The Other Women

Who: JJ and Maddy
When: Early Morning
Where: Around Town/Nighthawks

Maddy had seen better days. That much was clear as she walked down the sidewalk. Her hair was tangled around her face, which was peaked and dark circles around her dull blue eyes. Her blue plaid skirt was more wrinkled than usual, as was her yellow shirt. She hadn't slept. Dodge was gone by the time she finally found the courage to head back to the theater. She hadn't even gotten drunk, too paranoid to sleep despite the lock against her door.

Ethan's tales tumbled over and under in her sleep-weary brain as she stalked towards the shadier part of town where she knew Miss Jessie James resided. Sure, this conversation would probably ruin the girl's entire day, but frankly, Maddy was beyond caring about anything else at this point.

Jessie wasn't exactly one hundred percent herself either. She didn't really pay attention to or care what she was wearing to school today, her school bag pulled over the front of her with her hand resting on it as she trudged her way to school. It was too early for someone who hadn't slept much last night. Too many things were happening, too many things that were out of her control. Dodge, Veronica, her dad, Becky..it was just a lot more than she was used to dealing with all at once.

The closer she got to school, the more dread she felt at having to sit through another day of it when her heart just wasn't in it. She hated this. She used to be attentive at school but lately she'd been paying less and less attention. Right now, the only solace she had in going to school was knowing that she was just a few hours from freedom.

Maddy noticed JJ first and she was in front of the girl in an instant, blocking her way. "We need to talk," Maddy said, her voice heavy with dread. There was no fury or anger in it, not like how there had vaguely been in their last conversation. Just tiredness. As tired as they both look. She didn't particularly want to talk to JJ. She was probably one of the very last people she wanted to have a conversation with, especially with the fact that JJ? Was the 'other woman'... or was she the other woman? It was way too complicated and Maddy didn't want to think about it that deeply.

Jessie didn't want to talk to anyone. She was so tired of talking, of thinking, of doing anything more than just being in one place at one time until she needed to be somewhere else. And honestly, DG wasn't at the top of her list of people to talk to right now. When she spoke, her voice was just as tired. "What about? I'm heading to school right now..."

"I need to know how much Dodge has told you," Maddy interrupted and getting straight to the point. "I need to know how far your fucking relationship has gotten and how much you know." It was blunt, tired, but blunt. "And I really couldn't wait for you to get out of school because there's something I have to take care of and I need to know what's going on and therefore I need to talk to you and I'm sorry that this is going to fuck with your day, but right now, it's really important."

For a minute, Jessie had resigned herself to trying to play nice. To not let DG get under her skin like she'd done the time before. But all it took was for her to listen to the girl and JJ changed her mind. "Look, it's too early for this. And just because you have something you apparently desperately need to talk to me about...'asking' me like that doesn't exactly make me want to tell you anything." She could have told her that she didn't have a relationship with Dodge. That Dodge had had something with her aunt and then had moved on to her. And that Roach had slipped up and basically told her there was more than one person Dodge was interested in. But she didn't. She crossed her arms over her chest, sighing. "Why is this so important?"

Maddy rolled up the sleeve of her shirt to show JJ the mark on her arm. "Because of this," she said honestly, clearly unphased by JJ not wanting to talk. "Because I just found out about you yesterday. Because him and I are sort of... in this weird relationship and I feel like a whore. And I want to know what he's been telling you because he won't say it to me and I want to say 'you know what he's like' but I'm not sure if you do or not. So does that work? Is that a good enough reason?" It was that same blunt but oddly unemotional. Resigned was the word. Maddy was resigned for the worst.

Ok...what? What was all this? DG was showing her a bruise on her arm and telling her she and Dodge were in a sort of 'weird relationship' and that she felt like a whore? Suddenly, school didn't matter at all. "DG...Holy shit. Dodge did that to you?" She didn't even like DG very much, the only real interaction she had with the girl had gone sour, but seeing a bruise on her like that. It was not something that JJ wished on anyone and certainly not something she was ok with.

She shrugged and rolled her sleeve back down. "We're friends with benefits, I guess? But more? Because he doesn't want to share me. Look, it's just... one of us is the 'other woman'. I'd like to know which one of us that is. Because apparently he's been running around with you before we started our stuff." Maddy sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "I just want someone to be honest with me. And Roach told me about you guys. He said there were others too. And I just want the puzzle pieces. That's all. I won't even bother you ever again. Just... please."

