Jessica walked down the stairs from the second floor of the mansion and headed for the kitchen to grab a quick bite before her, Dee, and Tonya headed over to campus. It was a Wednesday afternoon in mid-December and it was finals week. The entire mansion, minus the noise the guys made, had been eerily quiet all week due to all the hard studying the girls had been doing.
Once Jessica entered the kitchen, she sat her backpack down on the table and went over the fridge and pulled out a strawberry-kiwi Capri Sun. "There's nothing to eat that's quick," she muttered as she searched over what was in the fridge.
"Hey, JED!" Tonya's voice came from behind Jessica. Jessica turned around and looked at her friend.
"Oh, hey, Tonya," Jessica said before turning back to the fridge for one last glance over its contents. "Do we have anything in here that's quick to eat?" Jessica asked Tonya before shutting the refrigerator door.
"Unless you feel like more nuked leftovers, no," Tonya replied. She stuffed a couple of candy bars into her backpack that was sitting on the table next to Jessica's. Jessica watched her friend and only sighed before picking up her backpack off the table.
"I guess I'll just have to wait until dinner tonight, then," Jessica said.
"Remember, I have a 7:00 final tonight in Swindle Lecture Hall," Tonya reminded Jessica as they headed out of the kitchen and towards the foyer.
"In what class?"
Tonya rolled her eyes and replied, "My last Gen. Ed. class, Economics."
"Ewww. I hated that class."
"Tell me about it." As they entered the foyer, Dee was standing there, waiting.
"What took you so long?" Dee asked Jessica and Tonya. The girls all grabbed their heavy winter coats from the closet, zipping them up tight to fight the cold and bitter wind that came from the northwest.
"JED was looking for something quick to eat, but didn't find anything. C'mon, let's go, or we'll be late," Tonya said to Dee's question. She then opened the door and Dee and Jessica followed her out to the van.
"SHOTGUN!" Dee yelled, scampering quickly along the snow on the ground to the car. She opened the door and climbed quickly into the van, shutting the door in a hurry to keep the cold out.
"I'll be glad to drive when I get this stupid cast off my leg," Jessica muttered as she slowly climbed into the van after opening the door. A cast was still on her leg from getting shot in October, but it was only a walking cast now.
"Everyone ready?" Tonya asked once she was situated in the driver's seat. She looked at Dee and then Jessica.
"Who will EVER be ready for an algebra final?" Dee asked, grinning. Tonya just rolled her eyes, smiled, and shook her head before going down the drive and out of the front gate.
******
Jessica looked out of the window in her classroom in Lieber Hall and saw snow softly floating down from the dove gray sky. She then looked down at her watch and realized that she only had about five minutes left to complete her final.
Quicky, she scribbled down the closing sentences to her last essay in her essay final for her Vietnam War class. Once done, she closed the blue book and looked around the room to see only a couple of other students left. Dr. Spade sat at the front of the room, at his desk, working on his laptop computer.
Jessica manuvered her cast around and got up from her desk. She then walked to the front of the room to hand Dr. Spade her final.
When she reached Dr. Spade's desk, he looked up from his computer and smiled at her. "How's your leg feeling?" he asked her as she set down the blue book on the pile of others.
"It's alright. It hurts some when it's cold out like this, but not too bad," Jessica replied, reaching down to try and scratch an itch on her leg that was a couple of inches deep below the cast line.
"You should be the getting the cast off soon," Dr. Spade said, leaning back further into his chair. "When does it come off?"
"I'm supposed to go in Friday to have the doctor look at it. If all is well, then it goes off then!"
Dr. Spade grinned and replied, "Good! Well, then. Have a terrific semester break!"
"Thanks, sir. You have a good one too!" Jessica told him. He nodded and Jessica went back over to her desk to gather up her books and put her coat on.
She finally got everything together and got her coat on. Slowly, to avoid hitting her injured leg on desks, she made her way out of the room and into the hallway. Jessica then turned left and headed over to the elevator.
"JESS!" she heard someone call out to her from behind. Jessica swung around and saw Sebastian sitting on some chairs that she hadn't looked at when leaving the classroom. He grinned and got up to walk over to her.
"What are you doing here?" Jessica asked him, grinning as he reached her. Sebastian said nothing, but leaned down and gave Jessica a quick peck on the cheek. He then took her backpack off her back and put it on his own.
