Someone Like You {Joey & Jamie+8yrs}

[JOEY ROOKS]

Joey had never been one that liked to be rooted down to one spot. She was always moving, always going, always exploring. New York had been her greatest adventure, and felt more like home to her than Las Vegas ever had. So there were times she missed it, times she returned to it. The familiar buildings, the bustle of the people, the cars. Of course, visiting lately had been much different. She could no longer grab her skateboard and a backpack, and go where ever in the city that she pleased. Now, if she went anywhere—she was flocked by people. People asking for autographs, pictures, free tickets—there were even a few that gave her demo tapes, hoping to make it big like she had.

Her face was known now, but known would be an understatement. Joey was now the frontman (or woman) of the band Juxtaposition. It had been seven years since the band had formed, so in the industry they were still babies, still growing, still learning. But it had been nine years since she said goodbye to the city, and moved on with her life. Nine years since she said goodbye to Jamie. She didn’t regret any of it, but she missed it. They were currently on their second tour after just releasing their second album, and it wasn’t exactly her favorite thing. She loved getting on stage, and singing, the crowd singing and screaming their names. But the life on the bus, the occasional showers, and constant cramped space could be a doozy. So when she stepped off the bus and made it into the hotel after signing a few autographs, she felt relieved. Currently, she was in her own room, with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, and staring out the window at the city and buildings sprawling out in front of her.

The city had grown up, along with her. She was still tiny, but possibly having gained an inch or two—she couldn’t remember the last time she actually measured herself. But her round, baby face that she had been stuck with so long changed over the years. It had thinned out, become more defined. She had also discovered makeup—it was a little uncomfortable, but it came with the job. She preferred more subtle things, but at times she’d splash on a line of green, or red. Her body had also matured a bit, a little more hips, a little more chest. She seemed to grow into herself. But one thing she hadn’t changed was her hair. The firey orange with yellow undertones had become her trademark. It still tripped her out when she’d see fans that copied her style—a style that she had been teased over so many years okay. The thought made her smile as she turned away from the window, and set her mug down, and collapsed onto her bed.

She had also seemed to mellow out a bit. Oh, she was still hyper. Still talkative, but now in public she had to monitor herself a little bit better. People were just waiting for her to say the wrong thing, and make it an entirely huge deal. Joey sighed, and let every worry flush out of her body. Being back in New York always felt like a double edged sword. It was home, and felt like home. But it made her remember the people she had left behind. Zee, Benny, Bunny, Melissa, Chris….Jamie. It also reminded her of where she gained new people…people, being a loose term. Just before leaving New York, she had been introduced to Roo. Roo, from Winnie the Pooh. A young joey (that had made her laugh entirely way too hard) clad in a blue shirt. He had been her constant friend when she was lonely, but now—back here. The hyper fictional creature had gone strangely quiet, as though he understood enough that Joey would need this time to recoup. He was always scarce when she was on tour, like he didn’t like the confined spaces either. Roo had been a well guarded secret, her bandmates didn’t know about him. And at times a few of her fans questioned if she ever had a kangaroo on stage with her. She simply smiled, and let herself be rushed off by her bandmates. The paparazzi would have far too much fun in labeling her crazy, or insane.

But she was betting that Jamie wouldn’t think that. She rolled onto her side, and hugged the crisp, clean pillow and sighed into it. She had lost touch with Jamie a long time ago. It wasn’t that she got swept up in the fame, or the lifestyle, that her old friends didn’t matter anymore. It was a matter of it being too tempting to go back, and too painful to remember. It had taken her years of crying at bizarre times over the slightest things to make her realize that yes. She had loved Jamie, yes she had. She had tried so hard to make sure it stayed a friendship, because she never thought very highly of herself. She never, ever thought that Jamie would ever see her like that, and that fact was proved one day when he disappeared. Only to call her what felt like ages later—to say that he and Jemima had run away to escape the violence that was looming over his head. There was a slight bitterness that he hadn’t run away with her, but at the same time it just showed what was in Jamie’s heart. And still clouded by the friendship, Joey thought by letting him go and pulling herself back is what any friend would do.

And now, here she was. Joey. Famous artist, adored by many, hated by many. They even had groupies. There was an endless line of people that would happily come party with the band, stay in their hotels, in their beds. Joey had taken a few up on the offer—she was no saint, or celibate holy-girl. But she hadn’t had a relationship out of any of them. Or, at least any that felt like relationships. It was too hard to have ties to someone, and then disappear for months at a time when you had shows sometimes twice a day for a solid week straight.

Today was a lucky day though, today there was just one show. They would have a break, stay in town for a few days. See the sights, but Joey wanted to escape. See if she could sneak away and find any of her old ties. She missed the city, and even if she could disappear in Central Park without someone following her, it would be a miracle. She hadn’t been sure how long she was laying in the bed, or when she had fallen asleep—but the knock on her door startled her into a loud, very Joey-esque yelp.

