Page 38 of Fast Lane

After an hour of being belittled, I got up to leave but my mood was already sour. Baylor was out. Roscoe was busy with something for Free Fall. I didn’t want to call Jaxx or Rome. That would just put more strain on the relationship they have with our father. The relationship is barely existent as is. So, I stayed at home, binge watched Supernatural, and drowned my sorrows in ice cream. As I sat there a thought occurred to me. Riverlyn who was selfless enough to not ask for anyone to purchase her prom dress deserved the dress of her dreams. I could give her that.

For years I had saved every last penny of money I made. I didn’t splurge on anything. It all went into savings. Don’t get me wrong I’m thankful I saved because it has come in handy since the job fiasco, but at the same time I look back and wish that every now and then I had splurged. So, I got up and got dressed, then went to the boutique and bought the emerald green dress because I could.

Getting caught delivering the dress was not part of the plan. Taking out my frustrations on Roscoe wasn’t part of the plan either, but I had. If anyone in my life doesn’t view me as a failure based on my job status it’s Roscoe. He’s so go with the flow. He doesn’t care about the money or status of things. Where I work doesn’t bother him. It shouldn't bother me either. At least I’m out working, making my way and whatnot.

After my shift I had hoped to see Roscoe but he wasn’t waiting for me by my car, not that I blame him. I considered going to his place but as I was driving towards his apartment I realized he had never invited me over since we started seeing each other. Suddenly, I felt awkward and insignificant. So, I turned the car around and went home. I picked up my phone probably a hundred times to text him an apology but I’ve always hated texting that sort of stuff. Eventually, I laid back in bed and tried to sleep away my mood but it didn’t work. I tossed and turned and eventually gave up and started to go through the job sites again. I applied for all sorts of things.

This morning I was up early because Roscoe and I were supposed to have a meeting with Creed Eisenhower concerning the final website for Free Fall. I’m hoping Roscoe remembers since I didn’t get to remind him like I had planned to. Since this is technically a business meeting, I dress in a blush-colored wrap dress with nude heels. I leave my hair down, curled and one side pinned back with some rhinestone bobby pins. My makeup is light and airy. When I look in the mirror, I recognize this girl. It’s who I’m used to being. I grab my purse and head out the door.

When I reach the area where Creed’s company is, I pull into a parking garage then head for his building. I’m surprised to see Roscoe pacing back and forth by the front door. He’s dressed in black dress slacks and an eggplant-colored button up. His signature bandana is gone but he’s still Roscoe. As I approach, he looks up and his eyes flood with relief. “Before we go in there, I need to apologize to you, Roscoe. I took everything out on you yesterday and that wasn’t fair. I’m sorry,” I tell him before he can interrupt me.

For a second, he just stands there. Clearly, he’s stunned. “You don’t need to apologize. I understand how my comment probably felt to you. I’ve just never viewed you as a failure so that thought of you taking it that way never crossed my mind.”

“It’s okay.”

He smiles. “You look beautiful.”

Heat floods my cheeks. “Thank you. Are you ready for this last step?” I ask.

Roscoe looks nervous but nods his head. “I guess we should go in.” He opens the door, but instead I step into his space and wrap my arms around his lean waist. His arms come around me and suddenly everything feels right in the world. “What’s this for?”

I shrug my shoulders. “For being you.” We stand like that a little while longer before I step away. “We should get in there.” He nods and opens the door. As we walk inside, I’m hit by the ice cold blast of air conditioning. The brown and silver color scheme is gorgeous but unexpected. The office looks modern. Large desktop computers on every desk beyond the glass wall. We check in with the front receptionist before taking a seat on the brown leather couches in the waiting room. Instead of news or something as equally depressing and boring playing on the TV, music plays from a digital radio station. Creed appears not too long after that. His chocolate brown hair is messy. Large, black-framed glasses are perched on his nose. Pale skin, square jaw that is clean shaved. Dark brown, intelligent eyes. He definitely has a nerd vibe but a hot nerd vibe as Baylor would say. “Kosi, Roscoe,” he says as he shakes our hands.

