"Ugh... That was an epic fail." he said to himself, arriving back at the Polynesian cousins' home. JD had just confronted Brooke Belrose for all of the terrible things she had done in the last year.
"Damn, man." he said, feeling defeat. "What a waste."
"It was inevitable." Beli said, knowing he was disappointed in trying to reason with a narcissistic business woman.
"Y-Yeah. Still, this sucks." he replied, obviously overwhelmed.
The Indian put her hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that it wasn't worth it.
"Listen, Ms. Belrose is a lost cause. You're probably better off cutting her loose than keeping her in your life. The toxicity isn't good for your mental health."
He smiled at her, realizing that she was right. This is another Waffleslam situation: The person was nice only to use me for their own personal gain. Shit, maybe I should've seen this coming though.
Simon awkwardly stood there, not sure what they were doing.
"Uh... Why are we here again?" the pudgy nerd asked.
"We're just here to visit one of my old friends, Simey." the Indian said to her naïve boyfriend.
Oh yeah, she's an old friend, alright. Heh heh...
JD opened the front door of Kiko's house. There, he was greeted by the Polynesian mother, who looked as if she had just came home from work.
"There you are." she said, seeing Justin at the front door.
"Yeah, I'm back. Sorry it took so long."
Suddenly, Kiko noticed the two other people he brought with him. Considering she was still a bit intoxicated, it took her an extra minute to notice the two other figures standing in front of her.
"Who are these lovely ladies?" she asked, obviously seeing both of them in a blurred vision.
"Ladies?" the pudgy nerd asked, not knowing if she was being sarcastic or not.
"Why does one of your prostitutes sound like a man?"
"Kiko!" he shouted, outraged that her first indication was that he brought prostitutes with him.
"What? Are one of them transgender?"
Ugh, this is getting very ridiculous. Lailani oughta do what Tiffany did with Audrey earlier this year.
"No, no. It's nothing like that. They're just a couple of friends. Your cousin will be happy to see them."
"Ah," the Polynesian said. "Doing a three-way, I see?"
"Oh gosh..." Beli said, feeling very uncomfortable with Kiko's constant sexual remarks.
He looked at her, knowing that this has happened many times before.
"Don't mind her, Beli. She's just a little drunk, that's all." he said, reassuring the Indian woman that this was all nothing but drunken rambling.
She nodded, proceeding to come in with her boyfriend. It had been a while since each of them crossed paths, especially after she found herself a potential long-term partner.
"Ms. Lapran? W-What are you doing here?" Lailani said, surprised to see her former yoga instructor/friend with benefits in the living room.
She smiled at her. "I came to visit my old friend, of course." Beli said, coming in for a reunion-hug.
They both smiled at each other, trying not to think too hard about their previous relationship. However, the Polynesian girl suddenly shifted her focus on JD.
"So, I take it things didn't go so well with Ms. Belrose?" she asked.
He shook his head, confirming that Brooke was definitely too consumed by greed to be reasoned with.
"I'm sorry." she said, giving another unnecessary apology.
"Lailani, stop apologizing. I'm the one who should be sorry. I tried though." he replied, still feeling discouraged.
She hugged him, knowing that he was feeling a bit defeated after the unfortunate encounter with the 40-year old business woman he once considered an ally.
"I tried to tell you."
"I know, I know." he immediately replied. "But hey, who needs her? We have our own family to tend to. This is all we need. Fuck Brooke for abandoning hers and ghosting her niece."
It was good to see him fully move on from her betrayal. The rage he once had was now turned into acceptance. It is what it is...
"Speaking of family: Would you want to spend Thanksgiving with us or go home early?" the Polynesian girl asked.
This was a lot to take in. It was funny to think that last year, he was eating Thanksgiving dinner at Love Lei Hotel with Brooke's approval. This year, however, seemed like it was going to be a major downgrade as to what he had before.
After giving it some thought, he then made his decision.
"You know what? This is a special time. I'll be more than happy to spend Thanksgiving with you."
She smiled, happy he approved.
"Good."
"And, as a bonus: I'll help prepare the feast." he said.
"Really?"
He nodded, confirming he wanted to cook as well.
"Thank you. I'd really appreciate it." she said, showing gratitude towards Justin.
"Eh, it's no problem. Kiko probably couldn't do it, considering she's uh..."
She nodded, knowing what he was trying to imply.
They all settled down after a long and somewhat productive day. Lailani and Beli finally had a reunion after many months of silence.
"So, how's Ray been?" the Indian asked.
"Ray? Oh, he's been OK. I believe he's still recovering from some injury he had several months ago."
Beli nodded, remembering this.
