When Jessica finished cleaning and tending to her aching face, she decided to scroll through her news feed on Facebook. “All of these posts are about tomorrow.” Jessica sighed and threw her phone down. Senior year wasn't going to be any different than her previous years of high school. She wouldn't be noticed, just the girl no one knew, or cared to even take the time to get to know. “Jessica! I’m home!” Jessica’s mother burst through the front door, carrying grocery bags. “Can you please go get the rest of the groceries?” Jessica nodded and went out to her mother’s hatchback.
As Jessica and her mother sat at the table for dinner she spoke up, “Mom,” Her mother looked up from her plate of food. “Yes sweety?” Jessica sighed, “I’m not ready to be a senior.” “Of course you are, don’t say that. Senior year is the best-” Jessica interjected “I know you all say that, ‘It’s the best years of our lives’ but that doesn't apply to me. It only applies to the popular kids. Like the cheerleaders or the football team. Not me, High school is a living hell. And I hate it.” Her mother just stared at her with her mouth opened. “Well I’m sorry that you feel that way, maybe we could find you some friends, you know so you enjoy it a little more.” Jessica looked down, “Yeah mom, maybe. May I be excused?” Her mother nodded. Jessica got up from the table, and went upstairs to her room.
The sun had gone down and the moonlight spilled through Jessica’s window onto her white carpet. “Why” she asked herself as she lay crying in her bed. “Why does it have to be like this, why couldn’t it be something completely different.” Jessica heard a scratching at her door. When she heard the faint meow, it was evident Precious wanted to come in. Jessica opened the door Precious flopped on the floor, then quickly righted himself and made an attempt to jump on Jessica’s bed, which failed miserably. “Let me help you precious.” Jessica sniffled and wiped her nose before proceeding to pick up the enormous cat and place him gently on the bed next to her pillow. “Mrow” Precious thanked Jessica with a couple of licks on the hand. “You’re very welcome Precious.” She laughed. “You know, you’re my only friend.” Jessica looked longingly at him and her mind was flooded with delightful memories, her favorite though, was the one when she got precious. As you may have noticed, Precious is a very feminine name, and precious is indeed a boy.

“Mommy! Mommy! I want that one!” Young Jessica pointed at the ball of fur in the corner of the cage in the pet store. “That one?” Jessica’s mother looked quizzically at the small, scrawny kitten that sat alone and shied away from people’s touch. “Maybe we should get a more playful one honey, that one doesn't look very healthy.” The stubborn eight year old  furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. “We could nurse it back to health.” Her mother sighed, “That costs quite a bit of money, and we don’t have a lot.” “I could sell lemonade or something. Maybe even start a charity, you know, for sick animals.” Jessica’s mom chuckled. How could she say no to this persistent and witty little girl? “Okay, I guess we’ll get the sick one, but if it dies it is not my fault.” Jessica smiled and jumped up and down. “We’d like that one please.” Jessica’s mother pointed to the shaking kitten. “Oh he’s just lovely, just a precious cat!” the employee reeked of sarcasm. Jessica’s mother frowned and asked, “How much is..” She scratched her head “I’m sorry I think I've neglected to ask what the cat is, a boy or girl?” The teenage worker simply shrugged their shoulders. When Jessica got home, she was ecstatic to play with her new kitty. What would she name it? The scrawny feline sat on the floor of her room and shook. “The boy at the store said you were precious, so that’s your name. Precious. Do you like that name Precious?”
“Haven’t you changed Precious.” Jessica giggled and patted the fat cat on the back. Precious looked up at Jessica and purred. “Tomorrow is the big day, I just wish everything was, I don’t know, the opposite.” Jessica looked at Precious and he cocked his head to one side. “I know, it sounds stupid, but so does talking to my cat.” Jessica stroked the purring feline and lay down and closed her eyes. “Imagine this Precious, a different place, a better place. An alternate universe.” Jessica smiled at the comforting thought then drifted into a soft, and soundless sleep.

When Jessica awoke, she felt surprisingly refreshed, then she realized, today was the first day of her senior year. Jessica groaned and pulled the covers over her head. “Jessica! Jessica!” The loud holler from her mother startled her, so bad she fell onto the floor. “Jessica!” Her mother bounded up the stairs, then stopped in the doorway and looked at Jessica quizzically. “Why are you on the floor?” Jessica struggled to find her way out of the mess of blankets she was now tangled in. “Well I was laying in my bed, then you came screaming up the stairs what did you-” Jessica was once again startled when she looked at her mother. Jessica’s mom, who was usually out of the door and on her way to work, was in her moon and star pajama pants, with a matching top. “Mom, why aren't you dressed for work? What time is it?” her mother laughed, “You’re funny Jess, and it’s 7:56.” Jessica jumped up and ran to her dresser. As she frantically changed her clothes she chided her mother “Are you serious Mom! Now I’m going to be late for the first day, this year is off to a good start.” Jessica sighed and was filled with rage. How could her mother be so oblivious, she was now going to be late for school. “Jessica what are you talking about.” Jessica rolled her eyes and spun around, annoyed beyond belief with her mother. “I am going to be late for school, what part of that did you not understand?” Her mother stared blankly at her. “School?” Jessica was past the point of being irritated with her mother. “Yes mom school! I am a senior and I am going to be late for my first day. Now would you stop acting dumb! It’s not funny.” Jessica pushed past her mother and ran down the stairs, grabbed her bag and went to her car. “Jessica wait!” She ignored her mother and backed out of the driveway so she could speed off to the place that would soon be her prison for the next 10 months.
Jessica turned on the radio and all she heard was static. Every station she turned to was static. Already annoyed, Jessica decided to just give up and enjoy the silence that would soon be ended when she walked through those doors. Everyone would be chiming about what they did this summer. Jessica feared the moment when the teachers would ask her. Jessica hadn't really done anything all summer long. She had gone to an outdoors camp for two weeks. Jessica didn't really have any friends. And this year would be no different.
She turned the corner before the school building. “What the..” but found no school. Where the large structure used to stand, now stood a small ice cream parlor. “Excuse me!” Jessica hollered to the young man in the shop, “What happened to Washington High school?” The boy raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. “I have never seen this High School you speak of, only ice cream. It’s always been ice cream.” Jessica scratched her head, “No High school?” she muttered to herself when she walked back to her car.

