hi sweet sunshines!
i'm back?? so soon?? wow go me i guess!
THANK YOU FOR 44K READS WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK??? that is so insane.
also thank you so much for your nice comments on the last chapter. things have been super hectic for me lately and it was so nice and refreshing to see you guys supporting me.
i just love u guys the most<3
ok. i'm done speaking.
enjoy this chapter, take care of yourselves, drink some water. i love u. i'll be back soon :)
I've always hated the fact that you have to announce to your family that you're dating someone. Well, you don't have to, but in my family you do.
I personally think that "the announcement" is one of the worst parts about getting into a relationship.
And now, I have to tell my parents that I, their little girl, have a new boyfriend. And this new boyfriend just so happens to be the same boy that I repeatedly denied having any feelings for, right to their faces.
We left Florida a few days ago. Charlie went back to Canada to do god knows what before he goes off on another adventure, and Owen and I came back to California. The two of us went back to our respective homes after landing, but my attachment issues made him come right over to my apartment the next day so we could hang out.
But today, he left early in the morning to go run some errands, and I've been left alone all day until now. I am currently sitting in my car, I just pulled into my parents' driveway for our weekly dinner that I had to miss last week because we were still in Florida.
I sigh, turning off my car as I gather my belongings and prepare myself to go inside. I know that I should probably tell my parents about Owen tonight and just get it over with, but I don't really want to. Although I know my mom will be upset with me for keeping this from her for as long as I already have, even though it's only been two weeks.
For all I know, we could have a big blow up tomorrow and break up, and then I'd have to announce that to my parents as well.
"Mother!" I yell into the house as soon as I open the front door. I hear her yell in the kitchen, followed by the sound of a few things clashing to the ground just before she comes running into the foyer.
"Hi, baby!" She throws her arms around me, squeezing me as tight as she possibly can. I laugh, hugging her back. "It's been so long! How are you, my sweet?"
"I'm good," I gently push her hands away from my cheeks when she tries to squeeze them.
"Come to the kitchen, dad's in there," she grabs my hand, tugging me behind her as she leads me to the kitchen.
"Where's Winnie?" I ask, looking around for the giant fur ball that is usually waiting for me at the front door. "And Phantom and Luna?"
"Winnie's out in the backyard. She's been loving the weather lately. The cats have been sleeping in your room all day long, they've also been loving the sunshine in there," my dad tells me, walking around the kitchen counter to come greet me. "Hi, honey. How's my little Jojo bear doing?"
"Good," I grin, leaning into him as he hugs me. It's only been just over two weeks since I last saw my parents, but I still missed them a lot.
"How was your trip? Tell us everything!" My mom leans her elbows on the counter, watching me expectantly. I smile, slinging my purse strap over one of the bar stools before taking a seat across from her. My dad goes back to making dinner, but he keeps his head turned slightly to show that he's engaged in the conversation.
"Well, it was really fun. It was a lot of quality time with Charlie and Owen, maybe too much quality time," I joke, thinking back on the many stupid arguments that Charlie and I got into over the ten days. "The van was super fun, too! You guys should do it some time."
"How were those boys? Wasn't it hard being in such a small space for so long?" My mom questions.
"It wasn't too bad," I shrug. "Owen and I are both pretty clean and organized people, so we kinda teamed up against Charlie and made him clean up after himself. There were times when things got a little tense, but only for a few minutes and then we'd be back to normal."
I almost mention the fact that Charlie and I argued a lot, but I know that she would ask why and I didn't want to tell both her and my dad that it's because Charlie caught me and Owen being a little too touchy.
"Well it looks like you guys had so much fun! I was keeping up with Instagram," my mom tells me proudly. She's always so proud of herself when she successfully manages the social media accounts that I created for her.
"Yes, it was tons of fun. I am glad to be back though."
"And we are so glad to have you back!" My mom reaches across the counter and squeezes my hand, making my heart swell. I love my parents. "So where are the boys now?"
