Hear me now || J-Dog fanfic ✔

1. Demanding food

Stephanie's P.O.V

Stephanie Carter was not an ordinary girl. Ordinary girls had normal houses, loving parents and relative living conditions. Ordinary girls did not care about whether all the bills have been paid, or if there were enough money for food, or whether they'll finish their lessons in time before drunk father comes home and begins his tirade.

No.

Stephanie Carter wasn't an ordinary girl.

Despite this, the school was going pretty well, somehow she managed to complete it satisfactorily. But what was satisfying for her, was not good enough for Owen Carter.

After a struggle with his daughter and pointng out her every mistake, Owen left the apartment to go to the bar on the opposite side of the street. Stephanie once again began to cry, not even looking at wrinkled school report lying at her feet.

She often wondered why did it happened to her. She was sure that she was not the only one asking herself this question, but that fact in no way detracted her grief. She tried her best to be a good daughter, which is a source of pride. When her mother was alive and father had someone to drink with her life was relatively good. It's been half a year since her death, liver cancer destroyed her body. Meanwhile, father has changed more and more. Nothing was able to stop him.

Her escape from the harsh reality was Jorel's house. He was her only friend. They met four years ago, when she ran away from father's belt for the first time. It was late at night, Stephanie wandered alone through the streets of the City of Angels. She had no place to go. She was 15 years old, Jorel - 19. He was returning from some party, but suprisingly he was sober. He saw her sitting alone at the bus stop with a slitted lip and a growing bruise on her left cheek. He wouldn't be himself if he left her there.

He took her to his house, bandaged and so they became friends. Steph was coming to him after school, if he had time, he helped her with lessons. Often she would resort to his house in the middle of the night, when her father started off steam on her his anger. He never refused to help her. He was like an older brother, whom she didn't have. She was spending her time with Decker and his friends, with whom he shortly formed band. But even then he hadn't forgot about her. He was her guardian angel and she loved him more than her life.

Now, nineteen-year-old Stephanie was going to begin studies at UCLA. The direction that interested her was the English philology. She could not wait, but on the other hand, she knew how hard it will be. She knew that in terms of financial assistance she couldn't count on her father, so she was forced to look for a job to pay for college. She believed in herself, and most importantly - Jorel did. Well, Aron also supported her. She was dating him for a while.

The band was working on their first album, replaying a thousand times the same songs in the garage. Stephanie's task was to support them emotionally, in the event of quarreling reconciliationing them and making huge amounts of sandwiches with ham and cheese. After rehersals in the Jorel's garage the boys were able to absorb four dishes such sandwiches. No wonder, 'cause sometimes they lasted for eleven hours.

At that time, Stephanie was mostly studying, cleaning, or shopping. Anything just to not go home. She was going there from time to time, checking if her father was still alive. Mostly during her visits he slept unconscious. The girl was cleaning the entire apartment, not wanting Owen Carter to drown in garbage and filth. After all, he was her father. Something inside her simply did not allow her to leave and never come back.

Visits in her father's house were concealed from Jorel, who repeatedly tried to find her address. He wanted to finally reckon with brunette's father. Stephanie didn't wanted to let him do that, so he wouldn't got himself into trouble because of her. She was carefully hiding new bruises that sometimes appeared so the boy could fully concentrate on the band.

It was almost 7 pm, and the boys were still maltreating their instruments. They were pretty good. Stephanie liked to stand there and listen to emerging music stars. By the way she followed her eyes after Aron, who seemed to her to be too good to be true. He was shockingly handsome, but it was not just about looks. The most important was the nature and Deuce had an incredibly fascinating character. He was often difficult, but Phan seemed to be the right person for it to deal with. She knew that she will survive at his side for good and worse. She loved him unconditionally and wholeheartedly.

Charlie's voice tore her from thoughts. He was demanding food.

- It's ready, all you have to do is move to the kitchen, because I'm not able to bring everything here. Jorel, you'll need to replenish the fridge - brunette said, grabbing the boy's arm gently.

J-Dog turned toward her. He looked at Stephanie and smiled, then said:

- Sure. I'll deal with it later.

Steph smiled at him too and followed Deuce into the house. J stood in the doorway, looking at her for some time. Then he went home shambling, hoping that guys will left him something to eat.