"I'm just glad he's OK. Didn't you say he sent a final text message or something?"
"Yep." Lailani replied. "He thought he was gonna die. All I know is that it was pretty bad. I'm just glad he's OK. Whatever happened must've been excessive."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that." the Indian replied.
Simon stared at them, almost feeling left out of the conversation. JD, on the other hand, was in the kitchen making them dinner.
"Ah, couldn't hurt to get a little practice before we have the big feast." he said to himself, preparing a meal for everyone.
He looked at a recipe book that Kiko had laying around her house. He was making a cheeseburger pie for him, Lailani, Tawna, Kiko, and possibly Beli and Simon.
Gotta make sure I make enough for everyone he thought to himself.
As he was preparing the deep layers of beef, cheese, and other various ingredients, his phone began to ring.
"Vinnie?" he said, realizing that his Brazilian veteran friend was calling him.
He answered, hoping that he wasn't mad about his absence with the wedding plan.
"Hello?" Justin answered.
"Hey, JD." he said, sounding a bit on edge.
"Hi, Vin. What's going on? Is this about the wedding?"
"No, no. It has nothing to do with that. I know you were in the psych ward."
Oh, so he knows. Tiffany must've told him...
"Y-Yeah." he said. "So, why did you call then?"
The Brazilian gulped. JD knew something was up just by the tone of his voice.
"Everything OK?" he asked.
"Not really. But, I called because I need some advice."
Advice? What kind of advice could he possibly want from me?
"Go on."
"So, I have to make a decision and I was hoping I could get some input." the Brazilian veteran said, sounding a bit ominous.
"Okay?"
"So, I'm in Florida right now and-"
"FLORIDA?!" he shouted, unintentionally cutting him off.
"Yeah?"
"Vinnie, what the fuck are you doing in Florida right now?" he asked, surprised to hear him that far away from Commotion City.
"It's a long story. But look, I need some input. Let's just say I have a friend that lives down here. Me and him have been getting into trouble, arguing over shit you wouldn't understand. He's offering a truce, as long as he gets an invite to me and Kyanna's wedding."
Huh? That's pretty weird.
"That's kind of weird, Vin." Justin stated, being honest.
"I know." he replied. "But he seems like a pretty reasonable guy, though I have trust issues. I was hoping my best man could give the final say on the whole thing. I don't know what else to do right now."
"Well, Vin. Like you said to me when I asked about proposing to Tiffany: That's your choice, buddy. Honestly. if he's reasonable, maybe you should go ahead and invite him, if that's all he wants. At the same time, I don't really know your friend, personally."
"Honestly," Vin replied, sounding a bit conflicted. "I don't really know my friend either, JD"
Hearing the sudden shift in tone made him highly concerned for his Brazilian friend.
"Are you OK, Vinnie?"
The Brazilian let out a sigh.
"Honestly, no. I'm not. There's been a lot of pressure as of late. I'm worried about my family, my future. It's bad enough my deadbeat brother's missing, probably dead."
I wonder if I should tell him... No, it's not worth it.
"If you need any help, I can try to lend a hand." JD offered, hoping to make things easier for his less-fortunate friend.
"No, I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle. I've been through worse."
I sure hope so.
"So, Florida, eh?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Yep. Palm Ocean City, home of naked chicks, crackheads, and alligators." he stated, trying to lighten the mood.
He paused for a second. Hearing that somewhat out-of-character statement from Vin made him feel both joyed, yet slightly concerned.
I really hope he's doing OK. I know he has severe PTSD from the war.
"So, Inna De Poona?" the Brazilian said, changing the subject on where his skinny nerd friend was at.
JD shook his head, not in the mood to discuss the island with the suggestive name. They talked for a bit, all while he cooked dinner for his friends.
After their conversation, he sent Audrey a quick message to break the bad news of her aunt's current status.
'Hey, Audrey. I know we haven't talked much, or at ALL since the intervention. I just wanna let you know that I'm sorry that I said all of that crap to you, though I don't remember half of it. I'm on Inna De Poona rn. Not sure if Tiff told you, but I'm staying here until the end of this month. I spoke to Brooke and she's a lost cause. I'm sorry. But I tried. You're probably better off cutting her loose, just like the rest of your fam did with you.
Take care of yourself, okay? Watch after Tiffany. See you when I come back to CC. Again, I'm sorry for all the bullshit that happened. I'll make it up to you. -JD'
He clicked send, hoping that she'd take it in a mature way. He had to break the news one way or another, but he also knew what this was like.
Later on, after everyone had eaten, the Polynesian girl called his name.
"Justin?" she said.
