Dumpster Love, chapter 3

Well, that couldn't have gone any worse. I'm sure that by the time Jessie got back to her little "hideaway" that she realized Val wasn't going to come back to the alley. You see, Billie Joe and Mike had thought up an idea of her staying with them for awhile, getting her a job at Adeline, and giving her enough money to buy new clothes. I felt bad because Jessie was going to be at the alley by herself with nothing, not even somebody to talk to. So...I devised a plan.

On the Monday of the third week Val had been staying at Mike's, I went shopping with Val to find some clothes. We bought tons of nice clothes and stuffed them into a duffel bag with a blanket and pillows. Then, I went to the bank and got a few hundred out of my account to put in the duffel bag. I gave the duffel bag to Val, and we walked towards the alley.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked Val as we walked past the coffee shop.

"No," she muttered, looking down at the black duffel bag she was carrying. "Jessie is very stubborn, as you've come to see, and she most likely will yell at me for betraying her and shit like that."

"But you aren't betraying her by giving her things she needs," I said, giving her an odd look.

"In Jessie's eyes, it is betrayel," she said, nodding. "I don't know why, but Jessie is...well, she's Jessie, you can't really get anymore detailed than that. She's a complicated subject for the most part."

"I don't know about that," I said, smiling a little.

"Why? You sweet on her?" she asked.

"What? No, no, I'm not," I said, shaking my head furiously.

"Uh-huh, and that's why you're blushing like a motherfucker right now," she said sarcastically. I glared at her and then stopped at the corner of the alleyway. "Okay, so if I get yelled at and possibly beaten, I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough," I shrugged. Sighing, she walked into the alleyway, and I heard Jessie's irritated sigh.

"What do you want?" I heard Jessie say bitterly.

"Um, I wanted to come say hi," Val said uneasily.

"Yeah, well, you said it, now go away," Jessie said.

"Uh, wait, Jessie," Val said. "Um, I went shopping today and got you some clothes and blankets and stuff. They're in this duffel bag."

"I don't want them," Jessie said.

"Just take them," Val said, sighing. "Tré and I spent almost five hours shopping for you..." Shit, she wasn't supposed to use my name.

"Tré? You were with Tré?" Jessie asked angrily. "What is it with you, Val? You know they'll just screw you over after they fuck you once or twice. And look at you...you're wearing filthy rich kind of clothes. What happened to the girl I knew?"

"Jessie, that girl is gone," Val said.

"Because they changed you," Jessie shouted. "They made you like this."

"No Jessie, I made me like this," Val yelled at her. "I'm sick and tired of you pushing me around and telling me what's right and what's wrong! Just because I'm wearing clothes that I hadn't worn for the last month doesn't mean that I'm a traitor! You're just too damn stubborn to realize that the world doesn't revolve around you!"

"Now you're turning my words around," Jessie said calmly. "I never said what was right and what was wrong!"

"But it somehow feels like you were," Val said. "And now that somebody actually wants to help you, you feel like it's wrong! You feel like it's the fucking end of the world, Jessie, just because someone is being sympathetic and possibly even likes you."

"Crushes and love are stupid," Jessie said.

"No, that's only because you got screwed over by the same guy three times," Val said. "You don't take chances anymore. So really, who's the one who changed? The Jessie I knew took plenty of risks, and she wasn't scared to do things that might risk coming out of her comfort zone, but now that Rick is gone, you're holed up again and that wall is back."

"Just leave then if you don't like who I am," Jessie screamed. But Val stayed put as I watched their interaction. "Fucking leave and spend time with your boyfriend! I don't fucking care anymore!" By now, Jessie was in tears, the dirt on her face blending with the salt in her tears. I watched in vain and sympathy as she broke down in front of me. Val didn't move though. She had probably seen this tons of times, but this was breaking my heart. So instead of staying hidden, I walked out and took Jessie in my arms, trying to comfort her.

"Shh," I cooed, pushing her hair back away from her face.

"No, no, leave me alone," she whimpered, trying to push me away, but I kept her close, still whispering in her ear. Finally, she gave up trying to get me to leave, and we stayed sitting on the grimy ground for a few minutes.