Walking into Fire Ch. 03

Lying back down on the couch, Jessie thought about where Tessa might be around noon on a Monday. The answer came after a few seconds, the fact it required thought to even remember Tessa's schedule was testament to Jessie's state of mind.

--~~--

Tessa scowled down at her huge knee as she remembered the events after the wonderful sex her and Duncan shared. He had prepared breakfast for both of them. Then he decreed she was to go nowhere because of her knee. Tessa harrumphed at the very idea of canceling a softball practice session.

Duncan wasn't happy when she refused to call the assistant coach and the parents of the players. To prevent her from leaving, he took the keys to her car off the peg next to the front door of the house and walked into the bedroom without glancing backward. He knew those were the only set of keys to her house and car because Tessa kept forgetting to keep spares at Duncan's house.

She smiled smugly as she bounced Danny's car keys in her hand. Duncan had forgotten she drove Danny's vehicle home after dropping him off at Jessie's. She quietly snuck out of the house when she was sure Duncan was passed out on the bed.

Tessa made a mental note to pick up her car from the bar parking lot where she left it last night as she looked out over the softball diamond spread out before her. From her perch on the bleachers, she saw the groups of girls littering the diamond and the grassy field beyond. Some were running laps around the bases and others were playing catch. The activity looked like a well-oiled machine to her, just the way she liked it.

After her accident, she had been saddened that her dreams were broken because of a busted knee. At the age of five, her father had placed a mitt and ball in her hands, instilling dreams of pro-ball into her young mind. It was a dream that hadn't had a chance to be realized.

She was lost in the dark when the doctors told her she wouldn't play ball ever again. Tessa wandered around for a few years after graduating high school trying to figure out what she would do with her life now that she had no goal. Her parents and Jessie had been worried about her when all she did was lay day after day staring at the TV screen and eating tons of junk food. What did it matter when her dreams were scattered?

It was Jessie who snapped her out of her stupor. She had dragged Tessa away from her indented spot on the couch, away from her TV, and away from the mounds of junk food. Jessie took her to a junior high softball game and forced her to watch the whole thing.

Tessa had been angry at Jessie's high handedness, not to mention her insensitive nature. Didn't Jessie know it had hurt Tessa to watch the softball game?

Then, after being there an hour, Tessa started to pay attention. She started to notice the lack of communication within the team; players were not in the positions that maximized their strengths. The home team looked like a bunch of bumbling idiots. Tessa's anger shifted to the lethargic coach napping in the dugout.

She had discovered a new goal in life. If she couldn't play, then she would coach. She would pass on her knowledge and experiences to those who could use them.

With the help of her parents, she went to college to get a teaching certificate in History and procured a teaching job with the junior high school. It hadn't taken a lot of effort to wrestle the coaching job from the previous coach since she, obviously, had more experience.

Tessa didn't have any regrets about it, was actually thankful to Jessie for helping her find a new mission in life. She found her job as teacher and coach fulfilling. While there was still a little sadness that she had been unable to achieve her ultimate dream, there was some satisfaction in hoping one day one of her players would go all the way.

The sound of an engine caught Tessa's attention. She turned slightly -- wincing at the ping of pain in her knee -- to see who had driven up. A growl emitted from her throat at the sight of Jessie exiting the car. She whipped around, spine tensing in anger. While Jessie was her best friend, she was still mad from last night.

"Hey there, Tessa!" Jessie greeted with false cheer.

Tessa narrowed her eyes at her. "Is your mess all straightened out?" she asked. Suspicion made her voice sharp, disgruntled.

"Actually, I came here to talk to you about it," said Jessie reluctantly.

"No way! I told you not to come near me unless things were settled. Look at my knee!" She pointed to the inflated appendage.

Jessie looked at it in horror. "It's huge! Why didn't you ice it up last night?"

"That is not the point. The point is I wouldn't have the need for ice if it weren't for this whole thing." Tessa pointedly turned back to the diamond, silently dismissing her friend.

Edging closer to where Tessa sat on the bleachers, Jessie tried again in a pleading tone, "I need to ask you for advice, maybe bounce some ideas off you. The sooner I get your help, the faster this'll be done."

"My help with what?" Tessa said incredulously. She thought her friend couldn't possibly be this clueless.

Jessie's eyes went round and turned glassy. She jutted her lip out and pouted, "I need to figure out what to do with Danny."

Slowly rising, making sure her good leg took most of her weight. Tessa cautiously turned to Jessie. "Marry the man."

"What?"

Sighing, Tessa tried again, "I said marry the man. That's all the advice I'm giving you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to the high school. They have a game today." She blew the whistle signaling the end of practice and walked away.