"Charlie's back in Canada for the time being, and Owen's at home."
"Home here or home-home?" She asks, finally moving from the counter so she can go help dad finish our food.
"Here," I answer, not liking the way that question made me feel. I start to become hyperaware of the fact that Owen didn't grow up in Los Angeles like I did. LA isn't his home. His home is back in Oklahoma, where his entire family and all of his closest friends are.
I start to panic. My brain begins to tell me that Owen won't be here in LA forever, and that this is most likely just a temporary location for him. How long will he stay here for?
I've heard him say countless times that he hates LA, and I get that. It's not for everyone. I know that I would hate it too if I wasn't born and raised here.
I have to physically shake my head to get these thoughts out of my mind, reminding myself that there is no sense in worrying about this right now.
"So he lives pretty close to you, right?" My dad asks from the other side of the kitchen.
Yes, dad. He actually lives in my apartment most days and sleeps in my bed most nights!
"Yeah, his apartment is really close to mine," I nod. "It's like a ten minute drive if traffic is light."
"That must be so fun having him so close!" My mom grins.
"Yeah, it's handy," I nod again, pursing my lips to hide a smile.
"You should have brought him over for dinner, that poor boy probably doesn't ever get home cooked meals," my mom frowns over at me.
"We make dinner together a lot, mother. We are both just fine," I roll my eyes jokingly. "Plenty of nourishment and all that good stuff?"
"The only thing you know how to make is pasta, Jo," my dad teases from behind her.
"Pasta is plenty nourishing!" I defend. "We eat more than just pasta, I promise."
"It sounds like you two are spending a lot of time together, hun," my mom raises an eyebrow at me. My cheeks go hot and she smirks. She knows, she absolutely knows. When I don't respond, she continues. "So were you planning on telling us that you and Owen are dating, or what?"
My dad laughs, thankfully keeping his back to us. I think I'd cry of embarrassment if I could see his reaction.
"How did you know?" I ask, my face still burning red.
"We aren't stupid, babe," my mom gives me a 'duh' look. "You thought you could post a picture of you two all cozy in Florida with him kissing your cheek, and we wouldn't get a little suspicious?"
"Ahh! You can stop talking now!" I cover my ears, dropping my head to the counter in front of me. "I am uncomfortable. Yes we are dating, that is all there is to say. End of conversation? Please?"
"Why didn't you just tell us, sweetheart?" My mom is still laughing at my reaction.
"I was trying to avoid this," I motion to the air. "This is awkward."
"It's not awkward, Joey. You're just awkward," she pats my arm as she walks around the counter to get to the table. I spin around on my stool, watching as she starts to set the table. "He already has our stamp of approval, if that makes a difference."
"I know he does. I think dad likes him more than I do," I turn around and see my dad nodding, now at the counter in front of me while he sets a hot pan down.
"I do like the kid, but he needs to come back over for a reevaluation now that you're dating him," my dad tries to be scary, using his deep voice. I just laugh in his face. "What? I decided that I liked him as your friend, I said nothing about you dating him!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Heard it all before. 'No one's good enough for my little girl'," I mock him in a dee voice of my own, puffing out my chest to appear bigger.
"No one is good enough for my little girl," he narrows his eyes quickly before a grin takes over his face. He leans over and presses a kiss against my temple just before moving past the counter to join my mom at the table.
I just shake my head, sliding off of my stool so I can sit down with my parents.
"So how long has it been?" My mom asks. I fight the urge to groan. I don't want to talk about this anymore.
"A couple of weeks," I shrug, watching as my mom fills up the plate in front of me.
"How did it happen?" She questions, looking at me with a smirk. This time I audibly groan, showing my distaste for this topic of conversation.
"You are being rather nosy today, mother," I raise my eyebrows, avoiding the question as a whole.
"I'm just curious!" She raises her hands in surrender. My dad smiles from the end of the table, shaking his head at the two of us.