"DG, I didn't know. And Dodge and I weren't a thing. He said he liked me and I told him I can't like anyone my dad doesn't approve of." She sighed, shaking her head. That wasn't the entire story, but DG didn't need to know about what Dodge had done concerning her aunt. "Roach told me the same thing too. Said something like how he told Dodge he should 'quit playing all of us' and I didn't know there was more than one. DG, I'm not into him. Are you sure that you want to be something more than friends with benefits with a guy that gave you that bruise?"

"He said he liked you?" Maddy asked with a frown. Dodge hadn't outright said that to her. Not yet, certainly. "When? How long ago did that happen?" She ignored the part of the bruise, already figuring that JJ's opinion of her couldn't get any lower. If JJ wanted to assume that Dodge abused her on a regular basis, whatever. It didn't matter at this point. "And 'all of us'? I mean, I know he was into this chick from the Drake but I thought that was over." Urg, she really did not like that woman.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. We're not a thing and we aren't going to be. When?" God, it felt like a million years ago but she knew it was only a few days. "Saturday, I think... I don't know what Roach meant by it, I just know that I didn't like the way it sounded." Honestly, she'd originally thought it had just been her aunt and her, but DG was in the mix now and saying that they were in a weird relationship and she seemed to be trying to decide who was the other woman, although JJ didn't want to be either woman. "DG, I don't know what Dodge does in his spare time, I just know that I'm not into him and I've told him that. But if you guys were in some sort of relationship before this...then I think he's got a lot of explaining to do." Mostly to DG, but this left JJ in the awkward position of feeling even more angry at Dodge. If he was dating someone when he decided he liked her, how in the world did that translate to any sort of ok?

"When what? I'm not asking you if you're into him. I don't care about that. All I want to know is how far did it get with you guys? That way when I talk to him, I know whether or not he's lying to me." Now Maddy started to sound a little angry. Because she didn't fucking care if JJ had a crush on Dodge. "Because you know, he tried to lecture me about our conversation that we had, which I'm really past the point of caring about, but I'm thinking if, when we're in fucking bed together and he's lecturing me about how I was too hard on you or something, then to me, it seems pretty fucking serious."

This was another time when JJ was faced with more than she expected. Dodge, DG, and 'in bed together' in the same sentence was a lot more than she'd wanted to hear. She couldn't stop the heat rushing to her cheeks, caught off guard by how frankly DG was talking about something like that. When she had her wits about her again, which she hoped meant she hadn't been just staring at DG for too long, she spoke. "It didn't go anywhere." JJ had to stop and think. Did she tell DG about the one time they'd kissed or did she not? DG was out here saying things she'd never expected to hear, but right now, in this situation that had gone from weird to just plain crazy, JJ felt like she owed the girl that much. Because apparently, DG and Dodge were together and he'd kissed her while he was with her. She didn't know all the details, but you didn't just go from not being in a relationship to being in the same bed with someone. "He kissed me once, but it didn't mean anything. It was a distraction and a surprise and honestly, it wasn't anything. He helped me steal a locket my mom sold from a pawn shop and kissed me as a way to get me to stop making a scene."

Well, she knew it didn't mean anything to JJ. That much had been driven home. "But did he think it meant something? Did he think you guys had more going on or something?" She just didn't feel like that would be something Dodge would just do with some girl, especially if he'd said that he liked JJ.

"He kissed me so he could lift the locket out of the store without me freaking out about it. Because I was, I was freaking out about it..." This was starting to sound like she was sticking up for him, but she wasn't. But how did she tell him that he'd offered to kiss her again, to make up for the fact that her first kiss had been a ploy. She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she fought to recall that day through the rest of the crap that was running around in her mind. "I told him that kiss didn't happen and that it should just be forgotten, but he said didn't want to forget it...something along the lines of that."

Maddy's lips pressed together in a thin line and she finally looked away from JJ. From the sounds of it, it sounded like JJ was trying to excuse his actions or downplay it, since she kept on with the whole 'didn't mean anything, I'm not into that, yadda yadda'. It was... aggravating and it was stressing Maddy out more. "How long has it been going on?" she asked. It hurt to hear, that Dodge wanted to forget it. "The walking you home... the kissing?" This was so fucked up.

