Good News

“Well, you could probably guess how I ended up dealing with it,” Georgie replied with a faint laugh, though it didn’t hold much humor in it. She was still getting used to the idea of admitting she had a problem, admitting that her drinking had spiraled so out of control that she had to uproot her entire life to get the help she needed. “Um… I think it’s easier because there’s not as much access for me. I don’t have to go to all of the Hollywood social parties to stay relevant or rub elbows with people who will encourage me to drink to be social. It’s definitely a prevalent thing everywhere, but even more so in Hollywood. And at least there are only two bars here in town rather than one on every other block, so that helps.” She looked up at him and smiled, shaking her head. “That’s one place I haven’t been yet, no. Is that one of your favorite places?”

“Well more power to you, honestly. It’s not easy and I don’t say that to be like all sunshine and rainbows and shit, but like to acknowledge something like that and then do something about it, it takes a lot of courage and just like..self love. I had a buddy of mine who I was in community college with, had to walk him to AA a few times, became like his accountability partner, yanno? And talking to him I guess, I never realized how hard it was for him to just like..exist and process shit, yanno? I mean being a human is hard enough. You should feel like super proud of yourself,” he told her with a soft smile. “No? Oh man then that’s definitely our final destination today. It’s my favorite place, yeah. I’ve been going since I was a kid.” He stood up a little straighter and cleared his throat, “My parents aren’t great people, kind of shipped my brother Chase and I off at a young age to my grandma’s, then my grandma passed and we were in and out of foster care but uh, Parkers was like my safe haven, yanno? A place I could go and just be in wonder and I mean quarters are easy to find so it’s like I walked in there and I was rich,” he added with a soft laugh. “And the owner, I kind of grew on him so he’d always let me stay a little later, get some free pizza or fries, always sent me home with a little something. And I mean I’ve been the reigning high score holder for Pacman since I was 15. So yeah, definitely my favorite place. Do you like arcade games? Or like..video games?”

Bull was taken aback by Levi’s words about the owner of Up in Smoke. Not that Bull knew who it was on a personal level, but he wasn’t really up to date on some of the more specific gossip and talk that circulated around Eden’s. “Whoa, what?” He said then, both brows lifting as Levi shook his head and explained. Bull nodded, listening as they packed up and began heading towards the exit. “Wow, how long were they married for?” He inquired, suddenly struck with the curiosity of the situation Levi was explaining. “I mean, yeah, there’s temptation… but for most people, it’s the temptation of ordering a fat dessert and not sticking your dick where it doesn’t belong… but that’s just me.” Bull had not personally been cheated on, at least that he knew of, but he had friends who had been cheated on and it went both ways and in the end, someone had to get hurt. “Was he like a DiCaprio-type?” He asked as they walked together, pushing the doors open to reveal the parking lot. “I mean, like… y’know. Always has to be with a girl at least half his age?”

“Couple of years, apparently too long,” he added with a soft laugh as they went towards Bull’s car. “Oh hell yeah, fucking dudes turn 35 and it’s like they have to hold onto youth by fucking every 25 year old they meet. It’s ridiculous but whatever, I just want Ken to be happy.” He shrugged it off as they got in the car and Levi leaned back in the passenger seat. There was a part of him that wanted to gush about his own love life but he wasn’t dull and he had been a fan of Bull long enough to know that he and Georgie had dated and Levi didn’t want to be that guy. It was bad enough he was feeling conflicted about pursuing her at all but he figured he’d cross that bridge when they got to it. “Hey but enough about that, you doing alright? I mean I know the high schoolers drive you crazy but is Edens living up to kind of the..escape you thought it would be? I mean I’m hoping you’re getting that rest you were looking for.”

