X. Implausible (Again)
Author's Note: The conceit with Jude and Sadie not knowing about their mother, Kat, Liam, etc. is that over time, the former characters become more and more shadowy to Jude, Sadie, Speiderman, etc. since they're out of contact. The dad's also out of town and barely remembers his daughters, also. I just mentioned it again because it's important for this particular chapter. I have nothing against those characters. lol.
Music is the property of Joss Stone.
"Hey Jude," she sings, guitar resting on her lap as she plays. "Don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better..."
Not even the Beatles can make her day brighter. Tomorrow is the big reveal of the winner of the singing contest poll, and she's decided not to go. Throughout the week, she became more and more frustrated with the actions of her sister and Karma. Maybe because she refused to vote for her, Jude noticed Sadie's nasty attitude increasing as each day passed. Sadie started commenting on how many calories Jude was taking in while they were eating breakfast alone. She mentioned the Juno outfit Portia had prepared for her when they were doing their laundry alone. Sadie sang mocking renditions of Jude's songs when they were alone. Hmmm, maybe she should make sure that they aren't alone in the same room. Grr. Why didn't she just crash in Patsy's Porsche, now painted black, adorned with devil horns?
"Catch you later," says Sadie, breezing through the living room. "I have a singing lesson."
"Singing lesson?" exclaims Jude, following her.
"Yeah, I've decided to be a triple threat or whatever," says Sadie.
"Mmm hmm. And what's the third threat?" asks Jude.
"I haven't thought of it yet!" blasts Sadie. "Maybe modelling or juggling or dressing little doggies."
"Who's your teacher?" says Jude.
"Some guy I found on Craigslist Toronto," replies Sadie, shrugging. "I'm this close to dumping him, though. The lessons are boring. He actually expects me to be able to read music. It hurts my eyes staring at those stupid little black squiggles. How am I going to see Tommy when the cameras are flashing at the Junos with weak eyes?"
Right. This is exactly the type of person who should benefit from a record deal. There was some great talent that night, too, particularly the girl Jamie mentioned backstage. In addition to downloading Karma's less than authentic performance, Sadie's faux one, and Anonymous' song, there was an overview video where they showed some promising talents from the same show. A lot of the message board posters left comments praising the girl, whose name was Taylor. One thing was for sure. She had to be a sweeter blonde than Eden, and sadly Sadie, nowadays.
"Sade, I just don't understand why you just can't focus on university and your acting," says Jude. "Even if you don't win this competition, you'll have your degree and find some other way to live your dreams."
Sadie gives her a nervous look, and honestly it's the first look that doesn't inspire Jude to roll her eyes and ask what's happened to her sister.
"Karma's beating me in the poll, isn't she?" exclaims Sadie.
"No!" insists Jude. "Well, I don't know. Look, think about what I said, okay?"
The doorbell rings in the silence as Sadie muses on her last point. Jude answers and greets the person with a sigh. She's still trying to take in the fact that he's here as he stumbles to the foyer. His brown suit is wrinkled beyond belief, and his dark hair is messy as he takes heavy breaths.
"Eww," remarks Sadie.
"Dad!" greets Jude, hugging him fiercely. "You're home!"
"Thank goodness!" cries Mr. Harrison. "I got jumped in the city. Lost my briefcase and plane tickets. Took so many buses, walked so many miles. I...I heard...there was...a trespasser here!"
"The only one who's been here lately is Jamie," shares Jude.
"Can I call the police on him anyway?" says Sadie, smiling.
"Oh, and Patsy is still crashing in her car in the driveway," says Jude.
"It...it was a guy," explains Mr. Harrison. "I called Ms. Pruitt since I forgot you guys' cell numbers and one of your names and, well, yeah. The neighbor...Ms. Pruitt says a guy's come here every night the past few days, walked up and down the driveway, stares at your window, Jude, sighs, and walks away. In short, he's a perv."