“Oy, Joe. We’re headin to the stadium. You going, or you gonna sit this one out?” Came the voice of one of her guitarists, David. She grinned widely, and scrambled off the bed. Obviously they couldn’t do the show without her, but the guys in her band were her best friends, her brothers. There were some awful rumors that spread about what she did with her bandmates. At first, it had outraged them all. But then, they learned to take it in stride. If they got publically upset with it, then it’d be taken as them being guilty. So when asked, they casually denied the rumor, and went about the rest of the day. They knew it wasn’t true, so no point in kicking up a fuss.

“I’m alive, I’m comin’, I’m comin’.” She shouted, shoving her feet back into her converse, and bounding for the door. The four boys and her giggled and laughed, and then broke out into a run down the hallway. A few people peeked out of their rooms from the noise, while the band tore through the hotel, and back down to their bus. The ride to the concert hall was full of buzzing energy. All smiles, all grins, all light. But they weren’t entirely noisy and rambunctious as they were after a show. Before a show it was good to have energy, but they all had to be focused. This was work, this was money—and one horrible slip-up could ruin them for all time. So they were excited, but composed. It wasn’t as nerve wracking as one might think. After singing the same songs, playing the same chords hundreds of times, one got confident. They wouldn’t mess this up.

The next few hours consistered of a soundcheck. Making sure the mics, amps, guitars, everything was set up. Spare guitars were set offstage, all meticulously tuned. There was another row of guitars, tuned for different songs. Extra mics behind the feedback speakers. Lights were checked, and they gave a quick run through of the songs, to make sure everything would be just fine. This night wouldn’t be like any other night, except that at the time—she hadn’t exactly known how extraordinary that it would be.

The band disappeared into the back rooms for a snack, and to get set up. For Joey, that meant a yellow tanktop that read ‘SECURITY’ across the chest, and a pair of tight black pants. A studded belt around her hips, and black combat boots that reached just below her knee. Her orange hair looked messy, but neatly done. And a splash of orange color framed her dark green eyes.

When the band lined up at the side of the stage, they all huddled together. Their arms around each other’s shoulders, heads dipped down close to each other. It was a moment of peace, a moment of quiet. Where they ignored the muffed sound of cheers, and screams. Their last few minutes to make sure they had their shit together, and to connect to each other. They had to work like a well oiled machine, because if one went down, the entire band went down. Then broke with a loud, Marine-esque, "Hooh-Rah!" and then rushed out of the stage. The screams got louder when they broke through the curtain on the side, and because the crowd was elated to finally see them. Joey snatched the microphone that was on the stand at the front of the stage.

She threw her arms up, and the crowd roared again. It was a thrill. She use to only get an inkling of this sort of thrill, but now it was full blown rush. A rush, that she felt she’d be like a recovering drug addict if she ever lost it. These people, the ones screaming their name. The sound of their joy, and excitement fueled the band. At times, Joey believed that no one ever really understood how much an artist loves their fans. Everyone knows it’s common place. No fans, no money. No money, no fame. But it was something so much deeper than that. Looking past the blinding lights into the faces that packed the theater, moving like an ocean of people…they may never truly grasp the fact that they were the ones that gave her life. They were her creators, they helped the band breathe, and grow, and feel. They were the oil and the gas that made this machine run.

The concert went off without a hitch. While the boys switched guitars, Joey laughed and teased the audience. She elected laughter, and more cheers. The music started again, and she threw herself into it. And then, did one of her favorite things. She threw herself into the crowd. Ohhh, it was cliché. It was stereotypical, but it was also amazing. Her tiny body bouncing and sliding across the crowd. People straining and reaching to touch her, to move her along the front rows. Her hair tangled in their hands while she held the mic to her mouth, the song still bursting out of her mouth. Her arms reached for the ceiling when the guitar solo broke out, and she opened her eyes with a wide grin. Only, the face in front of her own stopped her breath. Made the smile disappear. Made the entire theater, and made the entire stage disappear. The roaring of the crowd never stopped, but she could no longer hear it. She could almost feel her heart snap—whether the pieces long since broken finally melded back together or broke worse—she could never tell you. Because that face…that familiar, aching face.

She reached for Jamie, only for the crowd to change her direction and send her floating on hands back to the stage before she could touch him to see if he was real. She never took her eyes off Jamie, and she missed her cue. Which the band looped around for a second time, and caught her on her song. The band mates looked at each other, there was a change in her voice. There was something more in her, like she was screaming for Jamie to hear her. Her eyes never left his face, and when the song died down, and the crowd cheered. Joey jogged to the side of the stage, and leaned into the curtain.

