Training Table Blues
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).
This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.
You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE,S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.
To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.
A/N Introduction:
Jocelyn is starting her new life 'with Wade,' her hero, by her side (at least, in spirit), and the first commitment she made: turn her school life around. But, can you do it when you've been the redheaded classroom troublemaker and slacker, you're starting your freshman year at high school, and your old friends want to know just what the heck is going on with you?
Answer: Anything's Possible for Jocelyn Possible in chapter two of Training Table Blues: School-Year Transformation Blues.
Thanks for reading, and please review.
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Chapter 2: School-Year Transformation Blues.
(From the archives and logs of Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load and Dr. Wade Load.)
-----
(Dr. Wade Load)
I'd put off the call as long as I could; I knew that Joss would be up because she had freshman preparatory sessions at the high school, so I had dinner, fed Lucky, and unpacked all of my stuff (love and hate those new bags: good news is that you can shrink-wrap your clothes and pack three times as much in one suitcase; bad news is that you've got three times the amount to unpack).
I powered up the laptop and downloaded everything back to my home server, then called up the PosComm private links, and clicked on JP.
Her face popped up almost immediately: she was in her room at her computer.
"Wade!"
"Sweet Tea!"
"WADE!"
"Sorry, Joss," I grinned, "I couldn't resist.
"How are you, my love?
"Counting down the hours until I kiss you again," and she smiled and giggled.
I love those giggles.
Might as well find out if I'm going to be alone, again….
"Jocelyn, Mom told me I should tell you about Stephanie."
"What about Stephanie?" she sounded worried.
"I never told you, Joss…she was a redhead," I blurted.
"I figured that out, my love," she replied matter-of-factly. "What else?"
Off my shoulders, the weight fell….
"You knew?" I was surprised; well, actually, shocked.
"Of course, silly. Stephanie, Kim, then me…D'oi, there's a pattern there!' she channeled Shego far too well; if that didn't worry me, I'd be as dense as Du-Duh.
"That, and with all the girls and women up here, you only paid any real attention to the redheads; I assumed that you didn't have a strawberry fetish, so it had to be the hair," she added and grinned a self-satisfactory grin.
"Ah, but I do have a strawberry fetish, but it's only for my favorite 'berry," I replied.
"Oooo, I wish you were here so I could hug you!"
"Both Donna and Mom want to know when you're coming down; they both want to meet you," bombshells number two and three.
"Donna?"
"Donna is my shrink, Joss.'"
"Oh. OH!"
"I went to her this afternoon after I left there," I elaborated.
"So, I drove you to your doctor," she grinned.
"Jocelyn, you drive me to distraction all of the time, but not this one: I had to tell her that my demon was caged, for the first time in forever, and you caused it."
"Wade," and she started to tear up.
"This is a good thing, Joss. And, I never, really, told you 'thank you' for doing that."
"Oh, I think you did, love, at our bench," she grinned wickedly, and I grinned back as I remembered that last time at the bench…'Our bench,' she had said, and I smiled on the inside.
"She wants to make dinner for you, Joss, as a 'thank you' from her.
"Joss," I turned serious, "I knew she had cancer, but she told me she's now in N-stage, so you need to come before Thanksgiving," and I almost lost it.
"Wade! I'm so sorry. I wish I were there; I would hold you and help you get thru this, love," and she smiled the most supportive smile.
"I'm looking forward to meeting both of them, Wade. Besides, I want autographs from both Rachel Nathan and Dr. Ryan," and she surprised me again. Anything's Possible….
"OK, love, give. How?"
"I'm not stupid, Wade: I did my research, just like you did before you came up here. Besides, I've been a fan of Rachel Nathan since I was seven, and Mama loved her works…." And she got quieter.
"You ok, Joss?"
She was quiet for a moment, then responded.
"I'm fine, love. I guess I haven't locked down my demon completely, yet, but it's locked up real tight.
"And I've read all of your Dad's books, and I really love his book on Chaos Theory and International Relations; I especially loved his dedication in that one, by the way."
"You are amazing, Joss. That's why I love you," I grinned, and she pouted. "Well, among other reasons," and her pout flipped and became a huge smile.
"Oh, really? And what other reasons?" she asked, with a targeted smile.
"Well, let's start the countdown: you're brilliant; you're beautiful; you look wonderful in your swimsuit, you're sexy, you're caring…" and I went on with my Joss worship session, and she just sat back and ate it up….
"Are you ready for tomorrow, Joss?"
"Not really, love. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to tell my old running buddies that I used to get into trouble with that I'm out of that business, permanently."
