17. Normality
"I am so happy to be out of there," Joan said, stepping into her living room Monday afternoon. After being held up in the hospital all weekend, she was thrilled to be out of there. She threw herself down on the couch and let out a sigh.
"Don't get too comfortable, you missed two weeks of school," Helen told her daughter. Joan looked at the mountain of books sitting on the table.
"But I just got out of the hospital. Shouldn't there be, I don't know, a grace period or something?"
"You're going back on Monday," Will told her.
"That's.. that's not fair!" Joan protested.
"Life isn't fair," Luke said, coming down the stairs. He picked up the phone and started back upstairs, then remembered Joan had received a message while she was being checked out of the hospital.
"Adam called," Luke said.
"Then give me the phone so I can call him back dog boy," Joan told him.
"Use your cell phone, I need to call someone."
"Who? Your girlfriend?" she asked, momentarily forgetting he actually had one
"Actually, yeah," he told her, going up to his room.
"Ah, the house was too peaceful without them fighting, I think I missed it," Will told Helen.
"Yeah," Helen said. "Well, I've got some papers to grade."
*
Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Joan got up and answered it.
"Hey guys, why are you knocking?" Joan asked Adam and Grace, who usually just walked into the house.
"Rove's idea. Since you just got out of the hospital," Grace explained. Joan stepped back, letting them into the house. Adam wrapped an arm around Joan's waist and pulled her in for a kiss.
"Could you two not do that around me?" Grace asked. Adam and Joan broke their kiss with a laugh.
"I don't think so, sorry. Luke's upstairs," Joan told Grace, kissing Adam again. Grace shuddered and walked upstairs to Luke's room.
"Hey nerd." Luke turned around in his desk chair.
"Hey," he said. "What's up?"
"Your sister and Rove are all over each other downstairs," Grace told him, taking a seat on his bed.
"Well, they are going out, that's usually how people who are going out act.." Luke told her, getting up from the chair and moving next to her on the bed.
"Yeah, I know." There was silence for a moment, then Grace spoke up. "Hey, Luke?" he turned and looked at her.
"Hm?" he asked. She took his face in her hands and kissed him.
*
"Hey dog boy, Grace-" Joan said, opening Luke's door. Joan let out a sigh before finishing the sentence. "Grace, get off my brother," she said. Grace sat up on the bed and cleared her throat, turning red. Luke remained laying down, blushing like mad. "Adam and I are gonna catch a movie. You guys wanna come?"
"Uh.. sure.." Luke said. Joan looked to Grace.
"Alright. Just no-"
"Chick flicks. Got it," Joan said.
*
Joan, Luke and Grace handed Adam their money and he placed it on the counter with his own. "Four," he said to the girl. She lifted her head.
"Adam, hey."
"Iris, I didn't know you worked here, yo," Adam said.
"I just started. I need the money," she told him, handing him the tickets. "So, what have you been up to lately?"
"Just a lot of work. And I started this new piece for class. Hey, I get off work in a minute, do you guys mind if I catch a movie with you?" she asked. Adam turned to face Joan.
"Sure," she said with a weak smile.
*
After the movie, the five went and brought slurpies.
"Do you ever get sick of these things?" Luke asked his sister. She took a drink.
"No way. They're awesome. Like that movie," Joan said.
"I thought the movie was stupid," Grace told Joan.
"Yeah, but come on Grace, Christopher Marquette is hot!" Adam turned and looked at her.
"You thought he was hot, yo?" he asked.
"Actually, he sort of resembles you," Joan told him.
"Yeah, I noticed that too," Iris said.
"Still, Girl Next Door, bad movie. One of those stupid teen American Pie-like movies," Grace told them, taking a drink of her own slurpie.
"I didn't think it was that horrible yo," Adam said.
"One, you're male. Two, it was about a porn star," Grace told him.
"Yeah, but it's got people for both genders. A porn star for the guys-" Joan started.
"And Chris Marquette for the girls," Iris finished.
"Right."
"Sorry, I don't find the dude attractive," Grace told them.