“That man, in the third row. With the tattoos, and the dark hair. Jamie, can you…can you bring him backstage? Thank you!” She chirped with a grin, not even giving the stage hand time to answer and rushed back on stage for their final song. She hadn’t looked to see if Jemima was with him. Though, now she thought about it. She had no idea what she would say when he was back stage. When they would have time alone together, when they could actually…speak. After so long. The song ended, and the band left. Only to return for their encore. It was typical, staged, and common knowledge. A psyche out, but once they had finished, the band retreated backstage again. On their way, they paused for pictures, and autographs with the people that had special backstage passes. They answered a few shot questions to MTV, and a few of the fans, before they were led back to the lounge.

They a cleaned up, wiped the sweat off their faces, washed their hands, and downed water and more food. They were all exhausted. Two of the boys had gone back to their dressing rooms to nap on the couch before the bus would take them back to the hotel. One had fallen asleep there on the floor in the lounge, and the other had gone for a shower in the tiny bathroom. That left Joey. Nervous, anxious, and crunching the waterbottle in her hand. She stared at the door with the towel around her neck, and waited. She sucked in a breath and jumped to her feet, when the doorknob twisted and the door started to open.

“J-just talk. Just, come in and tell me everything. Don’t let me talk because you know how I can be and once I get started I just won’t shut up, and obviously you know everything that’s going on in my life, so there’s really no need to ask me about any of that, I just—“ She cut herself off, and squeezed her mouth shut. The door hadn’t even completely opened yet. If it was Jamie, hopefully he’d take it to heart. But if it wasn’t Jamie---she just ended up looking like a complete and utter idiot.

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

It had been Pinocchio that got Jamie to start writing songs again. And that’s what Jamie had been doing these past years. Indie record labels picked him up and he’d become a big hit in the coffee houses and small stages of New York. Jamie wasn’t a big crowds person. Mostly because it scared Pinocchio when everyone crowded around him for an autograph or a free CD. He decided to stay local in New York. He was a youtube star and was surprised when people as far as California showed up for his shows. He’d meet everyone of them and learn their stories. Almost every one of his fans he considered a friend.

And that’s how he ended up in a HUGE stadium with tons of screaming fans. A friend had given him tickets to this awesome band called Juxtaposition. He had heard them once or twice on the radio. Jamie wasn’t a mainstream guy really. He mostly listened to music made by is friends in their basements. Every now and then he’d turn on the radio. They had a good sound and Jamie loved the lead singer’s voice. It was beautiful really. If she wasn’t so famous, Jamie would have tried to get her to do a duet with him the second he heard her. Not that acoustic would be her style or anything. When the screaming got louder, Jamie looked to the stage and shouted along with them as the band walked out. Pinocchio had long since hid in the back of his head.

A flash of orange hair and that smile. “Holy shit, dude. That’s Joey!” Jamie yelled to his friend.

“Yeah, man. It’s Joey Rooks. She’s the lead singer,” he replied like it was common knowledge.

“Nah, man. I knew her... eight years or so ago.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Best friend,” Jamie replied to low for him to hear. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She’d grown up a lot but he could still see the Joey from almost a decade ago. Jamie had grown too. More tattoos and less hair. He liked it shorter, really. He was definitely a contradiction. A man who looked mean and vicious who lived in the rough parts of town playing acoustic music with a smile on his face. But he’d always been like that. A breaker of stereotypes.

Was she looking at him? Nah, it was a trick of the eye. She probably wouldn’t even recognize him with all those bright lights. He laughed as she jumped into the crowd and surfed them. That was typical Joey. He loved her fun-loving attitude and fearlessness. Actually, he found out when she left, he’d loved her.

When Jemima had entered the picture, all of his codes for not loving anyone broke. He’d run away with her just to get away from the stupidity of the cult. They were cowards behind guns really. Jamie had finally wised up and turned them in. J had been there with him when he made the call. She’d been there with him to discover he was the holder of Pinocchio and not crazy. He’d also learned she was Jiminy Cricket, his lovely conscious. Everything seemed to fall into place until he fell out of love. He then realized Joey had disappeared. As quickly as she came, Joey left. Then Jemima left too when she realized their feelings had melted away.

And Jamie was alone. More alone than he’d ever been in his life. He had no where to run to and no one to talk to. That’s when Pinocchio suggested picking up music again. Through his songs, he realized how much he did love Joey. He’d spent awhile looking for her, a year almost, but in a city with over a million people, one extraordinary orange-haired girl was hard to find. But he kept singing, in hopes that one day she would hear him.

“Excuse me? Are you Jamie?” a man asked him.

Jamie snapped out of it and looked to the crew guy. He nodded his head because he couldn’t speak. Had he done something wrong? He was fairly certain he behaved and cheered at the right times. Although he couldn’t be sure, he was basically out of it the whole concert.