"Good for you.
"Besides, the faster you graduate from high school, you can get started with college, and the faster you finish undergraduate…:" I reminded her, and she smiled a glorious and dreamy smile, then she frowned.
"Now, I'll never get to sleep! I'll be up all night, thinking about you!"
"Maybe I should have come back sooner," I said, and she sat up quickly.
"NO! I needed my 'Wadeshine' for as long as I could have it," she whined. "I'll go to bed soon as we finish," she finished.
"Can I watch you change?" I grinned evilly, and she called my bluff.
"Sure thing, love," and she reached down and started to pull off her top.
"NOOOOO! Joss, I was kidding!"
And she pulled the top off to reveal a t-shirt.
"Gotcha, Wade," she smirked, and smiled. "Sorry about that, love, but I couldn't resist. You're so much fun to torture."
"I'd better let you get to sleep, Joss. I love you."
"And, I love you too, Wade. Sweet Dreams, love."
"Only, because they'll be of you, 'Sweet Tea.' Good night." and I cut the circuit as I heard her yell "WA-!"
Lucky, I love that girl.
Lucky just swam up to the side of the tank and stared at me, then turned and swam away.
Still wondering: How did I end up with her in my corner?
I checked the notifications and emails: nothing for Kim and Ron yet, so I set the 'notify' to verbal and decided to go to bed.
Sweet Dreams, my Jocelyn…and I fell asleep in a matter of minutes.
-----
(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)
"WADE" I yelled as he cut the signal, and I grinned at the blank screen.
"Good night, my love. Sweet Dreams. I love you," I whispered to the now-blank screen.
How was I going to explain him to my friends, especially my trouble quartet?
I was out of the trouble business for good.
High school was going to go by quickly: I was looking at 3 years from start, by placing out of some classes and some advanced work with either Western Montana State or Middleton Institute, and then I'd be in Middleton full-time. We could get an apartment, Wade and I…
JOCELYN, STOP! YOU CAN'T MAKE THOSE DECISIONS BY YOURSELF!
YES, I KNOW, BUT I CAN DREAM, CAN'T I?
I hate it when my ego and id got into arguments and leave me out of the conversation….
I'd better crash now, so I can take a bath when I get up and be ready for Daddy to take me to high school.
High School!
Toto, you're not gonna be in Kansas, anymore, and I pulled out my greatest prize:
Wade had left his laundry in the machine one day last week, and I had "borrowed" one of his GJ t-shirts. It was now my sleeping wear, my favorite sleeping wear.
I slipped into it, and imagined he was here.
It felt so good.
I had an epiphany: I know what to tell them, and it'll drive them crazy:
Truth has a way of doing that to people.
Before I lay down, I knelt at my bedside and said my "God-Blesses":
Daddy
Momma
Kim
Ron
Rufus
Rebecca Jane
Arnold
Uncle Jim
Aunt Anne
Cousin Jim
Cousin Tim
Betty
Please, keep Cousin Kim and Ron and Rufus safe from harm.
And, God, thank you for bringing Wade into my life: I know you sent him, because I asked you for a guardian angel, someone who I could love forever and who would love me, unconditionally, and then he came, and he was everything that I asked you for, and more.…
I climbed into bed, and fell asleep almost immediately, and dreamt of my hero.
-----
"Joss! Are you awake?" Daddy was roaming the halls.
"In the kitchen, Daddy," I called back, and drank the last of my orange juice.
"There you are – Joss?" Daddy was staring at me; well, at my clothes, anyway.
"What's wrong, Daddy? Did I spill?" and I looked down at my front: no spillage….
"No…." he grinned. "Darlin', you look wonderful!"
"Thank you, Daddy."
"Where's the 'bad girl' clothes, the ripped jeans, the 'Doc Davis' boots?"
"DADDY! I told you I was changing, and all that had to go. I'll give it to Jen, if she wants it; otherwise, it's all heading to the nearest 'black hole,'" and I grinned.
"Sweet Tea, you don't know how happy that makes me," Daddy smiled.
I liked seeing Daddy smile. He's not done that this often since Momma died….but he's been smiling a lot, since Wade came up, and I had an evil thought….
"Daddy, are you crushing on my BF?" and it was timed perfectly.
Daddy shot coffee across the kitchen counter.
"Jocelyn!"
"Gotcha, Daddy," I answered, and handed him a towel and cleaned up the mess. "I just like seeing you smile so much, lately," I added.
"Because you're happy, Jocelyn, because you're smiling; that's why I'm smiling," he replied and took another gulp of coffee.
I ran over and hugged him.