         “That’s because you’re one of the few people who fucked me and didn’t piss me off,” she deadpanned with a raised eyebrow. Jessica blew out a breath as they sat down on the chosen booth and peeled off her jacket, pulling her hair up in a messy bun that left several strands of her hair loose because of the shortness of her blonde locks. She was one hundred percent sure she looked tired and she was glad that she could blame it on the taxing work at the hospital and not on the fact that she hadn’t been sleeping. Levi was a kid… but he was also a worrier. “Who said anything about rollin’ you? I’ll be kickin’ you, like a soccer ball,” she grinned before peering the menu to see what she was going to eat. When he mentioned SuperBowl at Eleanor’s family house Jessica shook her head— she wasn’t avoiding time with her best friend, rather far away from that, but there was something that shifted in her when Eleanor told her the news about moving in with Carter that she couldn’t really shake off. “I’m goin’ to be in a 24-hour shift, if I’m lucky enough I’ll be watchin’ at Legends with some people from work, if I’m not, I’ll be watchin’ at a patient’s room, tell Andrea I’ll be missin’ her, but I gotta do the work if I wanna keep the job.”

Levi let out a soft laugh and blushed at her words, never as good at being as forward with his language as she was. Especially because what had happened between them was a lot more than just fucking but he tried not to lament on that as much these days, finding it only led him down a memory lane that always led back to the same outcome. “Wait, a 24 hour shift? Co-workers at Legends? Who the fuck are you and what have you done with Jessica Grayson? This is the Hasting super bowl party we’re talking about Jess. It has all your favorite things, dudes in tight pants running around, nachos, wings, fucking endless beer and Andrea yelling her head off. And you’re just gonna shrug that off?” He knew she hated when he worried, when his eyebrows creased together the way they were now. “Something’s going on with you.” He said it more as a fact than a question but didn’t push further than that, instead turning to the waitress with a sweet smile. “Hey Mabel, how you doing today? You know your grandson is really getting good with those three pointers. Uh I’m gonna go with a strawberry shake and a bacon grilled cheese with curly fries, thank you very much.” He handed Mabel the menu before turning back to Jess. “You wanna crash at mine tonight? There’s a law & order marathon with our name on it.”

“Oh?” An eyebrow rose at his friend’s admission, his curiosity piqued at the newly mentioned someone. “Do tell.” While the dating game wasn’t one that Forrest found himself much interested in, these days, he would never not show interest in the romantic lives of his friends. Especially if it meant getting to give them shit for it. “Let me guess. Is it for your brother? That’s real cute, Levi. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.” He tapped his cheek affectionately, as if to knock his wiggling eyebrows off of his face, laughing before dropping his hand away, having done his job of embarrassing him in front of the pretty waitress. “Hey.” Forrest nudged him back, feigning offense. “There’s nothing wrong with my ski ball game. You’re just mad because I kicked your ass at air hockey.” His eyes rolled, reaching to down the last of his beer before the new one arrived. “Yeah, yeah, keep talking shit, McCoy. See where it gets you.”

“Nah actually it’s your sister,” he replied with a laugh if only to fuck with him, pushing at his arm lightly. “What’s funny is you’re probably not gonna believe me but I kind of been talking to someone. I mean okay we hung out for a bit, have a date in a few days. We’ve been texting, it’s all kind of like..woah but in the best way. And she also happens to be one of the biggest movie stars like..ever? I mean come on dude she’s literally a disney princess, my favorite one as a matter of fact.” Levi took a deep breath before smiling more easily. “It’s Georgie Banks man, believe me, I’m still in awe too and I feel like I can’t fucking shut up about it which probably just means i”m gonna jinx it but, man I’m excited about it, yanno? These kinds of things don’t just..happen to me. And you can tease me all you want but you will not harsh my vibe on this. And talking shit is a McCoy tradition. It’s what we excel at. If there was a national talking shit tournament we’d be reigning champs.”

“Am I an honorary McCoy now then, huh?” Roman laughed as he got himself ready, poised and ready to hit the puck as it shot his way and glancing across the table at the other man as he explained his thoughts. “Cooking lesson? I could definitely do that; that’s how I learned to do everything I know how to do – and YouTube, but at least this way they could learn in a safer environment. I don’t have a lot happening outside the bakery, though it’d probably have to be after Valentines Day since we’re already looking at a really busy couple of weeks until then. I can talk to Anna and see if she’d mind us using the bakery’s kitchen after hours. What gave you the idea?”

