Chapter Twenty
It was hard, but JC managed to push the kiss out of his mind for the first time since he got on the plane. Even his friends noticed a difference in him, but he wouldn't dare comment. For now, the five of them were sprawled out around a hotel room, talking about everything and nothing. "So, anyway, I open up the door and Mia's standing there. You met her, right?"
Lance nodded, reaching into the chip bag beside him. "Yeah. She's kind of...intimidating, to say the least."
"Exactly. She marches into the room, takes one look at Brooklyn and practically knocks me out with her right cross. I never knew that a chick could hit that hard," JC complained, rubbing his face where there was a very faint bruise, something that could be covered with makeup easily. It wouldn't be the first time that he had to have a bruise covered with makeup, as his mind raced back to the morning in Brooklyn's room.
The watch on his wrist beeped and he looked at it before turning on the television, switching the channel. "Guys, shut up. The press conference is just starting."
When the channel switched to the press conference, Mia was already standing at the podium, with Joe standing slightly behind her. JC held his breath as she started to speak. Everyone gathered around the television and watched, already knowing the story of what happened. "First, I'd like to thank you all for coming. I know that this was short notice, but I was just informed of this and had little time to prepare."
JC's eyes never wavered from the television as Mia drank out of a glass of water before clearing her throat. "Three days ago, Brooklyn Turner was taken to the emergency room because of an incident between her and her fiancé, Tim Croft. From what police were told, Brooklyn went to her home in Belleview, Tennessee, where Mr. Croft was waiting for her. An argument began and Mr. Croft lost his temper before throwing Brooklyn across the room. As of now, Mr. Croft has been denied bail and is going to court on charges of assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted murder in Tennessee. He will also be in court in California for two different accounts of murder."
"Where do they get assault with a deadly weapon?" Lance asked. He knew the charges that were being laid upon Tim, because JC had told him, but that was a new one.
"I'm guessing that they decided a heavy candlestick is a deadly weapon. I know that she got a concussion for it."
Everyone quieted again before turning back to the television. "Brooklyn was taken to the emergency room in Nashville and treated for various cuts and bruises, bruises along her neck, and a concussion. There were no life threatening injuries, but the bruises on her neck, from where Mr. Croft had been holding her, have affected her vocal cords for the time being and there is a slight chance that they will not heal properly. However," she stated, above the din of voices that began, "the doctor assures us that now that chance is even more slim and Brooklyn should be back to normal within two weeks or so.
"Obviously, the rest of the tour is being canceled. Tickets have not been sold yet for any of these dates, so there is no one to reimburse. Brooklyn..." She paused and had to take a deep breath. JC could tell that she was trying to hold it all together and not break down in front of all the cameras and reporters. "Brooklyn has also asked me to announce that at the moment, she has no plans to continue her singing career and does not plan on a new album or tour anytime soon. This, of course, is only a temporary decision. Her contract with Curb Records of Nashville, the country music division of the company, will run out in a few weeks, but she has assured Curb that, should she want to come back, she will sign again with them.
"That, unfortunately, is all the information that I have. However, Joseph Saviro will be more than happy to answer your questions. Thank you." Mia stepped away and JC turned down the volume on the television.
His head shook as he let the remote fall to the bed. "I thought she said that she was going to think it through a little. I know that this isn't what she wants. It's just that she thinks she has no other choice but to quit." He chuckled under his breath and stared at the television screen as Joe fielded the questions as best he could. "I swear, that woman is going to be the death of me."
The phone was ringing, but she didn't want anything to do with it. Her eyes were glued to the television screen, watching a re-run of Little House on the Prairie and she was stretched out on the couch as best as possible. For some reason, the phone just wouldn't give up and she finally picked it up, holding it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked in a low tone.
"Hey, sweetie," the warm voice said in response. "How are you doing?"
She smiled inwardly and turned down the television. "I'm okay, I guess. Nothing really new. How's France, big brother?"
