One Last Breath 
by Katie

Rating:PG-13/R (Its pretty mild and tame for the most part, the rating also depends on how mature you all are.)
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters, except for "Sarah Dumont" and a few other minor characters, but for the most part, I own nothing.
Author's Notes:   If you haven't read The College Years or Graduation it would probably help you if you read those first, because a lot of what's going on in OLB there are clarifications for them in TCY and/or G. Just as a pre-warning, after OLB, there will be a sequel to it called Together Again, for obvious reasons, but don't worry, I'll keep you entertained, or at least, I hope to. Enjoy.
Synopsis: What happened to Jessie and Katie after their breakup. (Same setting as The College Years)
FYI: This is what happened to Jessie, without going into a lot of detail or taking up a lot of time. OLB 2/2 will be about Katie and how she dealt with the breakup.

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It had been three incredibly long months since the tragic split between Jessie and Katie. Both of their lives, whether or not they were willing to admit it, were torn apart horribly, their lives like a roller coaster, but tragically still on its downfall. Jessie did at least have someone to hold on to: Sarah. Even though she was nothing like Katie, not really anyways, it was an experience Jessie had to have if she was ever going to get over losing the love of her life. For the first couple of months, Jessie succeeded in hiding all of the pain that she felt, especially when she was around Sarah. Jessie wanted a fresh start, a chance to have the outcome better, happier. But by the third month of them going out, Jessie just couldn't deal with the tremendous hole inside of her heart, her soul. Katie had in a sense lifted her from the dead. She had helped her become the woman she was today, not to mention letting her really open up her eyes and her heart to someone. Sarah tried her best to comfort her new girlfriend, but nothing seemed to work. Jessie felt so horrible because she really did like Sarah, or at least that's what she thought when she stormed out of her and Katie's apartment, an event that stayed so clear and vivid in her mind, yet seemed so long ago. She had changed. Jessie wasn't the happy, carefree, loving person Katie had helped her fully become. Instead, she was gloomy, stressed out all the time and never feeling good about herself. Sarah could tell something was wrong when Jessie came home in complete tears, but she didn't have a clue what was coming.

"Oh Jessie, what's wrong?" Sarah questioned as she ran to the door to comfort her girlfriend.

"Sarah, I think we need to talk," Jessie firmly yet shakily as she took Sarah's hand and led her to the couch.

"What is it?"

"I can't be your girlfriend anymore. I tried for so long to make it work, to get myself back together, so we could be together, but I can't. I need to get away from this school, from these surroundings, I need some time by myself." Jessie looked down at her shoes, she couldn't put up with hurting someone else, but it couldn't be helped. She would have gone out of her mind if she had stayed in the situation that she was in. It had nothing to do with Sarah; Jessie just needed to get out of Oxford University. Everything reminded her of Katie and she just couldn't deal with that pain right now.

"…Oh, I see. I'm sorry that you feel that way. I wish there was something I could do to make you stay, to change your mind, but you seem pretty set on your plans." Sarah was defiantly disappointed to say the least, but she knew that keeping Jessie here wasn't going to make her happy, not anymore.

"Where do you plan on going if you're leaving Oxford?"

"I'm transferring to Duke University in North Carolina."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. I still have a lot of things I need to take care of, so I better be going now. I really wish there were different circumstances, but you have to make due of the cards you are dealt." And with that, Jessie leaned in and quickly kissed Sarah on the lips for the last time and then gave her a hug. Sarah just sat there, with sad tears running down her face as Jessie got up and made her way to the door.

Sarah turned towards Jessie right as she was leaving the apartment and said, "Even though you're leaving, I still love you. I always have and I always will. Just remember that. I know you're going away to get over Katie and I also know that you still love her, but SHE HURT YOU. I never have, nor would I ever have done something that would have hurt you, SHE did that, yet you are in love with her so much more than you ever were with me! So go, leave England." By now Sarah was standing next to her couch, the emotions were just pouring out of her body, she couldn't take it. She knew this would eventually happen, but deep down inside, Sarah thought that Jessie would let go of Katie and realize that the girl for Jessie was she, Sarah Dumont, not Katie Singer.

Jessie didn't have time to argue the rationalities of Sarah, so without a good-bye or another comment, she turned around and shut the door. Sarah was no longer part of her life.

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