"He kissed me once and only once. It never happened again." Jessie said, wanting to make that very clear. "And the walking home? About a week." She felt a lot like she was getting in trouble for this and that didn't sit well with her. "I haven't seen him since Sunday and I don't intend to see him. And if he's hurting you, maybe you seeing him isn't such a great idea either." But she couldn't blame the girl for wanting to see Dodge after this. Half of her wanted to storm right up to him and punch him in the face, and if she were DG, she imagined all of her would want that.

"I don't need relationship advice from you," Maddy snapped, although there wasn't much snap to it and it fell flat. "So it was going on up until Sunday? And he said he liked you then?" That... "How long have you known Dodge?" That's what really confused her. She'd never heard him mention JJ in a long time, even before the whole mess got started.

Jessie sighed, closing her eyes. All these freaking dates and now DG was bringing out some aggressive words, even if her tone wasn't as aggressive as she'd expected. She was getting pretty tired of being grilled by DG over something she felt she was just repeating now. "I've known of him for a while but we really only started to hang out like..a week before Sunday. Monday the...24th or something."

Maddy nodded, figuring at this point she wouldn't be able to get any further with JJ because either JJ didn't want to be clear (because the girl was seriously mincing her words) or just plain wanted to be difficult. Whatever. It didn't matter anymore. Maddy had enough. "Thanks," she said. For not being a total waste of time, only a little bit of a waste of time. "I'll leave you be. Sorry if this totally fucked with your day." And despite being tired and exhausted, Maddy did sound genuinely sorry. There was a definite slump in her shoulders.

Jessie shook her head. "Seriously, DG, that's it. Nothing else happened. And I didn't know you two were a thing or I'd have punched him then and there. I knew he was a flirt, but if I had known you two were together..." She trailed off, figuring it was fairly obvious that she didn't approve of what Dodge had done here. "I'll still probably punch him the next time I see him." Not just for DG, but for making her feel like a fool too. "And I mean...whatever. I'm not letting Dodge ruin my days anymore. Are you sure there's nothing else you want to know? I'll try to answer any other questions." For all her talk, she was pretty sure knowing Dodge had done something like this was going to get her seething through the rest of the day, but for now she wanted DG to know that she was willing to try and help. That being in a 'weird relationship' with someone was still being in a relationship with someone in JJ's mind and flirting with other people ws something she was not ok with.

She... really wasn't sure what to do. Maddy looked up at JJ, realizing, suddenly, how much taller the other girl was than her. How different JJ was compared to her. Her hair was clean, she didn't have that wide, doe-eyed look on her face that spoke of too many meals missed. Her clothes fit real fine and Maddy took a step back, fighting at the frown on her face and it came out on her features in a grimace. Maddy wrapped her arms around herself as the breeze past them and she realized how... not Jessie James she was.

No wonder Dodge had said that he'd liked JJ and not her. JJ wasn't twig skinny and didn't work at a burlesque club or have scraped knees or protruding angles everywhere. Someone once told her that the gangly look was because Maddy had some inches to grow, but she was sixteen and didn't eat anything. It was because she was a starving, homeless girl. The breeze came again, the scent of smoke from the warehouse fires strong on it and it tickled her nose. Maddy sneezed a few times, then felt a flash of panic. Please don't be getting sick. Please....

Maddy didn't know what else to ask. She couldn't be sure. And she couldn't be sure she even wanted to know anything more. And Maddy for the life of her didn't want to admit it. "I'm sorry for bothering you," Maddy said again, quiet now, feeling unsure.

JJ could only shake her head again. "DG, you really aren't bothering me." As she watched the girl, Jessie frowned a little. Seeing her like that, arms around herself like she was trying to ward off everything that was bad. Well, basically it looked a lot like how JJ felt right about now. And even though they'd had a falling out at first, Jessie didn't want to leave DG feeling like that. "Hey...You wanna take a walk or something? Maybe head down to Nighthawks and grab some breakfast? Their pancakes always make me feel better." She'd skimmed in her head to see if she had any tests today and thankfully she didn't. She made a deal with herself. If DG accepted her invitation, she'd skip today and go back to school tomorrow, refreshed and ready to focus. Because either way, today was going to be a poor excuse for her to learn anything at school.

