2010
"So..." Callie smiled as she rolled over in bed to face Arizona, "Tell me more about Joanne." It was a few days after their Truth or Dare party and so many questions had been whirling through Callie's head, but she didn't want to upset Arizona by bringing up old memories.
Arizona looked at Callie with a raised eyebrow, "You want to know about Joanne?" Callie nodded enthusiastically, so Arizona shut the book she was reading and placed it on her nightstand. "Okay..." Arizona sighed, "What do you want to know?"
"Everything." Callie sat up in bed and look at Arizona persistently. "I mean, I know how you two met, but how did it all start? Why did it end? Give me the scoop. Give me the low down. Give me the-."
"I get it, Calliope," Arizona laughed as she leaned over and silenced her with a kiss. "Well, uh, I guess it started with the state championships..." Arizona smiled fondly at the memory. "I helped her score the winning goal with five seconds left on the clock. I mean, this was our state championships, and our team was mostly sophomores and juniors with the exception of me as the only freshman. The other team had all seniors and everyone predicted they were taking home the title, easily. But Joanne and I worked that forward position and never in my life had I played that good. It was a close game, I'm not gonna lie. We were neck and neck the entire way through, but in those last minutes, our team worked hard and we came out on top. It was one of the best days of the high school portion of my life. It was awesome."
March 1990
"Yes! Zona!" Joanne shouted as she darted across the field and pulled Arizona into a bone crushing hug. "That was.. perfect! BEYOND perfect!" Joanne gushed as she held Arizona by the shoulders at arms length.
"You were perfect," Arizona whispered as she looked into her teammates eyes. There was something about Joanne that made Arizona go crazy. Every time Joanne looked at her, even if it was just a glance, she felt her looking into her soul. Every time she touched her, she could feel it everywhere. Jen teased her and often called it lust and puppy love, but Arizona knew differently. Joanne made her feel things that she has never felt before.
Joanne's eyes lit up even more and she opened her mouth to say something, but their perfect moment was interrupted with the high-pitched screams of their teammates sprinting toward them with the gatorade tank. It only took a matter of seconds before their were covered in water.
"Alright, Alright," Joanne laughed as she pulled off her wet jersey exposing her pink sports bra and tan, toned stomach. "This was an amazing season, and we couldn't have done it without each and everyone of your hardest work. So, go home, freshen up, get some rest, and get your ass back to my house for a celebratory party!"
All the girls jumped up and screamed in excitement, "Be there at 8!"
As the girls made their way to their families, Joanne pulled on Arizona's arm to keep her from leaving. "I'm expecting you to come, too." For the first time since Arizona met Joanne, she didn't see her full of confidence. She had a blush on her cheek that wasn't from the hard running throughout the game, and she also looked a bit nervous.
"Well, I wouldn't want to let the captain down," Arizona responded with a cheeky smile as she turned around and made her way to find her family.
"Great. See you there then," Joanne waved as she threw her jersey over her shoulder and ran toward the benches.
"That was awesome, Zona! Congrats!" Derek threw his arm around Arizona's neck and pulled her into his side. "Couldn't have done it better myself."
"Thanks. Where's Mark and Cody?" Arizona asked as she looked through all the crowds of people trying to find her brother.
Derek grinned as he silently continued leading her to the parking lot where her entire family, including the Shepherds, were crowded around the Robbin's mini van, which was decorated with Arizona's name, number, and all the school colors.
"Zona!" Cody shouted as he threw his arms up in the air. Arizona grinned, running directly into her brother's arms before he picked her up and spun her around.
"Great job out there! Couldn't be prouder!" Cody whispered into her ear. "It's safe to say, you're the coolest sister ever."
"Thanks, Bro. You're not too bad yourself."
"Let me hug my daughter, now," Daniel Robbins told Cody teasingly as he walked over to Arizona. "Good job, Zona."
"Thanks Daddy!" Arizona smiled proudly as he released his tight hold on her. As soon as he let go, Cody latched onto Arizona side again as she turned to Mark and Derek. "Joanne's throwing a party tonight at 8 if you three goons want to join."
"Hm," Mark turned, grinning to Derek and started counting off on his fingers, "Hot soccer girls, Joanne's awesome pool, booze, and music. I'm in."