"Wait until you see the pictures I have to show you. Honey, this is one beautiful place. I'm going on a major tourist kick, too. I think I've been practically every where you can go in Paris. Ah, gay Paris. Why don't you come out for a little vacation?" he asked suddenly, his voice filled with the sound of a smile.
Her eyes rolled and she readjusted the pillow behind her head. "No, thank you, Austin. I'm not really in the mood to travel across the world. I'm in more of a...mope around and lay on the couch watching re-runs of shows that you didn't like as a kid mood. Interesting, huh?" she asked dryly, chuckling under her breath. "Oh, hey, did you want me to call Mia downstairs? I'm sure that she wants to talk to you."
Austin groaned on the other line, causing his sister to laugh a little harder. It was nice to hear that sound, even if it didn't last all that long. "Please. Did you know that I made a bet with her and I don't even remember it? Apparently, she bet me that if you didn't get married, I was supposed to take her out for a date, but if I won and you did get married, she was going to make me take her out on a date. Does that sound a little wrong, or is it just me?"
"It's just you."
"I thought so. So, apparently, I made this bet and she calls me all of a sudden and tells me, 'Austin, when you get back in the U.S., you're taking me out to the restaurant of my choice in a limo, no less, and we're going here and we're going there.' By the time that her idea of a date is over, I'll be sixty."
Brooklyn moved her eyes from the television screen to the couch so that she didn't have to watch the commercials. "That's probably true. You know how Mia is about her dates. Especially about that night. The first thing out of her mouth will be 'my place or yours'."
"That's a very cruel thing to say, Brooke. Now give me that phone so that I can talk to your brother," she said, a smile on her face as Brooklyn handed over the phone. They could both hear Austin yelling for mercy on the other line. Mia disappeared into the kitchen to talk to him, leaving Brooklyn alone for awhile.
It had been a long time since she had been truly alone, but she wondered if that was what she wanted. The court case was over, and she had won. It was just a minor victory, she reasoned, but it was something. It had been a complete struggle, sitting there and watching his face, listening to the same lies that he spoke over and over. She dodged from the cameras when they were covering the case, she hid in dark corners whenever she saw a reporter and tried to appear as someone else.
She was someone else. She wasn't Brooklyn. That much even she knew. She wasn't herself. She wasn't the type of person to sit in front of the television. For the longest time, she slept out on the couch because she wasn't comfortable in her own room, unless it was during the day. She might have been in the same room that the attack happened, but for some reason, she felt more comfortable there than anywhere else in the house. For now, she was happy being a lazy person.
What else was there in life other than re-runs of old shows on Superstation? She had never watched CHiPS in her life, but now she was an expert on the show. She couldn't stand Steve Urkel, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Family Matters. There was only one problem.
Whenever a theme song came on, she pressed mute or changed the channel until she knew it was over. If a commercial was on, she pressed mute instantly so that she didn't have to listen to the jingles. She just couldn't put up with any kind of music. It made her feel physically sick. That was a part of her life that she wanted to forget, not knowing if she wanted to forget it for good or just a little while.
It seemed like ages ago that she had stood on a stage and smiled out to a sea of faces. She almost missed tapping her foot to the beat, running and jumping on the stage, feeling that surge of happiness when she lifted a microphone to her mouth and got ready to sing the first line of the first song of a concert. It was almost like a persistent itch that she couldn't find and couldn't scratch.
But none of that mattered. She didn't WANT to get back up there. Maybe it was a mental thing, she thought as she closed her eyes and changed the channel when the commercials came on. She had already tried singing, just once, when she was in the shower. She ended up shaking and the words just wouldn't push through her slightly constricted throat. Music used to be an addiction to her. Now, it was like it was a disease, one that she didn't want to catch again.
"Brooke?" Mia broke into her thoughts. She moved to look towards her, before switching back to the same channel as last time. "I'm going out to the store. Do you want anything?"
"No, thanks," she said softly, turning back to the television. Mia groaned under her breath as she walked out the front door and shut it behind her. Her car, a small convertible, was shining in the sunlight as she jumped in it and started the engine, turning up the radio.
