Chapter Three
Morning was an atrocious wake-up call, the sun was too hot, the car was too stuffy, and Roxanne was achy from being curled up on the seat. She sat up, moaning at the cricks in her body and looked over at JJ, who was surely in a worse state - he'd spent the night in a sitting position with her crammed against him. It had made his face mash into dirty glass, with just enough of a tilt to allow drool to escape and make an unsightly trail down the dusty window.
He jerked awake to Roxanne laughing.
"What is it?" he asked in a sleepy mumble, rubbing his cheek, smearing dirt into a darker smudge. She wrinkled her nose and rubbed her hands together, feeling grimy.
"I can't believe we did it back here," she observed, remembering the morning after they'd started on the road.
JJ looked around and shrugged. "We managed to put that dress under us."
She smiled at his attempt to go along with the lightness - after the drama of yesterday, it was what they needed, and wanted. She reached to the front seat, grabbing an over shirt and rubbing the side of JJ's dirty face.
"We need a place to stay, or a car wash."
"I think I came up with something when you fell asleep - and wedged me into the corner."
"Sorry," she impishly grinned, moving close to him and giving a quick kiss.
"The roof would have been preferable," he continued.
"I said sorry," she defended with a poorly hid smile. "Trying to make me feel guilty?"
"If all I get is that tiny peck on the lips."
"I need a shower," she informed him, brushing back her hair from the mussed ponytail.
"I don't mind."
"Where on a residential street, I don't think these families want to wake up to a rocking car," she countered. "Now tell me the what you came up with last night."
He looked clueless for a moment before shaking his head. "Right. Dave. His father owns a few apartment buildings, and I was going to call him, see if we could set up something."
"Our own place?" Rox asked excitedly. She leaped into him; "This is so wild."
"I aim to please," he answered, happy with her exuberance. "But first we have to get out of this backseat and make it to a payphone."
Rox pulled away and climbed into the front seat with JJ behind her. He tried to start the car; it sputtered and didn't respond. He tried again as Rox pulled at the clothes she was wearing feeling uncomfortable.
"I know I said no rocking cars, but do you think they'd mind someone changing here?" she joked.
"I don't know about them," JJ said with a grin. "But it would make my morning better."
With that the car roared to life and they headed for a payphone.
**
JJ hung up the phone and shot a look to Rox, who seemed decidedly fresher after her trip to the gas station restroom.
"Can he do it?"
"He's going to meet his father for lunch and we can call him back around two," JJ informed her. "The plus side is that Mr. Higgin's always liked me - and money. The downside is he shops at Dad's store everyone once in a while and if they talk before we do I don't know what that will mean."
Rox sighed and leaned against the wall. "Maybe we can use the car wash for us. If my mother didn't have off on Thursday's I would sneak us inside to clean up."
She sighed miserably, inadvertently remembering the things her mother said. He looked at her, shifting in her clean clothes, but not looking comfortable.
"I'll call Dave back." And he did, but Dave had left already, and Mike wasn't home, and anyone he could think of was on vacation. He watched her carefully as the phone just rang and rang.
He didn't think he could do it, but Rox didn't look happy, and he wanted her happy.
Hanging up the phone he picked up his dime again and cleared his throat. When Rox heard his request her head whipped to him in surprise.
**
"Come on," he told Roxanne as they jogged up to the back entrance. Meg opened the door, ushering them inside with haste.
"Hurry!" Meg whispered harshly though there was no need. "Dad's going to kill me if he finds out."
"He won't find out," JJ assured her. "How long do we have?"
"Mom said she'd be finished with errands by eleven, but she promised Patty they'd look at the new school supplies, and Will wanted to go. You have until eleven-thirty because she'll definitely be back to make lunch. Dad's coming home to eat today," she said in a hush.
"We'll be out of here before then," he answered. They had two hours; it would be plenty of time. Meg led them up the stairs and JJ went to the linen closet to pluck a few towels.
