Chapter 4: What's your name?
Catalina Diner
𝐋𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐂𝐀
'𝟫𝟧
▍JoJo sat with an unreadable expression—tapping his foot on the ground rapidly. He watched as couples around his age walked inside the diner hand in hand with broad smiles on their faces as they waited to get swayed by the hostess.
The happy presence of the individuals promoted JoJo to snatch his phone from the counter and aggressively type in the code to send a message for the thousandth time since he first arrived.
₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*˟̑ෆ.
Teyanna
Yesterday: 8:30 P.M.
Ok, cya then! xx
Today: 12:45 P.M.
I'm here.
Today: 1:15 P.M.
Is everything good? Are you stuck in traffic or something?
Today: 1:30 P.M.
The waiter keeps coming by, asking how long you'll be. What should I say?
Today: 1:40 P.M.
Yo, did you die???
Today: 1:45 P.M.
I'm out.
₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*˟̑ෆ.
The irritable male waited for his final message to read sent before he went to her contacts and forcibly tapped on the block button.
He heavily exhaled as he reached into his pocket for a few dollars to put on the table for a tip. Although he didn't order anything off the menu except water—which was free, he wanted to be generous and give the waiter something for their time, which had been wasted.
This had been the third date this month that stood JoJo up with no valid reason. He was starting to think he was cursed. How could his crazy-ass older brother and two closest friends have somebody, but he couldn't?
At least DeVanté and Dalvin are loyal and love their women. K-Ci, on the other hand, constantly disrespects and treats his relationship with Shontae as a joke, continually flirting with anything over eighteen.
He had so much to offer and give to a lady, but they couldn't see it.
Maybe I'm not cut out for that shit, JoJo thought as he walked out the single glass door, referring to love.
Or maybe, he just hasn't found 'the one' yet.
Just as he was about to go on his phone to see when the next bus would arrive so he could head home, JoJo heard a car door slamming.
He searched around the busy streets of L.A. until he saw a woman across the street. She was light skin, with dark brown hair styled in a bun—with curly strands hanging down.
The male continued to eye the lady with admiration, examining her dressy appearance as she wore a floral dress until he noticed a frustrated look on her face.
Being the gentlemen he was, he decided to see the problem. He waited for the cars to drive past before he rushed across the street to assist the woman kicking the tire to her vehicle.
"Stupid car," she breathed, slapping her purse on the hood.
"Hey, is everything alright?"
The woman looked up to see a brown skin male so to casual attire standing next to her with a concerned expression.
"No, not really," she admitted, awkwardly smiling, "My car won't start."
JoJo nodded and looked over at the vehicle. He could tell it was old by the rusted paint and beat-up mirror.
"How long has it been acting up?"
"For a few weeks now. I've been getting jumps from people to get by."
He nodded at her explanation and walked over to the driver's side door. He figured since he was a mechanic, he could ask her questions to see what the issue could be and possibly help.
"You mind?" JoJo politely asked, holding onto the door handle.
She motioned her hand, allowing him to enter her car. He decided to turn her keys that were inside the ignition to hear the engine attempt to start but abruptly fail.
There were only a few reasons why the car won't turn on, but he came to a specific conclusion, and he got out and swiftly walked back over to the woman biting her lip.
"Your battery might be dead, but don't worry, my Uncle's repair shop is not too far from here. I can hook you up with a new one."
The woman sized him up briefly, pondering to herself. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to put her car in the hands of a local shop with someone she just met. He could be some scammer, charging a lot of money to make her vehicle worse.
Typical LA hustle.
Although she thought he was attractive and could be telling the truth, she didn't want to risk the chance.
"Nah, it's ok," her soft voice declined the offer, "I got Triple-A on speed dial."
He swiftly nodded as she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contact list.
Jojo reached into his back pocket to grab a card, "Well, look, if you ever have any more problems, here's where you can find me."
She looked at him for a few moments with a smile before looking down at the business card that read Hailey's Auto Repair Shop, noticing it had a phone number and address underneath.
"Thanks," the woman said, grabbing the item.
"You're welcome."
He stiffly stood in his position with his hands in his pockets, trying to devise another conversation starter.
"What's your name? So that if you do come by, I'll remember you."
Even if he didn't get her name, he'll never forget a face like that. She was stunning in his eyes. He just wanted to know what this beauty standing before him was called.
A swarm of butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he heard her chuckle at his slick attempt.
"If I ever come by the shop, I'll tell you."
She thought it was useless to give him that information if, nine times out of ten, they wouldn't see each other again.
Having no other words to say, JoJo nodded and proceeded to head in the direction of the bus station.
He silently prayed that someway, somehow, he'll come across her presence another time, leaving it up to god.
DMV
𝐋𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐂𝐀
Venus comfortably rested in her chair while sucking on a lollipop. She briefly looked up from her phone and eyed the candy with a disgusting look, as the taste was slightly off to her.
"Ew," she blurted out.
It was a surprise that the strawberry-flavored blow-pop was nasty to the woman since it was her favorite flavor.
Instead of throwing it away, Venus put it back in her mouth and resumed looking down at her cellular device.