"Gross!" cries Sadie.
"Well, let's ask Patsy," suggests Jude. "She might've seen him."
The three of them walk across the lawn to get to Patsy's Porsche. Jamming to a Metallic CD, which Jude makes a mental note to get, Patsy sticks out her tongue as they approach. Mr. Harrison, startled, wavers. The girls push him forward.
"Did you steal this car?" questions Sadie.
"Sadie!" says Jude.
"No," says Patsy, lowering the volume. "What can I do you for? Who's the hot older guy?"
"Our dad," answers Jude.
"Who left you and hasn't been in contact for what seems like forever?" says Patsy. "Great parenting skills."
"Thanks," says Mr. Harrison, brightly. "Oh, and I talked to your mother, girls. She's doing fine."
"Mom's alive!" cry his daughters, simultaneously, doing a high-five.
"Speaking of which, have you seen any shady characters near the house?" says Mr. Harrison.
"Oh? Yeah," replies Patsy. "Quincy's stopped by a few times. He was too much of a wuss to ring the doorbell. He asked me if someone was home."
Sadie squeals. "Did he say who?"
"Uh...no," says Patsy. "Even if he did, I wouldn't remember. I'm like the only girl that doesn't think he's hotter than David Beckham."
"David Beckham," says Sadie, dreamily.
"I wonder what Tommy wanted," thinks Jude aloud.
"Jude, it wasn't about you, so stop thinking it," assures Sadie. "Your album's done so there's no reason for you to talk...at all."
She delivers the last line with such confidence that Jude can't help but doubt her own hopes. Her hopes? What if Tommy came to their house out of the blue to discuss what he and Anonymous discussed, that there was a reason he felt guilty about kissing Jude's alter ego? What if he has something to say, the hugest thing he could say?
Then, Sadie would be in the wrong.
"We're talking," says Jude, folding her arms. "Too bad. And Tommy and I always have something to talk about."
Jude smirks.
"Well...well...I still have better hair than you!" remarks Sadie, then storming off.
"And fake highlights!" yells Patsy after her.
"Wait...Sarah!" calls Mr. Harrison. "I mean...man, what is that girl's name?"
"Father of the Year," mutters Patsy.
II.
"There has to be a way to get you in," says Darius, dialing the number again.
"D, don't get me wrong," says Jude, pacing along with him. "I'd love to go to the Junos, but I don't want to kick off another artist for the sake of it."
Darius shushes her and does some wild gesticulations as he's on the phone with the Juno producers. Yesterday was the last day to confirm that she'd be performing in the pre-show, but Darius was at the spa. She has to give them props. His cuticles look better than hers.
"Your third album is about to be released!" cries Darius. "I don't care about unsigned artists. So this other girl's getting bumped."
"That's on you," moans Jude, flopping into the chair opposite Darius' desk.
"Do you know what luck this is?" cries Darius. "Having you, Tommy, and Anonymous there on the same night? It's implausible that that will ever happen again."
It's implausible period, Jude should say. She'd have to double herself and she's not sure of the extent of the ankh's power. Although, Speiderman's rats were still always trying to get out of their cage when they were around any cars. Raphael was particularly athletic. Additionally, Patsy's car was finally finished, wheels and everything. She leant the ankh to her cousin and he sort of disappeared and never came back. Maybe he's square dancing with Mason, jokes Jude in her head. Yeah, she's thinking it'll only sound funny there.
Jude begins to rise from her seat. This is yet another Darius scheme she didn't want to be involved with. She also hadn't planned to be here for the poll results.
"Sit," instructs Darius. "Portia needs to meet with us."
Portia? Uh-oh. This is definitely not good. Today the polls will close and Darius would announce the winner. Portia can tell Darius who Anonymous really is now and there wouldn't be any need for an announcement, except to announce that she was a fraud. Her fans would hate her. Tommy wouldn't trust her, and that would hurt her, seeing as he was so open with his feelings during the show. Jude starts to stand again.
