Lyrical Love Letter

Juliette, Jonnie, and (when he had finally awoken) Declan had locked themselves in Juliette’s room contemplating how to go about begging for their lives while spearing their dignity—this proved especially challenging because The Dawson Twins and Jonnie didn’t exactly do begging and pride was not something they allowed to bruise.

“He isn’t our father,” Declan steamed as he paced around the room. His hair had grown into shaggy locks as of late, considering a hair cut wasn’t exactly on his list of things to do and it clung to his face still wet from his shower.

“Speak for yourself.” Jonnie grumbled. She was stuck somewhere between fully clothed and going back to bed. Part of her knew that she should get dressed presentably for her father but the other half of her, a knee jerk reaction if you will, knew how badly it would piss of her father to arrive at his office in a ‘BAD REPUTATION’ Joan Jett t-shirt and booty shorts.

“He can’t just fucking sit on his high horse and wreck our lives when he’s bored.” He continued his rant. “He has no right.” His eyes met Jonnie’s, “You didn’t even fucking race, you didn’t get arrested.”

“This sounds suspiciously like your blaming me.” Juliette snapped, her eyes suddenly flaring as she leaped off the bed she had perched herself on. “This is as much your fault as it is mine!”

Declan sighed in exasperation, “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No Deck I don’t.” She rolled her eyes in annoyance. “I never know what the fuck you mean these days. So please enlighten us by getting to the goddamned point.”

“The point is he doesn’t have the privilege of acting like the parent he’s not. Seriously, he isn’t our guardian or a relative, Jonnie has done nothing wrong and the man dictates her life from three thousand miles away—that’s hardly appropriate parenting.”

“Please don’t bring up appropriate parenting to him,” Jonnie mumbled, “The last thing I need is him wanting turn over a new leaf and actually be involved.” She shuttered at the idea.

“That’s like asking a cat to walk on its hind legs,” Juliette snorted “It wont happen.”

“Don’t you mean dog?” Declan questioned sidetracked.

“No,” Juliette stated matter-of-factly, “a dog can walk on his hind legs when given the right incentive, a cat on the other hand cannot.”

“Can we stay on task here?” Jonnie questioned clapping her hands together and regain the twin’s attention. “When it comes right down to it the reason we are going to see Louis because he has the ability to send me away and, by association, you two as well. Don’t instigate him because he will call Renee.”

“He’d have to find the bitch first,” Juliette grumbled darkly.

“Sun,” Declan warned on instinct, an old habit of playing peacekeeper between mother and daughter. He backpedaled however as though suddenly remembering their current predicament and couldn’t help but agree. “She could be anywhere.” He allowed.

“I’m not going back to fucking boarding school, Deck. You remember what it did to me last time. I wont do it again! I’ll die!” Jonnie began to panic as she recalled earlier times involving uniforms, all girls, and limited cell phone usage.

Declan pursed his lips knowing that however melodramatic Jonnie was currently acting, he did recall the painful once a week, one hour phone call, a tearful (then girlfriend) Jonnie had been.
Declan and Jonnie locked eyes in silent conversation for a moment, remembering scenarios in which Juliette knew nothing of. It was enough to have Declan bite his tongue against telling Jonnie she was being over dramatic. In actuality he remembered a painful conversation seared into his memory that elected to him just how true Jonnie’s statement was endanger of being.

“We have to make him see that we’ve changed.” Juliette murmured quietly. She saw the look that had passed between Declan and Jonnie but chose to ignore it. “We have to make him see we aren’t the same juvenile delinquents anymore.”

“He wont get it.” Jonnie grumbled, her shoulders slumping slightly in defeat.

“Look,” Juliette snapped, her eyes suddenly blazing with new determination. “We have to make him get it, okay? It’s the only option we have considering none of us are too keen on leaving the particular group of people in the next room. We’ll make him see, we have to—no if’s, but’s, or wont’s, about it.” She stated with a level of finality that neither Declan nor Jonnie had the energy to challenge.

Declan shook his head and looked away, to furious about the whole situation to even face his twin. Jonnie lowered her gaze in defeat, already admitting a fate neither of her companions would.