“It’s your lucky day man. Joey’s asked to bring you backstage,” the guy said handing him a backstage pass.

Some of the raw excitement and hyperness he lost from his youth bubbled up inside of him. “Really? HELL YEAH!” he cheered loudly in the now significantly quieter stadium. Jamie’s heart raced as he highfived his friend and followed the man to the stage. He didn’t know what to say or do but he didn’t mind that much. It would all fall into place when they saw each other. He could only hope that she missed him as much as he did her.

He walked up to the door and thought about knocking but instead just opened it. Jamie nearly tripped trying to get over to her fast enough. He ran like the little kid he was and scooped Joey up and gave her the biggest bear hug in the history of bear hugs.

“I missed you so much!” Jamie said. He’d long since been careful about his rambling. It was still a habit but when he did it, it reminded him too much of Joey. Especially when no one could stay with him. Tears filled his eyes and he looked away to wipe them on his sleeve. It’s crazy how a guy who was hardened from being alone and without a girlfriend for six plus years could instantly melt from the words of one person. Well, not really. This person, he loved.

Jamie opened his mouth after he set her down and everything spilled out, “Joey, you have no idea how long I’ve been looking for you. It’s been eight years. I just--You’re a big superstar now. That’s so awesome and stuff. I can’t believe I didn’t at least try and look up your band when I liked them so much. God, I feel like an idiot. But no worries, you’re here and I’m here and yeah. How long are you staying?” he asked finally.

He remembered his friend saying that they were on tour. Jamie couldn’t imagine Joey leaving again now that she was here. The thought made his heart ache like it used to many years ago.

[JOEY ROOKS]

The man that had led Jamie to the room, started foward when Jamie rushed Joey and swept her up. Joey burst into laughter, one arm wrapped tightly around Jamie's shoulder, the other hand shaking at the security guard. "He's okay, he's my friend." Joey grinned over Jamie's shoulder, her face alight, and eyes sparkling. The security guard gave them a look, and the bandmate asleep on the floor, shook his head, and closed the door.

It was surreal, and it felt like that first time that Joey had stepped on stage. Like it couldn't really be happening, like it wasn't real. "I missed you too--" She took a breath to continue, when Jamie started to speak. She adjusted her shirt, and grabbed him by his wrist, and tugged him to sit with her on the couch. She faced him, sitting sideways on the sofa, with her knees pulled up to her chin, watching him, a smile unable to leave her face. "Looking? You dumbass." Joey hid her face in her knees, laughing. "All you had to do was walk into a music store." She put her cheek on her knees, trying to keep that laughter from bursting out again.

David on the floor, groaned, and rubbed at his eyes. He looked between Jamie, and Joey, and yawned before sitting up. "Dude, Joe. You've got a hotel room for this kinda thing." He grinned lazily at her, to which Joey plucked the soda pillow behind her off, and threw it.

"Get out ya bum. The Green Room has another couch. Or you can go kick Josh off of his before he drools on it." Her bandmate lifted his arms a little too late to block the pillow, before stumbling to his feet. He chuckled, and ruffled Joey's hair to the point that the orange strands stuck up at weird angles, and he left the room.

She puffed her cheeks out, and smoothed her hair out, though it still looked a little fluffy from the rustling. "Oh, uh. We have two shows here, last night was one. Then we get to stay for a couple days and take a break, then another show and we're heading over to Detroit." She said carefully, her smile fading a bit. It was easier to leave New York, when the people of the city had been a mystery. When she hadn't known if her friends were still here or not. And now, with Jamie sitting just a few inches away, it almost made her want to stay again. "Actually..." She reached out, and tugged at his hair. Which was much shorter. It made him look more grown up--Jamie had always been adorable. Always, but age had taken mercy on him, and he looked good. But also familiar.

"Oh wait a minute. Greg would get a kick out of this, he watches your videos!" That's where she recognized him. At first, she hadn't really realized it was Jamie on Youtube. But when she had realized it, she had avoided the videos. They hurt, and part of her was expecting Jemima to pop up in one of them. And granted she had gotten to the point of where she could function without it being hurt, she wasn't sure that she could take seeing Jemima's face. The girl was perfectly nice, sweet, and funny too--but that still didn't change the fact that they were both girls who had feelings for the same person.

This was almost awkward. What do you say to someone, who just popped up out of your past. Someone that you had done your best to try and forget, to try and push from your mind. There had never been an awkward moment for them, they never had trouble talking. But here she was, at a loss for complete words. Teetering on the edge of tears, and laughter. That was a feeling she had gotten use to, she hadn't had it in a while. The first time she felt that, was when she hunted down Jamie and Jemima, and chewed him out for scaring her like that. She wanted to laugh, because he was okay, and happy. But cry, because she was sad. So, so sad.