"Park it!" says Darius, making Jude sink once more.
The doorknob turns as Darius thanks the Juno producers for being so understanding. Jude closes her eyes, opens them, and takes a deep breath. Instead of Portia walking in, it's Tommy. Jude turns her head in the other direction.
"Um...D, you said you'd be here by yourself?" says Tommy, nervously.
"That was before Jamie gave me the letter regarding Jude's Juno chances," shares Darius. "She might perform. They're calling me back in a hour."
"Excellent!" says Tommy.
She feels a gentle hand caress her shoulder momentarily and smiles. Tommy quickly takes it away, however, then shifts his feet to Darius.
"Oh, and no luck with the shoe thing," sighs Darius, glancing at Tommy. "Sis couldn't identify the designer or the size or anything. Why are you so interested in women's shoes? You got a fetish or..."
"D!" interrupts Tommy, his cheeks becoming scarlet. "The shoe thing...personal, okay?"
"Whose...whose shoe?" questions Jude.
"Nobody," says Tommy at the same time Darius says"Anonymous".
Jude's mouth falls open and she lets a wide grin take over her face. Tommy massages his forehead and excuses himself, practically slamming the door behind him. She remembers losing her shoe at the contest before she ran to the Porsche. Heh. So Quincy's playing detective. It's kind of cute, and kind of annoying because she hoped he'd want to know about her and not Anonymous anymore. Her shoe size is a nice one, too.
"Boy is sprung," condemns Darius.
"Yeah," says Jude, softly.
"She's late," complains Darius. "Come on since you don't want to sit still."
Darius leaves his office, Jude hesitantly walking by him. This is the most scared she's ever been to go to Portia's dressing room. Luckily, Portia meets them halfway. Jude's sure her nerves couldn't take it, although they go into hyper mode when Portia's inches away.
"Where's Maya?" cries Darius.
"Watching TV," answers Portia. "It's some reality show. I made sure it was an interesting one."
"Flavor Flav!" yells Maya from down the hall.
"There wasn't a Jimmy Neutron episode on?" remarks Jude. "Don't let her watch that trash."
"Anyways," says Portia, pulling Darius aside. "I have some huge, huge news that's affecting the polls. Found out this morning and had to post it on the message board."
Jude and Darius trade confused stares. As they do, Sadie, Portia, and Jamie approach them in a hurry. Karma does the oddest thing. She hugs Jude. Jude coughs because Karma is squeezing her hard.
"Go ahead and cry, baby," coos Karma, placing Jude's head on her breast. "Not too much because I'm wearing silk."
"Jude, I was so mad that I fired my singing teacher!" cries Sadie.
"You were going to ditch him yesterday," mumbles Jude.
The doors of G Major part, many excited voices circulating in Jude's ears. There is a large group of journalists Darius had called for the announcement, but clearly they were here earlier for something else. Jude tries to escape Karma's hug without success.
"Like I said," sighs Sadie, staring into the camera. "I was so mad that I fired my singing teacher! Solidarity, sister!"
"And I almost withdrew myself," lies Karma, patting Jude on the head. "It was like so ghetto for her to do that."
"Do what?" cries Darius in exasperation.
"Well," says Portia, standing in the center of the cameras. "I happen to be shuffling some paperwork in the studio, and I came across an interesting document. It was sheet music for Don't Pull Off My Wings...penned by Jude Harrison, and not Anonymous!"
The crowd does a collective gasp and revolve their cameras to Jude. Jude weakly smiles and shrugs.
"That can only mean one thing," says Portia, staring straight at Jude.
"What?" prompts Darius.
"Anonymous stole Jude's song!" condemns Portia.
"No way!" says a reporter.
"That's jacked up," says Darius. "And the polls reflect it?"
"They are so not behind her anymore," says Portia. "Karma, get ready to say winner, winner, chicken dinner!"
