18 to Life (CA)

Jessie Hill
Passionate, outspoken, risk-taker, ticklish.

Jessie has little patience for people who lack passion. She doesn't care if you're a doctor or a waiter, what counts is doing it with gusto. Luckily, she practices what she preaches. Jessie will throw herself full-bore into whatever comes her way, whether it's working, shopping, or loafing. She's the type of gal who can single-handedly turn a lame gathering into the event of a lifetime.

Jessie was born without that switch in the brain that prevents the blurting of every random thought. Watching her babble can be either charming or scary. It doesn't help that she possesses a natural disdain for authority, especially when she feels something is unjust. But the thing about Jessie is no matter how deep she digs herself ("Nice 'stache, copper"), she can always talk her way out. Her gift of gab is legendary amongst her peers, and is especially valuable for freebies, upgrades, and sneaking into clubs without tickets.

The whole Tom thing really caught Jessie by surprise. At first she felt sort of sorry for him, but then she got lost in the moment. Something about those lips felt like home. She was at ease with Tom, something she'd found in no one else in her eighteen years (!) Besides, he was a damned good kisser. So when he accepted her challenge to marry him, a part of her thought, well, everything happens for a reason.

Of course another part of her thought "what a load of hooey". Deep down, Jessie's never bought into the whole "everything happens for a reason" claptrap, begging the question what's really behind her decision to marry so young. One possible answer lies in her upbringing. Jessie grew up in an unusual household. With both parents working, she was given independence of which her classmates could only dream. Dinner was "help yourself", holidays were downplayed, and curfews nonexistent. Though she loved making fun of Tom and his overbearing family, on some level she craved the rituals and closeness that came with all the rules. Of course, she may soon change her mind.

Jessie will study architecture at university, acting on a fascination with building that's been with her since childhood. But there will be distractions, not the least of which is the campus eye candy. Temptation is everywhere, especially in the form of Tom's best pal Carter. Carter and Jessie share a past that's hard to shake, since he's the first guy she ever did it with. Though Carter would love to deny it, he still has a thing for Jessie, and at times the feeling seems mutual. But Jessie loves Tom, and wants to prove Carter's behind her by hanging out with both guys. And Tom, go-along-guy that he is, goes along... in spite of what may be brewing inside.