hey child, stay wild

JESSICA COPELAND | TWENTY SIX | HUMAN she’s not like any type, actually. she’s probably the most surprising person i’ve ever met. it’s just this feeling she gives off. like when you’re with her, anything is possible. — The Meta Geek™ Brilliant, but Lazy™ Being Good Sucks™ Adorkable™ Idiot Hero™

[jesscopeland]

followthenolan:

Nolan, in this excitement, almost forgot how tiny she was to his towering figure. Slender and honestly a bit bony, he was at least happy not to crush her every time he wrapped her up in his arms. Chuckling and shaking his head with her still in his grasp, his face lit up at her taunting. Usually, he would have a slick comeback, but now, he was happy just to even hear her making fun of him like always. After the group had basically disintegrated after the cherry blossom festival, it was a welcome change back to the normal he had been used to. Looking her over, she didn’t look as stressed. It was clear she had enjoyed the welcome reprieve from the constant drama of West Hollow and threat of supernatural death, and her hair had grown out some. Nolan, too, desperately needed a haircut before camp officially started for the season. Watching her dramatics in full form, his arms crossed over, joyfully amused smirk unable to hold itself back from taking over his face. 

“I wouldn’t have expected anything less– honestly, if that story didn’t end with you slaying the dragon, we would of had to have some words, I think.” he teased her back. “Well, you look great, Jess,” A part of Nolan was nearly giddy, and seeing her bask in that same feeling as she announced school was out made his grin turn into a large smile, nodding along with the same optimism. It was the first time in a while he had felt like that, and while Matty and Thiago were super troopers for helping him out in Jess’s absence, there was simply nothing like her contagious enthusiasm to light a fire inside him.

At the mention of lunch, his eyebrows rose, suddenly remembering that. “Oh– yeah! Of course, come on,” He motioned his hand then for her to follow him to a nearby cabin. Continuing to talk as they walked together “You’re gonna love it– cooked it myself even. It’s no Talbot’s burger, actually it’s grilled salmon, rice, and creamed spinach, but you’re damn lucky I make big portions for the guns.” Putting up a bicep and flexing it for a second jokingly as they made their way inside the building, he put a hand up for her to wait in the main area. Returning a minute or so later with a large, sectioned plastic container of food he had microwaved, he began to lead them back outside. 

“Honestly, I’m so glad to see you– Matty and Thiago are great, but tiring sometimes.” he said as he walked towards one of the picnic tables. “Was kinda worried you’d stay in Brookings, honestly.” he nearly mumbled.

At the mention of slaying dragons, her smile grew wide and luminous, glad that he still had such faith in her even if such things didn't exist. She felt a little stupid for having let their friendship dwindle, but at the same time, she'd needed the time to do some reflection herself. Jess was infamous for being indecisive in her own future, and so it was never a surprise when she dropped off the face of the planet for a while in order to search for the answers. Coming back down from the orbiting planets though to safe ground, the same ground where Nolan stood, she was reminded of what feeling safe felt like. She'd missed that.

"Wow, you're like — a grand chef now, huh? Guess the law didn’t know what to do with you." She jeered at his lunch order, impressed and simultaneously jealous that she'd never been packed a lunch like that before. Cutting herself off with a scoff and roll of her eyes though because he was flexing, Jess shook her head and smacked his arm away. "Oh riiight," She went along with cooed, falsely praising his ego. "You know, it's a wonder girls aren't just throwing themselves at you at this point. Meathead." Jess thumped him without really thinking, before, well... thinking. She felt her throat close up a little at the thought of a certain redhead, eyes faltered to the ground as they walked before she cleared her throat ever so softly and forced herself to perk up. She wanted to ask him how he was feeling in that regard, whether he’d been able to move on or whether things were still bad for him. Losing someone never went away completely after all, but Jess knew how frustrating being stuck in limbo could feel. "Anyway, Jace started going to the gym too actually. Surprised they're not... you know, doing the same to him." She trailed off, not exactly highlighting the fact they hadn't totally been as close as they had been before. Not with distance, with school, and with him trying to move his family out of town, everything had just gotten a bit much. Or maybe that was just Jess's feelings, but they were the dominant ones. Maybe it was her fault. Maybe she’d created the distance.