Karma pushes Jude roughly away and she tumbles to the floor, as her frenemy beams into the camera.
"I'm in love with my guitar," sings Karma, breathily.
"Serious?" moans Darius. "This day keeps getting worse. TiffanyDebbieJanet confessed to having Botox on her buns to prevent butt flab, making Sadie's percentage go down. If she lied about her butt, then the fans know she lied about Sadie and..."
"Hold on!" interjects Sadie. "You can get Botox on your butt? Oh, and it did what to my percentage?"
"Karma was in second place the last time I checked," shares Darius. "And if Portia's right and Anonymous' has plummeted..."
"She's right!" says Speiderman, walking with Wally and Tommy to the throng.
He hands Darius a piece of paper. Darius grunts loudly and shakes his head at Portia. Portia smiles widely.
"There's no proof that Anonymous stole that song," says Tommy.
"I knew if he looked that good, he had to be dumb," whispers a reporter to Wally. "You don't get both."
"I got the sheet music right here," defends Portia, flashing it for all of them to see. "Girl's a thief."
Jude has been called many things in the past several weeks. A slut, a talentless loser, even Jude Vicious by Wally when she got on him for trying to call other contestants using the contact information. But she is no crook! Those are her words, and she poured out her song on that stage for her fans. There is no way they're taking away the purity of that moment, and she doesn't want the part that was herself on that day to be dragged in the mud any further.
"I have my own announcement!" cries Jude, hopping up from the floor.
"You're pregnant?" says Karma. "Told you she wasn't a virgin!"
"Didn't Mom give you the talk before she split, Jude?" questions Sadie.
"It's not that!" exclaims Jude. "I'm...I am...Anonymous."
More gasps cross the room. Okay, all this gasping is getting pretty tiring. That said, Tommy doesn't. He backs away from the crowd, from her. She can't look into his eyes because they're down. She can't say she's sorry because her words are silenced in her throat. She can't touch him because she can tell he doesn't want to be touched. All her fears...have been realized.
"I knew," informs Speiderman, proudly.
"Shut up, Speiderman," remarks Darius. "Do you know how much stress and money have gone into this? You played with people's time and effort."
"This is so jank of you," comments Karma.
"I'd agree if I knew what jank was," says Sadie.
"I wanted to prove that this show should be about the music," defends Jude, staring at each camera. "I didn't mean to be...dishonest. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there to prove a point. And these girls got the same opportunity that I did. To be discovered, to sing."
Darius harrumphs, seems to mull it over, then gradually grins.
"Well, this is going to get us more press," says Darius, before apparently remembering the cameras. "I mean, you're exactly right, Jude."
"She's already signed and established!" whines Karma.
"And annoying," adds Portia.
"Oh, man, what if she does a CD as her other half!" cries Darius, happily. "Like Miley Cyrus or T.I. That'd be hot. We'd make bank. I need to call Shay to see if he'll guest on a track."
"I don't want to do a double CD!" says Jude. "Tommy was right. This is a chance for an unknown artist to make it big, and we do have this fourth girl people have been talking about. Taylor."
"Taylor Ellison," clarifies Jamie.
"What about me?" yells Karma, stamping her foot. "I was in second!"
"Chillax, baby," comforts Speiderman, putting an arm around her.
Karma elbows Speiderman away from her.
"I call that a love tap," whispers Speiderman, bumping fists with Wally.
"No, I won't chillax!" snaps Karma, glaring at each of them. "You try memorizing and rehearsing one of Jude's lame songs, working with that chump Kwest on poorly written songs, and finding a beret at a decent price! I will sue ya'll and I am not frontin'."
"Girl...," begins Darius.
"Portia didn't even expose the secret about you auditioning for the genital crabs commercial!" shouts Karma, then immediately covering her mouth.
"What the cuff?" exclaims Wally as a third round of gasps circulate.