"Have I told you lately that 'I love you,' Daddy?"
"Last night, before you went to your room, but I never tire of hearing it from you. I love you, too, Joss.
"Did Wade call last night?"
"Yes, he did," and I grinned, dreamily.
"Good. I knew he had a good head on his shoulders."
"He certainly does, Daddy," and I picked up my backpack.
"New?" Daddy asked.
"Gift from Rebecca Jane, when we went shopping the other day," I answered as we walked to the garage, and Daddy popped the locks on the Gourd 160.
"Oh, by the way, Jocelyn: did Wade like the swimsuit you bought?" and Daddy grinned as he backed the truck out to head to school.
"DADDY!"
I just smiled, and I spent most of the 10-minute ride thinking about rubbing more tanning lotion on my tanned wonder.
-----
Daddy came in with me, since he had to sign the papers for me to take AP courses as a freshman. And, of course, Mr. Brickle had to talk to him, but he was going to talk to us.
I knocked on the door: no answer.
"I'm sorry; I'm running late." and Mr. Brickle rolled up in his wheelchair and opened the door to his office. "Come on in, both of you," and he went behind his desk, powered up his terminal, and reached down to pull a file from his desk drawer.
He looked at the file for a few moments, then looked up at me.
"So, you finally decided to step up, Miss Possible?"
"Yes sir, Dr, Brickle," I replied, and he grinned.
"Good! I hoped you would, sooner than later, but I'm glad I get to see it, nonetheless.
"I understand you've had a very interesting summer, Miss Possible," he smiled as he read the file.
"Sir?" Confused….
"You met Steve Barkin, didn't you?" and he put the file folder down.
"Yes, sir," Now, I was real confused.
"I served with Steve on his first tour of duty; that's when I got these," and he pointed at his artificial legs. "Steve called me last week and asked about you and your grades, and then he told me his opinion of you and your 'young man,'" and he smiled a Chesire-Cat smile.
'Do all teachers and principals in the world known each other?'
"He said, and I quote, "'Brick: she's coming in to start the year, and I'd expect to see her and turn everything around. You'll have your hands full with her; but, if she's anything like her cousin, you'll love what she will do as a leader in your student body.'
"He also said that 'If you don't come thru, I should call a Dr. Wade Load and inform him.' Is he your analyst?"
"No, he's my boyfriend," I responded, and Mr. Brickle looked very worried.
"Wade's her 'young man,' Mr. Brickle," Daddy explained, "and he also happens to have a PhD from Middleton Institute, and he's working on his second," and Daddy processed the rest of his earlier comment.
"Steve said that she'd be a leader?" Daddy was shocked.
"He did, indeed, Mr. Possible. Oh, and he had a message for you, too. Something about a bar in Shanghai, somebody named 'Sealie,' and a room called 'The Dragon Walks –' and Daddy cut him off.
"I know the place, Mr. Brickle, and I know Steve," Daddy grinned.
'What was Daddy doing in Shanghai?'
"Good!" and he closed the folder.
"Miss Possible; please understand: the computer registration system could sign you up to take alternate placement tests so you can enroll in the AP classes, but you can't attend them with your grades – hold on, let me finish," as he saw Daddy and me both about to explode," "You can't take them until you test into them."
"You got the tests, Mr. Brickle?"
"Amazingly enough, Ms. Service has all of them, and she's waiting for you in room 103 to begin them in," and he looked up at the clock, "15 minutes. Prove me right, Miss Possible."
"'Check my name,' Mr. Brickle," I channeled Kim, and Daddy smiled, and Mr. Brickle laughed.
"You are indeed her cousin, Miss Possible.
"Do you think that you could convince her to come up here with Ron and Rufus for a visit? I'm sure the student body would enjoy hearing their stories," Mr. Brickle added, and Daddy nodded.
"Consider it done, Mr. Brickle, and you should include Dr. Load, as well; he's the "Q" behind 'Team Possible'" and Daddy stood and shook his hand.
"Done, and done."
"And, thank you, Mr. Brickle, for having faith in my daughter,"
"Thank Steve the next time you see him, and remind him he still owes me that bottle of Glenfiddich," Mr. Brickle smiled and looked at me.
"Do me proud, Miss Possible," and he waved me out of the room.
-----
I spent all day taking tests in World History, American History, American Government, English Literature, English Language, Algebras I and II, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus. I was glad that these weren't on paper anymore: I breezed on the computer terminal, and Ms. Service gawked at me when she saw me typing my essay.
She left partway thru the morning after printing out the results of the tests that I completed before lunch, and she had a disturbed look on her face.