"Yet you find nerd boy attractive? Grace Polk, you are one twisted person," Joan said.
"Hey! Are you saying I'm not attractive?" Luke asked Joan.
"I'm your older sister. Do you really want me to answer that?" Joan asked him.
"Never mind," Luke said.
"Well, this is my stop. Thanks for the movie and the slurpies guys. See you at school," Iris said, walking down the driveway to her house.
"It's cool you two are finally getting along, yo," Adam told Joan.
"Yeah. I guess she's not as bad as I thought. I'm just happy she forgave me. I was a real jerk to her," Joan said. Grace snickered.
"That's an understatement," she said.
"Thanks Grace, that's helping," Joan told her.
"Hey, it's my job to be rude," Grace told her, throwing her empty cup in someones trash can.
"Yeah, but it was true," Luke responded.
"Sure, everyone's ganging up on Joan," Joan said as they passed a familiar street singer, singing 'One of Us' very off key.
"Oh God, it's him again," Grace said.
"Hey, I'll catch up with you guys," Joan told them, stopping. The other three kept walking.
"Yeah?" Joan asked God once they were gone.
"Don't sound so angry Joan, I didn't tell you to stop."
"I don't even know how to respond to that. So, what's my assignment now?" God adjusted His guitar.
"Have fun," He told her.
"The last time you told me to have fun I had to throw that awful party."
"You don't have to throw a party this time Joan, just be a normal teenager and have fun," God told her.
"I talk to God, I don't think normal is an option anymore," Joan remarked.
"Joan. I just came to tell you I wont be coming around for awhile. So the assignment I have for you while I'm gone is to just have fun with your friends. And be nice to Iris," God said.
"Do I have to do that last part?" Joan questioned.
"Free will Joan. Now go catch up with your friends. They're waiting for you," God told her, going back to singing. Joan looked at him one last time before leaving to catch up with Adam, Grace and Luke.
-End-
Authors Notes: 17 is an odd chapter to end on. *shrugs* I was trying to get to 20 but half way through 17 I decided it needed to end. Hope you liked this story, and my next one will be up soon.
"I am so happy to be out of there," Joan said, stepping into her living room Monday afternoon. After being held up in the hospital all weekend, she was thrilled to be out of there. She threw herself down on the couch and let out a sigh.
"Don't get too comfortable, you missed two weeks of school," Helen told her daughter. Joan looked at the mountain of books sitting on the table.
"But I just got out of the hospital. Shouldn't there be, I don't know, a grace period or something?"
"You're going back on Monday," Will told her.
"That's.. that's not fair!" Joan protested.
"Life isn't fair," Luke said, coming down the stairs. He picked up the phone and started back upstairs, then remembered Joan had received a message while she was being checked out of the hospital.
"Adam called," Luke said.
"Then give me the phone so I can call him back dog boy," Joan told him.
"Use your cell phone, I need to call someone."
"Who? Your girlfriend?" she asked, momentarily forgetting he actually had one
"Actually, yeah," he told her, going up to his room.
"Ah, the house was too peaceful without them fighting, I think I missed it," Will told Helen.
"Yeah," Helen said. "Well, I've got some papers to grade."
*
Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Joan got up and answered it.
"Hey guys, why are you knocking?" Joan asked Adam and Grace, who usually just walked into the house.
"Rove's idea. Since you just got out of the hospital," Grace explained. Joan stepped back, letting them into the house. Adam wrapped an arm around Joan's waist and pulled her in for a kiss.
"Could you two not do that around me?" Grace asked. Adam and Joan broke their kiss with a laugh.
"I don't think so, sorry. Luke's upstairs," Joan told Grace, kissing Adam again. Grace shuddered and walked upstairs to Luke's room.
"Hey nerd." Luke turned around in his desk chair.
"Hey," he said. "What's up?"
"Your sister and Rove are all over each other downstairs," Grace told him, taking a seat on his bed.
"Well, they are going out, that's usually how people who are going out act.." Luke told her, getting up from the chair and moving next to her on the bed.
"Yeah, I know." There was silence for a moment, then Grace spoke up. "Hey, Luke?" he turned and looked at her.
