Chapter 2
Jody continued her break-neck rehearsal, meeting, academic, and work schedules. She would work most mornings, go to class, go to rehearsal, possibly go to a meeting, and occasionally go back to work before returning to her apartment around 12:30 AM to start her homework. There were times when she didn’t sleep, or didn’t sleep for more than two hours at a time. It wasn’t Jody’s ideal situation, but somehow she made it work. Some way or another she always made time to get her lines memorized, music learned, homework done, and papers written. It was a grind that didn’t go unnoticed by those around her. Some regarded her as cold because she wasn’t all that social, but most respected Jody for all of her hard work and commitment. Those who really got to know her loved her.
Jody’s phone rang, startling her from her nap. Today was a rare day when one of her rehearsals was cancelled, leaving Jody with an extra hour between class and her voice lesson. She had taken the opportunity to curl up in the back seat of her car and take a nap.
“Hello?” she grumbled into her phone.
“Sleeping on the job?” Eve teased.
“Not really,” Jody said, slightly agitated at her friend’s interruption.
“You OK?” Eve questioned.
“Yeah,” Jody said, still sleepy. She yawned.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in a rehearsal or something?”
“Cancelled.”
“So you were sleeping in your car again?”
Jody nodded and sat up. “You got it.”
“Go back to sleep, Jode. Sorry to disturb you.”
“Nah, I should get up anyway. There’s probably a project or a paper I should get going on.”
“Don’t you ever take a break?”
Jody yawned again. “Yeah, but that’s when I sleep.”
“I’m worried about you,” Eve said with a sigh. “You’re working too hard.”
“Eve, I have to.” Jody opened the car door to let herself out. “School’s not gonna pay for itself.”
“I know, but I haven’t heard from you in weeks. I’m worried.”
“Don’t be,” Jody said, trying to calm her friend as she retrieved her binder of music from the trunk. “I’m fine.”
Eve still wasn’t satisfied. “That’s what you say, but I don’t really buy it.”
“Believe what you want, but I have a voice lesson to get to.”
“What are you doing afterwards?”
“Um, working 7-11.”
“But didn’t you work this morning?”
“9-12.”
“You work too hard.”
“I know, Eve, but I have to go. I’m gonna be late for voice.”
“Call me sometime?”
“I’ll try. Bye.”
Eve sighed as she hung up. It wasn’t unusual for Jody to be overworked- that was nothing new. But Eve had suspicions about why she was doing so much.
From what Eve was able to discern, Jody hadn’t properly mourned her relationship with Taylor. Jody had closed herself off from the world a little bit, in typical Jody fashion, but it was as if she flipped a switch one day and put on a happy face to appease the world. Eve had gone along with it for a while, but after a year and a half, she was growing weary. Something was going on.
Jody knew Eve was suspicious. Eve knew her too well and could read her like a book. They needed to talk- really talk- about what was going on in their lives. Jody sighed and walked into the college. She wondered what Taylor was up to and if he was nearly as busy as she was.
Taylor, as it turned out, was upstairs in his studio working on lyrics. The song was about Jody, but he wanted to do it subtly. Taylor called Zac in for help. The two of them had gone over different ideas for hours. They worked on the concept, the lyrics, the verses, bridge, and chorus until they had exhausted both the song and themselves. Taylor still wasn’t satisfied with any of it.
“You alright?” Zac questioned.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You seem off.”
Taylor shrugged and took a sip of his water. “Just thinking.”
Zac paused. “Jody?”
Taylor nodded. “Yeah.”
There was a silence that followed. Zac contemplated telling his brother about where Jody was and what she had been up to for the past year.
“I just miss her I guess,” Taylor conceeded quietly.
“I’m sure she misses you too.”
Taylor looked at Zac with questions in his eyes. Zac had answered a little too quickly and now Taylor was suspicious.
“You still talk to her?” His tone was hurt, surprised, hopeful, and accusing all at once. Zac wasn’t sure what to do.
“Um, yeah,” he answered uncomfortably. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
There was an unbearable silence. Taylor really wanted to know all about her and how she was doing. However, he was so surprised at what Zac had just admitted that he wasn’t able to speak.
“I should go,” Zac said softly as he got up from his chair and placed his guitar in its stand.
Taylor was still agog as Zac left and wandered down the two stories.
“I’ll see you later, Nat,” he said as he poked his head in the kitchen.
“You sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?”
“Thanks, but Kate might kill me if I’m not home.”
“Alright then. I’ll let the kids know you left.,” Natalie offered, referring to her sleeping children.
“Thanks, Nat. See you later.”
Zac exited down the front steps and onto the street. He buried his hands in his pockets. It had gotten chilly in the last few days. More than that, he was nervous. Zac knew very well that he had just gotten himself in a lot of trouble. While Jody had never asked him not to tell Taylor where she was, Zac assumed that it would be better if both parties were kept separate. Now that Taylor knew that Zac kept in contact with her, Zac was in a rather precarious situation.
He rounded the corner and crossed the street, still preoccupied. He contemplated calling Jody and telling her that Taylor knew, but he immediately thought it childish. It was not his place to tattle on his brother.
Zac shook his head. Overthinking was becoming a family trait.
Chapter 3
Index
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