Darius furiously wipes away some sweat forming on her brow. Jude rubs her temple because well, you don't want to know certain things about your boss.
"My agent said it was a good way to get into acting," mumbles Darius. "Alright! That's fine. Karma, you're disqualified for being a party to Portia's shenanigans. And sis, I don't even want to look at you."
Portia starts to say something, but Darius gives her the hand and keeps on walking. With a fearful stare, Portia leaves, Karma pulling at her braids, desperately coaxing her to come up with another plan. Jude's pretty sure that's not going to happen. Nor is she sure that Tommy will speak to her again.
"Should I contact Taylor?" asks Jamie.
"I would,' says Jude, nodding.
Jamie heads toward the phone. Wally and Speiderman disappear inside the studio, leaving her and Sadie...alone. Oh no.
"You hate me?" says Jude.
"Well, you didn't ask for anything for yourself, which is weird," says Sadie, twisting her lips. "But you did make sure Taylor got something. And if I won, I guess I'd have to sing...and rehire that music teacher. That would suck."
Awww, her kind-hearted sister has finally returned. Maybe because her father's returned? Ah, does it matter? Sadie wouldn't be singing again and that's all that she can wish for.
"Sade," says Jude, hugging her.
Sadie hugs her too, then talks. "I'm cuter than Karma, though, right?"
"Pssh, yeah," replies Jude and they walk off, laughing.
III.
She can tell from under the door that it's dark in there. How many times has she been in this studio, only him and her, creating music and loving it? How many teenage mistakes has she made that Tommy put a twist on to make it seem like they weren't mistakes, but perfectly normal lessons they all had to learn? This is who is sitting in the dark.
Jude saw him go into the studio sometime during mid-afternoon. Darius was handling the reporters and granted Jude a reprieve. During that time, she talked to Taylor who would be coming in at the close of the day. The blonde fourteen-year old was quiet, but incredibly sweet. The more they talked, the more Jude saw a smaller Anonymous in her. She too desired to share her music with the world, and she was so excited that Anonymous was Jude, "one of her favorite singers ever". That cheered Jude up...a tad.
There is Tommy to consider. Hasn't she always considered Tommy? She made certain his cause was mentioned in the first press conference. She checked to see how he was feeling during this whole circus. Lastly, she listened to every bit he had to say to her and Anonymous.
She knocks on the studio door. No answer. She opens it and views Tommy sitting at the soundboard, tapping and staring at the instrument that held so many memories for them. Jude flips on the light.
"Hi," says Tommy, not looking at her.
"I'm sorry," says Jude, barely above a whisper.
"Come in," says Tommy after clearing his throat.
Jude shuts the door and stands directly behind him. Tommy continues to drum the sounding board.
"Remember why I said it was hard for me to sing White Lines at first?" recalls Jude.
"You had...strong feelings," says Tommy, his fingers pausing.
True...very true. She could barely look at him as she sang. Funny because that's all she wanted to do when she performed "Don't Pull Off My Wings". It was the most natural thing to do in the most unnatural of situations.
"I did," insists Jude, quietly.
"What are you trying to say?" asks Tommy.
"Just to... listen," says Jude. "You've always been best at it."
No matter that his head isn't facing her as Tommy nods for her to continue anyway.
"Implausible," sings Jude. "For a naive blonde musician to grow without some guidance."
Tommy remains silent, though his fingers aren't drumming.
"Implausible," sings Jude. "That a nice young producer would encourage her to be self-reliant."
He swivels his chair to look her in the eyes.
"That everything she thought about herself wasn't awkward, that this guy would convince her that there was nothing that could stop her," continues Jude. "Implausible...or is it plausible?"
Tommy stands and stares down at her.
"What if there was a situation that hurt him in the end? Even though she never meant to lie to her friend," sings Jude. "I guess this is the chance I took, as I evaluate your stoic look. Implausible...though it happened that day."
