grinning. Lucy looked at the IP address written down and the one on the screen.
Sure enough, they did match. "Alright," Ty said, glancing at the clock. It was already 1:30 in the morning.
"Let's head out and we can give this info to Sebastian and Alec in the morning," she said. Shani nodded, "Good idea.
Besides, we don't want to get caught here." Quitely, Abra logged off the computer. The group then shut off the
light, opened the blinds back up, and walked out of the office. They quietly began to climb down the stairs when they
all heard a pair of feet on the steps. "SHIT!" Lucy exclaimed in a whisper. "You guys go and hide," Patti said,
"I've got this." Running up the few steps, the other four hid behind a protruding wall as they heard Patti say, "Need
any help?" Quietly, they all ran down the hall and down the other set of stairs. Breathlessly, they all sat outside
Lieber Hall, waiting for Patti to come back down. After about five minutes, Patti came struting through the
door, a grin on her face. "What'd you do?" Ty asked, smiling. "Read about in the papers in the morning," Patti
replied. Hurridly, they all ran to the van and Ty drove them back to the mansion.
The next day, Jessica was in her Vietnam War class. They had taken
tests the week before and Dr. Spade was going to pass back their Blue Books today. After lecture, he passed out their
tests. Jessica flipped the cover of the Blue Book open and saw "A-" written on the inside. She closed her eyes
and breathed a silent sigh of relief. "What'd you get...an F?" Jessica heard Aaron Stynes ask arrogantly before ripping
her booklet from her hands. His friends all laughed. "Give me back my book!" she said calmly, opening her eyes
and glaring at him. "This book?" he asked. Aaron then looked inside the Blue Book and frowned. "AN A?" he
exclaimed. Jessica smiled and stood up. "You must have cheated!" he cried out, rushing to the front of the room.
"Dr. Spade! How can she get an A?" he yelled. Dr. Spade, who was sitting at the desk, looked up and Aaron and
said, "Well, Mr. Stynes...unlike you, she can actually put together coherent thoughts and turn them into sentences.
If your mind was less on 'extracirricular activities', then you too would have an A instead of a D." Jessica grinned
as Aaron glared at Dr. Spade. He then turned around and walked over to Jessica, shoving her against the wall.
"First you tried to steal my internship, and now you're copying off my work," he said. He took hold of her shirt and
shoved her harder against the wall. "Let go of me, you son-of-a-bitch!" Jessica hollered at him. She struggled,
but years of baseball had kept his body strong and he held her at bay. However, Dr. Spade rushed up and got between
Aaron and Jessica. "Let her go, Mr. Stynes...or I'll make sure you won't be on the baseball team this spring," Dr. Spade
said, his eyes throwing daggers at Aaron. Aaron glared at Dr. Spade, but let Jessica go. "I'll get you on the
diamond," Aaron said, picking up his backpack and walking out of the room.
Dr. Spade turned around and asked, "Are you ok? You're not hurt, are
you?" Jessica straightened her t-shirt and shook her head. "I'm fine," she replied. Grinning, she said,
"Thanks, though. He had a good grip on me." Dr. Spade nodded and walked over to his desk to pick up his attendence
book and textbook. "In fact," Jessica began, "we're having a barbeque over at the mansion before the ballgame tonight.
You're more than welcome to join us." "Thanks," Dr. Spade said. "I'll think about it."
Dr. Spade did join them at their barbeque. After the food, the team
went and won their quarter-final softball game against Duckworth's Plumbers. As the group loaded their stuff into the
van, Sebastian pulled back Jessica and kissed her heart stoppingly. "Just a sample for tonight," he whispered against
her lips. With that, Dee yelled to Jessica, "Quit all that kissing bullshit! We're ready to go!" Grinning,
Jessica climbed into the van with Sebastian right behind her.
A few hours later, Jessica lay in Sebastian's arms in his bedroom.