It almost felt like someone had re-winded the tape. Because all she wanted to do was let that come spilling out. But again, she didn't see Jemima. And he hadn't mentioned her, and it'd be pretty shitty to cross over that line after so long. She stretched out her legs across his lap, and pinched his cheek with a chuckle. "You uh...You grew up." Joey snorted, looking at his hair again. It was bizzare seeing him without the long hair, and that childish edge on his face gone. "So what are you doin' here? Did you stay here?" Are you still with Jem?, the question hung in the air. Was on the back of her tongue. It'd be a little late in the game to announce another band. They already had their opening group, but they could possibly wing it. Cut a few songs, and let Jamie have the stage. Or record a new one, release it as a special track.

"So what are your plans, for the next few months?" She asked curiously, testing the waters. It would be rash, and h er bandmates would probably kill her. Or maybe it was jsut the excitement talking. She wrapped her arms around her knees while she pulled them up again. The urge to just latch onto Jamie was almost painful, and probably not the best idea currently. This was as safe as they would ever be from the flashing cameras. But she was more worried about hearts on the line, or morals being completely erased. No, her and Jamie were best friends once upon a time--and they could keep that friendship without ruining anything.

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[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

“Yeah, I do feel kinda like an idiot,” Jamie admitted laughing with her. Her laugh was always contagious. When he was about to face the beast of the cult, she still made him laugh until tears fell from his eyes. He was so stupid to think that that night was just teenage lust for so long.

“You are a huuuuge success. I’m so jealous,” he joked. “I really need to crawl out from under my apartment sometimes and catch up.”

She was staying for a few days. Could they use those days to catch up? Would she be too busy to be with him? Would he have time to tell her how he really felt? Only a few days weren’t enough for all of that. He couldn’t just say it. He had to show it really. It wasn’t enough time to plan something or just wing it. He really needed more time. A week or a month with her. He wouldn’t be greedy. They were only ever friends. Why would he expect her to feel the same? The thought of rejection loomed over his head like a rain cloud.

Then she tugged on his hair. He’d decided to cut it all off when people kept carding him at the bar. Which he was visiting a lot this days. He told himself he needed to grow up a bit. He even told himself to move on but Pinocchio dismissed the idea. He was for certain that Joey was out there and willing to be friends again. Poor Pinocchio, he was too little to understand love.

“Haha, a more famous guy liking a less famous guy’s videos. That’s just... is mind blowing. I’d love to meet him! Maybe we can swap autographs,” Jamie laughed and looked around. He’d been backstage before at concerts. This was a top notch dressing room. She was definitely making it big. He was proud of her. She probably had a nice cozy boyfriend to ward of the crazy boy fans. Yeah, he didn’t need any time. He couldn’t tell her and ruin the friendship that they might put back together. She was settled in her rockstar life and he was still a mess as usual.

She crossed the barrier between them first, pinching his cheek and laying on him. He was glad the famous life hadn’t changed her much. “So did you,” he said holding back the compliment. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. That is, if she still hated compliments. He bit his lip and went to pinch her cheek but found himself stroking it instead. There goes the comfort zone. He quickly moved his hand away and smiled awkwardly.

“I’m still in New York City. Even if it’s just me, my dad and my guitar, New York has always been my home. It’d be hard to leave without a reason to,” Jamie said. He’d leave this city with Joey and go anywhere she wanted. But she’d have to ask him to. He’d never follow her. She needed to live her own life and he, well, he needed to get one. His dream of going to Disneyland and working there really disappeared when J left. Everything disappeared. He was hanging on by one thing only, his music.

“Gigs, most likely. I dunno maybe I’ll write a book,” he said seriously then laughed. “Why?”

[JOEY ROOKS]

It was bizzare listening to him talk about the success. He had a way of making her feel like nothing had happened, that they were two young adults, just hanging out and talking. "Hey now. We have our favorite bands and groups too. You should see some of the guys when we go to concerts. Star struck puppies. Tch, boys." She flipped her hair playfully, then snickered. "I get the same way, though too. It's all pretty new to us, and it's just really bizzare. Joey little nobody, and now I can't take a piss without people asking me to sign things."

When he touched her cheek, it was almost like that one touch would shatter her entire being. It eased the senstion out of her shoulders, and left her cheek tingling, even when he pulled his hand away. That one touch left so many unanswered questions in her head. Her mouth felt dry, and she just fell quiet. Listening to him speak, watching him speak. Their voices had changed again--Joey was a firm believer in adulthood puberty. That at a certain age, again, your face and body would change. The voice would change also, into the body and voice that someone would have for the rest of their lives. And so it was weird enough seeing the change in herself, but to see it now in Jamie...

