#ft;jesse

Her entire world was a mess. Disheveled inside and out, hair a mess from her tussle with Lilith, even sporting a darkening bruise to the apple of one cheek, designer dress not only dirty but torn in a few places. She'd realized, there in her car, that she had no one to run to. Sure Jonathan would hold her and console her but he was paid to do that. She didn't have any friends left in Carroll. Holden was gone who knows where, Val justifiably hated her now and here was only one person she could even think of that might give her the time of day. Jesse.

"Hey... I'm gunna be okay... and so are you." Sitting on the bench outside the club, still closed due to the early hour, the pair sat and waited for Sada to show up. Penny was both shocked and kind of nervous about being on such a long drive with her intimidating boss, unsure how any conversation would go all things considered. What she really worried about, though, was Jesse.

Neglecting actually eating on her lunch hour for trying to find a part for her old Volkswagen, Birch gave the yellow soft top an affectionate pat as she got out in the parking lot, lifting her squirming pink piglet from where she'd unclipped his harness from his basket through the back window. "Okay, let's go see if we can find Mister Cabriolet somethin'ta help us get that top'ta go down."

Decked out in her parade finery, she felt incredibly over dressed, though there was little she could do about it considering she was about three hours from walking the parade with a gaggle of five year olds in their parent's varying interpretation of 'christmas tree' costumes. Pushing her way into the office of the salvage yard, a friendly smile already on her face. Best way to make a good first impression was a smile, her Mama had always said.

"Is that so? I was worried Autumn Manchester being back in town was going to bring trouble for Holden. Seems I was right. I should have known she was the reason those boys stopped being friends."

Auttie: I AM NOT PREGNANT!!!!

Jesse had been to, or on the edges of, nearly every party Autumn had ever thrown. Never expressly invited, but never turned away, either. He'd seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of an Autumn Manchester event, some that even rivalled the one a few night previous. Almost.

This one, was so much worse. So much more horrific, and even Auttie couldn't talk herself into believing that it wasn't targeted. That it hadn't been done on purpose just to pull her off her pedestal. Why now? When she'd been trying so hard to turn over a new leaf?

So, after beating herself up, and theorizing herself into a knot, she'd ended up where she always had when things in her fairytale life got too hard. At his door. Voice thick and raw eyes already well brimming with tears,

Penny had spotted Holden, finally. Jesse and she coming up to go get him so they could figure out what to do now that her bid had lost, but when she spotted him talking to Joel, she'd stopped dead in her tracks. Face paling, just within ear shot, but far enough behind Holden that he hadn't even noticed she was standing there yet, Penny heard it. Heard Joel's words. Heard him spill to Holden what she'd done.

The panic was instant and all consuming, the world tilting underneath her and for a moment. He's said it so loud. Not only Holden had heard but everyone around them. In the end she did all she could do and stumble away from the arguing pair, before turning and running for all she worth as far from sight as possible, eventually lowering down in the darkest corner of the furthest back empty horse stall in the barn. To sit. And to cry.

She knew. She knew she'd destroy Holden Reynolds entire reputation.