Chapter Three
NeverMind © 2004
Elijah and Dom were spending a well-deserved evening in – playing every video game they could carry out of Blockbuster.
“It doesn’t get any better than this, mate,” Dom said with a sigh. “Games and beers, life is good!”
Elijah laughed. “Cheers. Nowhere I’d rather be.”
“You sure Kyla doesn’t mind?”
“Nah, she’s out with the girls tonight. Happy to be rid of me, I’m sure.”
The friends were just about to settle into a game of Madden 2005 when they heard the knock.
“Who the heck would that be at this hour?” Elijah wondered. “Hannah!” he yelled at his sister. “Get the door!”
They heard footsteps fly down the stairs as Hannah made her way to the door. The latch gave and Hannah screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Now you’ve done it. You should never let her open the door for just anybody!” Dom reprimanded his friend as they threw down their controllers and headed for the front door.
When they got there, however, they found Hannah clinging to a girl, laughing so hard there were tears falling down her face.
“What the..?” Dom asked, bewildered.
“Lij! Lij! Look! Jocelyn’s here!” Hannah laughed; pushing the sopping wet girl into his arms.
She stumbled forward, a stunned expression on her face. Lij caught her by the shoulders before she fell over.
“Joce?” he asked, searching her face.
“Hey, Lij,” she grinned, pushing a strand of wet hair out of her face.
“Oh my god! It is you!” he pulled her in and hugged her. Hannah threw herself on top of them, still laughing like a hyena. Dom felt left out so he joined the hug.
“Um, guys? It’s great to see you and all, but, uh, I’m having trouble breathing,” Jocelyn’s voice was muffled.
The group pulled away from her.
“You’re soaked!” Hannah exclaimed. “How long were you out there?”
“I made the cabby drop me off at the end of the street. I didn’t want him to know where I was going.”
Elijah was literally gawking at his friend. Had she always been so beautiful? Her long dark hair fell in waves down her back and over the guitar case slung there and her brown eyes sparkled in her olive complexion.
“What are you staring at?” she asked him.
“You – you were right. I didn’t remember what you looked like,” he answered her truthfully.
“No blonde hair,” she said, lifting a lock.
“Or blue eyes,” he answered.
“So,” Dom finally interjected. “Now that the excitement’s over, are we going to make her stay here in the doorway all night?”
Jocelyn grinned at him. “Thanks, Dom.”
He helped her get the guitar off her back while Hannah worked on getting her shoes off. “You know,” he said in her ear, “if I’d known how beautiful you were, I would’ve made that trip out to Iowa long before now.”
She smiled. “Then it’s a good thing you didn’t know. We would’ve passed each other en route.” She shrugged out of her jacket, only to find her shirt was also soaked through. “Quite the impression I’m making,” she said, peeling her shirt away from her skin with a glance up at Elijah.
“Come upstairs,” Hannah said to her. “Is this all you brought?” she asked, picking up the large duffel bag Jocelyn had brought with her.
“Yeah. I don’t know how long I’m staying,” the guys heard Jocelyn say as she trudged up the stairs after Hannah.
Dom turned and grabbed Elijah by the shirt. “Holy fuck man!” he exclaimed. “That’s your best friend?”
Elijah could only nod.
“Why…I could just…gah…I mean…fuck!” Dom stammered. “I mean, she’s fucking gorgeous!”
Again, Elijah only nodded. Dom slapped his face. “Snap out of it, man!”
Elijah shook his head. “Right – right. Practically siblings…” he muttered, then walked away from Dom in something of a daze to find a dry shirt.
When the group met back downstairs in the kitchen, everyone was dry again. Jocelyn had changed into a pair of Hannah’s jeans and a T-shirt, which she managed to make look like a designer outfit. Hannah was bustling around the kitchen pulling out crackers and cheese and popcorn for everyone to munch on. Jocelyn’s hair was still wet, but she’d pulled it back into a massive braid that she’d flung over her shoulder.
“You look a little like Lara Croft,” Dom quipped when he saw her.
“Better watch out,” Hannah said, “She’s a black-belt in karate too.”
“Really? That’s brilliant! Will you kick my ass one day?” Dom asked.
Jocelyn had to laugh. “Sure. Anytime.” She looked at Elijah. “So, can I have a proper hug now?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.
She sighed into his neck. “God, it’s been a long time. I’d almost forgot how you smell.”
“I’m glad you’re finally here,” he said.
“Me too,” she answered, pulling away from him. She ran a hand through his hair. “I like what you’ve done with this mop.”
“Thanks.” Was that a shiver he felt run down his spine? No, it couldn’t be… Quick, change the subject, he thought. “So, what about Andy? I thought he didn’t want you to come out here.”
“He didn’t. But his opinion no longer matters.”
“Broke up with the glue-eater, did ya?” Dom asked.
“Glue-eater?” She gave Elijah an incredulous look. “I can’t believe that’s all you remember about him.”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “He remembers the strangest things about people. Like my one boyfriend…”
“Whose grandmother was eaten by a duck,” Jocelyn and Elijah said in unison.
“Whose grandmother was eaten by a what?” Dom asked.
“A duck,” Hannah said. “He really believed that, too,” she said thoughtfully.
“You know, people find me a bit off, but you three are honestly strange,” Dom marveled.
