Just An Ordinary Girl ~A Johnny Depp Story~

Acting Whilst Tipsy...

"To unemployment!" Lucy toasted, slumping on my sofa exhausted. I sighed deeply, running my finger around the empty foil wrapper of the king-sized chocolate bar we'd managed to eat a few hours earlier. We'd been in my apartment for a couple of hours now, and the excitement of showing Veronica who was boss had, after several impressions of our great triumph, worn off somewhat...
"You know, not to spoil the fun we're having already," I said sarcastically, as Lucy buried her head in a cushion moaning with sheer boredom, "But unemployment really...well, sucks!" I pointed out as if we hadn't already worked that one out for ourselves.
"Mmm...now I finally have free time, I don't know what to do with it," she agreed, nodding her blonde head lazily.
"I mean, is this how we're going to spend the rest of our lives? Slouching around? Eating chocolate? Not achieving anything in life?!" I asked dramatically. Lucy giggled and thumped me with the cushion.
"Okay, it's not that bad, Alice! A little tiny bit of exaggeration there on your part," she said, sitting up for a second, but then flopping down into the same position as before, gazing up at the ceiling blankly.
"Okay, we need to get moving...we need to do something...anything!" I said firmly, getting up and dragging her back into an upright position.
"Let's do something fun!" She begged, her blue eyes blinking at me beseechingly, willing me to think up some wild idea immediately. I sighed, rubbing my eyes, then clicked my fingers as an idea hit me, stumbling slightly as I hurried towards the phone, tripping over a stray, empty wine bottle. I grabbed the receiver and grinned at her before dialing a number. I knew in my mind this was a bit of a dumb idea but the effects of the alcohol were still hanging over me, so I chose to ignore the voice of reason inside my head.
"Hello?" came a familiar male voice. I smiled widely.
"Hey...it's me...Alice," I added quickly.
"Oh...hi! So...my first call from you, huh? What's up? Did you see your door?" I heard him ask expectantly. I grinned.
"Yeah...thanks...that was really...um, nice of you," I said awkwardly. I could practically hear him grinning, pleased with himself.
"Good. So how have you been?" he asked with interest.
"Well," I sighed. "I kind of...quit my job," I mumbled. I heard him pause for a split second in surprise before speaking again, sounding deadly serious.
"Why did you do that? What are you going to do now for a job? Are you alright? Jeez Alice...okay, I'm coming over to your apartment! I remember where it is! I need to make you see some sense," he said, sounding slightly panicked for me.
"What?!" I laughed. "Don't be stupid! You can't possibly do that!"
"Well, I have nothing better to do right now to be honest...no Vanessa, nothing to do..." he said mournfully.
"Aww, do you need a violin?" I grinned teasingly. I heard him laugh. "Look, seriously, don't...it's like...an hour away from you!" I pointed out lamely.
"Okay, then I'll see you in an hour," I heard him say playfully.
"What?! Johnny! No! Wait...Johnny?" I moaned in defeat as I heard the beep that signaled he had hung up, rubbing my forehead. I hadn't intended for him to come over! I'd only planned to pass the phone to Lucy and make her day...well, make her year.
I sighed and put down the receiver, noticing Lucy's saucer-sized eyes fixed on me intently, her lips curved upwards into an excited smile.
"Who's this "Johnny" then?" she grinned, nudging me in the ribs with her pointy elbow.
"He's...a guy I met?" I mumbled truthfully, causing her to shriek excitedly.
"What's he like?!" she demanded, grinning from ear to ear.
"He's uh...really kind?" I shrugged. "And hes got dark hair and...well, see for yourself Lu, but I warn you, it's very hard to explain," I sighed exhausted. She merely giggled gleefully, watching me, oblivious to the tight knot of stress I was feeling in my stomach as I imagined how she was going to behave. We sat uncomfortably on the sofa for a further fifty-five minutes, while she persisted in asking me how exactly I knew this Johnny guy, what was going on between us, what he looked like, how I even knew him, was there anything going on between us, what exactly he looked like and so on.