Pancakes? At Nighthawks? Pancakes... Maddy's mouth actually watered at that. She, the girl who wasn't a fan of eating in general, was salivating at the idea of fresh pancakes at the diner. But as nice as that sounded... she didn't have money. The money she did have was safely stashed away and the only amount she carried on her was enough for an emergency bus fare if she ever had to make a quick getaway. That wouldn't buy much of anything else. She opened her mouth to decline, to tilt her chin up and inform the other girl that she was fine, but all that came out was "Um..." How eloquent.

Jessie gave the girl a small smile, taking a step in her direction before nudging her head towards the street. "C'mon, my treat. I think we could both use some pancakes." Jessie was sure as hell putting all the blame on Dodge here, because he was the one in the wrong, but that didn't take away a slight guilt she felt. She knew it wasn't her fault that Dodge had acted the way he had around her, but she felt like...girl code or something inherent should have alerted her to the fact that he was basically taken. That he shouldn't be acting like that around her. Maybe it was a silly thought, but she sort of felt like she just should have known. And it wasn't like pancakes would fix anything, but they couldn't hurt. Besides, sitting with DG at Nighthawks might just take her mind off all the crap she'd be thinking of otherwise.

Charity was something of both a blessing and curse to street kids. Charity meant a warm meal or a place to sleep on one hand, and a debt on the other. And Maddy was a prideful girl and the fact that she was extending this hand to her, well, Maddy wasn't sure if she could take it or not. She was still kind of annoyed at her. However Maddy was feeling stressed. Too vulnerable for her own comfort. It was frustrating. "Why?" she asked. Why would JJ want to take her to Nighthawks?

JJ hadn't been expecting that. She turned back to look at DG, confused. "Why? I don't know, because the past couple of days sucked for me and I want some pancakes. Kind of seems like you might want some too, you don't look so happy either. Dodge screwed you over and played me, so I figure we're entitled to a little pancake trip. You don't have to come if you don't want to, I just thought it might be a nice way to think about something else for a while."

Maddy frowned still and eyed JJ a little warily. "You don't have to... you know, buy me anything. It's fine, but if you want company then I guess I could come with." She still sounded a little confused but she took a step forward, waiting to follow JJ since the other girl seemed to be on a mission.

Jessie shrugged. "Yeah, I don't have to, but I'd like to. If you'll accept it, that is." She glanced back over her shoulder at DG, giving the girl a small smile. "I'd like to see something nice happen this week and it's sort of starting to feel like the only way something nice is going to happen is if we do it ourselves." She stuffed her hands into her pockets then continued. "Besides, I don't know anyone who can go into Nighthawks and not order something."

Not liking trailing after JJ, Maddy sort of hopped/skipped up to fall in step beside the taller girl and shoved her gloved hands in the pockets of her skirt. She still was unsure what to do so she just kept in step. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said with a sigh. "I just wish everything was rewinded to three or four weeks ago. Before stuff got so messed up." Before Pepper had died.

"Yeah, you and me both." What Jessie wouldn't give to be able to go back to when none of this crap was happening. "But that's just it, isn't it? We can't do that so really the only way to deal with this crap is to move forward. All I know is..I'm pretty tired of feeling this shitty all the time." JJ glanced over at DG, watching her for a minute. Sure, ok, maybe going to Nighthawks with a girl she'd wanted to punch the last time she saw her was a little weird, but really, the previous week had been pretty weird in general. And she'd just given DG some pretty bad news and maybe JJ was a little quick to judge the girl in the first place. Worst thing that could happen was Jessie ending up wanting to punch her again, so she was willing to take this chance. "So I guess that just means that we have to try harder to make the nice stuff outweight the bad stuff."

Maddy nodded in agreement, a frown still tugging down her pretty face and she bit her lip. This was definitely weird. The two of them walking down the road like this. Civil. JJ actually offering to buy her breakfast (which Maddy hadn't actually accepted quite yet). "Things used to be easy. You found out about stuff and if you didn't like it, everyone could just pretend it never happened and move on because there's other stuff to deal with." But that wasn't always the case when you were friends with Roy Grady, which is why her friendship was Dodge has certainly been easier on some levels, while on others her friendship with Roy was even more special. All in all, it was all complicated and just ended up with her being a pretty bad friend in most of the situations. "Is school as boring as people say it is?" she asked, changing the subject but she tried to make a little grin to show that she was illustrating her point.

