thē ງirl ຖēxt ໓໐໐r ✰ jenzie

-chapter eleven-

johnny's pov

I didn't come down for breakfast this morning, but I was up. I heard Lauren and Mom moving around downstairs preparing to leave for set, but I didn't get out of bed. I was just thinking. You're probably wondering, why would you be hesitating? Anyone else would take this opportunity in a heartbeat. I wish it worked as simple as that, but it doesn't. There are a lot of problems with me trying acting again.

1. The drama. Lauren would complain to me ALL the time about how competitive it was, and how mean people could be. She gets shipped with people, has to deal with fake friends, and it can get super annoying.

2. I'm rusty. I can't just jump into acting after what, 4 years, and expect to be just as marketable as I 'used to be'. Besides, who knows, I could have just gotten some acting jobs just because Lauren's reputation.

3. Who wants to live under their little sister's shadow? Sounds funny to say it, cause Lauren's a heck ton shorter than me. And I'm not meaning to say that I resent the fact that Lauren is an amazing actress, or that she's much more successful than me. I don't really care. But people are inevitably going to compare us, and I'm not quite sure I want to be up for that kind of judgement.

I've got some smaller reasons, too. The advantages would be that I actually have some kind of "purpose"/job, and I always did enjoy acting. We'll have to see. I drag myself out of bed and trudge downstairs.

Mom left me a note on the kitchen table. I'll be back by 12:30, and you'd better be up by then :) We're going over to the Ziegler's for dinner, and I want to make a salad, so we're going shopping when I get back. Love, Mom.

We're going to the Zieglers? That's fun. I open the cupboard, pull out some cereal and toss it into a bowl. Then I turn on the stove to fry an egg. I don't want to be bored while I'm cooking, so I charge upstairs, unplug my phone from its outlet by my bed, and race back downstairs. Then I crack some eggs into the frying pan. They crackle in the oil, satisfyingly. Meanwhile, I pour some orange juice into my favorite glass and set it next to my cereal bowl. Finally, the eggs are cooked, and I plate them with some toast and a sausage. Pouring some milk into my cereal, I then grab a spoon and stick it in my bowl. Then I relax on the barstool and swipe open my phone. A good breakfast, relaxing day...this is the life. I missed this leisure in Afghanistan.

Hungrily, I dig in, while swiping through some text messages and emails. I have an email from General Brownzik asking how I am, another email from one of my fellow colonels, and a text from Lauren teasing me about how I need to get a social media. She sent me a picture from set of her and Mackenzie. She looks cute. Lauren, that is.

When I finish eating my feast, I load my plate into the dishwasher and then relax on the couch to wait for Mom. I'm bored, so I decide to see what all the hype is about Where's Home, aka Lauren and Mackenzie's Netflix show.

I'm in the middle of the first episode when Mom comes. Not gonna lie, they're very good actresses, and the show has a really good storyline.

"What'cha watching?" Mom asks, coming over to give me a quick good morning hug.

I laugh, slightly embarrassed. "I have to see what all the fuss is about Lauren's show."

"Ahh, I see," Mom laughs. "It's good isn't it? I haven't watched all the episodes, but I know they're very captivating. Anyhow, shall we buy some groceries?" She herds me up off the couch.

"Yay," I say, unenthusiastically.

"C'mon, we can talk. Tell me about that email you got from Lauren's manager."

As we climb into the car, I read it to her. It basically just says that my "dramatic reentry" made fans crazy about us, and if we wanted, Lauren and I could get a show together, and it would get a bunch of views, or I could start acting again. He could book me a job "in a day".

"He's a clout chaser, Mom," I complain good naturedly.

Mom smiles. "Of course he is. Look, I know you've never been fond of him, but he's offering you a great opportunity. Remember how you were looking for a job? You found one."

"I guess." I sigh and look out the window at the flashing buildings of downtown LA. "I'll see."

Finally, after what seems like 15 hours of sorting through different prices, brands, stores, and everything under the sun, Mom finally leaves the store.

"Sorry it took so long." Mom smiles. "If I took you to a fro-yo place, would it cheer you up?"

Mom knows frozen yogurt is my weakness. Finally, we're sitting outside in the beautiful LA weather, enjoying my favorite dessert. This day hasn't been too bad, has it?

Across the street, there's a bar. I don't drink, but some of the men in my squadron would sneak drinks around, and I had to punish them sometimes. Speaking of, one of the guys coming out of the bar looks like one of the guys I knew there...

"MARK?" I jump up, waving wildly, scaring my mom.

He looks up, partly drunk, but recognizes me. Mark Thomas was one of my good friends there, though he wasn't in my squadron. He waves, and almost crosses a thru-traffic street.

"Wait for the cars, you bozo!" I facepalm, but can't help the smile that creeps onto my face.

Finally, Mark crosses safely. He's sober enough to have recognized me. "Hey...m-man! Is this really Colonel Orlando?" He laughs.

"Mark, my dude!" We perform the usual man hug, complete with hard back-slap. "What brings you here?" I look him down and then say, "And why the heck are you drinking? Are you on duty?"

"D-duuuuude. I left. Got d-dischargedddd. It's so good to see you though, mannn."

"Oh. Anyhow," I quickly scribble my number on a piece of paper and stick it in his pocket. "When you're sober, call me, and we'll meet up, okay?"

"Uh-huh."

I introduce him to my very confused mom, and then finish up my fro-yo so we can get home. And then, after that, I'll...we'll go over to see Ke...-the Zieglers.

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A/N: BOOOORING CHAPTER I KNOW