She hopes the message of her song got through, and she hopes she doesn't have to sing it again because she's not sure she can remember all the words.
"You came to my house?" says Jude.
"Harrison..."
He turns away, puts a hand on his hip. Tommy was swaying a little, side to side. That's what he did when he was trying to figure something out. What is he figuring out?
"Yeah," admits Tommy.
"Why didn't you come inside?" asks Jude.
"Like it's...it's weird," says Tommy, glancing at her quickly. "I kept getting... like I'd go and couldn't tell you that...it's weird."
"Right, Tommy, a lot of this is weird!" cries Jude. "But I'd still like an answer."
Tommy breathes deeply and takes Jude gently by the shoulders.
"Jude, I know, in the past, we've talked about your age. And we have this great professional relationship," begins Tommy. "But..."
"It's not enough?" says Jude hopefully.
"You stole my thunder!" cries Tommy, grinning. "Jude!"
Jude laughs. "Okay, sorry. Go on."
"It isn't enough," says Tommy. "I don't know. Maybe being around Anonymous brought that to light. She was a lot like you. She...is you."
Blushing, Jude stares at his mouth, loves every word she's hearing.
"So I asked Darius to ask about the shoe," says Tommy. "Because..."
"Chances are Portia would recognize a shoe I wore," fills in Jude. "Or that she ordered."
"Yeah. Stealing my thunder again," remarks Tommy, chuckling.
"No more," promises Jude.
"When I was with Anonymous, I kept being drawn back to you," confesses Tommy. "You were like the third person in the room. Then, I come to find out you've always been in the room. And I...I'm glad."
"Me too," shares Jude, trying to hide a smile. "Not that I didn't know who I was, of course, but..."
"Harrison," says Tommy, warmly laughing. "I have something to say that's hopefully going to beat you to the punch."
Jude pretends to zip her lips. She stares at him in earnest, though she's pretty sure she can outdo him, whatever he has to say.
"I...love you, Jude," says Tommy. "I love you."
There is no way on Earth she can beat that. He said it to her. It's not Anonymous. He said her name in this moment, free of disguises, secrets, or contests. The name Jude. Tommy Quincy said those three special words that so many musicians wrote about. They're worth so much more than a glass guitar pick.
"I love you, too," says Jude, blinking back tears. "And that's not anonymous. It's me really saying it."
They both laugh lightly, and their lips meet in a rhythm that matches the thumping of Jude's heart.
IV.
Speiderman peels through the neighborhood, Wally's seatbelt cutting into his chest as they lunge forward. Whose bright idea was it to let Speiderman drive with his new license fresh in his wallet? Oh yeah, hers. She thought it would be a nice thing. That was before they got into the car.
"Jude, wanna go to the drive-thru?" says Speiderman, smiling at her. "Because I can drive now."
"We have to go to your house to feed the rats," reminds Wally. "How come I care more about your rats than you do?"
Patsy and Jamie, framing Jude in the backseat, trade knowing glances. They'd all heard about Speiderman's luck with pets by then.
"Karma hates them," says Speiderman. "So I'm going to have to sell them."
"Aww," says Jude.
"Feed them to a snake," suggests Patsy.
Jamie laughs. They'd been hanging out since the end of the contest, and Jude's definitely predicting a reunion. Probably with real blood oaths if Patsy has her way.
"Get out of my car," orders Speiderman, pulling up to the Harrison home.
They say their good-byes, Patsy and Jamie heading to Jamie's house.
"You killed at the Junos, Jude," congratulates Jamie. "Best opening set this year!"
Patsy hoots her agreement.
"Thanks, guys," says Jude.
She locates her keys and is ready to use them. It turns out that she doesn't have to as the door is slightly ajar. Strange. Peering inside, Jude tip-toes into the foyer. If a prowler was on the loose, he'd be meeting her in an interesting outfit.