"It's a long story that I'm not going to get into, but it does involve Ethan..." I offer my mom some sort of information, hoping she doesn't question how or why my current boyfriend and ex-boyfriend have interacted.
"Ethan Jenkins? As in your ex-boyfriend?" She cocks her head to the side.
"Yeah," I nod. "He was in LA a few weeks ago, and we met up for lunch."
"He was always a nice boy," she smiles. "How's be doing?"
"He's really good. He's loving school and Sacramento, he's made a ton of new friends."
"Well that's good to hear. What made him call you?"
"He was back for spring break, just visiting some people. He figured he'd call and see if I wanted to catch up, so we got lunch."
"Does he know you're interested in someone else?" My dad jokes. I smile, thinking back to when Ethan told me that he has a boyfriend of his own just before forcing me to open up to Owen.
"Yes he does. He's got a man of his own," I wave my fork at my dad as he chuckles.
"A man?" My mom questions.
"Mhm," I nod, shoving a big forkful of food into my mouth.
"Huh, good for him."
"Yeah. Also, do you remember Savannah? My roommate in Vancouver?" I ask, deciding to change the topic. I already know that my dad has no clue who I'm talking about, so I look for my mom's nod to continue. "She's finally coming back to LA next month."
"Has she not been back yet?"
"No, she's been in Texas since filming ended. I'm excited to have her back in town, and Charlie's coming back that week too. It'll be a whole reunion!"
"Well that'll be so much fun! I can't believe she hasn't come back yet."
"If I lived in LA and you guys didn't, you would never let me leave home," I remind my mother with a smile.
"If it were up to me, I'd have you live in your room upstairs forever," she responds with a stupid grin that I can't help but return.
I don't know what I would do if I didn't live in the same city as my parents. Being raised as an only child meant a lot of quality time with them growing up, which meant that leaving home was tough for me.
The day I left for college, my mom cried for four hours straight before we even left the house. And I was still in the same city.
When I booked Julie and the Phantoms, my mom cried for another four hours straight. Except that time was more understandable...I was in a whole different country for three months.
That was hard on me too, but as soon as I got to Vancouver I somehow felt at home. Maybe it's because of the friends I made there, and lucky for me I got to bring one of them back home.
"Just know that if you ever move away from California, we're following you wherever you go," my dad teases.
"I know you would, and that's why I love you."
My parents fall into some conversation that I end up tuning out of. My mind turns to Owen, as it does often, and how he's living so far away from his parents. I know he misses his family, and he sometimes even talks about how he misses Oklahoma. He's mentioned wanting to go back soon to visit, especially considering the fact that he's been gone for four months now.
I guess that kind of comes with being a child actor, though. There's a lot of responsibility involved, and Owen moved out to LA by himself when he was still pretty young.
He's a mature guy, and he is one of the most responsible people I know, but he's been on his own for so long and I just don't know how he does it.
Frowning to myself about the thought of Owen being alone, I pick up my phone from my lap and just so happen to see a text from him.
Owen: Hi
Owen: I came back to ur apartment I'm sorry I got bored
Owen: Please tell me you're coming back soon
Jo: Hi I don't mind
Jo: I should be home in an hour or 2 hopefully
Owen: How's dinner?
Jo: Well
Jo: The rents know about us
Jo: That was an awkward little conversation
Jo: My dad says you have to come over for a reevaluation now that we're dating
Owen: Nooo me and mark had a real good thing going
Owen: Is he going to hate me now
Jo: Definitely not
Jo: He's never let someone else play his drums
Jo: Especially on the first time meeting
Jo: You guys bonded he just wants to fuck with us
Owen: That is...horrifying
Jo: A little bit but that's ok
"Are you texting Owen?" The sound of my mom's smug voice breaks my attention away from my phone. "You're awfully smiley over there."
"I was texting him, yes," I sneer jokingly, setting my phone face down on the table. "Just telling him how you're going to make him come back for dinner so dad can mess with him."