"Booze?" Carolyn Shepherd asked with a raised eyebrow toward the teenagers.
Arizona rolled her eyes as she slapped Mark on the arm, "He's joking. Right, Mark? You're joking."
Mark nodded seriously, "I'm joking. I don't touch the stuff."
"Mm," Colonel Robbins nodded not fully believing the young teenagers, "Just bring my princess back in one piece. Don't make me kill you three and make it look like an accident. Got it?"
"Got it!" Derek nodded.
"I see your father's protectiveness hasn't change one bit," Callie smiled as she snuggled into her pillow. Although Daniel had been nothing but loving to Callie, she had heard horror stories from Derek and Mark before their first meeting about all the girls he had intimated to the point of scaring them off.
"Not exactly," Arizona giggled. "Colonel Daniel Robbins is one of the kind and won't change for nothing."
"Except for you. He's a great man, but go on continue. Tell me about the party."
"Well, Joanne was known for her parties. Her parents were usually out of town on business and her house was gorgeous. So whenever she had a party, the whole school was there. Mark, Cody, and Derek were forced by my father to go and chaperone me"
Callie snorted, "You needed a chaperone?"
Arizona rolled her eyes, "The thing is, Cody would ALWAYS invite his friends overs during the most inappropriate times and once they caught me in my bikini getting a tan outside. My Dad overheard a couple guys making comments. I never found out what those comments were, but basically they were bad enough to make him make all three guys accompany me to any sort of party or function."
"So did the boys chaperone you?" Callie asked.
Arizona shook her head and laughed, "Not exactly..."
"You made it," Joanne whispered into Arizona's ear as she came up from behind. Arizona spun around and looked at Joanne slightly flustered at the close contact.
"Told you I would," Arizona smiled as she nervously played with the tab of her coke can.
"Come with me." Joanne looked around the crowded room and noted that nobody was paying much attention to the two, so she slipped her hand into Arizona's and guided her down an empty hallway.
"Where we going?" Arizona whispered, loving the feel of Joanne's hand in her own.
"My room. There's something I want to show you," Joanne responded as she opened her bedroom door and led Arizona inside. Joanne's room was large, blue and had a large fluffy bed in the middle. It basically looked like the room of a normal teenage girl except for the fact that it had a HUGE poster of Cindy Crawford on the wall.
"I have that same poster in my room," Arizona pointed out with a small laugh.
"No way! I'm a huge fan of hers."
"What did you want to show me?" Arizona asked as she stood awkwardly in the doorway.
"Uh..." Joanne stalled as she fiddled with the VCR and VHS, "My parents couldn't be at the game today, so they hired someone to video tape it. I wanted to show you your shining moment."
Arizona blushed, "It was hardly my shining moment. You're the one that scored."
Joanne stood up and walked over to stand right in front of Arizona, "That might be true, but I couldn't have done it without you."
Arizona shrugged modestly, "So... press play."
Joanne looked over at the VHS and shook her head, "Later. That's actually not why I brought you up here..."
"It isn't?" Arizona asked innocently.
Joanne took another step forward which made Arizona gulp nervously, "Nope," Joanne shook her head slowly, "See... I am not a nervous person. I don't get nervous, but when I'm around you... something changes. I don't know how to explain it. I try to act confident around you and completely normal, but then you do that dimple thing and flip your hair, and I'm blubbering mess."
"I make you a blubbering mess?" Arizona asked softly as she let a small smile creep her face, displaying her perfect dimples.
"There it is! There's the dimple thing!" Joanne cried out. "You make me feel like this crazy love-sick puppy, and I've never felt that way. About anyone. I need you to stop doing the dimple-thing. If you want me to not jump you on the soccer field, I need you to not do the dimple thing. Or the hair thing," Joanne pleaded as she threw her hands up in the air but Arizona caught them and brought them down pulling Joanne closer into her.
"Joanne... I feel all the same things you are feeling," Arizona told her honestly.
"You do?" Joanne asked in confusion, "I mean, I thought I was going crazy... and-" Joanne was cut off my Arizona's lips being pressed against hers.