The woman was on her phone listening to music while waiting for Dalvin to return from taking his 'on the road test to receive his license.
Her boyfriend promised his subscribers that if he reached 10,000 likes on his recent video, he'd attempt to get his full license, being that he was stuck with his learners.
So after harassing his subscribers, Venus, his brother, two friends, their girlfriends, his family, social media followers, and random people when he went out, the goal was reached.
Dalvin wanted to wait until he was able to purchase the car of his dreams so that once he got his license, he could begin driving.
Nonetheless, for his Snakekillas, he'll do anything.
Seeing a figure from her sidewalk in her direction caused the adult to look over her side. Once she saw it was Dalvin, she hurriedly got up from her chair and rushed to him halfway.
"How did it go?"
She watched the male stay quiet, looking down at the ground with a hurt expression, which made her pout. Assuming he failed.
Venus hugged him and gave encouraging words, "Don't be sad. They'll be other times!"
"No need," Dalvin told her, still looking pitiful, "Cause I passed!"
She held her head back with a puzzled look to see a broad smile on his face.
To pass the road test portion in Los Angeles, California, you must make no more than thirty errors. Luckily for Dalvin, he only did twenty-eight, missing that mark by two points.
"Congrats, Dally! I'm so proud of you."
The two jumped up and down in joy, afterward hugging once again—this time kissing each other on the lips.
"Yup. I bombed the parking section, ran a few red lights, almost ran over an elderly, and missed almost all of the stop signs, but they still allowed me to get my license!"
"That's good—oh! DeDe's back on."
The male drowned his face in confusion until he noticed the woman pull out her phone. While Dalvin was taking his test, Venus decided to listen to DeVanté's radio show to occupy herself.
"He's doing closing statements."
Closing statements were a segment created by the male, in which he says his final words for the day and allows viewers to call and talk to him.
Dalvin gradually formed a smirk as an idea popped up in his mind.
"Wanna do something fun?"
Marybelle Apartments
𝐋𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐂𝐀
DeVanté pressed random buttons on his computer's keyboard before scooting his rolling chair back to his table that held his mic set up.
"Yeaaa, we took it back to the old school with the classic, A Dream by Debarge. Before we close out, you know I gotta holla at you all out there. First call, first serve."
To get more aquatinted with his fans, he decided to purchase another phone from the store and use it as a form of communication to the people listening.
Folks ask why he doesn't use his regular phone, but he'll be damned if he had random people blowing up his phone all hours of the day outside work.
The male reached over for his work phone and held it tightly while waiting for his first caller.
Hearing the sounds of his ringtone made him look down to see a number with the LA area code. It looked familiar to him, but he didn't pay it too much attention.
He tapped the green icon and put the phone on speaker, "You live on Y'Know What I'm Sayin' radio. Talk to me."
Shuffling could be heard on the other line until someone cleared their throat.
"Ahem, hello there. My name is Doctor Hoax. Am I speaking with Mr. Swing?"
DeVanté leaned back in his seat and spun side to side with his thumb and index finger under his chin, analyzing the male's voice on the phone. It was recognizable to him, but it seemed as if the person was forcing a French accent.
"Uh, yeah?"
"Good! I tried calling on your other phone, but you wouldn't answer. I'm sorry to tell you this, but I just got your test results, and you indeed tested positive for AIDS—"
The doctor's speech was cut off as DeVanté wasted no time tapping the red icon, ending the call.
"I know that was you, Dalvin," he announced while shaking his head as if anyone could see him, "what I tell yo ugly ass about playing on my phone for your little YouTube channel? You ain't funny."
This wasn't the first time Dalvin pranked and called his brother for content or just for his entertainment. But it was the first time he'd done it while De's working.
His phone buzzed again, making him pick it up and look at the caller's ID.
"Aight, next caller. Talk to me."
"Hi—Hello. My name is Mrs. Hoax. I'm the wife of Doctor Hoax. I believe the line went dead while you two were talking, but he also wanted to prescribe you some medication for that butt rash you've complained about—"
DeVanté decided to wrap up the phone segment, shutting off his electronic and slamming it down on the table.
"Anyone in need of an annoying brother and his planet companion?"
The Next Day
Hailey's Auto Repair Shop
𝐋𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐂𝐀
K-Ci rested comfortably with his feet on his desk, scrolling away on his phone. Instead of doing his job, which consisted of typing emails and answering calls from potential customers, he's on a social media app snooping through girl's pages.
"Damn, she ugly," he ignorantly implied as he tapped on a woman's profile, "next."
His swiping session ended as a bell could be heard from down the hall. K-Ci sighed at the sound, as he now had to get up and see who the person was, assisting them in whatever they needed.
He marched down the narrow halls with a mug on his face until he arrived at the lobby. A smile crept on his face once he saw a woman that seemed to be around his age standing in front of the desk while looking down at the shop card she held in her hands.
"Why, hello, pretty lady."
Startled, the woman jerked back and turned to see an unfamiliar man standing behind her, analyzing her figure. Although he was unrecognizable to her, he had similar features to a male she was looking forward to seeing.