Finally there was a knock on the door and Lucy jumped up, excited, grabbing both of my hands and pulling me to my feet where she swung me round and round in a frenzied, hyperactive dance.
"Lu, would you please calm down?" I moaned, straightening down my skirt absentmindedly and biting my lip, feeling slightly sick as I glanced at my closed apartment door.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Lucy squealed, blatantly ignoring my plea for calm, skipping over to the door and throwing it open before I could stop her, also ignoring my feeble hisses of protest.
I slipped over to her side as I saw her body stiffen in utter shock at the sight of Johnny and another man, clutching a pizza box.
"We got hungry on the way, and figured you'd be pizza people," Johnny laughed, but I saw his eyes dart to Lucy's face nervously as she stared open-mouthed at him, her blue eyes boggling.
"This is Dan...he's an old friend...and a bloody good journalist, actually," he smiled, his dark gaze on me now, gesturing to the equally grinning blonde man next to him.
"I hope you guys are alcohol people too?" He asked, holding up some assorted bottles and cans.
"I like you already!" I grinned.
Dan laughed, looking me up and down. "You're Alice, I take it...yeah...dark hair, pale skin, just like Johnny described you...and true enough, you're very pr-"
"And who might you be?" Johnny cut him off turning his gaze on Lucy.
"Erk," Lucy squeaked hoarsely in response, seeming temporarily frozen. I saw her wide eyes flicker from his face to Dan's for a split second, before returning to their previous position.
I bit my lip, fighting back a guilty giggle. "She's Lucy, my friend from the cafe. Um, anyway...come in!" I said awkwardly, smiling apologetically at a bemused Johnny who was clearly wondering what was going through her mind right now.
"So you called me back quickly, Alice," Johnny said, glancing across at me as he placed the pizza box down on my coffee table. "Just didn't know what to do without me, huh?" he said, concentrating on placing the cans on the table now, though I saw his lips curl upwards into a sly grin. I rolled my eyes.
"Well, you came here by your own will, Johnny!" I pointed out. He stuck his tongue out at me childishly.
"You two...you...y-you know him?!" Lucy squeaked, speaking for the first time since the two men arrived. "H-how?" she burbled to herself. I glanced at Johnny nervously then back at her and sighed, pulling up my sleeve to reveal a faded purple bruise, the only reminder of my last encounter with Luke.
"That's how," I said quietly as she gazed down at it, looking suddenly understanding and sheepish for bringing the subject up in the first place. Johnny sat down heavily on my sofa, glancing around my living room.
"Oh, that's it, make yourself at home!" I said in a mock cross voice. Johnny simply shrugged casually, smiling.
"Don't mind if I do, thanks," he retorted, still grinning. Dan settled himself down beside him, his eyes fixed intently on Lucy, who nervously positioned herself on the floor next to me.
"So, Alice...why did you do it?" Johnny asked suddenly, causing me to snap my eyes away from between Lucy and Dan onto his face.
"Huh? Oh...oh, you mean quit my job?" I asked. He nodded, his dark eyes gazing into my face, his expression slightly worried. "Well, I...I don't know, there's this girl...Jude, the one I told you about," I said, and he nodded knowingly. "And, not only is Jude horrible, but we have...had an awful boss too, Veronica. And Jude rang her to say I'd been..."skiving", and of course, being Veronica's favorite, Veronica believed her and came to do a check-up on me and Lucy. And...oh, I don't know! She was just so rude and it got me worked up and I...well, quit! I know it was stupid, but I was so mad!" I protested innocently. Johnny watched me over the rim of the glass of wine he'd just poured himself, and nodded.
"Well, I understand why you did it," he sighed, passing me and Lucy a glass also, to which Lucy looked like all of her Christmases had come early.
"Is it nice, guys? I chose it," Dan added, waiting for us all to respond. I heard Lucy giggle. Dan gazed at her, looking bemused.
