Jude doesn't work at G-Major, and doesn't know either Jamie or Tommy, but due to some strange circumstances, becomes very involved in both of their lives and with G-Major. Jamie and Tommy are best friends and even live in the same building. Jude is not only a stranger to them, but a stranger to herself. The story is basically being told in the narrative by Jude, explaining the past (for the most part). It is actually a book that she has written, published and sent to Jamie and Tommy. Towards the end, we join them in the present for the conclusion of the story.
Chapter 1
Jamie comes first. Jamie is first because he is the one who found me. Jamie is first because he was there for me when no one else was at the time. He saved my life that night – both literally and figuratively (although neither of us knew that at the time). I don't think Jamie could dispute he saved my life that night, but knowing him he would say that the doctors and nurses saved me, not him. But he is the one who found me. I'll bet that he still hasn't realized that he saved my life in a figurative way too, he doesn't think like that. He is too humble and just too darn nice. Don't get me wrong, I played a part in saving my life too. I could have given up, I could have gone back to the person I was before this all started, but I didn't. Jamie comes first because he was the first person I could remember ever being nice to me for no reason at all, and for caring so much about a stranger. For a long time, Jamie was the first person I could remember, period.
Tom comes next. Tom will read this and ask, "Why the hell am I even in this, let alone second?!?" That is a mighty fine question, Tom. Tom is part of this, even if he doesn't (and didn't) want to be – he is a bigger part of it then he thinks. Tom is Jamie' s best friend and co-worker and I think that's why he was initially introduced to this whole mess. Tom didn't (probably still doesn't) like me, he didn't trust me but he was there because Jamie was. Tom challenged me, a lot. Tom forced me to look at things a different way and to evaluate every decision I made very carefully. Without knowing it, he made me a better person and along the way I fell in love with him. He doesn't know that though…but, well, I guess he does now.
Alright, I am next. What do you need to know about me before I get into this? My name is Hope and I was 20 years old when all of this started. I ramble, and I can be very cowardly and opinionated. I feel deeply – whether it is love or disgust or anything else. I have crazy, unmanageable hair that I pay people a great deal of money to keep looking nice. Some people say I am pretty and some say ugly. I like to think I am average looking – inside I used to be very ugly. I drink socially. Sometimes I am very social.
I can't tell you a lot detail about the very beginning, because I only remember snippets. I have pieced together a fair bit from what Jamie and Tom have told me and of course the hospital staff – but that's about it.
It was late, very late…or very early depending on how you look at it. Jamie had been working late that night, lucky for me! He was leaving the parking garage of his work and pulling out into the alley on his way home. While he was turning onto the street his beams picked up the image of a disheveled, bloody mess which he took to be a street person (is that what they are called now a days?). Unfortunately, this was not a rare sight in this city.
Fortunately for me, Jamie is a careful observer and has a very keen eye. He noticed something slightly off about this disaster of a person – he noticed that she (at least he thought it was a she judging from the long hair and the one high heel on) was wearing what had once been a very nice, very expensive suit and skirt. She was wearing one fancy high heel and something sparkled around her neck. He pulled his car over under the pretense of answering his phone (no, it wasn't ringing) to assuage his curiosity and noticed that this person was bleeding. This person was actively bleeding from the head or neck area and it didn't look good. She was dirty and swollen and bruised – and bleeding. You add blood to that mix and it never looks good, it looks down right nasty and gross.
Regardless of this person's position on society's ladder, regardless his or her gender, background or profession, when Jamie saw the mess of a person collapse he knew he was going to help. Right around the time of the collapse, Tom was pulling out of the lot as well. Tom, being naturally nosy and intrusive, stopped too. Okay, that was kind of mean. Let's say he was concerned with the scene he saw and wanted to make sure that not only was the bloody person okay, but that his best bud wasn't going to be jumped by the bloody person's partners in crime lying in wait just beyond the shadows or something. Yeah, let's say that.