As much as she loved Brooklyn, even she was finding it hard to live without music. It was probably because for the past few years, music had been Mia's business. She had already had offers to come on as other people's publicists in the industry, and she kept all of the offers from Brooklyn. She knew exactly what she would say if she found out, she thought as she turned the corner. Mia was going to stick by Brooklyn and if she decided that she was going to quit the music industry, Mia was going to quit right along with her.
A new song started when the cell phone in Mia's bag rang. Rolling her eyes, she shut off the radio and picked up the phone. "Okay, Brooke, what did you want me to pick up? I knew that you were going to do this."
"It's me, Mia. How is she? I tried calling there, but she didn't answer."
Mia looked up and mouthed a thank you when she heard JC's voice. This was the miracle that she needed. "Of course not. Miss Turner is stretched out in front of the television. Where else would she be?" she asked in an icy voice. "Really, that's all that she's been doing lately. It's getting a little annoying, too."
"Is she still sleeping in the living room?"
"Only when she's sleeping through the night. Most of the time, she sleeps through the day. When she does sleep during the day, it's in her room, but as soon as it's dark out? Back to the living room for her. I have no idea what's going on, JC. She hasn't been herself for the longest time." Mia sighed and pulled into the parking lot of the local super market before looking around. "Not only that, but I'm stuck in Hickville, U.S.A. Did you know that they don't even have a movie theater here? Not that I could convince Brooke to go out for a movie, anyway."
JC laughed on the other end before he cleared his throat. "Well, my tour is over in a few days, so I'll take over for you then. Is she really that bad?"
With a growl, Mia stepped out of her convertible and pushed the button for the alarm after she slammed the door shut. "Bad? She's worse than ever. I mean, I thought that I could get a little annoying when I'm in that kind of mood. You have to have all the patience in the world to deal with her. Just how soon are you coming out?"
"I'll be out there in three days. The tour ends in two, but I don't want to come during the night. Can you make sure that she sleeps during the night, please? I have a little plan for during the day."
"All I have to say to you is good luck, sweetie. Nothing's working, but if you think that you can do something, all the power to you. All the freaking power to you."
Brooklyn sighed as she walked into the kitchen, reaching for a glass from the cupboard. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing up?" Mia's furious voice asked when she spotted the woman walking into her own kitchen. "I thought that you were sleeping."
"I couldn't," she said quietly, pouring herself a glass of milk. "What are you doing up, anyway?" she asked, running her hands through her tangled hair.
Mia just looked at her for a long time before sighing. "Joe asked me to cover up some paperwork. You wouldn't believe the stack that I have to go through. This little quitting thing means that I have to clear up a lot of stuff and I'm the only one that can. I'll thank you for the gray hair that I'll get from this stress."
"Just dye your hair. That's how you hide the gray now," Brooklyn said with a half smile, walking into the living room before Mia threw a pad of paper at her. It smacked against the wall as Brooklyn lowered herself onto the couch and turned on the television. Mia rolled her eyes when she heard it start up.
"Is that all you do?" she whispered to herself before throwing her pen down. "I'm going to get that girl out of her funk if it's the last thing I do," she said with a determined term. She stood up and reached for a hair tie on the counter, quickly wrapping up her hair into a pony tail. A giggle escaped her when she ran upstairs and into the spare bedroom, taking her pillows off of the bed. If there was one thing that Brooklyn couldn't resist, it was a pillow fight.
She ran back downstairs, feeling more like a little child than a full grown woman, but she appeared in the living room, looking at the songstress, who was staring at the television screen. Mia threw one of the pillows, smacking Brooklyn on the side of her head. Brooklyn turned slowly and gave Mia a bad look before turning back to the television. "I'm trying to watch something here, Mia," she said, scratching her arm.
The second pillow flew through the air and hit Brooklyn again on the head. "Would you just throw the damned pillow back to me so that we can get this pillow fight started?" Mia asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Reaching down, Brooklyn picked up the two pillows and threw them back. They landed at Mia's feet. "There, are you happy?" she asked softly.
