A/N: Thank you again for all the reviews! By the way, just to let you know, you come to hate me by the end of this story because of how I'm writing the character of Iris. I've read some wonderful J/A stories and their portrayal of Iris and I know that I'm not the only one writing her this way. That doesn't mean I like her... I don't... I just want her off my screen and away from Adam. But for now, I'm just going to play around and make her say and do sensible things... like help bring together Joan and Adam *big grin* Anyway, enough w/ my notes... on with the story!
Chapter Four: Fun With 3 Letter Words
Joan Giradi was prepared for a quiet lunch hour with her brother in the otherwise crowded school cafeteria. It wasn't that she didn't look forward to more time spent with her friends, because she truly enjoyed the company of Grace and Adam... she just had a lot to think about.
Especially considering what had happened yesterday afternoon. Joan wouldn't admit it directly but she actually enjoyed talking with Mr. Price. At least the Price that was stuck in that hospital room and away from school. Whatever that accident had done to him, for he really didn't say much about it and she never really asked, it had somehow changed his whole attitude. Overall, Joan was surprised, and even relieved, to discover that Price was capable of being... well, human.
Though her visit lasted past the ten minutes she had planned, Joan was well aware in order to avoid being discovered, she had to make it home before dinner. Joan left with a quiet understanding between them that this would be a one time only visit. He had sincerely thanked her once more, something that Joan actually wished she could tell the others about. Then again, after they're done mocking her, they still wouldn't believe her! At a quarter to five, she had ended her visit with Price.
Joan made it home in time for dinner with her family. She had made a weak, yet somewhat believable, excuse that she had spent most of the afternoon with a friend that needed her help. It wasn't exactly a total lie... And as long as her mother, who seemed more than preoccupied on dinner, bought the excuse, Joan didn't have anything to worry about. Well, at least for now until Mr. Price returns to school...
Which was just one of a few minor details about her visit with Price that still seemed to vex her. She could somewhat understand how his co-workers haven't bothered to visit him, but what about his family? He's in the hospital for goodness' sakes! For, what Joan could guess, a long period of time.
Joan knew that it was pointless to ponder on such things, considering that it was a one time visit. However, she just couldn't let it go and was more than content to reflect on such questions during lunch.
Until someone showed up to change all that... "So, Joan, did you talk to your father yet?"
Joan, along with Luke, looked up from their food at the arrival of Grace. She sat herself across from Luke on the lunch table, setting down her own brown bagged lunch. While waiting for Joan's answer, she pulled out a ziplock bag filled with grapes. She took one look at Luke and set the grapes a little closer to her, an act which he smiled with quite amusement.
"Talk to dad about what?" He asked, glancing at his sister, who was gently picking on her food with a fork.
"Grace just wants me to dig deep into my Italian nonexistent mafia roots." Joan jammed her fork into the school's meat loaf... at least she hopes that it was meat loaf...
Popping a grape into her mouth, "Well... excuse me if I prefer that the Eye 'sleeps with the fishes' instead of sleeping with--"
"Ah!" Joan tossed her fork aside as her hands automatically jumped to her ears. Luke winced right along with her, though more for her loud reaction than the mental picture she had flinched over.
Rubbing his ear, nodding, "Thank you Grace, for that unnecessary imagery of Adam Rove."
Grace snickered, "Relax, Joan. Sex. It's just one of those three letter words."
"Just a three letter word?" Luke raised an eyebrow at her, a mildly amused smile on his face. He glanced at Joan, who was giving their friend the same disbelieving look.
"Do the math, Science Pimp." Tossing another grape into her mouth. "Like cat. C-A-T, one, two, three letters? Dog. Toy..."
"Boy?" Luke added his own input.
Joan, grinning, played along, "Joy."
Grace watched as the two Giradi siblings began tossing the three letter words around.
One from Luke, "Sun."
Another from Joan, "Fun."
"Hot."
"Art..." Joan smiled softly.
"Stop!" Grace cried out, holding out her hands. "Both of you are having a little too much fun here..."
Luke smirked at Grace before glancing at Joan, "'Stop' isn't a three letter word."
"He's right." Joan agreed, "But you gotta give her credit. She did mention 'too'. And 'you'."
"Don't forget 'are', Joan."
"Oh yeah, can't forget 'are'."
"And, Joan, you yourself also mentioned the words her, she, did, and and."
"Luke, let's not forget the most common three letter word: 'THE'." Joan mocked with an edge of seriousness.
With mock surprise, "Wow, Joan... how could we have almost forgotten that word?"
A growl escaped Grace's lips, which only caused the Giradi kids to teeter on the brink of laughter. "If I hear another three letter word--" She began warning them, but was interrupted by...
"Hey."
Grace spun around, her face scrunched up in annoyance. Joan and Luke, however, began collapsing into a laughter fit. All this was completely lost on Adam and Iris, whom had just walked up to their table.
