Tommy pulled up to the juice bar and was surprised to see the gang standing outside. Hopping out of the car he walked over to them. "So how come you are out here?"
"We decided to wait for you." Kat replied walking over and giving him a kiss.
"All right, thanks. So, shall we go in?" he asked taking her hand.
"Let's go, I can taste one of Ernie's specials." Rocky said with a grin, nearly drooling at the thought.
"I swear I'll never be able to compete with Ernie when it comes to his stomach." Aisha said shaking her head softly.
"None of us can girl." Tanya replied with a laugh.
"True." Aisha replied with a smile. "So true."
"Can we go?" Rocky asked turning to them with a puppy dog-face.
"Go, go already." Aisha said with a laugh as he turned and ran through the door.
"You are a very loving person Isha." Adam said with a smile. "Tanya would kill me if I acted like that."
"No I wouldn't, you'd just sleep on the couch." Tanya said with a wind as she led him inside.
"Come on, we better go order something before Ernie runs out of food." Billy continued after they had left.
"Did anyone else hear music from inside?" Kat asked as Billy opened the door, and they heard the music floating out the room.
"It sounds like live music." Jason continued as they walked down the hallway.
"I wonder who's playing." Trini mused.
"Oh, it's Ann." Aisha said with a smile as they entered the main room.
"Oh cool. Let's go order then we can listen to them practice." Adam replied with a smile as they joined them at the counter.
They quickly told Ernie their order, then sat down to listen. The band was good, but as Ernie had mentioned, Ann was the heart of their band.
I'll be there for you...
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you...
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you...
'Cause you're there for me too...
They caught the end of the song they had been performing, and clapped, causing Ann to nearly jump out of her skin.
Ann looked over at the table where the clapping was coming from and smiled softly at the occupants. How in heaven's name did she not notice that they of all people had walked into the room? She turned towards Johnny and smile softly. Johnny looked at her nodding slightly. She read the question in his eyes and smiled softly once more, reassuring him that all was well. She nodded to Rachel, who began counting off with her drumsticks for the next song.
If I live to be a hundred
And never see the seven wonders
That'll be alright
If I don't make it to the big leagues
If I never win a Grammy
I'm gonna be just fine
'Cause I know exactly who I am
I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am
So when I make a big mistake
When I fall flat on my face
I know I'll be alright
Should my tender heart be broken
I will cry those teardrops knowin'
I will be just fine
'Cause nothin' changes who I am
I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am
I'm a saint and I'm a sinner
I'm a loser, I'm a winner
I'm steady and unstable
I'm young but I am able
I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am
I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am
That is who I am
Tommy and the others began to clap once more as Ann finished. She smiled at them, then turned to Johnny, nodding her head softly to let him know they were done. He smiled back, knowing that she was tired and turned to the others. Standing they started to pack up.
"You can leave the instruments here tonight if you want." Ernie called as he brought the food to the table.
"Thanks." Johnny replied as he put his guitar in its case. The others put their instruments away and covered them, except for Ann who placed her guitar in the case and took it with her to the counter. When she sat down Ernie handed her a strawberry smoothie and she sighed happily.
"I take it you like strawberry smothies." Ernie said with a smile.
"I haven't had a decent one since I was seventeen. Where I grew up, they was a place where my friends and I always hung out. The owner made the best strawberry smoothies, but then I moved away, and no one's could compare." She explained before she took a sip and closed her eyes in delight.
He laughed softly at her reaction and expression. "I take it that you approve."
"That she does." Robbie said with a smile as they joined her at the counter. Ernie handed them each a smoothie then walked over to check on the others.
"How's the food?" he asked shaking his head at Rocky's expression. "I think I'm getting better at cooking. Miss Heartfelt had the exact same expression over her smoothie as our dear Rocky has over his food."
Aisha smiled, "You'll have to teach me your secrets, otherwise I'll never get Rocky to eat at home again."
