Joan hummed to herself quietly as she gently strummed a few strings on her guitar. Monica laid behind her on her stomach, reading a magazine with a doobie in between her index and middle finger. When the best friends hung out, this is what it was normally like although Joan nor Monica didn't complain. Lowly, Joan began to sing, only Monica could barely hear.
Outside her window, she hears a noise. Laughter. She looked toward it for a moment and then stood, leaning the guitar against her bed before peeking out. Tai and Josh stood on the patio, playing 'hacky sack', kicking it around with their feet. She frowned at how much fun they were having. Was she jealous?
"What's wrong?" Monica asks, noticing the blondes mood becoming sour. "It's nothing." Joan assured her and left the room, leaving Monica on her bed to continue her session with getting high. She closed the door behind her and jogged down the stairs, just in time to see Cher walk in with a saddened look. "Cher! Did you make your license?"
"No. I failed." Cher pouts. Joan winced and nods, shoving her hands into her back pockets and then she remembered Tai and Josh. "Oh, uh, Tai is outside," she says. Cher walks away and leads Joan out the door causing Josh and Tai to freeze.
"Oh, you're home!" Tai grins.
"Hey! How does it feel to be a licensed driver?" Josh asks.
"Wouldn't know. I failed." Cher says and they frown. "And, Josh, spare me your lectures about how driving is a big responsibility and you can't B.S your way through it."
"I didn't say it." Josh shrugs.
"You were thinking it." Joan crosses her arms, staring at Tai who turns and grabs a box. She followed Cher into the house. Josh catches a scent and gets closer to Joan.
"Are you smoking weed?" He asks. Joan looks at Josh and then runs into the house.
Joan enters the main room and notices a fire started, with things inside it from Tais box that once had belonged to Elton or reminded her of Elton."Tai, I'm really happy for you, but what brought on this surge of empowerment?" Cher speaks.
"It's, like, I met this guy who's so totally amazing that he makes Elton look like a loser." Tai says, in a daze as she thought about her new found crush.
"That is so great." Cher nods slowly, proud of her for overcoming her first heartbreak. Tai gently taps her feet. "Look, you have got to help me get, Josh, Joan." Tai chirps.
Joan freezes slightly and her heart drops to her stomach. She fakes a small smile and nods. "Oh thank god! It's just, you guys are like incredibly close."
"Oh, uh, yeah." Joan gulps and nods, walking toward them. "Do you think he likes you?" She takes a seat in the sofa and looks at her.
lYeah." Tai nods.
"How do you know?" Cher asks, an uneasy smile rest on her face.
Tai hums. "Like, little things you know? He always finds some sort of way to touch me or tickle me. Do you remember the time at the frat party when he danced with me?" Tai grins as her cheeks flushed a bright red.
Joan began to think about Tais words. Because everything she had just listed was the same thing Josh does to her. Was he playing her? "You okay?" Tai and Cher notice the look on her face and she takes a deep breath, putting on a fake smile and nodding. "Oh, yeah. I'm just a little high," she lies. Truth was, Joan hadn't smoked that day. It was all Monica.
"So, the other day, I was talking to Josh and we were discussing the difference between high school girls and college girls. College girls wear less makeup, that's why guys like them more." Tai explains.
"But, Tai, do you really think you'd be good with Josh?" Cher asks and glanced at Joan who looked uncomfortable.
Cher could tell that Joan was saddened to hear about Tai and Josh. "I mean, he's like a school nerd."
"What, I'm some mentally challenged airhead?" Tai says, offended. "No! Not even! I didn't say that." Cher tells her with an awkward laugh.
"What? I'm not good enough for Josh or something?" Tai looks in between them with a frown on her face. "I just don't think you mesh well together." Cher says slowly.
"You don't think that we mesh well?" Tais voice begins to crack. Joan groans mentally and places her head in the palm of her hand. This was the start of a mess.
"Why am I listening to you two to begin with? You're a virgin who can't drive and you . . ." Tai glared directly at Joan, who slowly looked up at her. She didn't care about what Tai had to say about her but it was her choice of words toward her sister that had her fired up, ". . . you are a bitch with no fashion sense whatsoever."
"Tai, I think you should leave." Cher tells her, growing nervous as she stares at Joan. Of course Tai's choice of words hurt her but it wouldn't hurt as much as Joan would hurt Tai if she didn't leave. Joan slowly stood, staring at Tai, trying to make sure that the girl was serious.
Tai stared at Joan, placing her hands on her hips and shifting her weight onto one foot. Joan walked right up to her and grabbed her roughly, "You can call me a bitch all you want, Tai, but when you disrespect my sister, that's where i draw the line. If it wasn't for her, you would be nothing. You wanna start shit? Go ahead, because you bet your ass I will be the one to finish it."