Adam regarded his friends uneasily, especially now as Grace turned and buried her head under her arms. He locked eyes with Joan, who could only offer a shrug and a smile. "Uh... is it okay if we join you guys?"
Wordlessly, Grace, with her head still down, scooted on down to allow Adam to sit next to her, and Iris right next to him.
Deciding to bite the bullet, Iris asked, "What's wrong with Grace?"
"Nothing!" Grace suddenly looked up, her eyes staring down at Luke and Joan. As if daring either of them to say anything, "Nothing's wrong! Right?"
"Yep." Grinned Luke.
"Not a one..." Joan giggled.
Adam glanced at each of them, even more confused. He finally looked over at Iris, who was just as out of the loop as he was. "Oh... kay..."
"So!" Grace clapped her hands together, wanting to change the topic quickly. Meeting eyes with Luke, "Overheard ol' brillohead ranting about dinosaurs before chem class. What's the deal, Giradi? Friedman found a new fetish?"
"It's nothing, Grace. Friedman just got it into his head to start some kind of movie night tradition amongst friends..."
"Friedman's finally tired of spending the nights alone... with his PC?" Joan teased, causing a snicker to escape Grace's lips.
"Something like that. Anyway, he wants to hold a Jurassic Park marathon." The sound of reluctance evident in his voice. He glanced at Joan, "At our house. So, I'm going to ask you guys merely for sanity's sake... would you like to join us?"
Adam glanced around the entire table, which still consisted of himself, Iris, Grace, Luke and Joan. Unsure, "Are you inviting all of us?" Which was basically his own subtle way of asking if Iris was also welcomed. He knew that Grace was still having trouble accepting her, but he also knew that Joan seemed to be okay with Iris. And if Jane was okay...
Luke, obviously not sensing what Adam truly meant by his question, gave the other young man a "Why not?" look. Answering him, "Uh... of course. The more people, the merrier."
Grace had finished off the last of her grapes when she asked Luke, "Does the bunny know of your little dino-mania, Giradi?"
Giving Grace a confused look before realizing who she was talking about. "Bun-- oh! You mean Glynnis? Yeah... she actually insisted on bringing the popcorn."
Grace then turned to Joan, with a raised look, "Are you joining their little festivities? Joan?"
"What?" She replied, startled. For the past minute, Joan had been down, staring at her plate. She had found herself preoccupied on the meat loaf.
"Jane, I'm pretty sure that it's dead now." Adam commented, especially having watched Joan constantly stab at the slab of meat for most of that minute. He gave her an amused smile, which she caught and began to blush.
She wasn't the only one that caught that endearing exchange. Iris, who for most part of the conversation, kept quiet and silently soaked everything and everyone in. Regarding Adam and Joan at that moment, Iris couldn't help but feel a stir of jealousy. Especially realizing that little moments like she had just witnessed were what made everyone believe that Adam and Joan were a couple.
Joan, embarrassed at having been caught doing something stupid, especially by Adam no less, shook her head and tried to shrug it off. Pushing the plate away, she attempted to focus on the conversation at hand. "Uh, what were you saying, Grace?"
Casting her a knowing smirk, "Movie night? You in with the Science Pimp or what?"
"Oh, she's in." Luke answered for his sister.
"I am?" She replied, caught off guard. "How do you know that I didn't have plans of my own tonight?"
With the exception of Adam and Iris, Joan was met with incredulous looks. Reluctantly, she bowed her head in defeat. "Okay, fine... I'm in. But it still would've been nice if you had asked if I had plans."
Joan picked up her fork, now with intentions to spend the rest of the lunch period building a mash potato volcano. It was trivial, but a much needed distraction from either watching Adam and Iris act all couple-like, or watching Luke and Grace banter off each other.
That's when Joan got some much needed intervention...
Her eyes momentarily flickered away from her food and immediately locked eyes with a familiar face. Or familiar form if you will... There was God, leaning against the wall of the cafeteria next to the exit, draped in gothic attire. God gave a small knowing smile, followed by a raise of his pierced eyebrow. Then, without saying a word, turned to leave the area.
Thus Joan realized was her cue to follow him. Or at least to find out what insane project God had in store for her. She jumped out of her seat, startling everyone around her.
"Jane?" Adam watched her, yet again confused by her behavior.
Quickly gathering her belongings, she picked up her lunch tray and tossed her friends a weary smile. Meekly, "I'll see you guys later, okay? I gotta go."
"Why?" Luke asked, realizing that he's once again asking for a questionable response from her. He was beginning to suspect that there was something in Arcadia's water supply because Joan wasn't this crazy before they moved here.
With a frustrated sigh, because God tended to bring out that side of her, "What do the words 'I gotta go' don't you understand, Einstein?"
An awkward, if not stunned, silence fell upon the group as they watched Joan stalk away to dump her garbage and then race on out the door. Adam, Grace, and Luke then turned to look at one another, while Iris just absorbed it all in. Finally, she broke the silence with, "Joan does this sort of erratic thing often, huh?"
JoA~~JoA~~JoA