"Oh yeah?" She chuckled, looking up at Nolan for a moment as he spoke of the others, trying to forget about the depressing fact she’d lost more this year than she’d gained. "I think me too for a bit. Not like I wanted to it's just... you know... school. It's a pain. But I'm really trying to be good at it this time... My dad really wants me to finish something and I guess I kind of get it now. I’d kinda like to finish something too," She explained, feeling a slight rift between them as it was obvious there was stuff her and Nolan hadn’t talked about. Sitting herself at the table, she began picking at a patch of rotting wood. “So, have you... you know, talked to anybody else? I know I’m not meant to be thinking about it but... well, my dad’s still mayor and I guess as long as I know Catherine’s still out there, I just wonder... You know?”

[jakegyllenhaal]

[jesscopeland]

followthenolan:

Most of the time, Nolan blamed himself. He blamed himself for Thiago’s death, he blamed himself for not being able to save the town from the supernatural, and he blamed himself for letting his friends get killed because of it. Death encapsulated most of Nolan’s life, from his personal to his work, and it seemed like it would never leave. It was for this reason that when Jess and Jace announced they were taking a break from Mystery Inc., Nolan wasn’t surprised, but rather disappointed. As the rest of the group dissolved along with them, Harper nowhere to be found, Lupe seemingly busy most days, and Matty confessing his fear growing and wanting to focus solely on his angel hunt, Nolan put the burden on his shoulders yet again. All their cases became his own, and while he was lying lower these days, Nolan still continued his cause. 

The one he missed the most, he had to confess, was Jess. Her departure had stung the most, and while she mostly blamed schoolwork, he knew the real reason. Not that schoolwork wasn’t a real reason, but Nolan was no fool. Her receptionist job put even more distance, and with her school commute an hour away, their conversations had been light instances of simply updating each other – 

-Yeah, Thiago is over cooking dinner tonight. He offered again, he’s been real helpful. Is finals kicking your ass, Copeland? -ughhh, tell him I would literally kill for one of susans turnovers during these studying sessions – WHICH YOU KNOW IT IS. i promise to visit soon, nolman

As much as he wanted to believe that, Nolan also knew that his friends from college had made similar promises, only to dissolve into the background of his life. When Thiago had suggested the summer camp program, Nolan immediately latched onto the idea, knowing that it would give him a good distraction. As the program needed volunteers to help setting up before the summer season began, and training for those wishing to participate, Nolan was there immediately. Although not a veteran like some of the other counselors, Nolan was learning fast, and was already popular around team. 

Today was an especially nice day, and they had managed to set up half the woods obstacle course. Nolan’s next duty was to start on the first half of the cabins to clean them out and begin to kid-proof them, but his lunch today was grilled salmon with yellow and brown rice and creamed spinach, one he was looking forward to. Clipboard and container of food in hand, he had just finishing speaking to one of the other senior counselors when the voice perked behind him. 

Swinging around, he immediately recognized his best friend. A bit starstruck, his eyes widened as a smile started to grow on his face. “Jess,” he said, a bit speechless. Setting his stuff down on a nearby picnic table, he embraced her tiny figure in a hug then. “Holy shit, I can’t believe you’re here.” he chuckled, backing away then. Shaking his head, he put his hand out, “I assumed they’d swallowed you whole in Brookings or something by now, damn,”

All the fear that had weighed down inside her, like a bag of stones in her belly, instantly evaporated the minute that Nolan looked at her. The warmth in his eyes was the kind of greeting she was used to from him, the excitement and pure happiness at her presence flattering her. Putting her arms up and taking a step forward, Nolan was already coming at her, figure hunching down to meet her height. "You call that a hug?" She grinned over his shoulder, cheek pressed snug against his and taunting until he made her feet leave the ground and rest back down again. Giving out a small yip of delight at the reunion, Jess stumbled back to look up at him, brushing hair out of her face. He looked good. Or well, better than she'd left him, that was for sure. The sun was out most days now and Nolan's arms seemed to be soaking it up, his hair disheveled after a day's physical work, he kind of looked more like a boy than he ever did when he was in uniform. Jess loved it.

"Oh, look, they almost had me." She pointed out in a faux tone, "Almost! It was cut-throat. Finals had me pinned, teachers wanted me to beg for mercy..." She built up dramatically before taking on a heroic pose. "But I didn't give in to them. Like the true warrior I am, I made it out alive." She stated, hoping that her theatrics still could make Nolan laugh like they always used to.

Calming down though, she gave him a genuine smile now, one that showed that she too had missed him. "School’s out.” She announced finally. Hopefully. “That means I’ve got a whole summer to spend hanging around you like a bad smell, so... what’s for lunch?”

