Give and Take Pt 1: Chapter 17 of Common Ground
Since posting of the latest chapter of the Common Ground series has been delayed at Passion and Perfection. I will be posting previews (possibly entire chapters) here on Live Journal. Beginning with the first half of Chapter 17: Give and Take.
DISCLAIMER: The Facts of Life and its characters are the property of Columbia Pictures Television and Sony Pictures Television, no infringement intended.
SEQUEL/SERIES/SPOILERS: Common Ground: Chapter 17. Quotes in italics are direct quotes from the Facts of Life Series, Season 3, Episode 6, Give and Take.
PLAYLIST LINK: http://www.youtube.com/user/FactsOfLifeMinutes#p/p
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
THANKS: To Stacey (aka BetaPup) for the Beta, assistance in story and character development, encouragement, and meticulous attention to detail.
Blair Warner yanked another page from her friend Tootie’s typewriter. She had been typing for half an hour and had used an entire bottle of Wite-Out correcting a massive number of typographical errors.
“It’s going to take me all night to finish typing my book report, Jo.”
Jo barely raised her eyes from her biology textbook.
“I ain’t typing your homework for you, Blair.”
“I was hoping we could go see the new Brooke Shields movie, but I won’t be finished in time for us to catch the last showing.”
Jo groaned; she wasn’t looking forward to the movie anyway.
“We can go next weekend.”
Blair’s lower lip protruded. She knew that her girlfriend could type her entire report in less than fifteen minutes, without a single error. Blair considered it unfair that every boy at Bates Academy would gladly type her homework for her if she gave him the time of day, while the girlfriend she doted on was unwilling to give her a single morsel of assistance.
“It may not be playing next weekend.”
“If ya focus on typing instead of complaining, you’ll finish a lot faster.”
The petulant blonde lowered her shoulders and sighed loudly. It was a calculated act and Jo knew it.
“Stop making that sound, Blair. You know it drives me crazy.”
Blair tossed her hair and smiled affectionately at the grumbling brunette.
“It drives you crazy when I breathe?”
Jo flipped her book closed and rolled onto her side, gazing at her enticing girlfriend.
“Yeah, it drives me crazy when you sigh.”
“I thought you liked that sound. It always seems to . . . um, motivate you.”
“That’s when we’re on Cooper’s Rock, Princess. You’re only doing it now because you think it’ll motivate me to type your damn paper. I ain’t one of those empty-headed Bates nerds you’re used to jerking around.”
Blair yanked the paper from the typewriter and threw it into the wastebasket. She made a face at her girlfriend before inserting another sheet of paper.
“I’m under a great deal of pressure, you know. I volunteered to host the art club luncheon next week and I’m in charge of the French club party later this month.”
“It’s not my fault you volunteered to host that silly luncheon. You could have said no.”
“I told you, Jo. Margo says that the Harvest Queen election is going to be very close this year. Julie Sable has been campaigning for weeks. Since I’m not taking an art class this year, I need to make sure my fellow artists don’t feel as if I’ve abandoned them. The French club has more members than any other club on campus and if I hadn’t said yes when they asked me to be in charge of the dance, they were going to ask Julie. You have no idea how much work goes into being popular.”
Jo lounged on her bed giving the beautiful blonde her full attention.
“Well, getting a good grade isn’t going to win you any popularity votes so why are you so stressed out about this assignment?”
“I’m not stressed. I just . . . I just want to . . . you know . . . make Miss Gallagher proud of me. Is that a crime?”
Jo grinned. Since learning that Gail Gallagher knew about her relationship with Jo, Blair had gone to great lengths to gain the energetic teacher’s approval. Seeing how uncomfortable the unassuming teacher was with the newfound attention, Jo had apologized on behalf of her girlfriend, but Gail had downplayed her embarrassment. Without complaining, Gail had speculated that in the absence of Jo’s parents, Blair must have decided that charming Jo’s mentor and friend was the next best thing.
In class, Blair was the first to raise her hand to answer every question posed by the literature teacher. No one knew better than Jo how unsettling it was to be constantly bombarded with Blair’s megawatt smile and Miss Gallagher was as affected as anyone would be when on the receiving end of the beautiful heiress’s charisma.
The enthusiastic debutante’s new attitude toward her teacher was so obvious that Margo had teased Jo that Blair had stolen her title as teacher’s pet. Jo wasn’t bothered by the barbs; she found Blair’s desire to impress Miss Gallagher adorable. Lately, Jo found everything about her girlfriend adorable, even Blair’s pouty lips and exaggerated sighs when she wanted something from Jo.
While Blair focused on typing her report, Jo quietly slipped behind her girlfriend, leaned close, and blew softly into the distracted blonde’s ear. Blair jumped from surprise and began giggling.
“Stop that or I’ll never finish.”
Jo ignored her girlfriend’s protest and gently tugged at Blair’s earlobe with her lips. This time, Blair’s sigh was genuine, ending as more of a whimper than a sigh.
“Julie Sable can’t hold a candle to you and you know it. A princess doesn’t need to court her loyal subjects and you, Blair Warner, are a princess.”
Jo and Blair were so caught up in the moment that they didn’t hear their roommates until the door to their bedroom flew open. Startled, Jo stepped back and in the process tripped over a pair of tennis shoes on the floor. When the unbalanced athlete fell, her head hit the base of her bed with a loud thump.
Tootie immediately ran toward her injured roommate, having barely missed a glimpse of what had caused Jo to jerk away from the stunned blonde so recklessly.
“Jo, are you okay?”
“Hell no! I just cracked my head on a fucking piece of oak. I’ve probably got a concussion. Why did you run in here like that? You almost gave me a heart attack to go with my brain injury.”
Tootie and Natalie knelt by Jo’s side and extended their arms in order to help the older girl up from the floor. Blair, on the other hand, relaxed in her chair. Unfortunately, Blair had seen Jo injured on many occasions and she knew without a doubt that any time Jo was truly hurting, the willful brunette did her best to hide her discomfort. It was only when Jo was simply embarrassed that she complained about her physical injuries.
“It serves you right for making fun of my situation, Jo. I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”
Natalie and Tootie simultaneously glared at the insensitive debutante as Jo continued to struggle to stand. Once standing, Jo rubbed her head as she shot a warning toward Blair.
“Careful, Farrah, I can arrange for you to know exactly what it feels like to have your skull knocked in.”
