GOODBYE, FRIEND: HUNDREDS TURN OUT FOR ARNZEN WAKE

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- While hundreds of well-wishers stood in the receiving line, milled around the school's gymnasium or sat silently in the bleachers, hundreds more patiently lined the sidewalk and parking lot outside Scott City High School, waiting to pay their final respects to Jessica Arnzen.

Jessica, 17, a senior at Scott City High School, died Tuesday morning on her way to school after she lost control of her car and it overturned, ejecting her onto the ground.

Her parents, Erv and Lana Arnzen, decided to have her visitation at the high school, anticipating a large crowd of mourners. Jessica was a cheerleader, a volleyball and softball player and an honor student. She worked at the Cape Girardeau Target store and attended St. Augustine Catholic Church.

Classmate Jacob Ressel, 18, had been friends with Jessica since kindergarten. He said he was devastated.

"I couldn't believe it. She was like my best friend," Ressel said as he and his friends wiped tears from their eyes. "I just went to the locker room and cried when they told me."

In the small, tight-knit community of Scott City, it was evident how the death of a teenager touched all.

A blue and gold Scott City Rams flag billowed at half-staff outside the school, and "We Love You Jessica" were the only words on a sign out by the highway in front of the school.

The air in the gymnasium smelled faintly of flowers as more than 50 arrangements flanked either end of Jessica's navy blue casket. The casket itself was covered with a large spray of yellow and white flowers. Some friends and relatives gently dropped red roses over the spray as they filed by.

At five minutes before 5 p.m., the roar of a jet engine could be heard over the humming of the air conditioner. Jessica's pen pal, Blue Angel and Navy Cmdr. Larry Packer, had arrived to say farewell to his young friend. He slipped in quietly, embraced Jessica's parents and walked out the back door with Jessica's father, virtually unnoticed.

Students wore purple ribbons -- Jessica's favorite color -- on their lapels in remembrance of their friend. The students said they will wear the ribbons again at the next football game and during Homecoming.

Scott City football players who attended the wake wore their jerseys, and Jessica's softball, volleyball and cheerleading teammates wore gold shirts.

Photograph collages of Jessica and her friends hung in the gym lobby, and framed photos sat on tables. Friends could see an infant Jessica smiling from ear to ear, a young Jessica covered from head to toe in mud and an older Jessica in a glittering blue prom dress.

Other tables held artifacts from her life -- a softball uniform, a confirmation sash and an elementary school handprint.

One table displayed nothing but angel statues of all sizes and colors and a poem, "When Jessica Gets to Heaven," written by a friend, June Seabaugh.

Those closest to Jessica good-naturedly called her their human vending machine.

"She brought tons of food everywhere she went," said Mindy Miller, 16, a fellow cheerleader. "She always had Little Debbie cakes and candy."

Mindy, Jacob and others gathered Tuesday night to make a cross with Jessica's name to place at the site of the car wreck. They estimated 100 students gathered Wednesday morning to go to the site.

Britne Amick, 16 and a junior, was on the cheerleading squad with Jessica. She said her friend always had a smile on her face, which was one of the things she loved most about Jessica.

"It was the biggest shock. She's just not somebody you'd even think this would happen to," Amick said. "It wasn't real at first. She's the best of the best."