"How are you guys doing?" Meg asked with a pitch of worry.
"Fine after a shower. Thanks, Meg," Rox said with a smile. She really was her best friend. She'd never had another friend who would have risked life and limb to the likes of Jack Pryor.
JJ handed Rox a towel; "You can go first."
"Thank you!" she said in a sigh as she clutched her clothes to her chest and headed into the bathroom.
JJ looked over at Meg, worry etched in her features. "We'll be fast."
"You know it's not that," his sister answered. "You spent the night in the car, JJ."
"We're okay."
"Please tell me you aren't just trying to make me feel better," she answered. She didn't wait for his reply, just went to the bathroom door, tapping it slightly and hearing her friend respond before entering.
Rox was already in the shower, reveling in the feel of it. Meg picked up the clothes she'd thrown on the floor and tossed them on top of the sink before taking a seat on the closed-lid toilet.
"Do you feel any different?" she called.
Rox paused under the spray, shrugging her shoulders behind the blue curtain. "A little."
Meg let out a chuckle. "I feel different. I mean, come on, Rox, two weeks ago we were on the phone talking about being juniors and now . . ."
"Everything's changed," Roxanne finished. She reached for the shampoo and began to soap up her hair. "I can't . . . It wasn't how we meant to do it. JJ was going to go to college, and he was going to work for a few years before we even got engaged."
"You had a plan?" Meg asked.
Roxanne smirked as she rinsed her hair. "Yeah."
"You've only been together," she paused, thinking of the time. "Six months!"
"Actually," Rox said, just loud enough to hear over the water. "We were together by mid-January, we just didn't want to say anything."
"ROX!"
"I'm sorry!" she said, sticking her head out. "But you knew soon after. It's not like I could hide something from you anyway!"
"You could," Meg sighed. "We really didn't talk that much lately . . . or for a while."
"I know," Rox said tucking her wet hair behind her ear. "I should have noticed more, been angry less."
"You had your own stuff going on," Meg shrugged. "And I wanted to be popular."
A bark of laughter came from them both at Meg's honesty and Roxanne ducked back inside the shower. Meg looked at the tiny, decorative clock and chewed her lip.
"I'm going to check on JJ."
"I'll be another minute," Rox called as Meg left the bathroom.
Meg headed down the hallway, peeking in what used to be JJ and Will's room. Not finding him she headed downstairs, but stopped when she heard noise in her parent's bedroom. For a split second she worried, but it was quelled just as briefly and she chastised herself for being on edge.
She opened the cracked door and saw JJ staring at the tall bureau her father used. On top were assorted photographs in frames. Meg stepped in quietly, though it was obvious she entered, she didn't want to disturb him.
"Think he's ever going to forgive me?"
"Sure," Meg answered immediately, knowing that it was what he wanted to hear. JJ smirked slightly.
"I don't think so."
"Hey, when the first kid comes along he's sure to soften up," she cracked.
"No," JJ said, shaking his head.
"JJ?" Rox asked, interrupting. He looked over and smiled gently, nodding and moving past them to use the bathroom.
Roxanne watched him go, then looked at Meg.
"He looks bad," Meg said.
"He's in surprisingly good shape, better than me. He's in 'take charge' mode. You know how he does that when he has a problem."
"Everyone else is more important," she agreed. She shifted a little. "What did your mother say?"
Roxanne smiled sadly. "Get out. That she's disappointed in me. That I ruined my life."
"Do you think so?"
Roxanne was quiet, mulling over the question a few seconds before she answered. "What do parents know? Granted, it wasn't *ideal*, but . . . We love each other. It's more than I can say for my parents."
Meg's eyes searched the hall briefly before she shifted. "I don't think you can come back to Bandstand. You missed a lot of days, and I told them you were sick."
"Thanks," she said quietly. "I thought you'd do that, I haven't exactly thought about what to tell them."
She still wanted to be on the show, and she was optimistic enough to fool herself into thinking that she had a slim chance.
