Reflections

Jessica turned away from Leanna, stepping toward the edge of the observatory’s terrace. Below her, the city stretched out like a vast sea of glowing embers, the streets winding through the darkness like veins of light. Everything looked so small from up here, so distant. It was strange, how different things felt when viewed from above—how easy it was to detach, to pretend the chaos of life wasn’t waiting just below.

She inhaled deeply, the cool night air filling her lungs. She had spent so long running—from Vanguard, from her past, from herself. But wasn’t that why she had left? Why she had become Jessica Sanchez instead of Jess Carter?

She had wanted it all to stop. No more running. No more chasing the next danger. No more risking her life, or worse, her friends’ lives, for something she had never asked for.

Leanna stepped closer, standing beside her but not pressing forward. Jessica felt the warmth of her presence and the unspoken words hanging between them. Everything had changed, but some things never did.

Her thoughts drifted back through the years. The day she woke up in Jason’s bed as Jess, thrown into a world she didn’t understand. The slow, terrifying realization that she was never going back. Falling in love for the first time only to lose everything in a single moment.

Waking up alone in Belize, forced to start over. Forced her to wonder if any of it had even been real. She had lived a life straight out of Margaritaville, wandering between cheap beachside rentals, working odd jobs, and drinking to forget. The only thing that remained constant was running, not away this time, but forward. It was the only thing that kept her sane. It was the only thing that reminded her she was alive.

Was she ever Jason Carter? Was she ever Jess? Or was she just an experiment trying to find meaning in the wreckage left behind?

Jessica exhaled slowly. "I don’t want to do this anymore, Leanna. No more running. No more fights we can’t win."

Leanna turned to her, her expression unreadable. "Then don’t run. Stand and fight. We finish this."

Jessica let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head. "You sound just like I did back then."

Leanna smiled, though there was a deep sadness in her eyes. "I learned from the best."

Jessica turned back to face her, searching Leanna’s gaze for something—maybe understanding, maybe permission to let go. Instead, she reached up, placing a hand on Leanna’s cheek, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Good night, Leanna," she whispered. "I have a competition tomorrow."

Then she turned and walked away.

******************************

The next morning, Jessica stood on the track, shaking out her limbs as the sun bore down on the Olympic stadium. The crowd roared, but she barely heard it. Focus. Breathe. Run.

The first event, the 100-meter hurdles, was clean and fast. She exploded out of the blocks, clearing each hurdle with near-perfect precision, placing herself near the top of the leaderboard.

The high jump was more of a struggle. Her first attempt was shaky, but she recovered, clearing enough to stay competitive. Not perfect, but good enough.

The shot put? A disaster. She had never been great at it, and today was no exception. But she shook it off—one bad event doesn’t define the whole heptathlon.

Then came the 400 meters, her best event. And she flew. Every muscle in her body worked in perfect synchronization, her breathing controlled, her pace relentless. When she crossed the finish line, she barely registered the time before looking up at the stands.

They were there. Leanna. Kevin. Hannah. Olivia. Even Ryan. They had come.

******************************

That night, they gathered once again at the observatory. But this time, it wasn’t just Jessica and Leanna. The whole gang was there, sharing stories, laughing over old memories, marveling at the fact that somehow, against all odds, they were together again.

No one asked why she left. No one asked what had happened in those lost years. They didn’t need to. Instead, they celebrated the moment. Reunion, not regret.

All except for Ryan. Jessica could feel his gaze from across the group, the way he wasn’t joining in as freely as the others. She caught his eye, offering a small nod toward the path leading away from the observatory. Without a word, he got up and followed her.

They walked in silence for a while, the city sprawled out below them. Eventually, Ryan broke the quiet. "So, you're an Olympian now."

Jessica smirked. "And you’re a rockstar. Grammy-nominated, I heard."

He chuckled. "Didn’t win, though. Still, not bad for a bunch of guys who started out playing in a garage."

She smiled. "I have all your albums, you know. Even the bad ones."

Ryan shot her a sideways glance. "You actually listened?"

"Of course I did. You were all I had for a long time."

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Jess... why didn’t you say goodbye?"

She hesitated, staring at the city lights. "Because if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to leave."

Ryan was quiet for a moment before finally nodding. "Yeah. I get that."

Jessica looked over at him, then reached for his hand, instinctively, like nothing had ever changed. At first, Ryan tensed, hesitating, the weight of the past hanging between them. But after a long pause, he exhaled and gave in, interlocking his fingers with hers.

Jessica turned to face him fully. "I never stopped thinking about you, Ryan."

He looked at her, his expression unreadable. "Yeah?"

She smiled softly. "Yeah."

For the first time in years, things didn’t feel like they were spinning out of control. For the first time, she wasn’t running. And maybe, hopefully, that was enough.