"No, but at least I have more ammo," she said with a grin before picking up the pillows again. Her throw hit its mark and Brooklyn turned to stare at her. "Don't look at me like that, Miss I'm Too Important To Have A Pillow Fight With My Best Girl. I'm not taking your attitude a minute longer because I am sick of how you've been acting and how you've been treating me. So, you're going to have a good old fashioned pillow fight. You know how. All you have to do is hit me with the stupid thing and it'll be over before you know it. Besides, I'll try not to mark up your pretty face," she said in a condescending tone, cheering inside.
The way that Brooklyn's face was beginning to turn red was what she wanted. Mia smirked and threw the last pillow at her, laughing when she saw it hit Brooklyn square in the face. "Are you going to wimp out? Maybe I should call your precious JC? I'm sure that he would have a pillow fight with me if I asked him-" She was broken off when Brooklyn scooped up the pillow beside her and threw it as hard as she could at Mia. "That's it, Brooke. That's all I was looking for. Let's get this damned thing on."
Both of them started to giggle as they threw the pillows back and forth before Mia jumped on the couch and started to attack Brooklyn with her pillow, swiping at her left and right. The laughing singer tried to match the blows, but it didn't help. One final hit from Mia's pillow ripped the seams on it and feathers started to fly around them. "You never told me that you had actual feather stuffed pillows," she squealed as she caught some of the feathers and blew them back in the air.
The playful twinkle has re-entered Brooklyn's eyes and she laughed as she reached for another pillow. "You think that's something? Watch this," she said, reaching behind her to the small end table. She opened the drawer and took out a pair of sewing scissors.
"You wouldn't dare. This isn't you, Brooke."
A grin covered her face as she opened the scissors and looked at them curiously. "You're right. Then again, this is the real Brooklyn, when I was a teenager. Only I would dare to do something like this," she added with a chuckle as she pushed the point of the scissors into her pillow and ripped it, before throwing the scissors on the table. Her hand disappeared inside the rip and she pulled out a handful of feathers. "Gee, Mia, I think we just found a new hairstyle for you." Mia's mouth dropped open as Brooklyn pushed the feathers into her hair, giggling madly.
"You're on, sweetheart." Mia ripped apart another pillow and Brooklyn jumped up from the couch, running around the house, trying to hide from Mia. They could see that the neighbors were turning on their lights to see what the disturbance was. The two were screaming, laughing, shouting and running in and out of the house before they finally made their way back inside, out of ammo, and the house carpeted in feathers. They collapsed on the couch and laughed when a few feathers blew aimlessly through the air. "So, is there anything good on?" Mia asked, slightly out of breath as she reached for the television switcher.
"I thought that you had work to do," Brooklyn said.
Her shoulders moved in a shrug. "I guess, but I don't want to do it right now. I know, I'm strange. Give me a break." Sighing, she switched to the Comedy Channel and turned down the volume. "So, what's your plan for the next few days? I have major prep work to do before my date with your brother in...oh, three months or so." Brooklyn chuckled, stretching and placing her feet in Mia's lap. "No, seriously. I have so much to do. Facials, massages, making sure that I have fresh sheets on the bed that day."
Groaning, she rolled her eyes. "That's not something that I want to know. Austin and I may be open with each other, but sex? Ugh." Shuddering, she sat up. "Mia, are you planning on sleeping anytime soon?" she asked suddenly. Mia shook her head slowly, wondering what had gotten into Brooklyn. "I don't know why, but I want to go see a movie, and if we hurry, we can head into Nashville for the last showing."
Mia looked between the two of them. "Brooke...we're still in our pajamas. We don't have enough time to change. At least, not if you're talking about me. I take forever."
"Don't I know it. No, don't worry about it. We'll just go in our pajamas. Come on. We're wearing pants and shirts. If we get on the cover of National Enquirer or something, at least we can laugh at it. Especially with those feathers in your hair."
Shaking her head, she leaned back and closed her eyes. "Lord forgive me for what I'm about to say, but let's do it. I'm driving, though. I am definitely putting the top down for this one. Come on, let's hurry. It was your idea."