"You always did take the initiative," Callie commented.
Arizona giggled but nodded in agreement, "What can I say, I like making the first move."
"So what happened after that?"
"Well..." Arizona trailed off as she thought hard, "I'm not sure. See, Cody was looking for me or something and got he really nervous since he couldn't find me anywhere. He was so sure I had run off with on of the football players and he knows that when my Dad makes a threat, he will follow through. So, he asked one of my friends who told him that Joanne and I had disappeared to her room..."
"Uh-Oh," Callie grinned already knowing what was gonna happen.
"Yep..." Arizona nodded shamefully. "He walked in on me straddling Joanne on her bed in the middle of a heated make-out session."
"You have a knack for getting caught in compromising situations."
"You have no idea," Arizona groaned.
"ARIZONA! Oh god," Cody shouted as he quickly turned around and covered his eyes.
"CODY!" Arizona shrieked as she rolled off Joanne and jumped off the bed, "Have you ever heard of knocking?" Arizona asked angrily.
"Yeah, but I didn't think I'd be walking in on... this. What is this? What's going on here?" Cody asked with wide eyes as he turned around slowly, coming face to face with Arizona.
"This is something I can't explain right now..." Arizona trailed off as she shared a quick glance with Joanne.
"Well please try because I'm really confused right now, Arizona. Are you drunk? Is that what it is? If so, maybe I should take you home right now, or-" Cody's rant was cut off by Arizona shaking her head.
"I'm not drunk."
"Are you high? Is that what it is?" Cody asked running his hands through his blonde hair.
"No..." Arizona cut him off again as took a step forward and whispered, "I like her. Alot."
"You like her? Like... like her, like her?" Cody's attempt to whisper failed miserably and ended out coming out as a low yell.
"Well considering the situation you walked in on, I think this calls for a 'DUH'," Arizona quipped nervously as she looked back at Joanne with a soft smile, "Look Cody, it'd be REALLY awesome if you didn't tell anybody about this just yet. Like I said earlier... This is hard to explain."
"Super great," Joanne nodded in agreement. "I think Zona and I would both agree on the fact that we don't even know what this is."
Arizona nodded in agreement as she looked at her brother hopefully, "Please."
"You know I wouldn't," Cody told his sister softly as he pulled her into a comforting hug, "I love you, Sis. But, I'm not gonna lie, I'm really confused."
"You and me both," Arizona laughed. "Thanks for being so understanding, I love you." Arizona mumbled against his chest.
"Cody sounds like he was an amazing brother," Callie whispered softly as she watched her girlfriend tear up at the endearing memory of her brother.
"He was." Arizona smiled, "I mean in the beginning he was really freaked out by it all, but he ended up getting used to the idea and actually ended up liking it a lot more. He was glad he didn't have to worry about me with any of his friends. He was so patient and helped SO much when I came out to my parents, too."
"How did they all find out?" Callie asked.
"Derek found out soon after Cody. It was hard to keep a secret from him when his two best friends already knew, oh plus Jen, his little sister. Then one day I was at the Shepherd house and I was craving a midnight snack, so I snuck out of Jen's room and made my way to the kitchen. Michael, Derek's dad, was already eating some of Carolyn's chocolate cake."
"You two always seemed to bond over deserts," Callie pointed out.
"Michael was a good guy," Arizona smiled sadly. "I miss him a lot. I love my Dad and we are really close, but Michael was like a second father to me. Maybe because he was the complete opposite of my Dad. My Dad is strict, but loving while Michael was all soft and full of love. He was just a big teddy bear. He is where Derek got his McDreamy ways."
June 1990
"We meet again," Michael joked as he pulled out a plate from the cupboard and slid a slice of cake onto it. "Bon appetit."
"Thanks," Arizona grinned as she grabbed a fork from the sink.
"How are you doing, Arizona? I haven't seen much of you around here, lately," Michael pointed out. "Find a new family to hang around with? Well, I can bet a million dollars they don't make cake like this."
Arizona giggled because she knew that the reason she hadn't been around much was because she spent all her free time with Joanne. "I guess I've just been busy..."
"In the middle of the summer?" Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Mhmm," Arizona nodded, "I've been doing some intense training for soccer next season. I don't want to get soft."