As Creed leads us to his office, I recognize Onyx Mills. She is Odette’s sister and another member of the reformed Street Kings. She lives at Pit Stop with them as well. Her wild mess of curls are the first thing I notice. She doesn’t look up at us. She’s clearly into her job. Creed opens the door and ushers us in. His office is light and bright. All silver with pops of brown. “If you two will have a seat I’ll get the website pulled up.” In the middle of the room are two large easy chairs facing the wall where a white screen is hanging. Free Fall’s website comes up, and to say I’m impressed is an understatement. It looks great, easy to follow and understand. The color scheme matches the school now and the pictures look phenomenal. One quick glance as Roscoe tells me he’s more than happy with it.

After the presentation, I stand up and walk over to Creed. “It’s perfect. Amazing work.”

Creed looks a little bashful. “Thank you. What do you think, Roscoe?”

“I think you should be damn proud of how far you’ve come.” Roscoe winks at him. I often forget they all kind of grew up together. Creed went to a fancy private school in the rich part of town but he was a scholarship kid. So while he was best friends with Londynn Parrish, he was also next door neighbors to the James brothers. Sometimes you forget Los Angeles isn’t as big as you think.

We all talk for a few minutes more before we head outside. The website will be live the day after tomorrow and the grand re-opening of Free Fall is this weekend. I can’t believe we managed to get it all done, but here we are. Roscoe grabs my hand as we exit but then my phone starts to ring. I glance at it but don’t recognize the number. For a moment I think about letting it go to voicemail but then I think it might be one of the jobs I applied for.

“I should take this,” I tell Roscoe. He smiles, nods, and then steps away to give me some privacy. “Hello.”

“Hello, I’m looking for Kosi Scott,” a very formal female voice comes over the phone line.

“This is her,” I reply.

“Great. I’m Patricia. I work with Sharp and Wester. I got your application today and I’d love to interview you. We could do it remotely to save you the trip if you’d like. The position is lower on the ladder than someone with your qualifications would normally start, but there is room for advancement,” she explains.

I can’t remember Sharp and Wester. I don’t know where they’re located. For months I’ve been applying everywhere so there’s no telling, but I’m assuming it’s not in Los Angeles if she’s saving me a trip. My eyes scan the sidewalk as a sense of panic settles in my gut. I didn’t expect to feel like this, but as my eyes land on Roscoe I know why I feel the panic. It’s him. In such a short amount of time he’s come to mean so much. I swallow the lump in my throat. “Remotely would be great.” I hope my voice doesn’t shake as much as I am right now. We set up a date and time. The entire time my heart is on the sidewalk jumping around like a fish out of water.

Thirty-Four

Roscoe

The week has flown by. The website went live and class bookings are already up. Today is the day of the grand re-opening. I’ve been out since four this morning. Something about sitting out here, watching the sun rise, gave me a sense of calm. Kosi texted a little while ago and said she’d be here soon. Bowie is already here with his crew setting up the van he’ll be broadcasting from. Axell and Jagger are here setting up the grill along with a couple cooks from JamesTown. They volunteered to do the food for the event. Ace and Jovi are helping with games. Lane and some of the other girls are here to help decorate. Kosi got Jaxx to agree to come by and set up a booth and sign autographs as well.

I spot her car as she heads around back. When she gets out I have to take a moment to drink her in. Tanned skin, white sundress with little blue flowers on it. Her white wedges match perfectly. Her hair is down and straight with a blue ribbon headband. Her sunglasses hide her eyes but she smiles when she sees me. As she approaches, I open my arms and she walks straight into them. For a moment I just stand there and appreciate this, appreciate her. She’s done so much for me, for Free Fall. I can’t begin to repay her. When she pulls away I smile down at her. “Hey, after all this can we talk?” she asks.

hose are words nobody ever likes to hear. “Sure, everything okay?” I prompt her. I hope she’ll just talk about whatever it is now.

“Everything is fine. I just got a job offer.”

Excitement fills me for her. I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her off the ground and spin her around. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you. Kosi, you deserve this.”

When I place her feet back on the ground and she looks up at me, she looks uncertain but I’m not sure why. “Thank you,” she says. Maybe I’m reading too much into this. I’m sure she’s excited. She’s been trying to get back into her field of study for a while now. “Let’s go start this day!” I let her lead me back to the group.

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