[jesscopeland]

@followthenolan

The weeks had been quiet ever since Jess had put a barrier between her and Mystery Inc. Of course, her intentions weren't to dip out on her friends completely, but with the stress of school wrapping up for the spring, summer jobs formulating and the stress of who might go missing next, Jess had finally made the co-decision with Jace that she needed a break. For once, she knew, she just needed to focus on her for a while, put herself and her safety first and honestly, while habitual parts niggled away at her, it was kind of nice not to have to live in a constant state of worry. She'd started to check her phone less, that was one major distraction down. Now, she trusted where Jace was and that he was safe, Nolan only gave her important life updates and the rest of Mystery Inc... well, they were off figuring their own lives out during the limbo it seemed. It was nice to have normal conversations back with her dad too, being able to come home and catch some late night television with him, give a general report on her school day and then head up to bed because she had another day of exams to tackle tomorrow. Life took a gradual pendulum of normalcy, and while yes, it had taken some adjusting to, Jess couldn't say she totally hated it. She slept better now than ever, she was exhausted after traveling and cramming and she spent a lot of time catching up on Penny's life over Skype when she could. But eventually, Jess started to realize that something was missing, something vital... and it wasn't until one afternoon when she'd been rummaging under her bed for something that her fingers had grazed a bottle. Confused, she tugged it out, reading over the label.

Giving a nostalgic smile, Jess wondered how she'd forgotten about this. Given, schnapps wasn't really her thing but for a little while there, it had become their thing. Hers and Nolans. A little feel-good they'd leaned on during the hard weeks after Molly's disappearance and Camila's still unexplained absence. Swishing the liquid around, Jess chewed on the inside of her lip, watching it go round and round until she let it slowly simmer. She owed Nolan a visit. Well, she owed him more than that but she'd been slacking as a friend lately, so consumed in this new routine of hers. She'd given up her job at the PD, and ever since, she'd felt the strain of distance. So, trying to remember what Thiago had mentioned about their plans for the summer recently, Jess threw a quick search into Google, only to come up with West Hollows local announcement of a summer camp in preparation. It was still early, and she kind of wanted it to be a surprise. So, like the super sleuth she used to be, she called up the PD and asked if Jules was in. Catching the voice of a familiar officer, Jess kept up polite chit-chat before weaseling out of him where Nolan was for sure. Thanking him and hanging up, she twisted then to do an automatic reach for the keys on her desk but froze. Hell. She'd gotten her license just a week and a bit ago, and she still hadn't told Nolan yet. God. She was a sucky friend.

The weather had been kind to them lately, a soft, floral breeze in the air and enough sun to kill the fog pretty early in the mornings. Still, Jess kept at it with her jeans for a little longer, not ready to part with the denim wash just yet but happy to be in shirts and tanks over full-blown turtleneck sweaters. Trenching over the leaves and gravel, she spotted Nolan's figure a mile away, tall and broad, like the heroic protector he was. Meandering over like a woodland creature a bit frightened of the company, Jess leaned against the storage cabin for a moment before mustering up a sentence that didn’t sound like total garbage.

“Hey stranger,” She began, smile genuine even if a little unsure. “Almost forgot what you look like.” She joked, “Figured I’d come fix that.”

[followthenolan]

tell me – jess & nolan.

set a week after molly goes missing, nolan freaks out and jess tries to calm him down. they talk about her and the group.

@jesssland

Keep reading

[jesscopeland]

lupesfiascos:

Roman glanced over at where his cat had peered out from the bag, and the two shared an almost comical look – as if they were in on something the humans weren’t. “He’ll take his chances,” he replied, figuring they didn’t have time to get into the specifics of Salem’s safety. “For the record, though, there’s not really such thing as witch laws. I mean, we have our own code of conduct, I guess? It’s not – okay, actually? Let’s put a pin in that and save the conversation for later.”

Keeping Lupe’s door open, he took her hand between both of his to inspect the damage, ignoring the way she hissed in pain. “Wow, he did a number on you,” he remarked, lightly tisking in disapproval. It took no more than a few seconds for warmth to begin coursing through her arm, followed by a soft glowing that illuminated her hand. Then, as if she’d never found herself being tortured by Hugo, the hand was right back to normal with absolutely no pain leftover. 

“Are you feeling okay?” He called over to Jess, all while Lupe marveled at her newly reformed hand. “If you got injured, I should get it healed up before it gets any worse. If not, then we can probably start heading out now while that demon’s still knocked the fuck out.”

Although all of Jess’s concern was directed at Lupe and her crooked fingers, that didn’t stop Jess from throwing a glance in the warlock’s direction all the same, sharing a split second to the cat too. Witchy codes of conduct — she wondered what that entailed. Hell, she wondered what the guy’s life was like in comparison to that of ordinary humans. She couldn’t really pry when it came to Ophelia, so this warlock... maybe he was their next best bet. “Good call,” Jess decided with a firm nod, though she knew if anything else dramatic happened to them tonight, she’d forget immediately to bring up the fact later.