"I . . . I think they called your mother. But from what I heard, she just hung up on them. Michael was going to stop over, he was worried."
Roxanne smiled widely. "I get married and, finally, my crush from last year cares."
Meg let out a laugh at Roxanne's exaggerated sigh. "Those are the breaks."
**
They were lucky, Mr. Higgin's didn't see Jack Pryor lately. Didn't have a chance to ruin the opportunity Rox and JJ had to rent from the boisterous man.
As horrid as that rental was.
Rox sat on a stool that had been left by the previous tenants and scanned the room. The price was what you would expect to pay in a place as run down as this, if they were going to live in squalor at least they would pay appropriate prices. There was a kitchenette, surprisingly well kept though it wasn't clean by any means. Then there was the bedroom, which was also the sitting room, den, living room, and if they stacked some books in the corner they could call it the library too. Just two little rooms.
But it came with a bed, two nights in the car was enough to make them crave a mattress, and it wasn't too shabby either. It *was* shabby - just not too much. It folded out from the wall, and when it was up, a framed, glass-free picture of flowers hung there securely, supposedly as a distraction, but it didn't really hide the visible seams in the wall.
It wasn't horrible in some ways, but even if their bathroom was a communal one they had to share with the whole floor, and was located behind a door at the end of the hallway - it was their place. They would live here together, with no one to tell them what to do and where to go, and for Rox, it sounded heavenly.
JJ came in with Dave, each carrying a box. It had taken them a while to clear JJ's things out of the trunk after they found some boxes, but they were finally finished. Roxanne stood to greet them with a smile.
"Didn't I tell you I would do it?" Dave asked with a grand smile.
"You said you would *try*," JJ corrected. "But you did, and thank you, a lot. We really needed a place."
Dave dropped the box and looked at the couple. "Looks like we won't have to go to the high school reunion to find out who got married right out of school. I can't believe you guys did it."
"We did," JJ affirmed, dropping the box and leaning on the counter. "Now it's more about where do we go from here?"
"Good question," Rox said, leaning next to him.
Dave shook his head, and looked to his watch. "I have to go. But I'll stop by later this week."
"Thanks again," Rox said warmly, and JJ reached out to shake his friend's hand. After he left JJ looked around.
"What do you think?"
"It's private," she smiled. "No rocking car."
"A definite plus," he nodded, reaching for her and kissing her lips.
"I didn't think we would get it this early, but you were right, Mr. Higgin's did like you. All you did was talk to him on the phone after Dave mentioned it."
"I'm a charmer," he teased.
"I know," she affirmed, holding him closer.
"Now we have to figure out what to do . . . What about school?"
Roxanne released him and turned to explore the kitchen. "I won't go anymore."
"NO."
He said it so firmly she spun around to face him. "Why?"
"Because they expect us to fail, Roxanne. We can't."
She eyed him for a moment and nodded. "You're right."
"And I have to get a job."
Rox grew quiet at that, she wanted to volunteer herself, but something held her back.
"What is it?" JJ asked as she hushed up. She looked over, and he knew by her expression. "You have a . . . job."
"Kinda," she shrugged. "I guess I did."
She sighed and fingered the dusty countertop.
"Rox?"
"Do you think . . ."
"I . . . don't think so."
She nodded slowly, trying to resign herself to it. She hadn't mentioned her hope until now. She loved dancing on television; Bandstand was part of the things that made her happy and satisfied. She laughed a little morose laugh.
"I guess they don't want a married woman on the show." A tear moved down her face with that, then another, and another. JJ went to her, putting his arms around her.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she said through a sniffle. "It's not the only thing I had."
JJ bit his tongue. She did have more, because of him, it was gone now. He thought back to last night, another spent in car. All the things that leaked into his mind as he held her close. All the things she would be missing because of the life they had now. She hugged him tightly and he held her while regret settled in him, they were here now, in this little apartment, with hardly any money, and hardly any inclination that things would be better.
He shouldn't have done this to her.