Blair rolled her eyes and continued typing as she cast a tentative glance in Jo’s direction just to confirm that her girlfriend was truly uninjured. What she saw caused her to leap from her chair, grab Jo’s arm, and forcefully maneuver Jo into a sitting position on her bed.
Jo was so shocked by Blair’s behavior that she stared speechlessly at the frazzled blonde.
“Sit still, you Neanderthal, your head is bleeding. Nat, go get the first aid kit from the bathroom.”
Natalie ran from the room while Tootie leaned close to Blair, carefully observing Jo’s injury.
“Do you think she’ll need stitches?”
Jo shoved Blair’s hand away from her head and grumbled.
“I don’t need stitches. It’s only a scratch. Geez, I wouldn’t even know it was bleeding if I wasn’t rooming with Florence Nightingale.”
Natalie returned with the first aid kit and handed it to Blair.
“Stop squirming, Jo. You have to let me clean it.”
At first, Jo tried to fend off Blair’s ministrations, but soon realized the futility of her efforts and allowed her girlfriend to clean and bandage her head.
“It’s nothing, really. Head wounds always look a lot worse than they are. My cousin Bud accidentally hit me in the head with a baseball bat once and I must have lost a whole pint of blood.”
Tootie continued to hover, critically examining Blair’s handiwork.
“Maybe we should get Mrs. Garrett to take a look at it? What do you think, Nat? Don’t you think Mrs. Garrett should take a look?”
Blair bit her lip and turned to Natalie, wondering how the physician’s daughter would answer Tootie’s question.
Because her father was a doctor, Natalie considered herself as much a medical expert as Mrs. Garrett.
“Well, so long as she doesn’t go to sleep within the next few hours, we probably don’t have to worry about a concussion.”
“See? Natalie says I’m fine so there’s no need to drag Mrs. G. up here to look at a silly bump on my head. Besides, Blair and I are going to the movies and we’re already late.”
Blair shook her head decisively and nudged Jo back onto the bed.
“We’re not going anywhere tonight. You can’t fall asleep, but you need to lie still.”
“I thought you wanted to go to the movies.”
“I . . . um, I don’t want to have to listen to you whine all through the movie about a headache. You’ll probably look for ways to blame this whole thing on me anyway.”
The guilty look on Blair’s face communicated to Jo that Blair had already assigned blame of the incident onto herself. She didn’t want to upset the concerned blonde further by refusing to take it easy so she leaned back on her bed and closed her eyes.
**
Knowing how negatively the slightest lack of sleep impacted her girlfriend’s disposition, Blair made a point of rising early the next morning and being the first of her roommates to check in with Mrs. Garrett. Blair had only awakened a few times during the night when Jo yelled at their youngest roommate, but Blair felt certain that Tootie had interrupted Jo’s sleep repeatedly.
Alarmed by Natalie’s explanation of the potential dangers related to head injuries, the youngest roommate had indeed awakened Jo every thirty minutes throughout the night in order to ensure that Jo hadn’t fallen into a coma. Tootie’s actions were motivated entirely by her concern for Jo, but that didn’t lessen Jo’s grumpy attitude the next morning.
Jo was already eager for a confrontation when she entered the cafeteria and overheard the tail end of Blair and Mrs. Garrett’s conversation.
“Yours truly has been asked to hostess the art club luncheon.”
Mrs. Garrett’s mood wasn’t any better than Jo’s as she tried to brush off Blair’s obvious ploy to enlist her aid.
“Ah, not now, Blair.”
Standing in the entryway, Jo shook her head silently as she watched her girlfriend ignore Mrs. G.’s reply in the same way she ignored Jo when Jo didn’t give the spoiled heiress the response she wanted.
“Of course I can handle it, Mrs. Garrett, but I am going to need a teensy weensy bit of help.”
“Hmm, how teensy?”
“I just need you to do a few minor things, fold a few napkins, arrange a few flowers, stuff a few capons.”
“Oh, you mean set the table, decorate, and cook? Blair, I’m in the middle of something.”
Jo snickered, pleased with Mrs. G.’s assessment of the situation.
“Mrs. Garrett, hostessing this art club luncheon is an honor and a responsibility.”
“Yes, it’s an honor for you and a responsibility for me.”
“I know, but all they really want from me is my charm and uh . . . can you blame them?”
Jo was uncomfortable with the way Blair was pressuring Mrs. G. when their guardian obviously had something more important to do. Knowing that Blair often didn’t realize when she was treating people thoughtlessly, Jo decided that perhaps Blair would realize how selfish she was acting if Jo mimicked her behavior. Jo was certain that Blair didn’t intend to be so pushy.
“Mrs. G., my bike’s got a flat and there’s this great tire sale at Retread City. Do you think you could drive me to town?”
“Oh, not now, Jo. I’ve got to go see Mr. Parker about a problem that’s come up.”
“Oh, come on. Mr. Parker can wait.”
Despite the seriousness of her errand, Edna Garrett had been exceptionally tolerant of Blair’s demanding attitude. In light of how much she felt the young heiress had matured over the past few years, Mrs. Garrett was never overly critical when Blair occasionally lapsed. Jo’s behavior, on the other hand, confused the distracted nutritionist. Of all her girls, Jo was consistently the most considerate. While Edna shot Jo a questioning look, Blair interrupted.
Blair was horrified to see Jo, who had never questioned anything Mrs. Garrett had ever said, pestering their beloved guardian to take her to town for a tire Blair knew for certain Jo didn’t need. Jo had taken Blair for a bike ride the day before and Jo never allowed Blair to ride the motorcycle unless it was in perfect condition. Irritated that Jo was trying to usurp Mrs. Garrett’s attention with a fabricated need, Blair continued her pleas.
“Maybe he can, but I can’t. I have an art club luncheon to plan. Mrs. Garrett, what should I serve with the capons, wild rice, and -?
Jo growled at Blair, determined to demonstrate how rude it was to interrupt someone else’s conversation.
“A stomach pump. Come on, we coulda been halfway to town by now.”
As their flabbergasted guardian walked away, Blair turned to Jo in exasperation. Even if Tootie had kept Jo up all night, it was no excuse for Jo’s boorish behavior.
“What is with you?”
Before Edna could completely retreat, Natalie cornered the redhead in the doorway. While Mrs. Garrett brushed Natalie off in much the same way she had reacted toward Jo and Blair, Blair continued to question her grumpy roommate privately.