Jessie wasn't sure she agreed with that. She generally tried to work out a problem until it was finished, kaput, and the air was clear. But this string of events, these past problems, had all just piled up ontop of one another and left her feeling like she was drowning in them. But she was thankful for the change of subject and gave a grin back to DG. "Sometimes. Right now it's pretty boring. Tests and papers and stuff... Have a test on A Tale of Two Cities coming up soon. But other times it's not so bad. Just gets kind of hard to focus on it if you're focusing on other stuff at the same time." Like Dodge and Veronica and her dad and Becky and everything in between. "And it's pretty long. Most of the day, actually. So if you don't like sitting in a classroom of people being bored to death and having to listen to a teacher drone on and on about a book you didn't really like or a math problem you don't care about, it can get pretty boring. But then there's books you do like and you can discuss them, or problems you can solve pretty easily. Stuff like that makes it better. And it's a good place to meet people, I guess. At least you know you're suffering through boring lectures with your friends and then you can complain about it to them later." Looking back at DG, she asked, "Thinking of enrolling?"

She laughed. It was half-hearted and tired but it was still a soft, sweet sound and she shook her head, hair whipping around a bit. "God, no way. I couldn't do that. I'd be the one who cuts class and gets sent to the principal's office all the time." She could definitely see that. Sitting in a classroom all day would lose it's luster much too fast. "But I guess you have no choice, huh? Your dad makes you go?"

Jessie shrugged, but the smile was still there. Yup, definitely tomorrow, she would stop skipping school. Tomorrow was the start of the new JJ, not the one that was still moping around about all this crap. "Well, yes and no. He doesn't really make me go, but it's just something I have to do. He wants me to go, so I do, but he doesn't mind if I need to take a day off here or there, like today. It's really not so bad, there's just some stuff they tell me is important, but I find myself wondering if I'll end up using any of it after school. Otherwise, I actually like it most days. It's nice to be able to go somewhere with something to accomplish and actually accomplish it by the end of the day."

"Still sounds pretty boring," Maddy said, that half-hearted smile turning into a bit of a grimace. Yeah, school definitely sounded boring and not something Maddy really wanted to do. "But I guess everyone has to like something." Speaking of liking. "The other day... I think you missed what I was trying to say and ask." Her grimace deepened as she remembered exactly how she found that piece of information out. "I was trying to give you suggestions. Not tell you what you should do." And now that she thought about it, her grimace turned closer to a scowl. She was actually still angry about that.

Ah, yes, Jessie's favorite word to hear from DG. At least this time it didn't pertain directly to her and she had brought it up this time while they were talking about school. Apparently, though, they were going to have this conversation. Jessie had been hoping it might not get brought up, but better to clear the air than let it build up instead. "Didn't sound that way to me. I wasn't exactly looking for suggestions then." She sighed. Her friend had just died, taking suggestions from a girl she barely knew was not on the top of her list then. "And I mean...it sounded kind of patronizing when you said it. More like you were making fun of me then actually wanting to suggest something."

There was so much Maddy wanted to say, but in light of the way the conversation had gone so far, she bit her tongue. "Yeah well... I'm sorry. You're, uh, not used to me so it wasn't appropriate." She glanced up at JJ, less scowly, more thin lipped and unsure. "I'm sorry. But I hope it got your mind off your friend for a little while."

It was reassuring to know that just those two words, I'm sorry, could ease the animosity she'd felt towards DG before. At least somewhat. The more she listened, the more sense it made. For one thing, JJ wasn't in the same mindset she'd been that day. And she didn't know DG, she wasn't used to the way the girl acted. At her last comment, Jessie had to smile a little. "Yeah, I guess it did. Not exactly the way I wanted, but it did." Jessie shrugged. "You're right, I'm not used to the way you approach things and you aren't used to the way I approach things. That day was just...not one of my shining moments. But thank you, for the apology. Means a lot. And I'm sorry I freaked out on you." Even though she felt she was justified for doing so, she still felt like it was the right thing to say. "Maybe we should...I don't know, try to start over clean?"

"Yeah," Maddy agreed, not sure what else that meant or entailed but her brain was a little too cluttered to think through it properly. She kind of wanted to go back to the theater and crawl under the covers to hide. That sounded like a mighty fine idea to her. She hadn't slept in awhile and she was tired. "So how do you wanna do that? Just forget all that ever happened?"