"Hm?" he asked. She took his face in her hands and kissed him.
*
"Hey dog boy, Grace-" Joan said, opening Luke's door. Joan let out a sigh before finishing the sentence. "Grace, get off my brother," she said. Grace sat up on the bed and cleared her throat, turning red. Luke remained laying down, blushing like mad. "Adam and I are gonna catch a movie. You guys wanna come?"
"Uh.. sure.." Luke said. Joan looked to Grace.
"Alright. Just no-"
"Chick flicks. Got it," Joan said.
*
Joan, Luke and Grace handed Adam their money and he placed it on the counter with his own. "Four," he said to the girl. She lifted her head.
"Adam, hey."
"Iris, I didn't know you worked here, yo," Adam said.
"I just started. I need the money," she told him, handing him the tickets. "So, what have you been up to lately?"
"Just a lot of work. And I started this new piece for class. Hey, I get off work in a minute, do you guys mind if I catch a movie with you?" she asked. Adam turned to face Joan.
"Sure," she said with a weak smile.
*
After the movie, the five went and brought slurpies.
"Do you ever get sick of these things?" Luke asked his sister. She took a drink.
"No way. They're awesome. Like that movie," Joan said.
"I thought the movie was stupid," Grace told Joan.
"Yeah, but come on Grace, Christopher Marquette is hot!" Adam turned and looked at her.
"You thought he was hot, yo?" he asked.
"Actually, he sort of resembles you," Joan told him.
"Yeah, I noticed that too," Iris said.
"Still, Girl Next Door, bad movie. One of those stupid teen American Pie-like movies," Grace told them, taking a drink of her own slurpie.
"I didn't think it was that horrible yo," Adam said.
"One, you're male. Two, it was about a porn star," Grace told him.
"Yeah, but it's got people for both genders. A porn star for the guys-" Joan started.
"And Chris Marquette for the girls," Iris finished.
"Right."
"Sorry, I don't find the dude attractive," Grace told them.
"Yet you find nerd boy attractive? Grace Polk, you are one twisted person," Joan said.
"Hey! Are you saying I'm not attractive?" Luke asked Joan.
"I'm your older sister. Do you really want me to answer that?" Joan asked him.
"Never mind," Luke said.
"Well, this is my stop. Thanks for the movie and the slurpies guys. See you at school," Iris said, walking down the driveway to her house.
"It's cool you two are finally getting along, yo," Adam told Joan.
"Yeah. I guess she's not as bad as I thought. I'm just happy she forgave me. I was a real jerk to her," Joan said. Grace snickered.
"That's an understatement," she said.
"Thanks Grace, that's helping," Joan told her.
"Hey, it's my job to be rude," Grace told her, throwing her empty cup in someones trash can.
"Yeah, but it was true," Luke responded.
"Sure, everyone's ganging up on Joan," Joan said as they passed a familiar street singer, singing 'One of Us' very off key.
"Oh God, it's him again," Grace said.
"Hey, I'll catch up with you guys," Joan told them, stopping. The other three kept walking.
"Yeah?" Joan asked God once they were gone.
"Don't sound so angry Joan, I didn't tell you to stop."
"I don't even know how to respond to that. So, what's my assignment now?" God adjusted His guitar.
"Have fun," He told her.
"The last time you told me to have fun I had to throw that awful party."
"You don't have to throw a party this time Joan, just be a normal teenager and have fun," God told her.
"I talk to God, I don't think normal is an option anymore," Joan remarked.
"Joan. I just came to tell you I wont be coming around for awhile. So the assignment I have for you while I'm gone is to just have fun with your friends. And be nice to Iris," God said.
"Do I have to do that last part?" Joan questioned.
"Free will Joan. Now go catch up with your friends. They're waiting for you," God told her, going back to singing. Joan looked at him one last time before leaving to catch up with Adam, Grace and Luke.
-End-
Authors Notes: 17 is an odd chapter to end on. *shrugs* I was trying to get to 20 but half way through 17 I decided it needed to end. Hope you liked this story, and my next one will be up soon.
