Inked in the Steel City Series(40)

Jess remained quiet and subdued as Mina helped her into the car. When they were on the road and the high school had faded from sight, Mina tried again. “Jess, what’s wrong?” As she waited for a reply, it was as if a dark cloud were hanging over her head. What could have Jess so upset mere hours before the dance she’d been looking forward to for weeks? One particular possibility came to mind, putting Mina on edge.



“I’m not going to the dance,” Jess said, her tone low and her voice quiet. “Will backed out on me today at lunch.”



Sadness lanced through Mina’s heart, leaving her feeling as if it had broken in half. “I’m sorry, Jess. But maybe you should still go. Don’t you think you’d have fun with your girlfriends, even without a date?” She tried to keep her frustration out of her voice. What kind of jerk would back out on Jess at the last minute, leaving her without time to find a new date?



Jess shook her head furiously, and her honey-blond waves fell over her face. She left them there, probably to hide tears. When she spoke again, she sounded like she was on the verge of crying. “I can’t go. It would be too humiliating.”



“Is Will going with someone else?” Mina asked, suspecting the answer before Jess replied.



Jess nodded, her hair cascading forward and covering her face more effectively than ever. “He’s going with Stephanie.”



Mina sucked in a breath and bit down on her inner lip, her ire rising instantly. Stephanie was the ringleader of the group of girls who’d sent Jess to the emergency room because she’d been jealous of Jess’s homecoming date in the first place. “She shouldn’t even be allowed to attend the dance. None of those girls should. What’s your principal thinking?” She tightened her hold in the steering wheel, her knuckles going white as she wrung it in a death grip.



Mina wracked her mind desperately during the rest of the drive, trying to think up some way to convince Jess to still go to the dance; to somehow enjoy herself. By the time they reached the apartment, she hadn’t managed to come up with much. “Jess…” she said as she closed and locked the door behind them, “are you really sure you don’t want to go?” It broke her heart to think of Jess’s beautiful dress hanging in her closet, unworn as Jess sulked through the night while her friends had fun without her.



Jess stopped her chair at the edge of the living room, peering over her shoulder at Mina with red eyes. “I’m not going. Will probably only asked me to the dance in the first place because he felt sorry for me. I’m tired of being the girl in the wheelchair!” She rolled down the short hallway and into her bedroom.



Mina followed her, her heart wrenching.



Jess faced her with a stubborn expression. “Don’t try to talk me into going. If I do, Stephanie and her friends will just laugh at me, and all my friends will pity me.” Her face twisted in an expression of disgust as tears began to spill down her cheeks.



“All right, I won’t pressure you to go. But Jess, listen. I don’t think Will asked you to the dance because he felt sorry for you. I think Stephanie manipulated him into taking her instead.” She reached out and touched the thin, pink scar at Jess’s hairline. “She’d do just about anything to get her way.”



Jess shook her head viciously. “I might not be able to walk, but I’m not stupid, Mina. I see the expressions on people’s faces when they look at me. I hate being pitied and treated like a baby.” By the time she finished, she was almost yelling. Before Mina could respond, Jess tilted her chair’s joystick, facing the wall and turning her back to Mina.



Mina struggled to keep her tone firm and even. “I know you’re not a baby. Those girls didn’t bully you because you can’t walk – they bullied you because they’re jealous. And they have a lot to be jealous of. The fact that you use a wheelchair doesn’t make you any less beautiful, or talented, or creative or likeable. Will was lucky to have you for a date and he blew it. He’ll probably regret it.”



Jess sighed, and though Mina couldn’t see her face, she could tell that she was still crying. When she spoke, the anger was gone from her voice, leaving it quiet and wistful. “Yeah. I just wish I could be like everyone else.”



Mina laid a hand on Jess’s shoulder. “Tell you what. You and I will spend the evening together. We’ll do whatever you want. I have to go make a phone call, and while I’m gone I want you to think about what you want to do.”



Alone in the living room, Mina dialed Eric’s number on her cell, her heart heavy. When would they ever have a chance to be truly alone together? She felt as if she was falling more in love with him every day, but she had yet to be able to truly express that. But he’d understand – or at least, she thought he would. After all, he’d known that Jess was and would remain Mina’s first priority when their relationship had started.