2 – Converse shoes mafia
Lola placed the last box out in the hallway and her friends Tony and Hayden took them out in their Van. It was the cheapest way to bring everything from L.A to Phoenix. She felt giddy and sad, confused and the creepy nostalgia was eating her from the depth of her stomach. She felt bad for leaving the place where she was born, where she grew up but getting publicist was one time chance.
"Okay you guys can start to drive. I'll talk to Michelle for second and then I'm coming after you." Lola said to Tony and Hayden who stood in front of the house.
"Okay sweets," Tony said with smirk as he ruffled Lola's hair. He was her journalism college friend and they were inseparable most of the time. "Let's go Hayden. We should leave boss of converse shoes mafia alone with her little house." Hayden nodded, being the silent one before smiling at Lola and walking after Tony in his Van.
As soon as they speed down the street, Lola walked up the stairs, and sighed looking at the hallway that was almost empty now, the furniture was covered with sheets and everything had that empty echo around. "Bye." she muttered, tear sliding down her pale cheek. "I'll be back I promise."
Lola drove to Phoenix, all the time chatting with Michelle about stuff she'd need when she gets in Phoenix. Lola, being the L.A girl since she was born, never visited Phoenix and now, she was partly scared. She didn't know what to expect there. It was totally mess in her head. But eventually when she finally arrived, looking rather bad then good, she finally stumbled out of her black Impala and at first stretched few times.
She looked terrible after more then twenty-four hours of drive, including few breaks she had on random Gas Stations and parking lots. Her hair was mess, her eyes were dull and tired and she felt all of her muscles in back tense from sitting in the car the whole time.
"LOLA!" The voice called from the doorway and the girl with curly hair stumbled down the stairs and went right to give her best friend a tight hug. Lola returned it but not so strong; she was absurdly weak right now. "How are you? I can't believe we're going to live together. Like back in college years." Michelle gushed happily and Lola smiled.
"Yeah. I'm really excited. Phoenix seems nice." She commented randomly.
Michelle grinned, her lips pouted a bit. "You're tired right?" After Lola nodded once, she pulled her inside. "Come on, you can take shower, sleep and we can go eat after if you want?" Lola just nodded, half asleep.
After she got some sleep and rubbed the stink and tiredness off of her body Michelle took Lola out on dinner. "So how's L.A? Anything new?" Michelle asked as she picked up at her French Fries.
"Nothing much. The same rush as always." Lola replied playing around with salad in front of her. She wasn't very hungry, in fact she still felt tired but for Michelle's sake she had to put on her forced smile. She missed Michelle; life is hard without best friend near you.
"Any new guy?" Michelle then hinted while wagging her eyebrows.
Lola groaned, shutting her eyes at moment and as from lightening she was struck by the photo of guy that talked and had coffee with her at midnight, in her little apartment. Jackson Rathbone. The guy that made her heart pound faster and her cheeks blush.
"Lola? Hey Lola?" Lola shook her head, as if shaking the trance out of her mind and looked up at Michelle. "Who is he?" Michelle asked as she leaned over the table, almost in Lola's face.
"Oh no one." Lola said as she took some of her lettuce. "It was nothing."
"It can't be 'nothing'." Michelle pressed. "Tell me everything. Name, age, look, everything…"
Lola grinned. "He's twenty-four, really good looking and…it's not important. He's in L.A and I'm living in Phoenix now. That's mission impossible…," she stopped, "if there is a mission at all."
Michelle just sighed as she looked at sad Lola's face. She hated to see her sad but she knew she can't do anything to help it. Lola sighed remembering that she had given her email address how he had asked. But honestly, she didn't have a trace of hope that he'd message her. After all he was actor, musician and Lola was just simple girl. He doesn't even remember her, almost certainly.
The next few weeks were rush for Lola. After taking rest and visiting random places with Michelle she had to do her real business here, meet her publisher. So the usual jeans and converse were replaced with iron pants and a nice jacket, the usually messy hair was now straightened, and the oh-so hated makeup was applied. For luck, her publisher was sweet woman, middle-aged but also very strict in her business.
"I'm glad we're going to work together." Publisher, Jodie said shaking Lola's tiny hand.
"Likewise." Lola nodded as she smiled widely.
"We'll keep in touch with your new assignment. Don't forget, this is your probe stuff. We have to see are you capable to do what we ask from you in said time." Lola nodded business-like before turning on her heel and walking out. This was going to be hell of the job, she knew it for sure.
Jackson sat in his living room, beer in front of him, guitar in his lap as he stared at the TV. They just came back from small tour L.A-San Francisco-Vancouver and he took small break, just for himself. Nothing was happening new so he turned the TV off and strummed few of tunes as Ben and Jerad walked inside. "Wanna go out tonight?" Jerad asked leaning on the recliner and taking jar of beer from under the table
"As long as we don't go in that fucking club, sure." He didn't felt great visiting those loud places, he didn't know why but he was once there and it disgusted him how people traced their life away by being drunk and wasted
Ben shrugged "Sure, okay, there's good band playing at the Venue, some Flayers or something." Jerad nodded
"Yeah I heard they are good, when they start?" he asked referring to Ben.
Ben looked on the wall clock "In two hours or so, be ready Jay." Jackson nodded as they walked out again and he smiled before going in his room. He searched for his jeans and when he found them, he picked up white button shirt from the chair where it was draped over and the waistcoat. But something caught his eye, small paper hat fell down from the pocket.
He picked it up before biting his lip in remorse. He completely forgot on her, and what is she thinking now about him? He ran his finger over the nice letters:
He smirked softly and took a pen and paper before writing address and words on the bigger yellow post-it in big letters. 'SEND MESSAGE TO LOLA…' and tapped it on his agenda. Now he won't forget.