Fresh from the Junos, she was in a lovely black, backless dress that went past her knees, with lace trim near the bottom. She wore black pearl earrings that Portia begrudgingly got for her, and cute, open-toed heels. No ankh needed. Portia murmured something about finding another job, which Jude would definitely go for. Jude's hair was in a chignon that Sadie helped her prep. They had a nice chat, too, since Sadie had landed the lead in a play at the university. Thank God it wasn't a musical.
The photographers at the awards show murmured their pleasure and for the first time since the announcement that she was Anonymous, which had been the main media story for the entertainment circuit, they focused on Jude as herself. It was like Instant Star all over again.
Truly, she got her pleasure from seeing Taylor totally rock it on the red carpet. In an odd twist of fate, she wasn't a big boy band fan so she'd only heard Jude's duet with Tommy, "Pick Up The Pieces", and thought of him more as a producer than a performer. Tommy enjoyed that and he promised Jude he'd show Taylor a good time. Jude wasn't jealous, mainly because Taylor said Tommy reminded her of her cool, older cousin. Karma seemed flummozed that that was the case. Then again, she didn't have time to prattle. Darius was making her do more office work so that she'd stay quiet regarding his crabs commercial. Speiderman helped her with her chores so Jude wagers that's when their relationship, or rather Karma's mastery of Speiderman, blossomed.
"Hello?" calls Jude.
Instead of a reply, she receives the soothing strum of a guitar and a poetic voice singing. Goodness. Is the whole rest of her life going to be full of random singing?
Nothing in this world
got me like you do
baby
I'd give up my soul
If I couldn't sing
with you daily
I'm not the only girl
In love with you it's crazy
I appreciate your groove
Now I know I owe
everything to you
Wait. She knows this song...and that voice! It's Taylor's song from the contest. Sure enough there sits Taylor, near the fireplace, but it's not only her. Tommy, formerly seated by Taylor, rises and gestures his arm towards a circular table with white linen covering it. The table holds two pieces of chocolate cake and glasses of sparkling water. Jude grins.
"May I?" says Tommy, pulling out her chair.
"As long as you don't pull it away from me," says Jude, laughing. "What is this?"
She sits and Tommy lightly pushes it in and takes his seat.
"A date," replies Tommy, smiling.
"Technically, I didn't win," reminds Jude.
"In the grand scheme of things, I say it doesn't matter," says Tommy. "Let's see. We both ended up at the Junos, anyway. Where you performed White Lines to ear-shattering applause."
"Wonder why I chose that song," teases Jude.
"As I was saying," returns Tommy. "You sat a row behind us."
"Thanks to D's publicity-loving self," interjects Jude.
"I might've looked back in that direction when I received my award," teases Tommy. "I definitely thanked you in the speech..."
"After your mom?" jokes Jude. "I was offended."
"Now that it is after the Junos, I'm free," says Tommy, throwing up his arms.
"What makes you think I am?" says Jude.
"Didn't see you running for the door," shrugs Tommy. "I'll take that as a good sign."
Jude laughs. Tommy stands and holds out his hand, which she takes. The music plays lightly as they sway and Jude rests her head on his chest. This might not be everyone's version of a happy ending, but it's more than happy for her.
I'm so in love with my music
The way you keep me
Movin
Ain't nobody doing
what you're doing
Doing, doing
So bring me back to the day
When tape decks press play
DJ drop the needle til the
Record just break
You are my sunlight
You are the one mic
That sound so sweet
because the beat just
inspires me ohhhh
"So when do you want me to tell Taylor to leave?" whispers Tommy.
"Tommy!" cries Jude, hitting his chest.
That might not be such a bad idea. Eh, she'll think about it. This is her date, after all. Plus it's not like her dad's always home.
"You never got to wear that guitar pick," muses Tommy, as Jude raises her head.
"That's alright," assures Jude. "I'm content with what I have."
Thanks for reading! Whew, it's done. Best, Nikki