Chapter 4
The woman’s azure eyes widened in surprise. “Hey. You remember me?”
He smiled. “Of course I do. Your kind was few and far between at the label.”
Jenna did the same and shook his hand. “You’ve got that right. Not many would win a Mr. or Ms. Congeniality award at that place.”
JC laughed. Not only did she remember, she still had that same quick wit. “You got that right. You still work there?”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “Oh no! I got framed for something I didn’t do and the head of Public Relations fired me about three years ago.”
“Weren’t important enough to get the axe from Jenkins?”
“Nope. He’s still there, last I checked. That was some time ago, though. I want to disassociate myself from that institution probably just as much as you do.”
You have no idea. “So, what brings you here?”
“I was going to ask you the same.”
“Manager was on my case so I came to shut him up. You?”
“I work as a journalist for a small music magazine.” She motioned towards her notebook.
JC raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite a jump.”
Jenna shook her head. “Not really. Public relations and journalism are similar in a lot of ways. Anyway, my boss called me and wanted me to cover this because the original person backed out for whatever reason. We have a small staff so I had to step up.”
“The ever dependable Jenna.”
This launched into a pleasant conversation. JC had forgotten how at ease he felt while talking to Jenna. It was almost like the depression didn’t exist. They laughed and joked while exchanging observations about the party. He also pointed out some of the nosy paparazzi and how he’d probably be linked to her in the morning by all the gossip blogs.
“Well, I better get back to work here.” Jenna said a moment later. “I have my material; now just need to write an outline before turning in.”
“Can I ask you one more thing?” JC asked.
“Uh, sure.”
“I’ve enjoyed talking to you and was wondering if I could have your number. So we could have lunch one day or something. Just as friends.”
Jenna paused with a neutral look on her face. Crap, now she probably thinks I want more than that. I’m in no shape to pursue a serious relationship right now. “Sure. I’ve enjoyed talking to you, too. Let me get it for you.” She flipped to a blank page in her notebook and jotted down her name and number. She tore the page out and handed it to him.
“Here, may I write down mine?” He asked.
She nodded and handed him her pen and notebook. He wrote it down and handed it back to her. “I hope you can read that.” He remarked. “I’ve been told my handwriting isn’t that great.”
Jenna glanced at the number. “Nah. Mine turns into glorified scribbling sometimes. So, I’ll see you around?”
“Yeah. It was good to see you, Jenna.”
“Likewise. Have a good night.” She smiled.
“Same to you.” JC sighed as he watched her leave. Maybe it was his slightly buzzed state, but she was prettier than he remembered. That black dress fit her in all the right places. She wasn’t his ‘type’ per se: tall (maybe even more so tonight in high heels), blue eyes, fair skin, and svelte figure. But most importantly, she made him forget where he was, why he didn’t want to be here and why he was depressed; unfortunately, now he was snapped back into reality. He spotted someone with a camera and rolled his eyes. Yeah, that’ll be all over the place by morning.
He felt tired. Being social was exhausting and he didn’t have as much energy these days. I need to get out of here. Curse you Eric for bringing me here. He looked at his phone. 10:55. Eric wouldn’t want to leave. He averaged staying at parties until 2 a.m. Let’s see if I can find someone to come get me. He scanned his contacts before zeroing in on his friend Matt Morrison. The two had become closer over the past few years. JC knew Matt would help him; Matt was a genuine person.
JC typed a message “hey, you busy?”
Not a few seconds later, Matt replied. “Not really. What’s up?”
“I’m at a party in LA and ready to go home. My ride’s not. Could you take me home?”
“Yeah. I’m at one, too. It’s kind of boring. Where’s yours?”
“Westin Hotel”
“Mine’s not far from there. I’ll come get you.”
“Thanks, bro. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Should be there in 10.”
10 minutes later, JC breathed a sigh of relief as Matt’s Escalade pulled up to the front of the hotel. His friend smiled as the he entered the vehicle. “Hey”
“Hey. Thanks again for doing this.”
“Not a problem, man. Was looking for an excuse to see you anyway. How are you?”
There was sincerity to his question that was missing from Eric’s earlier in the day. JC couldn’t put his finger on what was different. “I’m alive.”
“Good. What were you here for?”
“Eric was bugging me about the media hounding him, so I went to shut him up.” JC groaned. “I can’t stand him, Matt. But I’m too nice to say anything.”
“You should stand up for yourself. He doesn’t have your best intentions at heart.”
JC sighed. “It sounds so simple. But you know me. I hate confrontation. I’m not good at it.”
“The spirit can only take so much negativity. Sometimes you have to say ‘that’s enough, I’m not doing this anymore.’ JC, I’m only saying this because I care. I’m worried about you. You haven’t been yourself lately.”
That’s an understatement. “I know. But it’s not a simple solution. One thing feeds into another and makes the situation worse.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
JC rubbed his face with his hands. “Not now. All I want to do is go home and go to bed.”
Matt nodded. “That’s fine.”
After saying good night to his friend, JC stood in the dark of his foyer. Back to a lifeless, bleak and empty house. Fits my life so perfectly right now. Maybe I should stay in this darkness. Again, the coughing resumed. The sound reverberated off the walls from the vastness of the room. Shit, I need to check this out. I can’t stand this anymore. And I need sleep.
Once in his bedroom, he proceeded to strip down to his gray boxers, tossing his clothes on the floor as he did so. He’d pick them up in the morning. A slight chill overtook his body but he ignored it. He didn’t like to sleep with much on. Cloth restricted movement. In the summer months, he would forgo clothes altogether. Oh, how it would be nice to have a warm female body beside him. But he hadn’t had any intimate pursuits with a woman for several months. Regardless, he could get warm in the safety of the sheets. Finally, he took his phone out of his pants pocket before curling under the covers.
A new voicemail flashed on the screen. He’d missed a call from Karen, his mother. JC and Karen were close. She respected him as an adult but still called in once to a week to check in. Without her suggesting the audition, his life wouldn’t have taken this path. Plus, she’d raised him to be a respectful up-standing citizen and along with his father Roy, gave him a home when his biological mother, Claudia, was unable to.
Hey Josh, just wondering how you were doing. Has that coughing subsided? If not, you should go to the doctor. Either way you should. Hang in there. You’ve been in tough situations before and got out just fine. Talk to you later, son.
JC smiled slightly. It felt nice to hear a kind voice on the other line. It would be almost 3 a.m. in Maryland by now, so he couldn’t call her. I can call her tomorrow. And I’m going to call Dr. Reed’s office. I can’t stand this anymore. He hadn’t seen his general practitioner in over a year because in general he had been healthy. He placed his phone on the nightstand, turned over and fell asleep instantly.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Story is for entertainment only. I only own original characters.
Thank you for your patience on this chapter. I've been busy this month with stuff. I hope you all like it.
There's a nice visual of JC near the end of the chapter. You're welcome. Anyway, enjoy reading.
Story Tags: postsync jc cancer tearjerker