I left the room once, but otherwise my butt was in that chair all day until 3:25 PM when the end-of-day buzzer announced.
Ms. Service came into the room, looking at me strangely.
"You have 30 more minutes to complete your work," she announced, and I stood up and stretched.
"No need; I've been done for an hour, and I've already checked my work, so I just need to release the final tests for grading, and I'm outta here," I sat back down and released the final tests. "There; you have them for review," and I walked over to the door, and then stopped.
"May I have my backpack, please?" and she handed it to me, having had to hold it so I couldn't use any materials in it to cheat on the tests.
'Like I needed it,' I thought, and grinned.
"What's so funny?" Ms. Service asked.
"Nothing, ma'am. Just thinking about something that happened yesterday," I answered.
"May I go, now?"
"Of course, Jocelyn: you can leave." I headed for the door.
"Jocelyn?"
I stopped and turned back to her. "Yes, ma'am?"
She smiled. "I'm so happy for whatever happened to you this summer. You've changed, and for the better, I might add," and she grinned.
"Thank you, ma'am."
I walked out the door, but I decided to tease her a bit.
"I found my hero this summer," I said as I turned my head and looked back at her and smiled.
If that was the worst that I'd done all day….
-----
"J!" a familiar voice, I heard, after I'd left the building and was standing in the parking lot, waiting for Daddy.
"Where the hell have you been all day?" cane from the second
"We never got to nail Pickle even once today." Announced the third.
"What the hell are you wearing? Did you go all 'stream on us this summer, girl?" The fourth was chapped.
I turned and faced them.
There they were, all dressed in black-on-black:
Becky Barlow, my best friend; well, until this past summer, at least; Wade has that role, now….
Jennifer Battle
Fletcher Benge
Carl Butler
It's truth time, Jocelyn.
"I'm past 'stream, y'all. I'm 'bleeding edge,' now," I replied, and Jennifer snorted.
"Like you even know what that means," she spat back at me.
"Like, I know more than you ever dreamed of, Jen, or ever had in your worst nightmares," and I smiled.
"I know how my Momma died, and why I had those dreams all these years, and, trust me, it was nothing you'd ever want to see or hear," and Jen looked shocked and shut up real fast, and Fletch grabbed my arm holding my backpack and twisted it.
"What did that "Daddy" of yours do to her, bi-?" and I surprised him when I slapped his face with my other hand.
"You have no idea what pain is, Fletch, but you'll learn real fast if I ever hear that from you, ever again," and I gave him a calm look; the one that Ron had taught me this summer, and Fletch laughed.
"And what are you gonna do, J? Cry for your momma?" and he reached for me, again.
Bad move, Fletch.
"No," and I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back in one smooth motion, then flipped him and put him to the ground, face-first, then released him.
All of this happened in about 2.3 seconds. 'Thank you, too, Ron, for teaching me "Tapping Monkey."'
"This." and I looked down at him as I rolled him over with my foot, and he looked up at me, surprise and anger both occupying his face.
Carl looked at me, then looked at Fletch on the ground, then looked back at me.
"You've been hangin' with that goody-goody-two-shoes cousin of yours and her lapdog too long," he smiled and lunged at me.
"Wrong," and I hit him squarely in the face with my backpack.
"I've been "hangin'," as you put it so graciously, with the head of Global Justice and my boyfriend."
"BOYFRIEND?" Becky and Jen both squealed, higher than I thought they could make that sound.
Some things transcended attitude: bad girls and good girls, both, wanted boyfriend 'news', and they each took one of my arms and pulled me towards Daddy's truck, making me promise to call them tonight and 'tell all!'
"Better: come over this weekend, and you can see what I was doing 'on my summer vacation,'" I grinned as I got into the truck.
I looked back at Fletch and Carl: Carl was pulling him up off of the ground, and Fletch still did not look happy.
-----
I took care of Fletch later in the week, and I had no problems with him after that. Carl avoided me like I was a 'streamer: no loss. Well, just a bit of a twinge: I had always liked Carl and thought that he could make me happy, but I'd seen another side of him now, and that wasn't going to happen, now, not ever
I didn't need him, now, anyway: I had my hero.
-----
Becky and Jen came over on Saturday, and they were shocked with the changes at the ranch.
Neither of them saw Tornado or the other 'horses:' as Betty would put it, they were not on the 'need to know' list.
They came up to my room, and I lost a friend.
"Who's the 'black boy' on your wall? Target practice?" Becky snarled her feelings, and Jen just stared at her.