Watching protectively however as the guy began to survey her friend’s hand, Jess felt herself clutch at the seats of the car, glancing around habitually for some idea of a weapon in case... well, in case of anything. Knowing the supernatural, this warlock could work any number on them at any given time and she had next to nothing to defend them with. She knew better than to trust a stranger, especially a supernatural one, but as of right now... they also had no choice.

By the time she looked back at Lupe, sweaty and still trembling a.little likely from the adrenaline slowly weaning itself out of her system, Jess’s eyes noticed how normal her hand suddenly looked. “Holy shit...” She breathed, just as she was asked if she was alright. “Yeah, no, I’m... I’m fine...” She exhaled, marveling at the work and then looking at the warlock with gratitude. “Right, yeah we should definitely bounce before he wakes up. How uh — confident are you that your spell worked? That he’ll remember?”

[zoekravitzs]

Why do I usually take acting jobs? Because no one trusts me to me to babysit, I dropped out of high school and I REALLY love truffles.

[jesscopeland]

jaceofmystery:

Jace tried to keep up an encouraging smile and gestured for Jess to take a seat in the driver’s place. “You’ll do fine,” he assured her once more. In reality, he knew it might be somewhat of a mess. But Jess was sufficiently good with her reflexes that it was unlikely they’d die. A little more likely the car might get scratched or worse? Well… he’d already accepted that. 

Once she sat, he moved to the passenger’s seat and hopped in. With a sigh and nod he turned to her a bit. “Okay! First thing’s first… seatbelt. Then turn on the car. Just twist the key in place and get it started. Easy peasy.” He continued to try and stay lighthearted, at least for her sake. But Jace was quickly putting on his own seatbelt now.

She’d heard the words a thousand times before from him, for all kinds of situations, both actually dangerous and borderline harmless. Still, they didn’t make Jess hesitate any less. Looking at Jace still with fret on her face, she at least gave into the nudge by giving off an overdramatic sigh before flinging herself towards the driver’s side. If anyone should have been nervous here, Jess knew it was probably Jace. He was surprisingly keeping a lid on it though, and for that, she was thankful. She was pretty impressionable after all and it wouldn’t take much of a panic attack on his end for her to throw this whole driving lesson’s thing out the window.

Pulling on the seatbelt and clicking it into place, she rested her foot experimentally on what she knew was the gas pedal, fingers gripping the wheel slowly. “You know, I never thought I’d say this but this would be like a hundred times easier if we had like — a hoard of vampires after us or something. I feel like I’m only good at this kinda stuff when I panic.”

[jesscopeland]

lupesfiascos:

Still running on adrenaline, Lupe knew her injuries were going to feel far more painful in a matter of minutes. She was giving herself three, maybe five minutes until the pain was unbearable and knew her hand might be well beyond repair, so the potential ride to the hospital was looking a little too good. And given the warlock had actually helped her, along with the fact Jess was urging her, Lupe was more inclined to relent and accept the help – just this once, of course.

“I can fix her hand once we get to my car,” Roman piped up, nearly wincing when he got a look at just how mangled it was. “And maybe then you can explain how the hell you managed to piss off a demon this badly, alright?” Without waiting for a response, he set off back down the path they’d come, and Lupe motioned for Jess to accompany her behind the warlock. 

It didn’t take too long to reach his car – a Jeep, which made Lupe feel just a little bit better. The entire trek there, Lupe kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure Hugo wasn’t following them and hissed as her injury finally started kicking in. Once they reached the car, Lupe was cradling her hand against her chest and trying to fight the tears back.

“Okay, first I’m gonna need you two to hop into the back,” Roman instructed, shamelessly putting his backpack – still containing his cat – in the front seat. “Salem gets dibs on shotgun. Then I can take a look at both of you to make sure you’re not about to drop dead.”

Jess’s head spun quickly in the direction of the warlock, shocked and surprised mostly at herself for not having even thought of it. It wasn’t as if she was some professional when it came to the supernatural, especially witches and warlocks, but the idea that maybe he’d be able to heal should have come to mind, Jess criticised herself. She was always usually thinking outside the box like that, but right now, fear owned her and it was hard to think about anyting else other than they needed to escape.

Sharing a side-glance with Lupe, Jess gave a sudden, incredulous exhale. Their luck was gushing at this point, and Jess prayed it didn’t stop there. Though at his next comment, she felt her gut restract. “That might take a while...” She muttered, though not important, as right now they just needed to follow the warlock the hell out of here.