“Joanna Marie Polniaczek, what has gotten into you? Why did you lie about needing a new tire? How could you treat Mrs. Garrett so disrespectfully?”
The more Blair babbled, the more satisfied Jo was that her ploy had worked.
“Give me a break, Blair. I was only giving you a taste of your own medicine. You were ten times more inconsiderate toward Mrs. G. than I was. All I did was show you how selfish you look when you act like that.”
While Blair was defending herself to Jo, Tootie arrived and pushed Natalie aside in order to get Mrs. Garrett’s attention. Each set of best friends became so embroiled in their respective disputes that none of them noticed when Mrs. Garrett left the room. They had no idea of the financial burden that had befallen their maternal guardian. Edna had received a letter that morning notifying her that the company she had worked for years earlier had gone bankrupt and that her pension fund was lost. Edna had spent everything else she earned supporting herself and her free-spirited son, Alex, and she had been depending on the pension fund to support her in retirement.
After failing to convince Mr. Parker to give her a raise, Edna scanned the newspaper for part-time employment to supplement her income. Accustomed to hard work, Mrs. Garrett accepted a second job working at the local Howard Johnson’s restaurant and hoped that she would be able to resolve her money problems on her own. She’d been working at her new part-time job for less than a week when the extra hours began to negatively impact her full-time job at Eastland.
**
Although her attempt to change Blair’s behavior by mimicking it had failed miserably, Jo wasn’t giving up on her mission. Jo was frustrated that Blair’s behavior so often kept others from recognizing that Blair was truly a very compassionate girl. Jo was especially aggravated when Blair didn’t do her fair share of work in the cafeteria. It gave people the impression that Blair was lazy, which couldn’t be further from the truth, at least from Jo’s perspective. Blair’s problem was that others were so willing to do things for Blair that her spoiled girlfriend had simply grown accustomed to letting others do her work.
“Excuse me, Princess Diana, but do you think you could give us a hand here?”
Jo, Tootie, and Natalie were cleaning tables while Blair flipped through one of Mrs. Garrett’s cookbooks.
“In a minute.”
Tootie questioned the debutante, not because she expected Blair to assist in cleaning the cafeteria, but because she was curious about why Blair was studying a cookbook.
“What are you doing with that cookbook?”
“I’m trying to find a recipe for stuffed capons. Does anyone know how this thing works?”
Jo grimaced, wondering if Blair was reverting to her dumb blonde routine in order to get someone else to prepare the capons or if Blair truly didn’t know how to navigate a cookbook. Feeling certain that a girl of Blair’s intelligence could figure out a simple cookbook if she applied herself to the task, Jo remained silent.
Tootie, however, amazed that the upperclassman could be so ignorant, sought to educate the ditsy blonde.
“It’s a cookbook, Blair.”
“I know that. I’m trying to figure out how to make capons.”
Exasperated, Tootie sat down beside the convincingly confused blonde and began flipping through the pages of the cookbook.
“Look under poultry. Roasted capons. Now, for stuffing, you look under? Under?”
“Wait, wait, wait, it’s on the tip of my tongue.”
Natalie stared at Jo to communicate her sheer amazement at the helplessness of their oldest roommate before exclaiming.
“Stuffing, Blair. You look under stuffing! Who doesn’t know that?”
Jo tilted her head and glared at Blair, making sure her girlfriend could see that there was one person in the room who wasn’t buying the helpless act.
“How do you get through life?”
Realizing Jo was on to her, Blair extended her lower lip in what she hoped was a charming pout and whined.
“It’s not my fault. I have to handle this art club luncheon all by myself. Mrs. Garrett isn’t helping.”
Comprehending Blair’s strict adherence to the social etiquette expected in the elitist environment in which the heiress was raised, Jo intentionally goaded the socialite.
“Why don’t you just go to Kentucky Colonel? I mean, who’s gonna know? A chicken is a chicken.”
“They’re capons.”
“What’s the difference?”
Giving up the pretense of playing dumb, Blair shot back a lightning fast retort, especially pleased with herself since Jo was usually able to outwit her in their public displays of bickering.
“Breeding.”
It took a great deal of effort on Jo’s part not to burst into laughter. Perhaps she hadn’t taught Blair to be more independent, but she felt that she was in part responsible for Blair’s ability to stand on her own two feet and trade insults with more of an arsenal than ‘turn blue’. Feeling a bit proud of her girlfriend, Jo turned her attention to preparing dinner, which wasn’t an easy task without Mrs. Garrett’s guidance.
The four roommates continued to grumble amongst themselves as they attempted to prepare dinner without the guidance of Eastland’s nutritionist. By the time Mrs. Garrett ran into the kitchen, weary from too many hours working the night shift at the Howard Johnson’s, the only thing the girls had accomplished was to burn the roast.
Hoping that Mrs. Garrett would overhear her question, Tootie turned to Natalie.
“Have you figured out how we’re going to get into that Brooke Shields movie tonight? It’s R rated.”
Natalie placed her head on Mrs. Garrett’s shoulder and hugged the older woman affectionately.
“I think so. We’ll need a responsible adult to take us.”
Mrs. Garrett ignored the gesture and continued delegating kitchen duties.
“Tootie, will you look in the refrigerator and get out the apple sauce?”
“Sure.”
“Natalie, help me shred.”
“Sure. So what do you say, will you take us to the movies?”
Tootie couldn’t find the apple sauce and Mrs. Garrett had to retrieve it herself while Natalie continued to pester the busy cook about taking them to the movies. Mrs. Garrett was ignoring the younger girls and trying to prepare the meal when Jo and Blair entered the kitchen in mid-argument.
“Blair, forget it.”
“What are we talking about, really? Six little birds and a bowl of stuffing.”
Jo kept reminding herself to stand firm in her resolution not to spoil her girlfriend, no matter how much cajoling she had to endure.
“I’m not sticking my hand into a dead chicken.”
“Dead capon, dead capon, how many times do I have to tell you?”
The tension in the kitchen continued to escalate until Mrs. Garrett discovered the burnt roast and the girls expressed their dissatisfaction with Mrs. Garrett’s lack of attention during the past few days. Eventually, Edna Garrett’s lack of sleep and temper resulted in an uncharacteristic outburst.
Once tempers had cooled, Mrs. Garrett explained to the girls that she had taken the night manager’s job at the Howard Johnson’s and that she’d been losing sleep because of the long work hours.
“I don’t think I can keep up this pace much longer.”
