Chapter 2 "Jessica" Thirteen-year-old Jessica Fuentes was in her bedroom looking at the book report she had completed in haste last night when her brother Raul's slamming of the front door startled her as he left for school.Chapter 2 "Jessica" Thirteen-year-old Jessica Fuentes was in her bedroom looking at the book report she had completed in haste last night when her brother Raul's slamming of the front door startled her as he left for school. "Oh, I wish he wouldn't do that!" she sighed to herself. She was already a little cranky from not enough sleep staying up late to finish her report, so she didn't need any slamming doors today. With her schoolbooks and papers all in order, Jessica just had time to take a quick shower and dress before leaving on the long bike ride to school. She liked to ride her bike to school because she was an independent young girl who preferred to do things her way. She didn't like the idea of mom or dad dropping her off in front of all the other kids at the junior high (even on rainy days), and she would not be caught dead on the schoolbus ("It's just not cool"). But, above all, Jessica felt free on her bike; she didn't have to adhere to a rigid schedule nor to anyone else's demands. She could do what she wanted, go where she wanted. Grabbing a towel from her linen closet, her large nylon comb from atop her dresser, and a fresh change of underwear, she headed to the girls' bathroom at the end of the hall. There were three bathrooms in the large house: one the three girls shared, one Raul used, and a master that was part of the large bedroom of Francisco and Lupe's. And each child had their own bedroom. Jessica got the shower running at the right temperature and began to take off her clothes. She had on a white cotton nightshirt with the San Francisco Forty Niners' football team logo and a big scarlet number "16" on it. |