"Oh, yeah. He's gonna get the Mark Special," my dad grins proudly, pounding his fist into his palm to imitate a punch. I throw my head back, letting out a loud laugh.
"You're gonna scare that poor boy off, honey," my mom gently smacks at his arm with a playful smile.
"Oh, yeah. Dad's gonna give him the Mark Special, meaning you're gonna use a fake tough voice for thirty seconds, then break and take him downstairs to show him something with your drums?" I raise an accusatory eyebrow at my dad.
"Sounds good to me," he shrugs, shoving a forkful of food into his mouth.
"So what's Owen doing right now?" My mom switches up the topic of conversation. I feel my cheeks go pink at the thought of him sitting in my apartment, probably laying in my couch while he waits for me to come home.
"He's just hanging out at home," I shrug. I make sure to leave out the fact that the "home" I am referring to is actually my own, but I don't think that they need to know that Owen practically lives with me most days.
"Why didn't you bring him along?" My mom frowns. "He's probably starving!"
"Yeah, I'm sure he would have loved to be here for that whole 'so when we're you gonna tell us you're dating Owen' conversation," I tease, making my mom laugh. "He was busy today, and I'm sure he fed himself. He's a big boy, mother."
"I know, but he's out here all alone! I just would hate if you were in a city all by yourself and not eating enough, and I'm sure his mother feels the same."
"That's a nice thought, mom. But I promise he's fine. I'll take leftovers back with me and make sure he gets some," I tell her to give her at least some peace of mind.
"I'll give you extras then," she nods, mostly affirming herself. "Have you ever met his parents? Do you know anything about them?"
"Well, they live in a kind of small town in Oklahoma. Their names are Dinah and Mike. They're divorced, but I don't know much else about them," I shrug. "From what I've heard, his mom is a lot like you. She sounds really nice."
"Does he have any siblings?"
"Yeah, three sisters," I respond.
"Wow, I had no idea," my mom hums.
There's a quick pause of silence before my dad starts speaking about something that I haven't actually thought about in almost a year now.
"So, Jojo, it's almost summer," he starts. I look at him quizzically while my mom focuses on the table in front of her, pursing her lips. "It's about time to start registering for the fall semester at UCLA."
I feel my heart drop. I truly haven't given school a second thought since last summer; since I booked the show and decided to take a year off.
My mom notices my hesitation and decides to add in.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do for next year?" She asks.
"Uh, well...no. Not really," I start to nervously chew on my bottom lip while my hands begin to sweat in my lap.
I have never liked school, it's never really been my strong suit. The thought of having to go back to a classroom in four months is enough to make me sick to my stomach.
"Joey, we made a deal," my dad sighs. "You took the year off to do the show, and now it's time to go back."
"I know," I answer quietly. I don't know what else to say, I'm not sure there's much to say at all.
"I know the idea of it isn't the most appealing, especially after so much time off, but you have to finish college, sweetheart," my mom reaches over and grabs my hand to squeeze it. "You've already got one year down, and at this rate you're still on track to graduate early if you keep working hard."
"I know," I repeat myself. "I just...I guess I haven't really had to think about it in so long, and I haven't been thinking much about long term plans lately. I'll email my advisor tomorrow and set up a meeting."
My mood has fully switched, it's done a full one-eighty. Part of me wants to make up some excuse to leave right now, to go home and just be with Owen. But the other part of me knows that I need to be having this conversation.
Me going back to school was never an option. That has always been the deal. My parents will financially support me as much as I need them to until I'm able to do it myself, but only under the condition that I get a college degree.
"I'm sorry, my sweet," my mom frowns, running her hand up and down my arm as she realizes that my mood has changed from happy and calm to way more anxious.
"It's okay," I shrug her arm off of me, offering both of them a weak smile. "This was always part of the plan. I was just living in ignorance for so long, I needed to be brought back."