"That 'black boy' as you put it, Becky, is my boyfriend, Dr. Wade Load, of Team Possible," but she had tuned everything else out after boyfriend.
"You're dating one of them? A N-" and I cut her off with a scream.
"BECKY!" and she shut up and glared at me.
I held up my open right hand and started ticking counting down reasons on my fingers.
"First, he is not a 'black boy,' he's African-American, and he just turned 14.
"Second, yes, he's my boyfriend, and I love him," and she spat at me. I ignored her.
"Third, he's smarter that you ever dreamed of being: he has a PhD from Middleton Institute of Technology, and he's working on his second one.
"Fourth, if I ever hear that word from you again, your ass is mine! You'll think that what I did to Fletch was a love tap compared to what I'll do to you.
"And, finally," and I ended with a closed fist, "I think you should leave. I thought you were my friend, Becky, and I thought I knew what you believed, but I'd hoped that you'd at least give me the benefit of the doubt and listen. I guess I was wrong." and I shoved her towards the stairs that led down out of my loft. I heard her stomp down the stairs, and the front door opened and slammed shut with a vengeance.
"And you, Jennifer?" I glared.
"J," Jen spoke softly, and I backed down my 'attitude' several notches, "my family is originally from Mississippi. My brother James' wife is African-American; my other brother Charles' wife is from Japan; heck, Joss, my sister's husband is Texan," and we both laughed. "Almost everyone down south has at least one relative of a different color or another; regardless of how 'pure' they think they are, there's a 'Balrog in the woodpile,' somewhere in their past," she grinned, and I laughed.
"Someone spent some time this summer reading that book I gave her," and she nodded, and grinned.
"How did you meet him, J?" she asked, taking a tailor position on my floor, and I gave her the version of the story that I'd worked on that left out the things that hadn't been cleared by the Security team.
She held up pretty well, thru most of it, anyway, shedding some tears along the way, but when I got to the part about finding Momma dead in the chair, she broke the rest of the way, and started crying and shaking uncontrollably. I went to the floor and held her, letting her cry on my shoulder, and she cried for a long time.
"J, that was soo wrongsick," she said thru her tears, and I laughed. She looked up at me thru her tears.
"Ron says that, and he has Kim using it, now, too," I explained, and she almost glowed with excitement.
"Ron Stoppable?" she gushed, and I grinned.
"The one and only," I answered.
"He's sooo cute, J. Can you hook me up?" She wiped her face with her shirt sleeve.
"Love to, Jen, but can't: KP would kill us both," I replied, and she looked at me, confused.
"Cousin Kim: Kim Possible, his girlfriend," I clarified, and she frowned.
"They're dating? That's so not fair," she pouted.
"Story of my life, Jen."
"You were in the room the whole time, and your momma was dead, and no one came?" I nodded.
"Betty and Daddy came, but it was days later," and she started crying, again.
"Wade?" she asked, when she was able to stop crying.
"Daddy had asked Wade if he would stay for me, and he agreed, even though he already knew that the story was not going to be good. He stayed with me, Jen, when he could have easily left, and he had no reason to stay, and he held me, Jen, and that's when I knew," and I smiled, and she channeled Bonnie Tyler:
"'You found your hero,'" she started the thought, and I nodded.
"'For the rest of my life,'" and I completed the line, and she smiled.
"I want one of those," she whispered longingly, and I nodded.
"He stayed with me through all of it, and he told me I was his hero, Jen," and I had a tear escape from my eye. He still had that effect on me with that sentence, even weeks and years later.
"I really want one like that," Jen announced, pointing at the picture that I'd hung on my wall of the two of us hugging each other, and I held up my hand.
"No touchee my BF!" and we both laughed, then we went silent.
"Jen?" I looked down at her, and pulled both of us to our feet.
"Yeah, J?"
"Thanks for being here."
"Thank you for letting me in."
"'No Big,' Jen," and she laughed.
"You're definitely her cousin, J," she smirked, and we both laughed and hugged.
I had a new GF.
I'd been around Mon too long, but it made sense to me. It confused Daddy, and that was a good thing.
I certainly wasn't going to tell Wade about Becky
-----
"Hi, Wade."
"Jocelyn!" His smile was wonderful.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your call this late, my forever love?" I loved it when he got all formal and sweet on me….
"Wade, is that Jocelyn I hear?" A woman's voice I didn't recognize: it could only be –
"MOM! Please," I didn't know he could whine at all, and I sure didn't know he could do it that well.
'No luck, Wade,' I grinned inside as his mom moved into the camera.
'WOW! She was real pretty! Her press photos didn't do her justice.'