Jess’s hand was already reaching for the doorhandle before the warlock inisted that they get in the back, not havig really thought twice about it as it was a stranger’s car and this was the epitome of her mother’s heart-attack material. Glancing at Lupe as she was still partially impaired, Jess held the door open for her before glancing at the cat in the bag, then at the warlock. She knew it wasn’t the time to say it, but the words bubbled up inside her regardless. “You know it’s pretty unsafe to have your pet ride shotgun. I just got a dog — so I was doing sme research... Anyway, it’s illegal in some places to have them up there. You know. Just in case of an accident.... cause they’d go flying — well, maybe not for you. I don’t know what kind of magic you have going on... Maybe witch laws are different, I don’t know...” Jess rambled when she was nervous or under pressure, something her friends knew well about her and were usually accustomed to. She once again shared a look with Lupe as they clambered into the back of the Jeep together, facing one another, and Jess took a moment to survrey the damage the demon had caused once more. She visibly cringed, “That looks janky as hell, Lupe... Does it hurt really bad?”

[jesscopeland]

mxnday-blues:

This wasn’t fair. This was some extra cruelty being delivered to her front doorstep, with Jess’s name on the return address. She didn’t want to know Jess was sorry — that complicated things. Monday operated best when things were black and white. Friday was dead; that was black. Jess was a bitch; that was black. She didn’t understand grey tones, couldn’t process them properly. “Fucking stop it!” She wanted to sound commanding, but it came out more like she was begging. 

The emotion flickered, and then, just like that, it was abandoned. Monday left it behind, borrowed the dirt from underneath Jess’s fingernails and refilled the hole she had created. “You’re sorry. Great.” She said, turning around and getting ready to walk home. Though — truthfully, she’d probably end up at the bar, feeling far too sober and raw to be able to sleep otherwise. 

Jess felt herself lean back, away from Dez as the other girl screamed at her to stop, as if she was doing something beyond just talking about her feelings. It had bile rising in Jess’s throat, burning the whole way up, but she just had to get the words out there, she had to make it known that she wasn’t going to hide from this anymore.  If Dez hated her, then so be it, she’d wear that. But she wasn’t going to pretend like it wasn’t happening either.

Brown eyes dropped to the ground feeling shameful again, though this time she didn’t speak. She didn’t dare rock the shaky ground with another Jess-sized earthquake — Dez deserved better. So when she was dismissed, at the girl turned on her heel, Jess simply looked away and let the rest of what she’d been holding in cascade over her. It hit her shoulders hard and flowed down her cheeks like rain, not a drizzle, but like a storm. And for however many minutes as it took, Jess just allowed herself to sit there, tear-soaked and regretting everything she’d done to make Dez hate her.

[jesscopeland]

jaceofmystery:

Jace was not the best with cars. He knew the basics: enough to fix a flat tire on the road or restart the car. He even knew how to hotwire one. (He thought it might be useful someday, if going by his dangerous lifestyle with MI said anything.) But he wasn’t sure how to tell it was in perfect mechanical condition. So, as he sat in the driver’s seat just to check that all the controllers were in good condition, he felt like he was winging it more than anything. He muttered things to himself (“…air bag working… fuel filled…”) before he heard Jess speak beside him at the open door of the driver’s seat, watching absently.

He sighed and smiled sheepishly over at her. “There’s not much of a difference if I die this week or next week,” he joked. Then he decided to reassure her and slide off the driver’s seat to the ground beside her. “Listen, JC, you’re gonna do great. Alright? I helped teach Gabby how to drive. If I can do that, I can definitely teach you. Besides, we’re both already here and the parking lot’s completely empty. It’s a perfect place to start. Just relax… Overloading your sympathetic nervous system is not going to be helpful behind the wheel where you gotta be as calm and collected as possible. Just follow my directions, don’t sweat it, and we’ll be off to a good start. Hmm?” 

Her expression turned into a hard frown at that, not finding it as funny when he joked about dying as she found it when she was the one making the joke. As hypocritical as that was, Jess would own it. It was no secret that she valued her friend's lives more than she valued her own at this point, even though she'd promised Jace not to do anything outrageously stupid anymore if she could help it. Still, the idea that she could lose any of the people close to her at the snap of some supernatural's fingers had been lingering on her for the last few weeks like nothing else. If she couldn't bury herself in school work or tasks like these, then she knew she'd just become obsessed with the fact.