"Oh, I see." Michael nodded in understanding, "And here I thought you found yourself a special someone."
Arizona's fork dropped to her plate with a loud cling, "Why would you think that?"
Michael shrugged, "I might have been eavesdropping on one of Derek and Jen's conversations..."
Arizona's cheeks immediately reddened as she tried to avoid eye contact with Michael, "I...uh..."
"Want to tell me about her?" Michael asked supportively.
Arizona shrugged silently. "I- um...," but nothing came out. Arizona had so many emotions running through her head since the moment she kissed Joanne, but at this very moment, her mind was blank.
"I think it's great," Michael patted Arizona on the back as he hopped on to the counter and leaned against the cupboards.
"You do?" Arizona asked skeptically.
"Arizona, I don't know if you know this, but you've always been such a unique, special girl," Michael grinned, "You're talented, funny, smart, and if this girl makes you happy, then so be it. You have to be truthful to who you are and do what makes you truly happy. If anyone has a problem with that, then screw them."
"She makes me so happy," Arizona admitted with a large smile present on her face. "Every time I see her, my day gets instantly better," Arizona explained as she hopped onto the island counter across from Michael. "I know we've only been together for a few months, but I really do think I love her. Everything about our relationship is so perfect. I mean, when I'm not around her, it just doesn't feel right. We don't even have to be doing anything special. Just playing soccer, watching movies, or even walking around the neighborhood is enough. Just being near her... is enough. We just click, you know?"
"Sounds to me like you found love. When you find a love like that, you hold onto it. You hold onto it with everything you got, okay?" Michael smiled while Arizona nodded enthusiastically.
"I will," Arizona whispered, "I can't imagine my life without her. Even if we are just friends, I can't imagine not talking to her."
"Don't you think this is something you should share with your parents? You're so happy, I think they would like to know."
At the mention of her parents, Arizona paled, "I couldn't."
"And why not?" Michael asked.
"Mr. Shepherd-"
"Michael," Michael smiled looking at Arizona, "You're like a daughter to me, Zona. You can call me Michael."
"-my Dad would kill me. Kick me out out of the house. My Mom... I can't even begin to imagine how upset she will be," Arizona sighed sadly.
Michael pulled Arizona into a comforting hug, "Trust me, your parents are going to be fine. They love you and would NEVER kick you out."
"And if they did," Arizona whispered nervously as she looked up at Michael.
"There's always a place for you here. You know that."
"Thanks," Arizona mumbled into his shirt as she let all of the months stress go.
"And you know Zona, you're mother loves you very much. I know that your relationship has been strained in the past, but it's just because she worries about you. She wants you to be happy. I think this could be a turning point in your relationship with your Mom. Think about it."
"I will."
"...And your parents?" Callie asked, "You said that they were fine with it right?"
"Well..." Arizona sighed, "Kind of. My mother was really quiet and left for the evening to do some therapeutic shopping. My Dad stuck around and after a couple hours he came up and talked to me."
"Knock knock," Daniel said as he opened Arizona's door and peeked his head inside, "Mind if I come in?"
"Not at all," Arizona replied as she sat up in her bed.
Daniel made his way into her room and took a seat at the foot of her bed. They sat in silence for a good couple of minutes before he broke the silence, "I know you think I'm mad. Or disappointed, so I want to start off my saying that I'm not."
Arizona nodded slowly as she gulped nervously, trying to contain the tears that were beginning to form.
"But, Arizona Robbins... I have one question for you."
Arizona nodded her head for her Dad to continue. Daniel could already see the tears in Arizona's eyes forming so he put a comforting hand on Arizona's foot.
"Honey, are you still the same person that I raised you to be?" He asked softly looking into Arizona's blue eyes.
Arizona's mouth opened as she tried to reply, but she couldn't form any words. She nodded her head quickly before climbing onto her Dad's lap, crying like she did when she was five years old and her father scolded her.
"Shhh," He whispered as he rubbed her bath soothingly, "It's okay. Everything's okay, Zona. I love you. I think you are a remarkable person. You're beautiful, brave, strong, and so much more. I am so lucky to have you as a daughter."
