A few notes as ever about the fic :)
This is an idea I have had swimming around in my brain ever since the The Amber Mystery started to near completion. It was originally intended to be written as the follow up, with Blaine and Rochelle taking centre stage in it...but after a comment made on Sleeping Spaceman by dmwcool, I have had a rethink, and decided to make it into another 'real life' fiction instead.
At present, I'm not intending this to be too long on the chapters side...it doesnt have the gumption to be anything over 10 chapters atm! And also, as yet, untitled. I know my plot, but just waiting for the title to present itself when I'm writing.
That aside, enjoy!
Chapter One – Ultra Important
The first thing that he knew about the situation, was when he was sprawling face first on the floor of the hallway of the house he shared with his best friend. He hauled himself up to a kneeling position, rubbing his temple where he'd smacked his head on the way down.
"What the-?" The unfinished question left the young man's mouth as he gazed about the hallway. It was littered with various boxes and bags, none of which he recognised as his own – thank goodness, he wasn't being kicked out for being overdue on the rent again – and nothing resembled anything his house mate would own.
"Woody?" He called. Woody was his aforementioned best friend, and the name he called was due to a painful memory and incident that had happened one evening at a club with a young woman his friend had tried to seduce. The blonde in question, however, had been less than amused at the 'uprisings' and had excused herself promptly from the scenario. It had been due to the general hilarity of Woody's friends that had caused the name to be produced and attached.
Not that his own nickname was anything better. Buzz, so called because in fresher's week of college, he had been the unfortunate victim of an electric razor to his eyebrows while he slept, had not been happy to have been christened something else than his own real name.
From above, someone started to descend the stairs. But instead of Woody appearing, a young girl made her way into sight. Buzz blinked at her. Did Woody do something over the spring break that he wasn't aware of? Like a sex change operation?
For this girl he was looking at in confusion could easily have been his double. She had long, red hair, tied back in a ponytail, under a red peaked cap, and she was wearing skin tight jeans and a white sweater. She spotted Buzz sitting on the floor next to the largest of four boxes, and threw him a wide grin.
"Well, howdy there," she said brightly, and Buzz realised that even Woody, much as he was often the butt of jokes, couldn't hold that high a falsetto.
"Uh, hi." He said lamely, starting to pull himself up. "Sorry, I must be 'shrooming. You are?"
"Jessie."
"Ah." There was nothing else he wanted to say. Who was this girl? He watched her as she bent over a box, rummaging inside it before pulling out a bundle of textbooks and heading back up the stairs. As she disappeared from sight, she crossed paths with the original person Buzz had called down, Woody himself.
"Did I hear my name," Woody drawled, as he neared the bottom of the staircase. At nearly six foot tall, he tended to dwarf his smaller companion. The boots he always wore never seemed to help the fact, either...in fact it tended to add an inch to his frame, which others referred to simply as 'gawky'. And forget fashion – Woody was an individual. He'd developed a love for waistcoats over the years, usually preppily worn over a long sleeved shirt, and with jeans. And this was his exact attire today – waistcoat, shirt, jeans.
"Yeah, you heard right." Buzz looked at his friend. "Who the heck was that?"
"Who?" Woody looked confused.
"That redhead who seems to have taken over our hallway," Buzz said, gesturing around at the jumble surrounding them.
"Oh, her. That's Jessie."
Buzz rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know she's Jessie. What I meant is, what is she doing here?"
"She's moving in with us."
"Since when?" Buzz glared at Woody. "I seem specifically telling you ever since Hamm moved out, that if you wanted to get a replacement to help out with the rent, to run it past me!"
Woody sighed. "Buzz, I told you Jessie was moving in."
"When?"
"Oh, let's see. When she came round that afternoon after Hamm left, when I was studying and you were out training – then when she viewed the place and told me she loved it – then when I took a phone call from her before spring break – then when I told you she'd finalised her plans to move up here – and then last night when you called from home and asked me how things were."
Buzz looked away, trying to visualize all these instances, as Woody moved on, "Anyway, I can't kick her out now. She's half unpacked and ready to start the academic year late."
"I guess not," Buzz sighed. Then a thought hit him. "Woody?"
"Yeah?" His friend was starting to pick up some clothes strewn messily on the floor and dumping them back into an open box.
"How did Jessie get our address, and telephone number?"
"Er, Buzz, Jessie's my sister, remember?"
Buzz was gobsmacked. "That's Jessie?"
"Yeah." Woody was looking at him strangely.
"The last time I saw your sister she was running around your old house in the garden telling your Mom how boys have cooties and that mud was tasty."
Woody laughed, "Yeah, she's grown up a bit since then, Buzz."
"I'll say." Buzz glanced up again as Jessie reappeared, flying down the stairs. She took no notice of the two of them standing there, instead she dipped into another box at the foot of the stairs and rummaged madly in it. She pulled out some papers and flipped through them, as Woody cleared his throat.
"Hey Jessie, you remember Buzz, right?"
"Yeah...sure..." Jessie looked up briefly, then back at the papers. She was about to keep flipping through the sheaf in front of her when she stopped short and looked back up. "Oh my gosh, Buzz?" She laughed, "Woody's old friend from high school, right? The one who got his eyebrows shaved off when you started college?"
"Er. Yeah." Buzz said awkwardly. "I can't believe Woody told you that."
Jessie shrieked at maximum volume and dived on Buzz to hug him; the papers she'd been holding scattering to the floor. "I can't believe I didn't realise it was you earlier! Oh my gosh! How have you been?" She exclaimed, holding him out at arm's length for a moment.
"Er...fine, thanks," Buzz said, momentarily shocked at her excitement.
"So what have you been up to? Do you and Bo still meet up?" Jessie asked.
"Yeah...occasionally," Buzz said, as Jessie leaned down to rifle through another box and coming up with another sheaf of papers, of various colours this time.
"Great. How're things between you two?"
"Oh, you know, same as ever," Buzz said, and Woody rolled his eyes.
"Admit it Buzz. Ever since you two started getting more serious about what's going on, I hardly see you!"
"Well, things are important right now, Woody. I gotta prioritise!" Buzz stated firmly, just as Jessie shrieked and dropped the papers again; fortunately into the box this time.
"Here it is! My acceptance letter for the course! I need to file this under 'U', for ULTRA IMPORTANT! They'll wanna see it tomorrow!" She hollered, waving it in the air and darting back up the stairs.
Buzz groaned. However nice it was to see Jessie, this term was going to be less than peaceful.