“Eh you may be on your way but we’ll see about that, you might just have the jaw for it. Yeah I mean no rush, I can’t even imagine what that place is like on Valentine’s Day. Do you guys have any horror stories? Uh well I’m always trying to find new stuff to do for the kids, either at the school or the rec center. I don’t know man, I spent a lot of time at the center and here growing up. If I wasn’t with Chase I was by myself and I guess I’m just thinking of all the things we had to learn on our own that someone could have taught us. Lot of my kids are either in the system or got single parents or just shitty parents so I want to make sure they have things to prepare them for the world, you know?” He hit the puck and got it in, smiling soon after before laughing as Roman scored on him. “Nice one. You really learned on Youtube and shit? That’s impressive dude.”

          “I know, you totally don’t need to tell me that. She is running around like a crazy little lady, but I’m not too worried about her growing up so much now, she still cuddles me every day,” Magdalena smiled softly, speaking about her daughter always put her in a good mood. She was the best person in her world and taught her something new every day. Only to think about how terrified she was when she first found out she was pregnant with Mia. Pregnant and alone. Now she had a family she crafted on her own, with Andy and Hector and Arianna. Mia was happy and that was about everything she thought about. “I mean, all I know about being a cop comes from TV shows and movies, so in my mind, your life is full of action,” she chuckled, “although, we do live in Edens Town,” her nose wrinkled, she was thankful that the town was relatively quiet at all times, it was nice that walking home was a reality, mainly because Mag didn’t want to spend on a car. “You haven’t cleaned your room yet? Jesus, I think I never threw away so much stuff as I did from last year,” she grabbed a water bottle from behind the counter and took a sip, “it’s good though, you’re gonna feel great afterward. And count me in, Mia and I will be there cheering front row.”

“Well when she’s interested in sports at any part you send her my way, we can teach her how to dribble early on. Or swimming, they have this swim team down at the rec center for toddlers. Oh man it’s the cutest shit, them in all their little floaties.” Though Levi had never dreamed much for his career, he had definitely dreamed about a family of his own one day. A family he could provide a life for better than the one his parents gave him. He held no resentment, and he appreciated everything Chase had done for him but he knew that they could both build a better world for their future. He could definitely see himself in a house in Amber Valley one day, kids running around, a wife to share a life with. It sounded like the kind of future he could really be happy in and he figured one day soon he’d get a chance to start on that life. He wasn’t in any rush though.”Yeah whatever you see on TV is not accurate, especially in a town like this. It’s mostly a lot of drunk people and the few small fires, the Cooper case was really the most craziness we’ve seen in a minute. But you know, it’s never a dull day here in Edens so there’s always room for more surprise. I’ve cleaned my room but my apartment has been a little cluttered lately, the sports season is always busy. I’m always just in and out. Should calm down after March. But it’s peak sports time. We got the superbowl, march madness coming up, then NBA championship, by the time all that ends it’s baseball season so I;m always in a good mood, long as the Yankees finally make it to the World Series. Perfect, we need our best cheerleaders. What time are you getting off tonight? Maybe I can walk you home.”

               OPHELIA couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head at Levi’s celebration. She’d tried, time and time again, to beat that high Pacman score, but it was slowly becoming clear that it was probably achievable - still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t gonna give it another attempt when the champion himself wasn’t lingering over her shoulder. She followed him towards the food kiosks, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as he spoke, “I mean, if you try hard enough, can’t you make money doing anything? Okay, that would be fun - but hear me out. Y’all are hotter playing basketball than arcade games.”

“You can make money doing anything, I’ll have to look into it.” He let out a laugh and shook his head. “You’re probably right but you gotta stop flirting with me Millison, no need for you to focus on an old man like me. But since you’re clearly interested in thirsting after some police officers,” he laughed as he leaned his arms on the counter, “How about you come down and volunteer this weekend? The department did a clothing drive recently, we need some people to help us deliver the stuff to the shelters. Either that or you can take the easier road and come watch us play this weekend. But stay away from the rookie guy named Russo. Guy gave his girlfriend crabs. You don’t need that and I don’t need your brothers getting arrested for body checking a police officer.”

