Jessica and Hannah both start Liberty High around the same time, and they're paired up as buddies. This leads to them becoming best friends for a while. Alex later joins them, and they become a support system for each other until Jessica and Alex begin dating. A rift forms between the friends, and when Alex's "hot list" names Hannah's ass the best in the sophomore class, Jessica slaps Hannah, and accuses her of being involved with her boyfriend.
After her rift with Hannah and breakup with Alex, Jessica begins dating Justin. On the night of her back-to-school party, Bryce rapes her while she's unconscious, and Justin fails to stop his friend from assaulting his girlfriend. He's also determined to keep it a secret from Jessica, until Clay pushes the issue. Once she finds out what really happened at the party, she begins to spiral.
Not only does she cut ties with Justin, Jessica begins drinking heavily, and appears to be interested in making Bryce pay for what he did to her. She doesn't reveal that she knows about the tapes when she's called in to give a statement for the Bakers' case against the school, but she also doesn't want Clay to destroy them.