Blair smiled at her second mother, happy that Mrs. Garrett realized how unrealistic it was for her to work two jobs.
“Let’s face it. You’re just going to have to give up that other job.”
“Or this one.”
Mrs. Garrett’s tone had been deadly serious as she exited the cafeteria, leaving Blair feeling queasy. Natalie turned to her older roommate for reassurance.
“‘Or this one’? What does she mean, ‘or this one’?”
“She’s just tired.”
Blair tried to project a confidence she didn’t feel and Natalie followed her example by stating her hopes instead of her fears.
“She wouldn’t leave us.”
Tootie had tears in her eyes as she also looked toward Blair.
“She can’t do that.”
If the three girls who had been amazed by their blonde friend’s incompetence only a few minutes earlier noted the irony in the fact that they were all looking to that same girl for answers in the midst of the crisis, their actions didn’t show it. Blair quickly assumed the leadership role in any situation involving matters of the heart and no one was nearer to the heart of the four classmates than Edna Garrett.
“We . . . we just won’t let her.”
Even Jo, who was normally the voice of calm during a crisis, deferred to Blair, masking her fears in her tough Bronx attitude.
“Well, what are we supposed to do, chain her to the sink?”
Blair fortified her heart and plunged forward with a plan. Losing Mrs. Garrett, who had given the wealthy heiress the guidance and love the child’s parents had been either unwilling or unable to offer, was unthinkable for Blair.
“No. We’ll just have to make her life easier for her, that’s all.”
Jo could see that Blair was on the verge of losing her composure and swiftly helped clear the room.
“Hey, Nat. Why don’t you and Tootie go back into the kitchen and see if you can salvage that burnt roast for Mrs. G. That would definitely help make her life easier. Blair and I will work out a plan for solving Mrs. G.’s money problems and keeping her here at Eastland.”
Natalie and Tootie were relieved that Jo was working with Blair to develop a plan. The younger girls left the cafeteria confident that their friends would come up with a way to keep their beloved nutritionist with them.
**
“Don’t look so worried, Blair. We’ll figure this out.”
“I know. It’s just . . . well, I’ve come to count on Mrs. Garrett always being here for me. I can’t imagine my life without her.”
“Aw, it’s not like she’d be moving to another planet, Blair. She isn’t leaving you; she just needs to make more money.”
“I could -.”
“No, you couldn’t! I mean it, Blair. Don’t even think about it. Mrs. Garrett has too much pride to accept anything from you. Promise me that we’ll think of another way.”
“What if we can’t?”
“Then you and I will just ride my bike out to the Howard Johnson’s a couple of nights each week.”
Blair’s face brightened.
“You’d do that?”
Jo sat a little straighter in her chair, always happy to be Blair’s hero.
“Heh heh, I’m more dependable than the limo service, Princess. Nothing is going to come between you and Mrs. G. I’ll make sure of it.”
**
“You’d better start getting ready or we’ll be late for the movie.”
Jo swung her legs over the side of the bed and smiled.
“I’m ready.”
“You can’t seriously be planning to wear that.”
Jo looked down at her camouflage t-shirt and jeans.
“What’s wrong with it?”
Blair pulled Jo’s elbow as she led her amused girlfriend down the hallway to the stairs.
“One of these days, Jo Polniaczek, we are going to have a serious discussion about your wardrobe.”
“Hey, if you don’t like my clothes, I can take ’em off.”
As the couple descended the stairs, Jo lifted the hem of her shirt.
“Stop that!”
“Oh, so it’s the outdated jeans you don’t like? Ya should have said so.”
Jo quickly unbuttoned her jeans and started working the zipper as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Blair’s hand was less than an inch from preventing Jo from undressing further when Natalie rounded the corner.
“Whoa! Is there something you two want to tell me?”
Blair blushed while Jo snickered.
“Blair isn’t happy with my ensemble.”
Blair placed her hands on her hips and glared at the cocky brunette.
“There should be laws preventing people from wearing things like that in public.”
Natalie’s eyes lingered on the unbuttoned state of Jo’s jeans.
“Um, you might want to get Mrs. Garrett to sew on that button before you leave the lounge, Jo. I’m not a fashion Nazi like Blair, but I do expect my friends to be fully dressed when we go to the movies.”
Jo smirked at her friends as she buttoned her jeans and retrieved her jacket from the coat rack by the door.
“Sorry, Nat. The movie is rated R. You’ll have to get an adult to take you.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to go see Brooke Shields without me? I’ve been waiting to see that movie forever. Have you seen the trailers? The guy who plays her boyfriend is such a stud. You have to take me.”
Tootie had an internal radar system that always alerted her when Natalie was up to something and it led her straight into the parlor as Natalie was begging Jo to take her to see the new Brooke Shields movie, Endless Love.
“Take you where?”
Tootie’s question didn’t fool Jo. It was obvious that she’d been listening at the door before entering the lounge.
“Blair and I are going to the movies. You and Natalie can’t come. End of story.”
Blair fidgeted with her hair as Jo gruffly rebuffed their friends. It wasn’t like Jo to deal so harshly with their younger roommates, but Jo was tired of constantly being scrutinized by the snoop sisters.
“I’m sorry, Nat. Jo’s right. You’re too young to come with us tonight. We’ll take you to one of the PG movies tomorrow night, okay?”
Natalie placed her arm around Tootie’s shoulders in solidarity.
“We’ll get Mrs. Garrett to take us to the movies tomorrow night. You and Jo can stay home all by yourselves and see how you like being left behind.”
Blair bit her lip to keep from smiling at the thought of being left alone with Jo.
“If that will make you feel better, Nat, we’ll happily stay in tomorrow night while you go to the movie.”
Seeing Natalie’s anger begin to dissolve, Blair giggled and whispered confidentially to her young friend.
“I’ll give you all the details on the nude scenes when I get back tonight. That way you’ll know when not to go for popcorn.”
Natalie cackled and Tootie’s eyes grew wide with surprise.
“Nude scene? There’s a nude scene with Brooke Shields?”
Blair winked at the thirteen-year-old and grinned.
“More importantly, Tootie, there’s a nude scene with her hunky boyfriend. Why do you think it’s rated R?”
“Geez, Nat. Do you really think Mrs. Garrett will take us to see it?”
“Of course she will. We just have to ask her after Jo and Blair figure out how to solve her financial problems.”
Jo frowned as she opened the door for Blair.
“Don’t pester Mrs. G. while we’re gone.”