"Jocelyn! Hello, there. I'm Wade's mom," and I finished up for her.
"It's a real pleasure to meet Rachel Nathan, my favorite artist," I smiled, and she grinned.
"You got me, dear. I just wanted to say hi.
"You're very pretty, Jocelyn; are you sure you're dating the right guy, dear?" and Wade slapped his head with both hands.
"I'm sure, Mrs. Load. I love this guy, and I never want to lose him," and she smiled, and Wade mouthed 'thank you.'
"Wade told me that you were pretty, but he never mentioned that you were so well-mannered.
"Jocelyn, Wade told me about your mother," Rachel looked sad. "I'm so very sorry for your loss. Come down here, anytime, and let me spread some 'mother love' around you," and she smiled.
'Just like Momma,' I thought.
"Thank you, Mrs. Load."
"Rachel, dear,"
"Rachel. Thank you, Rachel. I'd like to come down in a few weeks. I just got some good news on my alternate placement tests, and I couldn't wait to tell my BFBF," and I grinned, and Wade perked up.
"How good?"
"I passed the finals for all of the Social Studies tests; I have to take the Government class, though: it's a state law."
"Joss, that's great!" Wade's smile was my manna from heaven.
"But, wait, there's more!" I added in my TV Trash-announcer voice.
"Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II: all aced!
"English Lit, and all three English classes: all aced! I still have to take the Sr. English class: again, state law.
"I have 12 credits towards the required 24 for graduation, and I know I'll pass two more since I've already passed them, so I've basically got my hard sciences, electives, and PT left to take to graduate.
"I knew you could do it, Joss, I love you." and my heart melted again.
"Wade," I paused, "I love it when you say that. I love you for so many reasons, not the least is that you have faith in me, even when I don't have faith in myself."
"You've got the skills, Joss. You've just got to 'check your name,'" and he laughed, and I joined him.
"And, guess what else, Wade? I made the JV cheer squad, and they elected me captain!"
"And, I made the rodeo team: Barrel-racing, on a real horse, not Tornado," I finished the report with a flourish, and Wade applauded.
"Get down here, quick," Wade announced, "there's 'Wadeshine' waitin' for you in the fridge," and Rachel giggled, and Wade reacted.
"MOM! I told you what Ron named his dessert!"
"I know, dear, but it's a little 'Oedipal' for me to call it that," she answered.
"Oedipus, Schmoedipus, I'll still love you, Rachel," I dead-panned, and Rachel burst into full-blown laughter, followed immediately by Wade.
"Where'd you get that one, Jocelyn?"
"Can't claim it for my own, it's from a comedian," I answered, and she chuckled.
"I'll leave on that one, you two. Nice to finally meet you, Jocelyn, and I'm looking forward to meeting you in person," and she stepped out of frame, and I heard the door close in a few seconds.
"Thank you, love: you got her to leave with that joke."
"'No Big,' Wade."
"Go to bed, Joss. You need your sleep, my love."
"Tomorrow is going to be interesting: I need to enroll in classes, now, and I need to see what's available, since everybody else has done it."
"Good night, hero," and he smiled as he cut the circuit.
I loved it when he called me that.
I need my shirt, tonight: Wade didn't ask me about my "friends," so I know he knows that something's wrong …
-----
I signed up for PT: I got an automatic slot in the cheerleading section, so I was happy about that.
I was able to get into Forensics Debate and Introduction to Journalism: I knew that, for what I wanted to do, I needed to be able to communicate more clearly and crisply, as well as be able to argue my case successfully. This wouldn't get me to pass the State Bar, but it was a start.
I completely forgot about the dreaded Health class: luckily it was only one semester, and I was able to 'convince' Mr. Brickle to let me sign up for Fitness and Conditioning.
And, while I was on a roll, I asked for a slot in the Honors Biology class: Got it.
Don't ask, don't get: my new mantra.
-----
Nice, normal cheerleader class schedule:
Forensics/Debate
Honors Biology
Health (gag!)
Introduction to Journalism
Fitness and Conditioning
PT: Cheerleading
-----
'Anything's Possible,' I thought as I left my last class and ran into Fletch.
Oh, goody.
"Hey, 'J.'"
"Fletch." I was still mad and a bit wary of him.
"Joss," and he used my name! This must be important.
"Joss," he said, softer, and he hung his head, "I'm sorry."
WHAT?
"I'm sorry, Joss," he repeated, and he raised his head, and his eyes were red.
"I didn't know about your Moms, Joss.
"Jen told me some of what happened; enough to make me feel like the ass that I was to you.