Mia opened the door and sighed in relief. "Thank God you're here. Brooke's upstairs, taking a nap. You can wake her up if you want. It doesn't matter. Come on in." Letting JC in, she shut the door with a sigh and blew some hair out of her face. "I swear, ever since that day that you called her, Brooklyn has been getting more and more annoying. I thought that a pillow fight would do her some good. Uh...don't be surprised if you find some feathers in the weirdest places, by the way. Just two stressed women learning how to get rid of that stress," she said with a smile, leading him into the kitchen.
As he poured himself a glass of water, he thought about what she had said. "Feathers."
"Uh huh. Are you going deaf or something? Anyway, that's just the tip of the ice berg. Later that night, we drove into Nashville to go see a movie in our pajamas. And I still had feathers in my hair. I would only do it for Brooke, so don't get any ideas in that...gorgeous head of yours. Are you single?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.
He was stunned for a moment as he drank from his glass. Slowly, it lowered and he stared at her like she was crazy. "Yeah, why?" Instantly, the stupidity of the comment hit him and he groaned inwardly.
"Don't worry. You're already taken, or about to be," she said with am impish smile. "Besides, I've got my sights set on the hunky chef of a brother that she has. Not only is he cute, but he can cook, and that's a definite plus in my opinion. So, I told you about the movie. That was a blast. Then? She decided that she wants to go swimming...at three thirty in the morning. She also had me taking her to 7-11 at four in the morning because she 'desperately needed some of those nachos and horrible cheese sauce that they sell'. I swear, they never clean that container out. After that...hell, I don’t even remember what happened after that. I was pretty well asleep every time she wanted me to drive her somewhere. Maybe you can fix this problem."
Walking around the counter, he sat down at the kitchen table with her and looked out the window. "Why would you call this a problem?" he asked her, turning to look at her quickly.
Mia rolled her eyes and propped her chin up on her hand. "Please. She WAS back to normal, but now she has this normal thing on over kill and she's turned weird. There's a big difference between normal and weird and she crossed that line." Her fingers tapped on the table. "So why did you pick up that snazzy little convertible? You usually drive Brooke's truck, right?"
He nodded with a laugh. "Normally, but that car happens to be a part of my plans. You'll see...hopefully."
"Look, you're taking on a big challenge here and I can't promise that it'll work, but I'll be praying that it does." Looking at the ceiling, she smirked. "Bet you'd never hear me say that one," she added with a laugh before standing up. "The house is officially yours. Here's the keys to it and be sure to enjoy yourself and remember, sleep isn't important at the Turner household. That's because Brooklyn doesn't believe in sleep. Instead, she believes on making you drive all over this God-forsaken state until she's satisfied. Have fun, sexy," she said before running out the door and tossing her bag into the back of her convertible. Mia, in an exaggerated manner, kissed her hand and blew him the kiss before she pulled out of the driveway.
He simply shook his head as he closed the door and locked it, leaning against it for a moment. He couldn't help laughing when he recalled the story that Mia told him. He had heard a few stories from Austin about Brooklyn's slightly wild teenaged ways, but he couldn't help being happy about what he was told. It wasn't every day that Brooklyn decided to head into Nashville to go see a movie anymore, especially late at night while she was wearing her pajamas.
Still chuckling, he picked up his suitcase and walked up to the spare room, dropping it off. He took a little time to unpack, and took a shower before he changed into a pair of more casual jeans and a tee shirt, heading into the hallway. He stopped in front of Brooklyn's door and wondered if he should knock or just walk in.
Since he knew that she was still asleep, he decided on just walking in. When the door shut behind him, he bent down beside her bed and looked at her. All of the bruises and cuts were gone, save for a small scar beside her eyes that was barely noticeable unless you were incredibly close. She looked better. Her face had even gotten back some of its color, and she didn't seem so pale anymore.
He knew that Brooklyn needed support and help from her friends to make it through all of this, and hopefully get her back to what her life used to be. That was why he made the most difficult decision in his life.