He came into her room. "Yeah?"
Lailani sighed, feeling it was finally time to take care of something she should've taken care of long ago.
"It's time." she said, being vey serious.
He nodded, knowing that there was more important business at hand.
"I know. Let me just get the moisturizer first."
He then grabbed a small tube and squirted the white cream onto his slightly-cracked hands.
"My hands were a little dry." he stated, rubbing it on.
Lailani then began to run a bath for him, grabbing an odd-looking bottle from the cabinet, looking as if it were still sealed.
As the bath ran, he figured he'd chat with her while it was filling up.
"So... Who's your boyfriend?" he asked.
She looked at him, not realizing that he knew this information.
"How did you know I had a boyfriend?"
JD smirked. "Come on, Lailani. It's no secret. I heard you and Beli talking earlier. Ray, eh?"
The Polynesian sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed talking about her current relationship with the same man who had done three-ways with her the previous year.
"Y-Yeah. Ray. He's my boyfriend."
"Ah," he replied. "So, where'd you meet him at?"
"Heh... I met him while working at the hotel one day."
Oh shit... Just like me!
"So you DID take my advice I gave you last December?"
The Polynesian girl nodded, knowing what he was referencing.
"I'm just glad you took that route instead of the dating sites." he added.
"Yep. He's a pretty nice guy. A little geeky, but nice. He's Japanese too, so that's a plus."
Justin looked at her in an odd way. "Since when did you become Suki?"
Lailani chuckled, knowing he was being sarcastic. "That's a good one, JD."
The water eventually filled up.
"Looks like your bath is ready." she said.
JD looked at it, curious as to what she her strategy was going to be, as far as removing the black hair dye he's had for over a month.
He got in the tub, feeling slightly insecure that she was seeing his flimsy, slightly-scarred up body, which most definitely had seen better days.
She then reached for the odd-looking bottle, breaking the seal and pouring a good amount onto her hands.
"So, what's this shampoo you're using again?"
"It's an herbal shampoo from the Nymphoplant, which grows here on the island."
First, sleeping oils. Now, herbal shampoo. God, maybe the Nymphojinn have more uses than just being horny space hookers wanting to destroy the universe.
"Right. I'm glad it's herbal. I can't stand artificial fragrances." he stated, bringing up his distaste for unnatural hygiene products.
"Don't worry. I never use anything like that."
Lailani then put the shampoo in his wet, black hair. She then began to gently massage his scalp, rinsing every last ounce of black in his hair.
Ah, this feels nice. She's DEFINITELY a certified massage therapist.
After a while of gentle rubbing, deep relaxation, and satisfaction, his hair finally reverted back to it's original, rich-brown color that everyone knew him for.
"That's so much better." the Polynesian girl stated, relieved to finally see her long-distance friend's natural hair again.
She then gave him a towel, allowing him to dry off. Upon looking in the mirror, he now saw himself for the first time in forever.
"Well, I'll be damned..." he said, amazed that the herbal shampoo worked. After a long month of seeing himself with a black shirt, blue pants, and ugly, black hair, it was refreshing to see himself in his former glory.
He then turned to Lailani, thankful that she managed to get the dye out.
"T-Thank you, Lailani."
She smiled, hugging him once again. "No problem, Justin. That's what I'm here for."
The Polynesian girl then let out a cute chuckle, making him feel happy to know a loving girl like her.
They both came out in the living room, catching a now-hungover Kiko and her 8 year old daughter off guard.
"Holy shit..." the Polynesian mother said. "So, THAT'S your natural hair color?"
He nodded. "Yep. Sorry to disappoint."
She shook her head. "No, no. I'm not disappointed. You look handsome with that color."
He smiled, somewhat glad she approved of this.
"Never dye your hair again." Kiko added.
"Oh, I know. Trust me, I had no control over it."
Tawna suddenly tugged him by the pants. "Justin?"
He looked down at her. "Yes, Tawna?"
"You're not sad."
He smiled, still amazed at the young child's innocence.
"Not sad. Not right now, at least."
"And I'll make sure you won't be sad for another month." Lailani said.
He turned to her, wondering what she had meant.
"What are you-?"
Suddenly, the Polynesian girl pulled out a couple of vials. He had seen them before.
"Oh."
"Mhm. We're gonna take some of these tonight. Let's have another lucid dream together."
He gave off another happy smile. Last time they had a lucid dream together, it freaked him out. Regardless, this was much needed to experience once again.
They ended the day taking one of Lailani's special oils, this one being marked for 'Depression'. Even though he STILL thought using magic words for this was corny, the pay-off was well worth it.
