Jessie is a friend,
Yeah I know he’s been a good friend of mine
But lately something’s changed
It ain’t hard to define
Jessie’s got himself a girl
And I want to make her mine
And she’s watching him with those eyes
And she’s lovin’ him with that body, I just know it
And he’s holding her in his arms late, late at night
You know I wish that I had Jessie’s girl
I wish that I had Jessie’s girl
Where can I find a woman like that
I’ll play along with this charade
That doesn’t seem to be a reason to change
You know I feel so dirty when they start talking cute
I wanna tell her that I love her but the point is probably moot
‘Cause she’s watching him with those eyes
And she’s lovin’ him with that body, I just know it
And he’s holding her in his arms late, late at night
(chorus)
Like Jessie’s girl
I wish that I had Jessie’s girl
Where can I find a woman
Where can I find a woman like that
And I’m lookin’ in the mirror all the time
Wonderin’ what she don’t see in me
I’ve been funny; I’ve been cool with the lines
Ain’t that the way love’s supposed to be
Tell me where can I find a woman like that
(chorus)
I wish that I had Jessie’s girl
I want, I want Jessie’s girl
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It’s so cliché when they talk about it. Girl meets boy then meets boy’s best friend and then, well, the story is as old as the day is long. I don’t want to be a cliché. I don’t want him. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. I’m a bad liar.
Jessie’s been his friend for as long as they both can remember. They like to reminisce like that. Old college buddies. Two boys stuck in the same classes together. Two boys starting a band. They are like chalk and cheese in some ways. Jessie is so tall, dark, with the brown eyes of a gentle old soul and hair as long as a girl’s. Matt, well, he couldn’t be more different. He’s loud, brash, overly charismatic with blue eyes and dimples that he uses to his advantage on a regular basis. He’s not tall either. My height. Too slim for his own good. I want him to have more flaws. I want to hate his floppy hair. I want to pick him apart, thread by thread, unravel his good looks until I can’t see them anymore. And yet they still pervade my dreams.
I don’t know how I ended up with Jessie.
The first time Jessie asked me out was like any other day on campus. I was looking at notices on the board outside the local coffee shop, the smell of bitter caffeine and raucous laughter pressing into the back of my brain as I searched for a potential roommate. I was tired, cranky, and broke. My part-time job and classes were grinding me down. I needed a dye job and a haircut, my maroon hair growing out into my natural mousy brown. I wasn’t really paying attention to the shadow on my back.
“Do you mind moving over a bit?” said a voice from behind me.