Blair grabbed Jo’s elbow possessively as she breezed through the doorway.
“Come on, Jo. I don’t want to miss the first of the movie.”
DISCLAIMER: The Facts of Life and its characters are the property of Columbia Pictures Television and Sony Pictures Television, no infringement intended.
SEQUEL/SERIES/SPOILERS: Common Ground: Chapter 17. Quotes in italics are direct quotes from the Facts of Life Series, Season 3, Episode 6, Give and Take.
PLAYLIST LINK: http://www.youtube.com/user/FactsOfLifeMinutes#p/p
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
THANKS: To Stacey (aka BetaPup) for the Beta, assistance in story and character development, encouragement, and meticulous attention to detail.
Blair Warner yanked another page from her friend Tootie’s typewriter. She had been typing for half an hour and had used an entire bottle of Wite-Out correcting a massive number of typographical errors.
“It’s going to take me all night to finish typing my book report, Jo.”
Jo barely raised her eyes from her biology textbook.
“I ain’t typing your homework for you, Blair.”
“I was hoping we could go see the new Brooke Shields movie, but I won’t be finished in time for us to catch the last showing.”
Jo groaned; she wasn’t looking forward to the movie anyway.
“We can go next weekend.”
Blair’s lower lip protruded. She knew that her girlfriend could type her entire report in less than fifteen minutes, without a single error. Blair considered it unfair that every boy at Bates Academy would gladly type her homework for her if she gave him the time of day, while the girlfriend she doted on was unwilling to give her a single morsel of assistance.
“It may not be playing next weekend.”
“If ya focus on typing instead of complaining, you’ll finish a lot faster.”
The petulant blonde lowered her shoulders and sighed loudly. It was a calculated act and Jo knew it.
“Stop making that sound, Blair. You know it drives me crazy.”
Blair tossed her hair and smiled affectionately at the grumbling brunette.
“It drives you crazy when I breathe?”
Jo flipped her book closed and rolled onto her side, gazing at her enticing girlfriend.
“Yeah, it drives me crazy when you sigh.”
“I thought you liked that sound. It always seems to . . . um, motivate you.”
“That’s when we’re on Cooper’s Rock, Princess. You’re only doing it now because you think it’ll motivate me to type your damn paper. I ain’t one of those empty-headed Bates nerds you’re used to jerking around.”
Blair yanked the paper from the typewriter and threw it into the wastebasket. She made a face at her girlfriend before inserting another sheet of paper.
“I’m under a great deal of pressure, you know. I volunteered to host the art club luncheon next week and I’m in charge of the French club party later this month.”
“It’s not my fault you volunteered to host that silly luncheon. You could have said no.”
“I told you, Jo. Margo says that the Harvest Queen election is going to be very close this year. Julie Sable has been campaigning for weeks. Since I’m not taking an art class this year, I need to make sure my fellow artists don’t feel as if I’ve abandoned them. The French club has more members than any other club on campus and if I hadn’t said yes when they asked me to be in charge of the dance, they were going to ask Julie. You have no idea how much work goes into being popular.”
Jo lounged on her bed giving the beautiful blonde her full attention.
“Well, getting a good grade isn’t going to win you any popularity votes so why are you so stressed out about this assignment?”
“I’m not stressed. I just . . . I just want to . . . you know . . . make Miss Gallagher proud of me. Is that a crime?”
Jo grinned. Since learning that Gail Gallagher knew about her relationship with Jo, Blair had gone to great lengths to gain the energetic teacher’s approval. Seeing how uncomfortable the unassuming teacher was with the newfound attention, Jo had apologized on behalf of her girlfriend, but Gail had downplayed her embarrassment. Without complaining, Gail had speculated that in the absence of Jo’s parents, Blair must have decided that charming Jo’s mentor and friend was the next best thing.
In class, Blair was the first to raise her hand to answer every question posed by the literature teacher. No one knew better than Jo how unsettling it was to be constantly bombarded with Blair’s megawatt smile and Miss Gallagher was as affected as anyone would be when on the receiving end of the beautiful heiress’s charisma.
The enthusiastic debutante’s new attitude toward her teacher was so obvious that Margo had teased Jo that Blair had stolen her title as teacher’s pet. Jo wasn’t bothered by the barbs; she found Blair’s desire to impress Miss Gallagher adorable. Lately, Jo found everything about her girlfriend adorable, even Blair’s pouty lips and exaggerated sighs when she wanted something from Jo.
While Blair focused on typing her report, Jo quietly slipped behind her girlfriend, leaned close, and blew softly into the distracted blonde’s ear. Blair jumped from surprise and began giggling.
“Stop that or I’ll never finish.”
Jo ignored her girlfriend’s protest and gently tugged at Blair’s earlobe with her lips. This time, Blair’s sigh was genuine, ending as more of a whimper than a sigh.
“Julie Sable can’t hold a candle to you and you know it. A princess doesn’t need to court her loyal subjects and you, Blair Warner, are a princess.”
Jo and Blair were so caught up in the moment that they didn’t hear their roommates until the door to their bedroom flew open. Startled, Jo stepped back and in the process tripped over a pair of tennis shoes on the floor. When the unbalanced athlete fell, her head hit the base of her bed with a loud thump.
Tootie immediately ran toward her injured roommate, having barely missed a glimpse of what had caused Jo to jerk away from the stunned blonde so recklessly.
“Jo, are you okay?”
“Hell no! I just cracked my head on a fucking piece of oak. I’ve probably got a concussion. Why did you run in here like that? You almost gave me a heart attack to go with my brain injury.”
Tootie and Natalie knelt by Jo’s side and extended their arms in order to help the older girl up from the floor. Blair, on the other hand, relaxed in her chair. Unfortunately, Blair had seen Jo injured on many occasions and she knew without a doubt that any time Jo was truly hurting, the willful brunette did her best to hide her discomfort. It was only when Jo was simply embarrassed that she complained about her physical injuries.
“It serves you right for making fun of my situation, Jo. I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”
Natalie and Tootie simultaneously glared at the insensitive debutante as Jo continued to struggle to stand. Once standing, Jo rubbed her head as she shot a warning toward Blair.
“Careful, Farrah, I can arrange for you to know exactly what it feels like to have your skull knocked in.”
Blair rolled her eyes and continued typing as she cast a tentative glance in Jo’s direction just to confirm that her girlfriend was truly uninjured. What she saw caused her to leap from her chair, grab Jo’s arm, and forcefully maneuver Jo into a sitting position on her bed.