"Of course my dear. Just say when." He replied with a smile.
"So the band loves your smoothies." Kat mused
"Then again, who doesn't love Ernie's smoothies." Tommy said with a smile.
"Well, almost no one likes strawberry, except Billy here," he interrupted himself, then continued. "But even Billy like it with an energy boost."
"Kim liked them plain." Trini said with a smile, remembering all the times spent at the bar with their smoothes in high school.
"She and Miss. Heartfelt are the only ones I can think of." Ernie replied with a smile.
"She's like Rocky over a strawberry smoothie?" Tanya asked in surprise. "Maybe I should try it." She mused in thought before standing up. "I'll be right back."
As Tanya walked towards the restroom she passed the group at the counter just as Ann was explaining where the restroom was to the other women.
"If you want, I can show you. I'm on my way there." She said softly.
"Really? Thanks." Stephanie replied with a smile as she and Rachel stood up and followed her to the restroom.
"So are you all from Florida?" Tanya asked as the neared their destination.
"We all share a house in Florida." Rachel replied.
"Really? I love my friends dearly, they're like family, but I can't imagine sharing a house with Rocky."
"That's they way I feel about Robbie half the time, but actually it isn't that difficult. Johnny and Ann are usually up in their room when we get too much of each other, and Rachel keeps her boyfriend away from me." Stephanie replied.
For a few moments all were silent, then the conversation began again.
"Sounds like a fun life. But what do your families think of you all sharing a house? My parents flipped when Adam and I told them we were moving in together, they only accepted the idea because we were getting married."
"Our families don't really talk to us." Steph replied without thinking.
"They don't?" Tanya asked in surprise as she leaned against the bathroom wall.
"All of us met while attending camp, none of us wanted the path our families approved of, so we left and stayed together. We are our family now." Rachel explained. /-/ I'm going to kill Stephanie, someone needs to remind that girl to use her brain. /-/She thought to herself, sending Stephanie a glare, which Tanya was oblivious to.
"I can't imagine living through something like that, not having your family." She trailed off.
"You'd be surprised what one can survive when they have to, when you have friends." Stephanie replied with a half smile.
"But," she began then stopped. "I just can't imagine living through something like that." She said softly.
"No one can until they do. But the sacrifice is worth it. We are happier now than we would be had we stayed on the other path." Rachel said with a slight smile.
"You are an amazing group of people. I'm so happy I met you." Tanya said with a smile.
Rachel just smiled in response, there was little one could say to something like that. Stephanie had her eyes closed as she remembered the life they left behind. Rachel glanced over and realized what she was doing and sighed softly.
Of all of them Stephanie had lost the most in family. She had seven siblings, and she was the middle child, three older, three younger. To this day she feared that her younger sister had fallen into the bastard's clutches, but there was no way they could find out.
Tanya noticed that the taller girl had grown silent and looked over at her to find her standing with her eyes closed and an unreadable expression on her face. "Is she all right?" she asked softly.
"She's just thinking about the family she lost. There are times when we do regret the things we have lost, but she'll be ok."
Tanya nodded softly, like the statement she had made earlier, this was one of those times when you simply couldn't respond.
"We should probably go back." Stephanie said softly as she opened her eyes.
"We should, Robbie is probably thinking that we got lost." Rachel said with a smile as she thought of her boyfriend.
Stephanie smiled softly as she began to hum to herself, she needed to hear the song that had helped them through the past five and a half years.
Tanya heard her humming something as they left the restroom, and the tune got stuck in her brain. /-/ Hmm, I'll have to look that up. It sounds like a good song. /-/She thought to herself as she walked over to join the others. She saw that the girls were meeting the blonde man by the door, and they left after a few moments talking.
"Earth to Tanya, come in Tanya."
Tanya turned back to the group as she smacked Rocky over the back of his head for the comment. "So, what did I miss?" she asked, stopping her thoughts about the band.