The One Where Jess Slaps Me

Date: 8/20/2025

I’m in a house I don’t quite recognize with Brody’s family. Candi says something about me not agreeing with her on something minor and Jess becomes immediately furious, claiming that I’m fake and always trying to start something. I try to calmly respond when he slaps me across the face. I’m completely stunned and end up storming out of the room. I come back into the living area, refusing to be intimidated by him, and sit down on the couch. He ends up sitting on the other end talking about what he eats for breakfast. I respond robotically and under my breath. He starts being combative again when Candi comes to sit with us. She’s trying to be cute and silly but I know that she’s here because she’s trying to relieve the tension. I’m furious at her for not doing anything about her husband hitting me in front of everyone. Jess then says something about how he got his “anger problem under control.” I laugh out loud and say, “Oh really? Is that why you hit a grown woman in front of a bunch of people?” He seems confused by me coming back at him, and we start arguing again. I cut him off and say something about how I’ve known all along that they’ve hated me since I was in high school. I start going off before I can get a handle on my anger as I feel my face still stinging from where he slapped me. I leave the room again, muttering about how that was the last straw for them ever trying to babysit for us. We all end up outside my parents’ house at night when a massive aircraft — that looks like a spaceship — flies overhead. It starts descending rapidly and we all see, hear, and feel it crash on the other side of the house. I run over and see that it’s landed in the neighbors’ pool. I’m relieved that it didn’t hit my parents’ house but then become concerned and say, “It landed in Jason’s backyard!” (in real life, Jason hasn’t lived there in years). My dad comes over and starts approaching the thing, using what’s supposed to be a quote from Cocoon. I’m immediately panicked by this as I imagine aliens bursting out and trying to kill us. I plead with him not to go near it. When he doesn’t listen, I say, “Dad, Jess hit me!” My dad turns around, eyes huge, and makes a beeline back to our house where everyone is still standing around. He walks right up to Jess and confronts him, which Jess seems completely surprised by. I end up inside explaining what’s happened to Blake and Renee who are shocked.