          “Well, I wanted to know the new hipster food truck and the picture I took of our juices, really suited well with my Instagram,” she grinned sarcastically as they continued walking side by side and when he started jogging, then Jessica started shaking her head. She didn’t do jogging, she didn’t do running, damn she didn’t even do gym or lifting weights. Her lean body was meticulously crafted by yoga and Pilates and the occasional too much drinking leading to a day of fasting. She wasn’t the most careful and Levi was a police officer— she was sure his kind of people needed to be fit for working and running when was needed. “I’ll be right behind you, ass,” she called out as he dashed way ahead of her and left her somewhat behind. There was absolutely no way she was going to strain herself with a jog right now, her body had been violented enough by the green juice. As soon as she caught up with him, too many minutes later, Jessica raised one eyebrow. “You are a kid—” she chuckled and pushed the door to the restaurant open, “don’t even run away from me again, or I’ll kick your ass for it. You know my body isn’t made for this shit. It has already been treated badly today. Now come, I need my weight in bacon.”

“I guess I should be honored that I get such a frequent feature on your instagram.” He laughed as he back peddled and watched her walk across the street. “I am a kid, thank you very much, kids are super cool,” he told her and pushed his sunglasses up on his nose with a grin. “Your body isn’t made for it but you’re gonna kick my ass? Does that even all add up? Yeah yeah I’m right behind you.” He followed her inside and waved at a few of the staff members, kissing the cheek of the woman who worked the front before he followed Jess to a booth towards the back. “I’m thinking a double burger sounds like what this body needs right now. Then you can roll me home to sleep.” He settled in his seat and pulled off sunglasses before shrugging off his jacket, taking a minute to look at her before he looked back at his menu. He knew the chances of Jessica talking to him about her true feelings were slim. It had always been a difficulty between the two of them, but Levi had felt like that maybe over the years she found it just slightly easier to open up. Still, he knew he wasn’t so special or some exception, it was who she was, at least for now. But still, he could tell that she wasn’t exactly herself, not that he had the words for it and he really didn’t want to piss her off by making her think about her own feelings. “You got plans for the superbowl. I’m going to El’s parents house if you want to catch a ride with me. Free booze, free food, lots of Andrea and Scott fussing over us, a whole lot of seeing El and Carter be gross. It’s gonna be fun.”

            JACKSON couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head slightly at Levi’s outburst. Parker’s had become part of his usual schedule; something that had been standard since he was a teenager. “Those fuckin’ Pacman machines have always been the most difficult thing in this place. I’m never gonna beat that high score,” He lamented, huffing an overdramatic sigh. “You know, I’m pretty sure people do actually get paid for shit like that. I mean - you got all of those Youtube gamers that Cole is obsessed with – they get paid for playin’ online games, so why not?” He paused for a moment as Levi continued talking, tilting his head, “You know, you might actually be on to something there. Although it might just be because we’re guaranteed to win.”

“Well at least I’ll have some sort of backup,” he replied with a smirk, not sure if he could imagine himself growing old in this job, then again maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. He didn’t really have dreams of leaving Edens, why would he? It was his favorite place to be and he had never really felt trapped by it. It was home, the only real one he had ever known. “Hey I mean I wouldn’t be too sure cause those old dudes can be surprising but hey I’m competitive, I cannot be blamed. Plus they get so fucking smug when they win for once I’d like for them to eat shit. Just once though. Then we’d be even,” he joked. He reached out and gave Jay’s shoulder a quick pat. “You doing alright? How uh, how’s Caleb?”

          There it was, the same Levi McCoy she knew and loved. It had about 10 years since she had seen him and he had been just a kid then, so had she, but there he was all grown up, a made man now. She wondered if life had gotten easier on him, wondering if his brother was still out and about and treating him like a little kid the same way Levi used to jokefully complain about during their study sessions. “Wow, you’ve really done somethin’ for yourself McCoy,” she smiled widely, rubbing his arms after they pulled away from their hug. It had been enough to attract the looks of some of the older teachers, they had quite a liking for watching Caroline’s affairs from afar. “Thank you, thank you— I’m afraid this has been a 3 a.m. choice that I don’t regret it… and you should totally do it, you know? Go crazy, be the cop with the pink hair, I have enough hair coloring in my apartment to give you about 5 makeovers, just say the word,” she laughed. “About eight months ago— it’s way too weird that I haven’t seen your face around until now,” her nose wrinkled. “Tell me, what the hell made you choose the uniform? Not that it doesn’t look good on you, makes your ass look particularly spectacular.”