The window was open and a soft breeze blew in, billowing the curtains. They had just finished making love and now were
curled up against each other, talking. "Did you and Alec give the information to the ones in charge of the hacking case?"
Jessica asked. She leaned further into Sebastian's chest, relishing in the support that it gave. "Mmm-hmm," Sebastian
mumbled. He kissed the top of Jessica's head. "And how'd you do on your test that you got back today?" Sebastian
asked Jessica. "I got an A-," she replied. Jessica felt Sebastian's arms tighten around her and heard him smile.
"Good," he said softly. "And Aaron Stynes held me against a wall today, too," she said. She hadn't brough up the
subject earlier because of all the activities. Sebastian's arms let her go and he sat up and looked down into her eyes.
"He WHAT?" Sebastian asked, his emerald eyes filling with anger. "Look...all he did was shove me against a wall.
Dr. Spade stopped it, though, and threatened to keep Aaron off the team if he did it again," she told him, sitting up too.
The sheet fell off both of them, revealing their still-glowing bare skin. Sebastian shook his head and clenched his
fists. "There's gotta be some connection with this hacking case and him...just so I can bust his ass," Sebastian said
through clenched teeth. "Sebastian, please...don't do anything rash," Jessica said. She took his hand in hers
and placed a kiss on it. Sebastian sighed and said, "I won't." He then leaned in and wrapped his arms around her,
hugging her close to him. "I love you," he whispered into her hair. "I love you too," she replied, burying her
face into his shoulder. Sebastian then let her go, but placed his hands on her face and gently kissed her.
Their kiss deepened and they fell back onto the mattress. The two kissed
intently for a while, their tongues only gently reaching. Soon, Sebastian's arousal became aparent. Jessica then
took Sebastian's hand and placed it on her bare breast. He cupped it and kneeded it as they kissed. And as Sebastian's
lips went to her neck, her collarbone, and down further, Jessica's arousal increased. However, after a few moments,
Sebastian's lips returned to hers as their two fleshes became one in an instant. "Oh, Sebastian...I love you," Jessica
whispered. "I love you too, Jessica...so much," Sebastian replied. Quickly, their tension was released and they
fell over the edge together.
Afterwards, Jessica's eyes drooped shut as she curled up against Sebastian.
She kissed him one last time before snuggling down for the night. Sebastian kissed the top of Jessica's head and said,
"Goodnight, lover."
The next day passed by with everyone lazying around the mansion. Whether
it was the girls watching movies or the guys playing Death Gong 2000 down in the Cave, no body did much of anything.
However, as it neared 4:00 in the afternoon, everyone began to migrate towards the kitchen. "What are we having for
supper?" Sebastian asked as he opened the refrigerator door. "How about we have a light snack
for right now and then eat after the game?" Poopsie suggested. The whole group agreed by mingling around the kitchen
and grabbing granola bars and bottles of juice. As they ate their snacks, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Tonya said, standing up. The rest of the group continued to snack and in a few moments, Tonya entered
the kitchen with Dr. Spade in tow. "Hey, everyone," Dr. Spade said. He was dressed in
a pair of shorts and a tank top, with a baseball cap on his head. Dark shades covered his eyes, so Jessica couldn't
see their warmth. Jessica grinned and spoke. "What brings you here, Dr. Spade?" she
asked. Dr. Spade responded by tossing a folder onto the kitchen table in front of her. Sebastian opened it up
and started to thumb through the many papers. "I found these on Tim Caldwell's desk yesterday.
I think you might like what you see on them," he said. Dr. Spade pulled out a chair, turned it around, and sat in it
backwards. "I see what you mean," Sebastian said, his eyes focused on what the papers said.
"Alec, come over here and get a load of this." "There's enough evidence there to get old Caldwell
put away for a few years!" Alec exclaimed as he peered over Sebastian's shoulders, looking at the folder's contents.
