Jessie didn’t hear the knock, but whipped her head around when she heard Cordelia. “Oh, not a date,” she said, hating how her cheeks flushed anyway even if it wasn’t a date. “I’m going to see Jake ride in the rodeo.” She and Jake had hung out at school a few times, they did have one or two classes together, so it wasn’t weird for her to be going to the rodeo, but she didn’t want everyone thinking it was a date, worried he’d freak out about it. “I don’t know what to wear.” She bit her lower lip in worry about the outfit situation, and if she was going to catch the bus there, she needed to figure it out soon.

Jessie raised an eyebrow, “What’s that supposed to mean?” wondering if that was a good thing or a bad thing that he was one of the cowboys. She smirked and shook her head, “It’s not like that, we’re just friends.” She didn’t want to romanticize something that might not be there. Even if she really liked Jakes’ company, enjoyed sharing her headphones to listen to a podcast she was deep into, and yes, she had seen him play a game or two this season. She looked over her options before grabbing a few things. She didn’t own that many pairs of jeans and she wasn’t sure how it would look on her. “What about this?”

Jessie shook her head but smiled, “I had no idea they all would be here,” Though Jake did tell her his family was here, she didn’t know if they’d be good looking. “Still haven’t met the brother yet.” She mumbled under her breath as she took the outfit into the bathroom to try it on, looking at herself in the mirror and approved what she saw. “I think this is it.” She looked down at her outfit, thinking it was either this or a black dress.

“I’ll try to remember the next time I stumble upon hot cowboys,” Jessie smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest, “I am not going to pull that stunt, we are just friends.” She narrowed her eyes at her roommate, wondering why she thought this was some kind of date. “I’m bringing my sweater.” She had a big bag already to go, she just needed the finishing touches.

“I can do that,” Jessie said, saluting Cordelia like it was an order in the army. Her chest twinged a little at the thought of Jake wanting to ask Cordelia out on a date, but she wasn’t sure why since they were just friends. “He is a gentleman,” She smiled softly as she looked down at her purse. “Yes? Just for essentials.” She didn’t want to admit she had snacks along with two true crime books for the bus rides, it still felt a little embarrassing to ride the bus, but she didn’t want a pity ride either.

Jessie tossed her sweater into her purse, leaving one of the sleeves to hang out, at least a majority of it was inside. “Yes, the bus ride is about an hour,” she admitted as she not her lower lip, once again wishing for a car, but not wanting to ask her grandparents for one and have strings attached to it.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind taking the bus, it’s just a little scary at night,” Jessie had set an alarm on her phone for thirty minutes before the last bus so she wouldn’t miss it. “I’m thinking I’ll ask for a car next year though, not having one kind of sucks,” She chuckled, sitting back down at her desk to finish getting ready. “Not yet, but maybe like, twenty minutes?” It wasn’t that far of a walk to the bus station, but she liked to be early.

“Right, I’d love to just go shopping without having to worry about what bus to take or try and find someone to drive her, though that would mean making friends again. She gave Cordelia a small smile, hoping she wouldn’t disappear like her old friends had. “If I had a car, I would drive us places.” She promised, knowing she wouldn’t mind. It didn’t take long for Jessie to finish her makeup and hair before turning to look at the boots she was about to struggle to get on. “If you want to, it’s not that far of a walk. It’s nice outside.” She shrugged, grabbing one of the boots and slipped it on.

Jessie began to wonder if her and Cordelia would be roommates next year, could you request a specific roommate? She slipped on the boots without a problem and walked around. “Not too bad, I could wear these for sure.” She looked down at her black boots and then posed for Cordelia, “Do I look fit to meet cowboys?” She laughed before grabbing her purse and slinging it over her shoulder, sweater sleeve sticking out the back. “You don’t need an excuse, just go.” She smirked.

Jessie rolled her eyes, “I doubt that I’m a newbie, so I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.” She grimaced, but she knew that at least Jake would talk to her, and that was enough for now. She grabbed her keys and tossed them into her purse, watching them fall to the bottom and made note to dig for it long before her stop. “Ready.” She said, opening their main door and stepping into the hallway, holding it open for her to follow.

Jessie closed the door and heard the automatic lock before turning towards the lobby. “Tell me the truth, how many art classes are you signed up for?” she teased, though was jealous of her friend’s talent. But she would never not hyper her up about it, loving everything she made. “So, what genre are you looking for today?”

Jessie rolled her eyes but laughed, “It’s fine, you are really good, you should totally pursue that career,” She wasn’t sure how it would end up for Cordelia, but she wished nothing but the best for her. She walked through the front door and headed towards the parking lot. “As always, there are a few good true crime romance ones I enjoyed.” Though there wasn’t enough mystery or gore, depending on what type it was.

“Well, possible, but what if you weren’t?” Jessie asked, hoping to one day become a detective, just like her dad. Part of her worried that his last name would be ruined, and she wouldn’t get hired anywhere, but she wouldn’t know till she tried. “Some of them might be more horror than romance.” She grimaced, shrugged her shoulders, knowing the books she was thinking of was a horror, but there was romance in it.

Jessie smirked, wondering if she’d get that chance. “What would you do otherwise?” Wondering if she had a backup plan and debating on figuring out a backup for herself. She giggled at the inspirational children’s books. “I could write ones about the dangers of the world.” She joked, looking over all the cars in the parking lot, wondering who owned what car, wondering what kind of car she’d end up with if she asked for one. “Feel free to check out my books, not a lot, but a few.” Though there were more true crime books than any other genre, but maybe she’d find one that was interesting.