When Jessica walked back through her doors she found her mother on the living room floor, balancing on her head. “Mom?” her mother looked at Jessica, still on her head and said, “Oh hi Hun! Where’d you go? You scared me with all of that “school” nonsense” she laughed. Jessica decided the best way to understand what was happening was to play along. “Oh I uh, had to run to the store really quick.” “Oh okay!” Jessica turned and went upstairs to her room. What was going on? What was her mother doing? Balancing on her head wasn't something her mother would do.
“Mroow” The familiar meow of her cat comforted her. “Oh Precious!” Jessica ran to the door and opened it. When a small flash of gray darted into her room and gracefully pounced on her bed, Jessica almost burst into tears. “Not you too.” Jessica just couldn't fathom what was going on here. No school, mother was acting weird, and now precious was some cat prodigy. “It’s like, it’s like everything is-” Jessica’s mouth dropped. Everything was opposite. Like she had wished the night before. Could this really be happening? To test her theory she thought the only way was to explore and find things that would be different.
“Hey Jess!” Jessica had been walking down the street and everyone who passed her said hello. “Hey there Jessica” “Jess! Hey how you doing!” None of the faces were familiar. “Well at least everyone knows me.” Jessica muttered to herself. She was enjoying the attention and love she felt. That is until a group of people swarmed around her and she was bombarded. “Jess! How have you been?” “Hey Jessica we should hang out soon.” All of the voices were overlapping and they were getting closer. She managed to escape through a small opening in the crowd around her. Jessica ran as fast as she could to her house. “I never knew being known was so, tiring.”
When she got home she was starving. Her mother should have dinner ready by now, but when she walked through the doors, she wasn't welcomed by the delicious scent of cooked food. She looked around and found her mom on the couch, with a bag of potato chips. “Well, I guess my theory is right.” Jessica sighed and walked over to her sleeping mother. “Mom! Hey Mom!” she shook her mother, “Hmm” Her mother stirred and pushed Jessica away. “But I’m hungry..” Jessica gave up and sulked over to the cupboard. She had never had to cook like this before. Her mom always had it taken care of. Jessica wasn't fond of this new care free mother. Come to think of it, Jessica wasn't fond of any of this. She wanted it back to the way it used to be. When her mother would pester her about getting good grades in school, how she could go peacefully unnoticed, and when her cat weighed 25 pounds. She missed it all.

Jessica went upstairs and flopped on her bed. The alternate Precious leaped next to her, and pawed at Jessica’s tear soaked pillow. “Precious, what have I done?” she wailed into her pillow. Precious simply rubbed his head against hers. This subtle gesture gave her great comfort. A glimpse of what her life was like just one night before. She sat in this same bed, doing the same thing. Exhausted from the eventful day, Jessica closed her eyes. “Please, just please go back to the way it used to be.” With one final whisper, Jessica drifted asleep.
“Jessica! Jessica! Wake up!” Not again. She thought to herself when she heard her mother yell the next morning. When she opened her eyes her mother was in work clothes. The usual attire! Was this actually happening? “Mom!” Jessica jumped out of bed and pulled her mother into a tight embrace. “You’re not going to do a headstand right?” her mother laughed, “Sweety what are you talking about?” Jessica just hugged her mother tighter. She wanted to stay there forever, that is until she looked at her clock, 7:45. Jessica quickly ran over to her bureau, and threw on the first pieces of clothing that she could lay her hands on. She couldn't be late for her first actual day of senior year. When Jessica began to run down the hall way toward the door, she tripped on a large ball of fur. “Just like old times.” Jessica mumbled and righted herself after the tumble.
Surprisingly enough, Jessica had had a great first day. She loved being unnoticed. The popular kids got mauled, and she was just minding her own business, happily. She came home elated, and with a lot of homework. Jessica was delighted when she smelled the aroma of a home cooked meal as she lay doing her work. After dinner Jessica went upstairs to her room with the fat cat in her arms. She wanted to enjoy the little things as much as she could from now on. Once again Jessica laid in her bed. She looked out through her window at the dark sky blemished with flecks of light. At that moment she realized how beautiful everything was. How perfect it was right now, as it is. No need to alter or fix anything, because everything was alright the way it was, and she was fine with that.