Jo was so shocked by Blair’s behavior that she stared speechlessly at the frazzled blonde.
“Sit still, you Neanderthal, your head is bleeding. Nat, go get the first aid kit from the bathroom.”
Natalie ran from the room while Tootie leaned close to Blair, carefully observing Jo’s injury.
“Do you think she’ll need stitches?”
Jo shoved Blair’s hand away from her head and grumbled.
“I don’t need stitches. It’s only a scratch. Geez, I wouldn’t even know it was bleeding if I wasn’t rooming with Florence Nightingale.”
Natalie returned with the first aid kit and handed it to Blair.
“Stop squirming, Jo. You have to let me clean it.”
At first, Jo tried to fend off Blair’s ministrations, but soon realized the futility of her efforts and allowed her girlfriend to clean and bandage her head.
“It’s nothing, really. Head wounds always look a lot worse than they are. My cousin Bud accidentally hit me in the head with a baseball bat once and I must have lost a whole pint of blood.”
Tootie continued to hover, critically examining Blair’s handiwork.
“Maybe we should get Mrs. Garrett to take a look at it? What do you think, Nat? Don’t you think Mrs. Garrett should take a look?”
Blair bit her lip and turned to Natalie, wondering how the physician’s daughter would answer Tootie’s question.
Because her father was a doctor, Natalie considered herself as much a medical expert as Mrs. Garrett.
“Well, so long as she doesn’t go to sleep within the next few hours, we probably don’t have to worry about a concussion.”
“See? Natalie says I’m fine so there’s no need to drag Mrs. G. up here to look at a silly bump on my head. Besides, Blair and I are going to the movies and we’re already late.”
Blair shook her head decisively and nudged Jo back onto the bed.
“We’re not going anywhere tonight. You can’t fall asleep, but you need to lie still.”
“I thought you wanted to go to the movies.”
“I . . . um, I don’t want to have to listen to you whine all through the movie about a headache. You’ll probably look for ways to blame this whole thing on me anyway.”
The guilty look on Blair’s face communicated to Jo that Blair had already assigned blame of the incident onto herself. She didn’t want to upset the concerned blonde further by refusing to take it easy so she leaned back on her bed and closed her eyes.
**
Knowing how negatively the slightest lack of sleep impacted her girlfriend’s disposition, Blair made a point of rising early the next morning and being the first of her roommates to check in with Mrs. Garrett. Blair had only awakened a few times during the night when Jo yelled at their youngest roommate, but Blair felt certain that Tootie had interrupted Jo’s sleep repeatedly.
Alarmed by Natalie’s explanation of the potential dangers related to head injuries, the youngest roommate had indeed awakened Jo every thirty minutes throughout the night in order to ensure that Jo hadn’t fallen into a coma. Tootie’s actions were motivated entirely by her concern for Jo, but that didn’t lessen Jo’s grumpy attitude the next morning.
Jo was already eager for a confrontation when she entered the cafeteria and overheard the tail end of Blair and Mrs. Garrett’s conversation.
“Yours truly has been asked to hostess the art club luncheon.”
Mrs. Garrett’s mood wasn’t any better than Jo’s as she tried to brush off Blair’s obvious ploy to enlist her aid.
“Ah, not now, Blair.”
Standing in the entryway, Jo shook her head silently as she watched her girlfriend ignore Mrs. G.’s reply in the same way she ignored Jo when Jo didn’t give the spoiled heiress the response she wanted.
“Of course I can handle it, Mrs. Garrett, but I am going to need a teensy weensy bit of help.”
“Hmm, how teensy?”
“I just need you to do a few minor things, fold a few napkins, arrange a few flowers, stuff a few capons.”
“Oh, you mean set the table, decorate, and cook? Blair, I’m in the middle of something.”
Jo snickered, pleased with Mrs. G.’s assessment of the situation.
“Mrs. Garrett, hostessing this art club luncheon is an honor and a responsibility.”
“Yes, it’s an honor for you and a responsibility for me.”
“I know, but all they really want from me is my charm and uh . . . can you blame them?”
Jo was uncomfortable with the way Blair was pressuring Mrs. G. when their guardian obviously had something more important to do. Knowing that Blair often didn’t realize when she was treating people thoughtlessly, Jo decided that perhaps Blair would realize how selfish she was acting if Jo mimicked her behavior. Jo was certain that Blair didn’t intend to be so pushy.
“Mrs. G., my bike’s got a flat and there’s this great tire sale at Retread City. Do you think you could drive me to town?”
“Oh, not now, Jo. I’ve got to go see Mr. Parker about a problem that’s come up.”
“Oh, come on. Mr. Parker can wait.”
Despite the seriousness of her errand, Edna Garrett had been exceptionally tolerant of Blair’s demanding attitude. In light of how much she felt the young heiress had matured over the past few years, Mrs. Garrett was never overly critical when Blair occasionally lapsed. Jo’s behavior, on the other hand, confused the distracted nutritionist. Of all her girls, Jo was consistently the most considerate. While Edna shot Jo a questioning look, Blair interrupted.
Blair was horrified to see Jo, who had never questioned anything Mrs. Garrett had ever said, pestering their beloved guardian to take her to town for a tire Blair knew for certain Jo didn’t need. Jo had taken Blair for a bike ride the day before and Jo never allowed Blair to ride the motorcycle unless it was in perfect condition. Irritated that Jo was trying to usurp Mrs. Garrett’s attention with a fabricated need, Blair continued her pleas.
“Maybe he can, but I can’t. I have an art club luncheon to plan. Mrs. Garrett, what should I serve with the capons, wild rice, and -?
Jo growled at Blair, determined to demonstrate how rude it was to interrupt someone else’s conversation.
“A stomach pump. Come on, we coulda been halfway to town by now.”
As their flabbergasted guardian walked away, Blair turned to Jo in exasperation. Even if Tootie had kept Jo up all night, it was no excuse for Jo’s boorish behavior.
“What is with you?”
Before Edna could completely retreat, Natalie cornered the redhead in the doorway. While Mrs. Garrett brushed Natalie off in much the same way she had reacted toward Jo and Blair, Blair continued to question her grumpy roommate privately.
“Joanna Marie Polniaczek, what has gotten into you? Why did you lie about needing a new tire? How could you treat Mrs. Garrett so disrespectfully?”
The more Blair babbled, the more satisfied Jo was that her ploy had worked.