Closing the folder shut, Sebastian looked at Alec, Dr. Spade, and then Jessica. "I'll make sure to give these to the
chief after the softball game, Dr. Spade. Thanks for your help," Sebastian said. He extended his hand to Harry
Spade. The older of the two men reached his hand out and they exchanged a brief handshake. "SHIT! THE GAME!"
Dee exclaimed, looking at the clock on the wall. It read 4:30 and they were supposed to be at the diamonds by 5:00.
In a hurry, chairs scraped the tile floor and bodies hurried to their rooms to get changed for the game. Jessica was
the last one out of the room as a bewildered Dr. Spade looked on. "Just stay put, sir, and we'll be back in a minute!"
Jessica called out as she rushed up the stairs and to her room.
It was precisely 5:00 when Techno and Sebastian lugged the last equipment
bag into their dugout. Running over to the score-keepers table, Jessica asked the lady there, "Who's our opponent?"
"It's you," she heard a man's voice say behind her before the woman could reply to Jessica's question. The woman looked
at her and pointed to behind Jessica, to where the voice had come from. Turning around, Jessica saw Police Chief Humphrey
standing there. He was in a pair of shorts that did nothing for his chicken legs. And his sweat-stained t-shirt
was tucked in, hugging close to the gut that hung over his waistband. "Chief," Jessica said, her eyes narrowing as she
stood in front of him. "I should've known that you would be here today. You and those friends of yours who always
visit the station," Chief Humphrey said. He then snorted. "Well, I'm glad that I didn't pick you and that other
girl's boyfriends. They would've never cut it on my team," he told her. Jessica fumed as Dee walked over to them.
"You ready to play?" she asked Jessica, ignoring and not even acknowledging the chief. "Yeah," Jessica said, staring
at Chief Humphrey, "let's play some ball."
The game was good from the get-go, with pitching only giving up a few runs
each. In the top of the fifth, it was 3-3. Harvey Humphrey was on first and there was one out. When Alec
walked the batter, Harvey began to trot from first to second. Jessica, who was playing second base, ignored him, willing
him to just move past her. Instead, Harvey slowed down and actually stopped in front of Jessica. "Hi, Jess!" his
voice cracked as he grinned his buck-toothed grin. Jessica glanced around, only to see her team surpressing laughter.
Sighing, she said tightly, "Hello, Harvey." Jessica punched her fist into her glove, hoping for Harvey to move along.
She could hear Chief Humphrey yelling at Harvey from their dugout, even though she couldn't make out what he was saying.
Harvey grinned again and rubbed the back of his neck. "You're having a good game," he said, thoughtfully. Jessica
didn't say anything, hoping that he'd go on to second base. "You know," Harvey began, "I noticed the other day when
you came to the station...when you were wearing flip-flops, that you have crooked toes." Jessica looked down at the
ground and then looked up to glare at Harvey. He grinned stupidly again at her and continued on talking. "I find
that cute on you," he said, blushing, "and I thi---," Harvey was cut off by the infield umpire. "C'mon, son...take second,"
the umpire called out, walking up towards Harvey. Harvey looked confused, but began to slowly walk towards second base.
He turned his head back one more time to google over Jessica. However, he tripped over his own feet and stumbled to
the ground, eating some dirt. Jessica had to surpress laughter and could hear Techno laughing clear in the dugout.
"GET YOUR ASS UP AND OVER TO THE BAG!" everyone could hear Chief Humphrey yelling from his dugout. Harvey
climbed to his feet and turned a deep shade of red. Jessica stifled a grin and got in a set position. With
the first pitch to the new batter, the ball was hit up to Jessica. She flipped it to Daniel, who stepped on second,
and in turn, Daniel gunned the ball to first to get out the runner---double play and inning over.
After the top of the 5th, the pitching for Chief Humphrey's team fell apart
and the group of girls and guys won the game 10-3. As they were celebrating, Jessica saw Alec and Sebastian walk over
to the Chief. She watched as Sebastian gave the man the folder and watched as surprise filled Chief Humphrey's face.