Him, his dad, and his guitar. He hadn't mentioned Jemima. Which sort of answered her question right there, more or less. Unless he was deliberately hiding that fact. She didn't take Jamie as the liar sort, but at the same time, even if he were lying about Jemima...nothing could happen in the next few days that would be too major, too devastating to their relationship. That was a power that Joey hadn't been entirely aware of, until this moment. She could use her fame, to get whoever she wanted. Or, well, she could if the person was the right sort. But then again, she would never tear someone away from another person. She had made that mistake by sleeping with someone, and then received a very...very livid phonecall from the guy's girlfriend.

She shook her head to shake that memory away, and she scratched the back of her neck. "Well, I was thinking like." She picked at her nails, which had been painted a vivid, lemon yellow. "Maybe after the tour or something, we could work on a project together. The band, and you. It'd get you some publicity." Joey nodded, and lifted her brows at him. And it would give me more time with you. That thought hung in the air, like something tangible that she could reach out and grab. "I'd invite you along on the tour, but I don't know how you'd like to be cramped on a bus with a bunch of stinky people." She flashed a grin, "Plus, we'll be moving around for a little while longer. We're about halfway through, so we've got another month on the road. We're gonna take a week off in Hawaii next week...You're welcome to come along. We can bring you back home after the little vacation if you want." She was trying to invite him along, she wanted to be around him. But she wanted him to know that he didn't have to take the offer. Not if it meant uprooting him from New York.

"I live in California now, when we're not on tour. It's really cool, but it's no New York." Her voice felt a little bit strained, and her body was aching with the feeling of wanting to reach out and wrap herself around Jamie. Just to hold onto him for as long as she could. It was so strong, infact, that she stretched her legs out again and slid off the couch and wandered over to the long table pressed against a wall, and grabbed a bottle of water. "Do you want anything? We've got beer, water, Absolut, and some soda. There's also a few snacks and stuff over here if you're hungry?" She leaned down, to pop the top on the cooler, where cans of soda rested in ice, showing Jamie where it was without looking at him. Joey grabbed a piece of pineapple, and popped it into her mouth, chewing it in silence; trying to muster the urge to turn back around and look at Jamie. Once she got her urges in control, that is.

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

“Whoa, wait, what?” Jamie said. “You want me, lame ass Jamie to perform with you guys, chart topper Juxtaposition?”

When she nodded her head, he smiled. It was a true smile not the ones he had been faking for the past five years or so. The smile went to a huge grin and then he was freaking out. Okay Jamie, you’re a grown man, keep your cool, he thought. But how could he? She was literally giving him his dream! Though Pinocchio was churning nervous bubbles in his stomach. He ignored the boy for a second and jumped up.

She offered to take him to Hawaii with her band. He’d be able to get to know them. That would be cool. Hopefully they’ll like him. Best of all, he’d be with Joey. He’d be able to spend time with her and catch up. They’d be together. If it was only that, Jamie would still be as happy as ever. But there was more!

He laughed in disbelief hiding his head in his hands. He’d wanted to do a duet with the singer of Juxtaposition even before he knew it was Joey. And now he could. That’s when a noise came out of Jamie that was a cross between a squeal and a laugh. “Oh my God,” he said.

He heard Joey laughing as he skipped across the room. His day was totally made. His year was made really. He really thought he’d be spending another year living in his apartment, making videos and warding off his dad asking for money. But no, he was going to Hawaii with Joey! If you told him that a week ago he would have laughed at you and told you to quit being crazy. But this was for real.

“This is sooooo awesome,” he sang like a little boy. Once Pinocchio got over his nervousness he was excited too. “Seriously? Hawaii.”

She told him yes Hawaii through her giggle fit. He ran up to her and lifted her up and his arms and spun around like some corny movie. He looked her in the eyes and an urge hit him. Being a guy, of course, he didn’t really think about it. He just kissed Joey.

When he pulled back again, he sobered up a bit. He felt that was the exactly wrong thing to do. She probably had a boyfriend. He’d bust in and kick Jamie’s ass. Not that Jamie cared about getting the shit kicked out of him. He just NEVER wanted to hurt Joey. “I, uh, I’m gonna get that water now,” he said to her surprised face.

He turned around and stuck his hand in the ice. Why did he do that? And why and the hell did he want to kiss her again (and again and... you get the point)? Oh right, he loved her.

[JOEY ROOKS]

"There'll be a few legalities to go through, and we'll have to talk with our manager and our producer. But I'm pretty sure I can bully the guys into agreeing. Won't have to bully Greg so much, but...you know." She nodded, and grinned at him, holding the bottle of water in both hands. She leaned on the table, just grinning, and taking in his reaction. She had seen reactions like this before. That one time when the band showed up at a girl's house, and announced they'd perform at her prom. When people finally got to meet them. It was cute, and hilarious. But watching it from Jamie, it was something more. It reminded her of the easily excitable Jamie that she knew from so long ago.