She gave him a look when he mentioned teaching his little sister to drive, the only person in his family who seemed to be able to hold a flame to Jess's crazy antics. The fact that that girl could legally drive and Jess couldn't was kind of a punch to the ego, but Jess tried to hide it, instead, casting a look to the steering wheel instead. "Yeah well if this goes catastrophically bad, don't talk to me or my sympathetic nervous system ever again because we won't be able to take the embarrassment."

[jesscopeland]

 harpwoods:

Harper shrugged a bit, taking a deep exhale as she felt her rage start to tighten up her muscles. When Harper often became furious like this, the true cause of her anger was most often unknown. It also could stem from one place and spread into all places possible as it did now. “I guess we’ve both got our reasons now,” she nodded once, clenching her jaw as the situation processed through her mind again. 

She mentally pictured what it would be like whenever Harper decided to fuck Nate up. The mental image included some lethal arguments, a few punches, and maybe even the breakout of her knife. Though, it most likely wouldn’t be as cool and lethal as Harper pictured. In situations where she was defending her friends and when she contained so much anger as she had now, her plans often went awry. Despite this, Harper always got the job done. 

“We won’t be needing the help of the Lords of Spooktown, he will. Good, I’ll need someone to bail me the fuck out when it’s over. I have a feeling that Nolan won’t be able to get me off the hook for this one.” A small chuckle and the tiniest of grins were able to escape the gigantic barrier of Harper’s anger, though they quickly faded. 

She didn’t doubt that Harper would go HAM on Nate, if anything, simply by letting her own ego and emotions get the better of her. Honestly, it paid to have Mysery Inc. as her friends, it was almost like carrying around a pack of guard dogs everywhere she went. Folding her arms with a happy grin, Jess let the chuckle vibrate in her chest before she gave Harper the nod of approval. “Well, what are friends for at the end of the day, right?” She emphasized gently, even just picturing Harper giving him a shiner was worth having told her. “That or I’ll sit in the van and wait. You’ll have to be your own getaway driver, but I think moral support’s important. Either way, Harp, you’ve got this one in the bag. I can feel it in my jinkies.”

[jesscopeland]

lupesfiascos:

With the demon effectively taken care of, there was one last thing for Roman to do. He’d need to keep his identity and those of the humans hidden from the demon’s mind to ensure all three of them lived to see another day, but there was a good chance it wouldn’t stick on a demon. Not that Roman would know; he’d never actually had to fight a demon before, but there was a first time for everything. Channeling his energy back into the unconscious demon, he murmured a spell only loud enough for his own ears to pick up, wiping the demon’s memory of everything that occurred that night. He was tempted to curse him as well, but the commotion from the humans convinced him his attention was needed elsewhere. 

“He tried drowning me then decided to break some bones, no big deal,” Lupe choked out, still trying to rid her lungs of water. “Could’ve been worse, right?” She was trying to keep up her bravado, even though she was internally freaking out and losing her cool. It only got worse when she could see their supposed savior coming their way, and soon her entire body straightened up against her own free will. “Hey, back off!”

Roman held his hands up defensively, setting her down on her feet. “Your friend was the one who wanted my help,” he scoffed. “Look, save your insults and questions for, like, five minutes, alright? We need to get to my car before the demon–”

“And why should we go with you?” Lupe snapped. “What, I just got done letting one supernatural kick the crap out of me and I’m supposed to trust another one to help me?” She turned to Jess, trying to mask the pain she felt coursing up her hand. “What do you think?”

"No big d— Lupe, your hand looks like a mangled twig." Jess gasped in shock and horror, sure that if there was better light right now, the girl's fingers probably would be turning black and blue. Vividly, Jess thought back to the hard fall she'd taken some summers ago with Nolan where her shoulder had popped out. The pain had been excruciating until she'd gotten it shoved back into place. Completely oblivious to the fact they had a warlock in their midst, Jess was already going into panic first aid mode. If they made it fast to the ER, Leah might still be in the vicinity. Otherwise, Nolan knew how to make a good splint, she knew that. Endless ideas flew through her mind as she helped Lupe gather to her feet.

Hearing Lupe react to the warlock, Jess's hands came in front of her in a quick and defensive, "Lupe, no—" simply given that they didn't have to fear him, he'd helped them. In fact, if the situation hadn't been so dire, Jess was pretty sold that this guy was cool in his own right even without the fact he was magical. Watching Lupe quarrel with him, Jess's gut churned, looking towards the bridge that was still dripping bits of debris into the river. If they didn't take his out ( Hell, she didn't drive or have a car anyway ) then there was a chance that demon would bust out of the rubble like Jason from Camp Crystal Lake. And Jess wanted to avoid that frankly.