With a nod, Sebastian and Alec walked back to the group of celebrating people. Jessica stopped Sebastian and pulled
his a little ways away from the group. "What'd he say?" she asked, searching his emerald eyes with her hazel ones.
"Said that he'd look into it and would give me a call in the morning," Sebastian said. He then grinned and wrapped his
arms around Jessica, lifting her off the ground. Jessica shrieked and laughed. "We're in the final game, babe!"
he shouted right before Jessica planted a kiss on his lips.
A few hours later, the entire bunch was in the mansion. Pizza had been
ordered and was now being consumed. They all laughed as they recalled Harvey tripping over his own feet. "I feel
sorry for the kid, though," Tonya stated as she lifted another piece of pizza to her plate. "Yeah...too bad he's got
the ol' Chief for his dad," Alec commented. Everyone nodded. "Uh, we're out of Dr. Pepper," Dee broke in, and
she held up an empty 2-liter bottle that once had contained the much consumed beverage. "I'll run to the store and get
some more," Jessica said, standing up. "Want me to go with you?" Sebastian asked. Jessica shook her head no as
she gathered up her purse and keys. "I won't be gone long!" Jessica called out as she left the den.
Jessica walked out to her car, which was sitting in the circle driveway in
front of the mansion. She stuck the key into the keyhole on the door and turned it to unlock it. However, she
half frowned as she opened the already unlocked door. "I swear it was locked earlier," she mumbled as she sat down
in her car and started it up. Turning up the stereo, Jessica drove away from the mansion and to Dillons to get the pop.
"Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde" came on the radio as Jessica left the drive
and headed into town. She turned up the stereo a little more and began to sing along with the tune. Nearly five
minutes later, when the song ended, she looked in her rear-view mirror to see police lights behind her and sirens going off.
Pulling over to the side of the rode to let the emergency vehicles pass, Jessica was surprised to see the two cop cars pull
over behind her. Frantically, she began to search for her driver's license and registration. All of a sudden,
though, two cops came up to her car with their guns pulled. "GET YOUR HANDS UP!!!" the older one shouted at her.
Immediately, Jessica's hands shot up in the air. The younger of the two officers opened Jessica's car door and dragged
her out of the car, slamming her to the ground. "What is this all about?" she spat out as the young officer slapped
a pair of handcuffs on her wrists. "You failed to pull over for us," the older one said, placing his gun back in its
holster. "Drug dogs will now be called here and your car will be searched. You will then be taken to the Tequila
Heights Police Station." Jessica's eyes widened as the officer that had placed the handcuffs on her pulled her to her
feet and placed her against the back of the police cruiser. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you
say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right..." the younger officer's voice continued
to deliver Jessica the Miranda rights, but she could barely hear him as panic set in her mind. "Do you understand these
rights?" he finally asked her. Jessica just mutely nodded as he then placed her in the back of the police car.
She watched, then, as another police car pulled up and a drug dog was let
out from the back of the car. Tears then filled Jessica's eyes and she wasn't able to watch what else happened because
of her vision that was blurred from the tears. A minute or two, which seemed like eternity, passed and the door opened
and Jessica was pulled out of the car. A female officer then leaned her against the car and began to search Jessica
for any weapons or drug paraphanelia. As the woman continued to search Jessica, the older officer that had held a gun
at her walked up and told Jessica, "Look, we know the truth. We found four crack rocks in your car. You will
be booked at the station for felony possession of a controled substance and then you will get a phone call." Jessica
said nothing as the female officer then proceeded to place Jessica back in the car. The younger officer of the two that
pulled her over got in the front of the cruiser and drove away, taking Jessica to the station.