He wasn't going to waste his time running after her, pretending to hide his feelings when she didn't know the difference. He was just going to give up on it altogether. That was all he really could do before he helped her. From that day forward, he swore that he would never think of Brooklyn in any other way, other than a friend.
It was with a friendly hand that he shook her shoulder until her eyes opened, and it was with a friendly smile that he looked down at her. "Good morning, New York. Bet you didn't expect to see me here," he said with a chuckle under his breath.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes for a moment before staring at him. "I take it that the tour is over. Great. Could I get some more sleep, please? I didn't fall asleep until very early this morning."
Her head fell back onto the pillow and she snuggled under her blankets, sighing deeply. "I don't think so, sweetie. You have exactly twenty minutes to go take a shower and get dressed, because we're going somewhere. There's plenty of hot water left for you, too. I didn't use it all." When she did move, he groaned under his breath and reached for the blankets, pulling them off of her. She sighed again, this time unhappily and tried to ignore him. "Brooklyn Arizona Turner, I have already been on an airplane today for a few hours, and I flew coach, meaning that I had no leg room. It was the best I could do at the last minute. I also had to wait to rent a car, I had to drive from Nashville to Belleview and I had to put up with Mia until she left. Now would you get your lazy, television watching butt out of bed before I pick you up and throw you in the shower."
Eyes opening slowly, she looked at him. He bent down until their noses were practically touching. "Oh, and if you think that I wouldn't dare, just try me, honey."
"Fine. I'm up, I'm up," she muttered, throwing the covers off of her. She stumbled towards the bathroom, picking up a pair of jeans and a shirt on the way. "Or would a ball gown be more fitting?" she shot back as she walked into the bathroom.
"You go, girl. Got to love that sarcasm."
JC walked out of the room and waited down in the living room, seeing instantly what Mia had meant by feathers. When he sat down on the couch, two feathers floated into the air and fell beside him. "And I missed it. Poor me," he said dryly as he reached for the switcher, changing the channel from what it was. He stopped on some infomercial and watched it with little interest until Brooklyn came down.
Her hair, still wet, rested on the shoulders of her dark red shirt and a pair of boot cut jeans were added to the ensemble, along with her sneakers and a ball cap. "Well? Can we just go and get this over with?" she asked tiredly. He stood up with a smile and walked her out towards the convertible that he had rented, the top already down. "I take it that you like to blow money."
"Yeah, well, I heard about the pajama party at the theater, so I wouldn't talk, New York," he said, climbing into the driver's seat and shutting the door behind him. "Come on, get in." With a smirk, Brooklyn put her hands on the top of the door and swung herself over it, falling down into the seat. "Would you like to try a Dukes of Hazzard slide next?" he asked sarcastically, turning off the radio before he started the engine. He didn't want to scare her off just yet.
He drove quickly, taking roads and avenues that Brooklyn usually never drove down unless she was visiting someone. "I know it's around here somewhere," he muttered to himself, reaching for the pair of sunglasses he had stashed in the cup holder before he had arrived at Brooklyn's. "Hey, did you know that Mia, for some reason, couldn't wait to get out of the house?"
Brooklyn laughed suddenly over the roar of the wind. "Yeah, I figured that if I bugged her enough, she would leave me alone for a little while. Too bad you had to show up," she added with a little shrug, looking over at him. Her eyes squinted from the brightness of the sun.
"You can't say that I don't come unprepared," he said, grinning as he reached for the other pair of sunglasses he had bought at the airport. He handed them to her and watched as she slid them on her face, turning away. "You know, that last comment hurt me. How could you be so cruel?"
"It's a gift," she muttered, smiling brightly at him for a moment before she dropped the smile. JC smiled triumphantly when he found what he was looking for. "Here we go, New York. Get out of the car," he commanded when he shut off the engine.
Rolling her eyes behind the glasses, she did as he asked and looked at him like he was crazy when he took her hand and took her over to the driver's side. "JC? What is your problem today? You wake me up, you make me drive with you until we end up at the...old air strip. No one comes down here anymore. Not even the cops."