**
Morning was an atrocious wake-up call, the sun was too hot, the car was too stuffy, and Roxanne was achy from being curled up on the seat. She sat up, moaning at the cricks in her body and looked over at JJ, who was surely in a worse state - he'd spent the night in a sitting position with her crammed against him. It had made his face mash into dirty glass, with just enough of a tilt to allow drool to escape and make an unsightly trail down the dusty window.
He jerked awake to Roxanne laughing.
"What is it?" he asked in a sleepy mumble, rubbing his cheek, smearing dirt into a darker smudge. She wrinkled her nose and rubbed her hands together, feeling grimy.
"I can't believe we did it back here," she observed, remembering the morning after they'd started on the road.
JJ looked around and shrugged. "We managed to put that dress under us."
She smiled at his attempt to go along with the lightness - after the drama of yesterday, it was what they needed, and wanted. She reached to the front seat, grabbing an over shirt and rubbing the side of JJ's dirty face.
"We need a place to stay, or a car wash."
"I think I came up with something when you fell asleep - and wedged me into the corner."
"Sorry," she impishly grinned, moving close to him and giving a quick kiss.
"The roof would have been preferable," he continued.
"I said sorry," she defended with a poorly hid smile. "Trying to make me feel guilty?"
"If all I get is that tiny peck on the lips."
"I need a shower," she informed him, brushing back her hair from the mussed ponytail.
"I don't mind."
"Where on a residential street, I don't think these families want to wake up to a rocking car," she countered. "Now tell me the what you came up with last night."
He looked clueless for a moment before shaking his head. "Right. Dave. His father owns a few apartment buildings, and I was going to call him, see if we could set up something."
"Our own place?" Rox asked excitedly. She leaped into him; "This is so wild."
"I aim to please," he answered, happy with her exuberance. "But first we have to get out of this backseat and make it to a payphone."
Rox pulled away and climbed into the front seat with JJ behind her. He tried to start the car; it sputtered and didn't respond. He tried again as Rox pulled at the clothes she was wearing feeling uncomfortable.
"I know I said no rocking cars, but do you think they'd mind someone changing here?" she joked.
"I don't know about them," JJ said with a grin. "But it would make my morning better."
With that the car roared to life and they headed for a payphone.
**
JJ hung up the phone and shot a look to Rox, who seemed decidedly fresher after her trip to the gas station restroom.
"Can he do it?"
"He's going to meet his father for lunch and we can call him back around two," JJ informed her. "The plus side is that Mr. Higgin's always liked me - and money. The downside is he shops at Dad's store everyone once in a while and if they talk before we do I don't know what that will mean."
Rox sighed and leaned against the wall. "Maybe we can use the car wash for us. If my mother didn't have off on Thursday's I would sneak us inside to clean up."
She sighed miserably, inadvertently remembering the things her mother said. He looked at her, shifting in her clean clothes, but not looking comfortable.
"I'll call Dave back." And he did, but Dave had left already, and Mike wasn't home, and anyone he could think of was on vacation. He watched her carefully as the phone just rang and rang.
He didn't think he could do it, but Rox didn't look happy, and he wanted her happy.
Hanging up the phone he picked up his dime again and cleared his throat. When Rox heard his request her head whipped to him in surprise.
**
"Come on," he told Roxanne as they jogged up to the back entrance. Meg opened the door, ushering them inside with haste.
"Hurry!" Meg whispered harshly though there was no need. "Dad's going to kill me if he finds out."
"He won't find out," JJ assured her. "How long do we have?"
"Mom said she'd be finished with errands by eleven, but she promised Patty they'd look at the new school supplies, and Will wanted to go. You have until eleven-thirty because she'll definitely be back to make lunch. Dad's coming home to eat today," she said in a hush.
"We'll be out of here before then," he answered. They had two hours; it would be plenty of time. Meg led them up the stairs and JJ went to the linen closet to pluck a few towels.
"How are you guys doing?" Meg asked with a pitch of worry.