Back at the mansion, the rest of the group sat around, finishing off pizza
and talking. "JED's sure been gone for a long time just to get pop," Sally said. "I'll give her cellphone a call,"
Sebastian said. He stood up and walked over to the phone. Dialing Jessica's cell number, he stood there for a
minute and then frowned, putting the reciever back in its place. "I didn't get an answer," he said. The rest of
the bunch turned around to look at him when the phone rang. Sebastian picked it up. "Hello? Sweetie, we've
been...you're WHAT? Oh my God...when...I see...ok...well, we'll be down in just a couple of minutes. I know...it's
ok...I believe you, hun...ok...I love you too. Bye," he said, hanging the phone up once again. "What's wrong?"
Dee asked Sebastian. "Yeah, what is it?" Tonya spoke up. Sebastian sighed and ran a hand over his face.
"She's been arrested on felony drug charges," he said. "WHAT?" everyone exclaimed. "She said that she has no clue
as to what happened, but she was arrested," Sebastian said. He walked out of the den and towards the foray. Dee,
Sally, Tonya, and Poopsie looked at each other and all got up and followed Sebastian.
Sebastian was pulling on his jacket when the girls got to the foray.
"We're going, too," Poopsie said. The girls all gathered their purses. Sebastian nodded and said, "Let's go."
"WAIT!" they heard Techno call out from the hallway. He entered the foyar and handed Tonya a checkbook. "Use whatever
amount you have to get her out of their," he said, giving them all a look of seriousness. "Thanks," Tonya said as the
group headed out the door and to the garage to get in the van.
It was nearing midnight when the group walked through the door. Jessica
was second-to-last through the door and Sebastian was right behind her to shut the door once they were all inside. Techno
had heard the sounds of footsteps and came walking down the hall and into the foyer from the kitchen. "You okay?" he
asked Jessica. Jessica nodded and yawned. "It cost us $50,000 bail," Tonya said, handing the checkbook to Techno.
"FIFTY GRAND?!?!" he exclaimed. "They think that she's a hardened drug user," Sebastian said. He took his jacket
and Jessica's and hung them up in the closet. Techno just groaned and stuffed the checkbook into his back pocket.
"Alright," he began, "those on rounds need to get out there now and Jessica, come downstairs with me. I want to show
you something." Jessica nodded and followed Techno as he headed towards the Cave.
Once in the Cave, Techno pulled up his chair to the control panel that was
the communication/multimedia/security center. He punched a few keys on the keyboard and Jessica watched as an image
from a security camera popped up on one of the monitors. She gasped as she saw an image of Aaron Stynes standing on
the outside of the gate to the mansion's drive. Her surprise turned to anger as the camera caught Aaron climbing up
a ladder to the top of the gate and then shimming down a rope that he had hooked to the gate's top. "That's not all,"
Techno said as he punched on a few more keys. The scene on the monitor went away and another image went up. This
time, it was in front of the house. The security camera mounted on the porch roof caught Aaron Stynes sneaking
up to Jessica's Mustang and opening its door. The camera then zoomed in and Jessica could see through the open window
of the car---and Aaron Stynes was planting the drugs in the glove compartment. Techno froze the image on the monitor,
leaned back in his chair, and looked back and up at Jessica. "I'm going to have Alec and Sebastian give this to the
police tomorrow morning," he said. "You should be just fine." Jessica looked at Techno and sighed. "Praise
God," was all she said before heading up the stairs and to her room.
Jessica woke up the next morning around 11:00 to Sebastian kissing the tip
of her nose. Her eyes fluttered open and saw a grinning Sebastian looking down at her. Jessica looked around and
then rememberd that she had fallen asleep in his room after she hadn't been able to sleep in her own. "What time did
you get up?" Jessica asked Sebastian. She yawned and stretched out. "Early enough. Techno woke Alec and
I up around 6:30 and had us watch what he showed you last night. Then, Alec and I went to the station and called in
the chief. He wasn't too happy, but was surprised at what we showed him. And then, we got a warrant for Aaron
Stynes arrest," Sebastian told her. He then pulled her into his arms for a close hug. Jessica leaned against his
broad chest. She inhaled deep the scents of his body---his cologne, the shaving gel he used that morning, and the soap
that he used on his skin. "When are you going to arrest him?" Jessica asked Sebastian, pulling away enough to look into
his sparking emerald eyes. Sebastian grinned and said, "Chief said that since we got the evidence, that we could complete
the case and cause less work for him. So...as soon as we can, Alec and I will get him." Jessica nodded and
grinned as Sebastian pulled her against him and leaned down to kiss her.