Jessie shrugged again. "I don't know, I guess completely forgetting it happened wouldn't really work. We both know it happened. But maybe we can just try to think about it less? Like we know it happens, but we're not going to dwell on it? Like this could be the starting over point? Pancakes at Nighthawks?" It was worth a shot, wasn't it? And if after they both decided they just plain didn't like each other, at least they'd given it a try.

They'd reached Nighthawks and Maddy grabbed the door as a businessman hurried out and held it open for JJ to go ahead of her. "That's cool," Maddy agreed again. "I can go for it." The smell of breakfast inside made her stomach growl but her appetite wasn't exactly there and there wasn't money, even though JJ had offered to pay. She bit back a sigh which turned into a little cough and joy. Please don't be getting sick again.

Jessie wandered in, making her way towards the front. "Wanna eat at the bar?" She figured it was easier than a table and eating at the bar always made her feel a little cooler, in a silly sort of way. She frowned a little when DG coughed, remembering the sneeze she'd given earlier and starting to wonder if maybe DG was getting sick. "Ever tried the tea here?"

"Not much of a tea drinker," Maddy said and led the way to the bar near the end. "I heard there's a good tea shop in Chinatown though." Not that many people who weren't from Chinatown ventured there. It was Asian turf, although on occasion, Maddy ventured in for dumplings when she had some money for a treat. She glanced around, wondering if she'd see Marian working but the older girl was nowhere to be seen. Up on the stool, Maddy's feet weren't even close to the ground, swinging aimlessly in the air.

"I only ask because sometimes when I get a cough, I drink tea with lots of honey in it and it helps." She shrugged a little, knowing that she'd probably not venture down to Chinatown for tea, but it was still nice to know. "You go to Chinatown often?" As the waitress came over, an older woman that eyed the girls with a look of slight suspicion, JJ put in two orders for pancakes and a cup of tea for herself before turning to DG to let her order her own drink. She'd said she'd pay for the pancakes and she was going to whether DG liked it or not.

Maddy opened her mouth to protest but looking at JJ, she didn't have the heart and Maddy was too tired, too worn out to fight about it anymore. "I'll have some tea too." She paused for a second. "With some honey on the side." The waitress studied her for a moment but Maddy didn't shift in her seat but she gave the woman a little quirk of a smile, which got the waitress smiling back and leaving to go get the order filled. It was easy to play the adults, and Maddy was pretty damn good at it. "I bet we'll have plenty of leftovers," she murmured. "And no. Little white girl like me? Nah, Chinatown's not our turf but I do go from time to time for a quick bite then right back out."

She couldn't help but smile when she heard DG's drink order. Jessie watched the waitress go, wondering exactly how she'd gone from suspicious to smiling in just a few moments. She didn't think much of it, though. They were customers just like everyone else, why should they get looks like that from a waitress? "Yeah, I don't really go there either." Soon enough, they had their tea and a small glass of honey with a spoon in it. Jessie rested her hands around the cup, delighting (and somewhat) relying on the fact that it was going to be warm. There was something comforting about the warmth of a cup of tea. "So...how's the theatre? Doing anything fun right now?"

"I still have to work on these paintings for Peter Pan but that's temporarily side-railed for everything that's been going on. I have to talk to the art director about getting canvas, cause I can't paint on cardboard or something, especially since they're being auctioned." It was still hard to believe that she'd gotten the commission to begin with. She hadn't gotten paid yet though. Not until her work was completed, and Maddy wasn't going to admit that she was a little wary of that. Pursing her lips, she started spooning some honey into her tea, remembering, dimly, of her mother doing the same thing. It was foggy but she could almost remember it. Enough that maybe it was a real memory. Maddy also didn't mention Pepper's funeral later in the week. It didn't seem right. She highly doubted JJ knew the girl. "You?"

"Do you auction off all the paintings you do for the theatre?" She was guessing the proceeds went to the theatre, but maybe not? Maybe they went to Maddy, she didn't know. When DG returned the question, JJ had to stop and think. What had she done other than yell at people or worry about people for the last couple days? She couldn't really think of much, but if she said that? She felt like they'd end up back where they started. But she wasn't about to make up a lie. "Had a couple of rough days, so I haven't been doing much else other than thinking about them..." She said honestly, "But I'm tired of being caught up on them so from now own, I'm just focusing on other things. Think I'm going to head to the library soon and check out some books. Any suggestions?" She asked, a smile playing at her lips as she realized what she'd said.