This time my dad frowns. I can tell that he feels bad, but he needed to say what he said. If he hadn't, I would not have even thought about school until it was too late to register for the fall semester.
I try to ignore the anxious pit in my stomach that formed the second my dad mentioned school, but it's hard. I'm starting to feel sick just thinking about it.
Maybe I'm just being dramatic, but school has always made me feel this way. It was nice having a year off, but it wasn't realistic of me to think that this would last.
"I think I might head back home," I tell my parents, gently pushing my dinner plate away from me. I hardly even ate, but my appetite is long gone.
"Sweetie..." my mom looks at me guiltily.
"I'm fine! I promise!" I reassure her quickly. I just...I kinda want to get home and do some stuff, help calm my nerves. You know."
"Okay," she furrows her eyebrows, standing up from the table. "Let me get some leftovers ready for you, yeah?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna go grab Phantom," I give my parents a thin lipped smile before slipping out of the dining room to head upstairs.
I suck in a deep breath as I walk into my childhood bedroom, feeling instant comfort when I see both of my cats lying on my bed, cuddled together in the cutest way possible.
They pick up their heads when the door creaks open and Luna lets out a tired meow.
"Hi, babies," I smile, crouching down to eye level with the animals. I reach out and pet Phantom's head gently. "Hi, sweet boy. Did you and Luna become best friends? Look at you guys! So sweet."
Phantom starts purring, nudging his head further into my hand while I grin. For a brief moment, I forget about the conversation I just had downstairs.
It doesn't last long. The second I remember, I'm back on my feet with Phantom in my arms, ready to go back home. I just want to see Owen, he's the only thing that can make me feel better right now.
I make my way back downstairs with my cat in my hands and a tote bag full of his things in either hand. I go back into the kitchen to see my dad clearing the table and my mom putting a lid on a Tupperware container for me.
There's a bit of an awkward tension in the air that makes me cringe.
"Here you go, babe," my mom hands me some leftovers from dinner, letting me slip it into the tote bag of Phantom's food and toys.
"Thank you," I try to give her a real smile but it comes off weak.
"I'm so sorry, Jojo," she frowns.
"There's nothing to be sorry for!" I remind her. "I promise you I am just fine. You know how school makes me feel. I'm just a little nervous, a little anxious."
"More so than usual?" She jokes, making me crack a smile.
"I know. Hard to beat, huh?"
"I love you. So much. You'll tell me if you ever get too overwhelmed? We just want to help you, honey," she pulls me in for a tight hug.
"I know," I nod. "I'll tell you if things are too much."
"Promise?" She pulls away but keeps a grip on my shoulders.
"Promise," I lace her pinky with mine, kissing my thumb as she does the same to hers. "I love you."
"I love you too," she kisses my cheek, letting my dad slide in next to her as he pulls me in for a hug of his own.
"You know we just want what's best for you, right?" He asks.
"I know you do. And I appreciate that. I appreciate everything you do," I smile as he kisses the side of my head.
"We're so proud of you, Jojo bear. Always will be."
"Thank you," I pout my lips, feeling an immense feeling of gratitude for my parents. "Love you."
"We love you too, Jojo," my dad puts an arm around my mom's shoulders as I open the front door to leave.
"I'll call you when I hear from my advisor," I tell them, stepping out of the house.
"Don't overload yourself. Do things at your own pace!" My mom shouts, following me to the door as I leave.
"Don't stress yourself out!" My dad adds in, making me chuckle as I unlock my car door.
"Drive safe! Text us when you get home!" My mom yells just as I slam the door shut. I wave to them as I pull out of the driveway, letting out a deep breath once I'm out of their sight.
I look at the kitten on my lap, smiling at him while he curls into a ball. I know I should probably have him in a carrier or something, but I can't bring myself to put him in there when he hates it so much.
"Alright, little boy," I say quietly to the sleeping cat. "Let's go see Owen."