"Can we, like, start over on that?" and he looked like a puppy begging in the window to be taken home.
"Fletch," I smiled, and I extended my arms, and he stepped into them and gave me a brief hug, then he backed up.
"I'll forgive you, Fletch, but you hurt me bad."
"I know, J, and I should have kept my burgerhole shut.
"Word, Fletch," and he grinned.
"I don't want to lose all my friends, Fletch, but I have to do this."
"I don't know what you're doing, but I know you, J:
"You go big, or go home, so this must be big.
"I've got some serious thinking to do, J; but I had to talk to you before I did anything about this, and I did, and you helped," and he turned and walked away.
"Oh, J?" he had stopped and turned back to face me, and this time he had a bit of a grin on his face.
"Nice moves in taking me down," and his grin grew. "You're good," and he turned back and continued walking away.
-----
Carl cornered me two days later, after cheer practice.
"So, are you too good to talk, 'cheerleader?""
"Naw, Carl. Whazzup?"
"I gotta know, J."
"Know what, Carl?"
"Where'd you learn that move, J?"
"Ron taught it to me this past summer."
"The lapdog?"
I glared at him.
"OK, he's not a lapdog, 'specially with moves like that," he admitted, and walked off, then stopped and turned back around to face me.
I hadn't moved.
"You still dating that 'thing?'"
"I'm dating Wade, if that's who you're talking about, Carl."
"Waste…." And he turned and left.
What happened to my friends?
"Carl." I called, and he turned back to look at me.
"I thought you liked me, Carl."
"I did, 'J,' but no more."
"What happened to you?"
"I grew up, 'J,' and I found out what those 'people' are doing to us, to our lives.
"I can't hang with anyone who'll be seen with one of 'them,' let alone date one. Sorry, 'J,'" and he turned his back on me and walked away.
I couldn't tell Wade this.
I couldn't tell him that I was such a bad judge of people.
He'd leave me, I just knew it.
I couldn't live with this, but I couldn't live without Wade.
Life sucked, and I got in the truck with Daddy and went home and went upstairs and cried myself to sleep.
-----
I dodged the friends issue until my grades came out.
"Well?"
"Well, what?" I played innocent: no, I was innocent; I just liked harassing my hero.
"The grades, Jocelyn, the grades," Wade looked faux-frustrated.
"I'm not 'Mr. Roark,' 'Tatu,' but I'll tell you," I grinned, and he just stared for a moment, then he got it and laughed.
"All upper 90s, Wade," and I smiled. I was damn proud of myself.
"Good for you, Joss! What did Slim say?"
"Wade," and I almost lost it.
"Wade," I whispered, "he said that Momma would be 'even prouder' of me than she already was," and then I lost it.
I looked up when I heard the sounds, and Wade was crying, too.
"He's right, Joss: Sheri Nicole would be very proud of all you're done," Wade managed to get out thru his tears.
How can you not love him?
When we both dried up, he cornered me, finally…I'd been dreading this, but it was gonna happen….
"What finally happened to them, Joss?"
"You never told me what happened with your running buddies," Wade was a bit more serious and his voice was a lot softer. He knew that this was bothering me, and he'd finally decided to hit the spot that I'd not discuss with him.
"I hate your mad analysis skills," I pouted, and he grinned.
"You really love them, love: otherwise, you would have told me, already, like the cheer squad and rodeo team news and your grades. So, spill it, love."
"Two of the four are gone, one may be saved, and one wants to date Ron."
"Hopefully, the one that wants to date Ron isn't male," Wade smirked.
"WADE!" I yelled, and then I chuckled.
"No: it's Jennifer."
"Whatever happened with Becky, Joss? You told me she was your best friend last year."
"She's wack, Wade."
"Wack?"
"She's in the 19th century, in Dixie, Wade, and Carl is so like her."
"Oh…OH," and he got it. "Her current paradigm is complete with 'darkies a'singin' Elderly Man River?'" Wade asked, grinning, and I lowered my face and nodded my head. I couldn't face him after that.
"Jocelyn, look at me," he quietly commanded, and I raised my head and looked at him.
"I've been thru this more times than I can count, Joss. I wish I had been there, so I could help you get thru it, but I couldn't, and it happened.
"When did it happen, Joss?" He asked the dreaded question, and I answered, bracing for his explosion,
"The day I took my tests was when it started, and it's gone on since, in pieces."
"Jocelyn Possible!"
He raised his voice at me! He yelled at me! He's never raised his voice at me.
"I am here for you: now, always and forever. Why didn't you have enough faith in me to tell me?"
