Heartbreak Hotel: This Place Hotel

Chapter 20: Skeletons

Alana's POV

When I walked into Danny's salon, I found Jojo sitting there in her chair flipping through a magazine as she spoke to Danny about her hair. It was early, and the girls were scheduled to come in for her their touch ups. They were nearing the promotion for their fourth studio album and it was very important that their images remained the same way it had been for the past few years. Jojo had always maintained the straight blonde hair style ever since their debut in the music scene, and I knew that Danny wasn't planning on changing that. It was her signature look. She was the blonde white girl amongst four different women of color. She was supposed to have that All American Girl Next Door look.

Jojo was far from that, though. She didn't fit the innocence of a girl next door type of person. Neither of them did, actually, but Jojo didn't even come close. There was something about her that just didn't seem right, and I had been experiencing bad vibes with her from the first time we had met. She was manipulative and vindictive. It always seemed like she would do anything to get what she wanted, and anyone who stood in her way would feel her rage. I was told a while ago that Jojo was the kind of person who just stayed in her own lane. She didn't associate herself with anyone's drama, but for the longest, I felt like that was all an act. I knew, behind that perfect, pageant girl smile there were skeletons. There was something totally different. Something that she didn't want us to see. And whatever the reason was for that would probably end up hurting us more than it would for anyone else.

"The roots look like they've been through it," Danny told her. He was leaning against the vanity, mixing her hair dye in a bowl as he eyed her dark brown roots disgustingly.

Jojo pursed her lips, but continued to flip through the magazine. "Just dye my roots, I have places to be."

Danny looked at her, curling his lip at her. "Well, excuse me." He said as he glanced up at me. "You need to get laid."

She snickered at his remark.

Rolling his eyes, Danny walked up to me, shoving the bowl in my hands. "I'mma need you to take her for me. I have to go do some experimenting with the red dye."

"Who's hair is you dying red?"

"Tammy's!" He said as he disappeared into the back supply room.

I sighed and shook my head from side to side. She was the last person's hair I wanted to do. It's just her roots. I reminded myself as I walked up to her, stirring the dye as quickly as I possibly could. "I'm not gonna keep you waiting," I mumbled as I turned her in her chair.

"Good," she said, monotone.

Jojo and I had not spoken since I had ran into her at the hospital five months before. That was the same night that Nikko had almost died. The night where my suspicions about her began to grow rapidly like a cancer virus. I could never stop thinking of how unnatural she seemed. Rushing our conversation, the rudeness, and that wig. Why did she have that wig? I didn't want to become involved in her business, but it all seemed a little strange to me how as she left the room, Nikki's machines starting going off like crazy.

Maybe it was a coincidence.

I had been trying convince myself that for the longest, but it never really helped. My gut had been telling me otherwise.

"Uh..." I found myself saying. "You know, it's been a while since we've talked." I had just finished blowing drying her hair, and was beginning to straighten it with the flat iron.

She flipped a page in the magazine. "What do you mean? I never really spoke to you."

"I mean, since we ran into each other at the hospital a few months back."