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Lizzy | JJ
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LIZZY was glad that JJ had returned into her life. This time around, she was prepared for him and the way she knew he'd pull on her heartstrings. This time, she'd make sure to protect herself and her heart at all costs so that she wouldn't invest too deeply in—whatever exactly was happening between her and JJ. To her, it seemed like chemistry, an intense spark that she hadn't felt with anyone else—not Reece nor any other potential boyfriend. They fit together like puzzle pieces, seamlessly matched and forming both a fascinating and addicting image. She wondered if someday they would meet; then, she could determine for certain if she desired to be with him more romantically. If she could truly imagine them together at all. But first, of course, their friendship must ripen like a honey crisp apple in autumn.
Lizzy stood behind the counter at Once and Floral, assisting a sweet elderly lady with arranging the plants that she wanted to buy from the shop. Reece was not on deck for the same shift as Lizzy and for that Lizzy was thankful. She hoped that some distance and time would mend their damaged friendship; however, Lizzy longed for it to be repaired as soon as possible because already she missed him and his company desperately. Once the aged woman paid for her flowers, Lizzy bade her farewell and quickly checked her phone to see if JJ had replied to her good morning text. He hadn't, and Lizzy chewed the bottom of her lip anxiously.
Lizzy reminded herself that he was probably busy. Besides, she needed to resume working because her eyes being glued to her phone didn't exactly scream "hard-working" to the customers around her or her boss who was eyeing her suspiciously from the back of the shop. The bell chimed from the front of Once and Floral, alerting everyone browsing and laboring that more customers had arrived. Lizzy's eyes leisurely rose to witness them and welcome them to Once and Floral. She squealed joyfully when she realized it was her father, garnished in his best suit with a briefcase containing his resumes in one of his hands, his curly hair combed and gelled.
"Dad! Hi, Dad!" Lizzy exclaimed, vaulting into her father's open arms that tightened tenderly around her once they had seized her.
"Hey, baby girl," he muttered into her ear, slowly releasing her from his embrace.
Lizzy stood back, grinning brilliantly at her father who had never visited her at work before. He never was able to stop in because Rose Jewelers was located far across town and on Saturdays he enjoyed sleeping in (like father, like daughter) and toil with projects around the house courtesy of Lizzy's mother. "How's the job search, Dad?" Lizzy asked, roosting into her place behind the counter before her boss could scold her for her lackadaisical work ethic.
"It's...going, I guess. Not too many good full-time jobs that will help me support all of you at home, but I'm working on it. I haven't been in this job search business for many years now so it's still a little new and strange to me. It just makes me have a newfound respect for you, kiddo, when you planted yourself a decent job here all by yourself," Lizzy's father said, tilting his chin toward the sky in pride. Lizzy blushed and stared at the counter, feeling rather modest. Once and Floral was known for giving out suitable starter jobs for teenagers; she had heard about the shop in her sophomore year of high school from an older girl who loved to garden and Lizzy decided to check it out.
"Thanks, Dad. I wouldn't worry about not finding one yet. Just like how a pirate eventually finds a treasure underneath the pile of sand in that little kid TV show we used to watch, you just have to wheedle out all those drab jobs before finding the golden one at the bottom. It takes time and a heck of a lot of patience, that's for sure. Even for me when I applied to this one." Lizzy gestured to the humming shop around her, the customers chatting amongst themselves as they examined various flowers and plants.
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm even the parent," her father said, chuckling to himself while soaking in his daughter's wise words. "I'm so proud of you, Lizzy, and everything you're doing." He swiftly moved out of the way for a customer who wanted to purchase some rainbow-colored carnations. As Lizzy helped the customer, performing her duties with her head held high (especially with her father present; she yearned for him to prolong his pride for her), her father peered at his watch, comprehending that it was time to head to his next job interview.
"I got to go, Liz. See you at home tonight, okay?" He leaned over the counter and kissed his daughter on her cheek, whispering an "I love you" into her ear.
"Love you too, Dad. See you tonight. And, please, visit me more often if you can! I love it when you stop by," Lizzy shouted after him before he could leave Once and Floral.