"To answer your question, Tonya and Dee called me. They got out of all their finals early today and knew that I would be driving past here on my way back to the mansion when I got off work, so..." he trailed off, grinning when Jessica looked up at him.
"Well, I'm done with finals now. ALL of them," Jessica said. She placed her hand in Sebastian's and felt his fingers tighten around her hand.
"And to celebrate, I'm taking you to dinner."
"Dinner? Where at?"
"Where's your favorite restaurant?"
Jessica looked up at Sebastian. His eyes were looking at her, their emerald gaze burning with love. She just squeezed his hand and, together, they walked to the elevator.
******
Jessica lay on her bed during that evening, watching an episode of "Whose Line is it
Anyway?", when Sebastian's head popped in from the hallway.
"Hey, babe," he told her as he walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Jessica
muted the TV with the remote and then looked at her fiance.
"Going to work?" she asked him. Sebastian nodded and then focused his attention on the
picture that sat on the bedstand that sat nearest Jessica.
"I've always loved that picture of Jasmine," he said, laughing as he picked up the frame
that held the picture and showed it to Jessica. Jessica grinned and then laughed.
"She's just a goofy ol' gal!" Jessica said, her eyes dancing as she laughed.
"Well," Sebastian said, leaning over Jessica. He looked into her eyes and grinned.
"What?" Jessica asked him, a smile curving her lips.
"Nothing but the norm."
"And that would be?"
"This." Sebastian leaned down and kissed Jessica sweetly so that her heart felt as though
it was about to flutter out of her chest.
Jessica wrapped her arms around Sebastian's neck and drew him close for a hug once his lips
broke from hers. "I love you," she told him, squeezing him tight.
"And I love you," he replied right before he kissed her once again. Sebastian then got up
and gave Jessica's hand a sqeeze. "I'll see you in the morning."
Nodding, Jessica said, "I'll be here."
"Oh, and I want to talk to you about something tomorrow, okay?" Sebastian said just as he
was about to walk out the door.
"O..kay," Jessica replied, her eyebrows raising in curiosity. Sebastian just chuckled and
walked out of the room.
From out in the hallway, Jessica heard him call out one last time, "I LOVE YOU!"
"LOVE YOU TOO!" Jessica called back. She then unmuted the TV and watched it until it was
time for her to go on rounds.
******
The next day, Jessica got up around 11:00, taking full advantage of not having school to
attend. She then padded downstairs in her robe and slippers to the kitchen to find something to
warm herself, considering that it was chilly outside, with snow falling steadily.
Once in the kitchen, she got a mug out from the cupboard. Next, Jessica gathered some
Hershey's Coccoa, milk, and sugar so that she could make herself a hot chocolate. She then got
out the measuring cup and the measuring spoons. After mixing the ingredients together, Jessica
set the mug in the microwave and started to nuke the concoction.
Within a few minutes, Jessica was walking to the den. She entered the room and sat down in
a comfy chair, curling her feet up underneath her. With her hands wrapped firmly around the mug,
warming them, Jessica began to wake-up and sip her hot chocolate.
After a while, she heard Sebastian calling her name from the hallway. "IN HERE!" she called
out. In a few seconds, the door to the den opened fully and Sebastian walked in, clad in a pair
of sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt.
"Morning, babe," he said as he went over to kiss her before sitting down in a chair across
from her. "How'd you sleep last night?"
"Fine, fine," Jessica replied. She then looked at him sharply and asked, "What is it that
you wanted to talk about today?"
Sebastian smiled slightly and then said, "Oh, nothing major. Just wedding stuff."
Jessica's eyebrows raised up and a smile crossed her face, and she didn't say a word.
"I was just thinking that we could probably get stuff planned since it IS in less than six
months away," he told her before grinning and looking over at her.
"Well, let me go get something from my study room, then," Jessica told him. She set down
her mug on the coffee table and stood up. "I'll be right back."
Within minutes, Jessica was back in the den, carrying a thick book with a white cover.
"What is that?" Sebastian asked her as she sat down at a table that was by a window.
Jessica motioned for him to come sit by her and he complied. "Now," she began as she opened
the book, "this is a wedding planner that I bought the month after you proposed." She grinned.