“So your strangeness is just a lie?” Jocelyn asked, fixing herself a Ritz & cheese sandwich.
“Touché, beautiful lady,” Dom grinned with a kiss of her hand.
“Why didn’t you call and warn us you were coming?” Hannah asked.
“I wanted to surprise you. Your mom knows. My mom made me let her call her.”
“I can’t believe she didn’t tell me!” Hannah was indignant.
“So what, you just decided to pick up and leave?” Elijah asked.
“Pretty much. I got restless again,” she explained.
“And Andy didn’t like that?” Elijah asked.
She grinned. “Still in love with the Shire, I guess you could say. Though he did claim to be in love with me.”
“And he just let you leave?” Dom asked.
She nodded.
“Fool of a Took,” Dom said in his best imitation of Ian McKellan.
“You’re funnier in person,” Jocelyn told him with a laugh.
“Oh, don’t worry, his one-liners get old really quick,” Hannah said.
“Hannah, love, I’m hurt!” Dom exclaimed with a dramatic flourish.
“Come off it,” she said and threw a cracker at him.
“This is how I know she likes me,” Dom whispered at Jocelyn.
“She throws things at you? Hmm, it’s no wonder Danny O’Hare thought I liked him. I threw an entire bowl of cereal at him once in high school.”
“So what did your mom say about you coming here?” Elijah wanted to know.
“Oh, you know her – not much fazes her anymore. Besides, she knew it was coming.”
“She wasn’t upset?”
“No, she was mostly concerned that I would be burdening your lovely family.”
“What? Never!” Hannah exclaimed. “You’re practically my sister!”
“Changing the subject completely,” Dom interjected, “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What’s your ethnicity? I can’t quite decide…”
“Oh, let me!” Hannah said. “I want to see if I can remember. Your great-grandfather on your dad’s side was Brazilian. He married a black lady, and their son married a Norse woman. So you’re dad’s a third Brazilian, a third black and a third Norse. Your mom’s great grandfather was Native American. He married a Japanese lady. Their son married a Brazilian so you’re mom’s a third Native American, a third Japanese and a third Brazilian. And that makes you one sixth black, one sixth Norse, one sixth Native American, one sixth Japanese and a third Brazilian. Did I get it right?”
“Wow, I’m impressed. I can’t believe you remembered all that,” Jocelyn said.
“So what do you check off on forms that ask for your race?” Dom wanted to know.
“Other,” Jocelyn told him with a grin. “I’m a walking identity crisis.”
“And all those people ended up in Iowa?”
“Both of my great-grandfathers were farmers. My one great-grandmother ended up there after running away from slavery in Mississippi and my other great-grandmother basically got dumped off there after immigrating from Japan. Trying to populate the west and all that. My Norse grandmother immigrated there because the name of the state made her laugh and my Brazilian grandmother was a refugee from Rio de Janeiro. Figured no one would bother to look for her in Iowa.”
“That’s bloody fascinating!”
Jocelyn just shrugged. “They’re just my family.”
It was two in the morning before Dom finally went home and Hannah went to bed. Elijah brought Jocelyn to her room.
“I hope this is okay,” he said.
“What? You mean this hotel suite?” she grinned. “You’ve got some nice digs here, Lij.”
“Thanks. Where’s all your stuff?” he asked, indicating the empty duffel bag at the end of the bed.
“In the dryer. It was really raining out there. I hope my guitar doesn’t warp.”
“I’ll buy you a new one if it does.”
“You don’t have to.”
“No, but I will anyway. It’s called a gift.”
She smiled. “Oh, I almost forgot…” She dug through the wet duffel bag and pulled out a little green plastic soldier.
“Hey, it’s George!” Elijah laughed.
“Yeah. I won’t need him for a while and you’re going on a shoot soon – I thought you might want him around.”
“Thanks. The Rings cast though it was hilarious that I brought this thing around with me everywhere.”
“He’s our good luck charm.”
“That he is.” Elijah fingered the little soldier. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
“Me too. I shouldn’t have waited this long.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. Stupid Andy.”
“Nah, it was more than just Andy. I just – I don’t know if I can really make it in the music industry, you know? What if I am just a dreamer?”
“Hey, I’ve told you I’ll help you.”
“No, Lij. I need to know I can do it on my own – not riding the coattails of my famous best friend.”
“You’re so stubborn.”
“I know.” She yawned. “Man, I didn’t know I was so tired.”
“I should let you sleep.”
“Wait,” she said, grabbing his hand. “When do I get to meet your girlfriend?”
He’d forgotten about Kyla since she’d been there. He got a funny feeling in his stomach thinking about having the two women meet. “Tomorrow,” he said instead. “I’ll bring her over tomorrow.”
“Good. Night, Lij.”
“Night, Joce.” As he closed the door behind him, he let out a soft sigh. Why did he feel weird? She was his best friend – but Dom was right, she was fucking gorgeous. “I gotta get my head on straight here,” he thought to himself as he went to his room.
Jocelyn lay back on the bed and rubbed her eyes. She wondered if she’d done the right thing. It was great to be here with Lij and Hannah and Dom was an absolute riot, but who was she kidding? All she knew for sure she was good at was waitressing, and she didn’t want to do that forever. What if her music wasn’t good enough? What if the industry was too ADD for her?
“No use worrying about it now. I’ll deal with it tomorrow,” she thought sleepily and drifted off.