When he doubted my faith in him, he stabbed me in the heart.
I started bawling like a baby, I hated it, but I couldn't stop it.
"I'm sorry, Wade. I wasn't sure if you'd want to stay with me if I had had friends like that," I added, and he looked shocked. "I was scared that you wouldn't love me anymore, and that I'd lose you forever," and my tears took over, and I couldn't control it at all.
He put on his version of the 'serious face;' I laughed inside while I cried outside.
"I.
"Love.
"You,
"Jocelyn Possible.
"You have to believe me," and he had calmed down significantly, and he was now two notches above whispering, but his voice was laser-guided. "What your friends say or do is not important, unless they hurt you. If they ever hurt you, I'm calling Betty for a jet." He looked ready to hurt someone.
"Joss, I've been thru this before: Slim could have told you, if you'd talked to him. I could have helped," and then he looked real sad, and he said the last thing that I would have expected to come from Wade's mouth:
-----
"It's my fault, all of it," he barely whispered, and I wanted to slap him.
"WADE!"
"Well, it is, Jocelyn. I fell in love with you months ago, and I knew that something like this would probably happen, and I didn't do anything to prepare you for it," and he buried his head in his hands.
"Wade," and he looked up at me, and tears were streaming down his face. He looked so hurt that I was ready to ride Tornado to Middleton right then.
"Wade, you can't control everything: I know you like think you can, but you can't: it's that nasty 'free will' we're stuck with. My former friends have it, and I can't help it, but one of them is having second thoughts about what he believed, and Jen has accepted you.
"In fact, love of my life, she pointed at our picture and said that she wanted one of those," I added, and Wade looked confused.
"What picture?"
"The one that you were gonna get for Christmas, so now I've gotta come up with something else," I pouted, and he grinned.
"A picture of us," and he smiled real big, and my tears started up again.
I still cannot believe what I have.
Thank you, for sending me my dark knight in shining armor.
He'd take a bullet for me, I thought: I know he would. I never thought, back then, that it could or would ever happen.
"Thank you, Wade."
"I love you, Jocelyn Possible, and I always will. Remember that, when the storm clouds gather and surround you, and evil shadows try to surround you:
"I will always be there for you.
"I am your 'Ron Stoppable,' just with better grades and a much better all-over tan," and with that my shield was broken, and I started to laugh.
"That's better; much better," he added, softly, after I slowed my laughing down a few notches.
"Are you definitely coming down next week?"
"Sure thing, love."
"Good. Mom wants to spoil you, and Ron is preparing a batch of 'Wadeshine,' especially for you," and he grinned, "and Donna's ready to cook for you."
Donna. I hoped that she was holding her own, but there was something more important to ask him.
"Wade, are you ready to talk about Stephanie?"
"I am, now, especially if my hero is with me," he answered, and the beep-beep-beep-beep-beep of his email notification came.
"Just a minute, Joss," and he cut over to another screen and looked at it, then frowned.
"Gotta go, Joss:
"I just got a hit for Kim and Ron."
"Go, my Wade. I love you."
"I love you, too, Jocelyn Possible," and he cut the signal.
'I have my hero,' and I smiled inside at the thought of thanking him with another backrub….
No need for any mother-in-law jokes, not with Rachel Nation.
-----
chapter now complete….
-----
A/N: Jocelyn's friends have voted:
2 have voted no,
1 has voted yes, and
1 remains undecided. Undecided is leaning in Joss' favor, but he has some issues to deal with….
The reactions, and a small piece if the discussions that Jocelyn had with her friends, are, unfortunately, G-rated versions of the real world. Jocelyn has started to experience the world, and she's learning that the world is not always a nice place, and sometimes the price is a friend..
The bad news is that she's losing friends that she's had for a long time; the good news is that she has someone to talk to about her friends and their behavior and attitudes; my daughter was also blessed to have someone to talk to when many of her friends turned on her after they learned about me…but, that's not important….
Preview:
Question: What do you get when you have another 16-year-old redhead who also happens to be a PhD candidate, living with her foster family, and she meets a nine-year-old who is also a PhD candidate…and then the world crashes in on her?
Answer: you get Stephanie Watership's story about living, loving life, caring for the world, and dying with no perceived hope, and the nine-year-old and his tale of having to identify his young friend's body in the Middleton Morgue.
Stephanie Watership, and her life and death, had a massive impact on Wade's young life, and the impact would mold him: not just then, but for the rest of his life.
Read her story in chapter three of Training Table Blues: Stephanie's 'Dancing with her Demons' Blues.
Thanks for reading, and please review.