"Of course, hon. Wish me luck!" he called back with a hopeful grin and Lizzy kept her eye on his retreating figure until he dissolved into the hustle and bustle of skipping children, weary mothers and fathers pushing strollers, and wrinkled bevvies of women with their wrists draped in shopping bags.
Lizzy returned to her work with a focused mind, which veered off the track only once when she felt the distinct vibrations of her phone in her pocket. A text had arrived, and she secretly yearned for it to be JJ. She vowed, however, only to check after her shift had terminated, seizing the moment to practice some self-control. Only twice did her fingers twitch and feel the urge to look out of habit but she forced them to stay away with promises of chocolate once she reached the boundaries of her home.
Soon enough, Lizzy found herself at her house, reclining in her bed with a piece of chocolate pinched between her thumb and her index finger. While she munched on the delicious chocolate from a Hershey's bar she smuggled from her mother's secret stash, Lizzy scrolled through her notifications, delighted when she saw that JJ was among them.
Did you get enough sleep? Can I talk to you now?
Yes you may. Hey, did you win Regionals on Wednesday?
Uh, yeah, duh. Who do you think I am? A loser?
Well...
Don't answer that.
Yes, we won. Now do you wanna tell me where you live? I'm so curious.
Woah, hold your horses, crazy.
But you promised, didn't you?
That's the only bad thing about texts: whatever you write, can't be erased or changed. It's set in stone for life.
True. So did you promise?
You were there. And I did.
Sorry. I just needed some reassurance lol.
Sooooo, now can you spill? You're really pretty btw.
You're trying to butter me up now, aren't you?
Maybe. I would be lying if I said I wasn't.
Besides, I really want to meet you sometime. Finding out where you live is the first step.
Okay, okay. You go first.
Fine. I live in Illinois, about 45 minutes away from Chicago.
I live in New York, about 45 minutes away from NYC lmao.
That's cool. We're not too far away from each other.
No, not really. If you're ever in New York, hmu and we can hang.
Is that a promise?
It's whatever you want it to be.
What's next after Regionals?
States. We'll try to win but idk. The team we're up against is fucking amazing.
Good luck.
Thanks. Do you play any sports?
We've already gone over this JJ. I don't play any sports. I'm very uncoordinated.
Oops, sorry. It must've slipped my mind.
I would be more annoyed that you forgot but I'm eating chocolate right now and it's just really really tasty and it's making me really really happy.
Jealous.
Milk or dark?
Dark all the way.
I'm more of a milk chocolate person tbh.
I'll convert you to the dark side eventually.
You're so weird, JJ. I can't sometimes with you.
My mom's calling me for lunch. See ya
Bye, Lizzy.
"What are you grinning about?" Logan inquired when Lizzy joined him at the kitchen counter, his fork already diving into his bowl of mac-n-cheese. Lizzy playfully smacked her brother in his shoulder before retrieving her own bowl, almost filled to the brim with noodles.
"No reason," she told Logan even though it was far from the truth. There was a reason and his name was JJ—and he had brown hair and sparkling eyes and a soothing voice and he played basketball and he was scrawny and he lived just outside of Chicago and she'd never met him before but they Facetimed and they tried to talk almost every day until he got grounded and—Lizzy liked him. A lot.
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A/N:
Sorry about the late update but it's finally here!!! It's a shorter one, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Please vote and comment if you did! I try to reply to as many comments as I can!
Exciting news: this story has reached 3k reads, 400+ votes, and over 1k comments! I am incredibly thankful for each one of you who has given this lil story a chance <3
This update is later than my normal ones because I took the SAT today and then I went to see my friend's dance recital and then I watched 13 Reasons Why Season 2 with my sister (I don't know how I feel about that show; also, if you haven't watched it, be warned, there was a scene in the last episode that was really hard to watch. I had to close my eyes).
Alright, that's all folks! I'm also officially on summer vacation now so I'm hoping I will be able to update more frequently (but we'll see--life always gets in the way of my trying to write).
- Payton