"We need to go," She urged finally, looking back at Lupe with a look that read trust me. "We need to go now and we need to get your hand strapped up."

[jesscopeland]

@jaceofmystery

Her gut was churning in an acidic mix of excitement and nervousness, eyes resting on the car that still sat in the drive, intended for her at graduation. Of course, Jess had never shown interest in getting her license, especially when she had friends that would pick her up and drop her off without hesitation. Then, instead of going college, she’d traveled, and who needed a car when you were going to spend months on a Contiki Tour? After that, she’d taken the reigns of her own life and directed herself to one adventure after the next, so settling down hadn’t really been the ideal option until recently. Until Jace. Now, Jess found herself actually motivated to get her school work done on time, she found herself saving pennies instead of burning holes in her pockets, and she found herself yearning for adult things she’d never much considered before. Like an apartment in the cheap part of town, maybe, and a car even though she kind of had to get the license first.

Staring at the Mercedes, she felt kind of guilty. A perfectly good car was left to rot for eight years, though still kept in immaculate condition by a paid friend, and Jess knew in her heart she didn’t deserve it. She wished it was a shit box. Something with missing seatbelts and an airbag problem, so that if something bad happened, she’d at least die in the accident from malfunctions and not embarrassment. If Jace had been talking at all in the last few minutes as Jess considered all this, she hadn’t been listening. Finally, she sighed. “Maybe we should do this next week... If I’m gonna be the potential cause of your death, I’d kind of prefer it to be something more epic than driving into a ditch.”

[jesscopeland]

natebaldwinrp:

nate felt her pull away from him and he looked at her, his lips in a thin line. he hadn’t meant to upset her, and he definitely knew she could handle anything that was traditionally considered masculine. “no, i know. i didn’t mean it like that,” he tried to tell her, but she was already off on her rant. he listened and took everything she said to heart, making a mental note to never put her in a box like that again. “i mean, you could definitely kick my ass,” he admitted through a laugh, “i’m not doubting you at all. i just thought you’d be glad you weren’t the only girl here. i know you can handle us.” he nudged his shoulder against hers with a small smile, “sorry, i didn’t mean to upset you.” it was small things like these that nate was getting used to with her, sometimes she didn’t react to things the way he expected her to, and he knew that was just part of dating anyone. hook-ups were typically predictable and things went as planned, but when there were conversations and feelings involved things obviously became more complicated. “any of the guys would be lucky if they could beat you in a wrestling match, i’m sure you could take any one of them.” he told her with a grin.

when they got down to the beach he kicked off his shoes and threw his shirt on top of them, he waited for jess and gave her a wide smile. “i honestly don’t remember the last time i went to the beach,” nate wasn’t a very strong swimmer, so the beach wasn’t a spot he often went to. if he was feeling the need to go outside he’d usually just go for a run, but it was nice to be outside and relax, especially with her. nate heard one of his friends call out to him as he made his way down to the water, motioning for them to join him. “shall we?” he asked as he offered his hand out to hers. as soon as she took it he pulled her towards him and scooped her up into his arms, running towards the water with her in his arms. as soon as they were in up to his hips he dropped her into the water, laughing as she came back up for air. “i hope you were planning on getting wet,” he said with a wink.

The words left his mouth like they always did and Jess didn't count herself as surprised. "I didn't mean it." Throughout her short time on this Earth, Jess had learned to resent that statement the most because it didn't matter who said it or whether they meant to say it or not, they still had, so to her, that meant that in some part of their soul, part of them felt that way. She could recall all the times Nate and she had been deep in an argument, usually over something stupid, where he'd make a petty call and all that needed to happen was for Jess to give him one single look before he was spouting the same line. Jess was explosive. While most days she spent being friendly, free and open to anyone she spent her time with, there was little coming back from kicking her temper in the gut. One look and he knew he'd fucked up, one look and he'd have to backpedal like he was now.

Unlike those times, however, right now, he at least didn't make her feel crazy. Sheepishly sneaking a look to the side at him, a small grin toyed on her face, glad he at least seemed to see where she was coming from. Being with Nate, she liked to think, counteracted her gender dysphoria sometimes. A deeply rooted topic within her she didn't tend to talk to anyone about, not even her closests friends and family, even though she knew that some of them knew without her even having to tell them. Sometimes she found herself braver than the day before, putting on a revealing bathing suit and thinking she could take on the world even if she hated the way some of her jiggled and the looks a stranger might give her after pulling herself out of the water. Other days, she hated herself from head to toe and covered herself in layers, refusing to even look at her reflection. Being with Nate, feeling his passion through every touch to her skin, even if it made her cringe internally sometimes — she felt like it was part of the process. Part of her self-discovery journey so to speak. And then he said things like he had just before, and she felt sucker punched back to square one.