"Fine after a shower. Thanks, Meg," Rox said with a smile. She really was her best friend. She'd never had another friend who would have risked life and limb to the likes of Jack Pryor.
JJ handed Rox a towel; "You can go first."
"Thank you!" she said in a sigh as she clutched her clothes to her chest and headed into the bathroom.
JJ looked over at Meg, worry etched in her features. "We'll be fast."
"You know it's not that," his sister answered. "You spent the night in the car, JJ."
"We're okay."
"Please tell me you aren't just trying to make me feel better," she answered. She didn't wait for his reply, just went to the bathroom door, tapping it slightly and hearing her friend respond before entering.
Rox was already in the shower, reveling in the feel of it. Meg picked up the clothes she'd thrown on the floor and tossed them on top of the sink before taking a seat on the closed-lid toilet.
"Do you feel any different?" she called.
Rox paused under the spray, shrugging her shoulders behind the blue curtain. "A little."
Meg let out a chuckle. "I feel different. I mean, come on, Rox, two weeks ago we were on the phone talking about being juniors and now . . ."
"Everything's changed," Roxanne finished. She reached for the shampoo and began to soap up her hair. "I can't . . . It wasn't how we meant to do it. JJ was going to go to college, and he was going to work for a few years before we even got engaged."
"You had a plan?" Meg asked.
Roxanne smirked as she rinsed her hair. "Yeah."
"You've only been together," she paused, thinking of the time. "Six months!"
"Actually," Rox said, just loud enough to hear over the water. "We were together by mid-January, we just didn't want to say anything."
"ROX!"
"I'm sorry!" she said, sticking her head out. "But you knew soon after. It's not like I could hide something from you anyway!"
"You could," Meg sighed. "We really didn't talk that much lately . . . or for a while."
"I know," Rox said tucking her wet hair behind her ear. "I should have noticed more, been angry less."
"You had your own stuff going on," Meg shrugged. "And I wanted to be popular."
A bark of laughter came from them both at Meg's honesty and Roxanne ducked back inside the shower. Meg looked at the tiny, decorative clock and chewed her lip.
"I'm going to check on JJ."
"I'll be another minute," Rox called as Meg left the bathroom.
Meg headed down the hallway, peeking in what used to be JJ and Will's room. Not finding him she headed downstairs, but stopped when she heard noise in her parent's bedroom. For a split second she worried, but it was quelled just as briefly and she chastised herself for being on edge.
She opened the cracked door and saw JJ staring at the tall bureau her father used. On top were assorted photographs in frames. Meg stepped in quietly, though it was obvious she entered, she didn't want to disturb him.
"Think he's ever going to forgive me?"
"Sure," Meg answered immediately, knowing that it was what he wanted to hear. JJ smirked slightly.
"I don't think so."
"Hey, when the first kid comes along he's sure to soften up," she cracked.
"No," JJ said, shaking his head.
"JJ?" Rox asked, interrupting. He looked over and smiled gently, nodding and moving past them to use the bathroom.
Roxanne watched him go, then looked at Meg.
"He looks bad," Meg said.
"He's in surprisingly good shape, better than me. He's in 'take charge' mode. You know how he does that when he has a problem."
"Everyone else is more important," she agreed. She shifted a little. "What did your mother say?"
Roxanne smiled sadly. "Get out. That she's disappointed in me. That I ruined my life."
"Do you think so?"
Roxanne was quiet, mulling over the question a few seconds before she answered. "What do parents know? Granted, it wasn't *ideal*, but . . . We love each other. It's more than I can say for my parents."
Meg's eyes searched the hall briefly before she shifted. "I don't think you can come back to Bandstand. You missed a lot of days, and I told them you were sick."
"Thanks," she said quietly. "I thought you'd do that, I haven't exactly thought about what to tell them."
She still wanted to be on the show, and she was optimistic enough to fool herself into thinking that she had a slim chance.