“Give me a break, Blair. I was only giving you a taste of your own medicine. You were ten times more inconsiderate toward Mrs. G. than I was. All I did was show you how selfish you look when you act like that.”
While Blair was defending herself to Jo, Tootie arrived and pushed Natalie aside in order to get Mrs. Garrett’s attention. Each set of best friends became so embroiled in their respective disputes that none of them noticed when Mrs. Garrett left the room. They had no idea of the financial burden that had befallen their maternal guardian. Edna had received a letter that morning notifying her that the company she had worked for years earlier had gone bankrupt and that her pension fund was lost. Edna had spent everything else she earned supporting herself and her free-spirited son, Alex, and she had been depending on the pension fund to support her in retirement.
After failing to convince Mr. Parker to give her a raise, Edna scanned the newspaper for part-time employment to supplement her income. Accustomed to hard work, Mrs. Garrett accepted a second job working at the local Howard Johnson’s restaurant and hoped that she would be able to resolve her money problems on her own. She’d been working at her new part-time job for less than a week when the extra hours began to negatively impact her full-time job at Eastland.
**
Although her attempt to change Blair’s behavior by mimicking it had failed miserably, Jo wasn’t giving up on her mission. Jo was frustrated that Blair’s behavior so often kept others from recognizing that Blair was truly a very compassionate girl. Jo was especially aggravated when Blair didn’t do her fair share of work in the cafeteria. It gave people the impression that Blair was lazy, which couldn’t be further from the truth, at least from Jo’s perspective. Blair’s problem was that others were so willing to do things for Blair that her spoiled girlfriend had simply grown accustomed to letting others do her work.
“Excuse me, Princess Diana, but do you think you could give us a hand here?”
Jo, Tootie, and Natalie were cleaning tables while Blair flipped through one of Mrs. Garrett’s cookbooks.
“In a minute.”
Tootie questioned the debutante, not because she expected Blair to assist in cleaning the cafeteria, but because she was curious about why Blair was studying a cookbook.
“What are you doing with that cookbook?”
“I’m trying to find a recipe for stuffed capons. Does anyone know how this thing works?”
Jo grimaced, wondering if Blair was reverting to her dumb blonde routine in order to get someone else to prepare the capons or if Blair truly didn’t know how to navigate a cookbook. Feeling certain that a girl of Blair’s intelligence could figure out a simple cookbook if she applied herself to the task, Jo remained silent.
Tootie, however, amazed that the upperclassman could be so ignorant, sought to educate the ditsy blonde.
“It’s a cookbook, Blair.”
“I know that. I’m trying to figure out how to make capons.”
Exasperated, Tootie sat down beside the convincingly confused blonde and began flipping through the pages of the cookbook.
“Look under poultry. Roasted capons. Now, for stuffing, you look under? Under?”
“Wait, wait, wait, it’s on the tip of my tongue.”
Natalie stared at Jo to communicate her sheer amazement at the helplessness of their oldest roommate before exclaiming.
“Stuffing, Blair. You look under stuffing! Who doesn’t know that?”
Jo tilted her head and glared at Blair, making sure her girlfriend could see that there was one person in the room who wasn’t buying the helpless act.
“How do you get through life?”
Realizing Jo was on to her, Blair extended her lower lip in what she hoped was a charming pout and whined.
“It’s not my fault. I have to handle this art club luncheon all by myself. Mrs. Garrett isn’t helping.”
Comprehending Blair’s strict adherence to the social etiquette expected in the elitist environment in which the heiress was raised, Jo intentionally goaded the socialite.
“Why don’t you just go to Kentucky Colonel? I mean, who’s gonna know? A chicken is a chicken.”
“They’re capons.”
“What’s the difference?”
Giving up the pretense of playing dumb, Blair shot back a lightning fast retort, especially pleased with herself since Jo was usually able to outwit her in their public displays of bickering.
“Breeding.”
It took a great deal of effort on Jo’s part not to burst into laughter. Perhaps she hadn’t taught Blair to be more independent, but she felt that she was in part responsible for Blair’s ability to stand on her own two feet and trade insults with more of an arsenal than ‘turn blue’. Feeling a bit proud of her girlfriend, Jo turned her attention to preparing dinner, which wasn’t an easy task without Mrs. Garrett’s guidance.
The four roommates continued to grumble amongst themselves as they attempted to prepare dinner without the guidance of Eastland’s nutritionist. By the time Mrs. Garrett ran into the kitchen, weary from too many hours working the night shift at the Howard Johnson’s, the only thing the girls had accomplished was to burn the roast.
Hoping that Mrs. Garrett would overhear her question, Tootie turned to Natalie.
“Have you figured out how we’re going to get into that Brooke Shields movie tonight? It’s R rated.”
Natalie placed her head on Mrs. Garrett’s shoulder and hugged the older woman affectionately.
“I think so. We’ll need a responsible adult to take us.”
Mrs. Garrett ignored the gesture and continued delegating kitchen duties.
“Tootie, will you look in the refrigerator and get out the apple sauce?”
“Sure.”
“Natalie, help me shred.”
“Sure. So what do you say, will you take us to the movies?”
Tootie couldn’t find the apple sauce and Mrs. Garrett had to retrieve it herself while Natalie continued to pester the busy cook about taking them to the movies. Mrs. Garrett was ignoring the younger girls and trying to prepare the meal when Jo and Blair entered the kitchen in mid-argument.
“Blair, forget it.”
“What are we talking about, really? Six little birds and a bowl of stuffing.”
Jo kept reminding herself to stand firm in her resolution not to spoil her girlfriend, no matter how much cajoling she had to endure.
“I’m not sticking my hand into a dead chicken.”
“Dead capon, dead capon, how many times do I have to tell you?”
The tension in the kitchen continued to escalate until Mrs. Garrett discovered the burnt roast and the girls expressed their dissatisfaction with Mrs. Garrett’s lack of attention during the past few days. Eventually, Edna Garrett’s lack of sleep and temper resulted in an uncharacteristic outburst.
Once tempers had cooled, Mrs. Garrett explained to the girls that she had taken the night manager’s job at the Howard Johnson’s and that she’d been losing sleep because of the long work hours.
“I don’t think I can keep up this pace much longer.”
Blair smiled at her second mother, happy that Mrs. Garrett realized how unrealistic it was for her to work two jobs.
“Let’s face it. You’re just going to have to give up that other job.”