Joey burst into laughter when he made that strange squeal, and skipped across the room. She had lowered one hand to grasp the table behind her, because it felt like her legs would give out from the laughing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the little image of Roo peeking out from behind the couch, curiously. He was bouncing in his little spot, without really jumping all over. He was still a little nervous, but he seemed to be echoing Joey's happiness. She turned her attention back to Jamie, thinking nothing of it, highly doubting he'd even be able to see the imaginary creature that had followed her around for years. By the time she turned her attention back, she was off her feet again. She still didn't like being picked up, but with Jamie it was different. She liked the closeness, the smell of him. And then he kissed her.

And light exploded behind her eyes like a million bolts of electricity. When was the last time that she kissed Jamie? It was some time before he and Jemima had disappeared. She couldn't remember it, and it felt like an overload of emotions just suddenly flooding her systems. Joey felt herself wanting to just go back to those times, close her eyes and melt into Jamie. But the shock of it was so...raw, and intense, that she still hadn't exactly gathered her thoughts. She continued to stare at him with large green eyes, her mouth opening and closing like some gaping fish. Finally closing her mouth, she set her waterbottle down, and walked over to a corner of the room, Roo following her.

"Oooh, he kissed yooouuu!" Roo teased, bounding after Joey while she rummaged through a large black backpack. Joey glanced at the kangaroo, and narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Shh!" She muttered, keeping her voice low, so Jamie wouldn't hear. She glanced over her shoulder, to make sure he wasn't watching, before she pulled out a green piece of fabric, bunched up in her hands. Roo stayed out of view, while Joey strode across the room. "Can't find the drink, yet?" She teased, before grabbing Jamie by the back of his shirt, and tugged him over. In one, swift motion, she pulled the green frog hat down over Jamie's head. And still grasping Senor KeroRibbo, she tugged Jamie foward, her lips crashing against his.

"We aren't kids anymore, Jamie." Joey stated simply, her brows furrowing, while she flashed a tiny, one-sided smile. She dropped her hands from the hat that she had hung onto for so long. She still had all of her animal hats, but she kept them more as stuffed animals, than actually wearing them. "So, unless Jemima or some other girl is about to come bursting through these doors, and rip my hair straight out of my head, don't kiss me and run off like some scared little boy." Her tone was a little bit scolding.

Apparently, Joey had grown a pair as she aged. Then what she said seemed to make her halt for a moment, and she tilted her head slightly, and frowned. "You realize that...you may not be home for months at a time, right? So, if you've got someone here, I think you should talk it over with them before making any decisions." She smoothed out his shirt, mostly to keep from looking at his face. It was the closest to asking if there was someone in the picture, while keeping her cool.

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie thought he was in a heap of trouble. He just pull the most preteen move in the book of bad middle school mistakes. He would blame Pinocchio--who was oddly quiet right now--but it really was all him. The excitement of Joey, of her offer and--

“Well--whoa!” and then she was kissing him. Oh God, it was wonderful. He couldn’t even describe how much this seemed perfect. He was sure he was dead and in Heaven and God was just being nice. The raw emotion of his teen years came back and hit him tenfold. Before he could get into it, she was pulling away.

He smiled. Joey didn’t know about Jemima. She thought they were still together. After six years of that being over and done with, it did bug Jamie so much to talk about it. He caught up with J and found she was engaged. She sounded so happy and he was really proud of her. They hadn’t become friends again but he did break her heart.

“There isn’t anyone anymore. I was more worried about you. You’re a hot, sexy rockstar. And I thought you’d have a boyfriend,” he said. Jamie looked up and saw something green on his head. He pulled it off and laughed. “Is that Kero Ribbo? You still have him.” A look of pure glee came onto his face. It was the cute frog hat that Joey had worn the first time they met. Jamie had stolen it and put it on his head. And then they went to get that tattoo. They became fast friends even if that day did end badly.

But those thugs were out of his life for good. He pulled Joey close to him and kissed her again before he said, “I’m sure as hell not running anymore. I want to be with you and to be honest, I need to get out of New York. The city’s nice but not for living in.” He did want to get out. It got Pinocchio excited. He thought it as an adventure. He even jumped out of Jamie’s head so to speak and started dancing around.

“We’re going on an adventure. We’re going on an adventure,” he sang.

Jamie had to bite his tongue so that he wouldn’t laugh. One of the things he learned about Pinocchio is that no one could see him but Jamie. People think you’re a bit cray when your talking to nothing. He definitely didn’t want Joey to think he’s crazy.

“We’re going on a--oof!” Then Pinocchio ran into a very familiar kangaroo.