"That makes it all the better," he said, getting into the passenger side. "You can drive a standard, right?" he asked, hoping that she did. He knew that the truck was an automatic, but he didn't know if she drove a standard.
Her head nodded as she looked at it. "Uh huh. What, you wanted to make some sick comment about teaching me how to drive a stick?" She grinned at him for a moment. "Okay, so we're at the air strip, you're glad the cops don't come here...why? That's the magic word of the day, by the way."
His eyebrows shot up as he regarded her carefully. "Great," he said, drawing out the word as long as possible. "You're officially banned from the re-runs on television. Why? Because you're going to drive. I don't care how fast or how slow, but you're going to drive. It's a great way to forget about stress." And not being able to hear very well over the wind, but that didn't matter, because he wasn't about to say it. That was the whole part of his plan, though.
"Really," she said dryly, turning the key in the ignition and listening as the engine roared to life. "You've seen my driving before. Are you sure that you don't mind me driving fast? I know that it's a rental."
"Don't worry about it. The insurance will cover it if you decide to go psycho and plow into a...there's nothing to plow into out here. Okay, if you flip the damned thing. I don't know. Just drive."
Brooklyn nodded and hit the gas, shooting the car forward. She took it slow for a little while before she got her nerve up and pressed on the pedal a little more. She shifted and continued, slowing down to take a corner. He grinned and leaned back, one hand resting loosely on the frame of the door. His other hand tapped on his thigh, just waiting for the right moment. All she would have to do is speed up a little more.
And she did. When it didn't look like she was thinking of much of anything, he reached out and turned the knob to turn on the radio. It was too quiet to hear, so he turned it up a little more until he could hear the music, but not the words. Brooklyn didn't even taken notice of it as she stepped on the gas again, and shifted one more time. "Are you okay?" he shouted over the wind.
"Fine," she replied, her eyes not leaving the road. He grinned as he turned up the radio little by little. Soon enough, Brooklyn's finger began to tap on the steering wheel and he watched as she mouthed the words to herself. His luck couldn't have been better, he realized, when he heard the opening sounds of one of Brooklyn's songs. This would be the truth test.
She was nodding her head along to the beat and singing to herself softly. She didn't seem to want to get any louder as she turned the corner and headed out on another runway. Instead, to edge her along, JC started to sing over the wind, tapping his hand against the side of the door.
Brooklyn caught on and started to sing with him, a smile starting to break out on her face. It was an unconscious effort, he noticed. She didn't even know that she was listening to music or that she was singing along. As they came back to where they had started, she slowed down a little before she came to a soft stop, looking over at him. The radio between them was still blaring, her song over by now.
The gaze she directed towards him was purely inquisitive. He could read the question in her eyes and soon enough, she voiced it. "When did you turn the radio on?" she asked, not looking the least bit bothered by it anymore.
He tried to stop his heart from pounding when he saw that, and forced himself to take a deep breath. "It was on practically the whole time you were driving, New York. You just didn't notice it. You were singing along and keeping the beat like you used to. You're doing pretty good, if you ask me."
Laughing, she released her seatbelt and sat back, turning off the engine. The silence was a little too much to bear, so she turned the car onto accessory mode and listened to the radio for a little bit longer. "I can't believe it. It's not even bothering me," she said to herself, reaching out to turn it down a little so that she could be heard. He thought that she was going to shut it off, before the volume turned down and she looked back at him. "Thank you. I don't know what you did, but thank you," she said with a laugh, reaching forwards to wrap her arms around his neck.
"I didn't do anything, New York. You did it all. You want to drive us back, or do you want me to switch you places?"
"Like hell. You know, I was thinking about buying a little car like this, or maybe a jeep. I think that the truck needs to go. That phase of my life is over with." He laughed as she started the engine again and turned around, heading towards the main road again. She turned up the radio before looking over at him. "JC, would you mind reaching into my purse and grabbing my cell phone, please?" she asked.