The tournament's championship game started at 5:00 and the teams were to
be there no later than 4:15. So, at 4:00, the group arrived at the diamonds, ready to play their last game. Jessica
walked up to the scorekeeper's table and grinned as they handed her a line-up card. "Who's the other finalist?" Jessica
asked the woman nearest her. "Aaron Styne's team," the lady replied, turning back to her business. Jessica's eyes
grew wide and she turned around to run back to the field. She ran past Techno who frowned and called out, "What's wrong?"
Jessica ignored him and ran up to Sebastian. He turned around from talking with Daniel and Jessica said, "We're playing
Aaron Styne's team in the championship game." Sebastian's eyes grew wide and he said, "Aaron Stynes?" Jessica
nodded, trying to catch her breath. Sebastian's face turned grim as he leaned down to kiss Jessica's cheek. "Better
start warm-ups," he said before heading off to talk to Alec and to do whatever else he needed to do.
Half-an-hour later, Aaron Styne's team showed up. They were late.
Jessica's eyes narrowed as she watched him go over to the scorekeeper's table. Aaron then turned around, saw her, and
Jessica could see his face turn red. He walked over to her and flung his equipment back on the ground. "How in
the hell did you make it this far?" Aaron arrogantly asked her. When Jessica did nothing but turn her head away, he
said, "Must've cheated. Just like you cheated on that Vietnam test and how you cheated to get the internship that I
now have." Jessica's eyes flared with anger as she turned quickly to give him a glare. He laughed and picked up
his bag. "Just don't be too upset when I knock that stupid boyfriend of yours over when I get on base," Aaron said.
Just then, Techno stepped over by Jessica. He put his hand on her shoulder and then turned to look at Aaron. "Get
over to your team so you'll be ready to lose," Techno said, his voice holding an edge to it. Aaron laughed again and
said, "Lose? I don't lose. But she'll lose when I knock that guy of her's over and when I run each of her friends
down on the field." With that, Jessica's anger lost control and she charged him. Luckily, Techno took hold of
her, holding her back. "LET ME GO!" she screamed, trying her hardest to get to Aaron, who now walked away, laughing
his arrogant laugh. "Knock it off," Jessica heard Techno say in a quiet voice. "Fine," she said, tugging away
from Techno's grip. She straightened her cap and her tank-top before storming over to the dugout.
The game started out normal. Aaron and his friends jumped out to an
early 2-0 lead. But in the bottom of the fifth, Zarbon leaded things off with a triple. Dee was up next and
recieved a walk from the pitcher. With runners on first and third, Tonya then sacrificed Dee over to second, creating
the first out of their half of the inning. Sebastian was up next. He took the first pitch---outside and in the
dirt. The next pitch was high and up; Sebastian chased it, causing the count to move to 1-1. Jessica watched as
Sebastian then crushed the next pitch over the left-field wall, knocking in 3 runs---enough to put them in the lead!
With the bases clear, Poopsie walked to get on base. Then, Sally hit
the ball to the left side and the third baseman threw out Poopsie for a force at second. Daniel was then up and hit
the ball weakly to first. Aaron scooped the ball up and walked over to first. However, he did not step on the
bag. But, instead, as Daniel ran out the play and was about to touch first base, Aaron reached out and slammed his glove and
the ball that was in it hard against Daniel's chest. Daniel stumbled and hit the ground, clutching his chest.