“Hey! Who are you?” the little baby joey spoke.

Jamie just kind of sat there and watched. His mind couldn’t comprehend this. Was that Roo from Winnie the Pooh? He was fairly certain Pinocchio had said he was going to be the only one in his head.

“I’m Pinocchio silly!”

“The puppet?”

“Well, I’m a real boy now.”

“Oh right!”

Joey noticed that Jamie dazed off and tickled him a little.

“Joey,” Jamie said when he finally started to comprehend, “Is that yours?” He pointed to the baby joey who instantly froze.

[JOEY ROOKS]

Joey looked sad for a moment, when Jamie told her there wasn't anyone anymore. She scrunched up her mouth, and just looked at him. She didn't know entirely what to say to that, but she knew that once his face was associated with their band, any stupid girl that had ever told him no, or to get lost, would have a proverbial kick to the ass. "Of course! I still have all my hats. They're on the bus." Joey grinned from the look on his face.
Out of all her hats, Senor KeroRibbo was the one she held onto the tightest. PonyButt had been her favorite, when she was younger. And there was still a charm about her, but Senor KeroRibbo was her favorite. It was only until he rested on his head, did she remember that was the hat that brought them together. Without her expression ever changing, she gave a little nod of realization that the reason she had clung so tightly to that one hat, was because it was a tangible memory of her best friend. "And no, no boyfriend here. It's usually a better idea not to have any relationships going when you're on tour. It can distract from work, and either party can get jealous, and it can fall apart really fast. Been there, done that. Not interested in doing that again." She reached out to move his bangs out of the way...when she saw something a little strange.

Okay, a little strange was a huge understatement. She all but froze, watching the little puppetboy run about. "H-hey! Watch ou--" She reached out, like she could grab Pinocchio and stop him from running into the little kangaroo that had been hiding at the moment.

"Hey! Who are you?" Roo asked, hopping just a little bit closer. Joey's shoulders began to relax, and she smiled. Neither one of the characters were in too much trouble. Roo was friendly, just rambunctious and curious. And she was sure she had read, or watched Pinocchio before. So she could be pretty aware that that little boy could get into quite a bit of trouble...just like her Roo.

"I'm Pinocchio, silly!" Came the reply.

"The puppet?" Roo asked, glancing up at Joey and Jamie, then back down at Pinocchio.

"Well, I'm a real boy now." Pinocchio said in a matter-of-fact-tone.

Roo seemed to accept this, and nodded, "Oh, right!"

When Joey glanced back at Jamie, he seemed to be spacing out, staring at the two. She reached over, and grabbed at his side with her nails, giving him a light tickle. Roo froze, when Jamie pointed at him, and stared with big, wide eyes. Joey only smiled, and stepped away from Jamie walking over to the two characters. Laning down, she scooped Roo up, almost like a baby, her arms cradling the Kangaroo.

To anyone on the outside, it'd look like Joey was cradling air, pantomiming carrying someling large, and heavy. But those that could see, Roo was happily being carried in her arms, there was even what looked to be a strain on her arms, like she was feeling the weight of the come-to-life stuffed toy. "This is my Roo-Bear." She grinned, and leaned in to kiss his little cheek. The kangaroo whined, and whiped at his cheek.

"Joooeeeyyyy, you're embarassing meeeeeeee!" He whined, hiding his face in his hands. She grinned, and set him down after a squeeze, and he hopped happily around in a circle, before hopping back to Pinocchio, "Can you bounce? Tigger says it's the most funariffic way to get around!"

Joey tore her gaze away from the two, and grabbed Jamie's hand, and squeezed it, "It's crazy." She waggled her eyebrows, and let go of his hand, before meandering back to the couch, and flipped over the back of it. So her legs dangled along hte back, and her head hung off the seat. "Turns out we have the entire 100-Acre Crew, and we all went to school together. Zee, Benny, Darius, November, Bunny...Xerxes." She frowned, and Roo turned to look at her sadly, then back at Jamie.

"Piglet turned out to be a bad egg. A very, very bad egg." He said solemnly. They both felt the same pain, but Roo felt it more intensely. And Piglet had been one of his best friends. He had told Joey that it was always him, Piglet, and Tigger. And for Piglet to go so AWOL, had almost been enough to send the whole crew into turmoil.

"Xerxes ended up going on a power trip, and a bit of a killing spree. He dropped off the map a little while ago, so we're all nervous that something happened." She got emails sometimes, from the others. They wanted to track down Xerxes, see if they could get Piglet back to normal. Joey never responded, but she kept her eyes out in the best way she could. If Piglet saw Roo on stage at any point, maybe Xerxes would come and find her. It may not be good, but maybe...just maybe, they could get their friend back. She shrugged her shoulders, and picked at her nails. "What about you? You ever find your Gepetto?"