“When do we leave?” she asked finally.

“Now.”

The familiarity of the 11000 square foot building looming over head as the taxi pulled off to the curb, left the trio of friends filled with nothing but dread and unease. But Jonnie set her jaw, lifted her chin, and became the first to set foot on the sidewalk leaving the Twins to follow suit as she stepped purposefully toward the entrance of their Hell.

The three story building was considered modest against the other high rises around the city but the stench of money and superiority still burned Juliette’s nose as she followed loyally beside her best friend and brother. Juliette had only been in a handful of situations involving Mr. Posen, while Jonnie had a lifelong blazing trail of misfortunes. Yet in these few times Juliette had been within the same room as the man, none of the times had ended civilly. Many had ended with Juliette throwing a four-year old tantrum, something she wasn’t at all proud of.

Jonnie stepped through the main lobby and while it breathed professional, the quiet chorus of Amber Pacific was enough to make her laugh bitterly at the irony. No matter what the heiress of this company did, her mistakes would always follow her and taunt her in whatever way they could.

“Hello, may I help you?” The woman smiled pleasantly.

Jonnie bit her tongue, to retort something sure to make this secretary run for security but instead chose to play along for kicks.

“Is Mr. Posen available?”

“Is he expecting you?” the woman asked in confusion, her brows furrowing before her face became smooth again and with a short smile said, “Mr. Posen is a busy man, he can’t be seen without an appointment.”

“Is that so,” Jonnie began heatedly before Declan placed a hand on her shoulder in warning.

Juliette took it as her turn to step forward. “I’m sorry,” she began in the same mock sweetness the secretary had developed. “you misunderstand my friend here. What she meant to say was, whether Louis is available or not we will be seeing him.”

The secretary rose to her feet then, “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“And if we don’t?” Jonnie questioned cuttingly, shrugging off Declan’s restraining hand.

“I’m going to have to call security.”

“Do it,” Jonnie dared with a snarl as she walked around the secretary’s desk and headed for the elevator, leaving Juliette and Declan no choice but to follow. “and when you speak to them, tell them Jonnie fucking Posen is in the building!” She shouted before hitting the small silver penthouse button above the arrows directing up or down in dull luminescent glow.

Silence fell amongst the marauders as the elevator closed and began to ascend higher then most had the privilege of being.

“Well,” Declan muttered. “at least we know you still know how to make an entrance.”

Jonnie could only scuff in response, though a smug smile had worked its way across her lips. The elevator chimed pleasantly and the doors pulled back revealing a clashing scene with that in the lobby. The wall directly opposite them had been filled with framed records of bands on the label but the wall behind these frames had developed wallpaper the decorator had not planed on.

Stickers.

Band stickers were everywhere. Slammed haphazardly against the wall, each one overlapping the next until there wasn’t a sliver of cream wall in sight. Jonnie stepped out of the elevator purposely, Declan and Juliette flanking her on either side, as she strode with purpose into the office of the devil himself.

Jonnie swung open the oaken door, a door that had been abused each time she had come in contact with it, and immediately froze in the doorway. Like so many times before, Jonnie lost the fury inside her at the sight of her father; it was the result of a little girl still buried deep inside her looking to please the man oblivious to her presence.

His feet were propped up on the oaken desk, his battered black converse high tops on more of a display then the band posters behind his desk.

The spring loaded door closed with an unbelievably loud ‘click’ behind the trio causing the man to pause mid-word of his phone conversation.

“Can I help you?”

Jonnie’s mouth went momentarily dry, the little girl inside her crying a little more inside.

“What is your name?” He demanded from across the room unseeing. His feet leaving the desk as he propped himself upright in the black leather swivel chair. “Do you have an appointment?”

“I don’t need an appointment, Dad” She snapped condescendingly. “and if I did, I’m pretty sure the courts would finally grant me emancipation rights.”

Static filled the room before quietly he whispered, “I’ll call you back.” And the phone slammed shut as the slim built man rose to his feet and crossed the room before approaching them. He froze several feet away as comprehension and recognition took him.