"I . . . I think they called your mother. But from what I heard, she just hung up on them. Michael was going to stop over, he was worried."
Roxanne smiled widely. "I get married and, finally, my crush from last year cares."
Meg let out a laugh at Roxanne's exaggerated sigh. "Those are the breaks."
**
They were lucky, Mr. Higgin's didn't see Jack Pryor lately. Didn't have a chance to ruin the opportunity Rox and JJ had to rent from the boisterous man.
As horrid as that rental was.
Rox sat on a stool that had been left by the previous tenants and scanned the room. The price was what you would expect to pay in a place as run down as this, if they were going to live in squalor at least they would pay appropriate prices. There was a kitchenette, surprisingly well kept though it wasn't clean by any means. Then there was the bedroom, which was also the sitting room, den, living room, and if they stacked some books in the corner they could call it the library too. Just two little rooms.
But it came with a bed, two nights in the car was enough to make them crave a mattress, and it wasn't too shabby either. It *was* shabby - just not too much. It folded out from the wall, and when it was up, a framed, glass-free picture of flowers hung there securely, supposedly as a distraction, but it didn't really hide the visible seams in the wall.
It wasn't horrible in some ways, but even if their bathroom was a communal one they had to share with the whole floor, and was located behind a door at the end of the hallway - it was their place. They would live here together, with no one to tell them what to do and where to go, and for Rox, it sounded heavenly.
JJ came in with Dave, each carrying a box. It had taken them a while to clear JJ's things out of the trunk after they found some boxes, but they were finally finished. Roxanne stood to greet them with a smile.
"Didn't I tell you I would do it?" Dave asked with a grand smile.
"You said you would *try*," JJ corrected. "But you did, and thank you, a lot. We really needed a place."
Dave dropped the box and looked at the couple. "Looks like we won't have to go to the high school reunion to find out who got married right out of school. I can't believe you guys did it."
"We did," JJ affirmed, dropping the box and leaning on the counter. "Now it's more about where do we go from here?"
"Good question," Rox said, leaning next to him.
Dave shook his head, and looked to his watch. "I have to go. But I'll stop by later this week."
"Thanks again," Rox said warmly, and JJ reached out to shake his friend's hand. After he left JJ looked around.
"What do you think?"
"It's private," she smiled. "No rocking car."
"A definite plus," he nodded, reaching for her and kissing her lips.
"I didn't think we would get it this early, but you were right, Mr. Higgin's did like you. All you did was talk to him on the phone after Dave mentioned it."
"I'm a charmer," he teased.
"I know," she affirmed, holding him closer.
"Now we have to figure out what to do . . . What about school?"
Roxanne released him and turned to explore the kitchen. "I won't go anymore."
"NO."
He said it so firmly she spun around to face him. "Why?"
"Because they expect us to fail, Roxanne. We can't."
She eyed him for a moment and nodded. "You're right."
"And I have to get a job."
Rox grew quiet at that, she wanted to volunteer herself, but something held her back.
"What is it?" JJ asked as she hushed up. She looked over, and he knew by her expression. "You have a . . . job."
"Kinda," she shrugged. "I guess I did."
She sighed and fingered the dusty countertop.
"Rox?"
"Do you think . . ."
"I . . . don't think so."
She nodded slowly, trying to resign herself to it. She hadn't mentioned her hope until now. She loved dancing on television; Bandstand was part of the things that made her happy and satisfied. She laughed a little morose laugh.
"I guess they don't want a married woman on the show." A tear moved down her face with that, then another, and another. JJ went to her, putting his arms around her.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she said through a sniffle. "It's not the only thing I had."
JJ bit his tongue. She did have more, because of him, it was gone now. He thought back to last night, another spent in car. All the things that leaked into his mind as he held her close. All the things she would be missing because of the life they had now. She hugged him tightly and he held her while regret settled in him, they were here now, in this little apartment, with hardly any money, and hardly any inclination that things would be better.
He shouldn't have done this to her.
**