"My mom came back later that night and made me tell her everything about Joanne as we sat down for Dinner," Arizona grinned wiping the tears that had formed in the edges of her eyes.
"What happened after that?" Callie asked Arizona curiously.
"After that, things were great. Time passed on, and we weren't freshman anymore. We were Juniors and the boys all found their first loves. Derek met Sarah, who was really awesome. She fit in perfectly with us. Cody started dating Ashley who was the blondest bimbo I ever met, but he really liked her. Then there was Mark, who found Crystal. Crystal was the sweetest thing ever. Then there was Joanne and I who were still going strong. But, as the end of her Senior year approached things got scarier and scarier. She had gotten full ride scholarships to all these amazing schools, one of them including Columbia." Arizona stopped and took a deep breath, "I was hoping for Columbia since it was near where we lived, but she was looking into USC and other schools over in California."
May 1992
"Prom, I have to admit, was pretty awesome," Arizona smiled as she kicked a ball over to Joanne. They were at the Park a couple blocks away from the Shepherd house playing soccer. "I mean, people make such a big deal about it, and now I can see why. It's a lot of fun. I'm actually looking forward to my own prom next year."
"I know! I had a really great time with you. I'm glad you decided to go with me because honestly, I couldn't have imagined going with anyone else." Joanne smiled as she stopped the ball with her foot and leaned down to pick it up. "Can you believe it? Only a few weeks until graduation."
"You excited?" Arizona asked with a large smiled on her face.
"I'm really excited," Joanne looked down at her green cleats, "Zona, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. I've been putting it off and putting it off for a few weeks now. I was going to tell you at the end of Prom, but then, things happened..." Joanne let a small smile appear on her face, "And I just didn't want to ruin things..."
"Shoot," Arizona nodded with a concerned look on her face. "You can tell me."
"I chose a University..." Joanne mumbled quietly as she took a couple steps over to Arizona and took her hands into her own. "I know you said whatever University I chose, you'd be okay with..."
"And I totally meant it, Joanne. I'll work my ass off and follow you wherever you go," Arizona whispered with pleading eyes.
"Zona... I'm decided on USC..." Joanne looked into Arizona's eyes and saw them water up with tears. "I love you so much, Arizona, but I need to do this for me. I need to get away from this City, away from my parents. Plus, I love the sun, you know that, and I'm just ready to go, you know?"
"No, yeah, I get it. This is an awesome opportunity for you. Once in a life time."
"I knew you'd understand. I knew out of anyone, you would understand," Joanne let out a sigh of relief.
"I get it. I'm so happy for you," Arizona exclaimed trying to put on a happy face, but the tears running down her face made Joanne's heart break instantly. "At least we have all summer to spend time together, right?"
Joanne bit on her lower lip and looked out at the children playing at the playground. She couldn't bare to witness Arizona cry anymore. "That's where the problem lies, Zona. Freshmans have to head out the first week of June to start training and conditioning. I'll be leaving a couple days after graduation. My parents are already packing my stuff up to get it ready to leave."
Arizona opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Only silent tears rolled down her face. Arizona stood there staring at the grass for what felt like hours before she broke the silence. "What does this mean for us? I mean, long distance is hard, but I think we can work it out."
"I know we can work out one day..."
"One day?" Arizona's voice cracked as she looked at Joanne in confusion.
"I'm so sorry, Arizona," Joanne whispered letting Arizona know exactly what she was trying to say. Realization hit Arizona like a train crashing into her.
"You're breaking up with me... After everything we've been through... You're ending things?" Arizona cried out as she crossed her arms over her chest protectively.
"I just think that I'm going to have a lot going on with Soccer, School, and keeping my grades up to maintain my scholarship. I can't have any distractions," Joanne whispered as tears fell down her face.
"I'm a distraction?"
"No!" Joanne shook her head violently as she pulled Arizona into a bone crushing hug, "Well yes, but a super awesome good distraction. I know when I'm over there, I'm just going to want to be with you. I can't be feeling like that Arizona. I have to make this work for me. Please understand that I need to do this for me. I deserve to be a little selfish right now." Arizona let her arms fall to her side, not wanting to give into Joanne's embrace.