"Hi," she greeted, biting her bottom lip out of habit.
"What can I do for you, sweet thang?"
K-Ci licked his lips and rested his elbows on the fluttered counter, making her cringe.
"Uhm, I'm here to get a new battery. Someone by the name of," she trailed while her eyes speedily scanned the business card, "Joel said that he could assist me."
He waved his hand and sucked his teeth at the mention of his brother's name, "Man, please. I can put in that new battery for you. Forget him."
She frowned, unsure of his work. He didn't look like an ordinary mechanic—wearing casual clothing and no trace of stains on his body due to the oil coming from the vehicles.
The young adult could barely type up emails without messing up a few words, let alone have the talent to work on someone's car.
Before a blatant 'no' could part from her lips, a brown skin male wearing dingy overalls was walking in from the garage.
He didn't bother looking up as he noticed his older brother from his peripheral talking to what seemed to be a woman by their frame and long hair. All he could do was hope K-Ci wasn't bothering them too much to the point where they'd want to run off, losing a possible customer.
"K-Ci, what did Unc say about harassing our female customers?"
"Hi, stranger."
JoJo quickly halted his actions and looked at the sound of that soft voice he heard before. He soon recognized that it was the gorgeous woman from yesterday that had trouble with her car.
Lost for words, he just stared at her in disbelief before getting himself together and walking over to her.
"We meet again."
The male carefully grabbed her hand to shake it, not once breaking eye contact.
K-Ci looked back and forth between the two individuals who had chemistry with one another, shaking his head.
"I'm here too, you know," he sarcastically stated, scrunching his face.
JoJo gradually turned his head to the annoyed man and arched his brow.
"And why are you here? Don't you have emails to type?"
"And don't you have cars to work on instead of tryna get yo mack on with the ladies?"
The brothers engaged in a heated stare-off until JoJo chuckled and formed a smirk, coming up with a way to challenge him.
"I can say the same for you, my brotha'. Let's see how Shontae will feel once she finds out you tryna get it on with another woman?"
K-Ci's eyes soon widened at his threat, and threw his hands up in surrender.
"Aight nigga you got it," he turned to face the guest, smiling, "Have a nice one, sugah," and waved.
Walking backward, returning to his office, he stopped midway and snapped his fingers as if he had forgotten something.
"Oh! And if you ever get tired of the lil bozo over there, call me."
The two cringed at K-Ci's antics as he stuck his tongue out and moved it around until he entered his office.
"Brother, huh?" She asked, making JoJo turn his attention back on her.
He scratched his head and chuckled out of embarrassment, "Yes, unfortunately."
"So, what brings you here?"
A smile crept up on her face as she swayed side to side, holding her hands behind her back.
"Well, I was riding around the neighborhood and remembered that the shop was close by, so I figured I'd stop by and say hey. And to thank you again for trying to help me out yesterday."
Although her explanation sounded genuine, JoJo could tell that she was fronting like no other. He had a gift for reading people.
The mechanic nodded as he walked behind the counter and sat in the rolling chair, facing the computer.
"Let me guess. Your car wouldn't start again?"
She exhaled the breath she had no idea she was holding and laughed.
"You caught me," she held her hands up, "I got a jump from someone nearby and just decided to come here to get a new battery."
Batteries were expensive and definitely out of her tax bracket. Considering her job type, she wanted to avoid paying the bill for as long as possible.
But after the little exchange she had with JoJo the other day, the young adult realized that if she didn't get a new battery soon, she'd be unable to get more money after purchasing the battery if she was out of the job for not showing up to work.
Also, she didn't mind seeing the male once again. His appearance, along with his friendly gestures, couldn't escape her mind since their first encounter.
"Glad you came to your senses. Let me get your information right quick since you're a new customer."
The process took less than three minutes. He made sure to receive her personal information along with background details about her car so he could better assist and find the perfect battery.
A sound of a printer going off prompted JoJo to ride from his seat and run to K-Ci's office to retrieve copies of the paperwork.
"Here's your copy of the documents. I should be done with your car within an hour. It usually takes less than that, but I want to see if everything else is good. Until then, you can wait out here in the lobby. Let me know if my brother comes out and bothers you or anything."
She took the paperwork in her grasps, "Thank you so much. How much do I owe you?"
JoJo ducked his teeth and flapped his hand, "Don't sweat it. I said I could hook you up, remember?"
Those exact words from the other day caused her heartbeat to pump faster than usual. No one had ever been that kind to her before, so being able to experience this unknown feeling was an adjustment.
A refreshing adjustment she could get used to.
"Yeah. I remember."
He nodded in farewell and proceeded to walk back towards the garage.
"Crystal."
The man stopped and turned around to look at the woman with confusion.
"Huh?"
"Crystal, my name is Crystal."
The random reveal of her name confused him until he remembered her promise the other day when they first met.
"Crystal," he slowly repeatedly and smiled, "got it."
The two looked at each other for a few more moments until he exited his trance and walked out the double doors to prepare for his job.
.
.
.
And then there were eight...