He had no clue why she still had it on her, but he pulled it out and handed it to her, thinking that she was going to call Mia or Joe. Instead, she stopped the car and threw the phone ahead of them onto the pavement. With a laugh, she revved the engine and stepped on the gas, shooting forward to run over the phone. When they looked back, it was lying in many pieces of the road. "Good riddance to bad rubbish," she muttered to herself before turning onto the next road that would take them closer to her place.
"My thoughts exactly, New York. My thoughts exactly."
Later that night, the two were sitting at the kitchen table, a bowl of popcorn between them. "Did you want some more?" JC asked as he stood up. She nodded with a smile and a 'thank you' as he took her mug off the table to fill up again. When he came back, he was holding two more steaming mugs of hot chocolate. She sipped herself carefully and put it back on the table, reaching for another piece of popcorn. "Don't choke this time," he warned her, causing her to laugh.
"I had a kernel stuck in the back of my throat, JC. What's the big deal? I didn't choke."
He laughed and took a piece of popcorn for himself. "You were turning blue, New York. Turning blue usually means that you were getting no air down your throat. Getting no air down your throat, along with the wonderful sound of a cat coughing up a hairball, means that you were choking."
Rolling her eyes, she licked her fingers free of salt and butter. "Oh, why don't you leave me alone and become a doctor. You seem to be so good at deciding what my problems are."
Smirking, he looked up at her and sighed. "New York, how are you doing? I mean, really. I know that today was a little different for you, but how are you actually feeling, and don't give me some crappy answer about how you're fine and that's all."
"No, I'm not fine. I won't be fine for a long time," she said quietly, looking down at her hands. "The thing is, I don't think I've ever been fine. Face it, JC, you're sitting here with a walking time bomb. Things just blow up around me after a little while. Sometimes, I blow up." Her shoulders moved in a small shrug as she sipped her hot chocolate. "But, really? I've been doing some thinking. A lot of thinking."
He nodded slowly and ate another handful of popcorn. No way in hell was he going to interrupt her. "See, a week ago, I probably would have said, 'there's no way that you can get me up on a stage and make me sing.' While that might be true right now...that doesn't mean that I can't go into a studio and lay down some tracks, just for the hell of it, and see what happens. Who knows? I could put out another Brooklyn Turner album. Even if I don't, I just want to know that I can get the satisfaction of knowing that I can go on with my life."
"I don't really understand how that could be going on with your life if it doesn't work out. Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm happy for you, but I'm confused at the same time. Then again, you've never made sense."
Her mouth dropped open before she threw a piece of popcorn at him. It hit him in the forehead and landed in his lap. "Please don't think about throwing that back. Feathers around the house is one thing, but popcorn is a whole other ball game." He laughed when he saw how happy she was, but quickly sobered when she started to talk again. "JC, it's getting on with my life because, even f I don't sign another contract, and I don't release another album...at least I know that I can sing, and I can go back to it in a few years or so, once I get my life on track. That's all." She ducked her head and laughed for a moment. "I never thought that I would be talking about singing like this again."
As she got up to put her mug on the counter, he walked behind her and winked when she turned around before he picked her up around the waist and twirled her in the air a few times. She squealed and hung onto him for dear life. When he put her back down on the ground, they stared at each other for a moment. JC remembered his promise and turned away before walking out of the room. "Come on, let's go watch a movie or something. It's a little late to go celebrate, but we can always do that tomorrow."
"Are you sure? I'm always up for a little skinny-dipping!" she called before following him.
"My greatest dream has come true," he said sarcastically before pulling her down on the couch. "Come on. I know that Groundhog Day is going to be on Superstation. It starts in about...three minutes," he said, checking his watch.
Groaning, she slid down beside him and looked towards the television. "Great," she said softly. "You DO know that Groundhog Day is on almost every weekend, right?" He nodded. "I never saw the movie before in my life a month ago. Now I've seen it at least ten times."
"So, you'll watch it one more time with me. Gee, Brooklyn, live a little."
Live a little. That's exactly what she planned to do.
Epilogue
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