Josh walks into the house and could feel the tension. Walking into the main room, his eyes slightly widened. "Now, get the hell out of my house before I drag you out." Joan shoved her away, causing her to stumble back.
"I'm sorry, Cher. I shouldn't have said that, let's just talk when we have mellowed. I'm audi." Tai says. Joan crosses her arms over her chest, watching her disappear out the door.
"Thank you, Jo." Cher whispers as she hugs herself. Joan turns back to Cher and frowns at her distraught face. "Come on, Cher. Let's go up to my room and watch some movies, yeah?"
Cher nods. Turning to look, Josh and Monica stare at the sisters."That was bitchin'!" Monica giggles and falls over to Josh who shakes his head in amusement.
"First," Joan looks to Cher, "I am gonna take her home so Mel don't kick my ass."
Cher giggles and nods, running up the stairs past Josh and Monica. "Can you help me get her to the car?" Joan raises her eyebrows.
Josh and Joan didn't struggle as bad as they thought they would, getting the redhead out of the house into the backseat of the Plymouth, but after they dropped her off, they sat in the parking lot of a drive-in, in a comfortable silence.
"That was real good what you did for Cher." Josh speaks up and looks over at Joan, who removes the enlightened object between her lips and blew the smoke out the window. "Of course," she nods, looking over at him.
"You know, you're not a bitch." He says and Joan gives him a look, that makes him burst out into a fit of laughter. "Josh, you'll go to hell for lying," she says and he nods, looking at the movie that played on the big screen.
She stares at him for a moment and smiles and that's when she realizes. She was in love with Josh.
A couple nights later, Joan still had her thoughts replaying in her mind about her ex step brother who she had deep feelings for. She sat on the loveseat next to him, sitting awkwardly. He holds out the cereal box he had been snacking on and she shakes her head, not even sparing him a single look . "What's weong with you? Time of the month?" He asks and she scoffs, looking over at him for the first time.
"I'm on birth control, jackass." She retorts making him blush slightly and look back to the television. Joan shakes her head and places her hands on her knees, before pushing herself off the couch and leaving the room.
After everyone had gone to sleep, Joan paced outside her fathers office. He was the only one left awake. He grew annoyed at her moving figure and so he called her in.
"What's up, dad?" She asks, walking into the office with her hands behind her back.
"What are you doing dancing in front of my office?" He asks, watching her with curiosity. "I just wanted to see if you needed help with anything." She lies, rocking back and fourth on her heels.
"You can help me with something." He nods and picks up a pile of papers. "Come over here," he leads her to the couch and they sit down.
"Alright, every time that you see a telephone conversation that took place on September 3rd, highlight it. Just September 3rd," he says and picks up a highlighter, handing her the packet and the tool. Joan places the packet on her legs and begins to draw lines over the words with Mel watching her. "Fun, huh?" He asks and she nods.
She looks away from the packet and frowns. "Dad, did you ever have a problem that you couldn't argue your way out of?" She asks, looking at him. He didn't take his eyes off his own packet. "Tell me the problem and we'll figure out how to argue our way out of it." He says.
"I, uh, I like this boy but he likes someone else." Joan whispers. Mel looks up at her and squints his eyes in disbelief and she sighs, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal. "How could that be?"
"Because I'm a bitch, maybe. I don't know." She shrugs, making her father scoff a chuckle and he pats her knee. "Well, obviously this boy is a complete moron. You and your sister are the most beautiful girls in Beverly Hills." Joan didn't believe him. How could she believe him when she didn't think so highly of herself? "And to be honest with you, I wouldn't want you with a stupid fellow."
She chuckles and leans back against the couch. "He's actually a smart guy. He's one of those do-gooder types. I just feel like, everything I do is wrong."
"How can you say that? Who makes sure I always eat right? Who is always there for her family even when they do nothing but make her mad? To tell you the truth, I have not seen such good-doing since your mother left." Mel says and makes her smile.
"Really?"
"Really. Now get back to work." She smiles softly and sits up, pulling the yellow highlighter across the ink on the paper. "And, uh, Jo. I sent Sarah Lawrence a check. I hope you're not wanting to back down." Joan looks up at him slowly and her eyes slightly widened.
"Are you serious?" Mel nods and before his second action, Joan attacked him with a hug, something he hadn't received from his oldest daughter in a long time. "Thank you, thank you!"
"Of course," he whispers, holding her tightly.
"And Dad, Im sorry for how i've been treating you since mom left, i know it's not your fault." She says, pulling back and staring at him.
"I know," he whispers patting her cheek.
authors note.
edited, 12/12/20