Jessie stared at her friend's retreating back. Then she marched off in pursuit. It had to be more complicated than that, she thought. There was no way she could up and marry the man. Not after what Danny did to her. She'd invested all her feelings in him in the past just so he could casually brush her off for a cheerleader. Surely, that had to factor into the situation.

Tessa was already driving out of the parking lot in Danny's car, which Jessie took the time to notice. As she got into her own car, she was determined to have Tessa listen to her doubts, her wants, and then help her decide what to do. It's just not as simple as marrying him.

--~~--

Danny completed washing the dishes from his lonely dinner. Jessie was taking her sweet time. It wasn't that she didn't know what she wanted, he knew. She was simply going to be stubborn about it.

It would be like her to keep him waiting for as long as she could before she told him what she wanted. He wondered for the millionth time if she was going to call things off. Then he put his hand in his pocket and felt the reassuring charm within the palm of his hand.

He was starting to get antsy waiting in her house. Danny was an action type of guy; he wasn't one to stop and wait. To clear the restlessness out of his system, he decided to go for a little walk around the neighborhood. He threw the towel onto the kitchen counter and went for the front door.

Before he went out the door, he made sure to grab one of the spare keys she kept on a stand next to the door. As soon as fresh air hit his face, he calmed. Taking a few deep breaths relaxed his tense shoulders, stilled his racing thoughts and made things seem clearer.

He started walking down the sidewalk in a random direction; the houses in the neighborhood all had pristine lawns complete with lawn decorations. Danny was surprised that they didn't have little white picket fences to go with the disguise of perfection.

Jessie's neighbors were notorious for spreading rumors about her "immoral behavior." Delving into the sordid lives of others was a way for the inhabitants of the neighborhood to escape their own reality.

One night, while Jessie and Danny were taking a rest from their sexual escapades, he asked her about the unnatural curiosity of her neighbors. He found it odd they didn't mind their own business in a time where people didn't want to get caught up in the drama of others.

She had yawned tiredly and told him -- in neighborhoods such as hers -- they gossiped about others to keep speculation off of their own lives. Jessie told him the husband in the house to the left of hers was cheating on his wife. The wife knew, but the only reason they stayed together was for the children.

The couple in the house to the right were swingers and into BDSM. She said she heard a rumor that they had converted their basement into a dungeon loaded with naughty sex toys. Jessie didn't have a clue if it was true or not. There was no problem in their lifestyle even if it was true, but the people of the neighborhood wouldn't see it that way.

Unfortunately, for Jessie's neighbors, it was a small community. Nothing that happened in their lives could be kept a secret no matter how hard they tried. When Jessie moved into the house next to theirs, they saw her as a convenient escape goat.

Some of the rumors they told were true. Jessie never made it a secret that she loved having sex and was a little adventurous in bed. Other rumors were false, her neighbors made her out to be shameless and risqué, which was worse in the eyes of the neighborhood than being just a sexual free spirit.

Danny knew they targeted Jessie not only for the juicy tales she produced, which were easy to blow out of proportion. They also targeted her because she was a single woman living alone. Danny shook his head and thought that was the way of society. He knew what it was like to be singled out because he was different.

A whiff of smoke caught his notice. He looked around to see where it could be coming from. Years of training had his inner alarm ringing. There was a fire somewhere, not one that could be easily doused with a bucket of water or a small fire extinguisher.

Dark gray smoke, nearly black in color, billowed up above the rooftops to his right. Danny started running towards the smoke. He cut across yards and leapt over obstacles that were in his way.

He saw the crowd surrounding the burning building before reaching his goal. Everyone stood staring in helpless wonder at the orange flames that burst out of the left side of the two-story home.

Danny stopped short and asked the closest person, "Did anyone call 9-1-1?"

The man stared at Danny as if he were an alien that had appeared before him in a beam of light. Mutely, he shook his head "no" and went back to staring at the horrible wonder of the enflamed building.

Danny grabbed a fist full of the man's t-shirt and glared at him. "Call 9-1-1," he yelled before he released the man and got closer to the building.

A scream issued forth from the confines of the house. Everyone watching took a step back in shock. Danny looked at the building, determination gleaming in his eyes. It was going to be a while before the fire truck would get there, and the fire was spreading rapidly.

He took a handkerchief out of his back pants pocket, took a few deep breaths, covered his face with the handkerchief, and ran into the open front door of the building.

--~~--

I lied, there's going to be one more chapter. Sorry for that, but I have no control over the characters! I've decided that Mattie will have his own story after I finish this. Thanks to all those who helped me decide. I would like to give a special thanks to sexylaila438 for her help in editing. Please remember that I love comments, compliments, and votes!