“Or this one.”
Mrs. Garrett’s tone had been deadly serious as she exited the cafeteria, leaving Blair feeling queasy. Natalie turned to her older roommate for reassurance.
“‘Or this one’? What does she mean, ‘or this one’?”
“She’s just tired.”
Blair tried to project a confidence she didn’t feel and Natalie followed her example by stating her hopes instead of her fears.
“She wouldn’t leave us.”
Tootie had tears in her eyes as she also looked toward Blair.
“She can’t do that.”
If the three girls who had been amazed by their blonde friend’s incompetence only a few minutes earlier noted the irony in the fact that they were all looking to that same girl for answers in the midst of the crisis, their actions didn’t show it. Blair quickly assumed the leadership role in any situation involving matters of the heart and no one was nearer to the heart of the four classmates than Edna Garrett.
“We . . . we just won’t let her.”
Even Jo, who was normally the voice of calm during a crisis, deferred to Blair, masking her fears in her tough Bronx attitude.
“Well, what are we supposed to do, chain her to the sink?”
Blair fortified her heart and plunged forward with a plan. Losing Mrs. Garrett, who had given the wealthy heiress the guidance and love the child’s parents had been either unwilling or unable to offer, was unthinkable for Blair.
“No. We’ll just have to make her life easier for her, that’s all.”
Jo could see that Blair was on the verge of losing her composure and swiftly helped clear the room.
“Hey, Nat. Why don’t you and Tootie go back into the kitchen and see if you can salvage that burnt roast for Mrs. G. That would definitely help make her life easier. Blair and I will work out a plan for solving Mrs. G.’s money problems and keeping her here at Eastland.”
Natalie and Tootie were relieved that Jo was working with Blair to develop a plan. The younger girls left the cafeteria confident that their friends would come up with a way to keep their beloved nutritionist with them.
**
“Don’t look so worried, Blair. We’ll figure this out.”
“I know. It’s just . . . well, I’ve come to count on Mrs. Garrett always being here for me. I can’t imagine my life without her.”
“Aw, it’s not like she’d be moving to another planet, Blair. She isn’t leaving you; she just needs to make more money.”
“I could -.”
“No, you couldn’t! I mean it, Blair. Don’t even think about it. Mrs. Garrett has too much pride to accept anything from you. Promise me that we’ll think of another way.”
“What if we can’t?”
“Then you and I will just ride my bike out to the Howard Johnson’s a couple of nights each week.”
Blair’s face brightened.
“You’d do that?”
Jo sat a little straighter in her chair, always happy to be Blair’s hero.
“Heh heh, I’m more dependable than the limo service, Princess. Nothing is going to come between you and Mrs. G. I’ll make sure of it.”
**
“You’d better start getting ready or we’ll be late for the movie.”
Jo swung her legs over the side of the bed and smiled.
“I’m ready.”
“You can’t seriously be planning to wear that.”
Jo looked down at her camouflage t-shirt and jeans.
“What’s wrong with it?”
Blair pulled Jo’s elbow as she led her amused girlfriend down the hallway to the stairs.
“One of these days, Jo Polniaczek, we are going to have a serious discussion about your wardrobe.”
“Hey, if you don’t like my clothes, I can take ’em off.”
As the couple descended the stairs, Jo lifted the hem of her shirt.
“Stop that!”
“Oh, so it’s the outdated jeans you don’t like? Ya should have said so.”
Jo quickly unbuttoned her jeans and started working the zipper as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Blair’s hand was less than an inch from preventing Jo from undressing further when Natalie rounded the corner.
“Whoa! Is there something you two want to tell me?”
Blair blushed while Jo snickered.
“Blair isn’t happy with my ensemble.”
Blair placed her hands on her hips and glared at the cocky brunette.
“There should be laws preventing people from wearing things like that in public.”
Natalie’s eyes lingered on the unbuttoned state of Jo’s jeans.
“Um, you might want to get Mrs. Garrett to sew on that button before you leave the lounge, Jo. I’m not a fashion Nazi like Blair, but I do expect my friends to be fully dressed when we go to the movies.”
Jo smirked at her friends as she buttoned her jeans and retrieved her jacket from the coat rack by the door.
“Sorry, Nat. The movie is rated R. You’ll have to get an adult to take you.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to go see Brooke Shields without me? I’ve been waiting to see that movie forever. Have you seen the trailers? The guy who plays her boyfriend is such a stud. You have to take me.”
Tootie had an internal radar system that always alerted her when Natalie was up to something and it led her straight into the parlor as Natalie was begging Jo to take her to see the new Brooke Shields movie, Endless Love.
“Take you where?”
Tootie’s question didn’t fool Jo. It was obvious that she’d been listening at the door before entering the lounge.
“Blair and I are going to the movies. You and Natalie can’t come. End of story.”
Blair fidgeted with her hair as Jo gruffly rebuffed their friends. It wasn’t like Jo to deal so harshly with their younger roommates, but Jo was tired of constantly being scrutinized by the snoop sisters.
“I’m sorry, Nat. Jo’s right. You’re too young to come with us tonight. We’ll take you to one of the PG movies tomorrow night, okay?”
Natalie placed her arm around Tootie’s shoulders in solidarity.
“We’ll get Mrs. Garrett to take us to the movies tomorrow night. You and Jo can stay home all by yourselves and see how you like being left behind.”
Blair bit her lip to keep from smiling at the thought of being left alone with Jo.
“If that will make you feel better, Nat, we’ll happily stay in tomorrow night while you go to the movie.”
Seeing Natalie’s anger begin to dissolve, Blair giggled and whispered confidentially to her young friend.
“I’ll give you all the details on the nude scenes when I get back tonight. That way you’ll know when not to go for popcorn.”
Natalie cackled and Tootie’s eyes grew wide with surprise.
“Nude scene? There’s a nude scene with Brooke Shields?”
Blair winked at the thirteen-year-old and grinned.
“More importantly, Tootie, there’s a nude scene with her hunky boyfriend. Why do you think it’s rated R?”
“Geez, Nat. Do you really think Mrs. Garrett will take us to see it?”
“Of course she will. We just have to ask her after Jo and Blair figure out how to solve her financial problems.”
Jo frowned as she opened the door for Blair.
“Don’t pester Mrs. G. while we’re gone.”
Blair grabbed Jo’s elbow possessively as she breezed through the doorway.
“Come on, Jo. I don’t want to miss the first of the movie.”