Smirking at him now, having had her moment and feeling good about the page they were both on now, she liked to think she could take on any of them though they both likely knew it was a joke. Jess was short, slim and not the body type for wrestling. But she still loved it, she thought it was fun. "You bet I could. You know what I'm also super good at? Beating you to the punch," She grinned then, tossing her towel at his face and taking off with a loud "Go!" in an initiation of starting a race she'd not warned him about.

Cackling and laughing as they ran down onto the sand, Jess grabbed out for his arm to slow down, winded and all smiles again. Looking at the ocean she nodded, "My dad and I used to go all the time when I was a kid," She gasped, gripping her sides as a stitch began to form, squinting in the sun. "Never used to be able to get me out of the water. He used to say I'd come out a prawn, thinking that would freak me out. Didn't take him long to coin onto the fact it didn't." She grinned at him. However, she wasn't paying attention to the look in Nate's eye. When she suddenly felt a hard impact of his arms and chest, Jess screamed in surprise and laughter, gripping onto him hard as she was then flung into the shallows. Engulfed by seawater, foam, and bubbles, Jess flailed and surfaced in a gasp, hair, shirt and shorts now sticking to her. "Jerk!" She slapped the oceans surface at him, spraying him with sea salt and laughing. "Oh, you're dead." She laughed, begining to wade towards him in a challenge.

[jesscopeland]

mxnday-blues:

It was an unintentional trigger word. Unforgivable. Monday didn’t understand forgiveness, not really, didn’t quite know how to do so and forget. She was usually only good at the latter, and it was easier when Jess was gone over the years, when she didn’t have to run the risk of running into her in this godforsaken town. But now, faced with her, faced with likewise the sinking understanding that it had been a year since news broke of Friday’s death, she knew in her heart of hearts—cold, shriveled and dead though it may be—that she could never forget. But at that moment, she wanted to more than anything else, and it had little to nothing to do with Jess. Unforgivable. What Dez had said to Friday the night before he was deployed was a series of unforgivable things. 

How could she ever move on from that, ever heal, if she didn’t delve out the same treatment? Then again, maybe she didn’t deserve to. Besides, what would change? Would she and Jess suddenly be sitting in her room again, Dezzy’s fingers in her hair as she worked to braid it, her record player repeating the same song they were currently obsessed with, over and over? That they would be back to drinking alcohol out of opaque water bottles, giggling until the early hours of the morning? That it would be, once again, Dez and Landsy versus the world? 

No. 

“What is the point, you bitch? What the fuck is the point in saying that to me?” She wanted to sound tough, to sound uncaring—anything other than the way her voice croaked just then. “Why bother?! You wanted this dead, so let it stay dead! Stop trying to…fuck, stop trying to dig up the grave you created! Why? Why? What do you want?” 

It took some courage, though Jess had never exactly been short of that and with all her might, she drew her eyes from the ground to finally look at Dez through all the shame and guilt. Eyes glassy and lower lip quivering, she knew that in any run through of this moment, she had no right to be the one upset. But here she was anyway, a face full of tears and regret as she looked at someone who once upon a time, had been her rock.Yet here she was, likely never to get that back because of what she’d done.

“I just want you to know I’m sorry,” The words came out finally after a long moment of somber hesitation. She knew forgiveness was too much to ask for, so was a second chance even though Jess was superb at screwing those up too. The least she could have asked for, she thought in that moment, was at least for Dez to know she was sorry, and that she meant it. Bruises, busted lip and all.

[jesscopeland]

🍸 + "You know I don't blame you for what happened to me, right?"

“I know…” She said, a pregnant silence hanging between them. “But I can’t help feeling like it’s all because of me. Maybe it’s the liquor talking but I just feel like, if I hadn’t gone to Lestat… if it all hadn’t have happened the way it did, I wouldn’t have gone after that demon. I mean, I wanna say I went after him because of Mystery Inc. or because of what Josie did to Jace but… like, I know it’s not true.” Here it was, the word vomit, sliding up her throat. “I did it for my own selfish reasons. I just wanted to be that guy that got him, you know? What’s worse is that a part of me knows I’m not gonna be able to make him feel bad for what he did, or what he has done but… I just had to try… but that doesn’t take away from the fact I still put you in danger. And if something had happened to you because of me… I don’t know what I’d do.”