"What's funny?" he asked. Lucy grinned.
"I just can't imagine you buying alcohol," she commented, looking like she was starting to relax a little. Dan frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked, as Johnny and I glanced at each other, amused.
"Well, I mean, did you have to use a fake ID, young man?" Lucy grinned teasingly, oblivious to Dan's disgruntled expression.
"I don't look that young!" he protested, looking to Johnny and I for some back-up, but we merely shook our heads, grinning.
"Oh dear, actually, shouldn't you be getting home? After all, it's way past your bedtime and you can't be tired for school in the second grade! It's a very important academic year!" Lucy said, looking like she was enjoying herself immensely, as Johnny and I stifled our laughs.
"Well...well, you don't look that old yourself, you know!" Dan retorted lamely.
I glanced across at Johnny as Lucy and Dan remained absorbed in their flirtatious banter, and he grinned widely at the pair of them, nudging me.
"Don't you see it?" he hissed, still smiling. I frowned, confused.
"See...what, exactly?" I asked blankly, gazing between them.
"You know..."it"! With them!" he whispered cryptically, his chocolate eyes twinkling, and I turned to look at Lucy and Dan again. And then I grinned to myself.
"It". Yes, Johnny was right...they had "it". They were just so right for each other. Dan, loud and exciting, could help Lucy loosen up a little and have fun, yet she could also help him tone it down sometimes with her naturally shy nature and balance him perfectly. They even looked good together, Dan with his blonde wispy hair and pale skin next to Lucy and her straight, equally fair hair and honey skin with a scattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose, Dan a little taller than petite Lucy.
"So anyway!" Johnny said loudly, interrupting the two of them. "What's so terrible about this boss of yours? She doesn't sound all that bad," he said, wrinkling his nose.
"Not bad?!" I squeaked incredulously. "She's horrific! She reminds me of this teacher I had in high school who frightened the living daylights out of me!" I giggled, clutching my glass, as Lucy giggled helplessly next to me at the outraged expression on my face at how Johnny was defending her.
"Show Johnny how she is!" she ordered, taking another sip of her drink. I put down my glass and got up, turning to Lucy, and looked her up and down like she was a piece of scum on my shoe, before putting on my best Veronica voice, all falsetto and high-pitched, feeling myself melt into Veronica's wide step, her high-nosed swagger...
"You there, girl bring me a mineral water! Hurry up! Don't dilly-dally around! Oh, my lord, this cafe is in the shambles! Good gracious me...well, we'll have to whip this into shape! And you," I said, whipping around, nostrils flaring to face Dan. "Tie your apron, comb your hair, and for goodness sake, SMILE!!" I cried, baring my teeth in one of her most fearsome grins, which caused Dan to collapse into hysterics along with Lucy. Johnny, however, was watching me intently.
"Where...where did you say you went to school again?" he asked quietly, as Lucy and Dan lay in a heap next to him, giggling weakly, and clutching their stomachs, obviously a little tipsy.
"I didn't say," I smiled. "But I dropped out of drama school when I was sixteen. It just...wasn't for me," I sighed, tucking a couple of strands of hair behind my ear shyly. Johnny continued to watch me thoughtfully for a few moments, his piercing eyes surveying me as they ran across my face, before clearing his throat and getting up. "Uh...well, I actually need to be going...I'm a bit tired," he mumbled, shooting a significant look at Dan. Dan got up too and smiled apologetically at his friend's behavior.
"Sorry, I guess were going!" he mumbled, frowning questioningly across at Johnny, but Johnny did not look at him. "It was nice meeting you, Alice. And you too, Lucy..." he smiled, his gaze lingering on her a little longer than it had on me, causing her to blush furiously.
I opened the door and they headed outside, Johnny giving me a little wave but saying nothing. I frowned, watching them go, wondering why Johnny had just given Dan that look...wondering what exactly had just happened...?