The next day Jackson was sleeping till noon and spent almost whole day in hangover. They didn't plan to go wasted but Johnson brought some liquor and they ended in fucking wrestling fight and even he didn't know that but Lola's address and his reminder to message her flew away somewhere in his papers.
Two weeks passed quickly and Jackson was making ready for the work. They were doing some photo-shoot for Eclipse and he waited on Ashley so they could go eat something. Ashley marched in his room with bright smile. "Hey." She said smiling and kissed top of his head looking around his room "Good do you ever clean this?" she asked with smirk.
Jackson smirked back "Only on Christmas and Eastern." She chuckled and walked over to his work desk covered in papers and other ruckus of unneeded stuff on the table. She roamed as Jackson dressed his shirt and socks as from the force of her movements a bright yellow post-it flew over and caught on her sweater. She smirked and pulled it of before reading it.
"Hey Jay who is Lola?" Jackson paled hearing that and he groaned
"Shit I forgot completely." He muttered "Shit, shit, shit, shit." he said as he sat on the bed and his face fell into the pillows. "Where was that post-it?"
Ashley looked confused at him but replied "It was in this pile of papers, I moved it and it caught on my shirt. Why?" Jackson shook his head.
"Nothing." He lied quietly. He didn't want to tell Ashley anything about Lola, and the fact that he was thinking on her 24/7 since that night where they hung out. Ashley was his good friend but some to some friends you can't tell about sweet, nice, good looking girls you've met randomly who already moved from L.A.
"So you won't tell me who Lola is?" Ashley asked again as they walked with their coffees through the street.
"No one, I've told you." Jackson replied with smirk on his face. "Do you have to know everything?" Jackson asked playfully, taking sip of his coffee.
Ashley gasped once, "Why, yes, I have to know everything. Come on tell me?" She started to nudge him with her elbow in ribs to continue it with poking as they entered the studio where the shoots were going to be taken.
Jackson groaned as Ashley maybe for the thousandth time poked his ribs. "Okay, okay, truce!" he called as he raised his arms up in the air. "I'll tell you." Ashley squealed but Jackson pressed his hand over her mouth. "But if you say a word about that to anyone, or start to have some wrong thoughts…" he let his words trail in the air.
Ashley picked her hand up and smiled as she muffled through his hand words. "Scouts one."
Jackson nodded as he took place on the chair, waiting for the girl what was supposed to make his makeup. "So, well, Lola is a girl that I almost hit with a Van on the street," on that Ashley let out a gasp but Jackson just rolled his eyes, "anyways she invited me on coffee after we cleared that she wasn't hurt or something. We hung out a bit around, talked, she is really sweet actually," Ashley grinned now—well she was grinning all the time, "and since I was going on that little tour I asked for her email to keep in touch. I wanted to know her better."
"And?" Ashley beamed.
Jackson shrugged with his shoulders. "She moved the next day from L.A." his words were easy, without sadness, almost ignoring.
"How do you mean moved?" Ashley asked but Jackson just smirked at Ashley and then at Kellan and Nikki who just entered the room.
Lola sat in front of her laptop in the living room. She was dressed just in panties and a t-shirt while her hair was pinned in ponytail. She was trying to start her prologue for her next novel. It had to be love romance, something new, something fresh and not a cheesy one. Lola groaned as she pushed her glasses further up her nose and took sip of her coffee.
"Problems?" Michelle asked, walking into living room and putting the grocery on the table.
"Inspiration. I need inspiration." Lola groaned; her face completely painful. She had to make it good; she had to keep the publisher. It was her last chance.
"Why don't you think on that vintage boy?" Michelle smirked at Lola. Since she found out about Lola's silent crush to some vintage musician she called him vintage boy. "Maybe he'll bring you some inspiration in your system."
Lola just replied—very maturely—sticking her tongue at Michelle and took sip of the coffee.
It was ridiculous.
Less did she know that Jackson sat in his room, in cloud of smoke, in front of his laptop looking at the blank page of his 'Compose Mail' box. He didn't know how to start the email he was supposed to write almost month ago. He stopped to count how much drafts he had saved in his computer because they were or too lame, or too formal or too cheesy. He rubbed his eyes, took another drag of his cigarette and placed her back in ashtray.
"Okay, let's try again." He muttered before adjusting his fingers on the laptop keys.
Hi!
It's Jackson. I secretly hope that you remember who I am. I just wanted to tell you how much in enjoyed in that night and the coffee we had together. And yes, I want to apologize for not hitting this mail before but honestly, I forgot on you and the promise about keeping in touch.
I hope you are feeling good in Phoenix. Have you meet your publisher yet? Did you get accustomed on Phoenix? I bet everything is different then in L.A. I wished we had chance to hangout more, I can say I really wanted to know you better.
Message me back soon when you read this, I'm checking for update…
Jackson
He fast, before he could save it to drafts once more, hit the button send and sighed closing his laptop. "Hope she'll message me soon." He muttered softly before finishing his cigarette and walking into living room of his house.
Meanwhile, Lola was still staring at the blank page. She was confused and she was angry because she couldn't focus on her work. Certain guy was dancing in all gray substance in her brain. "I give up." she groaned as she took laptop and went to sit on the sofa. Michelle looked at her over her paper work and smiled.
"I'm sure you'll get that on time." she said softly making Lola smile.
In that very moment the little noise came from the laptop and Lola looked at her email inbox that stood perched on the start line. It said "YOU HAVE A NEW UNREAD EMAIL." Lola confusingly rubbed her temple before opening the dialog box and staring at the unknown address and email.
From:action_monkey ; subject: Hi…
But seeing the first words, her cheeks started to blush and her heart made the wild pump. With smirk on her face she hit the button 'Reply' ignoring the confused look of Michelle what stared at her.