“Yeah, yeah I mean I’ve tried to.” Levi couldn’t say that being a police officer was exactly his dream. But it was a good pension, a steady job and something that kept him out of too much trouble funny enough. “Definitely don’t regret it, it looks good. Oh I don’t know I gotta check the handbook but if I can get around it I’ll totally go for it. Pink hair, that’d be something.” He ran his hand over his head, smiling as he thought about it. “Where are you living? I know, probably because I’ve just been spending time with Chase as per usual and I’m always busy with the team. But now that you’ve seen it, you’ll see plenty more. As I remember it, you still owe me a rematch in mortal kombat, I told you we would make good on that one day and I am a man of my word.” Levi could feel himself blush and he looked behind him with a smirk. “It does look pretty tight, right? This uniform suits me pretty damn well, thank you for noticing,” he added with a little bow. “I’ve only been at it for a couple years, spent some time as a volunteer firefighter, I don’t know, just figured I might as well be useful, help keep people safe as best as I can. The benefits are great and helps me watch my brother’s back,” he admitted with a shrug. “You’re teaching though? Of course you are, little genius. Hopefully these kids are doing better than I was before I met you.” His smile widened easily as he poured them both a cup of coffee. “You look good, Cal.”

          “You’ve never seen me play, McCoy, I have been carefully built for this, you know?” Anna teased with a small smile. Truth be told, she spent most of the time trying to make sure Jenna didn’t get lost among the other kids. It was hard work, but it had to be done. “Don’t tell them that, though— their cakes and confections are just as good as mine, if not more since I still have to do some managing around the bakery while all they do is bake, but, you wish is my command, officer,” the brunette jokingly saluted him, “yeah, and I don’t mind them at all.” Anna had been thinking about how the rest of her life would go and the next step as soon as she was good enough to take it was her lifelong dream of being a mother. It didn’t matter to her that she wasn’t in a relationship, not when there were plenty of children out there that needed a home. Not to mention, she could get pregnant by herself. There were plenty of ways a woman could go without needing a man— and that’s what she wanted, it had always been what she wanted. Levi’s change of subject had her raising her eyebrows, partly confused, but mostly amused. “Cheesecakes are too much work Levi, even for someone you like… or thought was cute,” her nose wrinkled, “you can go simple and classic with chocolate, or, I mean, cookies and cupcakes are pretty good too— why don’t you make it a date out of that, if you tell me who it is, I might even let you borrow the bakery’s kitchen after hours.”

“Oh no I was talking about like something I could order from the bakery not make myself. You have way too much faith in me. I’m not trying to poison the woman. I can cook but baking is so not my wheelhouse,” he replied with a laugh, the idea of him trying to make Georgie a cake too funny and a bit cringey. “Uh I mean that would be a super cute date but I wouldn’t want to totally embarrass myself, you know? Especially cause I’m sure she’s tasted shit made like by Martha Stewart or like whoever cooks for Oprah. So that’s a pretty high bar. I was more like thinking you know you go to the florist and get flowers, I’d like to go to Red Velvet and get her something equally as sweet but that won’t like die on her kitchen counter. Everyone enjoys a baked good. I mean unless she’s gluten free but I don’t think she is..I could google it...” he said the last part more to himself, laughing softly as he realized he had gotten a bit carried away. “What can I say? I officially have a crush. And I am asking for your help to be just a bit more impressive. Not trying to like change who I am just yanno, give her something sweet. Literally.”

Georgie couldn’t help the smile that came to her face as she watched Levi hurry off to get ready, finding a bench out in the hall that she could sit on as she waited for him to avoid the chill of the night air outside. Standing when he returned, she nodded enthusiastically and followed out of the building, her hands tucked away inside of her coat pockets as she walked leisurely beside him. “It is pretty different, but that’s what I like about it,” Georgie said with a shrug and a smile, turning her attention up towards him. “I grew up out there and that’s… been my life. I’ve never really known small town comforts, so having such a tight-knit community accept me so openly and becoming a regular at a place where someone doesn’t even necessarily know who you are outside of there? It’s… really nice. I’ve needed it, that anonymity of sorts. It’s helping to ground me, keep me center. God, that sounded really Hollywood, didn’t it? I just mean it’s been difficult to get myself to a place where I need to be when I’ve been stuck in the grind of work and Hollywood parties for so long. I just needed to get out for a while.”