"It has everything we need in here to plan a wedding. Plus, it's gonna be handy since we've only
got five months or so."
Sebastian flipped through a couple of pages and then nodded. "This looks good. Want to get
started on it?"
Jessica's eyes lit up when he looked at her and she nodded. "Let's."
******
A few days later, when it was Saturday, everyone gathered in the den to discuss plans for
Christmas and how to decorate the mansion for Christmas. Even Daniel was there for this, since
he would be in charge of getting stuff for wreaths and such.
"Okay," Techno began, "so what does everyone have planned?"
Jessica spoke up first and said, "I'm going home on the morning of Christmas Day, and am
taking Sebastian with me. But, I'll be back that night. Other than that, I'm staying here."
"Well, I'm not so sure as to what my plans are, exactly," Tonya said as she snuggled closer
against Zarbon.
"Is everyone going home for Christmas Day, at least?" Techno said as he took out a pad of
paper to write ideas for stuff on. Everyone nodded.
"I say," Poopsie started, "that we all go home on Christmas Day morning and come back that
night and have our own Christmas celebration here on Christmas Eve."
"I'm going to have to call my mom and see what she has planned," Sally spoke up.
"Well, I agree with Sally. I think that we should all have a celebration here," Dee said,
looking around at her friends.
"I can do that," Tonya said.
"JED?" Poopsie asked, turning to look at her curly haired friend.
"I think that's a great idea, Poopsie!" Jessica replied, smiling at her friend.
With that, everyone started talking about the plans. But Techno whistled loudly and the
talking stopped. "What now, buttmunch?" Dee threw out, glaring at Techno.
"Well, since all of you are sounding like a bunch of cackling hens," Techno began, "I just
want to let you know that we still have decorations to figure out. Now...what do people think
here?"
"I think that the porch would be cool if it was draped in those clear icicle lights,"
Jessica said, starting the talks. Then the ideas began to flood out from everyone.
"Evergreen garland along the stair bannisters!"
"A big wreath without a cheesy red bow on it, hanging on the front door---and it can't be
plastic!
"Two trees! One twelve footer in the ballroom and a six footer in the foyer!"
"Clear lights should be intertwined with the garland on the bannisters."
"Should we used theme tree decorations or just piece together stuff?"
"Theme!" "Pieced together!" "Anything that's not cheesy!" Techno could barely keep up with
all the ideas coming out. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of ideas flooding out, everyone
was done saying what they thought should happen for decorations.
"I'll go downstairs and list the ideas on Word and then get back to you guys with it,"
Techno said as he rushed out of the room and down the hall.
When Techno was gone, Jessica looked at Sebastian and then at her girlfriends. "Can all the
guys here please let me talk to Sally, Dee, Poopsie, and Tonya?" The guys all looked at each
other and then at Sebastian.
Sebastian stood up and said, "C'mon, men. Let's go play on the PlayStation." This got the
guys up in a hurry and they all went out of the room.
"So, what's up?" Poopsie said as the girls all gathered around one coffee table.
"I just wanted to let you guys know that Sebastian and I have picked a wedding date,"
Jessica told them, grinning. A squeal of excitement went up from the group of girls.
"Well?" Dee asked. "When is it?"
"May 24th." Jessica beamed. "And I want you guys to be my bridesmaids, of course. And, my
sister will be one, too."
"You're not going to have those old 'Gone With the Wind' hoopskirt bridesmaid dresses, are
you?" Poopsie asked. Jessica could tell that she was a bit worried about that.
"No, no...the dresses won't be like that at all. In fact, I've decided to bring in a
dressmaker to make the dresses, including mine. And the colors are cream and lavander."
"Ooooo!" oooed Sally and Poopsie before the giggled. Dee and Tonya just grinned.
"Have you guys decided on where to have the wedding?" Sally asked.
"Not yet. But we want to have the reception here, in the ballroom," Jessica replied.
"So, let is in on the everything!" Tonya said as she scooted her chair closer to the coffee
table.
Jessica smiled and pulled out her wedding plannner book and tossed it on the coffee table.
Her four friends then picked it up and started looking it over. Jessica then moved over to look
at it from behind them and to explain what all was yet to happen. And, she knew, this could take
all night.
******
