“You’re going to give my mom a heart attack,” Jessi said, climbing the last rung of the makeshift ladder. “Again.”
Jessi squeezed Brianna’s hand one last time before whispering, “Come on. Let’s go inside before my mom sends a search party.”
They stayed like that until the sky turned amber and the first stars came out, two girls on a rooftop, holding on to each other because letting go wasn’t an option. jessi brianna
“Probably not,” Jessi agreed. “But here I am anyway.”
The late September wind pulled at their hair, carrying the smell of dry grass and distant rain. Brianna finally glanced back, and Jessi felt the familiar twist in her chest—that sharp, fragile thing that lived between her ribs whenever Brianna looked at her like that. Tired. Defiant. Waiting for something Jessi couldn’t name. “You’re going to give my mom a heart
Jessi sat down beside her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. “The one from your dad?”
“I don’t deserve you,” Brianna whispered. “Probably not,” Jessi agreed
“I got the letter,” Brianna said.
And maybe that was enough. Maybe love wasn’t about fixing the broken pieces. Maybe it was just sitting in the wreckage together, saying I’ll stay when every part of you wanted to run.
For a long moment, the only sound was the wind and a distant tractor on the next farm over. Then Brianna leaned her head against Jessi’s shoulder, and Jessi felt her exhale—slow, shaky, real.
Jessi didn’t say that’s not how it works . She knew Brianna knew. Instead, she reached over and took Brianna’s hand—cold, slightly trembling, nails bitten raw.