“No, no it sounds really human actually. I mean Hollywood or not everyone knows what it’s like to feel overworked and tired. Everyone needs a break. I mean I can’t believe anyone wouldn’t know who you are but I totally see the benefit of just being another citizen. I bet it can be a lot, huh? I always wondered how people could deal with that. Cameras in your face all the time, I mean one time I was in the supermarket and this tabloid was reporting on the fact that you bought a smoothie. I mean it looked delicious but I’m sure we could all go without knowing.” He laughed as he thought about it and shook his head, sure he was way too shy for that. “I hope it’s not overstepping but do you find that Edens is..an easier place to stay sober? I..I mean I drink but not like a lot but I don’t know, sometimes I feel like everyone kind of thrives off of social drinking. Everyone wants to meet at a bar but then again some would call me childish cause I often like to meet up at Parkers. You ever been? The arcade?”

“Ooh, getting drunk really seems so nice right now. Ugh, but I have to work tomorrow. I have someone coming in to talk about selling their house in Kings Park.” Kendall sighed before taking another sip out of her glass. “Oh come on. It got you a lot of likes on Instagram.” Levi had been and probably still was one of her closes friends in the small town that the two of them called home - and when her husband up and left - he was the first person that she thought to call. “Oh no way!” Kendall took the phone out of his hands to zoom in on the picture - as if it would change right in front and reveal that he was playing a prank on her. “How? Where? Spill the details now!” Kendall grinned as she handed his phone back to him. 

“Cancel it, play hooky,” he told her, mostly joking since he usually never did when it came to his own job but he figured he could be the little devil on her shoulder tonight or at least try to be. “Joking, I know you take your job seriously. Who’s selling? Am I allowed to know?” He laughed at her reaction, his smile only widening at the second. “I had practice with my rec team the other day and I could tell that the kids weren’t like outside yet meeting their parents, I walk out and she’s right there, they’re freaking asking her for a picture, little punks,” he joked, pausing to sip his drink. “Anyway, I asked if she wouldn’t mind a photo and then I asked if she wanted a personal Edens tour,” he blushed at his own words as he said it out loud, “And we just hung out, we’ve been texting a bit. Got a date down by the harbor a little later this week. I’m...in awe but so hyped about it. I mean can you imagine? She wants to hang out with me?” He let out a laugh and shook his head. “I must be living in an alternate reality but I’m okay with that. Just gotta make sure I get a haircut before then.”

“Yeah. I put my 30 Day notice in for my apartment yesterday. The adult things are really starting to happen.” Eleanor smiled at the thought, and she was both excited and nervous about the whole thing. it was such a big step she was taking. “I told Jess I’d give her a spare key and everything.” Eleanor exclaimed before she chuckled. “Nothings changing, except I won’t be able to hear every word my neighbors say. The extra living space will be really nice, and you know everything will have it’s own room - unlike my studio now.” Eleanor had been in the same apartment since she moved out of her parents house, and it was kind of sad to see her old apartment go. “You know how excited my mom is. She’s already talking about getting an interior designer.” 

“Damn that’s…amazing, El, really. I mean I still haven’t given Carter the whole if you fuck with her I’ll fuck you up thing but I think Andrea probably has that on lock, huh? Or is she giving you that talk in defense of him?” He laughed as he thought about it, knowing that to know Eleanor was to know Carter and vice versa. He couldn’t say that the younger guy and him were best of friends but they were friendly enough and despite his track record, Levi knew that Carter loved Eleanor, it had been clear as day since they were kids. “You’re giving Jess a spare key? Damn that’s bold, and of course she is, I’m sure she’s had your house planned out since you two were in high school. She was always rooting for him to open his eyes up. I’m happy for you, in case I haven’t said it.” It was true, despite everything and despite the bit of resentment he held towards her, it didn’t mean he didn’t still want her to be happy. “Hey speaking of Jess, is she like..alright? I mean I know she’s never alright but I don’t know, I feel like something else is going on and you know her, she wouldn’t even talk about shit if she was being tortured, but I figured if anyone would know it would be you.”