"This is the first time, actually. The proceeds go to the orphanage or the pediatric wing at the hospital. I can't remember." Her head was fucking everywhere. "I don't know how much I'll get for them." Which bothered her a bit, but she didn't really want to think about it. "And books? Haven't been to the library in awhile actually. Um... Peter Pan?" She knew that the play was based on the book... or was it vice-versa? "Wizard of Oz was good..."

"That's really cool." The fact that the proceeds went to charity was a really nice thought. "Well, I bet you'll get some good prices out of them." She'd seen DG's sketches and if her paintings were anything like them, she'd be sure to get a pretty penny from their auction. "Maybe it's just me, but I think I'd miss something that I put so much time into being auctioned away like that. But it's for a good cause." She nodded. She'd read Peter Pan and had started The Wizard of Oz but never really finished it. Maybe she'd pick it back up again.

"Well, it's not like I can't make copies, you know?" Maddy said, sipping her tea carefully so as not to burn her tongue. "I don't have anywhere to hang them though so it's kind of moot." She had a portfolio though, of her favorite drawings that she kept in a nice kind of folder to show on the rare times when she was asked for something. "I'd like to start doing more though. Commissions, I mean. But it's sorta hard when you're in my position." Homeless went without saying.

"How much do you charge?" Jessie asked, a small plan formulating in her head. Maybe she could commission her someday? Maybe DG would draw something that she could give to her father? It wasn't the same as her drawing something for her dad, but this wasn't technically a drawing. She could draw him something any time. This would be a present for him, although she wasn't sure what she'd want DG to draw. It was just a thought and one she might follow up on. And then there was her next thought too, that DG could probably make a killing drawing portraits of people from her school. Half those girls wanted to stare at pictures of themselves all day anyway.

"I..." Maddy frowned. She'd never actually sold anything and not even for that much to begin with, but she'd seen paintings and stuff as good as hers sell for quite a lot of money. "I can work stuff out," she settled on, thinking that was probably a good way to go. See what someone wanted her to do then settle on how much it would cost.

Nodding, JJ sipped at her tea. She'd definitely have to think about it, because she didn't want to commission DG without knowing exactly what to commission first. "Let me think about it and get back to you? I think it'd be a cool present, I just don't know what I'd like to commission yet. But you know, you could probably set up shop outside my school and make a lot of money that way. I'm sure there's a ton of people who would love to get their portraits done."

Well, Maddy had said she liked sketching people. "You think so?" she asked a little skeptically because she figured that school kids didn't have that much money (although they certainly seemed to gather enough money to buy the wares that Dodge sold... and she needed to not think about that). "And you just let me know what you want and we can work something out." She offered JJ a little smile, trying to be friendly because oddly enough, even though she still felt pretty upset, there was something very nice about the two of them sitting there.

"Yeah, I think so. I can think of..five, maybe ten off the top of my head who'd jump at the chance. I think they'd just need to know you were willing to sketch them." JJ glanced back over at DG and echoed her smile, nodding. "Thanks. I was thinking something for my dad, but I don't know what yet. And if you decide you want to set up shop outside the school, just let me know and I'll spread the word around. I don't think you'll need the help, though. Your sketches speak for themselves." She had to agree, there was something nice about sitting here with DG now that they were yelling at each other. It was a little weird of course, since she'd not really expected to be here, but at the rate her past days had been going, she needed to start expecting the unexpected.

"Not sure how well I'd do with that," Maddy said honestly and sipped at her tea. Maybe she was just exhausted, not getting sick. That's all she could really hope for. Before she could say anything more, two heaping stacks of pancakes were set before them, although they were definitely decked out with whipped cream and cherries and a big bottle of syrup. Maddy smiled up at the waitress with a sweet 'thank you' and pulled her plate closer, knowing that she had something to do with this. She turned her smile on JJ and picked up her fork. "I'll pay you back. Promise."