"What about me?" Arizona cried, "Why can't I be selfish and want you here close. It's not fair," Arizona broke down, finally pulling her arms around Joanne's waist.
"I know, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you," Joanne ran her fingers through Arizona's blonde curls trying to calm Arizona down. "I wish things could be different..." Joanne leaned back and looking into Arizona's eyes before leaning into kiss her softly on the lips.
"I can't- I have to go..." Arizona mumbled as she wiped her tears and pushed herself out of Joanne's embrace. "I can't do this."
"Arizona, please... it doesn't have to be like this. Let's just enjoy the time we have left..." Joanne begged as she reached out for Arizona's hand.
"I can't, Joanne! I can't just pretend like you'll be leaving in a couple weeks and everything we had will be over. I can't..." Arizona loosened her hand from Joanne's and stormed off the soccer field.
"I didn't see her again until about six or seven years later. I was shopping at the grocery store during Christmas holiday and she was there with her husband and 2 year-old daughter," Arizona let out a soft chuckle.
"What?" Callie's jaw dropped.
"High school experiment, I guess. That or she finally gave into her parent's plea to find a wealthy business man to marry. When she introduced me to her husband, he looked at me and back her before giving me the most disgusting, pig-headed grin. Like he was picturing me and her... together. But, I guess she's happy. USC did her well. She's a well-respected Architect and her husband is a lawyer. Her daughter was completely adorable. I saw her and her daughter again at Cody's funeral. Her daughter is about fifteen now, I'd imagine." Arizona shrugged dismissively. "It really doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I have my Calliope," Arizona grinned as she leaned over and kissed Callie's forehead.
"I love you too," Callie smiled. "I wish I could've been there to hold you after that experience."
"Me too," Arizona nodded quickly. "I was a mess. After that I went straight to the tree house, but I had to pass the Shepherd pool where all the guys and their girlfriends were playing chicken. Cody immediately noticed my red blotchy face and took off after me."
"Zona..." Cody knocked on the treehouse door before peeking in and finding Arizona rolled up in a ball on one of the bean bags crying her eyes out. "Oh, god, Arizona, what's wrong?" He asked rushing to her side and hugging her comfortingly. "Talk to me." Arizona began sobbing incoherent words so Cody just nodded and whispered comforting words into her ear for a good thirty minutes before they were joined by Mark and Derek walking tentatively into the tree house.
"We sent the girls home," Mark announced quietly.
"You didn't have to do that," Arizona whispered as she wiped her eyes, "I'm fine."
"You're not fine," Derek shook his head as he took a seat across from her, "What's wrong?"
Arizona sighed as she looked down at her hands, "Joanne broke up with me."
"What? Why?" Cody asked suddenly angry. "Is she crazy?"
Arizona shrugged, "She's going to college in California. She's moving on from his city and by extension, me."
"She couldn't possibly mean it, though. She loves you." Derek pointed out.
"Yeah, she does, but right now the most important thing is her education," Arizona mumbled, trying to sound as optimistic as she could.
"Damn it. I wish you were dating boys. I would kill that son-of-a... Can we get Jen to kick Joanne's ass?" Mark let out a frustrated plea to Derek.
"I'm pretty sure Joanne would win in a fight with Jen," Arizona let out a soft chuckle.
"True," Mark nodded back as he took a seat next Arizona and grasped her hand. "Look, Arizona, I know you feel like shit right now, but one day you're going to find a badass girl that will be the right one for you. Joanne just wasn't the one. I know you loved her, but it'll be okay. We're here for you, right boys?" Mark asked.
"Right," Cody and Derek both nodded as Cody leaned in and kissed Arizona's temple.
"I don't know what I'd do without you guys," Arizona admitted as she held onto Mark's hand tightly.
"See you found a badass ortho chick. That's like a billion times better," Callie teased as she wrapped her arm around Arizona and snuggled into her.
"And then some," Arizona nodded contently, "I couldn't have gotten luckier."
"Thank you for telling me about Joanne, and I'm sorry you had to go through it all," Callie whispered as she closed her eyes. "Love you."
"Love you too," Arizona mumbled as she drifted off to sleep with a pleased smile on her face.