Louis Posen had the misfortune of having something called Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease of the eye that would one day leave him blind, for the time being however it made vision farther away then twenty feet blurry. It was a fact that had once made Jonnie sympathetic but now hardened and only scared for her own eyes.

“Jonnie,”

“Don’t Jonnie me,” She snarled heatedly. It was hard to hate him when he wasn’t dictating orders to her face and looking at her like that. “You should have expected me sooner or later.”

“I have,” He smiled then glanced to the twins. “And with company. Juliette, Declan.” He recognized them both in turn but was only meant with hard unyielding stances.

“I see Matt has bailed you out of jail,” he stated before turning on his heels and retreating to his desk.

“Don’t call Renee.” Juliette finally burst, her voice sounding too much like a plea for her liking.

“I can’t change what has already been done.”

Juliette’s eyes widened, her legs swaying slightly.

“You had no right!” Declan boomed furiously. “You can’t sit here hundreds of miles away and rule our lives!”

“You are under the care of your uncle and aunt while your mother…takes a sabbatical.”

“A sabbatical? You mean child abandonment by a shitty mom who can’t live without her precious piece of black plastic?” Juliette snarled darkly. “She has no right to dictate our lives either. She gave up that right when she left us on the Dawson’s doorstep. You have no right intervening in a family matter that does not concern you.”

Louise turned to his daughter for a better argument. “I may not be theirs, but I am your father.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Jonnie stated with a shrug. “You may be my father but you are no dad. That would have required a physical impute instead of a $100 check every month.” She spat. “Did you really find me so shallow that I would just take that check, spend your money, and be perfectly content with being paid off?”

Louis hesitated. “You bounced every one for a year.”

“Do you know what I did with those checks when I stopped bouncing them or pawning them off to strangers?” she taunted stepping closer until her hands rested upon his desk and she was inches from his face. “I got high.” She stated matter-of-factly, causing him to cringe. “I bought as much cocaine as I could Daddy,” She stated innocently, a cruel grin on her lips. “Then I’d get high and I wouldn’t stop until my heart beat so fast I thought it would burst. Then I would share it with friends of mine…you know, of the boy variety.” She stated. “Then we’d do…well you know, things.”

“That is enough Jonnie!” Louis barked, his eyes flaring and Jonnie grinned in satisfaction, this was the father she could hate. “You are going back to boarding school. St. Mary’s for Girls.” He informed matter-of-factly.

“Oh yeah? Is that what you think?” Jonnie questioned heatedly. “Try and send me to that catholic all girls bullshit and you will never see me again.” She snarled furiously. “You think you have connections? You’re a stupid teenage boy who never grew up and decided to sign shitty bands because no one would sign yours. You’re a selfish person who would rather live like he’s 22 then 45 by pretending he doesn’t have a daughter! You think you have connections? I’ve been living on top of society since my conception. I have connections, father and I promise you, you will never see me again.”

“We’ll see about that.” He barked. “You are to be at St. Mary’s three months from next Wednesday.” He informed before his eyes turned on the twins. “I have already spoken to someone about you’re stint in jail and your mother will be informed within the week. I expect she will be in contact soon.”

“Oh really?” Juliette laughed bitterly. “I’ve learned only to expect silence from that women. You give her to much credit and you’ve only wasted your time and successfully burnt your last bridge to you’re daughter.”

“We’ll be leaving now,” Declan announced with finality in his voice. “And we will never be seeing you again.”

Juliette stepped forward to retrieve the statue-like form of Jonnie before the three moved back toward the elevator but not before Jonnie glanced at the framed record of Amber Pacific, gripped it tight and threw it to the opposite wall.

“Tell Matt to go screw himself!” Jonnie shrieked as they stepped into the elevator once more. But it was then that Juliette remembered the demo in her back pocket and as the doors began their lazy close, Juliette tossed the disk out of the elevator like a hot coal, hoping to never see, nor be affiliated with this building or its owner ever again.

“What do we do now?” Declan sighed, his head resting against the elevator wall.

“We move on,”