"How well you'd do with what?" She asked, just before the waitress came by with their food. She smiled to her and gave her a thank you as well, her smile turning into a grin. Whipped cream and cherries. It was funny how little things like that could help a bad day. Something indulgent ontop of an already indulgent meal. She was about to say how much she loved it that they put cherries ontop of pancakes here and that she didn't remember getting cherries ontop of her pancakes here before when DG spoke again. "Not a big deal. I told you it was my treat, so you really don't have to."

"The dealing with some of those girls at your school," Maddy clarified before popping a cherry in her mouth. She had some of the canned ones used for drinks at the Kitten, but these were better. And okay, so maybe her appetite was coming back. A little bit anyway. Which had her wondering if Ethan had a chance to eat and where he'd gone after they parted ways the day before. "Maybe if I can get this painting thing really going, I can quit my other job," she said dryly.

She could understand that. Half the time she wanted to punch those girls at her school anyway. "Some of them suck, but there are some nice ones too." Jessie was swirling syrup onto her pancakes when she glanced back over at DG. "Do you not like working at the theatre?"

"Oh, I don't work there, not really. I do some repair stuff on backdrops," Maddy said before taking a big bite of hotcakes. They were absolutely delicious and she shoved another forkful into her mouth as soon as she was done chewing the first. She may not have an appetite often, but when presented with food, need took over feeling. "I work at the Kitten Club."

"The Kitten Club? Really?" Jessie hadn't been there and she wasn't about to start. The Kitten Club was a place she had no desire to go to, but she was curious now that she knew DG worked there. "What do you do there?" She asked between bites of pancake.

"Bussing tables, helping the bartender out cleaning glasses. I'm not 18 so there's not a lot I can do. Certain nights I can work, so I'm kind of a gopher. Help out where I'm needed." It really wasn't that bad of a job, although she wished she was able to do more. It was okay money too. "I really shouldn't be allowed in there, but I knew someone who worked there and they took me on."

Jessie wasn't really a big fan of the idea that anyone was working somewhere they shouldn't be allowed. But it wasn't her place to say that to DG. "I hope you can get the painting commissions going too. You could make money doing something you like instead of bussing tables." She took another big bite of pancakes before glancing back over at DG. "How old do you need to be most places to get work? Sixteen?" It meant she'd have to wait a few more months at the least. Not that she was looking for anything right now, but she could start thinking about it.

Maddy shrugged. "Dunno," she said eloquently, because she didn't know. She knew that there were paper boys who were pretty young. Some delivery kids too. "I think it depends on the place?"

Jessie nodded and turned to focus on her pancakes, making her way through them pretty quickly. After a few minutes of silence, just eating and sipping at her tea, Jessie turned back to DG. "Hey, DG? Thanks for coming with me. It's a lot more fun when there's someone else here."

Maddy was quiet, not answering immediately. "Yeah," she said softly. "It is." She finally looked up at JJ, offering her a small, wan smile in return. "I'll see you around, okay?" She didn't say it, but JJ would know why she was going. She had to deal with Dodge. She was already feeling her anger fading to that resigned feeling and she needed to find him soon otherwise it would be more difficult to go through.

JJ certainly knew where DG was going. If she were DG, she'd be doing the same thing. The fact that a part of her wanted to find Dodge and deliver a swift punch was trumped by the fact that DG was the one that really needed to talk to him. "Yeah, see you around. Be careful out there, DG," She said, giving the girl a small smile back. She didn't get up, though. She still had pancakes to finish.

"Yeah... thanks for breakfast." She hadn't eaten all of it, but for her, she definitely did. "I'd pack my leftovers but..." not having anywhere to put them was obvious. Maddy looked over her shoulder out the window, thinking about the nickname and what it represented. "It's Madeline, actually," she said quietly, making the decision to say her real name. The Doll Girl needed to go away. It would always be part of her, sure, but she was tired of encouraging it. "Or Maddy... whatever you want." She glanced at JJ out of the corner of her eye, wondering what the other girl would say.

She was surprised at first. She'd only ever heard DG as 'DG' and nothing else. For a while, as silly as it was, she'd thought that DG was really her name. But Madeline fit her. And so did Maddy. And it was kind of weird, but also kind of nice to know her real name. It was a day of fresh starts, wasn't it? So getting to know her name was fitting. "It's your breakfast, you can take it or not take it." She smiled an encouraging smile to her. "Maddy," She said, nodding. "Good luck out there."