"DANIEL!" Sally said, rushing out to see if he was ok. Techno was ran out there too and the two of them lifted Daniel
to his feet and helped him walk off the field to a round of applause. "I'll be ok," he croaked out. Tonya handed
him an ice pack and Daniel placed it against his bare chest, as he had removed his shirt to view the damage. A large
bruise was beginning to appear. Daniel frowned and looked at Sebastian. "He told me to tell you that that was
for you," Daniel said. Sebastian's eyes narrowed and he glared out to where Aaron stood. Jessica slipped her hand
in his and looked back to see if Daniel was ok. "I'll play his position for him," Techno said. Everyone turned
to look at him. Even Dee looked surprised. Jessica grinned and mouthed the words, "Thank you."
The team only needed to get three outs on Aaron's team to win the championship.
They rushed out onto the field and took their positions. The first two batters all flied out to deep center. And
then, Aaron Stynes became his team's last hope for the championship. Alec's first pitch was fouled straight back---a
near-miss on a homerun. Aaron grinned and laughed as he got set in his stance. The next pitch was tossed and Aaron
hit it sharply to the right side, where a hole between Jessica and Sebastian stood. Jessica sprinted and tried to be
in position for it. However, Sebastian was able to reach it. Instead of throwing it to Alec for the championship
win, he ran the ball over to first. Everyone watched as both Aaron and Sebastian dived at the same time for the bag.
It was a bang-bang play and when the dust cleared and as they both still laid there, Sebastian's glove, which contained the
ball, lay in front of the base, blocking Aaron's hand from touching it. "HE'S OUT!" the umpire barked and Jessica's
team all threw their gloves up in the air and ran to surround Sebastian and Jessica over by the firstbase side. Hug
were given and cheers went out as Aaron tried arguing the call with the umpire. Just as the celebration was getting
under full-swing, a squad car pulled up in the parking lot nearest the field. Sebastian looked at Alec, who handed Sebastian
a pair of handcuffs and nodded. Sebastian walked up to Aaron, who was yelling at his teammates. Taking Aaron by
the wrists, Sebastian had him in the cuffs before Aaron knew what had happened. Jessica could hear Sebastian giving
Aaron the Miranda Rights as he escorted Aaron to the police cruiser. Jessica turned around to see the girls right behind
her. She grinned and yelled, "WE WON!" They all squealed and hugged.
Later that night, the group was out in their backyard, eating the Olive
Garden To-Go orders that they had picked up. "...and I was informed that Dr. Caldwell was arrested today as well," Sebastian
was telling the group. Eyes turned his way and he grinned. "Turns out, he was the one who hacked into the network
and changed Jessica's record," Sebastian continued, grinning even more. Jessica smiled and continued to devour the cheese
ravioli that sat in front of her. Just then, Bowie came around from the front of the house and said, "There's a couple
of guys standing in front of the gate." "What in the world would it be?" Tonya said. She got up and followed Bowie
to the front. In a few moments, Tonya came back---followed by Dr. Spade and Dr. Marshall. "Congratulations," Dr.
Spade said, smiling. A chorus of thank you's rang out. "Jessica...I brought Jim here so he could tell you himself,"
Dr. Spade said, grinning as Dr. James Marshall stepped forward. "Um..." Dr. Marshall began, "I'd just like to apologize
about what happened, in terms of the internship. Aaron Stynes was fired tonight because of his arrest and charges and
we'd like you to come back and do the internship." Jessica nodded and wiped at her mouth with her napkin. "I'll
have to think about it," she said. "THINK ABOUT IT!?! ARE YOU NUTS???" Dee exclaimed, looking at Jessica in disbelief.
Jessica giggled and then said, "I'd be glad to take the internship." Dr. Marshall nodded and went back to walk to the
front of the house. Dr. Spade winked at Jessica and grinned before heading off to walk back with Dr. Marshall.
Jessica felt Sebastian's arm slip around her shoulders and gently squeeze her. And as she looked into her lover's eyes,
she knew that everything had worked out.
***THE END***
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